Rangers To Promote Justin Foscue
4:15pm: Foscue has been officially recalled with Jung placed on the 10-day injured list. Rangers general manager Chris Young said Jung will undergo surgery and could be back in six weeks, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today.
9:59am: The Rangers will promote infield prospect and former first-round pick Justin Foscue ahead of today’s game, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He’ll take the roster spot of third baseman Josh Jung, who’s headed to the injured list after suffering a broken wrist yesterday when he was hit by a pitch. It’ll be Foscue’s major league debut when he first takes the field.
Foscue, 25, is a bat-first prospect with a hit-over-power skill set. His outstanding bat-to-ball skills have been on play in each of the past two seasons in the upper minors; he slashed .288/.367/.483 in 460 Double-A plate appearances in 2022 and .266/.394/.468 in 563 Triple-A plate appearances last year. Foscue struck out in only 14.3% of those Double-A plate appearances and notched an even better 12.4% strikeout rate in a 2023 season that saw him draw walks at a gaudy 15.1% rate.
While Foscue doesn’t have the plus power we so often see from bat-first prospects, that doesn’t mean he’s strictly a slap hitter. He popped 15 homers in ’22 and another 18 last year. He also piled up 31 doubles in each of the past two seasons and has chipped in another five triples along the way. Foscue draws below-average grades for his speed but was able to swipe 14 bags in Triple-A last year — albeit in 21 tries (66.7% success rate).
The main knock on Foscue throughout his professional career has been his defense. He’s played primarily second base (1933 innings) but has also logged time at the hot corner (410 innings) and at first base (92 innings). He’s not regarded as a strong defender at any of those positions, however. Baseball America ranked him as the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect this season, lauding his offensive future but noting that Foscue “does not have the range, mobility or arm strength to stick up the middle or at third base.” He could eventually serve as a platoon partner for Nathaniel Lowe at first base, a part-time designated hitter and perhaps log some time in left field, but defense doesn’t appear likely to ever be a vital part of his skill set. Even if the Rangers were more bullish on his abilities at second base than rival scouts, he’s blocked at his natural position, with Marcus Semien signed through 2028.
The Rangers likely aren’t calling Foscue up simply to play sparingly. Utilityman Ezequiel Duran could also see time at third base in Jung’s absence, but both Duran and Foscue bat right-handed, so a conventional platoon isn’t likely to be deployed — at least at third base. With Lowe on the shelf, however, Foscue can be a righty complement to Jared Walsh against lefties. Beyond that, he figures to draw starts at designated hitter and third base versus right-handed pitching.
From a service time vantage point, Foscue is being recalled early enough that he’d garner a full year if he sticks on the big league roster. In that scenario, he’d be arb-eligible following the 2026 season and slated for free agency following the 2029 season. Even a short-term optional stint back in the minors at any point in the next few seasons could push his free agency back a year, though.
Given the crowded Texas infield — where a healthy Jung, Semien, Lowe and Corey Seager are all entrenched in their spots — it’s quite possible Foscue could see some time back in Triple-A, particularly if he struggles at all in his initial taste of the big leagues. If he hits from the outset, however, he could eventually move into a regular DH role who occasionally spells the Texas regulars around the infield.
Mariners Claim Sammy Peralta From White Sox
The White Sox announced that left-hander Sammy Peralta has been claimed off waivers by the Mariners. The southpaw was designated for assignment on Opening Day and has now been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners had two open spots on their 40-man roster, which is now at 39.
Peralta, 26, just made his major league debut with the Sox last year, frequently being shuttled between Triple-A and the big leagues. He ultimately tossed 20 innings in the majors with a 4.05 earned run average, striking out 20% of batters faced while walking 12.2%. He seemed to do a decent job of limiting damage, as his average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard hit rate were all better than average in that small sample.
He also tossed 69 innings over 29 appearances in Triple-A with a 5.09 ERA, though he likely deserved better. His 23.1% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate were both strong but a 59.2% strand rate seems to have hampered him, which is why his 4.21 FIP was almost a full run better.
