Guardians Release Scott Barlow, Outright Anthony Gose
The Guardians released veteran right-hander Scott Barlow and outrighted lefty Anthony Gose to Triple-A Columbus, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. Cleveland had designated both relievers for assignment in recent days. The Guardians announced that Gose accepted his assignment. He can be selected back to the big league roster whenever the team needs a fresh arm, and Barlow’s release creates an opening to do so rather easily.
Barlow pitched in 63 games for the Guardians this year. Cleveland acquired the right-hander in an offseason swap that sent Enyel De Los Santos to the Padres. It was a rare trade in which the Guardians took on a fairly significant salary — he ultimately settled on a $6.7MM deal for his final year of arbitration — to add the more established player. Barlow had been the Royals’ closer in recent seasons and worked in high-leverage spots with San Diego in the second half of last year.
That track record initially earned him important innings with Cleveland. Barlow had pitched fairly well through the season’s first few months. A tough second half had increasingly pushed him down the leverage hierarchy for skipper Stephen Vogt, however. Barlow has allowed nearly six earned runs per nine with a diminished 18.9% strikeout rate since the All-Star Break. He had fanned more than 32% of batters faced with a 3.52 ERA in 38 1/3 innings during the season’s first half.
Barlow’s overall numbers are passable. He has a 4.25 ERA with an above-average 28.2% strikeout percentage and a grounder rate above 47%. His 12.9% walk rate is high but not dramatically above last season’s 11.4% mark. The late-season dip in performance was concerning, though, and that’s especially true considering Barlow’s velocity. He had averaged 95 MPH on his fastball and 84-85 on his slider during his best seasons with Kansas City. Those respective marks dipped to 93 and 83 last year and are down further this season. Barlow’s slider has checked in around 81 MPH all year. His fastball had dipped to the 90-91 range in the last couple months.
The Guardians remain on the hook for the final few weeks of Barlow’s salary. He surpassed six years of major league service this season and would have been a free agent during the upcoming offseason in any case. Barlow could try to sign with another contender for the final couple weeks of the regular season, but he would not be eligible for postseason play. He may choose to look ahead to next offseason. Barlow could still find a big league deal going into 2025, though he’s unlikely to land the multi-year contract that seemed it’d be on the table a couple months ago.
As for Gose, an outright was the expected outcome after Cleveland designated him for assignment for the fourth time in the last month. The southpaw had the right to elect free agency but is clearly comfortable with the organization, as he either accepted an outright or re-signed on a minor league deal shortly after each of his previous DFAs. Gose has made three MLB appearances this season, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings. He carries a 3.27 ERA with huge strikeout (32.8%) and walk (14.7%) rates over 41 1/3 frames with Columbus.
Phillies Outright Nick Nelson
September 11: Philadelphia announced this evening that Nelson again cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Lehigh Valley. There’s no indication that he’ll elect free agency, though he’ll be a minor league free agent at the end of the year unless the Phils call him back up.
September 7: The Phillies announced a quartet of roster moves in advance of their game with the Marlins, as catcher Aramis Garcia is joining the big league roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander Jose Cuas is also joining the organization on a waiver claim from the Blue Jays and has been assigned to Triple-A. In corresponding moves, Philadelphia designated right-hander Nick Nelson for assignment and placed infielder Rodolfo Castro on the 60-day injured list. Castro was first called up from Triple-A before the IL placement, and it was already known that his season would be over after he tore a thumb ligament at the end of August.
Garcia is back in the Show to give the Phillies some extra catching depth since J.T. Realmuto is a little banged up. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that Realmuto will need “a couple of days” to rest up after fouling a ball off his knee in yesterday’s game, but the Phils don’t think Realmuto will need to visit the 10-day injured list. Garcia and Garrett Stubbs will therefore handle catching duties for what the team hopes is just a short time until Realmuto is feeling better.
