Minor MLB Transactions: 4/30/18

Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the game, all courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy, unless otherwise noted…

• The Blue Jays have released southpaw Chad Girodo from their Triple-A affiliate. Once considered one of the more promising bullpen arms in Toronto’s system, the lefty made his MLB debut in 2016 when he tossed 10 1/3 innings with a 5-to-1 K/BB ratio and a 69.4 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 4.35 ERA. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster that year. Girodo, now 27, turned in a 3.02 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.57 HR/9 and a 49.3 percent ground-ball rate in 47 2/3 Triple-A innings last year. He’s served up three homers in 3 2/3 innings to open the 2018 campaign in Triple-A, though.
• The Reds parted ways with left-handed reliever Dean Kiekhefer, releasing him from their Double-A club. The 28-year-old tossed 22 innings at the big league level with the Cardinals in 2016, working to a 5.32 ERA with 14 strikeouts against seven walks (four intentional) and two hit batters in that brief time. Kiekhefer landed with the Mariners via waivers in the 2016-17 offseason but was outrighted off their 40-man roster shortly thereafter. Last year, he logged a 4.47 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 0.61 HR/9 and a 46 percent grounder rate in Triple-A. He opened the season with eight innings of one-run ball in the Cincinnati organization, albeit at the Double-A level.