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Athletics Outright Brandon Bielak

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The Athletics have sent right-hander Brandon Bielak outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

Bielak, 28, only came to the A’s a couple of weeks ago. He had been designated for assignment by the Astros and then flipped to Oakland in a cash deal. Up until that point, he had spent his entire career in the Astros’ organization, as that club drafted him in the 11th round back in 2017.

He debuted in the big leagues in 2020 and had a 6.75 earned run average that year, but he went on to serve as a decent depth swingman for the next three years. Over the 2021-23 seasons, while getting frequently shuttled to the farm and back, he tossed 142 1/3 major league innings with a 4.05 ERA. His 19.2% strikeout rate wasn’t amazing but his 9.8% walk rate was close to average and he got grounders at a strong 48.1% clip.

But in the process, he exhausted his option years. That meant that he came into 2024 out of options and with a tenuous hold on his roster spot. The Astros dealt with various pitching injuries this year and kept Bielak in their bullpen but his 5.71 ERA in 17 1/3 innings eventually squeezed him off.

He landed with Oakland but made just three appearances for that club before getting designated for assignment again. The other 29 clubs had a chance to grab him in recent days but it appears they all passed.

Bielak came into this year with two years and 110 days of service time, putting him 62 days shy of the three-year mark. Players continue to earn service time while in DFA limbo, so Bielak should have been earning service time all year until his outright. May 28 was the 62nd day of the season and his outright is listed as May 29, so he should have hit the three-year mark.

That is significant since players with at least three years of service or a previous career outright have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. Bielak doesn’t have a previous career outright but should now have hit the three-year service line. It’s not yet confirmed that he has the right to hit the open market, nor is it known what his decision will be, if he has one.

If he sticks with the A’s, he should have a decent chance of making it back to the majors later in the year. They have one of the weaker pitching staffs in baseball and currently have ten hurlers on the injured list. Anyone who is pitching well this summer could wind up traded by the rebuilding club, opening up opportunities for other guys.

Mets Designate Jorge López For Assignment

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The Mets have officially designated right-hander Jorge López for assignment, a move that was reported on yesterday. Left-hander Danny Young was recalled to take Lopez’s spot in a corresponding move.

The Mets have been in a rough patch lately, losing three in a row and eight of their last ten, and the frustration seemed to boil over with López yesterday. After allowing a home run to Shohei Ohtani, he was facing Freddie Freeman when a checked swing appeal to third resulted in a call of no swing. López seemingly said something to third base umpire Ramon De Jesus and was ejected. While making his way off the way off the field, he untucked his shirt and tossed his glove into the stands. Video shared on X by SNY.

After the game, López spoke to the media, though there was some confusion about what he said and what he intended. López, a native of Puerto Rico, spoke in English and some believed he called the Mets “the worst team in probably the whole f***ing MLB” while others heard him referring to himself as “the worst teammate” in the league. Later that night, it was reported that López would be designated for assignment.

Today, López seemed unhappy with the way things played out the night before. He posted on his Instagram stories this morning, stating that he was definitely saying “teammate” and sarcastically thanked the media for making the situation worse. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com posted on X this morning that López losing his roster spot had nothing to do with the team/teammate confusion, saying that López “embarrassed the organization with his actions and words, throwing his glove into the stands, lying about meeting with management and offering zero remorse.”

Reporters from López’s previous clubs have come to his defense today, trying to give larger context to the pitcher’s frustrations. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun shared this story from 2022, when López was with the Orioles. The article discusses the recent death of López’s grandfather as well as López’s son Mikael, who has dealt with several autoimmune disorders since he was born and has spent much of his life in the hospital. Dan Hayes of The Athletic shared this story from last summer, when the Twins put López on the injured list for a mental health break. Boomer Esiason addressed the matter on his show today, as relayed by Awful Announcing on X, saying that he had been informed that Mikael is currently waiting for a transplant.