The Mariners are currently a little bit snakebit in the bullpen, with Gregory Santos and Matt Brash trying to come back from injuries while Jackson Kowar is out for the year due to Tommy John surgery. They have two lefties on the big league roster in Gabe Speier and Tayler Saucedo but Peralta will give them a third option on their 40-man for when a need arises.
He still has two option years and less than a year of service time, so he can be a long-term depth piece for the club if he continues to hang onto that 40-man spot. The M’s have done a good job in recent years with unearthing hidden gems by grabbing fairly unheralded relievers and polishing them until they shine, so the club and Peralta will be hoping he is the latest point on that trendline.
Marlins Acquire Emmanuel Rivera, Designate Jacob Amaya
The Marlins announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired infielder Emmanuel Rivera from the D-backs in exchange for cash. Shortstop Jacob Amaya was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Rivera, 28 in June, is coming off a lackluster season in 2023 but seemed on the verge of a breakout in the prior two years. In 2021, while with the Royals, he first reached Triple-A and hit .286/.348/.592 in his first 63 games at that level.
In 2022, he did well at Triple-A again, hitting .307/.388/.520. He couldn’t immediately carry that over to the big leagues, hitting .243/.294/.378 in 309 plate appearances for the Royals in 2021 and 2022, translating to a wRC+ of 85. But he was traded to the Diamondbacks at the 2022 deadline for right-hander Luke Weaver and hit .227/.304/.424 for the Snakes after the deal, producing a wRC+ of 104 in that time.
In 2023, he continued mashing in Triple-A, hitting .330/.395/.598 there. In the bigs, however, he slashed .261/.314/.358 for a wRC+ of 83. He burned his last option last year and is now out of options. He stuck with the Diamondbacks through the winter but didn’t make the Opening Day roster and got squeezed off the 40-man.
For the Marlins, they will take a shot on Rivera and hope that his continually strong Triple-A production can start to filter up to the majors. He’s considered a strong defender at third, with nine Defensive Runs Saved and two Outs Above Average, with the ability to play first as well.
The Fish have Jake Burger as their regular at the hot corner but he’s not considered great with the glove, -11 DRS and -14 OAA, so Rivera could perhaps spell him in the field on occasion. Rivera has also hit .273/.327/.410 against lefties in his big league career compared to .233/.293/.364 against righties so perhaps could be used against southpaws while Burger goes to first base or the designated hitter spot. Corner outfielders Jesús Sánchez and Nick Gordon are both lefties with notable platoon splits, so perhaps they could be shielded a bit.
As for Amaya, 25, he’s long been considered a strong defender but the big question has been how much he can hit. Acquired from the Dodgers just over a year ago in the Miguel Rojas trade, he made his major league debut last year and got two singles in his first nine plate appearances. He hit .252/.345/.407 in Triple-A last year for a wRC+ 89.
He has just one minor league option remaining so it may be something of a make-or-break year for him. The Marlins will have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Given his solid defensive reputation, he could appeal to clubs with questions about their shortstop depth, especially since Amaya can be kept in the minors for the rest of the season.
Dodgers Claim Taylor Trammell
The Dodgers have claimed outfielder Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Mariners, who’d designated him for assignment last week, Robert Murray of FanSided reports. Trammell is out of minor league options, so he’ll go right onto the Dodgers’ active roster.
Now 26 years old, Trammell was the No. 35 overall pick by the Reds back in 2016. He ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects each season from 2018-21 and has participated in a pair of Futures Games but hasn’t yet found success in the majors. He had multiple auditions with the Mariners — who acquired him alongside Andres Munoz and Ty France in exchange for Austin Nola, Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla — but has produced only a .168/.270/.368 batting line with a huge 37% strikeout rate in 351 MLB plate appearances.
That said, Trammell has been vastly better in Triple-A. He’s spent parts of three seasons there as well, turning in a stout .274/.381/.506 batting line with a 24% strikeout rate that’s worlds better than his MLB clip. Trammell has shown off his eye at the plate both in the majors (11.1% walk rate) and in Triple-A (14%).
