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Rockies Activate German Marquez From 60-Day IL

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TODAY: The Rockies announced that Marquez has been activated from the IL. Right-hander Angel Chivilli has been optioned to Double-A to make room for Marquez on the active roster.

July 13: The Rockies are set to activate right-hander German Marquez from the 60-day injured list tomorrow, manager Bud Black told reporters (including Mike Fitzpatrick of The Denver Post) last night. Colorado’s 40-man roster currently stands at 39, meaning the club will only need to make a corresponding active roster move to activate Marquez unless they add another player to the 40-man prior to activating him.

Marquez, 29, made it just four starts into the 2023 season before requiring Tommy John surgery in early May of last year. At the time, the former All Star was a pending free agent, but the sides hammered out a two-year, $20MM extension last September that has allowed Marquez to complete his rehab in a familiar organization and re-establish his value ahead of free agency, which now looms after the 2025 season.

For the Rockies, the move allowed them to retain a player who has shown the rare ability to pitch well while calling Coors Field home. From 2018 to 2021, Marquez posted a 4.22 ERA that was 17% better than average by ERA+ and an even stronger 3.70 FIP across 106 starts for the Rockies. That’s the version of Marquez the club surely hopes they’ll be adding back to their rotation tomorrow, although it’s worth noting that the righty’s 2022 season demonstrated some cause for concern as he posted an eye-popping 6.70 ERA in 16 starts at Coors despite an excellent 3.34 ERA in 15 starts on the road.

Marquez is slated to take the ball tomorrow in a start against the Mets in New York, and is expected to throw between 75 and 90 pitches in his return to the mound. The Rockies, with a dismal 33-62 record this season, will not be factoring into the postseason picture in 2024 regardless of how well the right-hander performs in his return to action. With that being said, it’s at least feasible that a strong start from the righty over the next few weeks could impact the club’s thinking ahead of the trade deadline on July 30. If Marquez can return to the club’s rotation looking healthy and effective, it would add a quality starter to a rotation that could make the club more comfortable dealing away pieces from its rotation.

Earlier this summer, the Rockies were reportedly listening on offers for right-hander Cal Quantrill and lefty Austin Gomber while also receiving interest in righty Ryan Feltner. Quantrill has pitched to solid results in his first season with Colorado, posting 4.13 ERA (110 ERA+) in 19 starts despite a lackluster 4.77 FIP thanks in part to a career-best 46.4% groundball rate. Gomber, meanwhile, has posted a 4.61 ERA that’s essentially league average (99 ERA+) after adjusting for park factors. Feltner has been the least impressive of the three in terms of on-field results with a lackluster 5.02 ERA, although more advanced metrics such as SIERA (4.13) and xERA (4.04) look much more favorably upon him thanks to his microscopic 6.5% walk rate and an ability to limit hard contact.

Dealing any of those controllable players would be tough for a rotation that already has the league’s worst ERA, but if Marquez can prove himself capable of returning to the top of the club’s rotation that would go a long way to helping round out a rotation that already parted ways with right-hander Dakota Hudson earlier this month.

Royals Acquire Hunter Harvey From Nationals

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The Royals have bolstered their bullpen with the acquisition of right-hander Hunter Harvey, as the Nationals announced that Harvey will head to K.C. in exchange for third baseman Cayden Wallace and the Royals’ Competitive Balance Round A pick (39th overall) in the 2024 draft.  The Royals also announced the move, as well as the news that right-hander Nick Anderson has been designated for assignment to create roster space for Harvey.

Today’s 5-0 loss to the Red Sox dropped the Royals to a 52-44 record, and a game back of Boston for the third and final AL wild card slot.  Playing .542 baseball is already an impressive step forward for a team that lost 106 games in 2023, yet Kansas City clearly has eyes on bouncing back from some recent struggles.  The Royals started the season at a blistering 39-26 pace, but have since stumbled to a 13-18 mark in their last 31 games, and relief pitching has been a major reason behind this slide.

