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Giants Promote Luis Matos

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The Giants announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled outfielder Luis Matos and infielder David Villar from Triple-A Sacramento. They also formally placed outfielder Mitch Haniger on the 10-day injured list following last night’s forearm fracture and optioned righty Keaton Winn to Sacramento.

The 21-year-old Matos is being thrown right into the fire, starting in center field and batting second in his MLB debut against the Cardinals and lefty Jordan Montgomery. It’s a nice vote of confidence in the former top prospect, who has bounced back from a dismal 2022 season (.215/.280/.356, mostly in High-A) to post a massive .350/.415/.561 showing between Double-A and Triple-A. The right-handed-hitting Matos has decimated left-handed pitching in particular, batting .375/.474/.729 in 57 plate appearances.

Last year’s rough showing dinged Matos’ prospect standing a bit, as he dropped off various top-100 lists after entering the ’22 season as a consensus entrant on such rankings. Baseball America still ranked him fifth among Giants farmhands heading into the season, however, tabbing him as a potential everyday outfielder if he can iron out some of the inconsistency and passivity he showed while trying to refine his approach at the plate last year. At least thus far, Matos has done just that. He’s fanned just 20 times in 249 plate appearances (8%) and draw 24 walks (9.6%).

With Haniger facing an extended absence and Matos rapidly rebuilding his stock in the minors, the latter now looks like he’ll receive a legitimate audition for an everyday role with the team moving forward. Manager Gabe Kapler said today that Haniger might require surgery, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link), though even in that scenario he’d have a chance at returning this year.

Still, it doesn’t sound as though Haniger will return to the lineup in particularly short order, so San Francisco’s front office and coaching staff will be able to use the opportunity to gauge Matos’ MLB readiness (or lack thereof). If he hits the ground running, they’ll boast a solid outfield trio of Matos, Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto, with Blake Sabol, Austin Slater, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Joc Pederson also on hand as options. In the event of further injuries and/or struggles from Matos, it’s feasible that outfield help could be an area of focus for president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi heading into this year’s trade deadline. The Giants are six games out in the National League West but are also currently in possession of the third Wild Card spot in the NL standings.

Future optional assignments can always change a player’s free-agent and arbitration trajectories. For now, however, if Matos sticks in the big leagues he’d be arbitration-eligible after the 2026 season and under club control all the way through the 2029 campaign.

Orioles Select Mark Kolozsvary, Place Ryan Mountcastle On Injured List

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The Orioles announced a last-minute move before tonight’s matchup with the Blue Jays. Catcher Mark Kolozsvary has been selected onto the big league roster while first baseman Ryan Mountcastle is headed to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 10, due to vertigo. In order to clear a 40-man roster spot, Baltimore designated minor league righty Noah Denoyer for assignment.

Kolozsvary is in position to make his O’s debut. Baltimore claimed him off waivers from the Reds at the start of the offseason. A few weeks later, they successfully passed him through waivers to keep him in the organization. He’s made 20 appearances for their top affiliate in Norfolk, hitting .162/.250/.265 with 26 strikeouts and five walks.

The 27-year-old backstop has never been much of an offensive threat. He’s a career .171/.283/.290 hitter at the Triple-A level. His glove secured him a 10-game MLB audition with Cincinnati last season. It’ll similarly land him at least a brief look in Baltimore behind Adley Rutschman and James McCann.

Mountcastle hasn’t played since August 8 because of an illness. Teams can backdate an IL placement for a maximum of three days. The O’s have decided to give the righty-swinging infielder at least another week to sort through vertigo symptoms that have apparently been plaguing him. It has been a tough season for Mountcastle, who carries a career-worst .227/.264/.421 batting line through 261 trips to the plate. Ryan O’Hearn and Josh Lester have gotten first base looks in his absence recently.

Denoyer landed a 40-man roster spot early last offseason. The 6’5″ hurler would otherwise have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft. He’d been coming off a 2.89 ERA showing across three minor league levels and the O’s were evidently concerned another team would take a shot on him as an MLB middle reliever.

