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Marlins Outright Daniel Castano

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The Marlins have sent left-hander Daniel Castano outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Since Miami hadn’t previously designated him for assignment, the move drops the club’s 40-man roster count to 39.

It’s the second time this year in which the Fish have run Castano through waivers. Miami DFA him in mid-January after finalizing their free agent deal with Johnny Cueto. He started the season as a non-roster player in Jacksonville but was selected onto the big league club when Cueto landed on the injured list a few days into the year. He made one relief appearance, was optioned back out, and then landed on the minor league IL himself.

Castano spent a couple months on the shelf with an undisclosed injury. He’s throwing again, beginning a rehab stint in rookie ball. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, but Castano’s return to health allowed Miami to do so this week. He again went unclaimed, though it’s possible he’ll now head to the open market. Players who have been outrighted multiple times in their careers can decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

It’s unclear whether Castano will stick with Miami. The Baylor product has been in the organization since he was acquired from the Cardinals alongside Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen and Magneuris Sierra for Marcell Ozuna. This year’s lone appearance marked the fourth straight season in which he’s suited up for the Fish at the big league level. He’s logged 86 2/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball, striking out a well below-average 12.4% of opposing hitters. Castano has a 3.95 ERA while punching of 20.1% of batters faced in parts of three Triple-A seasons.

Astros Acquire Spenser Watkins From Orioles

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The Astros announced this afternoon they’ve acquired righty Spenser Watkins from the Orioles and optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land. Baltimore receives cash in return. Houston also selected outfielder Bligh Madris onto the big league roster, as previously reported. In order to create 40-man roster space, they transferred Michael Brantley and José Urquidy to the 60-day injured list.

Watkins has had a tough year in Triple-A. He’s started six of eight games and worked to a 7.27 ERA through 26 innings. The former 30th-round pick has a modest 15.7% strikeout percentage and has walked a lofty 13.4% of opponents. Watkins has kept the ball on the ground at a massive 55.3% clip, but the strikeout and walk numbers and overall ERA pushed him off Baltimore’s 40-man roster on Tuesday.

The Astros will take a change of scenery flier to add some experienced rotation depth to the upper minors. Injuries to Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia and Urquidy have pushed depth arms J.P. France and Ronel Blanco into the rotation. Brandon Bielak and Bryan Garcia are the most experienced Triple-A starters, so Watkins is a sensible acquisition.

Now 30, Watkins has appeared in two big league seasons with the O’s. He’s made 30 starts in 39 outings, posting a 5.85 ERA across 160 frames. Watkins hasn’t missed many bats, but he’d walked just under 7% of opponents at the MLB level. He had a quality 6.1% walk percentage in Triple-A last season.

His control has been erratic this season, but his broader track record is that of a strike-throwing depth arm. This is Watkins’ final minor league option year; the Astros can keep him in Triple-A for the rest of the season but would have to carry him on next year’s Opening Day roster if he holds his 40-man spot until then.

Brantley’s and Urquidy’s IL moves are procedural transactions. Brantley has already been on the IL for well past 60 days as he works back from last summer’s shoulder surgery. Urquidy landed on the shelf on May 1 with discomfort in his throwing shoulder. He’s not expected to return until next month.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Astros’ acquisition of Watkins.

Pirates Promote Nick Gonzales

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4:23pm: Pittsburgh officially selected Gonzales’ contract. Outfielder Cal Mitchell was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to clear a spot on the active roster. To open a 40-man vacancy, the Bucs transferred righty Vince Velasquez from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. He’s out for the season after undergoing elbow surgery.

11:00am: The Pirates are set to promote infield prospect Nick Gonzales, reports Jim Rosati of North Shore Nine. Gonzales isn’t on the 40-man roster so a corresponding move or moves will be required to get him aboard.

Gonzales, 24, was selected by the Pirates with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft. The minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic that year, but he was nonetheless vaulted onto prospect lists based on his work at New Mexico State University. His exceptional bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline were lauded as his standout tools as Baseball America ranked him the #51 prospect in the league going into 2021. MLB Pipeline had him at #43, Baseball Prospectus at #39, FanGraphs at #86 and ESPN at #66.

He was finally able to make his professional debut in 2021, spending it in High-A. A broken finger cost him more than a month of that season but he still got into 80 games. He walked in 10.8% of his plate appearances but his 27.4% strikeout rate was on the high side, especially for a player whose carrying tool is his bat. Nonetheless, he hit .302/.385/.565 at that level and generally crept higher on prospect lists going into 2022.