The K.C. bullpen ranks in the bottom third of baseball in most major categories, including 22nd in bullpen ERA (4.30).  James McArthur has converted 17 of 21 save chances but has been somewhat shaky, and the Royals’ relief corps is lacking in both velocity and strikeout ability.  Recent reports suggested that Kansas City was considering the bullpen as a top need heading into the trade deadline, even ahead of the Royals’ also-pressing need for outfield upgrades.

Harvey and his 97.8mph fastball provide some immediate high-leverage zip in the Royals’ pen, and Harvey also has above-average strikeout and walk rates over his 45 innings this season out of Washington’s bullpen.  While he has a 4.20 ERA, Harvey’s SIERA is 2.99, as a .325 BABIP has contributed to make Harvey’s bottom-line results an insufficient reflection of his quality pitching.

Selected 22nd overall by the Orioles in the 2013 draft, Harvey drew top-100 prospect attention before a variety of injuries threatened to halt his career before it ever got off the ground.  He had a 3.42 ERA over 23 2/3 innings and 26 appearances for Baltimore during the 2019-21 seasons, but the Giants claimed him off waivers in November 2021, and Harvey then moved to Washington on another waiver claim just prior to the start of the 2022 campaign.

This time with the Nationals allowed Harvey to establish himself as a solid MLB-caliber arm, even if he has flown under the radar during the team’s rebuild.  Harvey has a 3.17 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, and 6.4% walk rate in 145 innings for D.C., working mostly as a setup man but with 10 saves to his ledger in 2023.  Hard contact is a big red flag in Harvey’s arsenal, but he has done a passably good job of keeping this hard contact from translating into home runs.  Moving to spacious Kauffman Stadium could further help the 29-year-old Harvey in this regard.

Harvey is earning a $2.35MM salary this season in his second-last year of arbitration eligibility, so the Royals also control him through the end of the 2025 campaign.  This extra year of control made Harvey a particularly interesting player to watch heading into the July 30 deadline, and both Harvey and Nats closer Kyle Finnegan (also controlled through 2025) cracked the top 15 of MLBTR’s recent listing of the top 50 trade candidates.  Since teams generally have to pay a bit extra to complete deals further in advance of the deadline, that factor plus Harvey’s extra year of control and perhaps the Royals’ eagerness to quickly correct their bullpen struggles combined to give Washington a pretty nice return.

The rebuilding Nationals stayed within striking distance of the NL wild card race, but today’s trade leaves no doubt that the Nats will remain on their expected path as sellers heading into the deadline.  This doesn’t mean that Washington might not seek out some players that could help them be competitive as early as 2025, and Wallace could potentially fit that category, as he is currently in his second season of Double-A ball.

A second-round pick for the Royals in the 2022 draft, Wallace is hitting .282/.350/.427 over 140 plate appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season, but he has been slowed by both an oblique strain and an ongoing IL stint for a broken rib.  These injuries have slowed his development, but MLB Pipeline still ranks Wallace as the second-best prospect in the Kansas City farm system, and Baseball America ranked him fifth in their preseason ranking of Royals minor leaguers.  Both scouting reports consider him a good defensive player with the ability to remain at third base due to a strong throwing arm, and Wallace has a good approach at the plate and a solid swing.  He has power potential moreso than obvious power at the moment, so Pipeline and BA view Wallace as a gap hitter with some upside as he develops.

Trading a “third baseman of the future” candidate like Wallace serves as an endorsement of the Royals’ faith in Maikel Garcia in at least the short term, even if Kansas City might now look for some help at the hot corner down the road — perhaps as soon as tomorrow’s draft.  As noted by MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman, the Nationals have now given themselves lot of third base depth for the future, with Wallace joining Brady House (ranked by Pipeline as the 44th-best prospect in all of baseball) and Yohandy Morales in the minor league ranks.  This could be a potential surplus position for the Nationals in the coming years, if they return to contention and start moving their own internal prospects for more win-now veterans.

The Competitive Balance Round selections are the only types of draft picks that can be traded, and as such are quietly some of the most valued trade chips in all of baseball.  Any team can trade for CBR picks, but since smaller-market and lower-revenue teams are the only clubs eligible for these bonus selections in the first place, trades involving the picks are relatively rare, given how adding talent through the draft is of such particular value for the game’s lesser spenders.  Still, today’s trade marks the third CBR pick of the 2024 draft to change hands — the Brewers acquired the 34th overall pick from the Orioles as part of the Corbin Burnes trade, while the White Sox landed the 68th overall pick (in CBR Round B) as part of the deal that sent Gregory Santos to the Mariners.

