Rays Make Several Roster Moves
Sep. 13: The Rays announced that Criswell has been returned to Triple-A. Additionally, they have recalled Josh Fleming and Yonny Chirinos, with the latter serving as the “29th man” for today’s doubleheader.
Sep. 12, 1:05pm: Topkin relays that McKay has indeed been transferred to the 60-day IL to open up another 40-man roster spot. The Rays also announced the moves, saying that Criswell has been “added” to the roster, with Guerra and Herget “selected.” That would seem to suggest that Criswell is a COVID substitute, temporarily taking Raley’s place on the roster. That means he will be eligible to be removed from the roster at a later date without being placed on waivers.
9:05am: The Rays are making a series of changes to their pitching staff prior to a big five-game series in Toronto that starts tonight (Twitter links from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Three right-handers will be added to the roster: Cooper Criswell, Kevin Herget and Javy Guerra. Two other righties, Luis Patiño and Calvin Faucher, were optioned after yesterday’s game to open a couple of spots on the active roster. Left-hander Brooks Raley will open a third by being placed on the restricted list, ineligible to cross the Canadian-American border due to his unvaccinated status. None of Criswell, Herget or Guerra are on the 40-man roster, which is currently at 39. Raley won’t count against that number while on the restricted list, leaving the club still to open one spot. Speculatively speaking, they could transfer lefty Brendan McKay to the 60-day injusted list in the wake of the news of his Tommy John surgery.
Criswell, 26, made his MLB debut last year with a 1 1/3-inning cup of coffee with the Angels. They placed him on the 60-day IL this year due to shoulder soreness and eventually lost him to the Rays on a waiver claim in July. Since that claim, Criswell has thrown 27 1/3 innings over eight games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He has a 3.95 ERA in that time with a 20.8% strikeout rate, 4.7% walk rate and 51.9% ground ball rate. He was designated for assignment in July, getting outrighted after clearing waivers. He will get the start for tonight’s game and could give the Rays at least a few frames. Each of his last eight appearances have been between three and four innings.
Herget, 31, spent many years in the Cardinals’ system and one in Cleveland’s before joining the Rays on a minor league deal. He was selected to Tampa’s roster in August but got designated for assignment before making his MLB debut. He’s thrown 91 2/3 innings over 19 appearances for the Bulls on the year, making him another multi-inning option for the Rays. He has a 2.55 ERA for the season with a 24.7% strikeout rate, 3.8% walk rate and 35.9% ground ball rate.
Guerra, 26, has 34 innings of MLB experience thus far, mostly with the Padres. He was traded to the Rays in April for cash considerations but was designated for assignment in May, clearing waivers and getting outrighted to Durham. He briefly returned to the team as a COVID substitute the last time the Rays traveled to Toronto. He’s been used in the more traditional single-inning reliever role, having thrown 41 1/3 innings over 43 Triple-A games this year. He has a 1.74 ERA in that stretch with a 31.9% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate and 47.1% grounder rate.
Thanks to tomorrow’s doubleheader, the Rays and Jays will be playing five games over the next four days, making it fairly logical for Tampa to add some fresh arms. Josh Fleming and Jimmy Yacabonis are also traveling with the team on the taxi squad, making them candidates to be the club’s “29th man” for the twin bill. Along with the Mariners, the Rays and Blue Jays are holding down the American League Wild Card spots, with all three teams within half a game of each other. That means these contests will be key in determining the postseason picture in a few weeks’ time. In this year’s new playoff format, the first round is played entirely in the home field of the top-seeded team, so there’s a meaningful difference between having the first Wild Card spot and the second/third.
Reds Select Kyle Dowdy
The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Dowdy. He has been appointed the club’s “29th man” for today’s doubleheader. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move will be required.
Dowdy, 29, has 22 1/3 innings of MLB experience on his résumé, which all came back in 2019 with the Rangers. Texas has claimed him off waivers from the Mets, who had nabbed Dowdy from Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft. He stuck with the Rangers through the end of July but was eventually returned to Cleveland after posting a 7.25 ERA over 22 1/3 innings.
He signed a minor league deal with the Reds in December of last year and has been with the Louisville Bats for all of 2022 so far. In 48 2/3 innings on the season, he has a 4.25 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate and 38.2% ground ball rate. However, that’s come with a concerning 13.2% walk rate, something that’s been an issue for Dowdy in recent years. He also registered a 14.7% walk rate in Triple-A last year, in addition to a 16.4% rate in his time in the majors.
