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Archives for August 2022

Dodgers Select Heath Hembree, Designate Eddy Alvarez

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The Dodgers announced a series of roster moves today, with right-hander Heath Hembree having his contract selected. Fellow right-hander Jake Reed was recalled to join the active roster as well. Another pair of right-handers, Michael Grove and Phil Bickford, were optioned in corresponding moves. To create space for Hembree on the 40-man roster, infielder Eddy Alvarez was designated for assignment.

Hembree, 33, is in his 10th season of MLB action, having previously pitched for the Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets and Reds, before signing with the Pirates this year. Through 20 games with the Bucs, he had a 7.16 ERA, 15.4% strikeout rate, 17.9% walk rate and 25% ground ball rate, with all of those marks being worse than league average. He was designated for assignment in June and cleared waivers, hardly surprising given his poor results on the year and $2.125MM salary.

After returning to free agency, Hembree joined the Dodgers on a minor league pact. He has since thrown 9 1/3 innings for their Triple-A team, registering a 4.82 ERA, through striking out 35.9% of batters faced in that small sample and walking just 5.1% of them. Based on those improved results, he’ll get another crack at the big leagues. The Dodgers will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time he’s on the roster, with the Pirates on the hook for the remainder of his salary.

As for Alvarez, he is arguably most famous for having won a medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal at the Sochi games in 2014 as a speed skater, before adding another silver as part of the US men’s baseball team at the 2020 Tokyo Games (which were delayed until 2021 by the pandemic). He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the winter, getting selected to the big league club in June. He spent a month in the majors, getting 27 plate appearances in 14 games. He hit .160/.154/.160 in that time before getting optioned. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, hitting .322/.439/.554 in 47 games. He’s also played second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield corners this year. He still has a full slate of options, meaning a team intrigued by his strong Triple-A batting line and defensive versatility could stash him in the minors. The Dodgers will have no choice but to put him on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days, since the trade deadline has passed.

Cade Cavalli Shut Down For Two Weeks Due To Shoulder Inflammation

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The Nationals are shutting down right-hander Cade Cavalli for the next two weeks due to shoulder inflammation, tweets Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post. Cavalli will be placed on the 15-day injured list.

At this point, the issue doesn’t seem to be terribly severe. Dougherty relays that Cavalli felt some discomfort in the day after his start and went for an MRI, which showed inflammation but no structural damage. “Everything looks good, except for he has a little bit of inflammation around the capsule,” manager Dave Martinez tells Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. “But the labrum, tendons, the rotator cuff, everything is very, very clean.” Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com relays word from Martinez, who says that they’re not shutting him down for the season because they want him to try to work back to health in the short-term, rather than just focussing on next year’s Spring Training.

The fact that the issue isn’t terribly serious is surely comforting for fans of the club, though the news also has to be at least somewhat deflating. It was just over a year ago that the club kicked off a rebuild by trading away many of their best players, including Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. This year, the club dug themselves even deeper in that hole by trading Juan Soto and Josh Bell. Amid all of that subtraction from the big league roster, one thing for fans to look forward to was the emergence of youngsters, with Cavalli being among the most exciting. Now he’s heading to the IL after just a single big league start and might not even appear again this season. In the long run, Cavalli can hopefully recover and make this minor setback a non-issue.

In the short-term, the club will have to patch over a hole in the rotation. Cory Abbott was optioned when Cavalli was called up and could be a candidate to return. Optioned players normally have to spend at least ten days off the roster before being added back on, though an exception is made when someone is going on the IL. Dougherty reports that Abbott was supposed to throw in Rochester today, the home of Washington’s Triple-A club, but was pulled off.

Athletics To Promote Ken Waldichuk

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4:05pm: Martín Gallegos of MLB.com relays word from manager Mark Kotsay that Waldichuk will be starting Thursday’s game, making his major league debut.

1:10pm: The Athletics are planning on adding left-hander Ken Waldichuk to the team when rosters expand on September 1, tweets Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. The southpaw is not currently on the club’s 40-man roster, meaning they will have to make a corresponding move of some kind.

Waldichuk, 24, was a fifth-round draft pick of the Yankees in 2019 who came over to the A’s a month ago in the Frankie Montas trade. He pitched in ten rookie ball games after his draft selection, but then the pandemic canceled the minor leagues in 2020. Returning in 2021, he began the year in High-A and utterly dominated, throwing 30 2/3 scoreless innings over seven starts. He did walk 11.5% of batters faced, though was able to avoid damage by striking out an incredible 48.7% of those who stepped to the plate against him. Based on that showing, he was promoted to Double-A. Of course, he couldn’t possibly maintain that kind of performance but still fared well after jumping levels. He registered a 4.20 ERA in 16 appearances, with a 31.8% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate.

After that strong campaign, Waldichuk landed on Baseball America’s list of top 30 Yankee farmhands for the first time, coming in at #10 on the 2022 version. FanGraphs had placed Waldichuk at #53 in 2020 and #45 in 2021, but jumped him all the way up to #15 going into this season.