The Royals select sixth overall in tomorrow’s draft, and now won’t pick again until their second-round choice (41st overall).  The Nationals now have three selections within the first 44 picks, with their newly-acquired CBR selection sandwiched between their first- and second-round slots.

Anderson came to the Royals in a trade with the Braves last November, as Kansas City had interest in seeing if the former Rays bullpen ace could regain his form after three injury-marred seasons.  Over 34 2/3 innings for the Royals this season, Anderson had a 4.15 ERA and not much in the way of secondary metrics, as he posted a 10.1% walk rate and 18.1% strikeout rate.

Anderson is earning $1.575MM this season, and he is arb-controlled through 2025, which could add some attraction for any club interested in adding bullpen depth via waiver claim.  Anderson has now passed the five-year threshold for MLB service time due to being on the Royals’ active roster all season, and would thus retain all of his 2024 salary if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent.

Twins To Place Jose Miranda On 10-Day Injured List

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The Twins will place Jose Miranda on the 10-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game with the Giants, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).  Utilityman Diego Castillo will have his contract selected from Triple-A to take Miranda’s spot on the active roster, and the Twins will have to make another move to clear space on the 40-man roster.

Lower back tightness has kept Miranda off the field since Wednesday, so the Twins will be able to backdate Miranda’s IL stint to July 11.  With the four-day All-Star break also factoring into the 10-day span, Miranda won’t miss much additional game time if he is able to return after only 10 days, though the Twins will certainly be careful with a player who has emerged as one of their chief offensive weapons.

Miranda seemed to lay claim to the Twins’ third base job with a very solid rookie season in 2022, but then struggled through a rough 2023 campaign that was limited to 40 games due to shoulder surgery.  Royce Lewis’ own injury problems allowed Miranda to get a fresh chance at regular playing time this season, and he has explored for nine home runs and a .325/.366/.522 slash line over 276 plate appearances, translating to a 149 wRC+.  This big year included a place in the history books, as Miranda’s string of 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit matched a Major League record.

Miranda has a .349 BABIP, and between middling hard-contact numbers and a below-average 5.1% walk rate, he is certainly overachieving to some extent — the infielder’s .380 wOBA is well above his .345 xwOBA.  Still, even that xwOBA is well above the league average, and Miranda’s contact is helped by the fact that he is rarely swinging and missing.  His 13.4% strikeout rate is in the 93rd percentile of all batters, even if his chase rate is unimpressive.

This production has been a big reason why the Twins are in possession of an AL wild card spot, so the club can only hope that Miranda’s back problem won’t linger.  Beyond just Miranda’s absence, the Twins’ wider-scale problem is a sudden swath of infield injuries, as Miranda joins Lewis, Kyle Farmer, Alex Kirilloff, and Austin Martin on the club’s 10-day IL.  Star shortstop Carlos Correa was also a late scratch from today’s lineup due to a heel contusion, though there isn’t yet any indication that Correa’s injury is anything but a day-to-day issue.  With so much infield depth missing, Minnesota had to get creative with today’s lineup, moving catcher Christian Vazquez to third base — Jair Camargo was called up from Triple-A earlier this week, so the Twins still had flexibility behind the plate with Vazquez, Camargo, and Ryan Jeffers all available.

Castillo brings some versatility to this mix, as the 26-year-old has already played five different positions and even thrown a couple of innings over his two MLB seasons.  Debuting with the Pirates in 2022, Castillo hit .206/.251/.382 over 283 during his first year in the Show, and was then traded to the Diamondbacks after the season and appeared in just one MLB game during the 2023 campaign.  A flurry of waiver claims this winter saw Castillo join four different organizations before finally landing with Minnesota, via an early April trade with the Orioles.