His results have backed up this season, his first full year in Norfolk. Denoyer has tallied 30 1/3 innings across 14 outings (four starts), typically working 2-3 frame stints. He’s managed a 5.04 ERA. That’s largely a reflection of a massive spike in free passes. After walking just 6.1% of opponents last season, he has walked over 15% of batters faced this year. Denoyer’s 23.3% strikeout percentage and 48.8% ground-ball rate are still solid, but the newfound control issues pushed him off the roster.

Baltimore will trade him or put him on waivers within the next week. He’s in his first of three option years, so any team that takes a shot on him could keep him in the upper minors for the foreseeable future if they’re willing to put him on the 40-man.

Marlins Select Archie Bradley

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The Marlins made some roster moves today, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Right-hander Archie Bradley has been selected to the roster, with Huascar Brazobán optioned in a corresponding move. To make room for Bradley on the 40-man roster, lefty Trevor Rogers has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Bradley reaches the majors for the first time this year. It’s now nine consecutive seasons for the former top ten pick. He had a strong run of high-leverage relief from 2017-20 with the Diamondbacks and Reds. His results have gone in the wrong direction over the past two seasons. Bradley is coming off a career-worst year with the Angels, tossing 18 2/3 innings of 4.82 ERA ball while missing extended chunks of action with an elbow fracture and a forearm strain.

That down year kept the 30-year-old on the open market until after Opening Day. He signed a minor league contract with Miami in mid-April. He’s since pitched nine games (including one five-inning start) for Triple-A Jacksonville, tossing 18 1/3 frames. While Bradley has allowed 13 runs, only six have been earned. He’s fanned 16 while walking five.

Miami plugs him into a bullpen that has been solid. They’re 15th in ERA (4.17) but fourth in strikeout rate (24.9%) and third in ground-ball percentage (45.5%). That’s played a role in the club’s 17-5 record in one-run contests, which has them seven games above .500 despite a -27 run differential.

Rogers moves to the 60-day IL after sustaining an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He’s been out since April 20, initially landing on the shelf with a biceps strain in his throwing arm. Rogers made a pair of rehab starts but had a scheduled outing over the weekend scrapped.

The IL transfer doesn’t have much of an impact on Rogers’ eligibility. It backdates to his initial placement, so he’s eligible to return as early as next Wednesday. However, Craig Mish of SportsGrid tweets that he’s not likely to be reinstated when first permissible because of the shoulder discomfort.

Reds Designate Joel Kuhnel, Select Daniel Duarte

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contract of right-hander Daniel Duarte. To open a spot on the active roster, fellow righty Ricky Karcher was optioned to Triple-A. Righty Joel Kuhnel was designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man move.

Duarte, 26, first got added to the Cincinnati roster going into 2022 but he spent most of the season on the injured list due to elbow problems. He was non-tendered, re-signed to a minor league deal and has been pitching in Triple-A so far this year. He has a 3.49 ERA in 28 1/3 innings, striking out 25.4% of opponents while walking 11.1% and getting grounders at a 51.4% clip.

The Reds played a 10-inning game yesterday, using six pitchers in the process. Though they ultimately emerged victorious, the bullpen was a bit taxed so Duarte will come in and give the club a fresh arm. He still has a couple of options and just one year of major league service time, so he could potentially be retained as a cheap and optionable depth piece for the foreseeable future if he continues to hang onto his 40-man roster spot.

The casualty of bringing Duarte up to the majors is Kuhnel. The 28-year-old has bounced on and off the Reds’ roster in recent seasons, logging 74 innings of sporadic action dating back to 2019. He has a 6.20 career ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 51.9% ground ball rate. There’s likely been a bit of bad luck in there as his 62.8% strand rate is well below average, leading to a 4.28 FIP and 3.55 SIERA. But in 24 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 7.13 ERA while striking out just 13.3% of opponents.

The Reds will now have a week to trade Kuhnel or pass him through waivers. In the event he clears waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency by virtue of having a previous career outright. If any club were to acquire Kuhnel, he has a couple of options and just over a year of service time.

