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Twins Activate Chris Paddack

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The Twins announced this morning that the club had activated right-hander Chris Paddack from the 60-day IL. Left-hander Jovani Moran was recalled and placed on the 60-day IL to make way for Paddack on the 40-man roster, while right-hander Josh Winder was optioned to Triple-A to clear space on the active roster.

Paddack, 27, is returning from the second Tommy John surgery of his career. An eighth-round pick by the Marlins in the 2015 draft, he was shipped to the Padres in exchange for closer Fernando Rodney just one year later. Paddack eventually made his big league debut in 2019 and made a strong impression during his rookie campaign. The youngster posted a 3.33 ERA across 140 2/3 innings of work with a 26.9% strikeout rate against a walk rate of just 5.5%. Things took a turn for a worse during the shortened 2020 season, however, as his ERA shot up to 4.73 across 12 starts, thanks in large part to an unbelievable 25% of his fly balls leaving the yard for home runs.

While Paddack’s home run rate came back down to Earth in 2021, his results remained less than stellar. His 5.07 ERA was 23% worse than league average by measure of ERA+, and while his career-best 3.78 FIP and a career-low 60.7% strand rate indicated that misfortune could be plaguing Paddack, the righty’s strikeout rate had dipped to just 21.6%, a far cry from the highs of his rookie season. Paddack also dealt with injuries throughout the 2021 campaign, with three trips to the injured list costing him a total of two months.

The struggles led the Padres to move on from Paddack, shipping him to Minnesota ahead of the 2022 season alongside right-hander Emilio Pagan in exchange for lefty Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker. Paddack looked to have better days on the horizon through five starts with his new club, as he posted a 4.03 ERA and 3.18 FIP across 22 1/3 innings of work. Unfortunately for both Paddack and the Twins, the righty would subsequently require surgery that would wipe out the remainder of his 2022 season and the entire 2023 campaign to this point. Of course, the injury woes didn’t stop the sides from coming together on a three-year pact this offseason that bought out what otherwise would have been his first free agent year.

Now back on the mound in the big leagues, Paddack is expected to work out of the bullpen for the Twins down the stretch and into the postseason, though after stretching out to 60 pitches in the minors, it’s certainly plausible that he could provide Minnesota with rotation depth or a piggyback starter in the playoffs, should the club wind up in a pinch at some point. Looking ahead to 2024, Paddack seems poised to be in the mix for the club’s rotation alongside Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, and Joe Ryan following the impending departures of Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda via free agency.

Moran, 26, posted a 5.31 ERA in 42 1/3 innings of work for the Twins this season but hasn’t appeared in the majors since early August. He was placed on the IL in the minor leagues at the end of August with a forearm strain, and evidently will not pitch again this season. As for Winder, the righty has posted a solid 4.15 ERA in 34 2/3 innings of work as a long reliever for the Twins this year, his first since converting to the bullpen full time. He could provide the Twins with starting depth throughout their postseason run, but won’t be eligible to return to the regular season roster this year unless he replaces an injured player.

Red Sox Designate Kyle Barraclough For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced a series of roster moves this morning. The club activated right-hander Zack Kelly from the 60-day injured list, and in corresponding moves optioned righty Nick Robertson to Triple-A while designating fellow right-hander Kyle Barraclough for assignment.

Kelly’s return, while not necessarily unexpected, is surely a major relief for both the Red Sox and Kelly himself. The 28-year-old righty has been on the 60-day injured list for most of the season to this point thanks to an ulnar nerve transposition revision in his throwing elbow he underwent at the beginning of May. Despite battling injuries to this point in his big league career, Kelly has been effective on the mound when healthy, with a career 3.86 ERA in 21 innings of work that includes a 3.68 ERA across six appearances this season. In returning for the final games of the season, Kelly should have the opportunity to test his arm ahead of the offseason and prepare himself for a typical offseason regimen with an eye on returning to the club’s bullpen in 2024.

The move spells the end of Barraclough’s tenure with the Red Sox. Once a quality reliever with the Marlins who posted a 3.21 ERA (122 ERA+) and 3.45 FIP to go with a 29.8% strikeout rate from 2015-18, Barraclough has struggled in limited big league opportunities ever since. In 63 1/3 innings of work since the start of the 2019 season, Barraclough has seen his strikeout rate dip to 23.1% despite an elevated 12.7% walk rate. As a result, his ERA has ballooned to 6.11 with a 6.45 FIP during that time. To make matters worse, Barraclough’s strikeouts have all but evaporated this year: he’s punched out just four of the 46 batters he’s faced with Boston.