Despite those control issues, Dowdy has made it back to the big leagues for the first time in over three years. He has a full slate of options and less than a year of MLB service time, meaning he could potentially provide the Reds with a depth arm that can be moved between the majors and minors as long as he retains his spot on the 40-man roster.
Giants Sign Wilmer Flores To Extension
The Giants are keeping around one of their impending free agents, announcing agreement with infielder Wilmer Flores on a multi-year deal. The contract reportedly pays Flores $6.5MM in each of the next two seasons and contains a player/club option for 2025. That season, Flores will first have to decide on a $3.5MM player option; if he declines, the team can keep him in the fold by triggering an $8.5MM club option. Between his salaries over the next two seasons and the value of the player option, Flores is technically guaranteed $16.5MM over three years.
Flores, 31, played six seasons with the Mets and one with the Diamondbacks to begin his career. Prior to the 2020 season, he signed with the Giants on a two-year deal with a $6.25MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $3MM salary in 2020 and 2021, with a $250K buyout $3.5MM club option for 2022.
Although he’s never been an All-Star, Flores has been steadily above-average at the plate for years and that’s been true of his time in San Fran as well. In 2020, he hit 12 home runs in the shortened season and produced a batting line of .268/.315/.515. That production was 19% above league average, as evidenced by his 119 wRC+. He followed that up with 18 homers in 2021 and a line of .262/.335/.447, 112 wRC+. The Giants made the easy call of exercising their option for 2022 and were rewarded with another solid Flores season. He’s added another 18 homers already this year, with an overall slash line of .235/.319/.414, wRC+ of 107. This is the seventh consecutive season in which Flores has registered a wRC+ between 102 and 119. Instead of returning to the open market, he will stick in San Francisco for another couple seasons.
He has produced that consistently solid work at the plate while also giving the Giants defensive versatility, something they clearly value highly in players. In all three of his seasons with the Giants, he has bounced between first base, second base and third base as needed. That’s been especially important for a club that features some older or injury-prone regulars like Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Tommy La Stella. Going forward, La Stella has one more year on his contract but he hasn’t played much defense this year, taking the field for just 66 innings so far. It’s also possible Longoria and Belt won’t be around next year. Belt is heading to free agency after this year and faces an uncertain road ahead, having just undergone surgery on his oft-injured knee. Longoria could be retained for next year via a $13MM club option with a $5MM buyout, though he told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has at least given some thought to retirement.
Given the uncertainty surrounding those infielders, it makes sense to lock up a reliable and versatile contributor like Flores. He can now be penciled into an infield mix that includes La Stella, rookie David Villar, Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford, J.D. Davis, with LaMonte Wade Jr. perhaps playing some first base or returning to strictly outfield work. Crawford and La Stella are both slated to become free agents after 2023, which will further thin out this group for the second year of Flores’ deal.
The Giants ran an Opening Day payroll of $155MM here in 2022, according to Cot’s Contracts. Flores’ deal pushes the team’s 2023 payroll commitments to around $95MM, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include arbitration raises for players like Mike Yastrzemski or Logan Webb, but it does include Carlos Rodón‘s $22.5MM. As long as Rodón finishes the season healthy, he will exercise the opt out on his deal and return to free agency in search of a larger payday.
It’s been a disappointing season for the Giants, as they followed up their 107-win campaign in 2021 with a 67-73 record so far in 2022. It figures to be a very interesting offseason, as the club will head into the winter with many holes that need to be filled but lots of payroll space available for addressing them. Anthony DeSclafani is the only player under contract for 2024 and the slate is completely clean beyond that, giving the Giants the ability to make a sizable commitment, or commitments, before Spring Training. But for now, they’ve retained one of their most stable and dependable guys to bolster their infield mix, giving them one less thing to worry about over the winter.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the Giants and Flores were in agreement on a two-year deal with an option for 2025. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of ElExtrabase was first to report the matching $6.5MM salaries over the next two seasons.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Giants Make Five Roster Moves
The Giants have made a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game against the Braves. The contracts of outfielder Willie Calhoun and right-hander Cole Waites were selected from Triple-A, and roster space was created by the placement of Tommy La Stella on the 10-day injured list, outfielder Austin Dean being optioned to Triple-A, and catcher Patrick Mazeika being designated for assignment.
