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Mets Outright Joe Hudson

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June 27: Hudson cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

June 24: The Mets have designated catcher Joe Hudson for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to fellow backstop Luis Torrens, who has been reinstated from the paternity list.

The journeyman Hudson was selected to the Mets’ roster earlier this month in advance of the team’s London showdown against the Phillies. He only wound up appearing in one major league game, however, and he did not take an appearance at the plate.

This brief stint was the 33-year-old Hudson’s first appearance on a major league roster since 2020. He’s tallied 18 games in the majors over the course of a 13-year pro career, picking up 33 plate appearances in that short time. Hudson is 5-for-30 with a double, two walks and six strikeouts in the majors. The former sixth-rounder is a career .229/.333/.398 hitter in six Triple-A seasons — including a .237/.392/.441 showing in 21 games with the Mets’ Syracuse affiliate this year.

The Mets will have a week to attempt to pass Hudson through outright waivers, trade him or release him.

Yankees Outright Victor Gonzalez, Clayton Andrews

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7:06pm: New York also outrighted lefty reliever Clayton Andrews, per the transactions log at MLB.com. The Yankees had designated him for assignment last week when they signed Tim Hill. Andrews, 27, has only made one big league appearance this year. He has logged 24 2/3 frames in Scranton, allowing a 5.84 earned run average. The former Brewer has managed solid strikeout and grounder rates but walked more than one-fifth of batters faced.

New York has outrighted Andrews twice this season. Players with multiple outrights have the ability to elect free agency instead of heading back to Triple-A. It’s not clear whether he will do so.

2:51pm: The Yankees announced Wednesday that left-hander Victor Gonzalez passed through outright waivers unclaimed and has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was designated for assignment last week. The southpaw has enough big league service time to reject the assignment but not enough to retain the remainder of his $860K salary upon electing free agency, so he’ll likely accept the assignment.

Gonzalez, 28, came to the Yankees alongside minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas in an offseason trade that sent minor league infielder Trey Sweeney back to the Dodgers. His time on the big league roster didn’t go as hoped. While Gonzalez posted a solid 3.86 earned run average in 23 1/3 frames, he did so while issuing more walks (13.4%) than strikeouts (11.3%). He continued to post terrific ground-ball numbers (55.1%), but this is the fourth straight season his strikeout rate has dropped. His 93.3 mph average velocity on his once 95-mph sinker also marked a career-low.

Debuting with the Dodgers back in 2020, Gonzalez looked like a potential bullpen powerhouse. Armed with that then-95-mph bowling ball sinker, he pitched 20 1/3 innings of 1.33 ERA ball with an excellent 28.7% strikeout rate against a microscopic 2.5% walk rate — all while inducing grounders at a mammoth 69.2% clip.

Injuries have hobbled him since that debut and sapped his repertoire, however. He’s dealt with plantar fasciitis, knee troubles and most notably a bout of elbow inflammation that eventually led to arthroscopic surgery. In three and a half seasons since that outstanding debut effort, Gonzalez has combined for a total of 136 innings (majors and minors included).

Gonzalez was out of minor league options, so the Yankees had no choice but to designate him for assignment if they wanted the chance to send him to the minors. He’ll now head to Triple-A and try to earn another look later in the season. He’d need to be re-added to the 40-man roster for that to happen, of course. Failing that, Gonzalez will have the right to become a minor league free agent at season’s end, given his status as a player with three-plus years of service who was outrighted off a 40-man roster.

Giants Designate Raymond Burgos For Assignment

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The Giants announced they’ve designated left-hander Raymond Burgos for assignment (X link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The move opens the necessary 40-man spot for Hayden Birdsong, who has officially been selected onto the big league roster. San Francisco optioned Mason Black to Triple-A Sacramento to clear an active roster spot for Birdsong.

Burgos only occupied a spot on the 40-man roster for two days. San Francisco selected his contract on Monday. He pitched one inning during his MLB debut, allowing a run on three hits while fanning Tomás Nido for his first strikeout. San Francisco optioned him yesterday and will take him off the roster altogether now that Birdsong is up to start tonight.

A 25-year-old southpaw, Burgos has signed minor league deals with the Giants in each of the last two seasons. He has worked in long relief for Sacramento this year. Burgos has turned in a 1.64 ERA over 22 innings across nine appearances. He has fanned 27.4% of batters faced against a tidy 2.4% walk rate while inducing ground-balls at a lofty 53.6% clip.

