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Orioles Place Ramón Urías On IL With Knee Sprain

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, recalling left-hander Keegan Akin, right-hander Beau Sulser and infielder Tyler Nevin. In corresponding moves, righties Joey Krehbiel and Jake Reed were both optioned to Triple-A while infielder Ramón Urías was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain.

Urías, 28, was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals in 2020 prior to making his MLB debut with O’s that year. He only got into ten games but had a nice showing in that small sample, hitting .360/.407/.560. He followed that up with 85 games in 2021 with a .279/.361/.412 line. That production was 15% better than league average, according to wRC+, helping Urías produce 1.1 wins above replacement, in the eyes of FanGraphs.

Here in 2022, he’s had a bit of a mercurial season which began with a dismal April. By the end of that month, he was hitting just .194/.239/.224, wRC+ of 33. He then got into a good groove, hitting .245/.293/.491 for a wRC+ of 119 from the start of May until he landed on the IL on June 10 due to an oblique strain. He returned in early July and tore the cover off the ball that month, producing a line of .329/.380/.575, wRC+ of 170. He hit a skid in August to the tune of .221/.262/.368 but then bounced back with a .258/.370/.371 showing in September.

Since there’s only one week left, Urías won’t be able to return in the regular season, meaning he will finish the campaign with a batting line of .248/.305/.414. The resulting 104 wRC+ is a downturn from 2021, but still above average despite multiple injuries. On the other side of the ball, Urías took notable steps forward. He produced eight Outs Above Average in 769 1/3 innings at third base and one OAA at second base in 147 innings. The work at the keystone is especially encouraging since he was below-average prior to this year. Thanks to the improved glovework, he’s amassed 2.7 fWAR in 118 games this year.

Urías will finish the season just beyond two years of MLB service time, meaning he still won’t be arbitration eligible and isn’t slated to reach free agency until after the 2026 season. Rougned Odor is heading into free agency, which could potentially open the door for Urías to become a more regular second baseman, with Jorge Mateo at shortstop, Gunnar Henderson at third and Ryan Mountcastle at first, though it’s also possible the club brings in reinforcements and bumps Urías back into a utility role.

Brewers Place Adrian Houser On Injured List

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Sep. 28: The Brewers have made it official, announcing Houser’s placement on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain. Right-hander Justin Topa was recalled in a corresponding move.

Sep. 27: The Brewers are planning to place starter Adrian Houser on the 15-day injured list, manager Craig Counsell informed reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). The righty left today’s start against the Cardinals in the fourth inning due to what appeared to be a right groin injury.

It’ll be Houser’s second IL stint of the season. He lost around six weeks this summer after suffering a flexor strain in his forearm. Houser returned from that issue around a month ago and reassumed his role in the starting rotation after a couple brief appearances to build up his pitch count. Unfortunately, he’s now done for at least the remainder of the regular season, and it’s possible he won’t throw another pitch at any point this year.

Milwaukee wound up dropping tonight’s contest to St. Louis, officially eliminating them from the NL Central race. They’ve long known they were playing for a Wild Card spot, and they remain a game and a half back of the Phillies with a week to play. The Brew Crew play St. Louis again tomorrow before closing the season with four games against the Marlins and three against the Diamondbacks. Philadelphia has two games against the Cubs, then four with the Nationals and three against the Astros to wrap things up. The Phils hold the tiebreaker over the Brewers, so Milwaukee will need to leapfrog Philadelphia (or, less likely, San Diego) in the standings to earn a playoff berth.

They’ll have to cover one of Houser’s scheduled starts along the way. Rotation injuries have been a major problem for the Brewers, as they’ve also lost Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby for extended stretches recently. Both pitchers were reinstated from the injured list last week, but they’ve each been on tight pitch limits without the benefit of a minor league rehab stint. Milwaukee has been left mostly trying to patch things together behind their top duo of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, and Houser’s injury only exacerbates the issue.

It hasn’t been a great season for the 29-year-old Houser, who entered tonight’s start with a 4.62 ERA through 99 1/3 innings. He rode an elite 59% ground-ball rate to a 3.22 ERA in 28 outings last season, but that grounder rate has dropped to 47.2% this season. Houser’s strikeout and swing-and-miss rates have also gone in the wrong direction, but Milwaukee has continued to rely upon him as a back-of-the-rotation arm when he’s been healthy enough to take the mound.

Rays Activate Tyler Glasnow, Transfer Brandon Lowe To 60-Day Injured List

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The Rays announced Wednesday that righty Tyler Glasnow has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Brandon Lowe, already known to be out for the season due to a back injury, was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The Rays optioned righty Cristofer Ogando to Triple-A Durham to create a spot on the active roster.