La Stella is dealing with neck spasms, and given the calendar, it is possible La Stella might be shut down for the remainder of the 2022 season if he isn’t making progress by the time his 10-day minimum is up. The IL has become an unfortunately familiar landing spot for La Stella over his two years in San Francisco, as he played in only 76 games in 2021 and 60 games this season due to a long list of health issues. The infielder didn’t make his 2022 debut until mid-May due to recovery from offseason Achilles surgery.
All of these injuries have limited La Stella’s production, as he has hit only .239/.282/.350 over 195 plate appearances this year. He has also mostly been limited to DH duty, which is a hit for a player valued for his ability to play third, second, and first base. If this is indeed it for La Stella in 2022, the Giants can only hope that a full winter of rest can get him back to his usual defensive role(s) in what will be the final year of his contract. La Stella signed a three-year, $18.75MM free agent deal in February 2021 that to date hasn’t panned out for the Giants.
Calhoun was acquired in a trade with the Rangers in June, and the slugger will now make his first Major League appearance outside of a Texas uniform. A 21-homer season in 2019 seemingly served as a breakout for Calhoun, but several injuries and a lack of big league playing time stalled his career. Calhoun was vocal about his desire for a trade after the Rangers optioned him to Triple-A earlier this season, as he’ll now get a fresh start with a late-season audition with the Giants.
Thus far, the change of organization seems to have helped, as Calhoun has hit .299/.386/.465 with five homers in 166 PA with Triple-A Sacramento. Carrying that production from the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League to the majors will be a challenge, though if Calhoun can show some of his old form down the stretch, he could put himself into San Francisco’s plans for 2023. Calhoun still has two years of arbitration control remaining, and he doesn’t turn 28 until November.
Waites was an 18th-round selection for the Giants in the 2019 draft, and the righty is getting his first call to the majors. Due to both knee surgery and the canceled 2020 minor league season, Waites doesn’t have a lot of pro experience, with only 71 1/3 total innings in the minors (40 2/3 of them this year). However, he has a stunning 45.12% strikeout rate and 2.78 ERA over those 71 1/3 frames, though his 13.8% walk rate indicates shaky command.
Baseball America (21st) and MLB Pipeline (29th) each rank Waites among the top 30 prospects in the Giants’ farm system, citing his plus fastball that can touch 100mph, as well as a slider that can be a dominant pitch when Waites can control it. Waites has pitched exclusively as a reliever over the last two seasons, and projects as an intriguing bullpen arm if he can limit the free passes.
Mazeika was claimed off waivers from the Mets on August 21, and he’ll now return to DFA limbo after eight games with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate and no appearances at the big league level. A long-time member of the Mets farm system, Mazeika has played in 61 MLB games over the 2021-22 seasons and hit .190/.236/.279 over 159 PA. With Joey Bart now back from the concussion-related IL, San Francisco has made some adjustments to its catching depth in recent days, including Mazeika’s DFA and Andrew Knapp‘s outright assignment to Triple-A.
Phillies Reinstate Zach Eflin
The Phillies announced they’ve activated righty Zach Eflin from the 60-day injured list. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, Philadelphia recalled right-hander Mark Appel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and placed him on the MLB 60-day IL.
Eflin returns to the active roster for the first time since June 26. The 28-year-old has been bothered by a right knee contusion, the continuation of career-long issues with the joint. He’s undergone surgery on the knee in both 2016 and ’21, and while he didn’t need to go under the knife this time around, the club no doubt factored in his injury history in determining how quickly he could ramp back up. Eflin just began a minor league rehab assignment last Friday, tossing two innings and 27 pitches in Lehigh Valley. After one game, he’s ready to jump right back to the big leagues.
The rehab stint had to be expedited by the lack of time remaining on the regular season schedule. There’s a bit more than three weeks to play, and the 78-62 Phils are battling for their first postseason appearance in over a decade. Philadelphia is 1 1/2 games up on the Padres for the National League’s second Wild Card spot, with a three-game cushion between themselves and the only viable threat to bump them out of the playoff picture entirely, the Brewers.
There wasn’t sufficient time to build Eflin back to a traditional starter’s workload, so he’ll move into the bullpen for interim skipper Rob Thomson. Philadelphia’s relief corps has been middle-of-the-pack this season. That’s a marked improvement over the past couple years, but the Phils recently lost Corey Knebel for the season. Trade deadline acquisition David Robertson, Seranthony Domínguez (himself recently activated from the injured list) and Connor Brogdon have emerged as Thomson’s top right-handed options.