Burgos isn’t a hard thrower, averaging 91.2 MPH on his sinker during his big league debut. His Triple-A numbers have been strong enough that another team could give him a look on a waiver claim, though. San Francisco has five days to trade him or try to run him through waivers.

Astros, Omar Narvaez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Omar Narvaez, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2. The ISE client was recently released by the Mets midway through the second season of a two-year, $15MM contract. New York remains on the hook for the rest of this season’s $8MM salary. Houston would only owe Narvaez the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster (which would be subtracted from the Mets’ obligations).

Narvaez was a quality regular with the White Sox, Mariners and Brewers for the bulk of the time from 2018-22 and even grabbed an All-Star nod with the ’21 Brewers. Over that five-year span, the now-32-year-old backstop slashed .254/.337/.397. His defensive grades were poor in Chicago and Seattle, but the Brewers have a knack for maximizing catcher defense (framing in particular) and helped the veteran catcher overhaul his skills behind the dish. Statcast pegged him at 19 runs above average behind the plate during his time in Milwaukee.

Unfortunately for Narvaez, his time with the Mets was a flop. He hit .211/.283/.297 during his first season, making it an easy call to exercise what was an $8MM player option for the 2024 campaign. This year has been even worse, as Narvaez batted .154/.191/.185 with a bottom-of-the-barrel 22.2% hard-hit rate in 69 trips to the plate.

The Astros just lost backup Victor Caratini to a strained hip flexor that will sideline him for at least the next three to four weeks. They called up Triple-A backstop Cesar Salazar to pair with young Yainer Diaz in Caratini’s place, but the organizational catching depth beyond that point is quite thin. Narvaez will give the Astros some experienced depth in Sugar Land and could get a look in the majors if either Diaz or Salazar incurs an injury in the next few weeks — or in the event that Salazar, a 28-year-old rookie, struggles significantly.

Brewers Select Dallas Keuchel, Eric Haase; Gary Sánchez Placed On IL

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12:20 pm: The Brewers have officially selected Dallas Keuchel’s contract, the team announced. Right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel has been designated for assignment to make room on the active and 40-man rosters. If he clears waivers, Kuhnel will have the option to decline an outright assignment and elect free agency, which he has already done once this season.

In additional Brewers news, the team has placed catcher/DH Gary Sánchez on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 24) with a left calf strain. The strain is “low-grade” according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, so Sánchez likely won’t be out too long. In the meantime, however, the team has selected veteran backstop Eric Haase from Triple-A Nashville to take over as the backup catcher. The team freed up an additional spot on the 40-man roster by transferring right-hander Joe Ross from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Ross is now ineligible to return until July 20 at the earliest.

11:51 am: The Brewers will select the contract of Dallas Keuchel ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Rangers, reports Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner came over to the organization from the Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. Milwaukee will need to open up a spot for Keuchel on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.

Keuchel’s start today will be his 2024 debut. After a highly successful seven-year tenure with the Astros from 2012-18, the southpaw signed a one-year deal with the Braves in 2019 followed by a three-year deal with the White Sox ahead of the 2020 campaign. Although he made a strong first impression in his first season on the South Side of Chicago (1.99 ERA in 11 starts), he struggled over the next two years, ultimately getting released in May 2022.

After brief stints with the Diamondbacks and Rangers during the 2022 season, Keuchel signed a minor league deal with the Twins in June 2023. He ultimately made 10 appearances (6 starts) for Minnesota, putting up a 5.97 ERA in 37 2/3 innings pitched. While his overall numbers were disappointing, his 3.04 FIP and 4.10 xFIP against lefty batters were promising evidence that the veteran can still retire same-handed hitters.

Keuchel went unsigned throughout the 2023-24 offseason before inking a minor league deal with the Mariners this past April. The 36-year-old was released in May but signed a new minor league pact with the organization three days later. Under the terms of that agreement, he will make a prorated portion of $1.5 million for the time he spends with the Brewers, with the opportunity to earn additional incentives (per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).

