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Reds Select Aristides Aquino, Albert Almora

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It’s been a whirlwind day of transactions for the Reds, who earlier today returned the trio of Aristides Aquino, Graham Ashcraft and Taylor Motter to Triple-A Louisville when they reinstated a handful of players from the restricted list following their series in Toronto. Aquino, however, has now been formally selected to the 40-man roster, per a team announcement, as has outfielder Albert Almora Jr. The Reds will place righty Connor Overton on the 60-day injured list to open one roster spot and will move infielder Donovan Solano from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to create a second one. Cincinnati also activated Nick Senzel from the injured list and optioned fellow outfielder TJ Friedl to Triple-A Louisville to open an active roster spot.

It’s been a busy day at Great American Ball Park, to say the least. The Reds found out that Overton, who’s made four strong starts for them after signing a minor league contract over the offseason, will be shut down for the next six to eight weeks due to a stress reaction in his back (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon). That period of six to eight weeks is not a total timetable for Overton’s return but rather the time he’ll go without picking up a ball. In all likelihood, he’ll need several more weeks to build up his arm strength once that shutdown period is over.

Based on that newly provided timeline for Overton, it seems as though Overton is due for a months-long absence. He’d tossed 24 2/3 innings of 1.82 ERA ball to begin his time with the Reds, and while his .208 BABIP and minuscule 11.1% strikeout rate pointed to some likely regression, his absence will nonetheless further thin out an already injury-depleted rotation mix. Trade acquisitions Mike Minor and Justin Dunn have yet to pitch for the Reds thanks to shoulder troubles, and a lower back strain has shelved top prospect Nick Lodolo just a few starts into his MLB debut campaign.

As for the newly selected outfielders, neither is a stranger to the Reds’ outfield. That’s particularly true of Aquino, who set the baseball world ablaze when he ripped 14 home runs in August 2019 after being summoned to the Majors. Since that jaw-dropping debut month, however, Aquino has batted just .177/.264/.361 with a 36.2% strikeout rate in 407 plate appearances.

Almora, meanwhile, has logged nine games for the Reds already this season (primarily as a Covid substitute) and hit well n 29 plate appearances: .296/.321/.370. A longtime division rival with the Cubs, he’s a lifetime .266/.303/.388 hitter in the Majors. That includes a solid 2016-17 run to begin his career, however. Dating back to Opening Day 2018, Almora owns a more tepid .253/.291/.361 output.

Angels Designate Jose Rojas For Assignment

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The Angels announced a series of roster moves Monday, reinstating catcher Max Stassi and right-hander Archie Bradley from the injured list. In order to open roster space for the returning veterans, the Halos optioned catcher Chad Wallach and lefty Jose Suarez to Triple-A Salt Lake. Infielder Jose Rojas, meanwhile, was designated for assignment. A 40-man move was necessary due to the fact that Stassi had been on the Covid-19-related injured list and was thus not counting against the 40-man roster.

Rojas, 29, has seen Major League time at second base, third base, first base and in both outfield corners. He’s a .199/.261./.377 hitter through 207 plate appearances in that time but does possess a much more appealing track record in Triple-A, where he’s logged a .274/.340/.496 slash in 950 trips to the plate. Rojas swatted 31 home runs with Triple-A Salt Lake back in 2019, although that came during a season when the baseball is widely believed to have been juiced both in the Majors and in Triple-A.

A former 36th-round pick, Rojas still has a pair of minor league options remaining, meaning any club that picks him up via waiver claim or a small trade will be able to shuttle him back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues as some additional outfield/infield depth both this season and next. The Angels will have seven days to trade Rojas, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.

Guardians Outright Luis Oviedo

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Guardians right-hander Luis Oviedo has cleared outright waivers, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Cleveland had designated him for assignment last week upon reinstating corner outfielder Josh Naylor from the COVID-19 injured list.

The Guardians had just grabbed Oviedo off waivers from the Pirates last month. It was a return to the 23-year-old’s original organization, as he’d entered pro ball upon signing with Cleveland during the 2015-16 international period. Oviedo spent a few seasons in the low minors before the Pirates selected him in the 2020 Rule 5 draft. Pittsburgh carried him on the major league roster last year, but he unsurprisingly struggled in his jump from Low-A to the big leagues. Oviedo posted an 8.80 ERA across 29 2/3 innings, walking 17.7% of opponents in the process.

After securing his long-term contractual rights, the Bucs optioned him back to the minors to open this year. Just a few weeks into the season, they reallocated his 40-man roster spot. The Guardians re-added him to the system, and he’s made five appearances with their Double-A affiliate in Akron since being claimed. Oviedo has struck out 11 and allowed only one run in 9 2/3 innings, but he’s also issued six walks and hit a batter. Those continued control woes prevented another club from taking a shot once the Guardians put him back on waivers.