The extra information certainly makes it easier to understand how López reacted the way that he did, but it appears the Mets don’t consider that an acceptable excuse. Some observers have suggested that the Mets could have put López on the IL for mental health reasons, as the Twins did last year, but they have decided to take a different approach and have removed the righty from their roster.

The Mets will now have one week to trade López or pass him through waivers. In the latter scenario, López has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while holding onto the remainder of his $2MM salary, as a player with more than five years of major league service time.

He has logged 26 1/3 innings with the Mets this year, allowing 3.76 earned runs per nine innings. His 17.1% strikeout rate is subpar but his 9.9% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate are both around league average.

He had a breakout seasons as a reliever with the O’s in 2022. After years of fairly middling work as a starter, a move to the bullpen seemed to unlock something in the righty. In 48 1/3 innings with Baltimore, he had a 1.68 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 60% ground ball rate.

He was flipped to the Twins at that year’s deadline but his results have backed up since then. He had a 4.37 ERA with Minnesota after the deal in 2022, then had a 5.95 ERA in 2023, ending up bouncing to the Marlins and Orioles later in the year. The O’s cut him at the end of the year, which freed him up to sign with the Mets.

White Sox Outright Sammy Peralta

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The White Sox announced Thursday that left-hander Sammy Peralta, who was designated for assignment Tuesday, went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Charlotte.

It’s been a rollercoaster season for Peralta, whom the White Sox originally designated for assignment back on March 28 when setting their Opening Day roster. The Mariners claimed him off waivers and sent him to Triple-A Tacoma, where he was tagged for 13 runs in 12 2/3 innings of work. Seattle designated him for assignment over the weekend, at which point the White Sox claimed him back … only to again DFA him just two days later. This time, Peralta passed through waivers and will now remain in the Sox organization as a depth option in Charlotte.

Peralta, 26, made his big league debut with the Sox last season. In 20 innings he posted a 4.05 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate, 12.2% walk rate and 39.3% ground-ball rate. Peralta posted strong run-prevention numbers and big strikeout rates up through the Double-A level as he climbed through Chicago’s system following his 18th-round selection in the 2019 draft, but he’s been hit hard in 87 Triple-A frames (5.65 ERA) and had uncharacteristic struggles with his command dating back to last year’s initial MLB call-up.

Joey Wendle Elects Free Agency

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Veteran utility infielder Joey Wendle has rejected an outright assignment from the Braves and instead elected free agency, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Atlanta designated Wendle for assignment just three days after signing him to a major league deal and outrighted him last night. He did not appear in a game with the Braves.

The 34-year-old Wendle opened the season with the Mets after signing a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason. He was seldom used by manager Carlos Mendoza, appearing in only 18 games and tallying 37 plate appearances with a tepid .222/.243/.250 batting line in 37 trips to the plate. It’s the third straight year that Wendle has turned in sub-par offensive numbers, and he did so over a much larger sample with the 2022-23 Marlins. Since being traded from Tampa Bay to Miami in the 2021-22 offseason, Wendle owns just a .237/.273/.331 batting line in 726 turns at the plate. By measure of wRC+, that’s about 34% worse than league-average production.

At his best, Wendle was a versatile utilityman in Tampa Bay — one known for solid contact skills and a diverse defensive skill set that allowed him to capably handle multiple infield slots and both outfield corners. From 2017-21, he slashed a combined .275/.330/.416 — good for a 106 wRC+ (i.e. production that’s roughly 6% better than league average after weighting for home park and league run-scoring environment). He’s seen major league time at every infield position other than first base and in both outfield corners, grading particularly well in the middle infield.

Now that he’s once again a free agent, Wendle can sign with any team seeking some infield depth. A new club will only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the active roster or major league injured list. That sum would be subtracted from what the Mets owe him through season’s end. New York will remain on the hook for the rest of that $2MM salary.

