Twins Place Jorge Polanco On IL, Select Jermaine Palacios
The Twins announced that they have placed infielder Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list due to left knee inflammation, retroactive to August 31. To take his place on the active roster, they selected the contract of infielder Jermaine Palacios. To open a spot for Palacios on the 40-man roster, catcher Ryan Jeffers was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Polanco, 29, has been dealing with this knee issue for a while, having last played on August 27. IL placements can be retroactive but only to a maximum of three days. Minnesota’s primary shortstop for much of his career, Polanco has slid over to second base for the past couple of campaigns, yielding to Andrelton Simmons last year and Carlos Correa here in 2022. His bat has been just as productive as ever this year, as he’s hit 16 home runs and is slashing .235/.346/.405 on the season. That production is 20% better than league average, by measure of wRC+, just shy of his career best wRC+ of 124, outside of a five-game cameo in 2014.
With Polanco on the shelf, Nick Gordon has been manning the keystone this week. For the season, he’s hitting .279/.322/.440 for a wRC+ of 118. That should allow the club to avoid a significant downgrade on the infield, though it means Gordon is subtracted from an outfield mix that has lost Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff to the IL in the past month. The Twins are just a single game behind the Guardians in the Central division and four games back of the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Palacios, 26, briefly made his MLB debut earlier this year when selected as a “substitute” while Correa was on the COVID IL. He got into eight games before being returned to the minors. He’s played 101 Triple-A games and hit .283/.341/.462 on the year for a wRC+ of 112. Defensively, he’s played primarily shortstop but also spent some time at each of the other infield positions as well as the outfield corners, giving the club some extra depth all around.
As for Jeffers, this move is largely a formality as he has been out of action since mid-July due to a thumb contusion. He will now be ineligible to return until 60 days from his initial IL placement, which would be mid-September. He recently resumed baseball activities but hasn’t yet started a rehab assignment and was targeting a late September return to action.
Mets Place Trevor May On IL, Select Bryce Montes de Oca
The Mets announced tonight that they have placed right-hander Trevor May on the injured list, without providing a designation. Fellow right-hander Bryce Montes de Oca has been selected to take his place on the roster. Montes de Oca was not previously on the 40-man roster, which was full before these moves. Those facts, combined with the fact that the club didn’t provide an injury diagnosis, points to May being on the COVID IL. Players on that list don’t count against a club’s 40-man roster.
At this point, it’s not clear whether May tested positive for the virus, as players can also land on the IL for experiencing symptoms or for viral exposure. Without a positive test, there’s no minimum stay on the IL. But in the case of a positive test, MLB’s 2022 health regulations stipulate a 10-day absence, though a pair of negative PCR tests and approval from a trio of medical professionals (team doctor, league-appointed doctor, MLBPA-appointed doctor) can override that 10-day requirement.
It’s been a tale of two seasons for May, as he struggled immensely out of the gate. He had an 8.64 ERA after about a month, at which point he was placed on the IL due to triceps inflammation. He was out of action about three months, returning at the beginning of August and posting much better results. He has a 3.86 ERA since his return, along with an excellent 35.9% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.
Montes de Oca, 26, was a ninth-round pick of the Mets in the 2018 draft. He missed the 2018 and 2019 campaigns due to injury and then 2020 due to the pandemic. He finally made his professional debut in 2021, climbing to Double-A by season’s end. This year, he began back at Double-A and posted a 3.12 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, striking out 31.2% of batters faced while getting grounders on 68.4% of balls in play. He did walk an obscene 18.2% of batters faced, but nonetheless got a promotion to Triple-A. He’s since registered a 3.90 ERA in 30 innings there, with a 35.3% strikeout rate, 37.7% ground ball rate and 15.4% walk rate. In July, FanGraphs ranked him the #25 prospect in the Mets’ system, noting that his fastball sits in the upper 90s with tailing movement. He will make his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
It’s not clear whether Montes de Oca has had his contract selected in the traditional way or as a COVID “substitute.” In the latter case, he would be eligible to be removed from the 40-man roster without first being exposed to waivers. Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, commissioner Rob Manfred has the sole discretion to determine whether teams are sufficiently impacted by COVID-19 to add a substitute to the roster.