Trammell’s once better-than-average speed has declined, as Statcast ranked him in just the 43rd percentile of MLB players in average sprint speed last year. His defensive grades from metrics like Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved haven’t lined up with scouting reports that pegged him as a potentially plus defender in the outfield, either. Trammell has probably hit for more power than was expected early in his prospect days. His .368 slugging isn’t much to look at, but when considering his low batting average, he’s sitting on a .200 ISO in his big league career. He’s also popped 38 homers in his 812 Triple-A plate appearances.
His role with the Dodgers is yet to be determined, though fellow lefty-swinging outfielder Jason Heyward has been dealing with a back issue. If Heyward needs to miss any time, Trammell could step into his role as a stopgap until the veteran is able to return.
Wei-Yin Chen Signs With Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks
Eight-year MLB veteran Wei-Yin Chen has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, the team announced Tuesday. He’ll return to the mound after not pitching anywhere during the 2023 season.
Chen, now 38 years old, was a mainstay in the Orioles’ rotation from 2012-15 when he recorded 706 2/3 frames of 3.72 ERA ball (4.14 FIP, 4.04 SIERA) with an 18.5% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 38.5% ground-ball rate. The Taiwanese-born lefty came to the O’s on a four-year deal after a five-year run with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He parlayed his solid showing in Baltimore into a five-year, $80MM contract in Miami that didn’t at all pan out as he or the Marlins hoped.
Chen was active for parts of the first four seasons of that contract, combining for 358 innings with a greatly diminished 5.10 ERA. His average fastball dropped by more than a mile per hour, and while his command remained strong and his strikeout rate slightly improved in Miami, Chen was quite a bit more homer-prone with the Fish than he had been with the O’s. A UCL injury midway through his Marlins tenure wiped out nearly all of his 2017 season. It never required surgery, but Chen still struggled out of the 2018 rotation and in a bullpen role in 2019. The Marlins ate the final year and $22MM on his contract when they released him following the 2019 campaign.
Since leaving the Marlins, Chen signed a minor league deal with the Mariners but never made their roster. He returned to Japan for the 2020-22 seasons, suiting up for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers. He was limited to 68 innings with those two teams’ big league clubs but pitched quite well when healthy and on the roster, turning in an ERA well shy of 3.00. Chen didn’t pitch in 2023.
While a big league comeback as he approaches his 39th birthday (July 21) seems like a long shot, it’s not impossible. The Atlantic League is an official partner league of MLB, and we’ve seen plenty of players utilize that setting as a launching pad back to affiliated ball over the years. MLB scouts will surely get looks at him on the mound. A strong enough performance could net him a minor league deal with an MLB club and put him one step away from getting back to the majors. Even if not, he’ll make for a fun comeback story to follow on the indie circuit this season.
Mets Place Tylor Megill on Injured List
April 2: Megill will be shut down from throwing for five to seven days before being reevaluated, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post. The right-hander said after his IL placement that he felt discomfort when throwing a curveball to begin the fourth inning of his season debut. That discomfort wasn’t as severe as the pain he felt when he suffered the 2022 shoulder strain that shelved him for multiple months.
April 1: The Mets announced Monday that they’ve placed righty Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list after an MRI revealed a strain in his right shoulder. Megill exited his first start of the season after just four innings and 78 pitches. Right-hander Reed Garrett has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in his place for the time being, though Garrett isn’t a rotation option. He’ll give the Mets a fresh arm in the bullpen for now, but they’ll likely make another move to bring up a starter once Megill’s spot in the rotation comes back up. The team has not yet announced the severity of Megill’s strain or a potential timetable for his return.
Megill, 28, moved into the rotation during spring training after Kodai Senga suffered a shoulder strain of his own. He’d been slated to be one of the team’s top depth options but opened the year in the starting five instead. Now, it seems that assignment will only last the one start. Megill two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts against the Brewers before incurring the injury. It’s not the first time he’s battled shoulder injuries in his career; a shoulder strain sent Megill to the 60-day injured list as recently as 2022.
Megill made 27 starts with the Mets in 2021-22, and while he wasn’t slated to open the 2023 season in the rotation, injuries thrust him onto last year’s starting staff and led him to make a career-high 25 starts. In that time, Megill worked to a 4.70 ERA with an 18.5% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. Those numbers roughly line up with his career marks. He’s pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, including his lone 2024 outing, and owns a 4.68 ERA 22.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 42.7% ground-ball rate.