Brewers Designate Mitch White For Assignment

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The Brewers announced Thursday that right-hander Mitch White has been designated for assignment. His spot on the active roster goes to righty Kevin Herget, who has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville.

Milwaukee acquired White from the Giants in exchange for cash just under three weeks ago. San Francisco had also designated the right-hander for assignment prior to that swap. White made six appearances with the Brewers, pitching 8 1/3 innings and yielding six earned runs on eight hits and four walks (two of them intentional). He punched out six batters. On the season as a whole, White has tossed 23 2/3 innings and been roughed up for a 7.23 ERA between the Blue Jays, Giants and Brewers. He’s fanned just 11.8% of his opponents against a matching 11.8% walk rate.

White, 29, has pitched in parts of five big league seasons. Once a prospect of note within the Dodgers organization, the 2016 second-rounder had a nice early-career run in L.A. before stumbling following a trade to Toronto. In 105 2/3 frames as a Dodger, White recorded a 3.58 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. He’s since pitched to a 5.45 ERA with a diminished 17.7% strikeout rate.

White is out of minor league options, so the Brewers didn’t have the choice to send him to Triple-A. He’ll either be traded, placed on outright waivers or released within the next week. Because of that lack of options, any team to claim White or make a small trade for the righty will need to carry him on the big league roster.

Braves Place A.J. Minter On Injured List, Outright Joey Wendle

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The Braves announced Thursday morning that they’ve placed left-hander A.J. Minter on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his left hip. Right-hander Jimmy Herget has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Minter’s spot on the roster. Atlanta also passed veteran infielder Joey Wendle through waivers unclaimed and assigned him outright to Gwinnett, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Wendle is approaching seven years of MLB service, which is well north of the five needed to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, and he’ll have 48 hours from the time of the outright assignment to make that decision.

Minter, 30, has been one of the Braves’ steadiest relievers over the past seven-plus seasons. With the exception of an anomalous 7.06 ERA in 29 1/3 innings during 2019’s juiced-ball season, he’s kept his ERA to 3.78 or better each season and worked to an overall 3.32 mark through 335 2/3 MLB frames.

Minter has been strong again this season, working to a 2.95 ERA with a 27.7% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 40.4% ground-ball rate. His 95.2 mph average fastball is a career-low, though it’s only a half-mile less than his average fastball from a 2020 season that saw him post a 0.83 ERA in 21 2/3 frames. The left-hander is slated to become a free agent at season’s end and is earning a $6.215MM salary in 2024.

The team hasn’t yet provided an expected timetable for Minter’s return, but his absence is a notable one, given his track record. Minter’s seven holds trail only Joe Jimenez (10) for the team lead. With the left-hander now sidelined for at least a couple weeks, right-hander Pierce Johnson could see more leverage work. Fellow southpaws Dylan Lee and Tyler Matzek could also get some extra late-inning opportunities.

As for Wendle, his stay with the Braves organization could wind up proving excessively brief. The Mets released him earlier this month, and Wendle quickly latched on with Atlanta on a new big league deal. That deal was signed on May 24, but Wendle was designated just three days later — before Wendle even got into a game with the Braves.

A versatile utilityman known for his quality glovework and typically strong bat-to-ball skills, Wendle has seen his offensive production take a significant downturn over the past three seasons. He hit just .222/.243/.250 in 37 plate appearances as a Met earlier this year and carries an anemic .237/.273/.331 line (66 wRC+) in 726 plate appearances dating back to the 2022 campaign. If Wendle accepts the outright assignment, he’ll remain with the Braves as a depth option, but he can also choose to explore opportunities with other clubs if he prefers.

Mets To Designate Jorge Lopez For Assignment

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The Mets are designating reliever Jorge López for assignment, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (X link). The move comes after the right-hander tossed his glove into the stands following a rough outing this afternoon against the Dodgers. After the game, López said he didn’t regret the incident and called the Mets “the worst team in probably the whole f***ing MLB” (video provided on X by SNY).

