White Sox Outright Josimar Cousin
April 20: The White Sox announced today that they’ve assigned Cousin outright to Double-A Birmingham. Cousin cannot reject the assignment as he has neither been outrighted previously in his career nor the requisite service time to do so. As such, he’ll remain with the White Sox going forward as a non-roster depth option for the club as he continues working to establish himself in stateside baseball.
April 16: The White Sox announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Jonathan Cannon, a move that was reported yesterday. In corresponding moves, they optioned left-hander Jared Shuster to Triple-A Charlotte and designated right-hander Josimar Cousin for assignment.
Cousin, now 26, is from Cuba and played six seasons in that country’s Serie Nacional de Béisbol. He appeared in 88 games in that league, 68 starts, with a 4.80 earned run average. He struck out 15% of batters faced while walking 9.3%. The Sox signed him to a minor league deal in May, per reporter Francys Romero, with a $100K bonus.
He then tossed 55 innings in the minors last year, going from the Complex League to High-A and Double-A. He had a combined 5.56 ERA in that time as well as a 19.6% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate.
The Sox added him to their 40-man roster in mid-December, though the timing was unusual as it had nothing to do with minor league free agency or the Rule 5 cutoff. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible that Cousin had some kind of opt-out in his contract or maybe an overseas opportunity that the Sox wanted to prevent him from pursuing.
Cousin was optioned to Double-A Birmingham but hasn’t pitched yet this year. According to his transactions tracker at MiLB.com, he was on the minor league injured list from April 5 to April 12. The Sox will now have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers.
Yankees Outright Kevin Smith
The Yankees announced this afternoon that infielder Kevin Smith has been assigned outright to Triple-A. The news comes on the heels of Smith being designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for recently-claimed outfielder Taylor Trammell on the 40-man roster.
Smith, 27, was a fourth-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2017 draft and is perhaps best known as part of the four-player package Toronto sent to the A’s in exchange for third baseman Matt Chapman. Smith made his big league debut with Toronto in 2021 prior to being moved and ultimately appeared in 96 games with Oakland across two seasons before he was non-tendered by the club back in November.
Smith eventually joined the Yankees on a minor league deal back in January and managed to crack the club’s major league roster last weekend following the placement of utility veteran Jon Berti on the injured list, leading the Yankees to replace Smith’s minor league deal with a fresh big league contract. Unfortunately for Smith, he made just one appearance in a Yankees uniform and did not record a plate appearance before being designated for assignment last week.
When Smith has found playing time at the big league level, he’s generally struggled offensively. In 114 games with the Blue Jays and A’s dating back to his debut in 2021, Smith has hit a lackluster .173/.215/.301 with a 31.2% strikeout rate and a wRC+ of 44 throughout his big league career. While those numbers leave much to be desired, Smith’s respectable .282/.352/.523 career slash line at the Triple-A level and his experience at all four infield spots as well as both outfield corners leave reason for hope that he could be a useful depth piece for a big league club in need at some point.
For now, however, Smith will return to the minor leagues with the Yankees as the infielder has neither the requisite service time nor a previous outright assignment on his resume that would allow him to reject the move in favor of free agency. Going forward, Smith will serve as non-roster depth for the Yankees and hope for another opportunity to join the club’s bench mix at some point this season, competing with youngster Jorbit Vivas as well as fellow non-roster veterans Rougned Odor, Josh VanMeter, and Jordan Groshans.
Drew Pomeranz Re-Signs With Dodgers On Minor League Deal
April 20: Just one day after opting out of his deal with the Dodgers, Pomeranz has re-signed with the club on a fresh minor league deal according to Triple-A Oklahoma City’s broadcaster and communications director Andrew Freedman. Freedman adds that Pomeranz will remain at the Triple-A level for the time being.
April 19: Left-hander Drew Pomeranz has opted out of his minor league deal with the Dodgers, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, and is now a free agent again.
