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Brewers Place Jace Peterson On 10-Day Injured List

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The Brewers placed utilityman Jace Peterson on the 10-day injured list due to a left elbow sprain.  The placement is retroactive to July 20.  Jake McGee (who signed a big league contract with Milwaukee yesterday) will take Peterson’s spot on the active roster.

It looks as though Peterson will be out until at least late August, as manager Craig Counsell told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links) and other reporters, that even that substantial timeline could be “optimistic.”  Peterson has been battling a UCL-related injury for the last few weeks, and recently received a PRP injection to help the treatment.  While the utilityman is hopeful he might be back by mid-August, he told Hogg and other reporters that he could very well miss more time.

Now in his third year in Milwaukee, Peterson hasn’t exactly been a roster fixture, as the Brewers non-tendered him after the 2020 campaign and outrighted him off their 40-man roster in May 2021.  However, Peterson did get tendered this past winter (agreeing to a $1.825MM deal just prior to the lockout) and he has responded with his best season yet with the Brew Crew.

Peterson was already pretty solid in 2020-21, hitting .240/.355/.365 with eight home runs over 120 games and 363 plate appearances.  This year, Peterson has gone a step further with a .252/.325/.439 slash line and eight homers over 241 PA in 80 games, which translate to solidly above-average (112 wRC+, 115 OPS+) offensive production.

The 32-year-old has been even more valuable due to both his quality baserunning (21/23 in stolen base chances as a Brewer) and his ability to play all over the diamond.  Aside from catcher and center fielder, Peterson has seen action at every other position during his two-plus seasons in Milwaukee, including two innings of mop-up pitching work.  Peterson’s usage has varied based on the team’s needs — in 2021, he saw most of his action at second base in place of the injured Kolten Wong, while this season has seen Peterson mostly play third base due to injuries to Luis Urias and Willy Adames (the latter of which saw Urias utilized at shortstop).

Peterson is also a left-handed hitter, and thus he has gotten into the lineup when opponents have had a tough righty on the mound.  The Brewers’ current bench alignment is full of right-handed bats apart from switch-hitting backup catcher Victor Caratini, so with Peterson facing an extended absence, Milwaukee could certainly target lefty bats at the deadline.  The club tends to favor multi-position players anyway, so it seems likely that the Brewers were already exploring how to add more versatile depth to their bench for the playoff race.

Latest On Juan Soto Trade Talks

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5:16PM: The Nationals want “four to five top young players” for Soto, Ken Rosenthal said during a FOX Sports interview today.  This “monstrous ask” consists of star prospects and/or players who have only recently made their MLB debuts, and thus are under control for several years.  Given the size of this expected trade package, “at this point….it’s not really a negotiation.  The Nationals are saying ’either you express a willingness to meet our price, or we just go to the next club,’ ” Rosenthal said.

As an example, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that if the Giants were to bid for Soto, the Nats would want left-handed pitching prospect Kyle Harrison back as part of the return.  Harrison was the Giants’ third-round pick in the 2020 draft, and his great 2022 numbers have elevated him in midseason prospect rankings — Baseball America has Harrison rated 22nd on their latest list of baseball’s top 100 minor leaguers, while MLB Pipeline has him 25th.

11:20AM: The possibility of a Juan Soto trade has dominated MLB headlines for the past week, but the Nationals haven’t been impressed with the offers they’ve seen so far, per the Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli. Finding a suitable trade package for a well-decorated 23-year-old superstar is complicated enough, but the Nationals’ ownership situation adds another confounding wrinkle.

With current owners, the Lerner family, looking increasingly likely to sell the club, the desires of any new potential owner have to be considered in any Soto deal, as well. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, some potential buyers would prefer to have Soto on the roster. Given that Soto is by far the Nats’ best baseball asset, it’s not surprising that a new ownership group would want him in the organization.

It’s hard to imagine that the club would be more attractive to potential buyers without Soto on the roster. There is the possibility of a new ownership group preferring a clean slate while letting the Lerners take the public relations hit that will come with dealing the team’s most popular star. Still, despite all the trade hubbub, it would not at all be shocking to see Soto still on the payroll when the Lerners find a buyer. A new owner would still be able to trade Soto with two full years of team control remaining, even if that sale doesn’t happen until the offseason.

So long as the possibility of a deal remains viable, teams will continue to check in with Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo. The Yankees are Mets are two of the foremost contenders for Soto. The Yankees are the more likely destination, however, given the Nats’ understandable reticence to deal Soto to a division contender, notes Andy Martino of sny.tv. The Nationals already have to live with former stars Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer in the same division. Nationals fans would certainly not be thrilled to face off with Harper and Soto within the division for the next decade. The Mets can’t be crossed off the list, but they should be counted as long-shots for now.