This is the second time this season that Cuas has changed teams via the waiver wire, as the Blue Jays claimed him off the Cubs’ roster back in June. Cuas tossed three innings across four appearances for Toronto before the Jays DFA’ed him earlier this week, and the righty has a rough 7.71 ERA in 16 1/3 total innings this season with the Blue Jays and Cubs. It has been a big step down from the 3.84 ERA Cuas posted over 103 innings with the Royals and Cubs during the 2022-23 seasons, and even that respectable number was undermined by some shaky secondary metrics.
Control problems have contributed to Cuas’ struggles in both the majors and minors this year, as he has a 6.67 ERA across 27 combined Triple-A frames. Still missing a lot of bats despite those walks, the Phillies will take a look at Cuas and his plus sweeper, and Cuas will essentially replace Nelson as a depth arm.
Nelson was also designated for assignment last month before he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley. This prior outright means that Nelson can now decline another outright assignment in favor of free agency, if he is perhaps looking for a fresh start after three seasons with the Phillies. He pitched 68 2/3 innings over 47 appearances with Philadelphia in 2022 but he has made just five MLB appearances since, totaling 10 2/3 frames at the big league level. A couple of injuries contributed to some of Nelson’s missed time on the Phils’ roster, but the club seemed to just view Nelson as a depth pitcher, first as a starter in 2023 and then back to relief work this season.
A’s Designate Jack O’Loughlin For Assignment
The A’s placed righty Ross Stripling on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain and selected the contract of lefty Kyle Muller from Triple-A Las Vegas in his place, the team announced. In a corresponding move, left-hander Jack O’Loughlin was designated for assignment.
O’Loughlin, 24, made his big league debut with the A’s this year. The Aussie-born southpaw pitched 9 2/3 innings out of the Oakland bullpen and yielded five runs on 13 hits and five walks with six strikeouts in his first look in the majors. That came on the heels of a 6.19 earned run average through 68 1/3 innings (10 starts, 28 relief outings) in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League setting where O’Loughlin fanned 22.9% of his opponents against a 10% walk rate.
It’s the first season in the A’s organization for O’Loughlin, who was originally signed by the Tigers and inked a minor league deal with Oakland over the winter. He fared better in 2023 in Detroit’s system, when he pitched a combined 124 innings of 3.99 ERA ball as a starter between the High-A and Triple-A levels.
Muller, 26, will get a second look with the A’s after being passed through waivers earlier in the season. Once a top prospect with the Braves, he came to the Oakland organization as part of the trade sending Matt Olson to Atlanta. The Athletics hoped to be getting a largely MLB-ready piece for the back of their rotation, but Muller struggled badly in parts of two seasons with the big league club, serving up a 6.39 ERA in 119 2/3 innings of work. The A’s tried him exclusively out of the ‘pen earlier this year, and he did turn in a 4.22 ERA more than three runs lower than last year’s 7.60 mark, but Muller’s fastball sat at a career-low 92.5 mph even in spite of the move to short relief, which likely turned some clubs off.
Since going back to Triple-A, Muller has stretched out and moved back into a rotation role. He currently has a 4.76 ERA in 28 1/3 innings. His last appearance was his best yet, as he pitched seven innings and held the Rangers’ Triple-A club to three runs on five hits and a walk with six punchouts. The A’s could use Muller in a variety of ways, and if he can impress over the final weeks of the year, perhaps he can put himself back in position to stay on the 40-man roster and be an option for next year’s staff in some capacity.
Mariners Outright Jason Vosler
Mariners infielder Jason Vosler went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, the team announced Wednesday. He has the ability to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, although he can also become a minor league free agent at season’s end even if he accepts for now.
Vosler, 31, only appeared in 10 games with the M’s and tallied 30 plate appearances, batting .179/.233/.286 with a double and a triple in that cup of coffee. It’s the fourth big league season in which the former Cubs draftee (2014, 16th round) has appeared in the majors. Vosler has also played for the Giants and Reds, combining for 288 big league plate appearances with a .207/.274/.395 slash, 10 homers, 13 doubles and three triples.