Yankees Place Andrew Benintendi On IL, Designate Anthony Banda
The Yankees announced a series of roster moves today, with outfielder Andrew Benintendi heading to the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. Outfielder Estevan Florial was recalled in a corresponding move. Additionally, right-hander Ryan Weber has been selected to the big league club, with lefty Anthony Banda designated for assignment.
Benintendi, 28, left last night’s game after appearing to injure himself on a swing. Last night’s X-rays came back negative, but it seems the ailment is enough that the Yanks will keep him out of action for another ten days at least, as they try to figure out what’s going on. “Just not sure, like, where we thought, may not be injured,” Boone says in the video shared by Marly Rivera of ESPN. “So, they got to get more CT scans. I just got briefed on it a little bit so I really don’t have much for you other than he is going on the IL but it’s a little inconclusive right now exactly what.”
Given that uncertainty, it’s hard to know exactly how serious this will be for the Yankees. However, even a minimum absence could have an impact in this late stage of the season, as there are just over four weeks remaining on the regular season schedule. Acquired from the Royals prior to the trade deadline, Benintendi is having a solid season at the plate, one of his best showings in years. His .302/.371/.397 battling is 21% better than the league average hitter this year, as evidenced by his 121 wRC+. That’s just shy of his career best in that department, as he registered a 123 wRC+ back in 2018.
The Yanks will have to do without his production for at least the next week and a half, with the results of the continued testing still to determine the next steps. Until then, they will have to get by with an outfield mix consisting of Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, Marwin Gonzalez, Tim Locastro and Florial. Giancarlo Stanton could theoretically be a factor as well, though he’s been used exclusively in the designated hitter role since returning from his own IL stint. Despite running away with the AL East for much of the season, the club has been in a rough slide lately, seeing their lead over the Rays slip to just five games. They would surely love for someone in that group to step up and make up for Benintendi’s absence in order to help keep them in the driver’s seat down the stretch.
Banda, 29, previously pitched for the Pirates and Blue Jays earlier this year, in addition to a brief stint in the minors for the Mariners. He signed with the Yankees on Sunday and made two appearances in pinstripes. The first one went well enough, as Banda entered the club’s game against Oakland on Sunday with one out and no one on in the fifth. He surrendered a walk sandwiched between two outs to finish the inning. His second appearance came last night and didn’t go nearly as well. With the Yanks down 5-0 to the Rays in the eighth, Banda entered with two men on and faced six batters, walking three of them, hitting another and giving up two singles. That leaves with a 40.50 ERA through two thirds of an inning as a Yankee, though a 6.75 ERA on the season overall. Despite that unfortunate ERA, he does have a career-high 22.2% strikeout rate on the year. The Yankees will place him on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days, though Banda would have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, by virtue of having been previously outrighted in his career.
As for Weber, 32, he’s bounced on and off New York’s roster all year long, generally faring well in brief stints with the big league club. He was first selected in June but was designated for assignment the next day. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and re-signed with the club on a new minor league deal. That same cycle happened two more times, making today the fourth time he’s been selected to the roster, never staying in the majors more than about a week. He has a 1.17 ERA in 7 2/3 innings over those sporadic showings, in addition to a 3.86 ERA in Triple-A for the year. His control has been excellent at both levels, as he has a 3.8% walk rate in the bigs and a 3.0% rate in the minors, much lower than the 9.1% average for an MLB reliever this year.
Lindsey Adler of The Athletic tweeted word from Boone about Benintendi’s IL placement before the moves were officially announced. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com relayed the Banda-Weber swap before the official announcement.
Twins Reinstate Tyler Mahle From 15-Day Injured List
The Twins officially reinstated Tyler Mahle from the 15-day injured list, prior to Mahle’s scheduled start tonight against the White Sox. Left-hander Jovani Moran was optioned to Triple-A to create roster space.