Oviedo has never previously been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an assignment. He’ll remain in the Cleveland organization and try to pitch his way back to the majors this season.

Braves Designate Tyler Thornburg For Assignment

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The Braves announced they’ve designated veteran reliever Tyler Thornburg for assignment. The move clears an active roster spot for Dylan Lee, who has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta’s 40-man roster now sits at 38.

Thornburg signed a $900K contract with Atlanta over the offseason. It was a bit surprising to see the righty command a guaranteed deal after he’d missed all of last season recovering from September 2020 Tommy John surgery. The Braves were confident enough in his ability to bounce back to devote him a big league roster spot, but he’ll lose that job after just nine appearances.

The 33-year-old worked 9 1/3 innings during his relatively brief stint, allowing six runs. He struck out ten batters against five walks, maintaining his pre-surgery fastball velocity but only generating whiffs on 8.5% of his offerings. It was far from a disastrous performance, but manager Brian Snitker had been deploying Thornburg in extremely low-leverage situations. After he threw 25 pitches in yesterday’s loss to the Marlins, Atlanta replaced him with a fresher arm in Lee.

Thornburg has more than five years of big league service, so he couldn’t be optioned to the minor leagues without his consent. Once the Braves determined to replace him on the active roster, they had to designate him for assignment even though Lee already occupies a spot on the 40-man roster. They’ll now have a week to trade Thornburg or place him on waivers.

That $900K guarantee isn’t much higher than this season’s $700K league minimum salary, so it’s not inconceivable another club could add Thornburg to the middle innings. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency while still collecting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.

Reds Return Aquino, Ashcraft, Motter To Minors

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MAY 23: As expected, Cincinnati announced this morning that Mahle, Almora, Kuhnel and Drury have been reinstated from the restricted list before tonight’s series opener with the Cubs. Aquino, Aschraft and Motter have been returned to the minors and are no longer on the 40-man roster.

MAY 20: The Reds announced a host of roster moves before their series against the Blue Jays. First baseman Joey Votto has been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list. Outfielder Aristides Aquino, righty Graham Ashcraft and utilityman Taylor Motter have all been selected to the majors as designated COVID “substitutes.”

Cincinnati placed four players — Tyler Mahle, Albert Almora Jr., Joel Kuhnel and Brandon Drury — on the restricted list. That’s standard procedure for players who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 playing on teams that are headed to Toronto. The Canadian government prohibits unvaccinated players from entering the country, so that quartet will be unavailable for this weekend’s series.

Votto returns after missing more than two weeks because of virus concerns. The six-time All-Star began experiencing COVID symptoms during the first week of May, and he wound up missing enough time the organization sent him on a brief minor league rehab assignment. After a pair of appearances with Triple-A Louisville, the Toronto native returns for a set against his hometown club. He’ll look to right the ship offensively after the time off; Votto has opened the season in a dreadful .122/.278/.135 slump through 22 games.

Aquino, Motter and Ashcraft all occupy temporary spots on the roster. That the club specified they were COVID substitutes suggests it’s likely to be a brief stint for all three. Players whose contracts are selected with that designation can be removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the minors without passing through waivers as the team returns to full strength. In the Reds’ case, that’ll be after this series, so each of Aquino, Motter and Ashcraft is probably only up for three days.

The righty-hitting Aquino opened the year in the majors but got out to an awful start. He was outrighted off the roster earlier this month, but he’s tattooed Triple-A pitching (.314/.405/.743 with four homers) through ten games. Motter signed a minor league deal last month. The righty-hitting utilityman is hitting .245/.344/.566 with Louisville and offers some multi-positional depth in Drury’s place.

While this figures to be a brief stint for Ashcraft, the 24-year-old will probably play a notable role on the roster before too long. A sixth-round pick out of UAB in 2019, the 6’2″ hurler has quickly developed into one of the better arms in the farm system. Ashcraft split last season between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, posting an even 3.00 ERA across 111 innings. He’s spent this year with Louisville, working to a 1.65 ERA over seven starts, albeit without great strikeout or walk numbers.

Baseball America recently ranked Ashcraft the #12 prospect in the Cincinnati organization, praising a mid-90s cut fastball that serves as his primary offering. Both BA and FanGraphs — which slotted him #17 in the system — suggest that Ashcraft’s below-average changeup and inconsistent control point to a long-term bullpen future, but he’s remained a starter to this point as a pro. Ashcraft will have to be added to the 40-man roster next offseason to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft, and potential trades by the last-place Reds could open an extended opportunity for him later this summer.