López, a native of Puerto Rico, conducted his postgame media scrum in English. While it was initially unclear whether he intended to call the Mets “the worst team” in the league or if called himself “the worst teammate,” he answered “probably” to a follow-up question when asked whether he called the Mets “the worst team.” MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that López subsequently indicated he intended to criticize both himself and the club — calling himself the worst teammate on the league’s worst team.

The Mets may very well have been prepared to move on from López even before his comments. Called on to pitch in the eighth inning with the team trailing 5-3, he surrendered a double to Miguel Vargas that scored a pair of inherited runners. López retired Mookie Betts before serving up a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani. He was ejected during the next at-bat after arguing with third base umpire Ramon De Jesus on a check swing. López flipped his glove over the protective netting on his way off the field. After the game, manager Carlos Mendoza called López’s behavior “not acceptable” and said the team would address it internally (video from SNY).

A veteran of nine MLB seasons, López inked a $2MM free agent deal with the Mets in December. This afternoon notwithstanding, he had serviceable run prevention numbers. In 26 1/3 innings, he turned in a 3.76 earned run average. López only punched out 17.2% of opponents while walking nearly 10% of batters faced. While he probably wouldn’t have been cut loose if not for today’s glove toss and postgame comments, it wasn’t a resoundingly impressive performance either.

López was an All-Star with the Orioles back in 2022, when he turned in a 1.68 ERA with 19 saves in 48 1/3 frames for Baltimore. The O’s controversially traded him to the Twins at the deadline. López’s production plummeted after the deal, as he turned in a 4.81 ERA in Minnesota. He continued to struggle after being swapped to the Marlins last summer and in a late-season return to Baltimore.

The Mets are riding a three-game losing streak and have dropped 19 of 26 this month. They’re a season-worst 11 games below .500 and ahead of only the Rockies and Marlins in the National League. The bullpen entered play today with a 4.42 ERA in May, ranking 21st in MLB. They lost the struggling Edwin Díaz to the injured list before the game. Adam Ottavino, Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman are taking high-leverage work.

Astros Release Miguel Díaz

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Right-hander Miguel Díaz has been released by the Astros, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s now a free agent and will be free to pursue opportunities with any club on the open market.

Díaz, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in April. He tossed one scoreless inning for the Astros before getting designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and elected free agency but then stayed in the organization by inking a minor league deal with the Astros.

He reported to Triple-A Sugar Land but didn’t fare well there, at least in terms of results. He tossed 14 innings over 13 appearances but allowed 15 earned runs. That leads to an earned run average of 9.64 that’s probably misleading. His .392 batting average on balls in play and 40% strand rate were both on the unlucky side of average. He only struck out 15.2% of batters faced but also only walked 7.6% and didn’t allow a home run, which is why his 3.62 FIP was far below his ERA.

All of that is a small sample and in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League as well. His big league track record dates back to 2017 and includes 127 1/3 innings with a 4.81 ERA. That number is a bit skewed by his rookie season, when he was a 22-year-old Rule 5 pick of the Padres despite never having pitched above A-ball before. He tossed 41 2/3 innings for the Friars that year with a 7.34 ERA.

Since that campaign, he has thrown 85 2/3 innings in the majors with a 3.57 ERA, scattered over several campaigns with the Padres, Tigers and that one inning with the Astros. His 10.9% walk rate in that stretch is on the high side but he also punched out 27.7% of batters faced. From 2021 to 2023, he also tossed 137 2/3 innings in the minors. His 4.97 ERA in that time isn’t especially impressive and his 11.3% walk rate was on the high side, but his 26.2% strikeout rate was quite solid.

Despite debuting way back in 2017, Díaz is still about six months shy of his 30th birthday. He has exhausted his option seasons but has just around three years of big league service time. His results haven’t been perfect but he’s generally been able to rack up strikeouts wherever he’s gone, apart from his small sample of work for Sugar Land this year.