Mahle missed just a little beyond the 15-day minimum, as he was retroactively placed on the IL on August 18 due to inflammation his right shoulder. The issue caused Mahle to leave his last start after 2 1/3 innings, but an MRI came back clean, and the Twins even considered only skipping Mahle for a single start in the hopes that he could avoid the injured list altogether. However, the team opted for some caution given that Mahle also missed three weeks in July due to a shoulder strain.
That injury created doubt as to whether or not Mahle would be healthy enough to be traded by the August 2 deadline, but after he returned from the IL, the Reds indeed moved Mahle in exchange for three prospects. Mahle was off to a nice start with Minnesota before his injury, posting a 2.51 ERA over three outings and 14 1/3 innings in a Twins uniform.
Getting Mahle back in pretty short order is a sign of relief for a Twins club that is battling for both the AL Central (one game behind the Guardians) and for a wild card spot (four games behind the Blue Jays). Today’s game has particular import for the Twins, as the White Sox are only two games behind Minnesota in the standings.
Orioles Claim Anthony Castro, Designate Phoenix Sanders
The Orioles announced that right-hander Anthony Castro has been claimed off waivers from the Guardians, and subsequently optioned to Triple-A. Right-hander Phoenix Sanders was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. In addition, Baltimore outrighted infielder Richie Martin to Triple-A, as Martin cleared waivers after being designated earlier this week.
Castro has pitched in each of the last three MLB seasons, all with different teams — the Tigers in 2020, the Blue Jays in 2021, and the Guardians in 2022. Cleveland acquired Castro from Toronto for Bradley Zimmer back in April, and Castro ended up posting a 7.43 ERA over 13 1/3 relief innings in the majors.
Within that small sample size, Castro issued 10 walks and allowed five home runs. Control has been a persistent problem for Castro throughout his nine pro seasons, though at least at the minor league level, Castro has been able to mitigate a lot of those free passes due to some solid strikeout rates and grounder rates that routinely sit above the 50% threshold. Over 596 1/3 minor league innings, Castro has a 3.47 ERA.
Between these decent numbers and a mid-90s fastball, Castro drew the Orioles’ interest, and he’ll now provide some extra bullpen depth for the surprise contenders. He’ll take the place of Sanders, who was himself a waiver claim off the Rays roster less than two weeks ago.
Sanders has yet to see any Major League action with the Orioles, so his big league resume consists of the 14 2/3 innings he tossed for Tampa Bay earlier this season. The 27-year-old’s first taste of the Show resulted in a very respectable 3.07 ERA. Pitching mostly as a reliever during his career, Sanders posted a 3.46 ERA and a 29.55% strikeout rate over 260 innings in the minor leagues.
However, his work at Triple-A this year has been a struggle, with Sanders delivering only a 6.19 ERA over 32 frames. Some back problems could be partially responsible, or perhaps Sanders had trouble adjusting to his first time being shuttled up and down between the minors and the Rays’ roster. Given his past track record, it would seem possible that another club might grab Sanders in yet another waiver claim.
Giants Place Alex Wood On 15-Day Injured List
The Giants placed left-hander Alex Wood on the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder impingement, with the placement retroactive to September 1. Outfielder Bryce Johnson was called up from Triple-A to take Wood’s spot on the active roster.
Given the date, it is possible Wood has thrown his last pitch of the 2022 season. Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area) that the team will re-evaluate Wood in a week’s time to see if a return is feasible. Since the Giants are all but officially out of the wild card race, the club might decide to shut Wood down for the remainder of the campaign. San Francisco will go with a bullpen game to cover Wood’s next scheduled start, and possibly for the rest of the season if Wood indeed doesn’t return.
As per most of the advanced metrics, Wood’s 2021 and 2022 numbers have been pretty much identical, with the southpaw posting a 3.60 SIERA last season and a 3.45 SIERA this year. However, a few less bounces have gone Wood’s way, as while his real-world ERA was a solid 3.83 in 2021, that number ballooned to 5.10 in 2022. Wood got great results from his sinker in 2021 and his slider was also a plus pitch, but both offerings have been below average this year in Statcast’s view.
