Pirates Outright Wil Crowe
The Pirates announced a few transactions before tonight’s matchup with the Padres. Pittsburgh selected the contract of infielder Alika Williams to make his MLB debut, as reported this morning. Infielder Tucupita Marcano is going directly on the 60-day injured list with ligament damage in his right knee, clearing both active and 40-man roster space. Additionally, reliever Wil Crowe was sent outright to Triple-A Indianapolis after clearing waivers.
Crowe had been designated for assignment last week. The righty had been on the shelf since April due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder. Rather than bring him back to the 40-man roster once he was healthy, the Bucs designated him for assignment. He’s gone unclaimed and will stick in the organization as a non-roster player, since he doesn’t have the service time to test free agency.
A former second-round pick who was acquired from the Nationals in the Josh Bell trade, Crowe has spent two and a half seasons in Pittsburgh. He struggled as a starter in 2021 but found a bit more success after a bullpen conversion last year. Through 76 innings, he posted a 4.38 ERA while inducing grounders on nearly half the batted balls he allowed.
Marcano, meanwhile, seems in danger of missing the rest of the season. He’ll be out until at least the middle of September. The left-handed hitter posted a .233/.276/.356 line over a career-high 220 plate appearances prior to the injury, which occurred when he awkwardly tried to avoid a tag while running the bases in last night’s win over San Diego.
Red Sox Reinstate John Schreiber
The Red Sox have activated right-hander John Schreiber from the 60-day injured list. An opening on the active roster was created by the Enrique Hernández trade. Boston’s 40-man roster is at capacity after the Sox outrighted reliever Norwith Gudiño this afternoon.
Schreiber has been out since May 16 due to a teres major strain in his throwing shoulder. The injury brought a halt to what had been an excellent start to his season. The low-slot righty has allowed only five runs (four earned) through 17 innings. He’s striking out 30% of opponents with a massive 59% ground-ball percentage.
A former waiver claim from Detroit, Schreiber had a breakout season with Boston in 2022. Through 65 innings, he worked to a 2.22 ERA with a 28.8% strikeout percentage and 56.3% grounder rate. He looked on his way to approximating that production before the shoulder issue. Schreiber figures to step back into a high-leverage role for Alex Cora, though he’s slated for his first major league start this evening against Atlanta. He’ll kick off a bullpen game for the 53-47 Red Sox.
Gudiño was called up over the weekend for the first time but didn’t make an MLB appearance. He’ll return to Triple-A Worcester, where he has a 5.54 ERA in 20 appearances on the season.
Seth Elledge Elects Free Agency
6:18pm: Elledge has elected free agency, tweets Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He had that right as a player who has been outrighted before in his career.
3:23pm: The Braves announced Tuesday that righty Seth Elledge, whom they designated for assignment on Sunday, has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. He’d just had his contract selected from Gwinnett a few days prior but did not appear in a Major League game.
Elledge, 27, opened the season on Atlanta’s 40-man roster but was designated for assignment in early April and bounced to the Mets and Tigers via the DFA circuit. Detroit designated him for assignment late last month, and the right-hander rejected an outright assignment after clearing waivers. He later returned to the Braves on a minor league deal.
While Elledge was hit hard with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate this season, he posted solid numbers in Detroit’s system and has been excellent in Gwinnett for the Braves: 9 2/3 innings, 1.86 ERA, 34.4% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate. He’s still awaiting his first big league look since posting a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings with the Cardinals from 2020-21.
Dodgers Sign Ryan Sherriff To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers have signed left-hander Ryan Sherriff to a minor league deal, as revealed by the pitcher himself via social media. Sherriff announced he was heading to Los Angeles with a tweet, and he updated both his Twitter and Instagram pages with Dodgers tags. Alex Freedman of the Oklahoma City Dodgers announced the deal today.
The southpaw inked another minors contract with the Red Sox during the offseason, which resulted in five appearances and 6 2/3 innings for Sherriff at the big league level. Boston designated Sherriff for assignment earlier this month and he elected to forego an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency — Sherriff had that right because he has previously been outrighted off a 40-man roster earlier in his career.
The five games with the Red Sox marked Sherriff’s first Major League action since 2021, as he spent last year pitching in the Phillies’ minor league system and on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. Since making his MLB debut in 2017 with the Cardinals, Sherriff has only 49 appearances and 51 total innings over parts of five seasons, as injuries (most prominently a Tommy John surgery) have repeatedly stalled his career.
When Sherriff has pitched, the results have been decent, as he has a career 3.53 ERA and 52.6% grounder rate over his 51 innings in the Show. His 18.5% strikeout rate isn’t noteworthy, but Sherriff’s ability to keep the ball both on the ground and in the ballpark altogether (only three homers allowed to MLB hitters) makes him a useful relief asset. However, the three-batter rule is an obstacle to a manager’s ability to shield Sherriff from his drastic splits, as right-handed batters have a hefty .891 OPS against him over 132 career plate appearances. Conversely, Sherriff has shut down left-handed hitters to the tune of a .382 OPS.