Rays Sign Erasmo Ramirez To Minor League Deal

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June 13: The club has now officially announced the deal, assigning Ramirez to Durham.

June 11: The Rays and right-hander Erasmo Ramirez are “working to finalize a minor league deal,” Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  On his Twitter feed, Topkin notes that the agreement is “likely to happen.”

Ramirez is a familiar face at Tropicana Field, as the righty posted a 3.98 ERA over 323 1/3 innings with the Rays from 2015-17 before Tampa dealt him to the Mariners in advance of the July 2017 trade deadline.  That move itself was a bit of a homecoming since Ramirez pitched the first three seasons of his career in Seattle, but since the trade Ramirez has become a journeyman, pitching for five different teams over the last six MLB seasons.

Most recently, Ramirez pitched for the Nationals in 2022-23, first joining Washington a minors deal in the 2021-22 offseason and delivering a 2.92 ERA over 86 1/3 innings in 2022.  That quality performance earned Ramirez a guaranteed $1MM Major League to return to D.C. this past offseason, but he has had a much rougher time of things this season.  The right-hander has a 6.33 ERA over 27 relief innings, and while Ramirez has never been a big strikeout pitcher, his 10.3% strikeout rate is his lowest in any full season.  The Nationals designated and then ultimately released Ramirez earlier this week.

While the results haven’t been there for the 33-year-old, a return to Tampa Bay might prove beneficial for Ramirez, given the Rays’ success at rejuvenating pitchers’ careers or finding hidden gems on the mound.  That said, the Rays’ magic has been tested this season amidst a lot of injuries, and the bullpen has been posting middling numbers.  Getting a long reliever like Ramirez to eat innings and limit damage would be very beneficial for the Rays as they try to get healthy and figure out how to get their bullpen on track for the playoff run.

Cubs Select Anthony Kay

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The Cubs have announced to reporters, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, that they have selected the contract of left-hander Anthony Kay. Right-hander Nick Burdi was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster while righty Jeremiah Estrada was optioned to open a spot on the active roster. Earlier today, the club also placed lefty Brandon Hughes on the 15-day injured list due to left knee inflammation while recalling infielder Miles Mastrobuoni in a corresponding move, with Jordan Bastian of MLB.com among those to relay those moves.

Kay, 28, came to the Cubs in December when they claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays. They put him back on waivers about a month later but were able to get him through, keeping him in the organization. He’s spent the year in Triple-A so far, tossing 28 innings over 23 appearances. He has a 4.50 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate, 12.8% walk rate and 54.4% ground ball rate.

Prior to joining the Cubs, Kay got some big league experience with the Jays. From 2019 to 2022, he got into 28 games and logged 70 2/3 innings with a 5.48 ERA. He struck out a solid 23.5% of opponents and got grounders at a 44.4% rate but walked 11.6% of batters faced.

The Cubs had been operating for a while with Hughes as their only left-handed reliever. Now that this knee inflammation will put him out of action for a while, Kay will get another shot in the big leagues as the team’s lone southpaw in the bullpen. He has one option year remaining and could be sent back to Iowa at some point while still holding onto his spot on the 40-man. He has between one and two years of service time and could be cheaply retained for future seasons if he does indeed hang onto that spot.

As for Burdi, he had his contract selected in the middle of May but then went on the injured list May 24 due to appendicitis. He’ll now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, or late July.

Blue Jays Place Brandon Belt On Injured List

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The Blue Jays announced a series of moves today, reinstating catcher Danny Jansen from the injured list while recalling infielder Ernie Clement and right-hander Bowden Francis. To open spots for those three, catcher Tyler Heineman was optioned, righty Adam Cimber went on the paternity list and first baseman Brandon Belt was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 11, with left hamstring inflammation.

Belt, 35, had spent his entire career with the Giants until recently, signing with the Jays this winter on a one-year, $9.3MM deal. It was a risky play for the club since Belt slashed a subpar .213/.326/.350 last year for a 96 wRC+ as he battled various ailments and eventually underwent season-ending knee surgery. But the Jays were surely hoping that the procedure could help him bounce back to the form he showed in 2020 and 2021. Over those two campaigns, he hit a combined .285/.393/.595. That amounted to a 162 wRC+, which trailed only Juan Soto and Bryce Harper among all hitters in the league with at least 550 plate appearances.