Kapler noted that Wood has been trying to pitch through his shoulder problem, which could explain this downturn in production and, in particular, Wood’s recent shaky outings. Over his last three starts and 12 1/3 innings, Wood has been tagged for a 7.91 ERA.
Shoulder and back injuries have hampered Wood in the past, most notably during the 2019-20 seasons when he pitched only 48 1/3 total big league innings. Wood did rebound during the 2020 playoffs to help the Dodgers win the World Series, and he pitched well after signing a one-year, $3MM free agent deal with San Francisco in the 2020-21 offseason. That resulted in a new two-year, $25MM contract to rejoin the Giants last winter.
Carlos Rodon is widely expected to opt out of his contract and re-enter free agency, leaving the Giants with Wood, Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Jakob Junis, and Anthony DeSclafani under contract or under arbitration control for 2023. DeSclafani is a question mark after missing most of the season due to ankle surgery, but the Giants still have a decent core rotation in place, even if some additions will likely need to be made.
Orioles Outright Denyi Reyes
The Orioles announced yesterday that right-hander Denyi Reyes has been assigned to Triple-A after being outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster. Reyes was designated for assignment on Wednesday and cleared waivers.
Reyes is a veteran of seven pro seasons, with the first six coming in the Red Sox organization before he inked a minor league free agent deal with Baltimore this past offseason. This time with the O’s saw Reyes make his Major League debut, as he tossed 7 2/3 innings over three appearances (posting a 2.35 ERA) this season.
Control has been Reyes’ biggest asset during his career, as he has only a 3.7% walk rate over his 584 1/3 innings in the minor leagues. While Reyes has always been able to avoid free passes, his overall results have diminished as he has moved up the minor league ladder, resulting in a 4.18 ERA in 209 Double-A innings and an ugly 7.50 ERA in 42 frames of Triple-A ball. Home runs have increasingly become a problem for Reyes, as his homer rate has spiked over the last two seasons.
Since he was previously outrighted off Boston’s roster back in 2020, Reyes had the ability to reject the Orioles’ outright assignment in favor of becoming a free agent. With no word yet on his decision, it appears for now as if he’ll remain in the organization, giving the O’s some extra long relief depth. Reyes has started 81 of 126 career games in the minors, but has seen more work as something of a swingman over the last two seasons.
Dodgers Designate Jake Reed For Assignment
The Dodgers announced they’ve designated reliever Jake Reed for assignment. The move clears an active and 40-man roster spot for Blake Treinen, who has been reinstated for the 60-day injured list and will be in the bullpen for tonight’s game against the Padres.
Reed is no stranger to DFA limbo, as he’s frequently been a victim of churn at the back of the 40-man roster over the past couple years. The low-slot righty has attracted plenty of interest on the waiver wire, though, bouncing from the Dodgers to the Rays to the Mets and back to Los Angeles dating back to last July. He never appeared in the big leagues with Tampa Bay, but Reed has been called upon out of the bullpen a combined 20 times as a Dodger and Met over the past two seasons.
Through 21 innings, he owns a 5.57 ERA with pedestrian strikeout and ground-ball marks (19.4% and 39.1%, respectively). Reed’s latest run has been solid, as he’d worked four scoreless appearances prior to his DFA, including locking down his first career save against his former team in Queens on Tuesday. The former fifth-round pick also has a solid track record in the minors, notching a 3.84 ERA with an above-average 25.6% strikeout rate over parts of six Triple-A campaigns.
The Dodgers will have no choice but to place Reed on waivers over the next few days. He’s drawn interest on waivers on multiple occasions, and he still has a minor league option remaining beyond this season. It’s not out of the question another team could take a shot on him to add some bullpen depth with a decent track record in the upper minors.
Treinen, meanwhile, has been out of action for more than four months. The right-hander has battled shoulder discomfort for much of the season, but that didn’t stop the Dodgers from signing him to a contract extension in May. Treinen is coming off a brilliant 2021 campaign in which he worked to a 1.99 ERA through 72 1/3 innings. If he can recapture that form now that his shoulder is back healthy, he’ll be a key late-game weapon for skipper Dave Roberts heading into the playoffs.
