Padres Select Luis Liberato, Designate Cam Gallagher
The Padres have selected outfielder Luis Liberato onto the MLB roster. Catcher Cam Gallagher was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot, while Austin Nola is headed to the paternity list in an active roster move.
Liberato, 26, is headed to the big leagues for the first time. A native of the Dominican Republic, he joined pro ball back in 2012 on a deal with the Mariners. Liberato spent eight years in the Seattle system, playing his way as high as Triple-A but never reaching the big leagues. He reached minor league free agency at the end of last season and changed organizations for the first time, joining San Diego on a non-roster pact.
The Friars assigned Liberato to Triple-A El Paso, and he’s impressed during his first year in the system. The left-handed hitter owns a .261/.354/.541 line with 20 home runs across 390 trips to the plate. He’s struck out at a slightly above-average 25.4% clip, but he’s compensated by walking in 12.3% of his trips and collecting 50 extra-base hits.
Liberato has played a fair bit of center field in El Paso, so he’ll add some depth at all three outfield positions for manager Bob Melvin. The Friars haven’t gotten much this season out of Trent Grisham or José Azocar in center field, perhaps giving Liberato an opportunity to pick up some starts there down the stretch.
Gallagher just joined the organization five weeks ago. San Diego acquired the backstop from the Royals for outfielder Brent Rooker in the final trade announced at the August 2 deadline. The 29-year-old never appeared in an MLB game as a Padre, as he’s spent his entire tenure in El Paso. Gallagher stumbled to a .255/.317/.382 line over 16 games with the Chihuahuas. With Nola, Luis Campusano, Jorge Alfaro and Brett Sullivan already on the 40-man roster, the Friars have elected to move on from Gallagher rather quickly.
A right-handed hitter, Gallagher has spent the majority of his career backing up Salvador Pérez in Kansas City. He’s reached the majors in each of the last six years but never played in more than 48 games in any individual season. Gallagher is a career .240/.302/.355 hitter in 469 plate appearances, and he’s a .269/.330/.378 batter through parts of four Triple-A campaigns.
San Diego will have to place Gallagher on outright or release waivers in the next few days. Given the general demand for experienced catching, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him latch on elsewhere. This is his final minor league option year, meaning a claiming team could stash Gallagher in the minors for the rest of the season but would need to carry him on the Opening Day roster or designate him for assignment next year.
White Sox Claim Nicholas Padilla, Designate Anderson Severino
The White Sox have claimed right-hander Nicholas Padilla off waivers from the Cubs and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Southpaw Anderson Severino was designated for assignments to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Padilla, 25, has one big league game under his belt. He was called up by the Cubs late last month, and he worked 1 2/3 innings of one-run ball during his lone relief appearance. He leaned primarily on a 93 MPH cutter during that outing, per Statcast, and was optioned after the game. The Cubs designated him for assignment earlier this week when the need for a 40-man roster spot arose to bring back Michael Hermosillo from the injured list.
A former Rays draftee, Padilla has spent the past two seasons in the Cubs organization. He’s had a breakout showing across three minor league levels this year, pitching at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. He owns a cumulative 2.11 ERA in 47 innings over that stretch, striking out a quality 30.5% of batters. Padilla’s 13.7% walk rate is a red flag, but the Sox are intrigued enough by his swing-and-miss capabilities to add him as a depth player. This is the first of three minor league option years, so Chicago can keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future if he holds a spot on the 40-man roster.
Severino, who turns 28 later this month, has made his first six MLB appearances this year. The southpaw has struck out nine batters and averaged 96.6 MPH on his heater, but he’s also walked four opponents. He’s had a dismal season throwing strikes in the minors, walking a staggering 27.3% of batters faced over 22 2/3 innings with Charlotte. The abundance of free passes has translated to a 12.31 ERA that pushes him out of the immediate mix.
The White Sox will place Severino on waivers in the next few days. The Dominican Republic native has never been outrighted and doesn’t have a requisite three years service time to refuse a minor league assignment, so he’d remain in the organization if he goes unclaimed.
A’s Claim Conner Capel, Designate Luis Barrera
The A’s announced they’ve claimed corner outfielder Conner Capel off waivers from the Cardinals, designating fellow outfielder Luis Barrera for assignment. Oakland also recalled reliever Domingo Tapia from Triple-A Las Vegas, optioning Zach Logue in a corresponding move.
Capel is joining the third organization of his career. Originally an Indians draftee, he was dealt to the Cardinals as a prospect in the deal that sent Oscar Mercado to Cleveland. The left-handed hitter has spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A Memphis, generally performing at an above-average level. He’s hit .267/.355/.452 through a bit more than 800 plate appearances there, walking at a robust 11.5% clip while only striking out in 18% of his trips. Capel has also connected on 26 home runs, 40 doubles and seven triples, demonstrating a well-rounded offensive skillset.
