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David Peralta Opts Out Of Cubs Deal

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Veteran outfielder David Peralta opted out of a minor league contract with the Cubs and elected free agency, as indicated on the MiLB.com transaction log. He’ll now be an option for any club seeking some left-handed-hitting and/or corner outfield depth.

The 36-year-old Peralta is a former Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner who’s spent the bulk of his career with the Diamondbacks, for whom he played a pivotal role over the course of nine seasons. From 2014-22, Peralta batted .283/.340/.463 in 961 games and 3728 plate appearances as a member of the D-backs. He belted 110 homers — including a career-high 30 in 2018 alone — and added another 191 doubles and 46 triples for good measure.

By measure of wRC+, Peralta was 12% better at the plate than the average hitter during his Arizona tenure. Couple that with strong overall defensive ratings in the outfield corners, and Peralta was a quietly valuable player for the Snakes for upwards of a decade. The Diamondbacks rewarded his consistency with a three-year, $22MM contract extension heading into the 2020 season, buying out a pair of free-agent seasons in the process.

Arizona wound up trading Peralta to Tampa Bay prior to the 2022 trade deadline, and he’s had subsequent struggles both with the Rays and (in 2023) with the Dodgers. Since leaving Phoenix, Peralta has batted .258/.301/.368 in 602 big league plate appearances.

Peralta inked his minor league deal with the Cubs back in February. As Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote last month, he wasn’t immediately ready for game action, as he was still wrapping up the rehab process from an October procedure to repair the flexor tendon in his left forearm back in October. Peralta got into six games late in spring, going 8-for-18 with a homer, a double and triple, but he opened the season in extended spring training as he wasn’t yet fully cleared to throw from the outfield. He wrapped up a rehab/throwing program and joined the Cubs’ Iowa affiliate on April 11.

In 20 games and 85 plate appearances with Iowa, Peralta has posted a .217/.341/.348 batting line. He’s been dinged by a .232 average on balls in play that’s more than 100 points shy of his career .326 mark in the majors, which has surely played a role in the pedestrian offensive rate stats he’s produced. Peralta’s approach and plate discipline seemingly remain quite sound; he’s walked at a 14.1% clip against just a 15.3% strikeout rate.

Peralta has notable platoon splits in his career, with a .289/.343/.474 slash against righties in his big league career against a .241/.303/.361 line versus fellow lefties. Speculatively speaking, a team with multiple injuries and/or struggles in the outfield (e.g. Giants, Royals, Cardinals) could make some sense for Peralta on another minor league deal, as he’ll likely prioritize signing somewhere with a relatively clear path to a big league opportunity.

Mets Outright Max Kranick

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Right-hander Max Kranick has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the Mets’ 40-man roster.  Kranick was designated for assignment earlier this week, and he’ll now report to Triple-A Syracuse.

New York claimed Kranick off waivers from the Pirates in January, and he started his Mets tenure on the 15-day injured list due to a hamstring strain.  He was officially activated on April 23 and then optioned to Triple-A, and Kranick has a 2.57 ERA in two starts and seven innings already in Syracuse.  Kranick still has a minor league option remaining so the Mets can freely move him back and forth between the majors and minors, though he’ll first have to be placed back on the 40-man roster before his next call back to the Show.

An 11th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2016 draft, Kranick made his Major League debut in 2021 and had a 6.28 ERA over 38 2/3 innings.  He only threw five big league innings in 2022 before his career was put on hold by Tommy John surgery in June of that year, and he made it back to toss 20 2/3 minor league frames in Pittsburgh’s farm system near the end of last season.

The long layoff resulted in Kranick receiving a fourth minor league option year, as the league often grants the extra option year to players who have missed an extended amount of time due to injury.  The Mets can therefore send Kranick back and forth between the majors and minors, though they’ll first have to carve out a 40-man roster space before bringing him back to the active roster.  Kranick has a 3.63 ERA over 84 1/3 career Triple-A innings, and he’ll continue to build his arm strength back up and serve as a rotation depth option should injuries arise in New York’s rotation.

