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Blue Jays To Activate Chad Green From Injured List

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The Blue Jays are reinstating Chad Green from the 60-day injured list tomorrow, tweets Eric Treuden of Jays Journal. He’ll take one of the expanded roster spots. Treuden and Robert Murray of FanSided report that the Jays will recall Spencer Horwitz with the other vacancy. In order to clear space on the 40-man roster for Green, Toronto is likely to transfer Hagen Danner from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Green’s activation is the biggest news. The right-hander is in line for his first major league appearance since May 2022. Green injured his elbow and required Tommy John surgery that month. It ended his seven-year tenure with the Yankees, as he headed to free agency last winter.

The Jays and Green agreed on a complicated free agent pact. He’s making $2.25MM this season. At year’s end, the Jays will have to decide whether to trigger a three-year, $27MM team option. If they decline, Green would have a $6.25MM player option for next season. If he declines, Toronto could circle back on a two-year, $21MM pact. If all three provisions were declined, he’d return to free agency.

How Green looks down the stretch should play a role in his long-term future. Before the injury, he was a very valuable multi-inning relief arm in the Bronx. Green owns a 3.17 ERA with a 32.5% strikeout rate over 383 2/3 career frames. Toronto already has one of the game’s best bullpens, ranking fourth with a 3.47 ERA. If Green can immediately recapture his old form, he’d join the likes of Jordan Romano, Jordan Hicks, Tim Mayza and Trevor Richards in the middle to late innings. Erik Swanson could also factor into that mix but is currently on the injured list.

Green has made 12 minor league rehab outings over the past six weeks. He started with three rookie ball appearances and has pitched nine times with Triple-A Buffalo. In nine innings, he has allowed only three runs (two earned) with 11 strikeouts and one walk.

Royals To Promote Nick Loftin

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The Royals are calling up infield prospect Nick Loftin tomorrow, reports Anne Rogers of MLB.com. He will take one of the two extra spots when active rosters grow from 26 to 28 tomorrow, but he’s not yet on the 40-man roster and will need a corresponding move to get a spot there. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Loftin, 24, was selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 draft. Though he was primarily a shortstop at Baylor prior to being drafted, the Royals have pushed him towards a utility role by bouncing him around the diamond throughout his minor league career, having spent some time at all four infield positions and in the outfield as well.

He began his professional career in High-A in 2021, hitting 10 home runs and stealing 11 bases in 90 games. His .289/.373/.463 battling line amounted to a wRC+ of 130, indicating he was 30% better than league average. Last year, he got into 128 games between Double-A and Triple-A, adding another 17 homers and 29 steals. However, his overall batting line of .254/.333/.403 amounted to a wRC+ of just 91. This year, he’s primarily been in Triple-A, hitting .270/.344/.444 for a wRC+ of 95.

He is currently considered the club’s #5 prospect at Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, while FanGraphs has him at #1. The general profile on Loftin is that he may not have a standout tool but does lots of things well. He can play multiple positions while providing a bit of speed and power without striking out too much.

He would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft in a few months and was likely going to get a roster spot at that point anyway, but the Royals will give it to him now and use the final months of the seasons to get him some big league experience. How they get him into the lineup remains to be seen. Though he’s played all over, his primary positions this year have been second and third base. Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia have been getting the bulk of the playing time at those positions lately. But with Loftin’s versatility and the Royals being well out of contention at 41-94, they should be able to spread some playing time around.

Cubs To Select Shane Greene, Recall Alexander Canario

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The Cubs are set to select the contract of veteran right-hander Shane Greene from Triple-A Iowa, reports ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. He adds that outfield prospect Alexander Canario, who’s already on the 40-man roster, will also be recalled for his Major League debut.

Greene, 34, has pitched in the Majors every year since 2014, albeit for just three innings in 2022. The former All-Star reliever experienced a stark dip in performance back in 2021 and has tallied just 26 2/3 innings from 2021-22, posting a 7.09 ERA in that time. He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs earlier in the summer and has since appeared in five games — all of them starts, interestingly — pitching to a 2.16 ERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate and 12.9% walk rate in a still-tiny sample of 16 2/3 innings. The Cubs have built him up since signing, and he’s totaled nine shutout innings with 12 strikeouts against three walks in his past two starts.

Whether Greene is used as a starter or initially added to the bullpen as a long reliever isn’t yet clear. The fact that he’s been starting and is stretched out enough to have thrown five innings in a recent start, however, gives the Cubs some options to consider in the season’s final month.