Pomeranz, 35, is attempting to get back to the majors after two lost years. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels in February and was in Spring Training with that club. He tossed eight innings with five earned runs allowed, striking out six while walking three.
He was able to opt-out of that deal if he didn’t break camp with the club and the Halos released him a few days before Opening Day. He got another minor league deal, this time with the Dodgers, and has been pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has tossed five innings for that club, allowing six earned runs but striking out seven opponents while giving out just one walk.
As of a few years ago, Pomeranz was one of the better relievers in the league. The Brewers acquired him in 2019 and moved him from the rotation to the bullpen, with great results. The lefty tossed 26 1/3 innings for Milwaukee with a 2.39 earned run average, striking out 45% of batters faced.
The Padres made a bet that Pomeranz could continue performing in that manner, signing him to a four-year, $34MM deal going into 2020. That deal was working out great for the first two years, as Pomeranz made 47 appearances with a 1.62 ERA for the Friars. He walked 11.4% of batters faced but struck out 33.7%.
Unfortunately, he required flexor tendon surgery in August of 2021 and hasn’t pitched in a big league game since. Over the past two years, repeated attempts to get healthy have seen him continually hit setbacks, including a “cleanup surgery” in May of last year.
The lefty will surely get a new opportunity elsewhere in the coming days. He hasn’t been preventing runs of late but the fact that he’s healthy and striking out opponents is a good sign. Given the excellent results he posted in the past, he should be fielding plenty of calls from clubs who will dream of benefitting from a bounceback.
Rangers Designate Jared Walsh For Assignment
The Rangers announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, led by the club designating first baseman Jared Walsh for assignment. Taking Walsh’s spot on the active roster will be first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who the club has activate from the 10-day injured list. In addition, Texas announced that catcher Jonah Heim has been placed on the bereavement list, with catcher Sam Huff recalled from Triple-A to take his spot on the big league roster.
Walsh, 30, joined the Rangers on a minor league deal and his .250/.368/.458 slash line in 57 spring plate appearances impressed enough to earn the slugger a spot on Texas’s Opening Day roster when Lowe found himself sidelined by an oblique strain to open the season. It was a reasonable call for the Rangers to make at the time between Walsh’s solid showing this spring and his track record of past success for the Angels, as Walsh had posted an excellent 130 wRC+ in Anaheim across the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone well for Walsh since then. He hit a paltry .197/.258/.355 over his final two years with the Halos while battling thoracic outlet syndrome as well as a neurological illness that has caused him to suffer from persistent headaches and insomnia. Through 17 games with the Rangers, Walsh has looked better than he did when he posted a 33 wRC+ with the Angels last year but has nonetheless struggled to a lackluster .226/.317/.321 batting line across 60 trips to the plate in a Rangers uniform.
Of course, it’s difficult to draw significant conclusions from such a small sample size. On one hand, Walsh has posted a strong 11.7% walk rate so far this season and has an xwOBA of .324 that outstrips his .294 wOBA by 30 points, suggesting better days could be ahead for the veteran. On the other, however, Walsh’s 35% strikeout rate is nearing an untenable level and a far cry from the 24.1% rate he flashed during his peaks years with the Angels, and his meager 84 wRC+ is being floated by a .355 BABIP that clocks in more than 50 points above his career mark.
Perhaps most concerning about Walsh’s performance so far is his lack of power. Between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Walsh hit 38 home runs in just 176 games with an excellent .251 ISO. So far this season, however, he’s managed to connect on just three extra-base hits with one home run. While that could certainly change if he can find more at-bats at the big league level, Walsh’s average exit velocity this year is just 84.2 mph per Statcast. That places him in the fifth percentile among all major league hitters, putting him line with relatively light-hitting players such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Gio Urshela.