Yankees Select Shane Greene, Call Up Clarke Schmidt

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With Michael King’s season ended by an elbow fracture, the Yankees officially placed King on the 60-day injured list today.  Outfielder Tim Locastro was also optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game, creating two roster spots that will be filled by right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Shane Greene.  Schmidt has been called up from Triple-A, while Greene (previously on a minor league deal with the organization) has signed a Major League deal and had that contract selected.

Greene signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers over the offseason, and posted two scoreless innings at the big league level before Los Angeles designated him for assignment back in May.  Quickly catching on with the Yankees, Greene is now back with his first pro organization — New York selected Greene in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, and he debuted with 78 2/3 innings with the Bronx Bombers in 2014.

Dealt to the Tigers in the 2014-15 offseason, Greene has appeared in each of the last eight MLB campaigns, with a pretty wide variance in performance.  Overall, Greene has a 4.50 ERA over 469 2/3 career relief innings, but at his best, the righty has pitched at an All-Star level (with Detroit in 2019) and worked as a closer and in other high-leverage roles.

This inconsistency led to an extended stint in free agency in the 2020-21 offseason, as Greene didn’t land anywhere until signing with the Braves in May 2021, and he perhaps unsurprisingly struggled over 17 innings for Atlanta.  Over 21 innings with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, Greene has a 3.86 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate, and 9.2% walk rate.

While it will be very hard any pitcher to replicate King’s excellent performance this year, the Yankees are hoping to at least try and fill the gap with a combination of a veteran in Greene and a former top prospect in Schmidt, who is still in only his third Major League season.  It also stands to reason that New York will put more of a focus on adding relief help prior to the August 2 trade deadline.

Marlins Promote JJ Bleday, Place Jorge Soler On Injured List

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The Marlins have selected the contract of former first-round pick JJ Bleday and added him to the active roster, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).  Bleday’s addition to the roster comes in response to Jorge Soler going on the 10-day injured list with lower back spasms.

There isn’t any backdating on Soler’s IL placement, so the veteran slugger will (at minimum) be out of action until the August 2 trade deadline.  Though Miami has several players who could be trade chips by the deadline, there hadn’t been much buzz about the possibility of Soler being traded, which speaks to both Soler’s contract, the Marlins’ longer-term plans, and his tough 2022 season.

Soler, the reigning World Series MVP, inked a three-year, $36MM free agent deal with the Marlins after the lockout.  Soler has the ability to opt out after both this season (leaving $24MM on the table) and after the 2023 season (leaving his $9MM salary for 2024 on the table), though it would seem unlikely that Soler would again test free agency on the heels of an underwhelming year to date.

Soler has hit .207/.295/.400 with 13 home runs over 306 plate appearances, with a 99 wRC+ that reflects slightly below-average production.  Despite the lack of big numbers, there is some evidence that Soler could turn it on in the second half.  After all, it was just last season that Soler went on a tear after being dealt to the Braves at the deadline, and he more or less carried that hot streak all the way through the World Series.

This year, Soler has outstanding hard-contact numbers and a .322 xwOBA that is above his .305 wOBA, even if that .322 mark is only around the league average.  Soler is also walking at an above-average rate but is swinging and missing a ton, as his 29.4% strikeout rate is only in the ninth percentile of all batters.  Teams are playing shifts against Soler 78% of the time, which is stifling his solid contact numbers — Soler has only a .275 wOBA against the shift, and a whopping .411 wOBA when not facing shifts.

Injuries have also played a role in the last few weeks, as Soler missed about two weeks at the start of July with bilateral pelvis inflammation, and played in only five games before this latest return to the IL.  It remains to be seen how much extra time Soler might miss (if more than 10 days), but his absence will open the door for Bleday’s Major League debut.

The fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bleday has hit .229/.365/.470 with 20 home runs over 367 PA at Triple-A Jacksonville this season, his first exposure to Triple-A pitching.  It’s a nice breakout for Bleday, who didn’t hit much in his brief minor league debut in 2019 and then struggled in his first full season of pro ball in 2021.  His lack of results last year cost Bleday a slot in some top-100 prospect rankings, but MLB Pipeline still had him 69th on their preseason list.

Of course, Bleday didn’t play at all in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, so it isn’t necessarily surprising that it took some time to get back on track.  The 24-year-old’s performance in 2022 has seemingly quieted a lot of questions about his power potential and on-base ability, though Bleday is still not hitting for average and is still swinging-and-missing (99 strikeouts in those 367 PA) at a high rate.