As for the 23-year-old Canario, he’ll make his big league debut just over two years after being acquired from the Giants in the trade that sent former Rookie of the Year and NL MVP Kris Bryant to San Francisco. While he’s not generally considered to be among the game’s very best prospects, Canario ranks 12th within the Cubs’ system at Baseball America, 14th at MLB.com and 24th at FanGraphs. He draws praise for his impressive raw power, above-average speed and strong throwing arm, but there are also concerns about Canario’s hit tool and penchant for strikeouts.

Shoulder and ankle injuries have limited Canario to 161 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this year, but he’s slashed .276/.342/.524 when healthy. He’s swatted eight homers in that time and popped 37 long balls across three levels (High-A, Double-A, Triple-A) during the 2022 season. However, Canario also fanned in 27.5% percent of his plate appearances last year and has struck out at a 28% clip so far in Triple-A this season.

Mariners Designate Devin Sweet For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that they have claimed righty Dominic Leone off waivers, a move that was reported on earlier today. They also announced that righty Devin Sweet has been designated for assignment to open a spot for Leone on their 40-man roster.

Sweet, 26, was just selected to the roster about six weeks ago. He made two appearances for the big league club, allowing two earned runs in two innings, before getting optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. He made seven appearances for that club with a 2.57 earned run average but has now lost his 40-man roster spot to make room for the veteran Leone.

An undrafted free agent who signed with the M’s in 2018, he climbed his way up to Double-A by the end of last year. Prior to his call-up to the majors, he tossed 35 Double-A innings this year with a 1.54 ERA, 34.6% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate.

The M’s will now have to put Sweet on waivers in the coming days, since the trade deadline has passed. He is using the first of his three option years here in 2023 but will still have two remaining for the future. He also has just a handful of service days, giving him at least six seasons of future control. Those factors and his strong Double-A work earlier this year should give him some appeal to other clubs around the league, especially with several spots opening up with expanded September rosters and various waiver claims being made this week. But if he were to go unclaimed, he would stick with the Mariners as non-roster depth, not having the right to elect free agency.

Reds Designate Michael Siani, Alejo Lopez For Assignment

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The Reds announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Michael Siani and utilityman Alejo Lopez for assignment. That pair of moves will open space on the 40-man roster for outfielders Harrison Bader and Hunter Renfroe, whose previously reported waiver claims have now been announced by the team.

Siani, 24, made his big league debut with the Reds last year and has briefly appeared this season as well, though he has just 25 MLB plate appearances under his belt overall. He’s 4-for-24 in that time (all singles). The 2018 fourth-round pick has never provided much offense in the minors, where he’s a .244/.338/.362 hitter (including .230/.337/.360 in Triple-A), but his glove and speed are his calling cards.

Siani once ranked as high as eighth among Reds prospects at Baseball America, but his bat hasn’t come around much as he’s progressed through the system. He still draws praise for 60-grade speed — which is made evident by last year’s 52 steals — and plus-plus defense in center field, where he has both ample range and a strong throwing arm. Siani has also walked in 11.4% of his minor league plate appearances, so while his hit tool and power are lacking, he can still post respectable OBP marks and provide value both with his glove (at all three outfield spots) and on the basepaths.

While Siani isn’t an impact bat, he has the makings of a glove-first fourth outfielder and has two minor league option seasons remaining beyond the current year. That could add up to some interest on the waiver wire. The Reds will place him on outright waivers within the next five days.

The 27-year-old Lopez was just selected to the big league roster two days ago but didn’t appear in a game before being removed. He’s seen big league time in each of the past two seasons with the Reds. Lopez has hit for a solid but empty .262 average in 179 career plate appearances, getting on base at a below-average .307 clip with just a .321 slugging percentage. He has big league experience at second base, third base and in the outfield corners. He’s fanned in just 14.6% of his career plate appearances but also walked at a well below-average 5% clip.

Like Siani, Lopez will be placed on waivers within the next five days. Unlike Siani, he’s been outrighted previously in his career, so if he clears waivers he’ll be able to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Guardians Designate Eric Haase, Peyton Battenfield For Assignment

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The Guardians have designated catcher Eric Haase and right-hander Peyton Battenfield for assignment, tweets Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Their removal from the 40-man roster will clear space for the addition of waiver claims Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore. (Cleveland already had one open spot on the 40-man roster.)

