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Rockies Release Jurickson Profar

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The Rockies have released outfielder Jurickson Profar, The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders reports (X link).  Profar’s spot on the roster will be taken by prospect Hunter Goodman, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A.  Goodman’s impending big league promotion was first reported yesterday by the Blake Street Banter X feed.

Profar’s tenure in the Mile High City ends after 111 games, 472 plate appearances, and a disappointing .236/.316/.364 slash line.  Only three qualified hitters have a lower wRC+ in 2023 than Profar’s 72 wRC+, and his -1.9 fWAR is the lowest of any qualified hitter in baseball.  It wasn’t at all what Profar or the Rockies were hoping when they agreed to a one-year, $7.75MM free agent deal back in March, and Colorado has now chosen to part ways with Profar entirely in order to open up more time for younger players.

Today’s news will again put a spotlight on Profar’s decision to enter the free agent market last winter, as he opted out of the final year of his previous contract with the Padres in search of a longer-term and more lucrative pact.  However, the market didn’t deliver such a deal, and Profar ended up having to wait until the middle of March to sign with Colorado.  Between his Rockies salary and the $1MM buyout he received from opting out, Profar ended up making a bit more money than if he’d just remained in his Padres contract for a $7.5MM salary for the 2023 season, yet it is hard to view the situation as a win given Profar’s season-long struggles.

The long wait in free agency likely contributed to those struggles, as Profar didn’t really have much of a Spring Training, though he did get some high-level competition while playing for the Netherlands during the World Baseball Classic.  Rockies manager Bud Black also recently said that Profar had been “been battling that [left] knee for a little,” so it possible this nagging injury might have been a factor in Profar’s lack of production.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that Profar’s 2023 fortunes might have been different if he’d stayed in San Diego, had a full spring, or stayed healthy.  Given the up-and-down nature of Profar’s career, his dropoff this season can’t be viewed as a total surprise, as Profar’s last six seasons have alternated positive wRC+ numbers to below-average offensive production.  His solid work with the Padres in the shortened 2020 season led to his re-signing with the club on a three-year, $21MM free agent deal that winter, though Profar again didn’t hit well in 2021, which led him to decline his first opt-out opportunity in the 2021-22 offeason.  He then bounced back to hit .243/.331/.391 over 658 PA in 2022, translating to an 111 wRC+ and 2.6 fWAR, and giving Profar the confidence to test the open market again.

With this in mind, Profar might well rebound for another good year in 2024, though it is possible he might be able to catch on with another club before this season is out.  Despite his rough numbers this year, his track record of success as recently as 2022 and his past status as an elite prospect might still catch the attention of a club in need of outfield depth.  Signing Profar would cost a team only a prorated minimum salary, as the Rockies are on the hook for the remainder of the $7.75MM owed.

Goodman is set to make his MLB debut today, suiting up at catcher in Colorado’s lineup.  The 23-year-old has an interesting defensive skillset, as he has seen plenty of time as a catcher, first baseman, and left fielder over his three professional seasons.  However, Goodman’s power bat is what punched his ticket to the majors, as he is hitting .259/.338/.581 with 34 homers over 467 combined PA at Double-A and Triple-A.  Goodman has only 15 games and 67 PA under his belt with Triple-A Albuquerque, but he has a 1.321 OPS over his brief stint with the Rockies’ top affiliate.

A fourth-round pick for the Rox in the 2021 draft, Goodman is ranked 10th by Baseball America and 12th by MLB Pipeline in their listings of Colorado’s best prospects.  There is no doubt about his power potential, as BA’s scouting report gives him a 70-grade in power and notes that Goodman “produces big-time bat speed with a violent, leveraged swing.”  This pop has helped Goodman be very productive at the plate despite a relatively lacking average and OBP, as he still need more overall polish to his approach.  Defensively, Goodman can play multiple positions but he might top out at average whenever he lines up on the diamond.

With the Rockies well out of contention, the team has looked to several youngsters early in their big league careers in order to get a head start on evaluations heading into 2024.  If Goodman can hit well in his first trip to the Show, he’ll earn consideration as an interesting bench or part-time option heading into next season, as he wouldn’t be relegated to only backup duty behind starting catcher Elias Diaz.

Phillies Sign Hector Perez To Minor League Contract

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The Phillies have signed right-hander Hector Perez to a minor league deal, as per MLB.com’s official transactions page.  Perez will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin his tenure with his new team.