White Sox Select Mark Payton
The White Sox announced they’ve selected outfielder Mark Payton onto the MLB roster in advance of tonight’s game with the Twins. He’ll take the roster spot of center fielder Luis Robert, who’s going on paternity leave. To create a 40-man roster spot, reliever Aaron Bummer has been transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.
Payton, 30, signed a minor league contract with Chicago in Spring Training. He’s spent the year at Triple-A Charlotte, putting up an impressive .289/.365/.522 line with 20 home runs and 11 stolen bases over 465 plate appearances. He’s made a strong impact from a power perspective, walked at a quality 9.7% clip and is striking out in fewer than 15% of his trips to the dish. It’s the latest in a long line of excellent Triple-A showings for the University of Texas product, who now carries a .295/.369/.509 line over parts of six seasons at the minors highest level.
A Chicago native, Payton will now add some outfield insurance to the bench for acting manager Miguel Cairo. He’s covered all three outfield positions in the minors, although he only worked in the corners during a 32-game MLB cameo with the 2020-21 Reds (his only big league experience to date). It could be a brief stint, with Robert expected back imminently.
Players on the paternity list are permitted to miss between one and three games. Regardless of how long he remains on the active roster, Payton’s call-up marks a deserved recognition of his strong Triple-A production. He does still have a minor league option year remaining, so the White Sox could move him back to Charlotte without taking him off the 40-man roster upon Robert’s return if they’re so inclined.
Bummer’s transfer is no more than a formality. He’s ruled out for 60 days from the time of his initial IL placement on June 9, meaning he’s eligible for reinstatement whenever he’s ready to return. Bummer began a rehab assignment in Charlotte on Wednesday and figures to make it back to Guaranteed Rate Field within the next couple weeks.
Every Team’s Initial September Call-Ups
Each season as the calendar flips to September, we see a flurry of transactions around Major League Baseball. Active roster sizes jump from 26 to 28 for the season’s final month, with teams permitted to bring up no more than one additional pitcher. We’ve already covered a host of transactions with 40-man roster implications throughout the day at MLBTR. Here’s a full round-up of teams’ initial September roster moves.
American League West
Houston Astros:
- Selected contract of RHP Hunter Brown
- Selected contract of C Yainer Diaz
- Corresponding moves: IF Niko Goodrum and RHP Peter Solomon designated for assignment
Los Angeles Angels:
- Selected contract of OF Ryan Aguilar
- Selected contract of RHP Zack Weiss
- Corresponding moves: OF Steven Duggar and INF Jose Rojas designated for assignment
Oakland Athletics
- Selected contract of LHP Ken Waldichuk from Triple-A Las vegas
- Recalled OF Cody Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas
- Corresponding move: RHP David McKay designated for assignment
Seattle Mariners
- Reinstated LHP Matthew Boyd from 60-day injured list
- Recalled OF Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma
- Corresponding moves: None required
Texas Rangers
- Selected contract of RHP Jesus Tinoco from Triple-A Round Rock
- Recalled OF Nick Solak from Triple-A Round Rock
- Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Josh Sborz to 60-day injured list
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
- Recalled OF Adam Haseley from Triple-A Charlotte
- Recalled RHP Matt Foster from Triple-A Charlotte
- Corresponding move: None required
Cleveland Guardians
- Recalled SS Ernie Clement from Triple-A Columbus
- Reinstated RHP Cody Morris from 60-day injured list
- Corresponding move: Designated RHP Anthony Castro for assignment
Detroit Tigers
- Recalled 1B Spencer Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo
- Selected contract of INF Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo
- Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Rony Garcia to 60-day injured list
Kansas City Royals
- Selected contract of RHP Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Omaha