Working from the bullpen is unfamiliar territory for Eflin, who has started 115 of his 120 MLB appearances. He’s been a reliable mid-rotation arm for the majority of that time, posting an ERA between 3.97 and 4.37 in each of the past five years. Eflin has been one of the game’s most consistent strike-throwers, and while he hasn’t missed many bats, he’ll be one of the steadier rotation options available on this winter’s free agent market.
Appel’s season comes to an unfortunate early close. He’s battling inflammation in his throwing elbow, according to the club’s transactions log at MLB.com, and the 60-day minimum officially closes the books on his returning this year. Appel’s most recent appearance with Lehigh Valley came on September 3, and he landed on the minor league injured list not too long thereafter.
It’s a disappointing conclusion to the year, but 2022 has to go down as a resounding success for the former first overall pick. Appel never reached the big leagues with his original organization, the Astros, and he looked as if he’d never appear at the highest level after stepping away from the game following the 2017 campaign. Appel made a comeback effort last year, and he remained in the Philadelphia system this season. Appel earned his long-awaited first promotion in mid-June, and he finishes the season with 10 1/3 innings of two-run ball in the big leagues.
Philadelphia will pay Appel at the prorated $700K MLB minimum rate for the rest of the season to temporarily remove him from the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old is in his second of three minor league option years and can continue to bounce on and off the Phils active roster next season.
Marlins Designate Aneurys Zabala For Assignment
Between games of today’s doubleheader against the Rangers, the Marlins designated reliever Aneurys Zabala for assignment, tweets Daniel Álvarez Montes of El Extrabase. The move clears space on the active roster for lefty Braxton Garrett, who has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list to take the ball in game two. Miami’s 40-man roster tally falls to 39.
It’s an incredibly quick turnaround for Zabala, whose contract was just selected this afternoon. He was in the bullpen for the first game of the twin bill but didn’t make an appearance in a 3-2 loss. He now loses the roster spot he occupied for a few hours, although he’ll at least collect a major league salary for today and any time he spends in DFA limbo.
Zabala has been selected and designated for assignment on three separate occasions this year. He’s made only two MLB appearances — the first of his career — tossing 2 2/3 scoreless frames while averaging over 99 MPH on his heater. The 25-year-old has had a tough season in Triple-A Jacksonville, walking more than a quarter of batters faced en route to a 9.47 ERA through 19 innings. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency, but he’s already foregone that possibility once this year.
Mets Designate Deven Marrero For Assignment
The Mets announced a host of roster moves before tonight’s series opener with the Cubs. Luis Guillorme is back from the 10-day injured list, while Trevor May has returned from the COVID-19 list. In corresponding moves, the Mets placed reliever Bryce Montes de Oca on the 15-day IL with left hamstring tightness and designated infielder Deven Marrero for assignment.
Guillorme returns just under a month after straining his groin. The left-handed hitting utilityman has had a productive season, posting a .283/.355/.357 line across 289 plate appearances. He’s not much of a power threat, but Guillorme puts the ball in play and is capable of playing all around the infield. He’s rated particularly well as a second baseman in his career, but he’s also a viable backup for Francisco Lindor at shortstop and a candidate to take some third base playing time from Eduardo Escobar (although Escobar has been on a tear since being reinstated from his own IL stint a couple weeks back).
At the very least, Guillorme gives the Mets a high-quality utility infielder. His return left no room for Marrero, who was initially promoted when Guillorme first went down in mid-August. New York quickly outrighted Marrero off the roster but brought him back to the majors not long after. The 32-year-old has been on the roster for the past couple weeks but only gotten into five games, going hitless with three strikeouts in six at-bats.
It’s familiar territory for Marrero, who was also frequently shuttled on and off the Marlins roster last season. Despite only appearing in 15 MLB games over the last two years, he’s been designated for assignment a staggering eight times since June 2021. He’s cleared outright waivers each time. He’d have the right to refuse a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he goes unclaimed again, but it seems likely he’d elect to return to Triple-A Syracuse. Marrero has a .217/.309/.325 line over 137 plate appearances there this year.
Montes de Oca was first promoted on September 3, when May landed on the injured list. He’s made three appearances, allowing four runs in 3 1/3 innings but striking out six. The big right-hander has averaged 95.4 MPH on his cutter and just under triple digits on his sinker, per Statcast, showcasing the impact stuff that allowed him to strike out more than 35% of opponents in 30 Triple-A innings this year. The 26-year-old also walked 15.4% of batters faced at that level, though, and the Mets eased him into the big leagues with low-leverage work.
