Outright Assignments: Haase, Barlow, Lopez, Johnson
Catching up on some players being outrighted off their teams’ 40-man roster, with all info coming from MLB.com’s official transactions page unless credited otherwise…
Latest Moves
- The Guardians assigned catcher Eric Haase to Triple-A this evening, three days after he was designated for assignment. The 30-year old backstop was drafted by Cleveland back in 2011 and eventually made his major league debut with the club in 2018. He was shipped to Detroit in a cash deal in January 2020 and spent the next several years as the club’s primary catcher, slashing .229/.280/.400 in his 301 games with the Tigers. Detroit designated him for assignment back in August to make room for the signing of Carson Kelly and he was promptly claimed off waivers by the Guardians, reuniting him with his first big league organization. In this most recent stint with Cleveland, Haase made it into just three games, going 2-for-10 with a walk and three strikeouts before being DFA’d for the second time that month. As a player who’s been outrighted in the past, Haase has the right to reject the outright assignment if he so chooses, though he would not be eligible for the postseason upon signing with a new club and could simply elect free agency this offseason if not added back to the 40-man roster.
Earlier Today
- The Royals outrighted Joe Barlow to Triple-A after clearing waivers, two days after the right-hander was designated for assignment. Barlow has a 4.66 ERA over 13 games and 9 2/3 innings with the Rangers this season, as he has spent most of 2023 pitching at the Triple-A level. Kansas City claimed Barlow off waivers in early August but he didn’t receive and big league action for K.C., instead just pitching at Triple-A Omaha. Barlow posted a 2.81 ERA and 24 saves over 64 innings for the Rangers in 2021-22, even if his secondary metrics hinted that some regression was coming.
- The Reds outrighted infielder Alejo Lopez to Triple-A. Lopez was designated for assignment earlier this week when Cincinnati added Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader to the roster. Because Lopez has previously been outrighted in his career (back in February), he has the option of rejecting the outright assignment and becoming a free agent, though there isn’t yet any word about his decision. The 27-year-old Lopez was a 27th-round pick for the Reds in 2015 and he has spent his entire career with the organization, including 73 games and 159 plate appearances at the big league level in 2021-22. Cincinnati selected Lopez’s contract again this week but he didn’t see any more game action before being DFA’ed. Lopez has hit .262/.307/.321 in the majors but he has shown an ability to get on base during his minor league career, even if his power numbers are lacking. Playing primarily around the infield during his career, Lopez has added to his versatility by getting more corner outfield action over the last couple of seasons.
- The Giants outrighted outfielder Bryce Johnson to Triple-A. Like Lopez, Johnson was also a recent DFA, and he also has the option of free agency since he has been outrighted in the past. Johnson made his Major League debut in 2022, and has hit .148/.209/.213 over 67 PA while appearing in 41 games for San Francisco in the last two seasons. Known as a strong defender who can play all three outfield positions, Johnson also has plus speed, though his impressive stolen base totals from the minors (157 steals in 199 chances) haven’t yet translated into the small sample size of his big league career. His overall offensive game has yet to really show up in the big leagues, as Johnson has a .287/.370/.431 slash line over 988 PA at the Triple-A level.
Nationals Sign Rico Garcia To Two-Year Minor League Deal
The Nationals have signed right-hander Rico Garcia to a minor league contract that runs through the 2024 season, The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty reports (via X). Garcia was became a free agent yesterday after being released by Washington, but he’ll now quickly rejoin the Nats.
Biceps tendinitis has kept Garcia from pitching at either the major or minor league level since July 28, and that same injury probably resulted in Garcia’s brief foray in the free agent market. Injured players can only be placed on release waivers rather than outright waivers, but it seems quite possible that there might have been a handshake deal in place for Garcia to re-sign with D.C. once the transactional red tape was cleared.
The two-year nature of the contract also seems to hint that Garcia might need more time to recover from his injury, though details are scarce on his health status. Reports from early August indicated that Garcia was starting some rehab work at the Nationals’ spring camp, but Garcia had yet to appear in any rehab games.