Here in 2022, the lefty’s stock has been rocketing even higher. He began the year back at Double-A and made six starts, putting up a stingy 1.26 ERA along with a 41.1% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate. He was bumped up to Triple-A and kept on rolling, registering a 3.59 ERA with a 34% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate. Since switching organizations in the trade, he’s made four more Triple-A starts with a 3.38 ERA, getting his walk rate all the way down to 3.8% while still striking out 26.6% of batters faced.

Based on another excellent season, he has been shooting up prospect lists. BA recently placed him #5 on their most recent update of Oakland prospects, while FanGraphs is even more bullish, placing him #1 in the organization and the 35th best prospect in the entire sport.

For the A’s, they have clearly been future-focused for almost a year now. Their offseason primarily revolved around trading away their best and most expensive players for prospects. That continued up to this year’s deadline, including the Montas deal that brought Waldichuk over. Tearing down the roster has unsurprisingly resulted in poor on-field results, with the club’s 48-81 record the worst in the American League. They have already been using their season to audition young players, with Waldichuk the latest to step onto the stage.

The club’s rotation mix is fairly wide open at the moment, especially with Paul Blackburn and Daulton Jefferies both done for the year due to injuries. 28-year-olds Cole Irvin and James Kaprielian are the most veteran of the bunch and should hold down two spots the rest of the way. The other starting options on hand are all rookies: JP Sears, Adam Oller, Adrian Martinez and Zach Logue. No one in that group has made more than 12 starts while Sears, who has made six starts, is the only one with an ERA under 5.00 so far. If Waldichuk can get results resembling his work in the minors, there’s little standing in the way of him earning a spot in next year’s rotation.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Cubs Place Justin Steele, Adrian Sampson On Restricted List

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Aug. 30: Estrada has now officially been selected as a substitute player, reports Lee on Twitter.

Aug. 29: Steele and Sampon have officially been place on the restricted list, tweets Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, with Little taking one spot on the roster. Montemurro adds that Estrada is with the team and likely to be added tomorrow.

Aug. 28: The Cubs will be traveling to Toronto for a three-game series that begins tomorrow, though left-hander Justin Steele and right-hander Adrian Sampson will not be making the trip. They will instead be placed on the restricted list, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. That’s standard procedure for players unvaccinated against COVID-19, as current health restrictions prevent such individuals from crossing the American-Canadian border.

Normally, the club wouldn’t be able to make corresponding moves right away, as league rules dictate starting pitchers aren’t eligible to be replaced until four days after they last pitched in these circumstances. Sampson started today’s game, though Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune tweets that he will indeed be eligible to be replaced due to having thrown less than four innings today. Steele, on the other hand, threw 5 1/3 innings on Friday, meaning the Cubs should be able to bring in someone else to take his spot by Tuesday.

Although no moves have been made official just yet, Montemurro relays that left-hander Brendon Little and right-hander Jeremiah Estrada are with the team. Neither are currently on the club’s 40-man roster, but they will likely be added as COVID “substitutes” and subsequently removed after the series without having to be exposed to waivers.

The 26-year-old Little was selected by the Cubs 27th overall in the 2017 draft. That high draft selection got him onto Baseball America’s list of top prospects in Chicago’s system in 2018 and 2019, though he’s since lost his spot on that list. This year, he’s thrown 39 Triple-A innings with a 4.15 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 11.6% walk rate and 62.6% ground ball rate.

Estrada, 23, was a sixth-round pick in 2017. He’s spanned three levels this year, from High-A to Triple-A, faring well at each stop. Through 48 1/3 combined innings for the season, he has a 1.30 ERA with an incredible 40.4% strikeout rate, along with a 10.4% walk rate.

Reds Select Derek Law, Designate Ross Detwiler

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Derek Law, with left-hander Ross Detwiler being designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Additionally, infielder/outfielder Max Schrock, who was designated yesterday, has been released.

Law is a veteran who turns 32 years old in two weeks. He’s previously suited up for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers in his career, having appeared in 178 career games with a 4.22 ERA. He began this season on a minor league deal with Detroit, getting selected to the big league club at the end of July. After just two appearances, he was designated for assignment before electing free agency and signing a minor league deal with the Reds.

He’s performed well in Triple-A this year, registering a 3.23 ERA while with in the Tigers’ organization and an even better 1.13 since joining the Reds. Between the two, he’s thrown 47 Triple-A innings on the year with a 2.87 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate.

In order to make room for Law, the Reds are cutting the 36-year-old Detwiler from the roster. Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, the southpaw was selected to the big league roster in May. Since then, he’s thrown 26 1/3 innings out of Cincy’s bullpen with a 4.44 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 38.3% ground ball rate.

Since the trade deadline has passed, the Reds will have to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. If he is claimed prior to 11:59pm ET on August 31, he will be eligible for that team’s postseason roster. If he clears, he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, as a player with over five years of MLB service time.

As for Schrock, he was designated for assignment yesterday but has been on the minor league injured list for a while. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, making this release an inevitability.