Cincinnati also announced that shortstop José Barrero will begin a rehab assignment with the Bats. The club’s anticipated regular shortstop, he hasn’t played this season after suffering a hamate injury during Spring Training. Position players can spend up to 20 days on rehab assignments, suggesting Barrero’s set to make his 2022 debut within the next three weeks assuming all goes well in the minors.

Padres Place Mike Clevinger On 15-Day IL With Triceps Strain

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The Padres have announced that right-hander Mike Clevinger has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right triceps strain, retroactive to May 21. Fellow righty Steven Wilson have been recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take his place on the active roster.

Clevinger, 31, just recently returned from missing the entire 2021 campaign due to Tommy John surgery and will now head back to the injured list after just three starts. He threw 14 innings over those games with a 3.21 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 46.2% ground ball rate. The righty’s most recent outing was his best, as Clevinger allowed just one hit over five shutout innings in a 3-0 victory over the Phillies on May 17.

The Padres didn’t provide a timeline for Clevinger’s absence, so the severity of the strain isn’t yet known. If there is any silver lining, it’s that Clevinger didn’t suffer any damage to his elbow or forearm, though another type of arm injury is naturally a concern. Clevinger’s 2022 debut was also delayed by a knee problem that developed during Spring Training.

Of all the teams in baseball, the Padres are perhaps best positioned to withstand an injury to their starting pitching corps, as they currently have a rotation surplus. Even without Clevinger in the mix, the club has Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Sean Manaea, Blake Snell, MacKenzie Gore and Nick Martinez as options for starting pitching duty. There had been speculation how San Diego would juggle all of these arms, and yet as is so often the case, injuries tend to eat into any perceived rotation surplus.

Mariners Sign Andrew Knapp To Minors Contract

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The Mariners signed catcher Andrew Knapp to a minor league deal yesterday, Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto reports (Twitter link).  Knapp made his debut with the Triple-A Rainiers today, hitting a home run.

After spending his first nine pro seasons in the Phillies organization, Knapp is now on his third new team since December.  Knapp signed a minors deal with the Reds in the offseason but was released at the end of Spring Training, and the veteran backstop then caught on with the Pirates.  This resulted in 11 games for Pittsburgh before the Bucs designated Knapp for assignment last week, which led Knapp to opt for free agency rather than an outright assignment to the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate.

Tom Murphy recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a separated shoulder, so with Murphy’s timeline unclear, it isn’t surprising that the Mariners have now added another catcher.  Cal Raleigh and Luis Torrens are the two catchers on the big league roster, and Knapp will provide some veteran depth at Triple-A should another injury arise.

Knapp has hit only .210/.310/.315 over 862 MLB plate appearances, spending much of his career in a part-time or backup capacity with the Phillies.  With Raleigh and Torrens both struggling badly at the plate, it probably isn’t likely that Knapp will be seen as a replacement unless the Mariners decide that Raleigh needs more time in the minors.  (Torrens is out of minor league options.)

Pirates To Select Yerry De Los Santos, Promote Roansy Contreras

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The Pirates are planning to add two new arms to their pitching mix, as Z101 Digital’s Hector Gomez (Twitter links) reports that the Bucs will call up right-handers Roansy Contreras and Yerry De Los Santos from Triple-A.  De Los Santos isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the Pirates will need to make another corresponding move to create space.

This is the second time that Contreras has been on the big league roster this season, as he posted a 3.52 ERA over 7 2/3 innings of relief work in April.  Pittsburgh then sent Contreras down to the minors to get him stretched out as a starting pitcher, and it would appear as though the Bucs will now use Contreras in their rotation.  With his last Triple-A game falling on May 19, Contreras would seem to be lined up to start Tuesday when the Pirates host the Rockies at PNC Park.

After also tossing three innings in a single appearance with Pittsburgh in 2021, Contreras may finally be set for more of an extended look in the big leagues.  A consensus top-100 prospect in preseason rankings, Fangraphs was the most enthusiastic about Contreras’ potential, ranking him as the 42nd-best minor leaguer in baseball.  Contreras added a lot of velocity to his fastball in 2021 and now sits around a 94-96mph average.  His slider and curveball are also considered plus pitches, and his changeup has potential, though lacks some consistency.

Contreras was acquired from the Yankees as part of the Jameson Taillon trade package in January 2021, and has now become the most MLB-ready of any pitching prospect in the deep Pirates farm system.  Getting Contreras into a starting role would not only be a good sign that the Bucs’ long rebuild is turning a corner, but it is also quite possible that he could provide immediate help.  Aside from veteran Jose Quintana, Pittsburgh’s rotation has struggles, so there is plenty of opportunity for Contreras to claim a regular turn.