Dodgers Sign Chris Vallimont To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Chris Vallimont to a minor league contract, as announced by Triple-A broadcaster Alex Freedman (X link). Vallimont is starting for the Dodgers’ top affiliate this evening.

A fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2018, Vallimont has now been a part of five organizations in affiliated ball. He was traded to the Twins in 2019 and subsequently bounced to the Orioles and Guardians via waivers or minor trade. Vallimont’s only major league appearance came with Baltimore last July. The Guardians acquired from the O’s shortly thereafter but ran him through outright waivers without getting him into an MLB game.

The 27-year-old has struggled in the upper minors. Vallimont carries a 6.07 ERA in 123 Double-A frames and has allowed 5.46 earned runs per nine over 158 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. The Mercyhurst product has a decent 22% strikeout rate in his Triple-A career, though, and he’s coming off a strong showing in independent ball.

Vallimont, who elected minor league free agency last October, began this year with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution. He threw 27 1/3 innings over five starts, turning in a 3.29 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced. It seems he’ll work as rotation depth for the Dodgers and he has prior experience in long relief.

Kevin Smith Accepts Outright Assignment With Yankees

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May 29: The Yankees clarified on Wednesday that Smith has decided to accept the outright assignment. He’ll head back to Scranton and await another opportunity in the Bronx.

May 28: DJ LeMahieu is set to make his season debut, as the Yankees reinstated him from the 60-day injured list before tonight’s game in Anaheim. New York outrighted infielder Kevin Smith off the 40-man roster in a corresponding move; Smith has already elected minor league free agency in lieu of an assignment back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. New York also activated reliever Ian Hamilton from the COVID-19 list after optioning Yoendrys Gómez on Sunday.

LeMahieu is at third base and hitting ninth against Griffin Canning. He should take over more or less every day at the hot corner now that he’s back from the foot injuries that cost him the first two months of the season. LeMahieu broke a bone in his right foot on a foul ball at the tail end of camp. The team tried to get him back in late April, but he felt renewed soreness immediately after embarking on a rehab stint. That shut him down again for another couple weeks, but LeMahieu has gotten through six minor league games dating back to May 17.

Third base has been a rare question mark amidst one of the game’s most potent offenses. While Oswaldo Cabrera got out to a strong start to the season, he’s hitting .230/.273/.295 in 66 plate appearances over the past month. Spring Training trade acquisition Jon Berti has been limited to 17 games around a pair of injured list stints. The speedy utilityman went on the 10-day IL over the weekend with a left calf strain. He’ll be out well beyond the minimum, telling reporters this evening that he could miss between six and eight weeks (X link via Greg Joyce of the New York Post).

LeMahieu is coming off a league average offensive performance in 2023. He hit .243/.327/.390 across 562 plate appearances. His performance improved over the course of the year. LeMahieu carried a meager .220/.285/.357 line into the All-Star Break before posting a .273/.377/.432 slash in the second half. He’s unlikely to recapture his 2019-20 form as he approaches his 36th birthday, though he should still be an upgrade over Cabrera, who fits better in a multi-positional role off the bench.

Smith, a New York-area native, signed a minor league contract with the Yankees over the offseason. He played in 29 games with the RailRiders, hitting .204/.270/.286 while striking out 41 times in 111 trips to the plate (a 36.9% rate). The Yanks called him up twice as utility depth. He appeared in two games as a pinch runner and didn’t take an at-bat at the major league level.

The Yankees had already outrighted the 27-year-old once this season, sending him through waivers in April. That gave him the right to test free agency this time around, as is the case for all players with a previous career outright. It’s not uncommon to see players circle back to their previous organization on a minor league contract after electing free agency, but Smith and his camp could look for a non-roster deal elsewhere now that LeMahieu is healthy. One of four players whom the A’s acquired from the Blue Jays in the Matt Chapman deal, Smith is a .173/.215/.301 hitter in 333 MLB plate appearances.

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