Dodgers Claim Brent Honeywell Jr. Off Waivers From Pirates

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10:19PM: The Honeywell claim has now been officially announced, via the Dodgers’ team transactions page on MLB.com.  In the corresponding move, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was shifted from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, so August 15 now represents the earliest Yamamoto can return from his rotator cuff strain.  Yamamoto has seemingly been making good progress in the initial steps of his recovery, as manager Dave Roberts has said Yamamoto has been playing catch.

1:45PM: The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. off waivers from the Pirates, as noted by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. L.A. will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move, though one has not yet been announced.

Honeywell, 29, is best known for his time in the Rays system as a top prospect. A lengthy series of injuries that included Tommy John surgery and multiple elbow fractures left Honeywell to pitch just 103 1/3 innings in professional games from 2018 to 2022. Nonetheless, the righty managed to make it to the majors last year with the Padres. He posted a decent 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work with San Diego but was pushed off the roster down the stretch last summer and ended up with the White Sox. He was lit up for seven runs in just 5 2/3 innings of work during his brief stint with the South Siders and departed for free agency over the winter.

Back in February, Honeywell signed with Pittsburgh on a minor league deal and started the season with the club’s affiliate in Triple-A. He pitched to a 4.85 ERA across 39 innings of work with a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate during his time in the minors. That somewhat lackluster performance still earned him a brief call up to the majors, however, and Honeywell excelled by the results in that limited showing with a 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 frames, although he walked one more batter than he struck out in that cup of coffee. Honeywell was designated for assignment yesterday after just a few days in the majors, but he’ll evidently get another chance at the big league level with the Dodgers.

With Los Angeles, Honeywell will continue trying to unlock the talent that made him a top prospect during his time in Tampa. Back in 2017, the right-hander was one of the game’s top pitching prospects after posting a 3.64 ERA and 2.84 FIP in 24 starts at the Triple-A level where he struck out 29.1% of batters faced against a walk rate of just 5.9%. He’s several years removed from those sensational numbers at this point, but his time with the Padres last year showed that even with his current diminished strikeout (20.6% in San Diego) and walk (9.8%) rates he can still be an effective middle relief arm.

While the Dodgers’ bullpen has been among the best in baseball overall this year, they’ve struggled somewhat in recent weeks. Since the calendar flipped to June, the club’s 3.46 relief ERA remains solid, but their 4.18 FIP is bottom ten in the majors and suggests they could be in for some regression as the season wears on. The introduction of Honeywell, who can at least provide the club with another arm in the final weeks leading up to the trade deadline, should allow the Dodgers to help keep their relief options fresh as the club likely contemplates other additions in the coming weeks.

Red Sox Outright Naoyuki Uwasawa

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TODAY: The Red Sox outrighted Uwasawa to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (X link).

JULY 9: The Red Sox have selected the contract of right-hander Trey Wingenter, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive on X. Wingenter was acquired from the Tigers on the weekend and had an assignment clause in his contract, meaning he needed to be added to the roster. To make room for him, the club has optioned left-hander Cam Booser and designated right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa for assignment. They also optioned infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdéz and recalled infielder/outfielder Jamie Westbrook.

Uwasawa, 30, had spent his entire career with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball until signing a minor league deal with the Rays over the winter. He wasn’t going to make the Rays’ roster out of camp but had an upward mobility clause in his deal, meaning he would have to be traded if any other club was willing to give him a spot. The Red Sox were interested and sent cash to the Rays to get a deal done, though they have largely kept Uwasawa on optional assignment.

The righty has made two appearances at the big league level this year, with one earned run allowed in four innings. He’s mostly been serving in a swing role at the Triple-A level, with fairly uninspiring results there. He has a 6.54 ERA in 42 2/3 innings over 13 appearances, including six starts. He only struck out 18.5% of opponents while giving out walks at a 12.3% clip. The club tried moving him to a relief role, with his six most recent appearances coming out of the bullpen, but without a significant improvement. He had a 6.32 ERA in his first seven appearances this year and a 7.15 ERA in the last six.

The Sox will now have a week to trade Uwasawa or pass him through waivers. Since the waiver process takes 48 hours, any potential deal would have to come together in the next five days. His results this year have been poor but teams could perhaps be interested based on his NPB track record. He tossed over 1,000 innings in that league with a 3.19 ERA before making the move to North American ball, though that came despite a fairly tepid 19.7% strikeout rate. The lack of velocity/strikeout stuff was the biggest knock on him before crossing the Pacific and those concerns seem to have been borne out so far.