While Barraclough’s results at the big league level have been rough for several seasons at this point, he figures to look ahead to the offseason with a solid chance of landing a minor league deal somewhere, should he choose to do so. After all, the veteran righty has a track record of past success in Miami and has never stopped performing at the Triple-A level, with a career 3.44 ERA in 170 innings of work at the level. Robertson also figures to look toward translating success in the minors to big league production headed into 2024, as the 24-year-old hurler sports a brutal 6.33 ERA in 21 1/3 career innings as a major leaguer despite a sterling 2.98 ERA in 51 games at the Triple-A level.

Marlins Place Eury Perez On 15-Day Injured List, Select Jeff Lindgren

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The Marlins have selected the contract of right-hander Jeff Lindgren, per a club announcement. In a corresponding move, right-hander Eury Perez has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 21) with left SI joint inflammation. The move to the IL brings an end to Perez’s regular season, at the very least. He’ll also be unavailable for the Wild Card series of a potential playoff run, though it’s not currently clear if he could return later in the postseason, should Miami make it that far.

Perez, 20, made his MLB debut for the Marlins earlier this year. He was considered one of the sport’s top pitching prospects at the time and made an immediate impression upon reaching the majors with a 1.34 ERA and 3.03 FIP in addition to a 29.2% strikeout rate across his first nine starts. Miami made the decision to option Perez to the minors in early July with the hope of managing his innings total in 2023 while also keeping him available for the stretch run and a potential postseason push.

Things didn’t go according to plan, however. In addition to Perez landing on the injured list for the final week of the season, the rookie’s results have been far less impressive since returning to the majors in early August. In his last 38 innings (eight starts), he’s posted just a 4.26 ERA and 4.71 FIP. That late-season downturn in performance culminated in a three-inning outing against the Mets this past Wednesday where Perez allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks while stirking out just two. Overall, Perez will finish his first regular season as a big leaguer with a 3.15 ERA and 4.12 FIP in 91 1/3 innings of work.

The news comes on the heels of today’s announcement that ace right-hander Sandy Alcantara won’t pitch again this year. The news combines for a devastating pair of blows to the Marlins rotation as they’re in the midst of a late-season playoff. The club sat just one game back of the Cubs for the final NL Wild Card spot entering play today, but will now have to lean on a rotation group headlined by left-handers Jesus Luzardo and Braxton Garrett. With veteran Johnny Cueto long since demoted to relief work, righty Edward Cabrera and potential depth options like David Smeltzer and Ryan Weathers will have to help carry the load in the absence of Perez and Alcantara going forward.

Lindgren is another such option. He’s spent the season riding the waiver wire with Miami, as this is the fourth time the Marlins have selected his contract this season. The right-hander’s stints with the big league club have been brief, but he’s posted a 5.14 ERA that’s only slightly below league average by measure of ERA+ (91) with a 4.69 FIP in his seven innings of work with the club. With a 4.88 ERA in a swing role at the Triple-A level this season, Lindgren could be a valuable source of innings for a rapidly thinning Marlins pitching staff over the season’s final stretch.

Cubs Place Brad Boxberger On 15-Day Injured List

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The Cubs placed right-hander Brad Boxberger on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain.  Righty Keegan Thompson was called up from Triple-A to take Boxberger’s spot on the active roster.

Boxberger’s placement is retroactive to September 22, yet the timing of the IL stint means that he’ll miss both the end of the regular season and at least the Cubs’ wild card series, should Chicago reach the postseason.  In the bigger picture, however, there must be concern that Boxberger could miss an even longer amount of time, considering that he has already miss most of the 2023 campaign due to another strain to that same forearm.  The reliever’s previous injury kept him on the shelf from mid-May until just two weeks ago, and he made only five appearances before heading back to the IL.

Signed to a one-year, $2.8MM free agent deal this past winter, Boxberger has been able to pitch only 20 innings for the Cubs in 2023, posting a 4.95 ERA with underwhelming strikeout (20.2%) and walk (13.1%) rates.  Naturally it is fair to point to the recurring forearm problem as the cause of Boxberger’s struggles, as the righty was much more effective in posting a 3.13 ERA in 146 2/3 innings for the Marlins and Brewers from 2020-22.

Boxberger becomes the third Cubs reliever to be sidelined by a September forearm strain, as he joins closer Adbert Alzolay and Michael Fulmer on the 15-day IL.  Like Boxberger, Fulmer also made a quick return to the IL soon after being activated from a prior forearm injury, and is likewise a question mark for the remainder of the season.  The news is better for Alzolay, as he threw a bullpen session yesterday and might be able to return on Tuesday (his first day eligible to be activated) or soon thereafter.