After signing with the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 2015, the 24-year-old De Los Santos is now getting his first taste of Major League action.  While De Los Santos isn’t ranked within the top 30 Pittsburgh prospects by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, it isn’t uncommon for relievers to be omitted from those lists, even when a reliever posts De Los Santos’ kinds of eye-popping numbers.  Since becoming a full-time reliever in 2017, De Los Santos has a 1.63 ERA and 32.3% strikeout rate over 115 2/3 innings — this includes a 1.72 ERA, 34.5% strikeout rate, and 3.4% walk rate over 15 2/3 frames at Triple-A this season.

Giants Place Brandon Belt On 10-Day Injured List

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6:49PM: Belt told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly and other reporters that he received a cortisone shot in his knee today.  Both Belt and Giants manager Gabe Kapler feel that the first baseman won’t miss much time, perhaps even just the minimum 10 days.

3:20PM: The Giants have placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list due to right knee inflammation.  Kevin Padlo was called up from Triple-A to take Belt’s spot on the active roster.

Belt is no stranger to injury problems in general, and inflammation in his right knee has led to two recent lengthy absences — a six-week stint on the IL last season, and Belt missed most of this year’s Spring Training.  There was some thought that Belt might need to start the year on the IL in order to ramp up after missing so much of camp, but Belt was on the Opening Day roster and has been playing regularly, apart from a 10-day trip to the COVID-related IL.

It’s probably safe to assume that this knee issue and the positive COVID test have contributed to a somewhat slow start for Belt, who is still producing at a 110 OPS+/115 wRC+ pace by hitting .228/.342/.386 over his first 120 PA.  By Belt’s recent high standards, however, this counts as a veritable slump, considering Belt delivered a whopping .988 OPS over 560 PA in the 2020-21 seasons.

This production led San Francisco to issue Belt (who turned 34 last month) a one-year, $18.4MM qualifying offer last fall, and Belt opted to take the one-year payday rather than test free agency.  Belt has become a staple in the Bay Area, spending his entire pro career with the Giants and earning World Series rings in both 2012 and 2014.

Belt and the Giants can hope that this bout of inflammation won’t cost the slugger another six weeks, but the club does have some depth on hand even though LaMonte Wade Jr. also just went on the 10-day IL due to his own case of knee inflammation.  Darin Ruf and Wilmer Flores figure to take the bulk of first base duty in Belt’s absence, and Tommy La Stella can provide a left-handed hitting complement to the first base picture now that he’s back from his own IL stint.

Dodgers Extend Blake Treinen

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5:32PM: The 2024 option could be worth between $1MM and $7MM based on Treinen’s health and other factors, Ardaya tweets.  According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links), the option price will depend on what specific kinds of injuries Treinen may or may not miss time with over the course of the next two seasons.

This uncertain health situation factored into Treinen’s decision to agree to the extension, Harris writes, as Treinen’s return in 2022 isn’t a lock.  A source tells Harris that there is a “decent” chance Treinen pitches again this season, while another source tells Ardaya that Trienen has a “very possible” chance.

4:58PM: Treinen will earn $8MM in 2023, as The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports that the extension will guarantee the club option.  The deal also gives the Dodgers a conditional option over Treinen for 2024.

4:38PM: The Dodgers announced a contract extension with right-hander Blake Treinen that will officially keep the reliever in the fold for the 2023 season.  Treinen was already controlled for 2023 via a club option, which would’ve paid him $8MM if exercised (or $1.5MM if bought out).  Treinen is represented by Apex Baseball.

Treinen was first signed by L.A. following an underwhelming 2019 season with the A’s, but the righty bounced back with an impressive performance for the eventual World Series champions.  The Dodgers then re-signed Treinen to a two-year, $17.5MM pact in January 2021, which broke down as $6MM salaries in both 2021 and 2022, the $1.5MM guaranteed by the possible option buyout, and a $4MM signing bonus.

In 2021, Treinen more than lived up to his end of the deal, posting a 1.99 ERA over 72 1/3 innings out of the Los Angeles bullpen.  Other than a below-average 8.7% walk rate, Treinen was otherwise stellar across the board in both bottom-line results and Statcast numbers.  This season, however, Treinen only pitched in three games before shoulder soreness sent him to the injured list.

Manager Dave Roberts recently said that Treinen wasn’t expected back until around the All-Star break, and the club moved Treinen to the 60-day IL earlier this week.  With this injured status in mind, the timing of the extension is perhaps a little curious, though it could also be interpreted as a positive sign about the Dodgers’ confidence in the right-hander’s longer-term health.

Treinen is a little over a month away from his 34th birthday, and he is in his ninth season of MLB action, with stops in Washington and Oakland before his arrival in Los Angeles.  The 2018 season saw Treinen finish sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting due to a superb season as the Athletics’ closer, but for much of his career, Treinen has worked in a set-up capacity.  With Craig Kimbrel handling the ninth inning for the Dodgers, Treinen is expected to resume his usual set-up role when he does return to action.

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