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Blue Jays Outright Mitch White

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The Blue Jays announced this afternoon that right-hander Mitch White went unclaimed on waivers. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of major league service, White has to stick in the organization at Triple-A Buffalo.

Toronto acquired White from the Dodgers at last summer’s trade deadline. That deal looks quite regrettable in hindsight, as Double-A righty Nick Frasso has developed into one of the better prospects in a strong L.A. farm system. White was brought in to battle for a spot at the back of the Toronto rotation.

He started eight of 10 games down the stretch last summer, surrendering a 7.74 ERA across 43 innings. He was nevertheless in the mix for the fifth starter role in Spring Training, but an elbow injury cost him the first couple months of the year. White returned in early June and was pushed to middle relief. He tallied 12 2/3 innings across 10 appearances, giving up 11 runs with 13 strikeouts and seven walks.

While the former second-round pick had 3.58 ERA in 105 2/3 innings as a Dodger, he owns a 7.60 mark in 55 2/3 frames since being traded. White is also out of minor league option years, leaving the Jays to either carry him on the MLB roster or designate him for assignment. They chose the latter route upon acquiring Jordan Hicks from St. Louis last Sunday.

The Jays can keep White in Buffalo for the remainder of the season as rotation or long relief depth. He’d qualify for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason unless the Jays add him back onto the MLB roster.

Padres Release Preston Tucker

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The Padres released outfielder Preston Tucker, tweets Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday as part of San Diego’s post-deadline roster maneuvering.

Tucker didn’t play in a big league game for the Friars. The lefty-hitting outfielder signed a minor league contract over the winter. He mashed at a .293/.433/.565 clip with Triple-A El Paso, walking and striking out at identical 17.9% rates while homering 11 times in 55 games. The Padres selected his contract in mid-June to keep him from opting out of the deal but immediately placed him on the injured list with plantar fasciitis.

The 33-year-old spent a month on the IL and then was sent back to El Paso on a rehab stint. The Friars would’ve soon had to carry him on the big league roster. Tucker is out of minor league option years and the allotted 20-day rehab window for position players was wrapping up. Rather than carve out an active roster spot, San Diego released him.

Assuming he clears release waivers, Tucker will return to the open market. He’s still looking for his first MLB action since 2018. Tucker has bounced between South Korea and a few Triple-A affiliates in the years since then. His big numbers in El Paso should at least find him another minor league landing spot.

Corey Dickerson Clears Release Waivers

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The Nationals announced that veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson went unclaimed on release waivers. He’s officially a free agent.

Dickerson, 34, lost his roster spot on Wednesday. The left-handed hitter signed a $2.25MM free agent contract over the winter. His stint in the nation’s capital didn’t go well. Dickerson missed six weeks with a calf strain and struggled over the 52 games he played. He hit .250/.283/.354 with a pair of home runs. The on-base and slugging marks were the lowest of his career.

Once the trade deadline passed, the Nationals decided to move on from the former All-Star. They called up former Yankees’ first-rounder Blake Rutherford for an audition in the corner outfield. It’s understandable the last-place club preferred to get a look at Rutherford, who’d be controllable for a number of seasons if he plays well enough to secure a spot.

The Nationals remain on the hook for the rest of Dickerson’s salary. He’ll likely be limited to minor league offers now that he’s back on the open market. If another club called him to the majors at any point this season, they’d pay just the prorated portion of the $720K minimum, which would be subtracted from the Nationals’ payments.

Angels Place Zach Neto On Injured List, Outright Kevin Padlo

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The Angels placed shortstop Zach Neto on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation. Brandon Drury was reinstated from his own IL stint to replace Neto on the active roster. Additionally, the Halos announced that corner infielder Kevin Padlo accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Neto told reporters he’s unsure about his return timetable, saying the back discomfort has been a lingering issue (relayed by Sam Blum of the Athletic). It’s his second IL stint in as many months. Neto also lost a few weeks between June and July after straining his oblique. They’ve interrupted a solid rookie campaign. The 22-year-old shortstop is hitting .241/.315/.411 with eight homers across 252 trips to the plate.