Milwaukee has lost a full rotation’s worth of starting pitchers to the IL this year. DL Hall and Joe Ross are currently working their way back from their respective injuries, but Robert Gasser and Wade Miley are done for the season. Brandon Woodruff, who underwent shoulder surgery last fall, is also out for the year. Jakob Junis, who opened the year in the rotation, returned from a long stint on the IL this past weekend. However, is currently pitching out of the bullpen. Thus, it is clear to see why the Brewers could use an arm like Keuchel. While he has not had much major league success since the 2020 season, he can eat innings for Milwaukee, and he offers the team a left-handed option in the rotation. He has a 3.93 ERA but a 5.51 FIP in 13 starts at Triple-A this year.

Right-hander Colin Rea was originally scheduled to start this afternoon. Thankfully for the Brewers, there is no evidence to suggest Rea was scratched due to injury concerns, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rather, manager Pat Murphy might simply prefer to give Rea an extra couple of days of rest. With 82 innings under his belt this season, the 33-year-old is on pace to surpass his previous professional career high in innings pitched. Given all the pitching injuries the Brewers have already suffered this year, keeping Rea strong and healthy is of paramount importance.

Rangers Option Ezequiel Duran Amid Series of Roster Moves

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The Rangers announced a series of roster moves today, most notably optioning utility player Ezequiel Duran to Triple-A Round Rock. The team selected outfielder Derek Hill to take Duran’s place on the active roster, while designating right-hander Yerry Rodríguez for assignment to open a space on the 40-man. The team also activated Justin Foscue from the 60-day IL and optioned the 25-year-old infielder to Triple-A. To free up another spot on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Cole Winn was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.

Duran, 25, was a productive hitter for last year’s World Series-winning squad, hitting .276/.324/.443 (107 wRC+) with 14 homers and eight steals while logging defensive time at all four infield positions and both outfield corners. He’s continued to bounce all over the diamond in 2024, but his offensive contributions have withered considerably. In 187 plate appearances, Duran is hitting .256/.294/.324 (74 wRC+) with just two homers.

Things have gone particularly poorly for Duran as of late. Since the calendar flipped to June, he’s turned in a miserable .211/.219/.296 batting line with just one walk in 73 plate appearances. While he’s actually cut his strikeout rate a bit from last season, the overall quality of Duran’s contact this season has plummeted. His ground-ball and infield-fly rates have both spiked, while his average exit velocity has dropped by nearly three miles per hour and his hard-hit rate has cratered (43.9% in 2023, 36.6% in 2024). The Rangers surely still view him as a potential long-term contributor — he’ll be controllable for four seasons beyond the current year (or five if he doesn’t return to the majors for at least 10 days) — but are taking the opportunity to give him a reset and get him back on track in the minors.

Hill will start this afternoon in center field against the Brewers. The former first-round pick (Tigers, 2014) signed a minor league deal over the winter and had a brief stint with Texas earlier this season, going 2-for-9 in limited action before being designated for assignment and outrighted to Round Rock. He’s putting up monster numbers in Triple-A, slashing .350/.415/.631 with eight homers, a dozen doubles, four triples and seven steals (in eight attempts).

The Rangers’ lineup has been reeling of late, with center fielder Leody Taveras (who’s out of minor league options and can’t be sent down without being designated for assignment himself) struggling in particular. After a very productive month in May, he’s hitting just .121/.194/.167 in June. Hill will start in his place today and could see further opportunities as Texas looks to inject some life into a struggling offense.

Rodriguez, 26, pitched 17 innings out of the Rangers’ bullpen  this season but has been rocked for a 6.88 ERA, due in no small part to a bloated 14.1% walk rate and massive 2.65 HR/9 mark. The 96.6 mph average on his heater this season is an impressive mark but nonetheless down from last year’s 97.2 mph mark in a season that also saw the righty struggle in a limited sample of innings.

In all, Rodriguez has totaled 31 2/3 innings for the Rangers over the past three seasons but been touched for a 7.11 earned run average. His lack of command has undercut the power of his arsenal, evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t missed nearly as many bats as one would think for a pitcher whose fastball lives in the upper 90s. Rodriguez has fanned only 18.9% of his big league opponents against a rough 11.5% walk rate. He’s regularly missed bats and racked up strikeouts in the upper minors, but skill hasn’t carried over to the big league level.

The Rangers will now either trade Rodriguez or place him on waivers within the next five days. Waivers would be an additional two-day process. Within a week’s time, he’ll know the outcome of his DFA. He’s in his final minor league option year, so a new club that acquires him could send Rodriguez to Triple-A without needing to first pass him through waivers themselves.