Even so, Walsh’s max exit velocity of 112.5 mph indicates that his power potential is still there. An above-average 9.4% barrel rate also provides optimism that more power could be in the first baseman’s future, though first he’ll need to find playing time in the majors for that to come to fruition. Going forward, the Rangers will have seven days to either trade, release, or waive the veteran. Any club that claims Walsh off waivers would take on the remainder of his $1.25MM salary for the 2024 campaign, and if he goes unclaimed the Rangers will be able to assign Walsh outright to the minors. Walsh would have the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency, though in doing so he would forfeit the remainder of his $1.25MM salary of this season.
Walsh’s departure from the active roster makes room for the return of Lowe, who has been the club’s regular first baseman in each of the past three seasons. That arrangement has gone quite well for the Rangers, with Lowe slashing a respectable .276/.359/.441 in 475 games with the club while picking up a Gold Glove award last year in addition to a Silver Slugger award the year prior. In addition to bumping Walsh from the club’s roster, Lowe’s return seems likely to cut into the playing time afforded to utility youngster Ezequiel Duran, who made seven starts at first in Lowe’s absence despite struggling to a 59 wRC+ so far in the young 2024 campaign.
Along with Lowe’s return, Texas announced that catcher Heim is headed to the bereavement list. The 2023 All Star and Gold Glove award winner has been a steady source of production for the club once again this year, impressing defensively behind the plate while posting a respectable 102 wRC+ on offense. The Rangers will be without their top option behind the plate for the next few days, however, and figure to rely on a tandem of Huff and Andrew Knizner while their primary backstop is away. Huff has posted solid numbers in limited playing time at the big league level to this point in his career, with a career .262/.314/.462 slash line in 75 games dating back to the 2020 season. Knizner, meanwhile, has gone 1-for-14 with four strikeouts in limited playing time with Texas to this point in the young 2024 campaign.
Dodgers Place Kyle Hurt On 15-Day Injured List
Right-hander Kyle Hurt has been placed on the Dodgers’ 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya). Hurt’s placement is retroactive to April 17. Right-hander Nick Ramirez was called up from Triple-A to take the open spot on Los Angeles’ 26-man roster.
Hurt was only just recalled from Triple-A himself last Tuesday, and that same day pitched two scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory over the Nationals. With just one earned run allowed in 6 2/3 MLB innings this season, Hurt has a 1.04 ERA over his 8 2/3 total frames as a big leaguer, including his one-game cup of coffee of a debut last year. While not the biggest of sample sizes, the fact that Hurt has only issued one walk against Major League batters is encouraging, as he has experienced some control problems in the minors.
The righty’s ungainly 14.03% walk rate over 188 2/3 minor league frames is offset, to some extent, by his equally outsized 36.6% strikeout rate. The ingredients are clearly there for a potential future as a bullpen weapon, though Hurt has started 41 of his 65 career minor league games, so the Dodgers will likely want to more fully explore what they have in Hurt as a starter before considering a transition to relief work.
For now, however, Hurt will become the 10th different pitcher on the Los Angeles injured list, as the Dodgers continue to search for healthy arms to fill innings. The pitching schedule is further complicated by the team’s desire to keep Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a once-per-week schedule (mirroring his usage in Japan) for the time being, rather than on a regular turn through the rotation. Of everyone on the IL, Walker Buehler might be the closest to activation, though Buehler will be making at least one more minor league rehab start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Marlins Place A.J. Puk On 15-Day Injured List
The Marlins have announced a series of roster moves in advance of today’s double-header with the Cubs, including the news that left-hander A.J. Puk has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to fatigue in his throwing shoulder. As was reported yesterday, Roddery Munoz was indeed called up from Triple-A, and he’ll officially act as the 27th man for the double-header. Right-hander Kyle Tyler will also join the active roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A, and the Marlins moved southpaw Josh Simpson to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster opening for Tyler.