Drury can’t play shortstop, but his return at least backfills some of the infield depth they’re losing in Neto’s absence. Luis Rengifo can kick over from second base to cover shortstop with Drury taking the bulk of the reps at the keystone. The righty-swinging infielder has a .277/.322/.500 slash with 14 homers in 75 games during his first season in Orange County.

The Halos have outrighted Padlo twice this season. The right-handed hitting infielder has gotten into three games over a pair of brief MLB stints. He was designated for assignment after the Halos acquired C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk from Colorado last weekend. Padlo bypasses a chance at free agency to head back to Salt Lake, where he’s hitting .257/.385/.464 in 51 games.

Rays Sign Raimel Tapia To Minor League Contract

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The Rays announced they’ve signed outfielder Raimel Tapia to a minor league deal. He’ll join his third organization of the season after being waived by the Brewers a few weeks back.

Tapia began the season on a non-roster pact with the Red Sox. The lefty-swinging outfielder broke camp with Boston and wound up appearing in 39 games. Tapia had slightly below-average offensive numbers, hitting .264/.333/.368 through 97 trips to the plate. He lost his roster spot in early June but signed directly onto the Brewers’ MLB roster after going unclaimed on waivers.

His stint in Milwaukee wasn’t as productive. Over 20 games, Tapia hit just .173/.267/.288 while striking out in 20 of his 61 plate appearances. The Brewers designated him for assignment and called up top prospect Sal Frelick. Tapia elected free agency and will now have to play his way back to the big leagues.

It’ll be Tapia’s first stint in Triple-A (aside from four rehab games) since 2018. The speedy outfielder has been a fixture on MLB rosters for the past half-decade, though he’s bounced from the Rockies to the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Brewers within the past two years. Tapia has quality contact skills and is a plus baserunner, but he has below-average power and doesn’t draw many walks. He’s hitting .230/.308/.338 in 158 plate appearances this season and owns a .256/.296/.369 slash since the start of 2022.

Despite his speed, Tapia has spent the majority of his career in the corner outfield. He can cover center field if necessary but has generally rated as a slightly below-average defender in a corner.

Padres Shut Down Joe Musgrove With Shoulder Inflammation

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The Padres are shutting down starter Joe Musgrove for three weeks after an MRI revealed inflammation in the capsule of his throwing shoulder, the team informed reporters (including Dennis Lin of the Athletic). While the club is hopeful he’ll be able to return at some point this season, he doesn’t figure to be back until well into September at the earliest.

San Diego placed Musgrove on the 15-day injured list before today’s matchup with the Dodgers. Trade pickup Rich Hill takes his spot on the active roster. San Diego also reinstated Eguy Rosario from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. The Friars cleared a 40-man spot by designating Brent Honeywell for assignment a couple days ago.

Musgrove began the season on the IL after breaking his toe in a Spring Training weight room accident. He was back on the Petco Park mound by late April and has again been one of the sport’s better starters. Over 17 appearances, the righty has tallied 97 1/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball. He’s striking hitters out at a 24.3% clip against a tidy 5.3% walk rate.

It’s the kind of production the Friars have come to expect from the 30-year-old righty. Musgrove has an ERA of 3.18 or better in each of the past three seasons. He posted a career-low 2.93 mark over 30 starts last season. Midway through the year, the San Diego native signed a $100MM extension — seemingly sacrificing some earning upside to stick with his hometown club.

It doesn’t seem the Friars were aware of the seriousness of Musgrove’s injury at the deadline. The club scratched him from his scheduled start Wednesday morning but initially hoped he’d return to the mound next week. That won’t happen but makes their Tuesday acquisition of Hill all the more important. The former Pirate will assume a rotation role behind Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo and perhaps Nick Martinez. Righty Michael Wacha is also on the shelf with a shoulder issue.

Rosario, 23, debuted with seven games for the Friars last season. He’d missed the first four months after breaking his ankle over the offseason.

Guardians Acquire Kole Calhoun, Place Josh Naylor On Injured List

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3:20pm: Manager Terry Francona tells reporters that an MRI indeed revealed a strained oblique for Naylor (link via Lewis). The team has placed a tentative timetable of three to six weeks on his recovery, but he’ll be evaluated weekly to see if that timeline changes. If it proves to be on the longer end of that recovery window, Naylor would miss the majority of the remaining season.

