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Diamondbacks Claim Reyes Moronta, Designate Jake Hager

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The D-Backs announced they’ve claimed reliever Reyes Moronta off waivers from the Dodgers. Infielder Jake Hager has been designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man roster transaction.

Moronta’s stay in the NL West continues. The big right-hander’s most productive seasons came as a member of the Giants, the organization with which he began his career. Between 2018-19, Moronta was one of the better relievers in the game. He tossed 121 2/3 innings of 2.66 ERA ball over that stretch, striking out a strong 29.3% of opponents. He issued a few more walks than ideal, but he nevertheless held opponents to a pitiful .175/.292/.266 line over 508 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, that marked Moronta’s last extended run of action until this year. He missed the entire shortened 2020 campaign with a shoulder problem, then landed on the IL to start last season with a flexor strain in his forearm. Moronta returned late last year but the Giants designated him for assignment after just four MLB appearances. He passed unclaimed through waivers, became a minor league free agent after the season, and signed a non-roster pact with the Dodgers during the offseason.

Los Angeles selected him onto the MLB roster in May, and the 29-year-old has gotten into 22 games. Moronta had an alright run, working 23 2/3 frames with a 4.18 ERA. He fanned an above-average 27.6% of batters faced on a solid 12.7% swinging strike rate, but he also surrendered five home runs and continued to walk batters at a higher than average (albeit improved, relative to his time in San Francisco) 10.2% clip. As part of a Dodger bullpen that ranks third in the majors with a 3.05 ERA, it’s easy to see how Moronta was squeezed off the roster. He should have a clearer path to a regular role with an Arizona club that has a 4.31 reliever ERA that checks in 24th leaguewide.

Moronta is due the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary (around $370K) for the remainder of this season. He entered the 2022 campaign with exactly four years of service time but spent the season’s first three weeks in Triple-A. That was enough that he won’t reach a full year of service this season, meaning he’ll be arbitration-eligible once more after the year. He’s also in his second minor league option year, so the Snakes can freely shuttle him between Phoenix and Triple-A Reno — although he’d earn the right to refuse any optional assignments once he reaches his fifth year of big league service, likely early in 2023.

Hager, meanwhile, re-signed with Arizona on a minor league deal over the winter after finishing the 2021 campaign in the system. The D-Backs selected the righty-hitting utilityman to the majors in May, and he’s appeared in 28 games. Over 59 plate appearances, Hager owns a .240/.345/.280 line. He’s had a longer run in Reno, hitting .230/.330/.365 through 212 trips to the plate in one of affiliated ball’s more hitter-friendly environments. He’s spent the bulk of his minor league defensive action at shortstop but has played more second and third base in the big leagues.

Arizona will place Hager on outright or release waivers within the next few days. He’s previously been outrighted in his career, so he’d have the right to refuse a minor league assignment and test free agency if he goes unclaimed.

Mets Designate Rob Zastryzny, Nate Fisher; Select Connor Grey

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The Mets have announced a series of roster moves, including selecting the contract of right-hander Connor Grey. Additionally, catcher Tomas Nido has been cleared to return from the COVID-19 IL, retaking his place on the roster. To make room on the active roster, left-hander Nate Fisher has been designated for assignment and right-hander Jose Butto has been optioned down to Triple-A Syracuse. Left-hander Rob Zastryzny was designated for assignment to open up another spot on the 40-man.

Grey, 28, was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 20th round of the 2016 draft. He got as high as Triple-A in Arizona’s system but was released in May of 2020. After reaching free agency, he signed a minor league deal with the Mets. This year, he’s made 12 appearances for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, 11 of those being starts. In 93 innings, he has a 5.52 ERA, 17.9% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 49.3% ground ball rate.

Fisher, 26, was just selected to the club’s roster yesterday with the feel-good story of having been out of baseball and working at a bank just over a year ago. He threw three shutout innings for the Mets, helping them secure a 10-9 victory in a seesaw battle. Unfortunately, he will have to relinquish his roster spot after that Cinderella story. He’s logged 72 innings in the minors this year between Double-A and Triple-A, registering a 3.37 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate.

It’s a somewhat similar trajectory for Zastryzny, 30, who was just selected to the Mets’ roster two days ago. He pitched one inning for the club on Saturday before being optioned yesterday and designated today. He’s thrown 47 1/3 innings for Syracuse this season with a 3.61 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Mets will have no choice but to put Fisher and Zastryzny on waivers, either the outright variety or the release variety. Zastryzny has been previously outrighted in his career, meaning he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he clears waivers. Fisher, on the other hand, would not have that right.

Tim Healey of Newsday first relayed that Grey had a locker in the Mets clubhouse. Mike Puma of the New York Post tweeted the news of Butto’s optioning and Fisher’s DFA (Twitter links).