Giants Place Michael Conforto On 10-Day Injured List

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The Giants announced this afternoon that outfielder Michael Conforto has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Outfielder Luis Matos was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Conforto’s injury first occurred during last night’s game against the Reds, which saw him pulled during the fourth inning due to what the club termed at the time right hamstring tightness (as noted by Maria Guardardo of MLB.com). John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle noted that manager Bob Melvin told reporters after the game that the injury was a hamstring strain, albeit one that “feels mild.” Melvin added that Conforto was scheduled to undergo an MRI today and that more details would be available then. The Giants have not yet commented on the results of that MRI, but Conforto’s placement on the IL guarantees that he’ll be out for at least ten days.

The loss of Conforto, 31, is a damaging one for the Giants. The veteran outfielder signed with the club on a two-year deal on the heels of a lost 2022 season where he did not play due to injury and while he posted league average results with San Francisco last year, he’s been one of their most productive bats this season with a strong .280/.331/.490 slash line that’s good for a wRC+ of 136. That production has been a rare bright spot on a Giants team that entered today with an 18-23 record in part thanks to a lackluster offense that has posted a collective wRC+ of just 97 this season, good for 19th in the majors. The offense’s struggles have been further compounded by injuries in recent days, as Conforto joins Tom Murphy, Jorge Soler, Austin Slater, and Nick Ahmed in departing for the injured list in the past week alone.

Replacing Conforto on the club’s active roster is Matos, a 22-year-old who was a consensus top-100 prospect back in 2022. He made his MLB debut last year but struggled in 76 games at the big league level, hitting a paltry .250/.319/.342 in 253 trips to the plate en route to a wRC+ of just 87. Despite those struggles, however, it’s at least feasible that Matos could help contribute to the club’s offense given his solid .310/.408/.417 slash line against southpaws last season and a contact-oriented bat that allowed him to post a strikeout rate of just 13% last year in the majors. Aside from Matos, Conforto’s injury could create more playing time for the likes of Blake Sabol and Wilmer Flores in the coming days.

Marlins Select Tristan Gray

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The Marlins announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Tristan Gray. In corresponding moves, the club optioned right-hander George Soriano to Triple-A and transferred righty JT Chargois to the 60-day injured list.

Gray, 28, was a 13th-round pick by the Pirates in the 2017 draft but was traded to the Rays alongside Daniel Hudson in the deal that brought Corey Dickerson to Pittsburgh back in 2018. Gray worked his way through the minor league system with the Rays to reach the Triple-A level in 2021, but ultimately stalled out at the level thanks in part to Tampa’s deep cache of infield talent across the past two seasons.

After slashing a solid .235/.312/.485 in 132 games at the level last year, Gray finally got his first big league opportunity in the form of a two-game cup of coffee with the Rays in September. The 27-year-old made the most of his time in the big leagues, going two-for-five with a home run and zero strikeouts, but was outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster back in November nonetheless.

That lead Gray to sign a minor league deal with the Marlins this offseason, and after the longtime minor leaguer clubbed ten home runs in 34 games with Triple-A Jacksonville to open the year it appears Miami plans to give him a shot at the big league level. Gray has plenty of experience at all four infield spots and should get the opportunity to contribute to the Marlins, who have received below average production all around the infield except at second base, where the club recently traded away Luis Arraez and is now left to rely on Vidal Brujan and Otto Lopez.

Whether Gray will be able to seize upon this opportunity is an open question. His power potential is self-evident, as he’s walloped 73 homers at the Triple-A level since the start of the 2022 campaign with isolated slugging percentages of .250 or more in each of the past three seasons. That proclivity towards the long ball comes with a worrisome amount of swing-and-miss, however. Gray’s striking out in a whopping 36.4% of his trips to the plate in the minors this year, and his 29.5% strikeout rate back in 2021 was the only time he’s struck out less than 30% of the time in a season at the Triple-A level.

