Athletics Designate Eury De La Rosa For Assignment
The Athletics have designated lefty reliever Eury De La Rosa for assignment, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for infielder Max Muncy, who’s needed because the A’s are placing Ben Zobrist on the 15-day disabled list. Slusser also tweets that if Zobrist has arthroscopic knee surgery, which currently seems to be a possibility, he would likely be out three to six weeks.
The Athletics acquired the 25-year-old De La Rosa in a December trade after the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment. He’s spent the beginning of the 2015 season pitching at Triple-A Nashville, where he struck out four batters and walked five in six innings. Last season, he posted a 2.52 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A Reno, along with a 2.95 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 36 2/3 innings in the big leagues.
Minor Moves: Juan Jaime, Daniel Corcino
Here are today’s minor moves from around the game:
- The Braves have outrighted righty Juan Jaime to Triple-A Gwinnett, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The 27-year-old Jaime, who throws very hard and gets plenty of strikeouts, surely would have been an interesting project for any number of teams, but other clubs were likely deterred from claiming him because he was out of options. In 41 innings at Gwinnett last season, he posted a 3.51 ERA with 13.8 K/9 but an unsightly 7.9 BB/9. He walked four batters in 1 1/3 innings with the Braves this season.
- The Dodgers have outrighted righty Daniel Corcino, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register tweets. They claimed Corcino from the Reds earlier this month. The 24-year-old posted a 4.14 ERA with 7.1 K/9 in 143 1/3 innings at Double-A Pensacola last season. He walked too many batters, with 4.4 BB/9, but given his relative youth and prospect status (Baseball America ranked him the No. 94 prospect in the game heading into 2013), he should provide the Dodgers with valuable minor-league depth. Corcino is the second former Reds pitcher the Dodgers have claimed and then outrighted this month, the other being reliever Ryan Dennick, who they removed from their roster when they claimed Corcino.
Blue Jays Designate Steve Tolleson
The Blue Jays have designated infielder Steve Tolleson, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. With the move, the club has cleared roster space for the activation of outfielder Michael Saunders.
The 31-year-old Tolleson saw just 12 plate appearances this year for Toronto, picking up three hits and a walk. He saw his most extensive MLB action last year with Toronto, slashing .253/.308/.371 in 189 plate appearances. Tolleson has seen limited action in two other seasons.
Dodgers Designate Xavier Cedeno, Purchase Contract Of Sergio Santos
In yet another round of reliever roulette, the Dodgers have designated the just-acquired Xavier Cedeno for assignment. The club selected the contract of veteran righty Sergio Santos, necessitating the move.
Cedeno, a southpaw, was just added in a deal with the Nationals, who had designated him. Like Ryan Dennick and Daniel Corcino before him, Cedeno was added to the roster only long enough to be designated off of it, presumably with intentions of seeking outright waivers to facilitate a stashing in Triple-A.
Santos had an opt-out clause that was due May 1, so it was a use him or lose him situation for L.A. The 31-year-old has had a roller coaster of a career to this point, flashing plenty of talent while struggling with a variety of arm ailments. In 4 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year, he has allowed two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight opposing batters.
Minor Moves: Michael Kohn, John Cornely
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Braves have selected the contracts of right-handed relievers Michael Kohn and John Cornely from Triple-A Gwinnett, Mark Bowman of MLB.com first tweeted earlier this morning. Kohn and Cornely both had to be added to the 40-man roster, though the team had enough space on the 40-man roster to accommodate them without designating anyone for assignment. Kohn originally inked a Major League deal with the Rays this offseason, but Tampa cut him from its roster, and he eventually latched on with a Minor League deal in Atlanta. He’s shown the ability to miss bats at the Major League level (8.7 K/9 in 110 1/3 innings) but has struggled with control (6.0 BB/9) en route to a 3.67 ERA. The 25-year-old Cornely will be making his MLB debut the first time he appears for the Braves after being selected in the 15th round of the 2011 draft. He has a career 2.75 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 219 2/3 Minor League innings. Relievers Brandon Cunniff and Sugar Ray Marimon have been optioned to Gwinnett to make room on the 25-man roster.
Marlins Designate Grant Dayton For Assignment
The Marlins announced that they have designated left-hander Grant Dayton for assignment. The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for catcher Jhonatan Solano, whose contract was selected today when Jarrod Saltalamacchia was placed on the paternity list.
The 27-year-old Dayton was Miami’s 11th-round pick back in 2010 out of Auburn University. Baseball America ranked him among Miami’s Top 30 prospects prior to each of the 2012-14 seasons, ranging from 17th to 25th. Dayton has worked almost exclusively as a reliever over the course of his Minor League career, totaling a 2.63 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 263 innings of work. He’s typically been old for his level, however, and didn’t reach Triple-A until his age-26 season in 2014.
Minor Moves: Barry Enright
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Right-hander Barry Enright has agreed to join the Mexican League’s Tijuana Toros, MLBTR has learned. He will throw today for the club’s lower-level affiliate to build up his arm. Enright had been with the Dodgers this spring on a minor league deal, but saw limited action and was released just before Opening Day. The 29-year-old was a second-round choice in the 2007 draft. He had a promising start to his career with the Diamondbacks back in 2010 and has spent parts of four seasons in the league, but has yet to lock down a consistent MLB job.
Brewers Outright Brandon Kintzler
The Brewers have outrighted Brandon Kintzler to Triple-A after the right-hander cleared waivers, the team announced via Twitter. Kintzler was designated for assignment earlier this week.
Kintzler posted a 3.24 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and 57% ground ball rate in 58 1/3 relief innings for Milwaukee last season. The ground ball specialist has a 3.26 ERA over 174 career innings (all with the Brewers). He’s already spent much of the year on the Triple-A roster, though he has only pitched in one game due to a finger injury.
With Kintzler’s situation settled, only three players (Grant Balfour, Daniel Corcino and Todd Redmond) remain in “DFA limbo” according to the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker.
Blue Jays Release Andy Dirks
The Blue Jays have released outfielder Andy Dirks, according to Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Dirks has recently undergone back surgery and will likely be sidelined for the entire 2015 season.
This is the second back operation in as many years for Dirks, as his prior surgery (and a couple of hamstring injuries during rehab) limited him to just 14 minor league games during 2014. Dirks hit .276/.332/.413 in 1063 plate appearances with the Tigers from 2011-13, hitting slightly better against right-handed pitching (career .751 OPS) than lefty pitching (.721 OPS).
The Jays claimed Dirks on waivers from the Tigers in October then non-tendered him to avoid paying him a projected $1.6MM (as per MLBTR’s Matt Swartz) in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Toronto then re-signed Dirks to a minor league deal in January. Were it not for his back problems, Dirks looked like a solid contender to win a part-time role with the Jays this season as a left-handed bat who could contribute in left field, DH or in a pinch-hitting role.
Mets Acquire Dan Rohlfing From Twins
The Mets have acquired minor league catcher Dan Rohlfing from the Twins, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. Cash considerations are headed to Minnesota in return.
Rohlfing, 26, represents depth for a New York club that is dealing with an injury to Opening Day backstop Travis d’Arnaud as well as backup Anthony Recker. He has never hit much, but does offer some defensive versatility, having spent time both behind the dish and in the corner outfield. In parts of two seasons at the Triple-A level, Rohlfing has slashed .236/.334/.344 over 357 plate appearances.