Glasnow’s return gives the Rays a high-octane arm to add to the rotation mix both down the stretch and, more pivotally, in the postseason. Glasnow, who tossed seven minor league rehab innings prior to today’s activation, will be capped at two or three in his first start back from last summer’s Tommy John surgery. He could feasibly build up to a larger, less-restricted workload if Tampa Bay can put together a deep playoff run.

A healthy Glasnow unequivocally improves the Rays’ odds of doing just that, as he’d broken out following a trade from the Pirates, finally developing into the front-of-the-rotation talent he was billed as during his top prospect days. The 6’8″ righty started 37 games for Tampa Bay from 2019-21, pitching to a 2.80 ERA with a massive 35.9% strikeout rate and solid 7.8% walk rate over the life of 206 innings. The only pitchers in baseball with a higher strikeout rate during that three-year stretch were Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom, and only Shane Bieber had a higher percentage of combined called and swinging strikes than Glasnow’s 32.9%.

The Rays and Glasnow came to terms on a somewhat surprising two-year, $30.35MM extension earlier this summer — one that’s reflective both of Glasnow’s injury/missed time and his Cy Young-caliber upside. Glasnow will $5.35MM in 2023, which would’ve been his final arbitration year, representing a modest increase over this season’s $5.1MM salary. He’ll then be guaranteed a $25MM salary in 2024 — what would’ve otherwise been his first free-agent season. It’s the most the perennially cost-conscious Rays have ever paid for a single season of a player, so there’s surely a bit of trepidation on their end of things. At the same time, it’s rare for any player with Glasnow’s service time –and particularly one of Glasnow’s caliber — to sign away just one free-agent year, even on the heels of an injury-wrecked season. There’s some compromise from both parties, and Glasnow said after the contract that he’s “exactly where I want to be.”

The returning Glasnow will now join Shane McClanahan, Corey Kluber, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs in a formidable rotation. Each of McClanahan, Rasmussen and Springs will be options alongside Glasnow through at least the 2024 season, and the Rays will have several impressive young hurlers to vie for the fifth starting spot next season (barring a free-agent or trade addition). Luis Patino, Yonny Chirinos, Josh Fleming and prospect Taj Bradley will all be in the mix, though their most touted arm, righty Shane Baz, will likely miss all of the 2023 season following his recent Tommy John surgery.

Braves Select Silvino Bracho

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The Braves announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Silvino Bracho from Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta created roster space by optioning lefty Kyle Muller to Gwinnett and by recalling righty Huascar Ynoa and placing him directly on the 60-day injured list. Ynoa had Tommy John surgery earlier this summer.

It’ll be Bracho’s second stint of the season with the Braves. The former D-backs right-hander opened the year in the Red Sox organization but was traded to Atlanta for cash back in June just hours after Boston had designated him for assignment. Bracho tossed a scoreless inning with Atlanta before being designated for assignment a second time and successfully passed through outright waivers, at which point he accepted an assignment to Triple-A and remained with the organization.

Despite not getting much of a look in Boston or Atlanta this season, Bracho has had a strong season in Triple-A. Through 57 1/3 innings, he’s pitched to a sharp 2.67 ERA with an excellent 30.4% strikeout rate against a tiny 4.3% walk rate. During his lone inning with the Braves earlier this summer, Bracho’s heater sat at 94.1 mph, which is a hair above his career 93.4 mph mark.

From 2015-20, Bracho was an up-and-down member of Arizona’s relief corps, showing promise on multiple occasions but never quite displaying the consistency required to stick on the big league staff. He looked to have turned a corner in 2018 when he logged 31 innings of 3.19 ERA ball with an above-average 26.4% strikeout rate, but Bracho tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow during Spring Training 2019 and underwent Tommy John surgery.

The Braves can technically control Bracho for another three years if they choose to keep him on the 40-man roster, but it’s likelier that this will be a short-term addition that’ll give Bracho another chance or two to square off against big league hitters. In the likely event that he’s removed from the 40-man roster, he’ll be able to become a free agent this offseason — fresh off a health and successful showing in Triple-A.

Angels To Promote Logan O’Hoppe, Designate Magneuris Sierra

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The Angels are selecting the contract of top catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe to the big leagues and designating outfielder Magneuris Sierra for assignment in a corresponding move, per MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter link). O’Hoppe will start behind the plate for the Halos today in his MLB debut.