That earned the 25-year-old his first MLB call in late June, but Capel didn’t receive much of a look at Busch Stadium. He got into nine games and only hit 19 times, collecting three hits (including his first round-tripper). The Cards designated Capel for assignment earlier this week upon calling up top prospect Alec Burleson.
As the team with the second-worst record in the majors, the A’s had the league’s #2 waiver priority. They’ll leverage that to add an outfielder with a solid upper minors track record. Capel is only in his first of three minor league option years, so the A’s can bounce him between Oakland and Las Vegas for the next couple seasons if he holds his spot on the 40-man roster.
Barrera, himself a left-handed outfielder, has gotten brief big league looks in each of the past two years. He’s gotten into 38 games, hitting .235/.290/.329 over 93 trips to the plate. Barrera has played most of the season with the Aviators, compiling a .271/.331/.451 line through 294 plate appearances. That’s actually below-average production in one of the sport’s most hitter-friendly environments, but Barrera is an elite runner who’s capable manning all three outfield positions.
The A’s have already taken Barrera off the 40-man roster once this year, outrighting him in April before re-selecting his contract the next month. They’ll place him on waivers again in the next few days. If he clears outright waivers again, he’ll have the right to refuse the assignment in favor of minor league free agency this time.
Reds Designate Albert Almora For Assignment
The Reds announced that outfielder Albert Almora Jr. has been designated for assignment. The move opens an active roster spot for infielder Matt Reynolds, who is back from the 10-day injured list.
Almora signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in Spring Training. He made the big league roster in late May and has spent the past few months in the majors as a depth outfielder. Almora has gotten into 64 games and tallied 235 plate appearances, by far his largest workload since 2019. He’s made plenty of contact and played excellent defense, but he hasn’t drawn many walks or hit for much power. He carries a .223/.282/.349 line with five homers and three stolen bases.
A former sixth overall pick of the Cubs, Almora was a regular earlier in his career on the strength of his glove. After a trio of roughly league average seasons at the dish to begin his career, the right-hander’s production has tailed off. Since the start of 2019, he carries a .219/.265/.344 line between the Cubs, Mets and Reds. He’s settled into a fourth/fifth outfield role as a result.
The Reds could’ve controlled Almora for another season via arbitration, but they were evidently prepared to non-tender him after this season. As they play out the remainder of a non-competitive year, they’ll keep Stuart Fairchild on hand as the fourth outfielder behind TJ Friedl, Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino.
Cincinnati will place Almora on outright or release waivers within the next couple days. There’s not much of a distinction in his case, as the 28-year-old has more than five years of big league service time. That gives him the right to refuse a minor league assignment in favor of free agency while retaining his salary if he clears waivers. If he goes unclaimed, it’s likely Almora will return to the open market.
Rays Activate Wander Franco, Designate Yu Chang For Assignment
The Rays welcomed Wander Franco back from the injured list Friday, designating fellow infielder Yu Chang for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster. Tampa Bay also reinstated righty Drew Rasmussen from the paternity list and optioned right-hander Yonny Chirinos to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Chirinos will remain with the club on the taxi squad.
Franco’s forthcoming reinstatement was reported last night. The star shortstop has been out since the second week of June after fracturing the hamate bone in his right hand. He had some brief setbacks upon first trying to begin a rehab stint in late August, but he made it back to Durham on Tuesday. After just a pair of games there, Tampa Bay will welcome him back to the lineup in advance of a pivotal weekend series against the Yankees, whom they trail by 4 1/2 games in the AL East.
With their star shortstop back healthy, the Rays ran out of room for Chang. Claimed off waivers from the Pirates in July, he’s spent the past couple months in a utility capacity with the big league club. The 27-year-old has played reasonably well in Tampa Bay, hitting .260/.305/.385 with three home runs and doubles apiece over 105 trips to the dish. Paired with his ability to cover anywhere around the infield, he was a useful contributor to the Rays bench, but he hadn’t fared as well during earlier-season stints with the Guardians and Pirates.
Including his dismal results with Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Chang still owns a below-average .216/.280/.324 line over 164 plate appearances on the year. He’s a .215/.275/.365 hitter through parts of four MLB seasons, a dip compared to his .258/.332/.427 showing in four seasons at Triple-A. Chang was a fairly well-regarded prospect and has drawn interest from a few teams this year, but he’s had a hard time carving out a permanent role. That’s in large part due to his out-of-options status, as teams can’t demote Chang to Triple-A without first running him through waivers.
The Rays will now take a shot at getting Chang through waivers themselves. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the only courses of action are to place Chang on outright or release waivers within the next few days.