Orioles Place Heston Kjerstad On Seven-Day Concussion IL

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The Orioles announced that outfielder Heston Kjerstad has been placed on the seven-day injured list for concussion-related injuries.  Outfielder Kyle Stowers was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to take Kjerstad’s place on the active roster.

The injury stems from a scary incident in last night’s 4-1 Orioles loss to the Yankees, as Kjerstad was hit in the head by a Clay Holmes fastball in the bottom of the ninth.  Both benches cleared in the aftermath of the HBP, only adding to the tension between the two AL East rivals in this important series.  Kjerstad naturally left the game after being hit, and though he was initially included in today’s lineup, he was a late scratch following the pregame workouts.

Since there was some idea that Kjerstad could’ve returned to the field today, it might imply that the IL placement is precautionary in nature.  Due to the upcoming All-Star break, Kjerstad would miss only three games if is able to return after the seven-day minimum, plus Baltimore also has an off-day on July 22 if the club wanted to give him a bit of extra recovery time.  Given the fluid nature of head-related injuries, it is also possible Kjerstad could miss far beyond seven days if he has indeed suffered a concussion.

Kjerstad made his MLB debut with 13 games in 2023, and the top prospect began this season in Triple-A before being recalled to the Orioles’ roster for about a three-week stretch bridging late April to mid-May.  He received only 17 plate appearances over seven games in that first stint, but has gotten much more playing time since his last recall on June 24, and has forced his way into regular action in the O’s lineup.  Kjerstad has hit .378/.465/.676 with three homers in 43 plate appearances since June 24, seeing action as a DH and in both corner outfield slots and almost exclusively facing right-handed pitching.

The left-handed hitting Stowers could essentially fit right into Kjerstad’s role on paper, and also like Kjerstad, Stowers is another former top prospect looking for playing time within the crowded Baltimore roster.  Appearing in each of the last three MLB seasons, Stowers has hit .222/.269/.365 over 167 career PA, though those numbers are weighed down by a dismal 33-PA performance in 2023.  This year, Stowers has a more respectable .286/.278/.486 slash line in 36 PA, and he has continued to mash at Triple-A.  Strikeouts remain a flaw in Stowers’ game, but he can provide the O’s with some power potential at least until Kjerstad is back.

Orioles Select Vinny Nittoli

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1:07pm: The Orioles have announced the selection of Nittoli’s contract. In corresponding moves, left-hander Cade Povich was optioned to Triple-A and Coulombe was transferred to the 60-day IL.

8:45am: The Orioles are selecting the contract of right-hander Vinny Nittoli, as MASN’s Roch Kubatko reported this morning. The righty signed with the club on a minor league deal earlier this month. The club will need to make a corresponding 40-man move in order to add Nittoli to the roster, though that could be accomplished by transferring lefty Danny Coulombe to the 60-day injured list.

Nittoli, 33, was a 25th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2014 and has spent his decade in professional baseball largely as a minor league journeyman. After spending a few years in Seattle’s minor league system, Nittoli departed affiliated ball in 2017 and spent two years pitching in the independent American Association before catching back on in the minors. Over the course of his professional career, he’s suited up for the Mariners, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, Mets, A’s, and now the Orioles at the Triple-A level. In all that time, however, he’s received only scattered playing time in the majors with 13 big league appearances to his name.

More than half of those appearances came with the A’s earlier this season. He pitched eight innings of work in total with Oakland, and performed to a strong 2.25 ERA with five strikeouts against two walks. The righty has actually received similarly brief cups of coffee in the major leagues in each of the last four seasons, having first made his big league debut with the Mariners back in 2021. In all, Nittoli sports a 3.07 ERA despite a lackluster 5.02 FIP and a strikeout rate of just 16.4% in 14 2/3 innings of work at the big league level.