Diamondbacks Designate Wilmer Difo For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced they’ve designated infielder Wilmer Difo for assignment before tonight’s matchup with the Dodgers. Outfielder Jordan Luplow was recalled to take the vacated active roster spot. The move drops Arizona’s 40-man roster count to 39.
Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, the switch-hitting Difo spent most of the season at Triple-A Reno. He struggled to a .269/.311/.398 line through 306 plate appearances there, offense that’s well below average once accounting for Reno’s extreme hitter-friendly nature. Nevertheless, he earned a call-up at the start of this month based on his defensive ability. Difo is capable of covering anywhere on the infield, and he’s rated as a solid shortstop throughout his MLB career.
The 30-year-old’s stay on the big league club proved rather brief, as he loses his roster spot after appearing in only three games. Difo tallied six plate appearances, going hitless while striking out once. That did mark his eighth straight year with some big league work, and he now owns a .250/.311/.353 line in just over 1300 plate appearances between the Nationals, Pirates and D-Backs.
Arizona will place Difo on outright or release waivers within the next few days. If he goes unclaimed, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment and test minor league free agency both based on having three-plus years of MLB service and having previously been outrighted in his career.
Reds Select Raynel Espinal
The Reds made some roster moves today, with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com relaying them on Twitter. Right-hander Justin Dunn, who was sick yesterday, has been placed on the injured list without a designation, implying he is on the COVID-related injured list. Right-hander Raynel Espinal has been called up from Triple-A to take his place on the roster. Additionally, outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who was designated for assignment last week, has been released.
Espinal, 30, has MLB experience, though his résumé is quite short. He made one appearance for the Red Sox last year, throwing two innings, his only appearance in the big leagues so far. As he was a COVID substitute player, he was removed from Boston’s roster without being exposed to waivers, reaching free agency at season’s end. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants but went to the Cubs in the Dixon Machado trade. Espinal was released a couple of weeks later, landing with the Reds on a minors deal.
Between the three organizations, he’s thrown 102 1/3 Triple-A innings on the year over 25 appearances, 21 starts. He has a 5.63 ERA in that time, though with a strong 27.2% strikeout rate. It’s possible that he might be designated a COVID substitute again, just like with Boston last year. If that is indeed the case, he would be able to be removed from the roster without being exposed to waivers.
Red Sox Claim Yu Chang, Designate Jaylin Davis
The Red Sox have claimed infielder Yu Chang off waivers from the Rays, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Chang had been designated for assignment last week. In a corresponding move, outfielder Jaylin Davis has been designated for assignment by Boston.
Chang, 28, has been a fixture of transaction logs this year, now joining his fourth organization of the season. He began the year with the Guardians but was designated for assignment in late May. He got traded to the Pirates for cash considerations but was designated for assignment again after a month in Pittsburgh. The Rays claimed him off waives from the Bucs and have kept him around for the past two months.
Chang was a fairly well regarded prospect but hasn’t yet had strong results in the major leagues. Since he is out of options and can’t be sent to the minors, he’s been continually nudged off rosters all year, with some other club always stepping up to give him another shot. His overall batting line this year is .216/.280/.324 for a wRC+ of 77. He has been better in recent months with the Rays, however, hitting .260/.305/.385 for a wRC+ of 101. Whether Chang’s bat has turned a corner or not, he will at least provide defensive versatility, having spent some time at each of the four infield positions this year.
The Red Sox are 69-72 on the year, leaving them 10 games out of a playoff spot with just over three weeks remaining on the schedule. With their hopes of competing effectively dashed at this point, they can use their remaining games to evaluate players prior to the winter, with Chang now entering the mix. The club’s current infield picture includes Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Story, Rafael Devers, Triston Casas and Christian Arroyo, with Bogaerts expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this winter. The Sox make sense as a fit for a free agent shortstop to replace Bogaerts, though if they don’t succeed in signing one, they could also slide Story over and make Arroyo the everyday second baseman. That would give Chang a path to a job as a utility/bench infielder.
As for Davis, 28, the Red Sox claimed him from the Giants in April but passed him through waivers a couple weeks later. He was selected back to the roster in July. He has a great batting line in the majors though in a tiny sample of just 27 plate appearances. He’s hit .333/.407/.375 in the bigs this year despite striking out 40.7% of the time. He’s hit just .198/.315/.318 for Triple-A Worcester while going down on strikes in in 30.8% of his 305 plate appearances. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Sox will have no choice but to put him on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days. Since Davis was previously outrighted, he’d have the ability to reject an assignment and elect free agency in the event he clears waivers again.