The 29-year-old Garcia has appeared in four of the last five MLB seasons, suiting up for five different teams. The A’s designated Garcia for assignment in July but he rejected the outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency, and he then landed with the Nationals on a minors deal. Garcia has a 9.26 ERA over 11 2/3 combined innings with Oakland and Washington this season, and a 7.32 ERA over his 35 2/3 career frames of big league work.
Tommy John surgery wiped out all of Garcia’s 2021 season, but he returned as essentially a full-time relief pitcher, and he has posted some good numbers at the Triple-A level over the last two years. His 2.93 ERA over 27 2/3 Triple-A innings this season was marred by some uncharacteristic control problems, but Garcia posted a 29.51% strikeout rate.
Astros Claim Bennett Sousa Off Waivers
The Astros have claimed left-hander Bennett Sousa off of Detroit’s waiver wire, according to the Tigers. The Astros announced that infielder Rylan Bannon was designated for assignment to create roster space on Houston’s 40-man. Right-hander Blair Calvo was also outrighted to the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate after clearing waivers.
Sousa has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he’ll provide some depth should the Astros need some left-handed help in their bullpen. Framber Valdez is the only left-hander on Houston’s MLB roster, and Sousa joins fellow Sugar Land Space Cowboys Parker Mushinski and Matt Gage as the only other left-handed options on the 40-man.
The 28-year-old Sousa is changing teams for the second time in a week, as Detroit only claimed him off waivers from the Brewers on August 29. Sousa’s brief Tigers tenure didn’t result in any Major League or minor league action with the organization, as the Tigers designated him for assignment just on September 1.
A tenth-round pick for the White Sox in the 2018 draft, Sousa made his MLB debut with Chicago in 2022 before joining the Reds on a waiver claim back in February. The Brewers then acquired Sousa in April, leading to two appearances for Sousa in a Milwaukee uniform. Altogether, Sousa has appeared in 27 MLB games and thrown 23 innings during his career, posting an even 9.00 ERA. Over 193 1/3 innings in the minors, Sousa has a 2.98 ERA to go along with some good strikeout rates and grounder rates, though control has increasingly become an issue as Sousa has worked his way up the minor league ladder.
Bannon made his Major League debut last season, and has already suited up for three different teams (Orioles, Braves, Astros) over his seven career games in the Show. Perhaps best known as one of the five players acquired by the O’s from the Dodgers in the Manny Machado trade, Bannon was involved in a flurry of waiver claims over the last five months of 2022, going from the Orioles to the Dodgers to the Braves to the Cubs and finally to the Astros in December.
His 21 career PA in the majors have only yielded two hits, but Bannon has posted some decent numbers in the minors, including a .228/.339/.420 slash line over 1191 PA at the Triple-A level. Between his bat and his ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop, it wouldn’t be a shock if Bannon is claimed again on waivers from a team looking for some infield depth.
Guardians Activate Josh Naylor From 10-Day Injured List
The Guardians announced that Josh Naylor has been activated from the 10-day injured list, with outfielder Oscar Gonzalez headed to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Naylor will return to Cleveland’s lineup after missing over a month due to a strained oblique.
Naylor was initially projected to miss between three to six weeks, so he’ll get back to action roughly halfway through that estimated recovery timetable. While missing Naylor for any amount of time was a blow to the Guardians, the club will at least get their second-best hitter back for most of September, and Naylor fortunately avoided any kind of lingering oblique issue that might’ve threatened his season entirely.
With a .306/.346/.500 slash line and 15 homers over 390 plate appearances this season, Naylor has joined Jose Ramirez as essentially the only premium bats within a lackluster Guardians lineup. The timing of Naylor’s injury seemed to almost close the door on the Guards’ chances of contending, as the team had already moved Aaron Civale, Amed Rosario, and Josh Bell in advance of the trade deadline.
However, while Cleveland is only 13-16 since the start of August, they remain five games behind the Twins for first place in the AL Central. Naylor’s impending return might have inspired the Guardians’ decision to be aggressive during the recent flurry of pre-September 1 waiver placements, as the Guards bolstered their pitching ranks by claiming Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Matt Moore from the Angels. It remains to be seen if these new arms and Naylor’s bat might be enough to get Cleveland past Minnesota, but even with a 66-70 record, the Guardians aren’t quitting on the 2023 campaign.