Athletics Designate Austin Pruitt For Assignment

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The A’s have announced that they have designated right-hander Austin Pruitt for assignment. The move opens a spot on the active roster for fellow righty Joel Payamps, who was claimed off waivers from the Royals on Saturday.

Pruitt, 32, has been in the majors since 2017, spending the first three seasons with the Rays. He showed enough promise that the Astros acquired him prior to the 2020 campaign, though Pruitt ended up missing that entire season due to a hairline fracture in his right elbow. He returned to the mound in July of 2021, making two appearances for Houston before they traded him to the Marlins. He was later outrighted by the Marlins twice, making just four appearances for them in between.

After reaching free agency, he signed with the A’s on a minor league deal in March. He got selected to the big league club in May and has been with them since. In 37 2/3 innings over 27 appearances, he has a 4.78 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate and 41.3% ground ball rate.

Oakland currently has a record of 45-77, the worst in the American League. At this point in the season, they are focused on evaluating younger players to see if they fit into the club’s future plans. As such, it seems that the veteran Pruitt has been nudged out of the picture. With the trade deadline now passed, the club will have to place him on outright or release waivers in the coming days. Players who have previously been outrighted in their careers or who have over three years of MLB service time can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. Pruitt qualifies on both counts.

Yankees Place Scott Effross On IL With Shoulder Strain

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Yankees right-hander Scott Effross is going on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain, according to manager Aaron Boone, courtesy Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Boone characterizes the strain as minor but says that Effross will be shut down from throwing for 7-10 days, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Fellow righty Clarke Schmidt will take his place on the active roster.

It’s yet another blow to a Yankee relief corps that has seen its fair share of them this year. Earlier in the campaign, they lost Chad Green to Tommy John surgery. In July, Michael King suffered a season-ending elbow fracture. That month also saw Miguel Castro land on the shelf due to a shoulder strain. Here in August, the club has seen Clay Holmes and Albert Abreu go on the IL due to back spasms and elbow inflammation, respectively.

Effross, 28, was acquired from the Cubs prior to the trade deadline and immediately jumped into the mix for high leverage work in the Bronx. He recorded a hold in his second appearance with the club, later tallying a save as well. Unfortunately, the club will now have to get by without him as an option, at least for a few weeks. He’s thrown 52 1/3 innings this year between Chicago and New York, registering a 2.75 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate.

While the loss of Effross is certainly bad news, the Yankees got good news about their bullpen elsewhere. Holmes has started throwing bullpens without physical issues, per Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network, meaning he’s on track to return soon. Miguel Castro has started throwing as well, per Marly Rivera of ESPN, and could progress to throwing a bullpen by Friday. And in non-bullpen news, Boone tells Rivera that the plan for slugger Giancarlo Stanton is to be activated from his rehab assignment on Thursday.

Phillies Select Michael Plassmeyer, Designate Tyler Cyr

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The Phillies announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Michael Plassmeyer. In a corresponding move, right-hander Tyler Cyr was designated for assignment.

Plassmeyer, 25, was selected by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2018 draft but has been involved in multiple trades since then. In November of that year, he was one of five players involved in the trade that sent Mike Zunino to Tampa and Mallex Smith to Seattle. In 2021, he went to the Giants in exchange for Matt Wisler. In June of this year, he went to the Phillies as part of the Austin Wynns deal.

The southpaw has been starting games in Triple-A this year, faring much better after the trade. With the Sacramento River Cats, he had a 7.38 ERA, with a 22.2% strikeout rate, 11.3% walk rate, 36.9% ground ball rate and 28.3% HR/FB rate. After joining the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he has a 2.83 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 16.2% HR/FB rate. He will make his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

As for Cyr, 29, he was selected to the roster just yesterday and made his MLB debut. He came on with two out in the top of the ninth, with the Phillies already losing. He allowed a home run, a double and then got a fly out to finish the frame. In 36 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 2.50 ERA with a 24.8% strikeout rate, 12.1% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate. With the trade deadline now passed, the Phillies will have to place him either on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days.

When Cyr was added yesterday, he took the active roster spot of Seranthony Dominguez, who went to the IL with triceps soreness. Further testing didn’t find any structural damage, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. He won’t throw for a few days but could potentially return after a minimum 15-day stay on the IL. That’s surely great news for the Phillies, as Dominguez has been excellent this season, posting a 1.64 ERA through 44 innings with a 32% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.

Rays Reinstate, Option Nick Anderson; Designate Phoenix Sanders

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The Rays have reinstated right-hander Nick Anderson from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Durham, per broadcaster Neil Solondz. To create space on the active roster, fellow righty Phoenix Sanders was designated for assignment.