1:50pm: The Guardians on Friday placed first baseman Josh Naylor and infielder Tyler Freeman on the injured list, tweets Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal. Cleveland also called up infielder Jose Tena and acquired veteran outfielder Kole Calhoun from the Dodgers in exchange for cash. He’s been selected to the Major League roster. Calhoun was eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that has not been on a 40-man roster or Major League injured list this season. (You can read more about how to acquire players after the trade deadline here.)

Naylor was scratched from the lineup earlier this week due to an oblique injury and is now sidelined at least 10 days — though even Grade 1 oblique strains can often sideline a player up to a month. The 28-year-old has been enjoying a breakout season, slashing .306/.346/.500 with 15 home runs, 25 doubles and six steals. Naylor looked like a lock to set new career-highs in homers and doubles, topping last season’s respective personal records of 20 and 28. It remains to be seen just how long he’ll be sidelined, but so long as he doesn’t face a lengthy stay on the IL, he still appears in good position to do so. Either way, his excellent production will give him a notable raise over this year’s $3.35MM salary.

Freeman, 24, has yet to receive a chance to settle into a regular role in Cleveland despite long ranking as one of the system’s top prospects. He’s an advanced hitter who’s lacking power but is touted for his excellent contact skills and hit tool. He’s punched out in just 13.8% of his big league plate appearances and is batting .286/.344/.357 in 95 plate appearances this year. The trade of Amed Rosario opened up some additional reps in the Cleveland infield, but Freeman’s shoulder strain will deprive him of further opportunities for the time being.

The veteran Calhoun, 35, was in spring training with the Mariners and has since signed minor league deals with the Yankees and Dodgers. None of those clubs gave the former Angels All-Star a look in the Majors, despite Calhoun doing his best to force the issue. Though he’s struggled to a .208/.269/.343 batting line over the past two big league seasons, Calhoun has posted terrific numbers in Triple-A this season, slashing .297/.376/.530 in 266 plate appearances. He’s swatted nine homers, 17 doubles and five triples — all while walking in just over 10% of his plate appearances and striking out at a lower-than-average 18% clip.

Tena will make his big league debut when he first takes the field. He’s not as touted as some of the Guardians’ other young middle infield but is still a prospect of some note. The 22-year-old had just been bumped up for his Triple-A debut (during which he went 1-for-3 with a double) after hitting .260/.353/.370 in 362 Double-A plate appearances. That stop in Columbus will prove little more than a layover en route to Cleveland. Baseball America ranks Tena 14th among Cleveland prospects, crediting him with an above-average hit tool and speed but below average power. He’s a versatile defender who can capably play any of shortstop, second base or third base.

Mets Claim Tyson Miller

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The Mets claimed right-hander Tyson Miller off waivers from the Dodgers, per announcements from both teams. Miller has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, per the Mets.

Miller, 28, has been a member of the L.A. organization for a bit less than a month. The Dodgers acquired him from the Brewers in a cash transaction in mid-July. Miller made one two-inning appearance a couple weeks later, allowing two runs on three hits. He’s pitched twice with OKC on optional assignment.

The right-hander has appeared for four teams over parts of three big league seasons. He has just 27 innings at the highest level, carrying an even 8.00 ERA. Miller’s underlying marks are well below-average in that limited big league look. He owns a 4.69 ERA over 228 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He’s fanned a little more than a quarter of opponents in Triple-A against a slightly elevated 10% walk rate.

Miller is in his final option year, so he can be shuttled between Triple-A Syracuse and Queens for the remainder of the season. The Mets depleted their pitching depth at the trade deadline when they sold off and sent David Robertson, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to other clubs. Miller will give them a depth option for the remainder of the year. He’s worked primarily out of the bullpen in 2023 but does have experience as a starter under his belt as well.

Placing Miller on waivers cleared a 40-man roster spot for the Dodgers to reinstate Ryan Pepiot from the 60-day injured list and option him to Triple-A. The former top prospect had secured the fifth spot in the starting staff at the end of Spring Training. An oblique strain just before exhibition play wrapped unfortunately dashed that, sending him to the IL for upwards of four months.