Injuries popped up again last year as he tore the plantar fascia in the heel of his foot, costing him about two months and limiting him to just 74 games on the year. He posted a strong batting line of .264/.382/.435, mostly in Double-A, but struck out at a 28.4% clip. He finished the year with a sold .279/.351/.500 showing in the Arizona fall league.

Despite those strong batting lines, the concerns about the punchouts delivered a blow to his prospect stock. He’s not considered an especially strong defender or baserunner, making any drop in the assessment of hit bat noteworthy. He was bumped off each of the aforementioned prospect lists coming into 2023 and dropped on team-specific lists as well. BA had him #8 in the Pirates’ system at the start of the this year after having him at #3 in previous seasons. Keith Law of The Athletic put him at #9 while FanGraphs had him all the way down at #23, with each outlet concerned about the swing and miss, particularly against breaking pitches.

Here in 2023, Gonzales has been in Triple-A. Through 262 plate appearances, he’s hitting .257/.370/.450 for a wRC+ of 106. That indicates he’s been a bit above league average at that level but he’s still striking out at a 28.6% rate.

Defensively, Gonzales has spent most of his time at second base. He’s not especially well regarded there, but has also seen some time at shortstop and third. The Bucs are set at third base with Ke’Bryan Hayes but the middle infield is a little less clear with shortstop Oneil Cruz still on the injured list and not close to a return. Mark Mathias got some time at second base but was optioned earlier this week after hitting at a subpar rate. Each of Ji Hwan Bae and Tucupita Marcano have played some middle infield but also with below-average offensive output. Rodolfo Castro has been a hair above average at the plate but his shortstop defense isn’t very well regarded.

Given all of those imperfect pieces, the Pirates will turn to Gonzales to see if he can provide a jolt. Despite the strikeout concerns, he does seem to do consistent damage when he does make contact. The Pirates got out to a scorching hot start this year and were leading the National League Central for a time but they are in a bad skid now. They have lost 10 straight and put Bryan Reynolds on the injured list yesterday. It seems they don’t want the season to slip away from them and are willing to turn to their farm for reinforcements, promoting Henry Davis earlier this week and now Gonzales.

Tigers Sign Johan Camargo To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have signed infielder Johan Camargo to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. Conversely, infielder Brendon Davis has been released by the Mud Hens, per his own tracker.

Camargo, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the winter. He began the season on the injured list in the minors but was able to return to action in mid-May. He went on to hit a torrid .298/.412/.544 through 68 Triple-A plate appearances for a wRC+ of 140. Based on that hot streak, he triggered an opt-out and returned to the open market to see what deals he could find.

He’ll now join a Tigers club that has plenty of uncertainty around the infield. Veterans like Javier Báez, Jonathan Schoop and Andy Ibañez are all having subpar years at the plate and the same goes for younger players like Spencer Torkelson and Nick Maton. The only Tigers with at least 100 plate appearances and a wRC+ above 100 are outfielders Matt Vierling, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene, and Greene is currently on the injured list.

Given those struggles, there’s logic to bringing Camargo into the organization and getting a closer look at him. He’s played all four infield positions in his major league career and a bit of the outfield corners as well, generally getting solid grades anywhere he’s placed. His career batting line of .255/.313/.410 only amounts to a wRC+ of 90 but he’s at least coming off a hot stretch lately. If he were to get a roster spot at some point, he’s out of options but could be retained for 2024 via arbitration since he won’t be able to reach six years of service time this year.

As for Davis, 25, he signed a minor league deal with the Tigers this winter but has hit just .178/.288/.363 in Triple-A this year.

Athletics Place Ramón Laureano On IL With Hand Fracture

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2:55pm: Martin Gallegos of MLB.com relays word from the A’s training staff that this injury is the result of Laureano getting hit by a pitch in Milwaukee earlier this month. The slide in Tampa injured his left hand, not his right. The A’s were in Milwaukee June 9 to 11, so Laureano has apparently been battling this injury for two weeks already.

2:40pm: The Athletics announced today that outfielder Ramón Laureano has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 22, with a fractured right hand. Outfielder Conner Capel has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.

Laureano has been dealing with a hand issue for over a week now. It was on June 14 that he appeared to injure his fingers on a slide into third base in a game against the Rays. He’s been in and out of the lineup since then but will now get a lengthier absence of over a week. It’s unclear whether the initial injury simply hasn’t healed or if he reaggravated it.