Foscue, the No. 14 overall pick in 2020, went 1-for-2 earlier this season in his MLB debut but has been out more than two months with an oblique strain. He’s a bat-first infield prospect who could eventually be called upon to help the lineup himself, but he’s still played in only four Triple-A contests during his rehab stint. He went 1-for-8 in that time and drew a hearty eight walks as well. He’s batted .263/.398/.462 in 595 Triple-A plate appearances dating back to 2023.

Winn, another former first-round pick, landed on the IL with shoulder discomfort last week and will now be out through at least mid-August. His prospect stock has faded as he’s struggled in the upper minors. Texas used him in a bullpen role earlier this season but saw the 24-year-old struggle with an ERA north of 7.00 in 17 1/3 innings.

Marlins Select Valente Bellozo

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TODAY: The Marlins have selected Valente Bellozo from Triple-A Jacksonville, the team announced. In a corresponding move, left-hander Kent Emanuel has been designated for assignment. Emanuel will likely clear waivers and be sent outright to Jacksonville. He has already accepted multiple outright assignments to Triple-A this season.

JUNE 25: The Marlins will select the contract of right-hander Valente Bellozo before tomorrow’s game with the Royals, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid (X link). He’ll take the ball opposite Brady Singer in the series finale. Miami will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

It’ll be the major league debut for Bellozo, a 24-year-old native of Mexico. He signed with the Astros as an amateur free agent back in 2017. Bellozo pitched through Double-A in the Houston farm system. The Astros dealt him to Miami for depth infielder Jacob Amaya in April. Bellozo has split his time with the Fish between the top two minor league levels.

The 5’10” hurler hasn’t had great numbers this season. Bellozo has allowed a 5.02 ERA in 52 innings between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville. He has decent strikeout and walk numbers, punching out more than a quarter of batters faced against a tidy 6.7% walk percentage. Home runs have been an issue since he was promoted to Triple-A, though. Bellozo has given up seven longballs in 20 2/3 frames with Jacksonville.

Bellozo has never gotten much prospect fanfare. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs gave him a brief mention on his write-up of the Miami system earlier this month, crediting him with a solid changeup but few other weapons. The Fish have needed to dig into their rotation depth this season after being pummeled by injury.

They placed Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett on the shelf last week. That duo joins Eury Pérez, Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers and Sixto Sánchez on the injured list. Trevor Rogers has been the lone consistent presence. Bellozo will be the 14th starting pitcher they’ve used over the course of the year as they’ve cycled through depth arms.

Rockies Outright Geoff Hartlieb

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Right-hander Geoff Hartlieb cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rockies, per a club announcement. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Albuquerque. As a player who’d previously been outrighted in his career, Hartlieb had the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, but a source tells MLBTR he’ll accept the outright and return to Triple-A.

The 30-year-old Hartlieb pitched nine innings out of the Colorado bullpen and was tagged for nine runs during his short time with the club. He fanned seven batters, walked four and kept the ball on the ground at a 40.6% clip. While the raw run-prevention numbers obviously weren’t encouraging, Hartlieb sported a career-high 97.1 mph on his heater, per Statcast — a notable uptick from the career 95.9 mph mark he carried into the season. His sinker (95.7 mph vs. 94.3 mph career average) and slider (87 mph vs. 84 mph) also had pronounced velocity increases. Additionally, Hartlieb introduced a new cutter that sat at 92.8 mph.

For now, Hartlieb will head back to the Isotopes to continue working on his new-look arsenal. He’s pitched to a 5.61 ERA in a hitter-friendly setting there but carries a solid overall track record at the Triple-A level, including a nice showing with the Marlins’ affiliate last year (3.63 ERA in 44 2/3 frames). In 205 1/3 innings of Triple-A work, Hartlieb has a 4.21 earned run average while fanning 24.8% of his opponents against a 10% walk rate.

Given the general state of the Rockies’ bullpen (collective 5.73 ERA and 4.52 SIERA — both last in MLB) and the potential for some trades of relievers (impending free agent Jalen Beeks, in particular), there’s a decent chance that Hartlieb could get another big league look later this summer. In parts of five MLB seasons between the Pirates, Mets, Marlins and Rockies, the former 29th-round pick carries a 7.37 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate, a 14.4% walk rate and a 47.9% ground-ball rate.