O’Hoppe, 22, was acquired in the swap that sent center fielder Brandon Marsh to the Phillies prior to the trade deadline. The former 23rd-round find immediately became the Angels’ top-ranked prospect, thanks to a meteoric rise through the minors in 2021-22. O’Hoppe opened the season with the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate and hit .275/.392/.496 with 15 homers through 316 plate appearances in that pitcher-friendly environment, but he’s been even better with the Halos’ Double-A club: .306/.473/.673 and 11 homers in 131 plate appearances. Currently, O’Hoppe is ranked as baseball’s No. 50 prospect at FanGraphs, No. 66 at MLB.com and No. 77 at Baseball America.

Strikeouts were an issue for O’Hoppe early in his minor league career, but he’s curbed those tendencies quite well, going from a 27.7% strikeout rate in 2019 to just a 16.6% clip in Double-A this season. That improved discipline is also made apparent by a huge 15.7% walk rate. He’s walked nearly as often this season (70 times) as he’s punched out (74). The improved approach has perhaps helped O’Hoppe tap into more power, as this year’s 26 long balls and .261 isolated power (slugging percentage minus batting average) are career-highs by a wide margin. In fact, this year’s 26 homers are more than O’Hoppe had tallied in his combined professional career heading into the season (24).

Defensively, the aforementioned scouting reports tout O’Hoppe’s receiving skills, ability to block pitches in the dirt, accurate arm and quick release, calling him a potential everyday option behind the plate. With just a week of games left, it’ll be a brief cup of coffee for O’Hoppe. But the Angels would’ve needed to add him to the 40-man roster over the winter in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft anyhow, so they’ll now take the final few games of the season to take a look at a promising prospect they hope can be a foundational piece in the coming years.

O’Hoppe’s acquisition and quick rise to the Majors comes just six months into a three-year, $17.5MM extension signed by Max Stassi. The extension looked sensible enough for both parties back in March, as Stassi had long been a top-tier defender who looked to have had a late-blooming breakout at the plate when he hit .250/.333/.452 with the Angels in 2020-21. The 2022 season has been a nightmare for Stassi, though, as he’s slumped to a .182/.268/.298 output in 365 trips to the plate and seen his typically sky-high defensive marks dip to about league average.

The Angels still have Stassi signed at $7MM in each of the next two seasons, and a $500K buyout on a 2025 club option brings the total commitment to him to $14.5MM beyond the current campaign. That’ll make him a pricey backup if O’Hoppe indeed emerges as the starter, though it’s important to note that O’Hoppe still has just six career games in Triple-A — all coming late last season. It’s possible O’Hoppe will begin next season in Triple-A Salt Lake, while the Angels subsequently hope for a Stassi rebound that would give them a pair of quality options. However, it’s just as feasible that O’Hoppe unseats Stassi as the starter, and the Angels eventually look to get out from underneath the remainder of Stassi’s contract.

As for the present-day corresponding move, Sierra’s DFA comes on the heels of a .165/.200/.242 showing in 96 trips to the plate. Once a prospect of note himself, Sierra is among the game’s fastest players but has never produced enough with the bat to capitalize on his prodigious wheels. In 636 career plate appearances between the Cardinals, Marlins and Angels, he’s a .228/.273/.272 hitter. He’ll be placed on outright waivers or release waivers within the next couple of days and can become a minor league free agent at season’s end either way.

Phillies Outright Johan Camargo

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The Phillies announced this evening that infielder Johan Camargo cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The switch-hitter was designated for assignment over the weekend.

Camargo signed a $1.4MM free agent deal with the Phils over the winter after being cut loose by the Braves. It marked his first stint outside the Atlanta organization, and he spent the first half of the year serving as a depth infielder. Philadelphia gave Camargo some early run at third base, but he quickly ceded that job to Alec Bohm. He served as a fill-in shortstop while Didi Gregorius was injured, but the Phils eventually turned back to rookie Bryson Stott there. Camargo was optioned to Lehigh Valley at the end of July, but he hit only .213/.311/.298 with two home runs in 167 trips to the plate with the IronPigs.

It’s the fourth straight subpar offensive season for the 28-year-old. Camargo broke into the majors with a pair of above-average years, but he owns a cumulative .219/.271/.348 mark dating back to the start of the 2019 campaign. Even with the ability to cover anywhere on the infield, that tepid offensive output has squeezed Camargo off a pair of rosters in as many years.