The outfielder had spent many years as a solid two-way player for Oakland until receiving an 80-game suspension in August of 2021 after testing positive for Nandrolone, a banned performance-enhancing substance. Prior to that suspension, he hit .263/.335/.465 for a wRC+ of 119 in 313 career games while also stealing 34 bases and earning plaudits for his glovework.

He returned last year but hasn’t been able to get back to that level of performance. He’s hit .212/.282/.370 since being reinstated for a wRC+ of 90, though the other portions of his game are still solid. He’s swiped 19 bags since then and, though he’s been largely bumped from center to right field, is still considered a strong defender.

The loss of Laureano won’t mean too much to the A’s in the short term as their 19-58 record is the worst in all of baseball. However, it’s potentially significant for the upcoming trade deadline. The Athletics are one of very few clubs that make for obvious sellers this year, with the expanded playoffs and weak Central divisions giving most clubs some kind of plausible shot at a postseason run. The A’s have already traded away most of their veterans and the roster is now filled with younger players they are hoping to build around.

Laureano will turn 29 next month and has already reached arbitration on a struggling team, making him one of the few straightforward trade candidates this summer. His offensive slide wouldn’t have given him much value but his speed and defense at least give him a solid floor as a bench piece that could garner interest around the league. He’ll now have to recuperate from this hand injury with just over five weeks until the August 1 deadline.

With Laureano sidelined, the club will turn to Capel as well as outfielders like Seth Brown, JJ Bleday, Tony Kemp and Brent Rooker to fill the corners, with Esteury Ruiz in center field most days.

Reds Release Wil Myers

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The Reds announced that outfielder Wil Myers, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has now been released.

It’s hardly a shock to see Myers released, given the combination of his contract and results this year. The club signed him to a one-year deal in the offseason with a $7.5MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $6MM salary this year and a $1.5MM buyout on a mutual option. The rebuilding Reds were surely hoping for Myers to serve as a reliable veteran presence who became a trade candidate by midseason.

Unfortunately, Myers hit just .189/.257/.283 through 141 plate appearances before landing on the injured list in May due to kidney stones. By the time he was ready to come off the IL, various Cincinnati prospects had hit the ground running in the big leagues and vaulted the team into first place. With the rebuild suddenly appearing to be over, there was little room left for Myers to get the necessary playing time to get into a groove, so he was designated for assignment instead.

Myers will now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. Despite his poor results this year, clubs may be intrigued by his career output. He’s hit .252/.326/.437 for a wRC+ of 107 in 1100 career games dating back to 2013. He can be slotted into an outfield corner or first base, and can even play third in a pinch. He also hit .261/.315/.398 for a wRC+ of 106 as recently as last year.

Any club willing to take a chance on Myers would do so with no financial risk. The Reds will remain on the hook for what’s left of that contract, leaving any other club free to sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Reds pay.

Seth Elledge Elects Free Agency

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The Tigers announced that right-hander Seth Elledge has cleared waivers and elected free agency. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week when the club claimed left-hander Anthony Misiewicz off waivers from the Diamondbacks.

Elledge, 27, has filled up the transaction logs in the past few months. Atlanta added him to their roster in November but then designated him for assignment in April. He then went to the Mets and Tigers on subsequent waivers claims before getting the DFA treatment again a few days ago. Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to throw 28 2/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 5.34 ERA, striking out 21.9% of hitters but walking 13.3%.

The righty has a bit of major league experience, getting into 23 games for the Cardinals over 2020 and 2021. He had a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings in that time with a strong 24% strikeout rate but 14.4% walk rate. He was outrighted off the Cards’ roster after the 2021 season and signed a minor league deal with Atlanta for 2022. He tossed 46 1/3 Triple-A innings that year with a 3.88 ERA, 33.7% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate. That dip in walk rate is perhaps what got him a roster spot from Atlanta less than a year ago but the control problems seem to have returned here in 2023.

Since Elledge had that previous career outright in 2021, he had the right to reject another such assignment. He has now exercised that right and is free to sign with any club. Despite the problems with the free passes, he’s continued to rack up strikeouts and could market that to potential employers. With so many clubs around the league dealing with injuries, he’ll likely be able to find offers for minor league deals.

Rockies Release Dinelson Lamet

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The Rockies have released right-hander Dinelson Lamet, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment by the club last week.