Making room for Gray on the roster is Soriano, a 25-year-old righty who pitched to solid results in multi-inning relief for the Marlins last year. In 52 innings of work across 26 appearances, Soriano posted a 3.81 ERA and 4.37 FIP while striking out 22.8% of batters faced. The wheels have come off for the right-hander this season, however, as he’s been lit up to the tune of a 9.26 ERA with a 6.76 FIP in 11 2/3 innings of work this year. Walks have been a major problem for Soriano this year, as he’s offered free passes to a whopping 13% of batters faced across his ten appearances. The righty figures to try and get his command back under control at the Triple-A level going forward and could return to the Marlins later this season should he get things back on track.

As for Chargois, the right-hander has been out since February with neck spasms and last appeared in a rehab game on April 26. The 33-year-old righty has a respectable 3.55 ERA and 3.85 FIP in 195 innings of work when healthy enough to take the mound and would surely improve the club’s pitching staff once healthy enough to return, though it’s unclear what his timetable for returning to action might be.

Cubs Activate Kyle Hendricks From Injured List

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TODAY: The Cubs officially reinstated Hendricks from the injured list this morning, and announced that right-hander Jose Cuas had been optioned to Triple-A Iowa in the corresponding move. Cuas, 30 next month, has struggled to a 9.00 ERA and 5.03 FIP in six appearances with the club this year.

May 11: The Cubs plan to activate right-hander Kyle Hendricks from the 15-day injured list tomorrow, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun Times) following tonight’s game. He’ll start tomorrow’s game against the Pirates opposite left-hander Bailey Falter. The Cubs will need to make space for Hendricks on the active roster prior to the game.

Right-hander Jameson Taillon was initially expected to start tomorrow’s game, but Counsell told reporters (as noted by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) earlier today that the right-hander was dealing with a bout of back stiffness that cropped up during a bullpen session on Tuesday. While Counsell indicated after the game that Taillon’s bullpen session today went well, he nonetheless is “not quite ready” to start another game. With left-hander Shota Imanaga lined up to start Monday’s series opener in Atlanta, that would put Taillon in line to potentially take the ball opposite the Braves on Tuesday.

That Taillon won’t require another trip to the injured list is surely a relief for Cubs fans. The right-hander missed the first three weeks of the season with lower back and quad issues but has been excellent in four starts since being activated off the IL, with a 1.13 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 24 innings of work. On the other hand, it’s somewhat surprising to see Hendricks activated off the injured list so quickly. While the right-hander has been on a rehab assignment since the start of May, the club had previously indicated that the plan was for Hendricks to make a third rehab start this weekend before determining next steps. That plan now appears to have been scuttled in favor of Hendricks returning to the club’s rotation.

Rushing the veteran back into action at the big league level is a risky decision after his start to the season. The 34-year-old righty was placed on the injured list at the end of April due to a lower back issue of his own after making five starts, the results of which were nothing short of brutal. Hendricks has yet to record an out in the sixth inning in any of his appearances this season, and has completed the fifth inning just once while striking out just 15.1% of batters faced. While his 6.6% walk rate is more or less in line with his career norms, he’s allowed a whopping eight home runs this season en route to a ghastly 12.00 ERA and 7.72 FIP in 21 innings of work. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco explored Hendricks’s tough start in depth shortly before the club placed him on the IL last month.

Assuming Taillon is able to slot back into the club’s rotation next week and Hendricks will remain in the mix for starts for the time being, the Cubs figure to have an overflow of starting pitching options for their rotation at the moment. Right-hander Ben Brown has already moved into a bullpen role after starting four games for the club earlier this year, and lefty Jordan Wicks is currently on the injured list while nursing a forearm strain, but that still leaves Imanaga, Justin Steele, Javier Assad, and Hayden Wesneski in the mix for starts alongside Taillon and Hendricks, to say nothing of top prospect Cade Horton lurking at the Triple-A level.