The 27-year-old Perez is a veteran of two MLB seasons, albeit in cup of coffee form.  He debuted with one game and 1 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays in 2020, and then didn’t reach the majors again until this season, when he threw a third of an inning for the Rays in one appearance.  That Rays game took place just on August 16, and since then Perez was designated for assignment, outrighted off Tampa’s 40-man roster, and he chose free agency over accepting the assignment (he had that right due to a previous outright in his career).

A pro since 2015, Perez has been a member of five different organizations during his career, and he’ll now try to gain a bit of stability with Philadelphia.  From the Phillies’ perspective, Perez offers some bullpen depth at the minor league level.  The club’s next offday isn’t until September 7, so Perez might get another shot in the big leagues during this stretch if the Phils want to cycle a fresh arm into the mix.

Perez has a 3.78 ERA over 583 career innings in the minors, with a 4.81 ERA over 63 2/3 frames at the Triple-A level.  Working mostly as a reliever in recent years, Perez has a 26.7% strikeout rate and 14.35% walk rate during his time in the minor leagues.

Padres Place Jake Cronenworth On 10-Day IL With Wrist Fracture

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The Padres placed infielder Jake Cronenworth on the 10-day injured list this afternoon with a right wrist fracture. Cronenworth told reporters, including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, that his timetable for return will be more clear in the coming days, though his current hope is that he’ll be able to return this season in the event that the Padres make the playoffs. Infielder Matthew Batten was recalled in the corresponding move.

Cronenworth, 29, has struggled to a career worst wRC+ of 92 alongside a .229/.312/.378 slash line in 522 trips to the plate. That slash line has ticked up in the second half as he’s posted a more palatable .265/.317/.435 slash line in 186 plate appearances since the start of July with a 14% strikeout rate, a far better mark than the 21.1% figure he posted through the end of June. Of course, even his more recent production this season is a considerable step back from the player Cronenworth was prior to this season. From his big league debut as a 26 year old during the shortened 2020 campaign to the end of the 2022 season, he slashed a combined .256/.338/.431 with a 115 wRC+ a strikeout rate of just 16.5% and a strong walk rate of 9.4% all while contributing with strong defense up the middle.

The breakout of fellow infielder Ha-Seong Kim and this past offseason’s acquisition of shortstop Xander Bogaerts pushed Cronenworth to first base, but the Padres nonetheless saw fit to commit to their versatile infielder with a seven-year, $80MM extension that will go into effect starting next season. That investment is beginning to look dubious between the step back Cronenworth has taken with the bat this year combined with his weak performance defensively at first this year (-3 Outs Above Average), particularly given Cronenworth will turn 30 shortly after the new year. Given his current injury, it’s possible Cronenworth won’t have an opportunity to turn things around until next year, once his new contract has already begun.

Replacing Cronenworth on the active roster is Batten, who has been an exactly league average bat (100 wRC+) in a small sample of 25 trips to the plate this season. With deadline acquisition Garrett Cooper seemingly taking over at first base full time for the injured Cronenworth, Batten seems poised to mix and match alongside fellow bench options Jose Azocar, Ben Gamel, and Matt Carpenter as the Padres look to fill out the DH slot in their lineup. In 15 games since joining San Diego, Cooper has slashed an impressive .278/.381/.472 with a wRC+ of 140. The Padres will need that exceptional performance to continue if they are to keep their limited postseason hopes alive, as the club is just 61-68 with 6.5 games between them and the final NL Wild Card spot.

Cubs Place Michael Fulmer On 15-Day Injured List

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The Cubs have put Michael Fulmer on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain.  The placement is retroactive to August 25.  The move creates a roster spot for Jordan Wicks, who has been promoted to make his MLB debut in a start against the Pirates tonight.

Fulmer’s checkered injury history includes an ulnar nerve transposition surgery in 2017 and a Tommy John procedure in 2019, so another forearm-related issue is certainly a major concern for the 30-year-old right-hander.  The severity of his current strain isn’t known, but it would certainly seem like Fulmer could miss more than the minimum 15 days, perhaps simply as a precaution given his past injuries.  As such, the possibility exists that Fulmer’s 2023 season could be in jeopardy, given the lack of time remaining on the MLB calendar.

Winning AL Rookie Of The Year honors with the Tigers in 2016, Fulmer’s injury-related absences eventually saw him move to full-time relief pitching, which gave his career a second act.  After posting a 3.17 ERA over 113 1/3 innings with the Tigers and Twins from 2021-22, Fulmer signed a one-year, $4MM free agent deal to join the Cubs last winter.