At the cost of just a minor league contract, there isn’t any risk to the Dodgers in taking a look at the 33-year-old Sherriff to see if he can contribute to their big league bullpen. Los Angeles has been hit with a number of injuries to both relievers and starters this season, and pitching figures to be a priority for the team heading into the trade deadline. Adding a big-name arm or two is certainly possible, but the Dodgers have had enough past success in finding hidden pitching gems that taking a flier on Sherriff might prove quite valuable.
Diamondbacks Designate José Ruiz For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced that they have reinstated right-hander Merrill Kelly from the injured list, with righty José Ruiz designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Their 40-man roster count drops to 39.
Ruiz, 28, began the year with the White Sox but was lit up for nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment. That was obviously a small sample and Ruiz had fared better in prior campaigns. Coming into this year, he had a 4.17 ERA in 174 appearances, striking out 23% of opponents and keeping the ball on the ground at a 40.6% clip, though his 11.1% walk rate was on the high side.
The Diamondbacks decided to ignore the early results from this year and bank on that track record, sending cash considerations to the White Sox in order to skip the waiver queue. Ruiz has gone on to throw 40 2/3 innings for the Snakes this year with a 4.43 ERA, along with a 19.8% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 42.4% ground ball rate. That’s obviously an improvement over how his season started but still fairly uninspiring overall. He’s also been struggling of late, with an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 innings since the calendar flipped to July, which surely helped to nudge him off the roster. Ruiz is out of options, so the only way for the club to open a spot for Kelly was to designate him for assignment.
The D’Backs will now have one week to trade Ruiz or pass him through waivers. Players with more than three years of service time or a previous career outright have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, with Ruiz qualifying on both accounts. However, since he has less than five years of service time, he would have to forfeit his remaining salary in order to exercise that right. He and the White Sox avoided arbitration with an agreement for a $925K salary for this season, which is a bit above the $720K minimum this year. In the event he clears waivers, he might decide to accept an assignment to Triple-A Reno instead of leaving money on the table.
Kelly returns to the rotation after missing almost a month due to calf inflammation. He slots in next to Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry and Brandon Pfaadt for now, though general Mike Hazen has stated the club will be looking for upgrades. They’ve recently been connected to high-profile pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Shohei Ohtani, though the next week will determine whether or not they can be successful in those pursuits. The deadline in on August 1.
Orioles Place Aaron Hicks On IL With Hamstring Strain
The Orioles announced that they have placed outfielder Aaron Hicks on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, with fellow outfielder Ryan McKenna recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. Hicks departed last night’s game after appearing to injure himself making a catch and it seems he’ll need at least 10 days to recover.
Hicks, 33, had been struggling mightily with the Yankees in recent years, eventually leading to his release in May. He quickly landed with the Orioles and has had a resurgence since then, having hit .252/.349/.435 in 152 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 119, indicating he’s been 19% above league average. A lot of that time has been spent in center field, with Cedric Mullins having spent much of June on the IL due to a groin strain.
Since Hicks took over in center and played well, it allowed the club to avoid a significant drop-off while Mullins was away. He was reinstated from the IL in late June but landed back there last week, again due to a right groin strain. Hicks jumped back into the regular center field job in the past week but now he’s joining Mullins on the injured list. It’s unclear how serious Hicks’ injury is, but Mullins is without a clear timetable and may not be an option until late in the season. The club will now seemingly have to proceed without either player for at least the next 10 days.
The position might now fall to rookie Colton Cowser, who has logged 38 1/3 innings there so far this year and has been given the start for tonight’s contest. Unfortunately, his first 49 major league plate appearances have led to a batting line of just .128/.286/.154. That’s obviously a small sample and he has much better numbers in the minors, but the O’s will have a bit less certainty at the position for the time being.
Cowser figures to be flanked by Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, with McKenna likely in a bench role. Infielders Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn have also seen some time on the grass this year and could factor into the mix. If the O’s decide they need to supplement that group, they still have some time, with the August 1 trade deadline one week away. The club is 62-38, putting them 2.5 games ahead of the Rays in the AL East and clearly in buyer position.
Pirates To Select Alika Williams
The Pirates are selecting the contract of infield prospect Alika Williams from Triple-A Indianapolis, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 24-year-old will be making his MLB debut whenever he takes the field.
Williams, acquired from the Rays in the trade that sent righty Robert Stephenson to Tampa Bay, was the No. 37 overall draft pick by the Rays in 2020. After a tough stretch in Double-A with the Rays, where he hit .237/.314/.417 (93 wRC+) in 175 plate appearances, Williams is batting .305/.384/.531 (126 wRC+) in 148 Triple-A plate appearances with the Bucs. He’s trimmed his strikeout rate from 19.4% in Double-A to 14.9% in Triple-A, while his walk rate has crept up from 8.4% to 10.1%.