Nationals Designate Jake McGee For Assignment
The Nationals have designated Jake McGee for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to catcher Israel Pineda, whose previously reported selection to the big league roster has now been announced by the club. Catcher Keibert Ruiz was placed on the injured list, as expected, after taking an unfortunately placed foul ball to the groin during yesterday’s game. The Nationals announced that Ruiz has a testicular contusion.
It’s the third time this season that McGee has been designated for assignment. He opened the year with the Giants, the second season of a two-year free agent deal. After posting a 2.72 ERA across 59 2/3 innings in year one, the veteran southpaw only managed a 7.17 mark in 21 1/3 frames before being cut loose in mid-July. McGree cleared waivers, leaving the Giants on the hook for the bulk of this year’s $2.5MM salary while giving other teams a chance to add him for only the prorated portion of the $700K league minimum.
The Brewers took that opportunity, signing McGee to a major league deal. He allowed four runs in only 5 2/3 frames with Milwaukee before being DFA, and the last-place Nationals surprisingly added him off waivers. The 36-year-old spent a month in D.C., working 10 innings through 12 outings. He allowed another seven runs, including a pair of homers, while striking out ten and issuing five walks.
It’s been a tough go for McGee at all three stops, and he owns a cumulative 6.81 ERA through 37 innings. His 15.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% swinging strike percentage are each below league average, and they’re markedly down from last year’s respective marks. McGee has continued to average a solid 94.4 MPH on his four-seamer, but his results have taken a major step back.
The Nationals will place McGee on outright or release waivers within the next few days. The veteran would have the right to test the open market if he goes unclaimed, so there’s little distinction between the two in his case.
Giants Select Austin Dean, Place Dominic Leone On Injured List
The Giants announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Austin Dean and placed right-hander Dominic Leone on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation. Catcher/outfielder Yermin Mercedes was outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers, thus opening a spot for Dean, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Dean, 28, has spent time in the Majors in each of the past four seasons, primarily as a member of the Marlins but also in brief stints with the Cardinals in 2020-21. He’s a .225/.282/.391 hitter in that time but carries a strong track record at the Triple-A level, where he’s posted a .300/.373/.509 batting line in 1090 career plate appearances.
Dean will give the Giants yet another right-handed option to platoon with an all-lefty outfield contingent of Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski, Luis Gonzalez and LaMonte Wade Jr. (the latter of whom is primarily playing first base lately, with Brandon Belt out of action). Dean’s career numbers against lefties at the MLB level aren’t great, but he’s batted .299/.384/.486 when holding the platoon advantage in the minors this season.
Dean’s return to the Majors comes at the expense of Mercedes, who was never formally designated for assignment prior to today’s announcement that he’d cleared waivers. The 29-year-old was an early-season sensation for the White Sox in 2021, going on a tear and earning his popular “Yerminator” moniker by hitting .368/.417/.571 through the South Siders’ first 38 games. But Mercedes’ out-of-the-blue breakout proved short-lived. He hit .150/.220/.196 across his next 118 plate appearances, was optioned to Triple-A in July, and didn’t return to the Majors with the Sox. He’s batted .233/.325/.342 in 83 plate appearances with the Giants this year.
As for Leone, he’ll head to the injured list with an issue that, depending on the recovery period, could well end his time with the Giants, given that he’ll be a free agent at season’s end. The 30-year-old righty at first proved a spectacular pickup on a Dec. 2020 minor league contract, as he wound up giving the Giants 53 2/3 innings of 1.51 ERA ball as an oft-used member of the bullpen (and an occasional opener).
Leone got out to a nice start in 2022, as well, pitching to a 2.45 ERA with a 32-to-9 K/BB ratio through his first 32 1/3 innings on the season. Leone was rocked for four runs in just a third of an inning against the D-backs on July 5, however, and he’s never really regained his footing. Dating back to that rocky outing, he’s lugging a 6.30 ERA and a 15.5% walk rate that’s six percentage points higher than his career mark. It’s fair to wonder just how much this elbow issue might’ve impacted his performance, but the result is an ERA that has spiked up to 4.01 through 49 1/3 frames of bullpen work.
Leone pitched just last night, so the IL stint can’t be backdated. He’ll be eligible to return on Sept. 24, at which point there will be 12 days left in the season.
Angels Designate Ryan Aguilar For Assignment
The Angels announced Friday that outfielder Ryan Aguilar has been designated for assignment, and right-hander Touki Toussaint has been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. That pair of roster spots will go to righty Michael Lorenzen and outfielder Mickey Moniak, each of whom has been reinstated from the injured list.