Brewers Acquire Dallas Keuchel From Mariners

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The Brewers have acquired left-hander Dallas Keuchel from the Mariners, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on X. The M’s will receive cash considerations in return, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com on X. The lefty was with the M’s on a minor league deal and not on the 40-man roster, meaning he won’t immediately need a 40-man spot with the Brewers.

Keuchel, 36, signed a minors deal with the Mariners and has made 13 Triple-A starts on the year to this point. He has allowed 3.93 earned runs per nine innings, despite pitching in the hitter-friendly environs of the Pacific Coast League. His 15.6% strikeout rate on the year is subpar but he’s always succeeded by limiting walks and keeping the ball on the ground, which has been the case again this year. He has a 7.6% walk rate and 59.5% ground ball rate for the Rainiers.

That’s generally been the recipe for Keuchel in his career, as he has thrown 1625 2/3 innings with a 4.02 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 57.7% ground ball rate. At his peak, he won the 2015 American League Cy Young by posting a 2.48 ERA with the Astros, but his results have tailed off since then. He has a 6.29 ERA since the start of 2021, bouncing to the White Sox, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Twins in that time.

Those lesser results of late are why he had to settle for a minor league deal and why he may not have been able to crack Seattle’s rotation. They may lose Bryan Woo to the injured list, as he departed last night’s start with some hamstring tightness. But even if Woo is bound for the IL, the Mariners have a rotation consisting of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller, with Emerson Hancock and Jhonathan Díaz candidates to come up and replace Woo.

The Brewers, however, have far more motivation for taking a shot on a veteran like Keuchel. They knew coming into the season that Brandon Woodruff would have to spend the whole season on the injured list recovering from shoulder surgery, but he has since been given plenty of company on the IL. Wade Miley and Robert Gasser both required UCL surgery and are also out for the year, while guys like Joe Ross and DL Hall are on the shelf due to other issues. Jakob Junis has been reinstated from the IL but has been working in relief.

That has left Milwaukee with a fairly patchwork rotation behind Freddy Peralta. The club moved Bryse Wilson from the bullpen to a starting role and he has a passable 4.24 ERA but less impressive peripherals. Colin Rea is similar, as he’s a 33-year-old journeyman with a 3.62 ERA on the year despite a tepid 15.6% strikeout rate. Tobias Myers and Carlos Rodríguez are both in their debut seasons and have limited experience. Rodríguez has a 7.30 ERA while Myers is at 3.12, though the underlying numbers suggest that performance from Myers may not be sustainable.

It’s far easier to see Keuchel slotting into that mix than the one in Seattle, so the Mariners have pocketed some cash and let him pursue an opportunity with the Brewers. Despite the rotation challenges, the Brewers are atop the National League Central, five games clear of the Cardinals, and could use some veteran stability between now and perhaps making further moves at the trade deadline.

If Milwaukee plans to add Keuchel to their roster, they will need to make a corresponding move, though that shouldn’t be a problem. As mentioned, Gasser is out for the year but he has not yet been transferred to the 60-day IL, so that’s an easy way for the Brewers to open a spot.

Royals Sign Jesus Tinoco To Minor League Deal

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The Royals signed reliever Jesús Tinoco to a minor league contract. The move was announced by Kansas City’s Triple-A team in Omaha. Tinoco elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Rangers last week.

A 29-year-old righty, Tinoco has pitched in parts of five MLB campaigns. That includes nine appearances with Texas this season. Tinoco had a rough go during that stretch, surrendering nine runs across 10 innings. He struck out nine, walked seven and hit a pair of opponents. Tinoco had turned in solid results for Triple-A Round Rock, working to a 3.80 earned run average through 21 1/3 innings. He fanned upwards of 30% of batters faced with a 47.1% ground-ball rate.

Tinoco owns a 4.58 ERA in 76 2/3 big league frames. His underlying marks are quite a bit worse, as Tinoco has a career 18.1% strikeout rate while walking 14% of opponents. The 29-year-old has a 4.46 earned run average in 153 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He had a solid 2.83 mark over 35 frames in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball a season ago.

The Royals have had one of the worst bullpens among postseason contenders. GM J.J. Picollo has made clear that upgrading the late innings will be a deadline priority. Tinoco isn’t going to impact the deadline calculus, but the mediocre bullpen could afford him a path back to the big leagues.

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