Modest big league track record aside, Vosler has regularly been a productive Triple-A hand, including this year with the Mariners’ top affiliate in Tacoma, where he batted .299/.368/.566 with 28 big flies in just 485 turns at the plate. It’s the sixth partial season Vosler has spent in Triple-A, and he’s a lifetime .273/.347/.503 hitter in that time. He’s primarily been a third baseman, with more than 5000 professional innings at the position, but he’s also topped 2000 innings at first base and has a couple hundred innings of corner outfield work under his belt as well.
Whether it happens now or at the end of the season, Vosler figures to become a minor league free agent and look to latch on with another club seeking a lefty-swinging corner option with some pop in his bat. Given his track record in the upper minors, he should land another minor league deal this offseason.
Braves Place Reynaldo Lopez On Injured List, Select Cavan Biggio
The Braves announced Wednesday that they’ve placed right-hander Reynaldo Lopez on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right shoulder. Lopez was pulled from last night’s start after a significant velocity drop, and manager Brian Snitker said after the game he was headed for an MRI. The results of that imaging have not yet been revealed, but there’s obviously enough concern to shut Lopez down for what amounts to the rest of the regular season. In Lopez’s place, Atlanta recalled righty Daysbel Hernandez from Triple-A Gwinnett.
In addition to the Lopez move, Atlanta shuffled its infield mix. The Braves selected the contract of recently acquired infielder Cavan Biggio from Gwinnett and optioned fellow infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A in his place. In order to open a spot for Biggio on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jimmy Herget has been designated for assignment.
The loss of Lopez is yet another blow to an injury-decimated Braves roster that’s currently without Spencer Strider (UCL surgery), Ronald Acuna Jr. (torn ACL), Austin Riley (broken hand), Ozzie Albies (broken wrist) and A.J. Minter (hip surgery) for the balance of the season. Whit Merrifield, whom the Braves signed in the wake of Albies’ injury, wound up sustaining a broken foot last week and is also on the shelf.
Atlanta has patched the lineup over with midseason signings/acquisitions of Jorge Soler, Gio Urshela, Ramon Laureano and now Biggio. They’ve managed to stay afloat and in a tightly contested race with the division-rival Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot, but this latest hit will further test the team’s depth and the production of that patchwork set of replacements. The rotation currently features Chris Sale, Max Fried, Charlie Morton and solid rookie Spencer Schwellenbach. When Lopez’s turn next arises, the Braves will likely turn to one of Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, Allan Winans, Hurston Waldrep or Ian Anderson to step into his spot.
While nearly all of those in-house options have either already had past MLB success (Anderson, Elder in particular) or has been a top-tier prospect (Waldrep, Smith-Shawver), it’s not realistic to expect any of the bunch to produce at the same level as Lopez, even over a short period.
Lopez’s move from reliever to starter this season caught the entire industry by surprise, but even more remarkable than the switch itself has been how well it’s paid off. The right-hander made the All-Star team and deservingly so, as he’s pitched to a brilliant 2.03 ERA on the season, striking out 26.3% of his opponents against an 8.1% walk rate. Lopez has only allowed more than two earned runs in three of his 24 starts this season, and he’s yet to surrender more than four runs in any appearance this season.
As for Biggio, Atlanta will be his third team this season. He’s suited up for his longtime Blue Jays club and the Dodgers in addition to a minor league run with the Giants organization. In 74 games and 219 plate appearances, he’s logged a bleak .197/.316/.306 batting line with a huge 32% strikeout rate. The second-generation big leaguer still draws plenty of walks (11%), but even that’s a departure from the massive 16% clip he turned in at his best earlier in his career. Biggio’s contact skills and power output have eroded over the years, and this season’s 81.9 mph average exit velocity and 16.2% hard-hit rate are both the worst among all MLB hitters with at least 200 plate appearances.
The Braves will be hoping for at least some semblance of a rebound. It’s not realistic to expect Biggio to turn the clock back to 2019, when he hit 16 homers and swiped 14 bases in just 100 games as a rookie, but he should at least be able to get on base at a decent clip near the bottom of the reworked lineup.