It’s not a shock to see Lamet end up released, given his performance and contract. Claimed off waivers from the Brewers last year, he and the Rockies agreed to an arbitration salary of $5MM for the 2023 season but he hasn’t been able to come anywhere near justifying that expense. He’s made 16 appearances this year, including four starts, with a massive 11.57 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. His 23.1% strikeout rate is solid but his 16.4% walk rate is almost double the league average rate of 8.7%.

In the Rockies’ defense, they put down that $5MM bet on Lamet hoping for a bounceback. He once looked like a budding ace, posting a 2.09 ERA for the Padres in the shortened 2020 season with a 34.8% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate. He would have been a bargain if he could have got anywhere near that kind of production. However, he’s been on the decline since then thanks to a combination of injuries and underperformance. He was limited to 47 innings in 2021 with a 4.40 ERA that year. He only logged 32 1/3 frames last year with his ERA jumping to 6.12 before it climbed even higher this year.

The Rockies will remain on the hook for what’s left of Lamet’s salary as he heads to the open market. He’ll be free to sign with any of the 29 other clubs, who would only be responsible for paying the prorated league minimum, which would be subtracted from what the Rockies pay. Lamet’s results have obviously been terrible this year but perhaps there’s some club who sees a way to get the 30-year-old back to the brilliant form he showed just a few years ago.

Yoshi Tsutsugo Opts Out Of Deal With Rangers

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Corner infielder Yoshi Tsutsugo opted out of a minor league contract with the Rangers, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Texas allowed him to hit free agency rather than add him to the MLB roster.

The Rangers took a non-roster flier on Tsutsugo over the offseason. He didn’t get a big league look, instead spending the entire season with Triple-A Round Rock. He hit .249/.380/.432 over 280 trips to the plate. The left-handed hitter drew free passes at a huge 17.3% clip but went down on strikes over 28% of the time. He connected on six home runs, nine doubles and a pair of triples — fine but unexceptional power production for a bat-first player in the Pacific Coast League.

Tsutsugo will now look elsewhere in search of an MLB opportunity for what’d be the fourth consecutive season. He struggled early upon signing with the Rays and fared even worse in a cup of coffee with the Dodgers. Tsutsugo caught fire late in the 2021 season with the Pirates, though, popping eight homers in only 43 games.

Pittsburgh re-signed him in hopes he’d approximate that production over a full schedule. That didn’t happen, as he hit .171/.249/.229 in 50 contests last year before the Bucs released him. A late-season Triple-A run with the Blue Jays didn’t result in another MLB look. Tsutsugo heads back to the market with a career .197/.291/.339 line over 182 big league contests.

Tsutsugo has primarily played first base and designated hitter at the major league level. The Rays gave him a few looks at third base back in 2020. He didn’t see any time at the hot corner from 2021-22 but started 13 games there with Round Rock (in addition to 22 starts at first base and 16 outings as the DH).

Giants Acquire Dalton Guthrie From Phillies

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The Giants have acquired outfielder Dalton Guthrie from the Phillies for cash, according to announcements from both teams. San Francisco optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. In order to create space on the 40-man roster, they transferred Mitch Haniger from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Philadelphia had designated Guthrie for assignment earlier in the week, clearing a roster spot for Darick Hall to return from the injured list. That spurred the first organization change of his career. Guthrie had been with the Phils since they nabbed him in the sixth round of the 2017 draft coming out of Florida.

Guthrie first reached the majors last September. He played in 14 regular season games and made a single appearance in the Division Series during Philadelphia’s run to the NL pennant. Guthrie has gotten into 23 more games this year, starting eight times.

Between the two seasons, the right-handed hitter has a .244/.393/.333 line in his first 56 trips to the plate. He has quite a bit more Triple-A experience, tallying 607 plate appearances in parts of three seasons. Guthrie is a .296/.359/.467 hitter at the top minor league level. He can play all three outfield spots and had some infield experience earlier in his pro career.

Guthrie has never been regarded as a high-upside prospect. The 27-year-old has some positional flexibility and a solid minor league track record, though. There’s little downside for the Giants in jumping the waiver order to add him as a depth player. He’s in his first of three option years, meaning the club can keep him in Triple-A for the next few seasons if he earns a lasting 40-man roster spot.

Haniger’s injury meant the Giants were operating with a de facto opening on the 40-man. He underwent surgery to repair a fractured right ulna last week. He’ll be out into September.

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