Bleday’s strong throwing arm has made him more of a right-field candidate than his initial center field position, and in Miami, Avisail Garcia could slide over to left field to accommodate regular playing time for the rookie, or Bleday could simply take over left field himself.  With the Marlins perhaps already planning towards 2023, Bleday could very well get a long look as a potential candidate for an everyday spot next year.  Assuming Soler doesn’t opt out, he and Garcia are longer-term options in the corner outfield spots, but the DH is also available to juggle playing time down the road.

Red Sox Place Rafael Devers On 10-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox have placed star third baseman Rafael Devers on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring inflammation, per the team. In terms of corresponding moves, outfielder Jaylin Davis was promoted from Triple-A, and Enrique Hernandez was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Devers, still just 25 years old is putting together another All-Star campaign. To this point, he has hit an undeniable .324/.379/.602 with 22 home runs in 380 plate appearances. With those kinds of numbers, the Red Sox won’t want to be long without their superstar at the hot corner. At 48-46, Boston doesn’t have a whole lot of wiggle room either – not in the crowded AL East.

Kiké Hernandez has already missed 39 games, and he recently was pulled from a rehab assignment. Moving him to the 60-day injured list at this stage doesn’t mean a whole lot, though it does open the spot on the 40-man for the Davis promotion.

Davis, 28, is 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts on the year for Boston. This is his fourth season of big league action, the first three coming with the Giants. All in all, he’s had just 72 plate appearances in the Majors. The Red Sox claimed him off waivers from the Giants at the end of April. In Triple-A between the two clubs this season, David is slashing .247/.336/.404 across 268 plate appearances.

In terms of filling in for Devers, there’s little the Red Sox can do to fill that void. Jeter Downs could be given an opportunity for some significant run here in the Majors. Downs, of course, is most noteworthy for being a prime piece in the Mookie Betts deal. That makes him a complicated player for the Red Sox organization, but this might be a small-sample opportunity to let him play through some early ups and downs.

Cubs Designate Daniel Norris, Select Erich Uelmen

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July 23: Daniel Norris has been granted his unconditional release, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The veteran southpaw is now free to sign with any team.

July 17: The Cubs announced to reporters, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, that they have selected the contract of right-hander Erich Uelmen. Lefty Daniel Norris has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Norris, 29, was considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball during his time with the Blue Jays. Baseball America ranked him one of the top 100 prospects in the sport in 2012 and again in 2015. He moved to Detroit as part of the package that resulted in David Price going to Toronto, with the Tigers surely hoping that Norris could be a building block in their rotation for years to come.

Unfortunately, Norris couldn’t make the best of the opportunity, registering an ERA north of 5.00 in both 2017 and 2018, followed by a 4.49 in 2019. A move to the bullpen in 2020 seemed to unlock a new gear for him, however, as he put up a 3.25 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. The next year, his ERA shot up to 5.89 as a Tiger, though his peripherals were still encouraging enough for the Brewers to take a shot on him, acquiring him in a deadline deal. Things went in the wrong direction, though, as his ERA as a Brewer was 6.64, eventually getting left of the club’s postseason roster.

The rebuilding Cubs took a flier on him for this year, surely hoping that he could right the ship enough to turn himself into a trade candidate. But 2022 has been yet another setback for the southpaw, as he has a 6.90 ERA as a Cub. His 32.1% strikeout rate on the season is very encouraging, but it’s come with a 15.7% walk rate, almost double the 8.3% league average. The Cubs will now have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. As a veteran with more than five years of MLB service time, Norris can reject an outright assignment without forfeiting any salary.

Uelmen, 26, was a fourth round pick of the Cubs in 2017. He was primarily a starter on his way up but switched to a full-time bullpen role upon reaching Triple-A. His first taste of action with the Iowa Cubs didn’t go so well last year, but he’s having an excellent showing here in 2022, working in a multi-inning role. Through 42 frames in 28 games, he has a 2.79 ERA, 55.3% ground ball rate and 29.1% strikeout rate, though the walk rate is high at 12.8%. He’ll now get a shot to see if he can translate any of that into the big leagues, making his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Mets Acquire Michael Perez From Pirates

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The Mets are acquiring catcher Michael Perez from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post (via Twitter). This is the second deal consummated between these two sides in the past two days (Yesterday, the Pirates sent designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to New York for Colin Holderman). In this case, Perez was designated for assignment yesterday, so the acquisition cost for the Mets was negligible.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets have designated Travis Blankenhorn for assignment, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (via Twitter). Blankenhorn was called up to the active roster yesterday, so his designation clears an active roster spot for either Perez or Vogelbach.