Haase, 30, only recently returned to the Guardians, his original organization, after being claimed off waivers from the division-rival Tigers, who’d also designated him for assignment. He went 2-for-10 with a walk in three games in what looks like it’ll be a brief return to Cleveland.

From 2021-22, Haase turned in a .242/.295/.451 batting line with his hometown Tigers, swatting 36 home runs, 29 doubles and a pair of triples in 732 plate appearances. That offense clocked in about six percent better than league average, by measure of wRC+, and Haase showed some defensive versatility along the way. In addition to his work behind the plate, the Tigers frequently used him in left field (in addition to a pair of one-off appearances in right field and at first base).

The 2023 season has been a rough one for Haase, however. In 93 trips to the plate, he’s slashing .201/.247/.281. Haase has seen his ground-ball rate increase, while his exit velocity and hard-hit rate have both trended in the wrong direction. He’s also popping the ball up to the infield at a career-high rate. He’ll be placed on outright waivers or released within the coming days.

If Haase goes unclaimed on waivers, he’d remain with the Guardians and could yet be postseason-eligible if added back to the 40-man roster. He’d also have the right to reject the assignment in favor of minor league free agency. If he clears, stays with the Guards and is not added back to the 40-man by season’s end, he’ll be able to become a free agent, as is the case with all outrighted players who have three or more years of service time.

Battenfield, 26, was a ninth-round pick by the Astros in 2019 who’s since been traded to the Rays (for Austin Pruitt) and to the Guardians (for Jordan Luplow). He made his big league debut earlier this season and has appeared in seven games (six starts), pitching to a 5.19 ERA with an 18.5% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 43% ground-ball rate in 34 2/3 innings of work. He’s also struggled in 47 2/3 Triple-A frames this year, recording a 5.66 ERA with a 10.3% walk rate that’s nearly as high as his uncharacteristically low 11.8% strikeout rate.

While the 2023 season has been a rough one, Battenfield was quite solid in Triple-A just a year ago. He piled up 153 2/3 innings in Columbus during the 2022 season and notched a 3.66 ERA with a 17% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 39.1% ground-ball rate. Battenfield has never been regarded as one of the organization’s top prospects, but he has a nice minor league track record prior to the 2023 season and has a pair of minor league option years remaining beyond the current campaign. Teams in search of rotation depth could potentially give him a look on waivers in the coming days. If he goes unclaimed, he’d remain with the Guardians but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.

Mike Clevinger Clears Waivers

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Right-hander Mike Clevinger has cleared waivers, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. He was available to any club willing to take on the remainder of his contract but they have all passed and he will stay with the White Sox.

Clevinger, 32, was one of several veteran players that was placed on waivers this week. With the trade deadline having gone by a month ago, non-contending clubs have little use for impending free agents but no way to exchange them for younger players. By placing them on waivers, they could have at least saved some money if another club put in a claim, as doing so requires taking on the remainder of the contract.

In the case of Clevinger, he could have been a sensible trade candidate at the deadline. The White Sox were well out of contention by that point and ended up trading away players like Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and others. However, he spent much of the summer on the injured list, first landing there in mid-May due to right wrist inflammation. He was activated in early June but returned to the IL a couple of weeks later due to right biceps inflammation, not being reinstated until July 29.

At the time of that second activation, he had only made 12 starts on the year with a 3.88 ERA but subpar strikeout and walk rates of 19.3% and 9.5% respectively. He didn’t get traded at that time but has improved his season since then. His last six starts have resulted in nine earned runs in 35 innings, which translates to a 2.31 ERA, with his strikeout rate ticking up to 23.7% in that time.

Though he may have increased his appeal relative to a month ago, the interest in a waiver claim was likely muted by his contract. He signed with the White Sox on a one-year, $12MM deal in the offseason, but it was in the form of an $8MM salary and $4MM buyout on a $12MM mutual option for 2024. Though there’s only about $1.38MM left on that salary, any claiming team would also be responsible for that buyout, therefore taking on $5.38MM just to have Clevinger for a month. Prior to the trade deadline, the Sox could have offered to eat some of that cash as part of a deal but didn’t have that option in the waiver process. Though there are plenty of clubs that could have used another starter for the stretch run, it seems none of them were willing to pay that kind of price to do so.

Although Clevinger was placed on waivers, he was not designated for assignment or released, having stayed on the Chicago roster while the waiver process played out. Now that he has cleared, they can outright him to the minors or release him, though he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining his salary. It seems as though he will simply play out the remainder of the season with the Sox as they play out the string on a disappointing season.