Puk just pitched yesterday, and was tagged for seven earned runs over three innings of work in an 8-3 Miami loss to Chicago. It was the roughest yet of four lackluster starts for Puk, who now has a 9.22 ERA over 13 2/3 innings of work, with an alarming 17 walks over that brief amount of time on the mound. Manager Skip Schumaker told reporters (including Fish On First’s Isaac Azout) yesterday that the club hasn’t yet considered moving Puk back to the bullpen, though today’s injury news could change the equation considerably.
First and foremost, Puk’s lengthy injury history adds an extra layer of concern to any new health issues, even something as relatively minor as shoulder fatigue. Puk missed all of the 2018 season and a chunk of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then missed the entire 2020 season due to a lingering shoulder problem that eventually required surgery. Since it wasn’t clear if Puk’s arm would hold up under a starter’s workload, the Athletics used him as a reliever, and the result was a breakout year in 2022. Oakland traded Puk to the Marlins in the 2022-23 offseason for JJ Bleday, and Puk continued the success last season with more strong work out of Miami’s relief corps.
With Puk now established as a big leaguer, the Marlins decided to see what he could still offer as a starter, and stretched him out this spring with an eye towards putting him into the rotation. Clearly the experiment hasn’t worked out to date, and once Puk is back from the IL, he could find himself in the relief corps again if Miami has stabilized the rest of its rotation. Between Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez undergoing Tommy John surgery and season-opening IL stints for Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett, the Fish didn’t really have much choice but to keep rolling Puk out there, though Cabrera has now since returned.
Max Meyer pitched well over three starts but was then optioned to Triple-A despite those strong results, as the Marlins are looking to limit his innings in the wake of a Tommy John surgery. Munoz is making his MLB debut today with a start against the Cubs, and Puk’s injury could mean that Munoz gets a longer look against big league competition. Tyler could also technically be a starting candidate, though the Marlins used him as a reliever in both of his Triple-A appearances this season.
Tyler has started 60 of his 108 career games in the minors, including starts in 26 of his 27 appearances with the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate in 2023. With only a 5.60 ERA to show for those 135 innings, it represented a setback for Tyler, who banked 16 1/3 innings of MLB experience with the Angels and Padres in 2021-22. He had previously pitched well in Double-A ball before running into problems in Triple-A, with a 5.68 ERA over 44 1/3 frames at the top minor league level. The Marlins signed Tyler to a minor league deal during the offseason, and he’ll give the team some extra depth in the pen at least through today’s twin bill.
Simpson started the year on the 15-day IL due to elbow ulnar neuritis, and his move to the 60-day IL means that he won’t be an option for the big league roster until late May. He has banked only one minor league appearance this season back on April 6, and between the lack of subsequent action and now this move to the 60-day IL, it remains to be seen when Simpson might be back in action. The 26-year-old has yet to make his Major League debut, but has been a member of Miami’s organization since he was drafted in the 32nd round in 2019.
Tigers Place Gio Urshela On 10-Day Injured List
Third baseman Gio Urshela has been placed on the Tigers’ 10-day injured list, the team announced. Urshela is dealing with a right hamstring strain that forced him out of yesterday’s 5-4 win over the Twins in the second inning. Infielder Buddy Kennedy was called up from Triple-A Toledo to take Urshela’s spot on the active roster.
Urshela looked to be in discomfort after trying to run out a grounder, and he was replaced at third base by Matt Vierling in the bottom of the second. Vierling and Zach McKinstry could simply handle third base duties in a platoon until Urshela is healthy, though with Andy Ibanez also on the 10-day IL, Detroit’s infield depth is now further thinned out by the loss of Urshela for at least the next 10 days. Kennedy also figures to get into the mix, and his first in-game appearance will mark his Tigers debut after being claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks in February.
Speaking with Evan Petzold of the Detroit News and other reporters, Urshela revealed that he has a Grade 1 strain, or the lowest level of strain. As such, the infielder is hopeful that he won’t miss much time beyond the 10-day minimum, though Urshela figures he’ll be sidelined for perhaps two weeks.