As a player with between three and five years of major league service, he has the right to refuse the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Doing so would mean forfeiting his final week’s worth of salary, though, so it seems likely he’ll accept the assignment and report to Lehigh Valley for the final game of their season tomorrow. He’ll hit minor league free agency anyhow at the end of the season, unless the Phils reselect him onto the 40-man roster before November.

Padres Select Brandon Dixon

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The Padres announced they’ve selected corner infielder/outfielder Brandon Dixon onto the major league roster. San Diego designated outfielder Luis Liberato for assignment in a corresponding move.

Dixon is back on a major league roster for the first time in two years. Initially a Dodgers draftee, the right-handed hitter was dealt to the Reds as a prospect and made his MLB debut with Cincinnati in 2018. He bounced to the Tigers via waivers the following offseason and played his most significant MLB role with Detroit in 2019. Dixon tallied 420 plate appearances and collected a team-leading 15 home runs, but he struck out at a 32.5% clip and hit only .248/.290/.435. The Tigers designated him for assignment and outrighted him off the 40-man roster the following winter.

While Dixon made it back to Detroit briefly at the end of the 2020 campaign, he was granted his release heading into 2021 to pursue an opportunity in Japan. The Arizona product signed with the Rakuten Eagles and split the year between their major league team and their minor league club. While Dixon hit well in the minors, he struggled in 38 NPB games and came back to the United States this past offseason. Dixon inked a non-roster deal with the Friars during Spring Training, and he’s split the season between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso.

The 30-year-old has hit extremely well at both stops. He’s cranked 23 home runs in just 50 combined games, posting an on-base percentage above .400 while slugging over .780 for both affiliates. Thanks to those eye-popping minor league numbers, Dixon will get another look against big league arms. He’s split his defensive action between all four corner spots in the minors, but he’ll presumably work mostly as a right-handed bench bat for skipper Bob Melvin. Dixon has yet to reach arbitration eligibility, so the Friars could keep him around beyond this season if they’re willing to devote him a 40-man roster spot.

Liberato just earned his first major league call a few weeks ago. The longtime Mariners prospect signed a minor league deal with San Diego over the winter, and he’s spent much of the season in El Paso. Liberato had an impressive .261/.354/.541 showing with 20 homers for the Chihuahuas, but he’s been used in a very limited role since being promoted. The 26-year-old hasn’t gotten a start, although he’s come off the bench seven times (usually as a pinch runner). He’s gone hitless in his first five MLB at-bats, striking out three times.

San Diego will place Liberato on waivers over the next few days. Given his strong Triple-A numbers this year and ability to cover all three outfield spots, it’s possible another club will take a no-risk flier to add to their outfield depth. Liberato still has all three minor league option years remaining, so any team willing to keep him on the 40-man roster could stash him in Triple-A for the foreseeable future.

Angels Designate Mike Mayers For Assignment

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The Angels announced that they have reinstated right-hander Archie Bradley from the 60-day injured list with fellow right-hander Mike Mayers being designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Mayers, 30, was already designated for assignment by the Angels earlier this year, which resulted in him clearing waivers, accepting an outright assignment and later getting selected back onto the roster. In total, he’s thrown 50 2/3 innings in the majors but with a 5.68 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 38% ground ball rate.

Those are disappointing results, especially considering how good he was in the previous two campaigns. Over 2020 and 2021, he logged 105 innings with a 3.34 ERA, 30.5% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 35.9% ground ball rate. But since he couldn’t carry that over into 2022, he’s now lost his roster spot for a second time. With the trade deadline long gone, the Angels will only have the choice of placing Mayers on outright waivers or release waivers. If he were to clear waivers, he would have the right to reject the assignment, both because of his previous outrights and having over three years of MLB service time. He did accept an assignment last time this happened, though the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees are the only Angels’ affiliate still playing and their season wraps up tomorrow.

As for Bradley, 30, he was a fairly effective reliever in the previous five seasons but had a frustrating campaign here in 2022. Signed to a one-year, $3.75MM deal in the offseason, he’s spent much of the year on the IL due to an abdominal strain and then an elbow fracture. In between those ailments, he was only able to throw 18 2/3 innings an put up a 4.82 ERA, his highest since he was a starter back in 2016. He was getting ground balls at a solid 57.1% rate but was subpar in the strikeout department, only whiffing 19.2% of batters faced. Now that he’s healthy again, he’ll look to get a few solid outings on the record before returning to the open market in a few weeks.

Prior to the official announcement, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register relayed that Mayers did not have a locker in the Angels’ clubhouse and that Bradley would be activated (Twitter links).