In the short run, Perez serves as catching depth, should Tomas Nido require a stint on the injured list for his bruised hand. In that case, Perez would join with Patrick Mazeika to form the Mets’ catching tandem. In the long run, Perez can be optioned to Triple-A, so he can remain in the Mets’ organization to serve as depth once Nido and/or James McCann return.

For the Pirates, this is simply a way to pick up some extra cash for a player they might have lost anyway. They have Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman handling catching duties with Perez now out of the organization. Veteran Roberto Perez remains sidelined after hamstring surgery back in May.

Cubs Sign First-Round Pick Cade Horton

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The Cubs have signed their first-round selection Cade Horton with a $4.45MM signing bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Horton’s deal comes in south of the slot value for the seventh overall selection, which is allotted $5.71MM.

By coming in under slot for Horton, Callis notes, the Cubs were able to use their savings to draft Jackson Ferris in the second round of the draft. That certainly counts as a win for Chicago, but Horton himself is no slouch. The athletic 20-year-old right-hander comes to the Cubs as a pitcher, but he was also a competent infielder with Oklahoma, though his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page. He hit .235/.323/.324 across 168 plate appearances while mostly playing third base.

But of course, the Cubs did not draft Horton as an infielder. On the hill for Oklahoma, Horton posted a 4.86 ERA over 14 outings (11 starts) totaling 53 2/3 innings during the NCAA regular season. Horton brings a power arsenal to Chicago. He throws heat in the upper nineties, which he complements with a wipeout slider that touches 90 mph.

Horton does come with an injury history, having missed his freshman season at OU because of Tommy John surgery. The Cubs may believe the best is yet to come with Horton as he continues to find his footing after surgery. He was particularly impressive during the College World Series, which no doubt raised his stock enough to put him into the first-round conversation.

Quick Hits: Tigers, Mariners, Trade Market

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The Tigers have signed right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez and assigned him to Triple-A, per Emily Waldon of Baseball America (via Twitter). Gonzalez has twice opted out of minor league opportunities this season, first with the Twins, and more recently with the Brewers. He did appear in the Majors with both clubs, tossing 11 1/3 innings over four outings (two starts) with Milwaukee and making two starts spanning seven innings with Minnesota. Overall, Gonzalez has registered a 6.87 ERA/6.01 FIP across 18 1/3 innings this season. In other recent news…

  • Taylor Williams has signed with the Mariners and been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, per Paul Braverman of the Tacoma Rainiers (via Twitter). The 31-year-old right-hander was a member of the Mariners in 2020, but he was dealt to the Padres in what turned out to be a beneficial deal for Seattle, who acquired Matt Brash, a breakout minor leaguer for Seattle in 2021.
  • There is always a fair amount of turnover at the edges of Major League rosters at this time of year, but teams looking for relief help should have plenty of options on the trade market should they be willing to engage that route. As of right now, the relief market appears more “robust” than over positional trade markets, so says Mets GM Billy Eppler, per Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Just about every contender could use another relief arm or two.

Pirates Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Pirates announced this evening they’ve designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Greg Allen, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list.

It’s not the biggest move of the day for the Bucs, who announced the transaction alongside their trade of designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets for reliever Colin Holderman. It does mark a transition behind the plate, though, as Pittsburgh is down to Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay as the two backstops on the 40-man roster. The Bucs lost starting catcher Roberto Pérez to a season-ending hamstring injury in May, selecting Michael Pérez to the majors at the time their primary backstop went down.

It was the second straight season in black and gold for Michael Pérez, but he’s struggled mightily at the plate. After hitting .143/.221/.290 through 70 games last year, he owns a .150/.209/.318 showing this season. Pérez has hit six homers (three of which came in one game against the Brewers last month) in 116 plate appearances, but he’s collected just ten other hits (all singles) over 39 contests.

The Bucs will have a week to trade him or, more likely, run him through waivers. If he passes through unclaimed, Pérez would have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency, as he has both surpassed three years of MLB service time and previously been outrighted in his career.

Allen, meanwhile, is finally lined up to make his team debut. Pittsburgh grabbed the switch-hitting outfielder off waivers from the Yankees last winter, but he suffered a left hamstring injury in Spring Training and wound up missing the first three and a half months of the regular season. Once a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Cleveland farm system, Allen has struggled to a .241/.307/.348 line in 666 plate appearances as a big leaguer. The 29-year-old raked at a .326/.442/.465 clip in 73 games with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, however, catching the attention of the Bucs front office.

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