The hamstring strain is another unfortunate injury setback for Urshela, who missed most of the 2023 season recovering from a pelvic fracture. Urshela hit .299/.329/.374 over 228 plate appearances for the Angels but didn’t play again after June 15 due to his recovery.
Looking to rebuild his value, Urshela signed a one-year, $1.5MM free agent deal with the Tigers over the offseason, and has quickly stepped in as Detroit’s regular third baseman. While Vierling, McKinstry, and Ibanez has gotten some work at the hot corner, Urshela has started 14 of 20 games and also hit .298/.310/.333 over 58 PA. A .362 BABIP has greatly aided that production, as Urshela has continued to shown the same lack of power that plagued him in 2023. Urshela’s walk rate is also only 1.7%, which would easily be the worst of his career if continued over the full season.
Despite these concerns, Urshela has actually been one of the more respectable hitters on a Detroit team that has struggled to generate offense. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Mark Canha are all hitting well, but pretty much the rest of the lineup has ranged from average to mediocre, as the Tigers have been carried by their pitching to their solid 11-9 start.
Rays Select Erasmo Ramirez
The Rays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Erasmo Ramirez. In corresponding moves, left-hander Jacob Lopez was optioned to Triple-A, and infielder Taylor Walls was shifted from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Today’s move kicks off what is officially Ramirez’s third stint with the Rays. The righty first pitched for Tampa during the 2015-17 seasons, before moving on to pitch for five other teams in a journeyman’s trek around the majors until landing again in Tampa Bay last summer. After the Nationals released Ramirez in June, he spent only a few days on the open market before inking a minor league contract with the Rays, and he ended up posting a 6.48 ERA over 33 1/3 innings and 15 appearances at the MLB level. He elected free agency at season’s end, but Ramirez then returned to the Rays on another minors deal in December.
Ramirez has a 4.37 ERA over 828 1/3 career innings, working as a starter, reliever, swingman, and bulk pitcher (behind an opener) over his 12 Major League seasons. There have been plenty of ups and downs over this long career, and Ramirez’s 3.76 ERA over 254 frames with Tampa in 2015-16 essentially represents his peak. The right-hander then struggled to a 4.85 ERA over 221 innings from 2017-21 until finding some stability working out of Washington’s bullpen, and posting an impressive 2.92 ERA in 86 1/3 innings in 2022. Advanced metrics weren’t as impressed with Ramirez’s revival, however, and the regression wave hit when he posted a 6.41 ERA in 60 1/3 combined innings last season with the Nats and Rays.
Given how the Rays frequently cycle through pitchers at the back end of their bullpen, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Ramirez designated for assignment relatively soon, despite the extra machinations to add him to the 40-man roster. Ramirez has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, though if that situation comes, he could also choose to remain in a familiar situation in Tampa Bay rather than test the market once again. In the meantime, Ramirez (who turns 34 on May 2) will likely at least get some innings under his belt to officially mark his 13th MLB campaign, and give the Rays a known quantity for covering innings in the relief corps.
Walls had hip surgery back in October, and since his 60-day IL stint is backdated to the start of his initial 10-day placement, the shortstop won’t be making his 2024 debut until late May at the very earliest. Rays manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com and other media last week that Walls hadn’t had any setbacks in his recovery, but was “just not going as quick as maybe we had originally anticipated,” creating some doubt as to when exactly Walls will be back in action. The shortstop will still need to take part in an extended Spring Training ramp-up and then a minor league rehab assignment, so even a late May return might be optimistic given the lack of updates on Walls to date.
Rockies Sign Peyton Battenfield To Minors Contract
The Rockies have signed Peyton Battenfield to a minor league deal, as per the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page. In a transaction that flew under MLBTR’s radar, Battenfield was released by the Mets last month, but the 26-year-old has now caught on with the fifth different organization of his pro career.