Scouting reports on Williams have typically pegged him as a glove-first option at shortstop with plus speed and minimal power. He’s popped a career-high 12 home runs in the minors this season, however, adding another 19 doubles and a triple. On the basepaths, he’s 6-for-8.
If he’s able to continue that surprising power output at the big league level, it’s possible Williams could eventually outperform the generally modest expectations that peg him as a potential utility infielder at the big league level. Even if he winds up as more of a contact- and defense-oriented infielder, however, his glove at short and ability to handle either second base or third base would give him a good chance to carve out a spot on a big league bench.
The Bucs are dealing with a potential injury of note for utilityman Tucupita Marcano, as Justice de los Santos of MLB.com tweeted last night that Marcano was pulled from the game with what appears to be a ligament injury in his knee. If Marcano is indeed headed to the injured list, Williams could step into his bench spot and see occasional work around an infield that’s currently relying on young options like Jared Triolo (25), Nick Gonzales (24) and Liover Peguero (22) at third base, second base and shortstop while starters Ke’Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz are on the injured list.
Cubs Outright Adrian Sampson
The Cubs reinstated right-hander Adrian Sampson from the 60-day injured list yesterday, tweets Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. Rather than add the veteran righty back to the 40-man roster, the Cubs instead passed him through waivers, where he went unclaimed, and assigned him outright to Triple-A Iowa.
Sampson, 31, pitched to a strong 3.03 ERA in 139 2/3 innings with the Cubs from 2021-22 upon his return from the Korea Baseball Organization, although fielding-independent metrics like FIP (4.28) and SIERA (4.44) were far less optimistic, in large part because of a pedestrian 17.6% strikeout rate. Sampson’s 6.1% walk rate was excellent, however, and he kept the ball on the ground at an only slightly below-average 41% clip.
That solid showing notwithstanding, it’s been a tough year for Sampson. The righty sustained a meniscus injury back April that would eventually require surgery. He’s pitched a total of 25 1/3 minor league frames this year and been tagged for an 8.17 ERA in that time. Sampson posted an ERA north of 8.00 in two appearances before the injury and in six appearances since returning.
As a player who’s been outrighted in the past, Sampson does have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, though he lacks the service time required to do so while retaining the remainder of his $1.9MM salary. That salary, paired with his recent struggles, surely tamped down interest in a potential waiver claim.
Given that financial commitment, he’ll surely accept an outright and remain on hand as a depth option for a Cubs team that could move at least one starter between now and next week’s trade deadline.
Pirates Release Drew Maggi
The Pirates released infielder Drew Maggi, according to reporter Pat Ragazzo (Twitter link). Maggi didn’t have any hard feelings about the situation, telling Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Pirates fans are “the best in the world. And thank you to the Pirates organization. I’m not done yet!”
Maggi made his MLB debut earlier this season, appearing in three games for the Pirates and getting two hits in six plate appearances. At age 34, Maggi waited a long time for that cup of coffee in the majors, as he has been in pro ball since he was a 15th-round selection for the Pirates in the 2010 draft. Maggi bounced around to five other teams’ farm systems from 2015-22 before returning to the Pittsburgh organization last August in a minor trade with the Phillies.
Maggi’s minor league time this season has been with Double-A Altoona, and as Mackey noted, Maggi hasn’t played a game since July 8. A move to the development list on July 14 hinted that Maggi’s time with the Pirates was nearing an end, and Mackey writes that with so many young prospects in need of playing time, Maggi was the odd man out.
With a reputation as a strong clubhouse leader, Maggi might draw attention from another team looking to add some veteran leadership within its minor league ranks. Coaching or managerial roles also seem like possibilities down the line, though Maggi isn’t yet ready to hang up his glove.
Twins Release Aaron Sanchez
The Twins released Aaron Sanchez, according to the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page. Sanchez has spent the entire season at Triple-A St. Paul after signing a minors deal during the offseason.
The results just haven’t been there for Sanchez, who has a 5.30 ERA over 73 innings and 18 games (16 of them starts) at the Triple-A level. While his 49.8% grounder rate is solid, Sanchez has only a 16.8% strikeout rate and a garish 15.6% walk rate, with almost many free passes (53) as strikeouts (57). Even after a part-time move to the bullpen, Sanchez has still allowed multiple runs in each of his last seven outings, translating to an 8.00 ERA over his last 27 frames of work.
An All-Star with the Blue Jays in 2016, Sanchez never again hit those heights due to a variety of injuries. Blister and fingernail problems hampered his next few seasons in Toronto, and a shoulder injury kept Sanchez out of action for the entirety of the 2020 campaign. Sanchez has pitched for five different teams since the start of the 2019 season, including an initial stint with the Twins, who first brought him into the organization on another minors deal in June 2022. Over 60 total innings with Washington and Minnesota in 2022, Sanchez had a 6.60 ERA.