In order to get Biggio onto the roster, the Braves will part ways with the veteran Herget, who’d been pitching with Gwinnett recently. The 31-year-old posted a 4.38 ERA in 12 1/3 innings with Atlanta earlier this season and has a 3.30 ERA in 30 minor league innings between the Braves and Angels organizations this year. Herget has been an up-and-down member of the bullpen with the Braves, Angels and Rangers in recent years but has generally been successful working in largely low-leverage situations. He has a career 3.54 ERA in 155 big league innings and has fanned 22.2% of opponents against a 7.4% walk rate.
Herget will be out of options next season and would’ve been arbitration-eligible this winter. If another club picks him up, he can be controlled for three more seasons, but he won’t be optionable next year and would have to clear waivers before any team could assign him to the minor leagues.
Rockies Outright Ty Blach
The Rockies announced this morning that Ty Blach cleared outright waivers. Colorado had designated him for assignment on Sunday. Blach has the right to elect free agency, though there’s no indication he’ll do so.
In either case, the 33-year-old southpaw will likely be a free agent during the offseason. Blach has more than enough service time to qualify for minor league free agency after the season even if he reports to Triple-A Albuquerque for the time being. If the Rox were to call him back up in the final couple weeks, they’d likely waive or non-tender him at the start of the winter.
The sides might work out another minor league deal going into next season. The Denver native has spent the past three seasons bouncing on and off the roster. He has started 12 of 20 appearances this year, allowing an earned run average near 7.00. Blach has yet to post an ERA below 5.54 in any of his three seasons in Colorado. Still, the organization has valued his willingness to work out of the rotation or in long relief and has retained him as a depth arm. He owns a 6.13 ERA across 193 2/3 innings in a Rox uniform.
Blach has pitched well this year in a limited stint in Albuquerque. He has managed a 2.48 ERA through 32 2/3 innings despite the extremely hitter-friendly setting. While he’s never going to miss many bats, Blach throws a ton of strikes and has kept the ball on the ground at a strong 54.2% clip in Triple-A.
Dodgers Activate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Designate Nick Ramirez
8:23pm: Los Angeles also activated Brusdar Graterol from the 15-day IL and placed Anthony Banda on the injured list. Banda broke his left hand. That interrupts a solid year for the 31-year-old southpaw. Banda has pitched to a 3.23 ERA while striking out nearly a quarter of opponents in a personal-high 47 1/3 innings.
4:41pm: The Dodgers reinstated Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the 60-day injured list to start tonight’s game against the Cubs. Los Angeles designated lefty reliever Nick Ramirez for assignment to create space on the active and 40-man rosters.
Manager Dave Roberts announced last week that Yamamoto would make his return tonight. It’ll be the Japanese star’s first big league appearance since June 15. Yamamoto missed nearly three months on account of a rotator cuff strain. He should get a few trips through the rotation to continue building his shoulder strength going into the postseason.
Outside of his disastrous first major league start, Yamamoto has pitched like the top-of-the-rotation arm the Dodgers envisioned. He sports a 2.34 earned run average with a 28.1% strikeout rate through 73 innings over his past 13 starts. If he finds that form quickly now that he’s healthy, he could start the first game of a playoff series.
Ramirez loses his roster spot for the second time this season. The Dodgers had DFA him to accommodate their trade deadline pickups. He cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Los Angeles called him back up on Sunday. Ramirez pitched the final two innings of a 10-4 loss last night. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits.
Acquired from the Yankees in April, Ramirez has pitched in eight games for the Dodgers. The 35-year-old has surrendered 11 runs with seven walks and five strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. He was an effective middle relief arm for New York skipper Aaron Boone a year ago, when he turned in a 2.66 ERA with a meager 5.2% walk rate over 40 2/3 frames.
The Dodgers will put Ramirez on waivers again this week. He’ll likely clear and would have the right to elect free agency, though he could stick with the organization as non-roster depth if he’s outrighted to OKC. Ramirez would become a minor league free agent in the offseason anyhow if the Dodgers don’t call him back up.