The bottom-line performance hasn’t quite been there, as Fulmer has a 4.47 ERA over 56 1/3 frames for the Wrigleyville squad.  However, a 3.96 SIERA basically matches Fulmer’s 3.80 SIERA from 2021-22, so it could be that things are just balancing out after a bit of good fortune in the previous two seasons.  Fulmer has greatly improved his hard-hit ball rate and whiff rate (both sit in the 90th percentile of all pitchers) and his 27% strikeout rate is the best of his career.  On the downside, Fulmer has struggled with his control for the second straight year, with his 11.6% walk rate ranking in the bottom 10th percentile of all pitchers.

A lot of Fulmer’s struggles came earlier in the season, as he had a 1.83 ERA over 34 1/3 innings and 32 appearances prior to a rough outing last Monday, when he gave up three runs over just a third of an inning against Detroit.  Since Fulmer also pitched a scoreless inning on Thursday, it’s probably safe to assume that his forearm strain didn’t emerge during that Monday game.

Fulmer’s absence creates another hole in Chicago’s bullpen, though Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (X link) writes that Brad Boxberger is set to make another rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.  Boxberger hasn’t pitched since mid-May due to a forearm strain of his own, but the veteran reliever looks to be on his way back to action.  The news isn’t as good for Nick Burdi, who has also been out since May dealing with appendicitis, but the righty is now dealing with ulnar nerve irritation.  More will be known about Burdi’s condition after he is re-evaluated in a few days’ time.

These bullpen injuries could explain why Drew Smyly will be headed back to the bullpen to provide some extra depth, while the Cubs turn to a younger arm like Wicks to try and fill the rotation gap left by Marcus Stroman (whose season is also in question due to a rib cartilage fracture).  It makes for a lot of pitching questions for a team in a pennant race, as the Cubs currently hold the third NL wild card spot and are still within range of the Brewers for first place in the NL Central.

Cubs To Promote Jordan Wicks

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2:07PM: Wicks will actually start today’s game, as the team informed reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) that Javier Assad will now start Sunday instead of today.

10:13AM: The Cubs are set to call up left-hander Jordan Wicks, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (X links).  There had been plenty of speculation that Wicks was on the verge of a call-up, and now the southpaw (who turns 24 on September 1) will get an early birthday present Sunday when he makes his MLB debut in a start against the Pirates.

Wicks was the 21st overall pick of the 2021 draft, drawing Chicago’s attention after a standout collegiate career at Kansas State.  That success has translated into a pretty quick rise through the farm system, as Wicks has now reached the majors a little over two years since his draft date.  Making his Triple-A debut just this past June, Wicks has a 3.82 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate, and 9.8% walk rate over the limited sample of 33 innings for Triple-A Iowa.

This was enough to earn Wicks at least one start at the big league level, as it is possible he might be quickly ticketed back to Triple-A after helping the Cubs get through an extended stretch of games.  Marcus Stroman’s injury seemed to herald Drew Smyly’s return to the rotation, but Chicago has instead decided to keep Smyly in the bullpen, creating the need for a new starter on Sunday.  Wicks has pitched beyond the fifth inning only once in his 20 minor league games this season, so Sunday’s game might be more of a piggyback situation, with Smyly or other relievers stepping in before Pirates batters can face Wicks for a second time.

Still, even a cup of coffee in the majors is a huge moment in Wicks’ career, and it can serve as an audition for a longer look once rosters expand in September, or going into next season.  Stroman can opt out of his contract and the Cubs might not exercise Kyle Hendricks’ club option, leaving some possible rotation spots open heading into Spring Training.  Wicks has an opportunity to turn some heads and get himself into that conversation, with his minor league resume already standing out.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel ranked Wicks 51st on his preseason top-100 listing, though Wicks has yet to crack the top 100 for either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline in their preseason or midseason rankings.  BA places Wicks as the eighth-best prospect in the Cubs’ farm system and Pipeline has him 10th, and all of the pundits feel he can become a big league-caliber starter in the middle or back of a rotation.  Wicks’ outstanding changeup is the highlight of his five-pitch arsenal, though his slider is the only other offering that shows above-average potential.  For more on Wicks’ development, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times published a piece today with quotes from Wicks and Triple-A pitching coach Ron Villone about the youngster’s approach on the mound.