A ninth-round pick for the Astros in the 2019 draft, Battenfield was traded to the Tampa Bay the following offseason, and then to Cleveland at the 2021 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Jordan Luplow to the Rays. Battenfield was briefly called up to the Guardians’ active roster in 2022 but didn’t appear in a game, so his official MLB debut didn’t take place until 2023, when he posted a 5.19 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate, and 8.2% walk rate over 34 2/3 innings for the Guards.
Some injuries in Cleveland’s rotation opened the door for Battenfield to make six starts and a relief appearance, but a bout of shoulder inflammation sent him to the 60-day injured list and he didn’t pitch in the Show again after May 17. Cleveland ended up designating Battenfield for assignment at the end of August, and the Mets claimed the righty away through Battenfield didn’t see any time on New York’s big league roster.
Battenfield has a 4.19 ERA over 210 1/3 career Triple-A innings, and a 15.48% strikeout rate that represents a sharp drop from the much stronger K-rates he posted at the lower levels of the minors. He was also burned by the long ball, after allowing seven homers in his 34 2/3 innings with the Guardians and 13 homers in 47 2/3 frames with Triple-A Columbus last season.
This vulnerability to home runs might not bode well for a move to the Rockies, but Battenfield will give pitching-needy Colorado some rotation depth. With German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela already on the mend from Tommy John surgeries last year, Kyle Freeland was also just placed on the 15-day injured list with an elbow strain yesterday. Peter Lambert will move from Colorado’s bullpen to take Freeland’s spot in the rotation, and given how the Rockies are in such dire straits when it comes to pitching, Battenfield might quickly get himself on the radar for a call-up if he performs well in the minors.
Marlins To Call Up Roddery Muñoz For MLB Debut
The Marlins are going to bring up right-hander Roddery Muñoz as the 27th man for tomorrow’s double-header, per Isaac Azout of Fish on First. The righty will be making his major league debut, starting one of the two games of the twin bill.
It’s a belated birthday present for Muñoz, who just turned 24 on Sunday. The righty hasn’t been a Marlin for very long, as he actually came up as prospect in Atlanta’s system, but since July of last year, he bounced to the Nationals, Pirates and Marlins via waiver claims or cash deals.
The righty had a bit of a breakout in 2022. He made 19 starts at the High-A level that year, with a 4.03 earned run average in his 89 1/3 innings. He struck out 26.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 9.5% clip and getting grounders on 45.6% of balls in play. He was promoted to Double-A for three starts at the end of the year and allowed 12 earned runs in 11 innings, but the peripheral stats were pretty similar to his High-A work.
Going into 2023, Atlanta put him on their 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America also ranked him the #22 prospect in that club’s system. But his results backed up a bit last year, which led to his aforementioned journey around the league’s DFA carousel. He eventually tossed 78 innings at his various stops throughout the year, with a 5.42 ERA in that time. His 23% strikeout rate was solid but his 15.1% walk rate was quite high.
The Marlins nonetheless took a shot on him and have since seen their starting pitching depth get thinned out. Sandy Alcántara required Tommy John surgery last year and was already known to be unavailable in 2024, but Eury Pérez has since followed him down that path. Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett also started the season on the injured list due to injuries, though Cabrera has now returned.
The rotation currently consists of Cabrera, A.J. Puk, Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers and Ryan Weathers, but yesterday’s game was rained out, leading to tomorrow’s doubleheader. Since they need a sixth starter to get through this stretch, with no off-day until Thursday, the circumstances will allow Muñoz to make his debut. He has tossed 10 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level so far this year but has shown significant control problems, issuing 12 walks to just seven strikeouts.
That perhaps suggests this was mostly an emergency decision. The club also has Max Meyer and Darren McCaughan on the 40-man roster, but Meyer was just optioned to monitor his workload after he missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery. McCaughan just pitched on Wednesday and would be pitching on short rest if recalled this weekend. Muñoz may be in for just one outing before being optioned back to the minors, but it’s undoubtedly an exciting day for him regardless.