He got out to a slow start with his new club, as he was hitting just .169/.246/.288 through the end of April. But he’s slashed an excellent .323/.452/.527 since the calendar flipped to May to bring his overall batting line to .263/.378/.434 and a wRC+ of 130. He’s struck out in 37.2% of his trips to the plate but also walked in 15% of them.

Subtracting a bat of that caliber is an unwelcome development for the Jays, though Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet relays that the club is hoping for a minimum stint. Belt departed Saturday’s game with left hamstring tightness and the Jays took a couple of days to decide whether the issue was serious enough to warrant an IL stint. Since the move is backdated, he could be back in just over a week if it indeed proves to be a minor issue.

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base most days, Belt had seen more time as the designated hitter than in the field. The one silver lining of Belt’s absence is that there should be more opportunities to rotate other players through there in the meantime for some partial rest.

Rangers Promote Owen White

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3:15pm: The Rangers have now announced the moves, recalling both White and Bradford. In corresponding moves, left-hander Cole Ragans and right-hander Yerry Rodríguez were optioned to Round Rock.

12:55pm: The Rangers are promoting pitching prospect prospect Owen White, according to Ken Rosenthal and Sam Blum of The Athletic. White is already on the 40-man roster but will need a corresponding move to get onto the active roster.

White, 23, is generally considered to be one of the top 100 prospects in the league. Baseball America currently has him at #83, MLB Pipeline at #47 and FanGraphs at #30, while preseason rankings had him at #87 at ESPN and he was in the #70 spot on the listing from Keith Law of The Athletic.

Selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, his professional debut was delayed by Tommy John surgery in early 2019 and then the pandemic canceling the minor leagues in 2020. In 2021, he suffered a broken hand but was able to throw 35 1/3 innings between the Complex League and Single-A ball, posting a 3.06 ERA before adding another 28 1/3 frames in the Arizona Fall League. Last year was split between High-A and Double-A, with White able to post a combined 3.59 ERA over 80 1/3 innings between those two levels. He struck out 31.7% of opponents while walking just 7%.

He has a four-pitch mix that features a mid-90s fastball that can get up to 98 mph, along with a slider, curveball and changeup. Beyond the stuff, White is often praised for his ability to control and command that arsenal. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

The Rangers are now skipping White over Triple-A, though it doesn’t seem it’s a situation where he has forced their hand with a dominant performance. Here in 2023, he’s been back at Double-A, having tossed 53 1/3 innings over 11 starts. He has a 3.54 ERA, though with diminished peripherals thus far including a 21.1% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 46.1% ground ball rate.

The promotion seems to have been spurred by some challenges the club is facing in patching a rotation together in the short term. Jacob deGrom is out for the rest of the season due to elbow surgery, leaving them with Jon Gray, Martín Pérez, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning. Gray was supposed to start today’s game but was scratched with a blister issue. With pitchers like Jake Odorizzi and Glenn Otto out with their own injuries, the Rangers will recall Cody Bradford to start tonight’s contest. Bradford has already made a couple of spot starts this year but just tossed 99 pitches over eight innings in a Triple-A game on Friday. He’ll be taking the ball on just three days rest tonight and will likely have some restrictions because of it.

With the club having used five relievers in last night’s 12-inning game against the Angels, it’s not the best time to be sending out a starter with a short leash. White last pitched on Wednesday and could perhaps take on a bulk role behind Bradford, if necessary.

The club’s plans going forward will likely depend on how today goes and how Gray’s blister reacts in the coming days. If he heals up quickly, perhaps Bradford or White or both will end up back in the minors in short order, though that will remain to be seen. Either way, it seems there’s a chance that Rangers’ fans and baseball fans in general will have a chance to see one of the best pitching prospects in the league take on major league hitters tonight.