Rays Select Raimel Tapia; Place Brandon Lowe, Jason Adam On IL

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12:46PM: The Rays also placed Jason Adam on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain, and called righty Chris Devenski up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Adam’s placement was expected after he left yesterday’s game due to injury, and Friday’s appearance was his first since returning from a three-week IL stint with another injury to his left oblique.

11:17AM: As reported yesterday, Brandon Lowe will miss 4-6 weeks of action after suffering a right kneecap fracture.  The Rays officially placed Lowe on the 10-day injured list today, and selected the contract of outfielder Raimel Tapia from Triple-A Durham.  To create a 40-man roster spot for Tapia, Tampa Bay called up Calvin Faucher from Triple-A and placed him on the 60-day injured list due to right biceps tendinitis.

Assuming he gets into a game with the Rays, it will be Tapia’s third different MLB team of the 2023 season, and his fifth club in less than two years after playing with the Rockies in 2021 and the Blue Jays in 2022.  Tapia signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox during the winter and ended up appearing in 39 games for Boston before being released in June.  He signed a big league deal with the Brewers a couple of days later, and played in 20 games before Milwaukee designated Tapia for assignment and subsequently released him.

Overall, Tapia has hit .230/.308/.338 over 158 combined plate appearances with the Red Sox and Brewers this season, as well as a .269/.371/.414 slash line in 124 PA with Durham since the Rays signed the outfielder to a minors contract in early August.

Tapia has a decent .273 career batting average in 2016 career PA in the majors, albeit without much on-base or power numbers, and not much pop to show all of the contact he makes.  Known as an excellent baserunner, Tapia’s speed has helped him beat out some grounders to the tune of a .328 career BABIP, but is more known for being a fourth-outfielder type who can play all three positions in a pinch (though primarily a corner outfielder) and provide bench depth as a pinch-runner.

The left-handed hitting Tapia’s numbers aren’t much better against right-handed pitching than they are against southpaws, but he’ll at least provide Tampa Bay with some balance within their mostly right-handed hitting outfield group.  Randy Arozarena also left Friday’s game due to quad tightness, so with Tapia’s selection, the Rays might be looking to bolster their outfield ranks if Arozarena needs a couple of days off or possibly even an IL stint.

Faucher hasn’t pitched since tossing two-thirds of an inning for Durham on August 13.  His move to the 60-day IL is basically just procedural to open up a 40-man spot, and he’ll at least get some MLB service time and a minimum salary for being shifted to the big league version of the injured list.  The righty also missed a chunk of time earlier this season due to right elbow inflammation, and has a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2023.

Blue Jays Outright Mason McCoy

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The Blue Jays have sent infielder Mason McCoy outright to Triple-A Buffalo, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. Toronto designated him for assignment on Wednesday.

McCoy, 28, made his big league debut this year. A former sixth-round draftee of the Orioles, he spent time in the Baltimore and Seattle farm systems. The Mariners dealt him to Toronto for Trent Thornton at the end of July. The Jays selected his contract a month later. Toronto plugged McCoy into six games, mostly as a late-game defensive substitute. He batted once, striking out against José Ferrer in his lone MLB at-bat to date.

Since this is the first outright of his career, McCoy doesn’t have the ability to elect free agency. He’ll remain in the organization as non-roster depth for a few weeks but will qualify for minor league free agency this offseason if the Jays don’t add him back to the 40-man. The righty-hitting defensive specialist owns a .221/.321/.372 line in 487 Triple-A plate appearances this season.

Twins Place Royce Lewis On IL With Hamstring Strain

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The Twins announced that infielder Royce Lewis has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 21, due to a left hamstring strain. Outfielder/first baseman Jordan Luplow was recalled in a corresponding move.

Lewis, 24, has had a stop-and-start career to this point, flashing incredible talent in between injury absences. The former first overall pick underwent surgery for a torn ACL in his right knee last year, the second time he’s endured that awful injury, and missed the first couple of months of this season. He returned in late May and had about a month on the active roster before returning to the IL due to an oblique strain. He was activated in mid-August but is now back on the IL yet again, this time due to the hamstring issue.

Around those various injuries, the results have been excellent. He has hit .309/.372/.548 in 239 plate appearances this year for a wRC+ of 154, indicating he’s been 54% better than the league average hitter. He’s also stolen six bases and been given solid grades for his third base defense.

The Twins are 8.5 games up on the Guardians and nine games ahead of the Tigers in the Central, making them a virtual lock to win the division. Since they are cruising towards a postseason berth, it seems they are trying to rest up some of their key contributors for their eventual postseason appearance. In addition to Lewis, shortstop Carlos Correa was also placed on the injured list this week, with plantar fasciitis being the culprit in his case. Both players have enough time to be eligible to return for the playoffs, hopefully with their respective health conditions improved. Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo are also X-factors, with both players currently on rehab assignments.

