Minor MLB Transactions: 11/7/15

Here are today’s minor moves from around the game (including a number of roster additions that actually took place yesterday).

• The Mets have outrighted catcher Anthony Recker and infielder Wilfredo Tovar, as ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin notes. Both players have become free agents. Recker was the Mets’ backup catcher in 2013 and 2014, but with Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki now at the big-league level, the Mets no longer had a spot for him. He’s hit .185/.260/.334 in parts of five seasons. The 24-year-old Tovar hit .283/.327/.356 in hitter-friendly Triple-A Las Vegas this season while playing shortstop, second and third. In 2013 and 2014, he collected a combined 22 plate appearances in the big leagues.
• The Mets have added lefty Josh Smoker to their 40-man roster, Rubin tweets. Once a top draft pick of the rival Nationals, Smoker experienced a surprising rebound as a reliever in the New York system, reining in his command issues and putting up double-digit strikeout-per-nine numbers at the A, High-A, and Double-A levels. The Mets obviously feel he can contribute in 2016, and made today’s move to prevent him from qualifying for minor league free agency.
• The Indians have announced that they’ve outrighted catcher Adam Moore and that Moore is now a free agent. They also activated pitchers T.J. House and Nick Hagadone from the 60-day DL. The 31-year-old Moore has appeared in all of the past seven seasons in the big leagues, although he’s collected only 45 total plate appearances in the past five. He spent most of the 2015 season with Triple-A Columbus, batting .282/.328/.397.
• The Royals have added 27-year-old outfielder Jose Martinez to their 40-man roster, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star writes. The 6-foot-7 Martinez broke out in his ninth year in the minors, batting a ridiculous .384/.461/.563 in 396 plate appearances with Triple-A Omaha. (None of the numbers in that sentence are typos.) That .384 figure isn’t sustainable, surely, although Martinez does have a good record of hitting for contact in the minors, even as he struggled to establish himself in the White Sox and Braves systems. By adding him to their 40-man, the Royals have prevented him from seeking minor league free agency. McCullough notes that many scouts consider Martinez an organizational player. It’s easy to understand why the Royals protected him, however, given the absurd season he just had.
• The Cardinals have announced that they’ve added outfielder Anthony Garcia to their 40-man roster. The move keeps the 23-year-old Garcia from becoming a minor league free agent after a season in which he hit a strong .283/.391/.477 in 410 plate appearances split between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.
• The Orioles have announced that they’ve selected the contract of 27-year-old lefty Chris Jones. Jones took a significant step forward in his ninth season in the minors in 2015, pitching 150 innings for Triple-A Norfolk with a 2.94 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.