Twins Place Michael A. Taylor On 10-Day IL, Activate Willi Castro
The Twins placed outfielder Michael A. Taylor on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. Minnesota also announced that utilityman Willi Castro was activated from his own 10-day IL stint to take Taylor’s spot on the active roster.
Acquired from the Royals in an offseason trade, Taylor has been Minnesota’s primary center fielder this season, helping fill the void up the middle since Byron Buxton‘s knee issues have limited him to DH duty. Taylor has delivered his customary excellent defense and also provided the Twins with some unexpected power, as the outfielder has hit a career-best 20 home runs. While Taylor’s .229/.281/.456 slash line over 354 plate appearances still translates to a slightly below-average 99 wRC+, that still represents Taylor’s best number since his 104 wRC+ with the Nationals in 2017. Between the glovework, the power, and 13 steals in 14 chances, Taylor has generated 1.9 fWAR, making him a nice under-the-radar contributor to the Twins’ lineup.
Unfortunately, he’ll now miss at least the 10 days healing up a balky hamstring that has been a nagging issue for most of the week. Losing Taylor is a setback for a Twins club that is still trying to put away the Guardians in the AL Central race, and Minnesota can only hope that Taylor won’t miss much beyond the 10-day minimum.
Castro has seen the second-most innings of any Twins player in center field this season, so the utilityman is likely to be joined by Andrew Stevenson, Jordan Luplow, and Joey Gallo in filling in on the grass while Taylor is out. Castro hasn’t played since August 11 due to a left oblique strain, but he’ll now return to give Minnesota a versatile depth option all over the diamond. Left field, third base, and center field have been Castro’s primary positions this year, but he has also seen some time as a second baseman, shortstop, and right fielder. At the plate, Castro is hitting .241/.322/.371 over 315 PA.
In other Twins outfield news, Buxton continues to recover from a hamstring strain of his own, though he has still been battling patella tendinitis in his bothersome right knee. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune) that Buxton’s knee soreness isn’t unexpected, especially since Buxton had recently played center field during his minor league rehab assignment. This represented Buxton’s first time playing in the field in over a year.
Rockies Place Daniel Bard On 15-Day IL, Activate Chase Anderson
The Rockies announced that right-hander Daniel Bard was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 2) due to fatigue in his throwing forearm. Bard’s spot on the active roster will be taken by Chase Anderson, who was activated from the 15-day IL and will start today’s game against the Blue Jays.
There isn’t yet any word on whether Bard’s forearm issue is serious or simply precautionary, though the “fatigue” wording seems to indicate the latter. Nevertheless, given that it’s already September and that the Rockies are out of contention, it is quite possible the team might shut Bard down for the remainder of the season.
It has been a difficult year on and off the field for Bard, as he missed the first few weeks of the season due to anxiety issues. While he was thankfully able to return to the mound, his numbers took a big dropoff from his excellent 2022 performance. Bard has a 4.70 ERA, 19.9% strikeout rate, and a whopping 20.8% walk rate over 46 innings this year, with that walk rate standing out as the highest in baseball for any hurler with at least 40 innings pitched.
As of July 25, Bard still had a 2.02 ERA, but a 13.94 ERA over his next 10 1/3 innings threw his season-long numbers into disarray. This includes seven earned runs over his last two outings, which could be explained by the forearm problem.
Anderson hasn’t pitched since July 22 due to shoulder inflammation, and the veteran righty will now get back on the mound to try and salvage a strong finish to an underwhelming season. One of many Colorado pitchers to struggle in 2023, Anderson has a 6.63 ERA over 55 2/3 innings since being claimed off waivers from the Rays in May.
Daniel Norris Accepts Outright Assignment
6:25pm: The Guardians have announced that Norris has accepted the outright assignment to Triple-A.
12:20pm: Daniel Norris has cleared waivers, and the Guardians have outrighted the veteran left-hander off their 40-man roster. Cleveland designated Norris for assignment earlier this week.
The next step is for Norris to decide whether or not to accept the outright assignment, since he has the option of instead becoming a free agent. It was less than two weeks ago that Norris took that very path after another outright assignment, but he then quickly re-signed with Cleveland on a new minor league deal. Since initially signing with the Guardians back in March, Norris has been DFA’ed and outrighted on three different occasions.