Despite those relatively pedestrian numbers at the big league level, it isn’t hard to see why the Orioles would be interested in giving Nittoli a look at the big league level. He’s been nothing short of dominant at the Triple-A level this year with a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings of work split between the affiliates of Oakland and Baltimore. That already impressive figure is made all the more intriguing by the fact that the majority of those innings came in the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, where the Athletics’ affiliate in Las Vegas plays. Nittoli has paired those strong run prevention numbers with an eye-popping 36% strikeout rate at the level this year, suggesting that there could be a meaningful improvement in skills to go along with the results.

Altogether, Nittoli’s resume is interesting enough for the Orioles to give him a shot in their bullpen mix. The club’s relief corps has been more or less league average this year, rankings 14th in baseball with a 3.84 ERA, but there’s certainly room for improvement ahead of the club’s back-end duo of Yennier Cano and Craig Kimbrel, particularly after Coulombe underwent surgery last month. Right-hander Bryan Baker, for example, can be optioned to the minors and has struggled to a 5.14 ERA and 4.38 FIP in 14 innings of work with the club.

Reds Select Tony Santillan

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Tony Santillan. To make room or Santillan on the 40-man and active rosters, outfielder Nick Martini was transferred to the 60-day injured list while right-hander Carson Spiers was placed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement.

It’s far from Santillan’s first stint in the majors with Cincinnati. The 27-year-old was a second-round pick by the club back in 2015 and made his debut with the club back in 2021, when he was one of the club’s top relievers. In 43 1/3 innings of work that season, Santillan posted a strong 2.91 ERA (162 ERA+) despite a somewhat lackluster 4.62 FIP in 26 games. While Santillan struck out an excellent 29.5% of opponents, his 11.1% walk rate and his seven homers allowed both weighed that down somewhat.

Those issues, combined with a back strain that sidelined Santillan for much of the 2022 campaign and the early part of the 2023 season, left the right-hander on the outside looking in of the club’s bullpen mix going forward, however. Over those two injury-marred seasons, Santillan struggled to a 5.09 ERA with a 4.52 FIP, 19.3% strikeout rate, and 14.9% walk rate while pitching just 23 total frames in the majors. His work in the minors last year wasn’t much better, as he was torched to the tune of a 7.88 ERA in 35 appearances at the Triple-A level last season.

Despite that rough performance, the Reds nonetheless re-signed Santillan to a minor league deal this past offseason, and that decision has largely paid off. The righty has looked much better at Triple-A this season than he did a year ago, posting a 3.49 ERA with a 3.87 FIP in 38 2/3 innings of work as a single-inning reliever. While his 13.2% walk rate is still elevated as ever, his strikeout rate has bounced back in a big way to compensate: he’s fanned 30.5% of opponents this year. That high strikeout rate was a big part of what made him so successful in 2021, and given that it’s hardly a surprise that the Reds would be interested in seeing what he can do at the big league level.

Making room for Santillan on the Cincinnati roster is Spiers, who has emerged as a quality middle relief arm for the Reds this year after struggling in his first taste of big league action last season. The 26-year-old posted an ERA north of 6.00 in 13 innings of work in 2023 but has emerged looking far better this season with a solid 3.83 ERA and even more impressive numbers under the hood while swinging between the rotation and bullpen this year. While Spiers has only struck out 20.5% of batters faced this year, an excellent 4.5% walk rate has left him with a 3.51 FIP and a 3.86 SIERA, both of which are well above average marks. Fortunately, Spiers told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) this afternoon that his injury figures to be only a short-term issue and that he expects to miss just one start.

As for Martini, the outfielder’s transfer to the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise given the fact that he underwent surgery on his thumb earlier this week. Martini’s timetable for return isn’t entirely clear, though he’s expected to be able to return before the end of the year. That return now won’t come until after September 5, 60 days after he was first sidelined by the injury. In 163 trips to the plate with the Reds this year, Martini has slashed a lackluster .212/.272/.370.

Giants Release Nick Ahmed

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The Giants have released shortstop Nick Ahmed, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The club had designated him for assignment earlier this week. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any club.

Coming into 2024, San Francisco seemed committed to moving on from the Brandon Crawford era, something the longtime Giant discussed back in March. The plan was to give more playing time to younger options like Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt, but Ahmed was brought in as a veteran fallback plan and eventually won the job out of camp.