With Megill shelved, the Mets’ four healthy starters are Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Adrian Houser and Luis Severino. In-house options to step into the vacated spot include left-hander Joey Lucchesi and righty Jose Butto — the latter of whom was the final member of the spring rotation competition won by Megill. The Mets also have prospects Mike Vasil, Dominic Hamel and Christian Scott all on the cusp of MLB readiness, but none of that trio is on the 40-man roster. Both Lucchesi and Butto are.
Giants Select Nick Avila, Designate Otto López
The Giants announced a series of roster moves today, with Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area among those to pass them along. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been reinstated from the paternity list and right-hander Nick Avila has been selected to the roster. To open active roster spots, outfielder Luis Matos and right-hander Daulton Jefferies were optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. To open a 40-man spot for Avila, utility player Otto López was designated for assignment.
Avila, 26, will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a ballgame, though he’s been close before. The White Sox selected him from the Giants in the 2022 Rule 5 draft, but he didn’t make Chicago’s Opening Day roster in 2023 and was returned to the Giants. He spent last year in Triple-A, throwing 72 innings over 56 appearances with an earned run average of 3.00. His 12% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 21.3% of batters faced and kept 46.2% of balls in play on the ground. Amazingly, he managed to go 14-0 for the year and has already earned one victory in Triple-A here in 2024.
The Giants got crushed yesterday, eventually losing 13-4 to the Padres. Jefferies started the game and lasted just two innings, forcing long reliever Kai-Wei Teng to toss three frames and three other relievers to come in after that, though one of them was position player Tyler Fitzgerald. Avila will give them a fresh arm as they look to get through three games against a tough Dodger lineup.
To make room for Avila, they’ve had to remove López from the 40-man. Acquired from the Blue Jays in a cash deal back in February, the 25-year-old had 11 big league plate appearances with his former club. He’s hit just .270/.340/.368 in the minors since the start of 2022, production which translates into a wRC+ of 86. But he hit .315/.379/.437 in 2021, giving some hope for better offense going forward.
Regardless of the bat, López can provide value in other ways. He’s good for double-digit stolen base tallies on an annual basis and also provides defensive versatility. In his career, he has played all three outfield positions and the three infield spots to the left of first base. He still has one option remaining and could perhaps appeal to clubs looking for some extra depth that can be stashed in the minors. The Giants will have one week to work out a trade or pass him through waivers.
Dodgers Designate Nabil Crismatt For Assignment
The Dodgers announced that right-hander Nabil Crismatt has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow righty Dinelson Lamet, whose impending selection was reported on earlier today.
Crismatt, 29, was just selected to the roster yesterday. He earned the win in yesterday’s 5-4 victory over the Cardinals, pitching the seventh and eighth innings while the Dodgers were losing 4-2. He put up zeroes in his two frames, striking out three opponents while allowing just one hit and no walks, providing the club with the chance for a comeback win.
Despite that solid performance, it seems he is a victim of circumstance. Manager Dave Roberts informed the Dodgers’ beat, including Juan Toribio of MLB.com, that the club is planning to do a bullpen game tomorrow in order to give the starters some extra rest. That meant bringing in a fresh arm in Lamet while Crismatt got nudged out, likely because he is out of options and doesn’t provide the club with a lot of roster flexibility.
They will now have a week to trade Crismatt or pass him through waivers, though he has a previous career outright and would have the right to elect free agent rather than accept another such assignment. He’s coming off a rough season, having posted an earned run average of 8.31 over his eight major league appearances last year and a 6.86 ERA in the minors. He was in better form in the previous two seasons, when he posted a 3.39 ERA over 148 2/3 innings for the Padres. He struck out 21.6% of batters faced in that time while walking just 7.3%.
Diamondbacks Place Alek Thomas On Injured List With Strained Hamstring
The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Alek Thomas has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring. Outfielder Jorge Barrosa was recalled in a corresponding move and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Thomas, who turns 24 later this month, left last night’s game with some hamstring tightness and it seems the injury is serious enough that he’ll have to miss some time. Per Alex Weiner of AZ Sports, manager Torey Lovullo described it as “high Grade 1” since it’s between Grade 1 and Grade 2.