Amidst all those transactions, Norris has made seven appearances with the Guards, posting a 5.68 ERA over 12 innings. Most of the damage came last Monday, when Norris was charged with four earned runs over two innings of relief work in the Guardians’ 10-6 loss to the Twins. Norris issued more walks (12) than strikeouts (11) over his 12 frames, and he also has a 10.8% walk rate over 53 innings with Triple-A Columbus this season.
While the small sample size of Norris’ MLB work might be an explanation for the spike in walk rate, his control has been a bit more of an issue over the previous two seasons as well — a 7.8% walk rate over Norris’ first 454 career innings from 2014-20 shot up to an 11.8% total in 115 2/3 innings in 2021-22. Between the walks and home run problems, Norris’ transition to mostly relief pitching hasn’t been too successful, as he has a 5.68 ERA since the start of the 2021 season.
The Guardians’ pitching depth chart has gotten more crowded with all their recent waiver claims, which could lead to Norris testing free agency again if he thinks opportunities might be scarce on the Guards’ big league roster. If Norris chooses to accept the outright assignment, he’ll provide more depth at the minor league level and will probably still be one of the first arms in line for a call-up should a need arise in Cleveland’s bullpen.
Reds Select Chasen Shreve, Promote Connor Phillips
The Reds announced a series of roster moves this afternoon. The club placed right-hander Graham Ashcraft of the 15-day IL with a stress reaction in his big toe, placed left-hander Brandon Williamson on the COVID-19 IL, selected the contract of left-hander Chasen Shreve, and added right-hander Connor Phillips to the roster as a substitute player. Players on the COVID-19 IL don’t count against a club’s 40-man roster, so the Reds have plenty of temporary flexibility due to the number of players currently shelved with the virus. As a substitute player, Phillips is only temporarily on the roster and can be returned to the minors without being waived. As the club selected Shreve’s contract, he counts against the club’s 40-man roster in a more permanent fashion, though no corresponding move is needed at this time.
Phillips, 22, will make his major league debut the first time he gets into a game. MLB Pipeline ranks the young right-hander as the club’s fourth best prospect and the 70th best prospect in the sport. He opened the year with a dominant performance at Double-A, posting a 3.34 ERA in 64 2/3 innings of work with an incredible 39.1% strikeout rate. Since receiving a promotion to Triple-A, however, Phillips has begun to struggle. His 40 1/3 innings at the level have yielded a 4.69 ERA, while his strikeout rate has plummeted to 24.2% and his walk rate has ballooned to a massive 16.9%.
Given his age, prospect pedigree and dominance as recently as earlier this season, it’s certainly possible Phillips has a lengthy and successful big league career in his future. In the short-term, however, he’ll need to significantly cut down on the free passes if he hopes to help the 70-67 Reds fight their way into one of the NL Wild Card spots with key pitchers like Williamson and right-hander Hunter Greene out for an unknown amount of time due to the clubhouse’s COVID outbreak.
Shreve, 33, joined the Reds on a minor league deal last month. He had spent the 2023 season with the Tigers prior to that, pitching to a roughly league average 4.79 ERA and 4.06 FIP in 47 appearances with the club. The lefty veteran is in his tenth year as a major league pitcher, with a career 3.88 ERA. While he’s mostly looked the part of a middle reliever throughout his career, it’s worth noting he’s posted a 2.65 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate against same-handed hitters this season. With Sam Moll as the only other southpaw in the Cincinnati bullpen as things stand, Shreve seems likely to be able to carve out a specialized role in the Reds’ bullpen going forward.
Joining several of his teammates on the COVID IL is Williamson, who has looked the part of a solid mid-to-back of the rotation starter during his rookie campaign. Across 19 starts with the Reds this year, Williamson has posted a 4.20 ERA (109 ERA+) and a 4.51 FIP in 98 2/3 innings of work. The loss of a reliable rotation arm like Williamson further compounds the club’s pitching woes. In addition to Greene’s move to the COVID IL, the Reds recently lost any hope of left-hander Nick Lodolo returning this season.