Assuming an injury within that group doesn’t solve the logjam organically, the Cubs appear likely to either utilize a six-man rotation or simply move Wesneski to the bullpen, where he would pair with Brown to form a lethal multi-inning duo who could be used in a variety of roles to bolster a struggling relief corps. Assad also has relief experience on his resume, but it would be something of a shock to see the Cubs move the 26-year-old out of the rotation given sensational start to the season that’s seen him pitch to a 1.70 ERA in eight starts. It’s also possible that if Hendricks’s struggles continue the club could look to remove him from the rotation, although his lone relief appearance at the big league level came all the way back in 2016.

Red Sox Activate Brayan Bello From Injured List

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The Red Sox announced this morning that the club has activated right-hander Brayan Bello from the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Josh Winckowski was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Bello is slated to start this afternoon’s game against the Nationals at Fenway Park.

Bello, who will celebrate his 25th birthday later this week, has been on the shelf since late April due to a bout of lat tightness. Prior to the injury, the young righty had pitched solidly through five starts with the Red Sox this year with a 3.04 ERA and 4.06 FIP in 26 2/3 innings of work. He’s struck out a respectable 23.6% of batters faced and generated groundballs at a 51.3% clip during that time, although a whopping 19% of his fly balls leaving the yard for home runs stands out as a potential red flag in an otherwise impressive early-season performance.

That success on the mound has been par for the course among Red Sox starters this year, as the club’s 2.42 rotation ERA is the best figure in the majors to this point in the season thanks to excellent starts from the likes of Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck. With righty Nick Pivetta having also been activated from the injured list in recent days, the club’s rotation is once again approaching full strength. While righty Garrett Whitlock remains on the shelf due to an oblique strain, righty Cooper Criswell has performed admirably in his absence with a 2.10 ERA and 3.94 FIP in 25 2/3 innings of work.

Making room for Bello on the active roster is Winckowski, who will turn 26 next month. It’s a somewhat surprising move given his success over the past two seasons. The righty was among the best multi-inning relief arms in all of baseball last year as he posted a 2.88 ERA with a 3.91 FIP in 84 1/3 innings of work across 60 appearances. He hasn’t quite kept that performance up this year, although he’s still enjoyed solid results with a 3.33 ERA and 4.27 FIP in 24 1/3 innings of work.

While that sort of performance would seem to warrant a spot in the club’s bullpen over other optionable arms such as Cam Booser, it’s worth noting that Winckowski’s peripherals have taken a significant turn for the worse this year. The right-hander has struggled to miss bats this year as his strikeout rate has fallen from a respectable 22.3% last year all the way to just 16.8% this season. Meanwhile, his walk rate has ticked up from 8.4% to 9.7% and his groundball rate has dropped more than five points after sitting at a strong 51.2% last season. Those shaky peripheral numbers suggest that regression may have been on the horizon for Winckowski had he remained in the majors, a possibility supported by is elevated 4.53 xFIP and 5.43 xERA.

Going forward, Winckowski will head to the Triple-A level and look to recapture what made him such an effective reliever for the club last season while acting as an optionable depth arm for the club to lean on alongside former NPB starter Naoyuki Uwasawa. Meanwhile, the Red Sox appear poised to lean on right-hander Justin Slaten to fill the sort of high leverage, multi-inning role they turned to Winckowski for last year. Slaten has impressed in 13 contests this year with a 1.74 ERA and 2.34 FIP in 20 2/3 innings of work.

Pirates Designate Roansy Contreras, Place Ke’Bryan Hayes On 10-Day IL

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2:18PM: The Pirates have officially announced the selection of Skenes’ contract and the other transactions.  Hayes’ IL designation is listed as low back inflammation.

12:53PM: Pirates GM Ben Cherington announced to Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (links to X) and other reporters that right-hander Roansy Contreras has been designated for assignment.  This move opens up a roster spot for Paul Skenes, as the star prospect is set to make his Major League debut in today’s game against the Cubs.  Cherington also revealed that third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a bad back, and infielder Alika Williams has been called up from Triple-A to take Hayes’ spot on the active roster.