The young outfielder isn’t much of a hitter, having slashed .230/.273/.362 in his career thus far, but he is a strong defender in center. In 1,857 1/3 innings of big league work thus far, he has produced 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 11 Outs Above Average. Corbin Carroll has slid over from right field to center tonight and may stay there for as long as Thomas is out, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jake McCarthy likely to get regular work in the corners.
The injury to Thomas has allowed the 23-year-old Barrosa to get called up to the big leagues for the first time in his career and he’ll jump into the mix for outfield playing time. An international signing out of Venezuela, the switch hitter split his 2022 between High-A and Double-A. He hit 13 home runs in 123 games while walking in 12.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out at just a 15.4% clip. His combined batting line of .278/.372/.439 translated to a wRC+ of 112 and he stole 26 bases on the year.
The Snakes added him to their roster in November of that year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent all of 2023 in Triple-A, pairing a 15.9% walk rate with a 16.3% strikeout rate. He added another 13 home runs and swiped another 15 bags. His .274/.394/.456 line led to a wRC+ of 110. Baseball America ranked him the club’s #23 prospect coming into this year while FanGraphs had him at #10 as of June of last year.
Athletics Option Esteury Ruiz
The Athletics announced that outfielder Esteury Ruiz has been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. His spot on the active roster goes to infielder Tyler Nevin, who was claimed off waivers from the Orioles yesterday.
Ruiz, 25, has been a key component of the Oakland roster in recent years, having been a notable part of their return in the Sean Murphy trade going into the 2023 season. He missed about a month of last year due to a right shoulder subluxation but otherwise spent the whole year in the majors, getting 497 plate appearances over 132 games. He stole 67 bases in that time but hit just five home runs and walked in just 4% of his trips to the plate. His .254/.309/.345 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 86, indicating he was 14% worse than league average.
This has generally been the profile of Ruiz as a prospect. His blazing speed has always allowed him to provide a level of dynamism on the field but there have always been questions about whether he can hit enough to make use of that. He seemed to take a step forward in 2022, walking in 12.2% of his minor league plate appearances and hitting 16 home runs, which is perhaps why the A’s took a shot on him.
The fact that he didn’t immediately hit the ground running against big league pitching isn’t necessarily an indictment of his future, as many prospects go through an adjustment period after first being promoted. But given that the concerns around his lack of power and on-base ability predate his arrival, it does perhaps raise a least a little concern that the step forward in 2022 was more a fluke than a true sign of change.
Despite his incredible speed, his defense hasn’t been given amazing grades thus far. Outs Above Average has him at just +2 in his career while Defensive Runs Saved has him way down at -22. His -20 DRS last year was the second worst among all outfielders, with only Kyle Schwarber beneath him.
Ruiz started the 2024 season hot, having hit .429/.375/.857, though that’s a tiny sample size of eight plate appearances in three games. He only hit .236/.295/.400 during Spring Training so it’s tough to draw any meaningful conclusions from the good results in three regular season games.
Despite the imperfections in his game, it’s surprising to see Ruiz get sent down rather than stick around for more reps in the majors. The club isn’t expected to be competitive this year and will largely be using the 2024 season to evaluate players to determine the path forward. The majority of the position players on their active roster can be optioned, with J.D. Davis, Abraham Toro and Nevin the only exceptions.
Ruiz has clearly been a priority for the club but will now go get his at-bats at the Triple-A level as the club assesses whether he can find another level at the plate or not. Depending on the length of his stay, it could have repercussions for his path to free agency and/or arbitration. He came into this season with one year and 29 days of service time, meaning that he could come up shy of the two-year mark if he’s down for a significant period of time. Players need six years of service to reach free agency and three years to automatically qualify for arbitration, though some can reach arbitration earlier as Super Two players.
Ruiz was the primary center fielder last year but has been in left field so far this year, with JJ Bleday in center. The departure of Ruiz will open up some left field playing time for guys like Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker and Nevin.