Anderson, 32, underwent elbow surgery in October 2021, a UCL brace procedure that was expected to keep him out of action until at least the middle of this year. As such, he’s been on the 60-day injured list since Spring Training.

The fact that he’s been optioned to the minors is somewhat surprising, given how excellent he was pitching before the injuries slowed him down. After being acquired from the Marlins in 2019, Anderson threw 21 1/3 innings for Tampa that year with a 2.11 ERA, striking out an incredible 52.6% of batters faced in that time while walking just 2.6%. He added another 5 2/3 innings in the postseason with a 1.59 ERA and  38.1% strikeout rate without issuing a single walk.

In 2020, Anderson landed on the IL for almost two weeks due to forearm inflammation. He was still incredibly effective when on the mound, however, throwing 16 1/3 innings with a 0.55 ERA, 44.8% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate. He added another 14 2/3 frames in the postseason, with the Rays going all the way to the World Series, though with diminished effectiveness.

In Spring Training 2021, he suffered a partial tear of his UCL but opted to rehab the issue instead of undergoing Tommy John surgery, on the advice of the Rays’ medical staff and renowned surgeon Dr. Keith Meister. He threw six innings that year before eventually going the surgical route at the end of the season.

He was able to return to the mound on a rehab assignment July 22, beginning in the Florida Complex League before joining the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He’s thrown 9 1/3 innings with a 6.75 ERA in that rehab assignment so far with a 23.1% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate. He had a much more palatable 3.86 ERA until his last outing, wherein he entered and faced just three batters, allowing two singles and a home run.

Rehab assignments for pitchers come with a maximum of 30 days, meaning the Rays had to activate him with that timeline expiring. His results during that rehab assignment are obviously a ways off from the form he showed in previous seasons, with that evidently being enough for the Rays to decide on giving him a bit more time to try to round into form. This will potentially have repercussions for Anderson from a service time perspective, as he came into this season with exactly three years in that department, putting him on track to reach the six years necessary for free agency after the 2024 season. Players on the 60-day IL continue to accrue MLB service time, meaning he’s added about 137 days to that total since Opening Day. But since 172 days are required to reach a full year, Anderson will come up short of the four-year mark unless he is quickly recalled and stays with the big league club down the stretch. If that doesn’t happen, it would push his free agency down the road another year. He qualified for arbitration for the first time this year and is earning a salary of $845MM, a bit above the $700K league minimum.

As for Sanders, 27, he’s spent his entire career with the Rays thus far, having been drafted by them in the 10th round in 2017. He was selected to the big league roster for the first time in April. He has split him time between Tampa and Durham this year, with better peripherals than results in the minors but the reverse in the majors. In 30 Triple-A innings, he has a 5.40 ERA with a 27.9% strikeout rate, 1.6% walk rate, .388 batting average on balls in play and 15.8% HR/FB rate. In the majors, he has thrown 14 2/3 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 21.1% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate, .286 BABIP and no homers. With the trade deadline having passed, the Rays will have to place him on either outright or release waivers in the coming days. Since he has never previously been outrighted and has less than three years’ service time, he will be unable to reject an outright assignment in the event he clears waivers.

Giants Sign Ken Giles To Minor League Deal

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The Giants have signed righty Ken Giles to a minor league deal, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He is expected to pitch for one of their teams in the Arizona Complex League tonight.

Giles, 31, has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball at times during his career. In 2019, he threw 53 innings with the Blue Jays with a 1.87 ERA, racking up 23 saves and striking out an incredible 39.9% of batters faced. He was limited by injuries to just 3 2/3 innings in 2020, eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery in October.

The Mariners signed Giles to a two-year deal covering the 2021 and 2022 seasons, knowing that he wouldn’t contribute in the first year of the deal. The righty made $1.5MM last year and is making $5MM here in 2022. He missed all of last season as expected, but seemed to be on track to help the club on Opening Day this year. Unfortunately, a finger injury suffered in Spring Training prevented him from making his Mariners debut until June 21. He threw 4 1/3 innings over five frames for the M’s before he had to return to the IL due to shoulder tightness.

He began a rehab assignment in early August to begin his return, getting designated for assignment by the Mariners during that rehab stint. Giles eventually rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency. As a player with more than fives years of MLB service time, it was his right to do so without forfeiting any salary. There’s around $1.18MM remaining to be paid out of that $5MM salary for this year, which the Mariners will be on the hook for, in addition to the $500K buyout on the club option for 2023. If he makes it back to the big leagues with San Fran, they will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what the Mariners pay.

The Giants are still hanging around the playoff race, currently six games behind the Phillies for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. If Giles can return to his previous form, he could give a nice boost to the Giants down the stretch.