It wasn’t long ago that Contreras was a notable prospect in his own right, checking into the back end of top-100 lists from Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, and MLB Pipeline prior to the 2022 season.  Acquired from the Yankees as part of the four-player return in the Jameson Taillon trade in the 2020-21 offseason, Contreras elevated his stock in his first season in Pittsburgh’s farm system, culminating in reaching the big leagues for one game before the 2021 campaign was over.  The righty then posted a 3.79 ERA in 95 innings (starting 18 of 21 games) in 2022, and looked like a promising building block within the Pirates’ rotation heading into 2023.

Unfortunately, things then went south for Contreras during a disastrous season.  He posted a 6.59 ERA over 68 1/3 MLB innings, and first lost his rotation job with a demotion to the bullpen, and then was optioned back to Triple-A altogether and didn’t pitch again in the majors after July 5.  The move to Triple-A didn’t get Contreras on track, as he had a 4.96 ERA over 32 2/3 frames for Indianapolis.  Contreras also spent some time going fully back to the drawing board with the Pirates’ Complex League team, trying to work out the mechanical problems that led to such issues a drop in his strikeout rate, an increase in his walk rate, and a minor velocity drop on his fastball.

Pitching out of the Pittsburgh bullpen this season, Contreras’ bottom-line numbers improved to the tune of a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings, and his strikeout rate rose from 18.2% in 2023 to 21.6% this year.  It still isn’t exactly an eye-catching set of results, and the Pirates have seen enough to feel comfortable in possibly losing Contreras to the waiver wire.  While the righty is out of minor league options and thus had to be DFA’ed in order to be sent to Triple-A, it still counts as a bit of a surprise to see the Bucs potentially move on from a 24-year-old who showed such potential as recently as 2022.  Odds are that Contreras will be claimed away for nothing unless the Pirates can get some kind of trade return from a particularly interested team before the end of Contreras’ DFA period.

Skenes’ first taste of the majors will come without the luxury of the game’s best defensive third baseman behind him.  Hayes hasn’t played since May 7 and he is only 2-for-26 in his last seven games, dropping his slash line to .240/.322/.318 over 149 plate appearances for the season.  Hayes has only hit one home run after he hit 15 taters in 2023, and his Isolated Power total of .078 is less than half of his .182 ISO from last year.

While Hayes has both increased his walk rate and reduced his strikeouts, it is fair to wonder if his back problem is the cause of these offensive struggles.  Hayes only had a 101 wRC+ in 2023, but getting even league-average offense from such an elite defender makes Hayes a very valuable player.  Speaking of glovework, a -9.1 UZR/150 for Hayes this season is perhaps the bigger red flag that he isn’t physically right, even if other defensive metrics (+2 Outs Above Average, +3 Defensive Runs Saved) still have a positive view of Hayes’ defense.

Jared Triolo is the only other Pirate to get any time at third base besides Hayes this season, so Triolo could be shifted from his usual second base spot over to the hot corner while Hayes is sidelined.  This would make Williams and Nick Gonzales the top options for second base, leaving the Bucs quite thin on the infield.  Llover Peguero and Ji Hwan Bae are on the 40-man roster and could be called up more easily from Triple-A if a need develops, or the Pirates could look to obtain more experienced infield help on the open market or via a minor trade.

Tigers Place Kenta Maeda On 15-Day Injured List

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The Tigers announced this afternoon that they’ve placed right-hander Kenta Maeda on the 15-day injured list with a viral illness. Outfield Akil Baddoo was recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move, though Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports that right-hander Matt Manning is set to be called up to the majors on Monday to take Maeda’s spot in the rotation.

The start to Maeda’s tenure in Detroit has been a difficult one, as he’s posted a 6.75 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work across seven starts with the club this season. Of those seven starts, the majority of the damage has come in just three of them where the veteran was tagged for a combined 19 runs (18 earned) in just eight total innings of work. Now he’ll get the opportunity to rest up and reset on the injured list while he prepares to try and turn his season around. Maeda’s placement on the shelf is retroactive to May 8, meaning he could hypothetically return to action in less than two weeks. That being said, no timetable for his return has been made available.