Aguilar, 27, made his big league debut this year after six years in the minors. He appeared in just seven games with the Halos, hitting .136/.231/.182 in a tiny sample of 26 trips to the plate. He had a much better showing with the Halos’ Double-A affiliate, where he turned in a .280/.427/.517 with 15 homers, 13 doubles, three triples, 11 steals and a ridiculous 19% walk rate in 348 plate appearances. Strikeouts have been an issue in the minors, however, and Aguilar fanned in 14 of his 26 Major League plate appearances as well (53.8%).
A 31st-round draft pick by the Brewers back in 2016, Aguilar was in Milwaukee’s system until last August, when he was released on the heels of a dismal showing in their own Double-A affiliate. He’s still never played a game at the Triple-A level. The Angels will place Aguilar on either outright waivers or release waivers within the week, now that he’s been dropped from the 40-man roster. He’s never been outrighted and doesn’t have three years of Major League service time, so if Aguilar clears waivers, he’ll remain with the Angels organization (sans the 40-man roster spot).
Lorenzen, who carries a 4.94 ERA in 71 innings this season (13 starts), has been out since July 1 due to a shoulder strain. He inked a one-year, $7MM deal with the Angels over the winter and will again be a free agent this coming offseason. Moniak, acquired in the deadline trade that sent Noah Syndergaard to Philadelphia, went 4-for-14 with a pair of homers in his first 15 plate appearances with the Angels, but he suffered a broken finger on a bunt attempt during just his fifth game with his new team. He missed just over a month of action.
Reds Claim Luke Farrell
The Reds have claimed righty Luke Farrell off waivers from the Cubs, per a team announcement. Cincinnati already had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move wasn’t required.
Farrell, 31, has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues. This will be his second stint with the Reds, for whom he pitched in nine games back in 2017. The son of former Red Sox skipper John Farrell, Luke has totaled 98 2/3 innings at the MLB level and posted a 4.83 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate. He’d tossed 11 innings with the Cubs this season, allowing five runs on a dozen hits and three walks with nine punchouts.
Two of Farrell’s four appearances with the Cubs were starts, and he worked multiple innings in every outing with Chicago dating back to late August. He’s maxed out at 71 pitches during this stretch, so he could give the Reds an option to make a spot start, if needed, or otherwise provide some length in the bullpen. Farrell is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent down to Triple-A without first clearing waivers; he’d need to be designated for assignment if Cincinnati wishes to remove him from the 28-man roster at any point.
Nationals To Place Keibert Ruiz On Injured List, Select Israel Pineda
The Nationals will place catcher Keibert Ruiz on the 10-day injured list Friday and select the contract of fellow catcher Israel Pineda from Triple-A Rochester, as first reported by TalkNats (Twitter links). They’ll also recall righty Jordan Weems from Rochester. The team hasn’t formally announced the moves, though Pineda’s reps at PNY Sports have announced his promotion to the big leagues (Twitter link).
Ruiz was injured behind the plate yesterday when he took a foul ball off his groin. While he initially remained in the game for a few innings, he was eventually lifted and replaced by Riley Adams. Manager Dave Martinez told reporters after the game that Ruiz was headed to a hospital for further evaluation due to swelling in his testicles.
The 24-year-old Ruiz was widely considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball prior to his arrival on the big league scene, and he was one of the headline talents acquired in the blockbuster deal that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from D.C. to L.A. at the 2021 trade deadline. He’s had a solid but unspectacular showing at the plate in his first full year with the Nats, batting .251/.313/.360. That’s 11% worse than the league-average hitter, by measure of wRC+, but right in line with the average production among big league catchers.
The Nats didn’t necessarily need to replace Ruiz with another catcher, as they were already carrying three, with both Adams and Tres Barrera on the big league roster. They’ll stick with that three-catcher arrangement for now, though, and in doing so will get their first look at the 22-year-old Pineda, who’s had a breakout season across three minor league levels.
Pineda hit just .208/.260/.389 in High-A last year but has soared from that level all the way to Triple-A in 2022. He followed up a solid .264/.325/.443 showing in 67 High-A games with an excellent .280/.340/.538 output in 26 games at the Double-A level. He’s just 2-for-21 in his first six Triple-A contests, but Pineda’s combined .258/.325/.458 batting line this year is plenty productive — particularly for a catcher. Pineda has nabbed an impressive 41% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him in parts of five professional seasons.
Pineda currently checks in as the No. 22 prospect at FanGraphs, No. 23 at Baseball America and No. 26 at MLB.com in what’s obviously considered a much-improved farm system following the complete roster tear-down in Washington. Given his performance in 2022, Pineda would likely have been added to the 40-man roster this winter anyhow, as the Nats would’ve needed to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. They’ll now get an early look at him, at least for the next few days.