Cubs Designate Michael Hermosillo For Assignment

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The Cubs made a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, with reporter Mark Gonzales among those who relayed them on Twitter. The club has reinstated catcher Willson Contreras from the injured list and Seiya Suzuki from the restricted list. Suzuki was previously on the paternity list but traveled to Japan and wasn’t able to return within the three-day maximum stint for paternity leave, which necessitated his transfer to the restricted list. In corresponding moves, infielder/outfielder Jared Young was optioned to the minors while outfielder Michael Hermosillo was designated for assignment.

Hermosillo, 27, was drafted by the Angels in 2013 and stayed with them through 2020. He reached free agency at that point and then signed a minor league deal with Chicago. Since joining the Cubs, he’s occasionally shown flashes of potential, mostly in the minors, but has also been frequently hurt. Last year, he hit .306/.446/.592 in 43 Triple-A games, producing a 178 wRC+ and getting called up to the majors in August. He then produced a line of .194/.237/.500 in 16 games before a left forearm strain ended his season.

He was non-tendered at the end of that year and re-signed for 2022. One month into the season, he landed on the IL due to a quad strain and ended up spending four months out of action. In 31 MLB games around that IL stint, he’s hit just .115/.250/.148. He fared better on his rehab assignment in the minors, hitting .324/.400/.559 in a small sample of 10 games, but wasn’t able to bring any of that up to the show. Since he’s out of options, the Cubs didn’t have the ability to simply send him down to the minors and have instead decided to cut him from the 40-man roster. With the trade deadline long gone, they will have no choice but to place him on outright or release waivers in the coming days. If he were to clear, he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency by virtue of having been previously outrighted in his career.

As for Contreras, he’s missed the past three weeks due to an ankle sprain but will return for the club’s final nine games, which could potentially be his last with the team. Since he is heading into free agency this winter and the Cubs were never in serious contention this year, he was widely expected to be flipped at the deadline. Surprisingly, that never happened and he will instead be given, and reject, a qualifying offer once the offseason begins. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently looked at the top catchers available in free agency this year, with Contreras at the top. Though the injury slowed him down, he’s still heading into the open market on the heels of an excellent season. He’s already hit 21 home runs and slashed .246/.351/.471, producing a 132 wRC+ and 3.1 fWAR that are both career bests. He’ll have just over a week to add to those numbers and show that the injury is behind him before the season draws to a close.

Sandy Leon To Undergo Knee Surgery

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The Twins announced that catcher Sandy Leon has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 24, and will undergo right knee meniscus surgery. Taking his place on the active roster is fellow catcher Ryan Jeffers, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. The club already had an opening on its 40-man roster for Jeffers. Should they need another roster spot in the final days of the season, they can transfer Leon to the 60-day IL since this move will keep him out beyond the end of the schedule.

Earlier today, MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote about Carlos Correa and highlighted the tremendous amount of injuries the Twins have suffered this season. One of the many players missing significant time was Jeffers, who went on the IL in mid-July due to a thumb contusion and has only now returned. He was having a decent season before that injury, having hit .214/.291/.375. That only amounts to a 92 wRC+, which is 8% below the league average hitter. However, this year’s league average slash line for a catcher is .227/.296/.368, 89 wRC+. Jeffers produced strong work on the other side of the ball, accruing four Defensive Runs Saved and a mark of 3.2 from the FanGraphs framing metric, allowing him to produce 1.0 fWAR in just 60 games.

Jeffers and Gary Sanchez had been splitting the time behind the plate in the Minnesota, with Sanchez taking on a larger role after Jeffers landed on the shelf. The Twins also used Caleb Hamilton for a couple of weeks before turning to the veteran Leon, who had been in the minors with the Guardians. The Twins swung a trade for Leon at the deadline and called him up to the big league team. Outside of a scorching hot 2016 season that now seems like an outlier, Leon has never been much of an offensive threat. That continued to the be the case in his time with the Twins, as he hit .179/.270/.232 for a wRC+ of 50. With just over a week remaining in the campaign and the Twins out of contention, this IL placement will finish his season. It’s unclear how long it will take him to recover from this surgery, but he will he will head into free agency in just over a month and look to heal up and find his next opportunity.

Since Sanchez is also an impending free agent, Jeffers is lined up to be the club’s primary catcher for next season. Hamilton will likely still be around as well, but it’s possible the club will look to add another established backstop during the offseason. By returning at this stage of the calendar, Jeffers will have the opportunity to get a handful of games in and finish the season on a positive note before the winter arrives. Both he and the Twins will be hoping for better results in 2023, after injuries caused them to fall short of expectations this year.

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