Per Petzold, Manning is poised to take the ball against the Marlins on Monday, stepping into Maeda’s usual spot in the rotation. The right-hander was the Tigers’ first-round pick back in 2016 and has logged 48 starts in the majors since he first made his big league debut back in 2021. He struggled to a 5.80 ERA in his rookie season but as looked to be a solid back-of-the-rotation arm when healthy since then, with a 3.59 ERA (117 ERA+) and 4.40 FIP in 158 innings of work since then. That includes three starts in the majors this year, during which he’s posted a roughly league average 4.24 ERA with a 23.9% strikeout rate despite a somewhat lackluster 4.40 FIP. He’ll be returning to a rotation that’s gotten incredible performances from its young arms this season. Tarik Skubal’s 1.90 ERA and 2.07 FIP have placed him firmly in the AL Cy Young award conversation through seven starts, while both Casey Mize and Reese Olsen have also impressed to this point in the year with above-average numbers.

Replacing Maeda on the roster for the time being is Baddoo. The 25-year-old had a breakout campaign as a rookie back in 2021 with a .259/.330/.436 slash line in 124 games but has generally struggled at the big league level since then, hitting just .213/.302/.331 in 582 trips to the plate since the start of the 2022 campaign. Baddoo has spent the entire 2024 campaign to this point at the Triple-A level after being squeezed out of the club’s outfield mix by the addition of Mark Canha as well as the emergence of youngsters like Kerry Carpenter, and Riley Greene.

Baddoo has generally been very successful in the minor leagues this year, slashing .257/.366/.478 in 30 games with the club’s affiliate in Toledo. If Baddoo can carry that success forward at the big league level, it’s possible he could force his way back into the club’s outfield mix, where Opening Day center fielder Parker Meadows struggled badly to open the season, opening the door for rookie switch-hitter Wenceel Perez to take over up the middle in recent weeks.

Giants Notes: Ahmed, Schmitt, Luciano, Bailey, Slater

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1:54PM: The Giants officially activated Bailey and placed Slater on the concussion-related IL.  In other moves, San Francisco called up second baseman/outfielder Brett Wisely, and optioned catcher Jakson Reetz to Triple-A.

8:29AM: The Giants placed shortstop Nick Ahmed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, as Ahmed is dealing with a sprain in his left wrist.  The injury has been bothering the infielder “for a while now,” as Ahmed told MLB.com and other media on Thursday, when he had to make an early exit from San Francisco’s game with Colorado.

“I got a bunch of treatment and stuff before the game and it was OK going into the game,” Ahmed said.  “And then on the first swing of the game, I just kind of aggravated it. It was hampering my ability to play defense, too. It was probably going to do our team more harm than good if I stayed out there.”

The issue seems relatively minor enough that Ahmed isn’t expected to miss too much time beyond the 10-day minimum, with the caveat that wrist-related injuries can sometimes linger (as was the case for Ahmed even prior to Thursday’s game).  Of course, even 10 days is a significant amount of time for a club to be without its starting shortstop.  After signing a minor league contract with San Francisco during the offseason, Ahmed has started 35 of the Giants’ 40 games, delivering his usual combination of strong defense and uninspiring offense.  Ahmed has hit only .236/.274/.291 over his first 119 plate appearances, translating to a 66 wRC+.

This lack of pop has led some Giants fans to wonder why top prospect Marco Luciano hasn’t yet been given a longer look at the MLB level, though Luciano didn’t help his case with a lackluster Spring Training.  Luciano made his big league debut with 14 games and 45 PA last season, and thus far has hit .273/.403/.355 over 149 Triple-A plate appearances in 2024.  The OBP and a big increase his Luciano’s walk rate are nice signs of progress, though he has only slightly reduced his high strikeout rate, and has shown very little power even in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Luciano might not be too far away from another call-up, however, even though fellow infielder Casey Schmitt got the call Friday to replace Ahmed on the active roster.  Manager Bob Melvin implied to reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser) that Schmitt may have gotten the nod because the Giants were facing left-handed starters on Friday and Saturday.  Though Luciano and Schmitt are both right-handed batters, Schmitt has better numbers against lefties at Triple-A this season.