Ahmed has long served as a glove-first shortstop in the big leagues, but his subpar offense dropped even lower last year. The Giants were surely hoping for a bit of a bounceback this year but didn’t quite get it.

He had hit .241/.299/.401 from 2018 to 2022, with that production translating to an 83 wRC+. But that dropped to a line of .212/.257/.303 and a 51 wRC+ last year. It has climbed a bit here in 2024 but only slightly, as he hit .232/.278/.303 for a wRC+ of 68 prior to being designated for assignment.

On top of that, his elite defense has been declining as well. From 2015 to 2021, he racked up 81 Defensive Runs Saved, second only to the now-retired Andrelton Simmons at shortstop. His 102 Outs Above Average in that time frame tied Francisco Lindor for the best in baseball, though Ahmed accumulated that total in far fewer innings than Lindor.

But DRS has him closer to league average over the past three years, with a total of -1 here in 2024. OAA still likes him quite a bit, with a tally of +4 this season, but that’s still a drop from his previous levels.

Given those trends, the Giants decided to move on. Luciano and Schmitt still working on things in Triple-A but the club is rolling with Brett Wisely and Tyler Fitzgerald at shortstop for now. Ahmed has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining his salary, which the Associated Press lists as $1.5MM, a bit north of this year’s $740K league minimum. The Giants skipped over that formality by releasing Ahmed.

The Giants will now remain on the hook for that salary while any club could sign Ahmed and only have to pay him the prorated version of that league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Giants pay. His declining results will likely limit him to minor league deals but he’s still a fairly capable defender and clubs like the Dodgers, Tigers, Braves, Guardians and Red Sox have some uncertainty at shortstop.

Astros Sign Aledmys Diaz To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have signed veteran utility bat Aledmys Diaz to a minor league deal, per a team announcement. Diaz is set to report to the club’s complex in Florida rather than immediately be assigned to a minor league club.

The news is something of a homecoming for Diaz, as he was a key piece in the Astros’ bench mix between the club’s acquisition of him from the Blue Jays during the 2018-19 offseason until he elected free agency following the 2022 season. In his four years with the club, Diaz hit a solid .255/.313/.425 (102 wRC+) while splitting time between all four infield spots as well as the outfield corners. After winning the World Series with Houston in 2022, Diaz hit the open market and signed on with the A’s in a two-year guarantee for a club that has given out multi-year deals in free agency increasingly sparingly throughout their rebuild.

That contract did not go as anyone had hoped. Diaz took a major step back as a semi-regular player in Oakland last year, slashing just .229/.280/.337 with a wRC+ of 72 in 109 games, his most in a season since his time with the Blue Jays half a decade earlier. While his versatility still offered some value for the A’s, the power stroke he flashed in Houston that allowed him to slug 12 homers in 327 trips to the plate during the 2022 season evaporated upon his arrival in Oakland as he slugged just three homers in 2023.

That step back in the power department didn’t leave much hope for the 32-year-old to turn things around and once again become a slightly above average bat with the A’s this year, and his performance in 2024 proved to be nothing short of disastrous. Diaz missed the first two months of the season due to groin and calf issues this year and, upon being activated, appeared in just 12 games for Oakland. In that time, Diaz recorded just three hits (all singles) and walked only once across 30 trips to the plate. That paltry .103/.133/.103 slash line was good for a wRC+ of -31 and led the A’s to release him last week, ending his tenure in Oakland three months early.

For the Astros, the return of Diaz represents a possible depth option for the club’s bench in the event of a rash of injuries. Mauricio Dubon has largely stepped into the role Diaz previously filled on the Houston bench quite admirably, with a .279/.308/.404 slash line and a 97 wRC+ in 744 trips to the plate over the past two seasons. While Dubon has clearly established himself as the club’s preferred utility infielder and it’s even likely that 40-man infielders Jacob Amaya and David Hensley are also above Diaz on the club’s hierarchy, the deal still offers Diaz the opportunity to attempt to work through his struggles in a familiar organization and re-establish himself as a worthwhile depth option for big league clubs headed into free agency this winter.

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