As for Luplow, it was announced by the club earlier this week that he had been designated for assignment to open an active roster spot for Michael A. Taylor to be reinstated from the IL. However, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports that Luplow wound up optioned instead. As a player with more than five years of service time, he had to consent to the option and did. It seems he hung onto his 40-man roster spot, allowing him to be recalled today.

Cardinals Select Irving Lopez

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The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves today, recalling outfielder Michael Siani and selecting the contract of infielder Irving Lopez. In corresponding moves, third baseman Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list due to back spasms. Catcher Willson Contreras also landed on the 10-day injured list due to left wrist tendinitis, a move that was reported on yesterday. To open a 40-man roster spot for Lopez, outfielder Dylan Carlson was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

The Cards are 67-86, putting them in last place in the Central. There’s little incentive for veterans like Contreras or Arenado to play through nagging injuries at this point, so they will get an early start on the offseason by sitting out the last handful of games. It was reported last week that Carlson would require ankle surgery, making his transfer to the 60-day injured list unsurprising.

As those players rest, it will open an opportunity for Lopez to make his major league debut. The 28-year-old was a 19th-round pick of the Cards in the 2017 draft. He has split this year between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting a combined .260/.368/.420 in his 346 plate appearances with a 12.4% walk rate and 19.1% strikeout rate.

He’ll give manager Oli Marmol a multi-positional option for the final games of the schedule. He has played all four infield positions this year, as well as the outfield corners and even made an appearance on the mound.

Padres To Select Jose Espada

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September 22: The Padres have now made it official, announcing they have selected Espada’s contract. Righty Nick Hernandez was optioned to open an active roster spot while Hill was transferred to the 60-day to open a 40-man spot.

September 21: The Padres will promote right-hander Jose Espada to the majors, according to an announcement from the American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen. The pitcher confirmed the news in a Spanish-language interview with Antolín Ríos of El Nuevo Día. The Padres have a full 40-man roster but a number of players (e.g. Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Tim Hill) who are out for the season and can be transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Espada, 26, gets to the majors more than eight years after entering the professional ranks. The Blue Jays selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of an academy in Puerto Rico. The 6’0″ hurler would spend four-plus seasons in the Toronto system without getting past Low-A. He went to the Red Sox in the minor league Rule 5 draft, topping out at High-A in two years there.

After qualifying for minor league free agency, Espada signed with the Milkmen. He made eight starts in the independent ranks before getting back to affiliated ball on a minor league pact with the Padres. Espada tossed 40 innings of 4.05 ERA ball in High-A down the stretch last season and held his spot with San Diego into 2023.

Espada has divided this year between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. Working mostly as a long reliever, he has put together a sub-3.00 ERA showing at both spots in a breakout season. Between the two affiliates, he’s allowing 2.81 earned runs per nine across 83 1/3 frames. Espada has punched out an excellent 31.4% of opposing hitters against a lofty 12.6% walk percentage.

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in July that Espada can miss bats with both his curveball and changeup but has below-average fastball velocity. After a winding road between three organizations and indie ball, he’ll get his first look on a big league staff. Espada can work multiple innings out of the bullpen for manager Bob Melvin.

Phillies To Promote Orion Kerkering

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The Phillies are going to promote right-hander Orion Kerkering, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Kerkering isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the club will need to make a corresponding move of some kind to open a spot for him.

Kerkering, 22, was a fifth-round selection of the Phils just last year. He got to make a brief professional debut after that draft, making one appearance in the Complex League and five in Single-A. He came into this year ranked as the #25 prospect in the system by Baseball America and #19 by FanGraphs. Both outlets highlighted his fastball and slider, with BA noting that Kerkering’s move to the bullpen in college could see him rise quickly, narrow his focus to those two strong offerings.

Here in 2023, he has torpedoed through four levels already, going through Single-A, High-A, Double-A, Triple-A and will now add the majors to that list. He has combined for 53 2/3 innings over those stops with a 1.51 earned run average, 38% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. He won’t be able to sustain the 92.3% strand rate he’s had so far this year but even his 2.36 FIP points to great results even with some regression.

The Phillies are currently sporting a record of 84-69. They’re nowhere close to Atlanta in the East but currently possess the top Wild Card spot in the National League, three games up on the second-place Diamondbacks and five up on the Cubs and Marlins. That makes them a virtual lock to return to the playoffs this year.

They will plug Kerkering into their bullpen mix and see how he fares against bit league hitters in the final games of the regular season schedule. If his results are anywhere near his performance in the minors, he could push for a spot on the postseason roster. Players that are in an organization but not on the 40-man can be eligible for the postseason as an injury substitute via a petition to the league, even if they are added after September 1.

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