Tigers Release Wily Peralta

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The Tigers announced that right-hander Wily Peralta has cleared waivers and been granted his release. He had been designated for assignment last week.

Peralta, 33, had a very nice season for the Tigers in 2021, registering a 3.07 ERA over 93 2/3 innings. There were reasons to suspect that it wasn’t totally sustainable, however, especially given his 14.4% strikeout rate, which was well below average. A .259 batting average on balls in play probably played a factor as well. As such, despite that strong ERA, Peralta had to settle for re-signing with the Tigers on a minor league deal for 2022.

He eventually had his contract selected in mid-April, guaranteeing himself a $2.5MM base salary. Detroit dealt with numerous injuries to its pitching staff all year long, ensuring that there was always a need for Peralta’s services. Even Peralta himself was not immune, missing almost a month due to a hamstring strain. But when he was present, he was still effective, putting up a 2.58 ERA over 38 1/3 innings and an improved strikeout rate of 19%, though an elevated 14.3% walk rate.

However, with the club out of contention, they plan to use the remainder of the season to evaluate pitchers for long-term purposes, seeing how they fit into the roster for 2023 and beyond. As Eduardo Rodriguez returned from his lengthy absence, the club let Peralta go, with manager A.J. Hinch saying that “We’re giving Wily Peralta a chance to pitch somewhere else while we look at some guys who are more likely to be here.”

There’s around $588K remaining on Peralta’s $2.5MM salary, which the Tigers will now be on the hook for since he cleared waivers. If any team were to sign him now, they would only be responsible for the prorated league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what the Tigers pay.

Orioles Outright Brett Phillips

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9:52am: Phillips has accepted his outright assignment, MLBTR has confirmed. He’ll remain with the organization in Triple-A.

8:30am: Outfielder Brett Phillips went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles announced late last night. Phillips was designated for assignment last week when Baltimore called outfield prospect Kyle Stowers up to the big leagues.

Phillips has the three-plus years of service time needed to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but he does not have the five-plus years needed to reject the assignment while retaining the remainder of his salary. There’s about $346K to be paid out on this year’s $1.4MM salary; he’d earn half that much were he to reject and sign elsewhere for the prorated league minimum.

That Phillips went unclaimed is at least somewhat of a surprise, even given his struggles at the plate in 2022. He’s hitting just .144/.217/.249 in 225 plate appearances this year, but Phillips is a dynamic defender — one of the game’s best, regardless of position — and possesses plus speed and power. Major strikeout issues (career 37.8%) and dismal splits against lefties limit his overall offensive output, but Phillips is still the type of fleet-footed, lights-out defender that many clubs like to carry down the stretch — both when September rosters expand to 28 players and, in some cases, into the postseason.

Prior to the 2022 campaign, Phillips carried a .203/.291/.381 slash in 675 MLB plate appearances — still well below par but far closer to passable than this year’s output, particularly when considering his 23 home runs, 29 steals (in 34 tries) and elite defensive marks. In 2136 career innings in the outfield, he has 39 Defensive Runs Saved, 31 Outs Above Average and a 25.5 Ultimate Zone Rating.

For now, assuming he accepts the outright assignment, he’ll remain with the Orioles but won’t count against their 40-man roster while playing in Norfolk. If Phillips isn’t added back to the 40-man roster before season’s end, he’ll become a free agent this offseason (as is the right of all outrighted players with at least three years of Major League service time).

Giants Claim Patrick Mazeika From Mets

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The Giants have claimed catcher Patrick Mazeika off waivers from the Mets, tweets Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com. The Mets had designated him for assignment a few days ago. To open a spot for Mazeika on the 40-man roster, infielder Donovan Walton has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and placed on the 60-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.

Mazeika, 28, was drafted by the Mets and has spent his entire career with the organization until now. He made his MLB debut last year and has gotten into 61 games between 2021 and 2022. He’s hit just .190/.236/.279 in that time but has much better numbers in the minors. In Triple-A this year, he’s hit .261/.383/.333 for a wRC+ of 105.

The Giants thinned out their catching depth by trading Curt Casali to the Mariners at the deadline. Joey Bart and Austin Wynns are with the big league club, while Yermin Mercedes and Ford Proctor are in the minors, though those latter two also play other positions and are only part-time catchers. Mazeika is also capable of playing some first base, meaning the Giants now have a collection of versatile depth catching options jockeying for playing time.

As for Walton, he was acquired from the Mariners in a May trade, with the Giants optioning him to the minors and recalling him multiple times this year. He was in the minors when injured but has been called up in order to be transferred to the 60-day injured list. This means he will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, but he will earn major league pay and service time for as long as he’s there.

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