Williamson isn’t the only starter hitting the shelf today, either, as Ashcraft moves to the 15-day IL following his start against the Cubs yesterday, in which he allowed three runs over five innings of work while striking out six. It’s been an up-and-down season for Ashcraft, who dominated to a 2.00 ERA in his first six starts this season before posting a brutal 12.82 ERA over his next eight starts. Since June 30, Ashcraft has posted a 2.58 ERA reminiscent of his strong start to the season, though his 19.8% strikeout rate and eight homers allowed in seven starts both leave his long-term viability as a rotation arm in question. Overall, he’s delivered a 4.76 ERA and 5.07 FIP in 145 2/3 innings of work this season.
Without Williamson and Ashcraft, the club’s rotation is facing a great deal of uncertainty, with only rookie Andrew Abbott as a surefire big league starter on the roster. Lyon Richardson took the ball against the Cubs for the second game of a doubleheader last night, but sports an ugly 6.75 ERA across three starts in the majors. The club will likely have to turn to the likes of Double-A swingman Carson Spiers and journeyman Brett Kennedy to take on innings with most of the club’s rotation out of commission.
Cardinals Claim Michael Siani From Reds
Both the Reds and Cardinals have announced that St. Louis has claimed outfielder Michael Siani off of Cincinnati’s waiver waire. Siani was designated for assignment earlier this week, as part of the 40-man roster maneuvering necessary when the Reds claimed Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader off waivers. The Cards also announced that Guillermo Zuniga has been moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, thus ending Zuniga’s season.
A fourth-round pick for the Reds in the 2018 draft, Siani is a veteran of 12 big league games — nine in 2022 and three for this year’s team, with four hits over 25 total plate appearances. Siani is known for both his outstanding defense and speed, as he has stolen 155 bases in 200 total attempts in the minors while also showing excellent glovework in center field. With a .228/.344/.355 slash line over 2167 PA in the minors, offense is still a work in progress for the 24-year-old, even if his other tools project him as at least a bench option at the MLB level.
While it isn’t a surprise to see another team claim Siani away, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (X link) notes that it is a bit of a curious pickup for the Cardinals in particular, given that St. Louis already has several outfielders on the 40-man roster or on the cusp of the majors. Of course, a team isn’t just going to pass on a player it thinks has promise, and the Cardinals might clear some space anyway in the outfield this winter. The team is widely expected to try and trade some of its current outfield mix, likely in search of some badly needed reinforcements for the starting rotation.
Zuniga was first placed on the IL on August 25, and since he is suffering from a right forearm strain, it already looked like he probably wasn’t going to make it back before the end of the 2023 campaign. The only hope is that the 60-day IL placement isn’t a precursor to a more serious injury like UCL or elbow damage resulting in surgery, as such a procedure could potentially shelve Zuniga for just about all of the 2024 season. Zuniga made his MLB debut this season, appearing in two games for St. Louis prior to his forearm strain.
Mets Claim Peyton Battenfield
The Guardians announced that right-hander Peyton Battenfield has been claimed off waivers by the Mets. Battenfield was designated for assignment earlier this week as part of Cleveland’s roster-clearing moves for waiver claims Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore.
Perhaps something of an overlooked arm within a Cleveland system deep in pitching prospects, Battenfield made his Major League debut this season, called into action to help eat innings amidst some injuries within the Guardians’ rotation. The results weren’t great, as Battenfield posted a 5.19 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate, and 8.2% walk rate over 34 2/3 innings (starting six of his seven games). The righty was then injured himself, as shoulder inflammation sent Battenfield to the 60-day IL from mid-May until the start of August, when he was activated and then optioned back to Triple-A Columbus.
A ninth-round pick for the Astros in the 2019 draft, Battenfield was dealt to the Rays during the 2019-20 offseason before heading to Cleveland in the 2021 deadline deal that sent Jordan Luplow and DJ Johnston to Tampa. He’ll now find himself on the move again to a Mets team that might have some competition for a rotation job next spring, given how only Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana look like sure bets to be part of the starting five. At worst, Battenfield looks he can be a depth option for New York, and might have some further upside considering that he is just a year removed from a solid performance with Columbus in 2022.