Carlos Carrasco Clears Waivers

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Mets right-hander Carlos Carrasco has passed through waivers unclaimed, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He was freely available to any club willing to take on his contract but will remain with the Mets, unless the team opts to outright him to a minor league affiliate (which he could reject in favor of free agency).

Acquired from Cleveland in the Francisco Lindor blockbuster, Carrasco was a quality member of the Mets’ pitching staff in 2022, tossing 152 innings of 3.97 ERA ball with a slightly better-than-average 23.6% strikeout rate against a sharp 6.4% walk rate. As has been the case with so many Mets in 2023, however, he’s seen his performance take a nosedive. The 36-year-old righty has been rocked for a 6.80 earned run average in 90 frames this year, posting the worst full-season marks of his career in strikeout rate (15.8%), walk rate (9.1%) and average fastball velocity (92.9 mph).

In addition to those struggles on the mound, Carrasco has battled injury troubles this season. The right-hander was on the injured list from April 16 through May 19 due to inflammation in his right elbow. He’s earning $14MM this year under the final season of his current contract, with about $2.333MM of that sum yet to be paid out.

Between the struggles on the mound, the early-season elbow trouble and the money remaining on his contract, Carrasco always looked like a good bet to clear waivers. He’ll likely finish out the season on the Mets’ staff and then hit free agency this winter, where he’ll be a candidate for a rebound pact on the open market — be it a one-year deal or a non-guaranteed pact.

Randal Grichuk Clears Waivers

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Angels outfielder Randal Grichuk was not claimed on outright waivers, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He’ll remain with the Halos unless they surprisingly choose to outright him to a minor league affiliate, at which point Grichuk would have the right to elect free agency.

Los Angeles acquired Grichuk from the Rockies on July 30. The veteran outfielder had a .308/.365/.498 batting line at the time. He hasn’t hit at all since landing in Southern California, posting a .168/.220/.347 slash in 109 plate appearances as an Angel. Grichuk’s strikeout rate is up more than four percentage points relative to his time in Colorado.

Dismal batted ball luck has surely played a role. After hitting .363 on balls in play for the Rox, Grichuk owns just a .181 BABIP for the Halos. Nevertheless, other clubs were concerned enough about his recent drop-off not to add him to the roster. Los Angeles successfully moved on from Hunter Renfroe — he was claimed by the Reds — so they’ll presumably keep Grichuk on the major league club to play out the stretch run.

The 32-year-old is making $9.33MM on the season. That’s being divided among three teams. The Blue Jays are covering $4.33MM as part of the trade that sent him to Colorado over the 2021-22 offseason. The Rockies are paying down around half the remaining salary as a condition of the trade with the Halos, leaving Los Angeles on the hook for the prorated portion of approximately $2.5MM. Grichuk will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Mariners Claim Dominic Leone From Angels

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The Mariners have claimed right-hander Dominic Leone off waivers from the Angels, reports Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. The reliever was one of a handful of players waived by Los Angeles in a salary dump.

It’s the fourth organization of the season for Leone, who originally broke into the majors with Seattle nine years ago. He began on a minor league deal with Texas but didn’t crack the Rangers’ MLB roster. Leone moved to the Mets via free agency and turned in 30 2/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball. He struggled with homers in Queens but posted better than average strikeout and walk marks.

The Halos acquired Leone just before the August 1 trade deadline. As was the case for the bulk of the roster over the last few weeks, he struggled in Orange County. Leone was tagged for eight runs in 13 frames as an Angel. He walked nine while striking out 11. For the season, the 31-year-old now carries a 4.74 ERA across 43 2/3 frames. He’s striking hitters out at a league average 23.4% clip but has now walked just under 11% of batters faced.

It’s not the most dominant performance, but Leone has shown an intriguing arsenal on a pitch-for-pitch basis. He’s averaging just under 96 MPH on his heater and has gotten swinging strikes on a massive 15.7% of his offerings between the two clubs. He’ll add a power arm to the middle innings, furthering deepening a very good Seattle relief corps.

The combination of power stuff but inconsistent results explains both why the M’s rolled the dice on Leone and why so many other teams did not. Seattle had the #26 waiver priority, meaning everyone aside from the Rays, Orioles, Dodgers and Braves certainly passed.

Seattle will need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster once they officially announce the claim. Leone can take the extra spot on the active roster during tomorrow’s expansion. It’s a low-cost roll of the dice, as Seattle will take on roughly $258K in remaining salary on Leone’s $1.5MM contract. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

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