- Recalled OF Nate Eaton from Triple-A Omaha
- Corresponding move: None required
Minnesota Twins
- Added LHP Austin Davis (previously claimed off waivers from Red Sox) to active roster
- Selected contract of OF Billy Hamilton from Triple-A St. Paul
- Corresponding move: Transferred OF Trevor Larnach to 60-day injured list
American League East
Baltimore Orioles
- Selected contract of 1B Jesus Aguilar from Triple-A Norfolk
- Recalled LHP DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk
- Corresponding move: Designated INF Richie Martin for assignment
Boston Red Sox
- Recalled C Connor Wong from Triple-A Worcester
- Selected contract of RHP Eduard Bazardo
- Corresponding moves: None required
New York Yankees
- Recalled SS Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
- Activated INF Marwin Gonzalez from paternity list
- Corresponding moves: None required
Tampa Bay Rays
- Reinstated RHP Matt Wisler from the 15-day injured list
- Recalled INF Jonathan Aranda from Triple-A Durham
- Corresponding moves: None required
Toronto Blue Jays
- Recalled RHP Casey Lawrence from Triple-A Buffalo
- Added OF Bradley Zimmer (claimed off waivers from Phillies this week) to active roster
- Corresponding moves: None required
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Selected contract of IF Wilmer Difo from Triple-A Reno
- Reinstated RHP Keynan Middleton and LHP Kyle Nelson from 15-day injured list
- Corresponding move: Designated RHP Noe Ramirez for assignment
Colorado Rockies
- Recalled INF Alan Trejo from Triple-A Albuquerque
- Recalled RHP Chad Smith from Triple-A Albuquerque
- Corresponding moves: None required
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Reinstated LHP Clayton Kershaw from 15-day injured list
- Recalled 3B Miguel Vargas from Triple-A Oklahoma City
- Corresponding moves: None required
San Diego Padres
- Recalled INF Matt Beaty from Triple-A El Paso
- Recalled RHP Reiss Knehr from Triple-A El Paso
- Corresponding moves: None required
San Francisco Giants
- Selected contract of recently-acquired OF Lewis Brinson
- Recalled IF David Villar from Triple-A Sacramento
- Corresponding move: Outrighted LHP Jonathan Bermudez to Triple-A Sacramento
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
- Selected contract of RHP Jeremiah Estrada from Triple-A Iowa
- Recalled INF David Bote from Triple-A Iowa
- Corresponding move: Transferred Wade Miley from 15-day injured list to 60-day injured list
Cincinnati Reds
- Selected contract of 2B/3B Spencer Steer
- Selected contract of RHP Fernando Cruz
- Corresponding moves: Transferred INF Mike Moustakas and RHP Jeff Hoffman from 10-day injured list to 60-day injured list
Milwaukee Brewers
- Recalled RHP Luis Perdomo from Triple-A Nashville
- Recalled OF Esteury Ruiz from Triple-A Nashville
- Corresponding moves: None required
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Recalled RHP Johan Oviedo from Triple-A Indianapolis
- Recalled OF Calvin Mitchell from Triple-A Indianapolis
- Corresponding moves: None required
St. Louis Cardinals
- Selected contract of OF Ben DeLuzio from Triple-A Memphis
- Recalled RHP James Naile from Triple-A Memphis
- Corresponding moves: None required
National League East
Atlanta Braves
- Reinstated IF Orlando Arcia from 10-day injured list
- Added recently-claimed RHP Jesse Chavez to active roster
- Corresponding moves: None required
Miami Marlins*
- To recall OF Bryan De La Cruz
- To recall RHP Jeff Brigham
- Corresponding moves: None required
New York Mets
- Selected contract of INF Deven Marrero from Triple-A Syracuse
- Recalled RHP Adonis Medina from Triple-A Syracuse
- Corresponding move: Designated RHP Connor Grey for assignment
Philadelphia Phillies
- Selected contract of RHP Vinny Nittoli from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
- Recalled C Donny Sands from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
- Corresponding moves: None required
Washington Nationals
- Recalled C Tres Barrera from Triple-A Rochester
- Recalled RHP Mason Thompson from Triple-A Rochester
- Corresponding moves: None required
*Marlins moves reported by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link)