The 25-year-old righty has made four rehab appearances with Oklahoma City over the last three weeks. He threw 70 pitches on Monday as he continues to build up to a starting workload. It doesn’t seem the Dodgers feel he’s quite ready to return to MLB action, but his reinstatement suggests he’s not far off.

Phillies Return Noah Song To Red Sox

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The Phillies have returned Rule 5 draft pick Noah Song to the Red Sox, reports WEEI’s Rob Bradford. Philadelphia designated Song for assignment earlier in the week. The teams both announced the move not long after Bradford’s initial report. Boston will not need to add Song to its 40-man roster.

A fourth-round pick back in 2019, Song pitched 17 innings with the Red Sox’ low-A affiliate in his debut effort before entering the Navy to fulfill his requirements as a graduate of the Naval Academy. Song was transferred to the selected naval reserves this year, allowing him to return to baseball — a development that transpired after Philadelphia had selected him in the Rule 5 Draft.

How the 26-year-old Song would get through the season was a fair question, given his lengthy layoff from pitching and his extremely minimal professional experience. The Phillies were high enough on the right-hander to take a chance on carrying him on the big league roster all year — as is required of Rule 5 picks — but a back strain ultimately wound up sidelining the righty for much of the season.

That injury gave the Phillies a month to pitch in the minors on a rehab assignment, but the results weren’t great. In 11 innings between Class-A, Double-A and Triple-A, Song allowed nine runs on 12 hits and 11 walks. He punched out 16 hitters, but there was clearly some understandable rust with regard to his command.

He’ll now head back to the Red Sox organization and pitch in their system with an eye toward an eventual big league debut as a member of the Red Sox. Song was ranked the No. 65 prospect in his draft class by Baseball America, only slipping to the fourth round due to questions surrounding his military status. Now that he’s pitching again, he’ll give the Sox another talented arm who they’ll hope can move quickly through the system.

Mariners Release Kolten Wong

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The Mariners announced Friday that infielder Kolten Wong has cleared waivers and been released. Seattle had designated the veteran second baseman for assignment in the waning hours before the trade deadline.

That DFA officially ended a disappointing Seattle tenure. The M’s acquired Wong from the Brewers last offseason, sending Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to Milwaukee in a change-of-scenery deal that hasn’t worked for anyone involved. Wong opened the season as the M’s second baseman but played his way to the bench with a career-worst showing.

Over 67 games, the veteran hit .165/.241/.227 with just a pair of home runs. His walk and strikeout numbers each went in the wrong direction, while his rate of hard contact plummeted by ten percentage points. Wong’s bat-to-ball skills and strike zone awareness remained slightly above-average, but he rarely made an impact when he put the ball in play.

While power has never been Wong’s strong suit, he’s topped double-digit homers on five occasions — including each of his two years in Milwaukee. He’s stolen only one base after swiping 17 last season. The Mariners have turned to rookie José Caballero as their primary second baseman of late and acquired left-handed hitting Josh Rojas as a versatile infield piece in the Paul Sewald deal.

Wong’s defense has also dropped over the past couple seasons. A two-time Gold Glove winner, he was one of the sport’s top keystone defenders at his peak. Public defensive metrics rated him well below-average last season, however. Wong said late in the year he’d been playing through a leg issue that sapped some of his mobility. That offered some hope for a defensive rebound that hasn’t really materialized. Wong logged 513 1/3 innings at second base for Seattle. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him five runs below par, while Statcast estimated him one run worse than average.

In the immediate aftermath of Wong’s DFA, reports suggested the Red Sox had engaged the M’s in trade talks. No deal came to fruition by the deadline, making a release an inevitability. Wong long surpassed the five-year service threshold which allows players to refuse a minor league assignment while retaining the guaranteed money on their contract.

Wong is playing on a $10MM option, which the Brewers had exercised before trading him. Seattle took on that money in the deal. He is due around $3.12MM through season’s end. The M’s will pay virtually all of that sum. Any team that signs Wong would owe him the prorated $720K minimum rate for time spent on the big league roster, which comes out of Seattle’s obligations.

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