Mariners Place Luis Castillo On Injured List
The Mariners placed Luis Castillo on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 9, with a left hamstring strain. GM Justin Hollander told reporters this evening that the strain is of a Grade 2 variety. Seattle also transferred reliever Yimi García from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list, ending his season. Catcher Seby Zavala was selected onto the 40-man roster.
Castillo exited his start against the Cardinals on Sunday after three innings because of the injury. He went for imaging yesterday. That revealed the strain, which is evidently of moderate severity. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that Castillo received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is hopeful of returning when first eligible.
That may well be determined as much by how the team plays over the next two weeks as by Castillo’s recovery. The M’s are holding onto faint playoff hopes. They’re tied with the Tigers and Red Sox at three games back of the Twins for the American League’s last Wild Card spot. Seattle is 4.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West.
Castillo would first be eligible to return on September 24. There’d be five games left in the regular season — two at Houston and a three-game set at home against the A’s. Seattle would surely need to make up ground on either the Twins or Astros before then to have any hope of a playoff berth. If they don’t do so, there’d be little reason to get Castillo back before the end of the year.
It’s the first injured list stint in two years for the three-time All-Star. Castillo hadn’t missed a start since the M’s acquired him at the 2022 deadline. He pitched 11 times down the stretch that year and made 33 appearances last season. Castillo is tied for the MLB lead with 30 starts this year. He owns a 3.64 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate across 175 1/3 innings. While this has been a slight step down from last season — when he finished fifth in Cy Young balloting — Castillo remains one of the more valuable starters in the game. Emerson Hancock will probably take his rotation spot alongside George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller.
Seattle also loses one of their top relievers for the year. García has been shut down from throwing after experiencing elbow soreness during a recent bullpen session, the team announced (relayed on X by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com). The right-hander has been on the IL since August 24 due to elbow inflammation. García, an impending free agent, has been on the IL twice this year with elbow problems.
García had pitched very well for the Blue Jays earlier in the season. He turned in a 2.70 ERA with a 36.5% strikeout rate across 30 innings before the M’s acquired him in a deal sending rookie outfielder Jonatan Clase to Toronto. That didn’t pan out for the Mariners. García managed only nine innings in a Seattle uniform and allowed six runs. There’s no indication he’ll need any kind of surgery, but a forearm injury is a frustrating end to what had been shaping up as a strong walk year for the veteran righty.
Zavala returns to the MLB roster for his third stint of the season. The out-of-options catcher has hit .154/.214/.282 in 18 games. He’s hitting .188/.325/.376 across 33 appearances with Triple-A Tacoma. Zavala can work as a third catcher behind Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver for the time being. It may be a short stay on the roster, though, as Seattle could jettison a position player to add a 14th pitcher to the active roster once they need a fifth starter this weekend.
Angels Select Eric Wagaman, Place Anthony Rendon On IL
The Angels made a few moves before tonight’s game in Minnesota. Los Angeles selected corner bat Eric Wagaman onto the 40-man roster. The Halos also recalled reliever Guillo Zuñiga from Triple-A Salt Lake. They step onto the MLB club in place of Anthony Rendon and Ben Joyce.
Rendon lands on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 8, with a left oblique strain. Joyce is on the 15-day IL with a retroactive placement date of September 7. The fireballer is dealing with shoulder inflammation. The Halos moved veteran reliever Matt Moore to the 60-day injured list, officially ending his season, to create the necessary 40-man spot.
Wagaman, who turned 27 last month, gets to the big leagues for the first time. Any major league call would have been rewarding, but debuting with the Angels is particularly sweet. Wagaman is an Orange County native who grew up as a Halos fan. He attended Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa and entered pro ball as a 13th-round pick of the Yankees in 2017.
The right-handed hitter played parts of six seasons in the New York system. Wagaman posted middling numbers in the low minors but seemed to hit his stride in Double-A. He hit well in limited looks there between 2022-23. The Angels selected him with their first pick of the Triple-A phase of last winter’s Rule 5 draft. That got him his first extended upper minors opportunity with his hometown club.