In general, the team is open to all options with Ahmed out, as Melvin admitted “I’m not sure what [the shortstop position is] going to look like here every day.”  Utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald is the only other player besides Ahmed and Schmitt to see any time at shortstop this season, and Fitzgerald has hit a solid .273/.319/.455 in 47 PA while bouncing all over the diamond.  The Giants may prefer to to keep Fitzgerald available to chip in at multiple positions rather than make him a regular shortstop with Ahmed out, which could open the door for Schmitt to get more work, or for Luciano to perhaps enter the picture.

Elsewhere on the injury front, today marks Patrick Bailey’s seventh day on the seven-day concussion-related IL, and the Giants are hoping he can be cleared prior to today’s game with the Reds.  Bailey took a foul ball off the mask on May 3, but has resumed baseball activities, including catching Blake Snell’s bullpen session on Friday.  Slusser writes that Bailey will be taking the precaution of wearing a new style of mask, with some extra padding involved and a design similar to a hockey goalie’s mask.

Getting their regular catcher back is a nice win for the Giants, yet another position player might be taking Bailey’s spot on the concussion IL.  Austin Slater collided with the wall while trying to make a catch in the first inning of yesterday’s game, and was replaced by a pinch-hitter before his first at-bat.

Melvin told reporters postgame that Slater was quite possibly headed to the IL, which is the latest setback in what has been a rough start to the season for the outfielder.  Slater has hit only .128/.306/.128 in 49 PA while serving in his usual capacity as a platooner against left-handed pitching, a far cry from his career .278/.370/.447 slash line against southpaws.  It could be just a small sample size issue to date, though Slater’s primary concern now is just getting healthy.

Astros Activate Cristian Javier, Designate Brandon Bielak

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The Astros have activated right-hander Cristian Javier from the 15-day injured list, as Javier will get the start in today’s game against the Tigers.  To make room for Javier on the active roster, right-hander Brandon Bielak has been designated for assignment.

Javier blasted out of the gates this season, posting a 1.54 ERA over his first 23 1/3 innings and four starts.  While a 5.29 SIERA painted a much less favorable picture of Javier’s performance due to such factors as his .215 BABIP, 18.9% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate, the Astros can hardly argue with the results given how desperately the team has needed all the quality pitching it can get.  Unfortunately, Javier joined several other Houston pitchers on the IL when he was sidelined just under a month ago due to neck discomfort.

With Javier, Justin Verlander, and Framber Valdez now all back from stints on the injured list, the rotation has slowly started to take on its intended form, even if Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers Jr., and J.P. France are all still on the mend.  The combination of the three healthy starters plus Ronel Blanco will be the top four starters in what could be a six-man rotation for the time being, since the Astros are in the midst of playing 29 games in a 30-day span.  Neither Hunter Brown or Spencer Arrighetti has pitched well this season, but they could be penciled in as the fifth and sixth starters if Houston does decide to expand the rotation to give everyone more rest.

It doesn’t seem like Bielak will be involved in this plan, unless he clears DFA waivers and is quickly brought back to the 40-man roster after being outrighted.  Bielak has thrown more than one inning in the majority of his 10 appearances this season, and 21 of his 70 overall MLB appearances have been as a starter, though the results have been spotty for the 28-year-old.  Over his 191 2/3 career innings (all with Houston), Bielak has a 4.65 ERA, a modest 18.1% strikeout rate, and an 8.4% walk rate that is on the high side.

Bielak has been shuttled back and forth many times between Triple-A and the majors over the previous four years, though he is now out of minor league options.  As a result, the Astros were forced to designate the righty for assignment in order to move him back to the minors, and it’s possible another team could claim Bielak away off waivers.

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