Nationals Select Jacob Young, Transfer Stone Garrett To 60-Day IL

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1:15PM: The Nationals have now made it official, announcing that they have selected Young’s contract. In corresponding moves, infielder Jeter Downs was optioned to Triple-A Rochester and Garrett was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Garrett suffered a fractured fibula earlier this week and underwent a season-ending surgery yesterday, as Nats manager Davey Martinez informed the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden and other reporters.

11:51AM: The Nationals are calling up outfield prospect Jacob Young, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (X link).  Young will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in a game, which could be as early as today against the Marlins.  The Nats will need to make at least one corresponding move, since Young isn’t on the 40-man roster.

Young is a University of Florida product who was a seventh-round pick for the Nationals in the 2021 draft.  Playing in A-ball for his first two pro seasons, Young has made a quick progression in 2023, starting in high-A ball and now moving all the way up to the majors.  Hitting well at both the high-A and Double-A levels, Young has only played in four Triple-A games, appearing in Rochester for the first time just earlier this week.

Over 496 total minor league plate appearances this season, Young has hit .305/.376/.418, with six homers and an impressive stolen base ratio of 39 steals against seven times caught.  This comes on the heels of Young’s 52 steals (in 59 chances) at A-level Fredericksburg in 2022.  Pundits rate Young as plus-plus speed, with Baseball America’s scouting report noting “some scouts called him one of the best baserunners they have ever seen.”

This skill alone makes the 24-year-old Young an interesting player to watch, though the rest of his game might need some polish.  BA ranks Young 24th among Washington prospects and MLB Pipeline ranks him 30th, as Young doesn’t have much power and is reliant on his speed to beat out a grounder-heavy approach.  His defense is promising, since Young has mostly played left field in the pro but has also seen time as a center fielder and right fielder, as well as a couple of games at second base.

With Stone Garrett likely out for the season due to a leg fracture, the Nationals have some need for outfield help.  Young figures to join Lane Thomas, Alex Call, Jake Alu, Blake Rutherford, and utilityman Ildemaro Vargas in the outfield mix, as the rebuilding Nats continue to evaluate their young talent while quietly playing some quality baseball in recent weeks.  Washington has a 24-15 record since the All-Star break.

Dodgers Sign Oscar Mercado To Minor League Contract

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The Dodgers have signed outfielder Oscar Mercado to a minor league deal, MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams reports (via X).  Mercado will report to the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.

After signing a minors contract with the Cardinals last November, Mercado had his deal selected and he appeared in 20 games for St. Louis before being designated for assignment at the start of July.  Mercado opted for free agency rather than accept an outright assignment, and while he landed pretty quickly with the Padres on another minor league deal, he hit the open market again earlier this week when he exercised an opt-out clause in that contract.

Mercado’s path has now taken him to Los Angeles, where he’ll try to become the latest player to resurrect his career in Dodger blue.  The 28-year-old made his MLB debut in 2019 with Cleveland and finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting that year, though his star dimmed after a lot of struggles at the plate.  Mercado went back and forth between the Guardians and Phillies on a pair of waiver claims that put him back in Cleveland for the remainder of the 2022 campaign.

Mercado is still a very solid hitter at the minor league level, including a .308/.379/.544 slash line over 283 Triple-A plate appearances this season.  While his career MLB slash line is a much more modest .237/.289/.388 over 973 PA, he has hit left-handed pitching generally better, and Mercado also offers skills beyond the bat.  He can play all three outfield positions in above-average fashion, and he is a quality basestealer, with 25 swipes in 29 attempts at Triple-A this year.

The Dodgers already have plenty of outfield options on their MLB roster, though Mookie Betts has still seen a good deal of second base action and L.A.’s overall hitting depth took a hit when J.D. Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list.  Mercado might essentially take the minor league depth spot ticketed for Jake Marisnick before Marisnick suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him sidelined until mid-September due to a 60-day IL placement.

Giants Sign Cody Stashak To Minors Deal

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The Giants signed right-hander Cody Stashak to a minor league contract earlier this month, and Stashak made his debut appearance with Triple-A Sacramento yesterday.  The 29-year-old had been pitching for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League before the Giants purchased his contract.

A 13th-round pick for the Twins in the 2015 draft, Stashek made his big league debut in 2019 and saw some action for Minnesota in each of the next four seasons.  Over 72 total innings in the Show, Stashek posted a 4.13 ERA, an impressive 27.6% strikeout rate, and a very strong 4.7% walk rate.  That latter stat is all the more impressive considering Stashek’s rough 2021 season that saw him a 13.3% walk rate over 13 2/3 innings, leading to a 6.89 ERA.