Wagaman has taken advantage. He has split his time between the top two minor league levels and combined for a .274/.339/.469 slash through 495 plate appearances. He has connected on 28 doubles, four triples and 17 homers while striking out at only a 16.8% clip. Primarily a first baseman, Wagaman has branched out a bit defensively this year. He has logged a few hundred innings in the corner outfield and at third base. He should work as a bat-first player off Ron Washington’s bench for the season’s final few weeks as he tries to maintain his 40-man roster spot in the offseason.
Rendon goes on the IL for the third time this season and the 12th stint of his Angels tenure. He’s not officially out for the season, but an oblique strain with less than three weeks to play could result in him being shut down. If that ends up being the case, he’ll close the year with a .218/.307/.267 batting line and no home runs. Rendon has appeared in 57 games this season and hasn’t topped 58 games in any of his five years with Los Angeles (though he likely would’ve beaten that number if not for the shortened schedule in 2020). He’s under contract for $38MM annually for another two years.
Joyce hasn’t pitched in a week because of the shoulder issue. He’ll be out until the final week of the season. It doesn’t seem to be a major concern. The second-year righty told Erica Weston of Bally Sports West (X link) that he expects to pitch again this season. Joyce has been a rare bright spot for the Angel bullpen. He owns a 2.08 ERA with a massive 58.9% ground-ball rate across 34 2/3 innings. The Tennessee product throws harder than anyone else, touching 105.5 MPH in his most recent appearance. With Carlos Estévez gone, he could get the first look in the ninth inning next season.
Moore has been out since late August with a forearm injury. The severity isn’t known, but it’s a suboptimal way to go to free agency. The southpaw played this year on a $9MM salary. He struggled to a 5.03 ERA across 51 appearances. He’ll return to the market at age 35 and might be limited to minor league offers.
White Sox Select Sean Burke
The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Sean Burke from Triple-A Charlotte. Fellow right-hander Nick Nastrini was optioned to Charlotte in a corresponding move. The Sox already had multiple vacancies on the 40-man roster to accommodate Burke’s promotion.
Burke, 24, was Chicago’s third-round pick back in 2021 and has spent the season in the Charlotte rotation, making 16 starts and pitching to a 4.62 ERA with a weighty 31% strikeout rate but an ugly 13% walk rate. The 6’6″ righty was a two-sport star in high school, also shining as a basketball player, and has drawn praise for both his athleticism and a lively heater that sits mid-90s and reaches 97 mph. He complements the offering with a curveball, slider and changeup.
Baseball America ranked Burke 14th among Sox prospects entering the season but has since dropped him off their list. He’s currently their No. 29 prospect at MLB.com and No. 23 at FanGraphs. Each of Burke’s secondary offerings has drawn average or better ratings, but his entire arsenal is undercut by a lack of command.
Splitting time between two sports in high school, missing a year of his NCAA career at Maryland due to Tommy John surgery, and missing much of the 2023 campaign due to shoulder troubles have all cut into some potential development time for Burke. Optimists might argue his command could yet realistically be expected to improve as a result of this, but the pair of arm injuries is also a clear concern.
To his credit, Burke has indeed cut back on his walk rate, going from 16.3% in Triple-A last year to 13% this year. He’s improved particularly as of late, logging a 3.66 ERA, 37.4% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate across his past seven starts. It’s clear there’s still work to be done on his command, but he’s trending in the right direction the further he distances himself from last year’s shoulder woes.
Now, Burke will be the next man up for what could be a historically poor White Sox season. There’s no immediate spot in the rotation, with Jonathan Cannon slated to start tonight and Davis Martin going tomorrow, followed by a Thursday off-day. However, the Sox used four relievers to cover 6 1/3 innings yesterday, including 3 1/3 from Nastrini. He wouldn’t have been available to pitch after that lengthy relief appearance, so he’ll head to Triple-A while the South Siders summon a fresh arm to potentially provide length out of the ‘pen. It’s conceivable that Burke could get a start or two down the stretch, particularly if he doesn’t pitch today or tomorrow.