Even if White were to somehow end up staying in the big leagues for the rest of the year, he would come up short of a full year of service time. The latest collective bargaining agreement gives him the ability to earn a full year anyway since he was on at least two of the top 100 lists at BA, ESPN and MLB Pipeline, but he would have to finish in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting. With the season already nearing the midway point, he would have a tough hill to climb, having to chase guys like Hunter Brown or Josh Jung who already have a headstart on tallying stats for the year.

Image courtesy USA Today Sports.

Tigers Promote Brendan White

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The Tigers announced that right-hander Brendan White has been recalled to the active roster, with fellow righty Garrett Hill optioned out in a corresponding move. White was already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

White, 24, was a 26th round selection of the Tigers in 2019. He made some Rookie ball appearances that year but then the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020. He has since jumped up the minor league ladder one rung per year. He spent 2021 in High-A, tossing 101 1/3 innings over 18 starts and eight relief appearances with a 4.17 ERA. He moved up to Double-A last year and was also moved to the bullpen on a permanent basis. He tossed 67 1/3 innings over 48 appearances last year with a 2.67 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 56% ground ball rate.

Since that move to full-time relief work seemed to suit him so well, the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He has spent all of this year in Triple-A so far, logging 32 frames over 25 appearances. His ERA has jumped to 4.78 but that seems to be inflated by a .466 batting average on balls in play. His 29.3% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 52.2% ground ball rate are all similar to last year’s numbers and each one is better than average.

White will now get a chance to jump to the major leagues and join a beleaguered Detroit bullpen. The club used seven pitchers on Sunday’s game, using Will Vest as an opener in front of bulk guy Joey Wentz before five different relievers were later deployed. Yesterday, the club went with a bullpen game as each of Mason Englert, Hill, and Tyler Alexander tossed at least 2 2/3 innings before Alex Lange closed it out. With that heavy usage, they’ve decided to get a fresh arm by swapping White in for Hill.

Brewers Sign Raimel Tapia

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Outfielder Raimel Tapia, who was recently released by the Red Sox, has signed with the Brewers, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Brewers will need to make corresponding moves to get Tapia onto their 40-man and active rosters for tonight’s game.

Tapia, 29, has spent many years as a contact-oriented hitter with a bit of speed. He was non-tendered by the Blue Jays after last season and signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. Tapia made Boston’s Opening Day roster and spent a bit over two months with the club, performing at expected rates, give or take.

His 9.6% walk rate and 19.6% strikeout rate this year were both a bit better than league average, but he hit just one home run. That led to a .264/.333/.368 batting line and 92 wRC+, indicating he was 8% below league average overall. That wasn’t far off from his .265/.292/.380 line and 90 wRC+ with the Jays last year. Meanwhile, his outfield defense was considered around average while he stole six bases.

Despite that generally solid performance, Tapia was nudged out in Boston by some crowding in the outfield picture. Adam Duvall’s injury paved the way for Jarren Duran to get himself some more big league playing time, which he has done well with, hitting .282/.337/.435 on the year for a 107 wRC+. Rob Refsnyder has also been playing well in a reserve role behind regulars Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida. With Duvall’s return from the IL imminent, Tapia was designated for assignment just over a week ago.

Tapia’s deal with the Sox paid him a $2MM salary. Since he has over five years of major league service time, he would have had the right to reject an outright assignment while retaining all of that, so the club simply released him. That leaves them on the hook for the remainder of that cash, allowing the Brewers to now pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox will pay.

The Brewers have dealt with a few hits to their outfield mix this season, as each of Garrett Mitchell, Jesse Winker and Tyrone Taylor is currently on the injured list. That has left them with Joey Wiemer, Christian Yelich and Brian Anderson getting most of the reps lately, with Blake Perkins backing them up. Perkins is in his first major league season and is hitting just .200/.250/.333 through 34 plate appearances thus far. It’s possible that Tapia nudges Perkins back to the minors, though Anderson is also capable of playing third base and joining the rotating infield picture alongside Luis Urías, Owen Miller, Andruw Monasterio and Abraham Toro.

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