Stashak was bouncing back pretty well from that 2021 disappointment when he hit another roadblock — a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder that required season-ending surgery in June 2022.  The rehab kept Stashak out of action for over a year, and he’d only made two appearances with Lancaster before the Giants came calling.  (Stashak initially became a free agent last November, when he elected to pursue the open market rather than accept an outright assignment to the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.)

Now that Stashak is apparently healthy again, there’s no risk for the Giants in seeing what the righty do in an affiliated minor league setting, and there’s a chance Stashak could even figure into the club’s bullpen plans down the stretch.  San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has hit paydirt on more than a few under-the-radar pitching acquisitions during his tenure in the front office, and Stashak’s (albeit limited) track record of MLB success indicates that he might have something more to offer.

White Sox Outright Brent Honeywell

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The White Sox have sent right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. outright to Triple-A Charlotte, tweets Scott Merkin of MLB.com. He cleared waivers following a designation for assignment on Wednesday.

Chicago had nabbed Honeywell off waivers from the Padres a few weeks ago. As they play out the string on a disappointing season, the Sox have rolled the dice on a few former top pitching prospects (Honeywell, Deivi García and Luis Patiño). While Chicago has been able to keep García and Patiño in Triple-A, they had to carry Honeywell on the major league roster since he’s out of options.

He only got four relief appearances, allowing seven runs through 5 2/3 innings. Honeywell had a larger body of work in San Diego early in the year, pitching to a 4.05 ERA through 46 2/3 frames. His 20.6% strikeout rate was a couple points below league average, while he allowed a few more walks and home runs than the typical reliever. The Friars pushed him off the roster as part of their reshuffling to accommodate their deadline acquisitions.

After his struggles on the South Side during his limited time in Chicago, Honeywell won’t find an immediate MLB spot. A staggering series of injuries — a 2018 Tommy John procedure, ’19 elbow fracture, 2020 nerve decompression surgery and another elbow fracture last year — have dealt a major hit to his once excellent prospect stock. The longtime Rays’ farmhand appeared among Baseball America’s Top 100 minor league talents each season from 2016-20 but had just three MLB appearances before this year.

The A’s successfully passed Honeywell through outright waivers last September. Players with multiple career outrights have the ability to test free agency in lieu of the minor league assignment. It isn’t clear whether Honeywell will do so. He’d reach minor league free agency at the start of the offseason if he heads to Charlotte and doesn’t make it back onto Chicago’s MLB roster by season’s end.

Giants Place Michael Conforto On IL, Outright Johan Camargo

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The Giants have placed Michael Conforto on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Heliot Ramos is up to take his active roster spot. San Francisco also announced that infielder Johan Camargo has cleared outright waivers.

Conforto’s strain is of the Grade 2 variety, the team informed reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). That’s of moderate severity and seems likely to keep him out beyond the requisite week and a half. San Francisco didn’t specify a timetable. Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel missed roughly six weeks when he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain earlier in the season. That’s not a guarantee Conforto’s absence will be the same but suggests he’s likely at least in for a multi-week absence.

The injury halts a strong recent run for Conforto, who has been one of the best hitters in a struggling San Francisco lineup. He’s hitting .300/.400/.433 going back to the start of August. His first season in the Bay Area has been up-and-down overall.

In 426 plate appearances, the longtime Met owns a .251/.343/.405 line with 15 home runs. That’s above-average but not overwhelming offensive output. When paired with slightly below-average defensive marks in the corner outfield, Conforto’s season looks quite similar to his final year in Queens. By tallying 350 trips to the plate, he vested the right to opt out of his $18MM salary for next season. That’s a borderline call if he’s healthy. An extended absence could increase the odds he returns.

The Giants are running with Joc Pederson, Wade Meckler and Luis Matos as their outfield tonight against Braves ace Spencer Strider. Righty-swinging Austin Slater is on hand as a platoon complement, while the former first-round pick Ramos fills out the bench.

As for Camargo, the veteran infielder was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He appeared in eight games between the time San Francisco selected his minor league contract and DFA him after signing Paul DeJong. Camargo collected four hits (all singles) and a walk in 20 trips to the plate.

He’ll have the right to head back to free agency. Camargo only signed with the Giants 12 days ago but could explore other landing spots now that DeJong has jumped him on the depth chart. The switch-hitter owns a .260/.339/.466 line in 165 Triple-A plate appearances on the season — split between the affiliates of the Royals, Tigers and Giants.

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