Rockies Select Michael Toglia

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The Rockies announced that they have selected first base prospect Michael Toglia to their roster and recalled infielder/outfielder Sean Bouchard. Outfielders Wynton Bernard and Sam Hilliard were optioned to Triple-A in corresponding moves. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster for Toglia. Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweeted about Toglia’s promotion before the official announcement.

Toglia, 24, was a first-round draft pick, being selected 23rd overall by the Rockies in 2019. He landed on Baseball America’s list of top Colorado farmhands in 2020 and has been there ever since. He got into 41 games at Low-A the year of his draft, but missed out on formal game action in 2020 when the pandemic canceled the minor league seasons.

Getting back into action last year, the switch-hitter split his time between High-A and Double-A, hitting 22 home runs and stealing 10 bases in 115 games. Overall, he hit .228/.333/.445, walking in an impressive 13% of his plate appearances but also striking out in 28.5% of them. In 2022, he’s produced fairly similar results while splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. In 114 games between those two levels, he’s hit 30 long balls and swiped seven bags. His .249/.341/.510 batting line comes with a 12.1% walk rate but a 30.1% strikeout rate. Despite that high-strikeout approach, he’s still been 24% above average at the plate for the year, as evidenced by his 124 wRC+.

Defensively, Toglia has primarily played first base in his young career thus far, though he also played right field in nine games this season. The Rox have used C.J. Cron as their primary first baseman in recent seasons, though it may be possible for both he and Toglia to share the lineup. Cron is in the designated hitter slot tonight while Toglia will be making his MLB debut and playing first base. That could potentially limit the club’s flexibility if Toglia proves himself worthy of everyday at-bats, though Cron will be a free agent in just over a year. Also, if the club deems Toglia a passable defender in the outfield, he could see some time out there. The Rockies are 55-74 and in the NL West basement, 15 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. They can use the remaining weeks of the season to evaluate young players for future roles, with Toglia now stepping up for his audition.

Braves Claim Jesse Chavez Off Waivers From Angels

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The Braves announced that they have claimed right-hander Jesse Chavez off waivers from the Angels.

Chavez, 39, is no stranger to switching jerseys, having played for the Pirates, Braves, Royals, Blue Jays, Athletics, Dodgers, Angels, Rangers and Cubs in his career, having returned to many of those clubs for a second or even third stint. 2022 has been no exception, as the veteran hurler began the season with the Cubs, but has since been traded twice, going to the Braves and then the Angels. He was released by the Halos yesterday and now returns to Atlanta for the second time this season.

Between those three clubs, he’s thrown 54 2/3 innings with a 3.62 ERA, 25.6% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 37.2% ground ball rate. His best stretch of the year was definitely with Atlanta, though, as he has a 2.11 ERA as a Brave while registering marks of 6.35 with the Cubs and 7.59 with the Angels.

The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move won’t be necessary. Placing him on the activer roster should be smooth as well, since rosters expand from 26 to 28 on September 1. Players claimed off waivers generally have three days to report to their new club, meaning Chavez can just join the club on Thursday and take one of the fresh spots.

Giants Release Ken Giles

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The Giants have released Ken Giles from their Triple-A roster, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The club had signed Giles to a minor league deal just over a week ago. As Pavlovic notes, this move gives Giles a chance to join the organization of a contending team before the postseason eligibility cutoff, which is 11:59pm ET on August 31.

Giles, 31, has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball at times during his career. In 2019, he threw 53 innings with the Blue Jays with a 1.87 ERA, racking up 23 saves and striking out an incredible 39.9% of batters faced. He was limited by injuries to just 3 2/3 innings in 2020, eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery in October.

The Mariners signed Giles to a two-year deal covering the 2021 and 2022 seasons, knowing that he would miss the first year of the deal while rehabbing from the surgery. He earned a salary of $1.5MM last year and is making $5MM here in 2022. He seemed to be on track to help the club on Opening Day this year until a finger injury suffered in Spring Training kept him on the IL until June 21. He threw 4 1/3 innings over five frames for the M’s before he had to return to the IL due to shoulder tightness.

He began a rehab assignment in early August but was designated for assignment by the Mariners during that rehab stint. He eventually rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency, as was his right as a player with more than five years of MLB service time. The Mariners are on the hook for the remainder of his salary this year, in addition to the $500K buyout on the club option for 2023.

The Giants signed him to a minor league deal just over a week ago, with Giles making one appearance with the club’s Complex League team and three at Triple-A. The Giants have slumped to a 61-66 record and are now 8 1/2 games out of a postseason spot. If Giles can find a new team by midnight tomorrow, he will be eligible for that club’s postseason roster, even if it’s just a minor league deal. If he is selected to a club’s major league roster, that team would only have to pay Giles the prorated league minimum for any time he’s on the team, with that amount being subtracted from what the Mariners pay.

Astros Place Justin Verlander On IL With Calf Injury

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The Astros announced a series of roster moves today, the most notable of those being Justin Verlander’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Verlander, whose IL placement is retroactive to August 29, left his last start due to calf discomfort. Additionally, outfielder Jake Meyers was optioned to Triple-A. To take the two open rosters spots, righty Brandon Bielak and first baseman/outfielder J.J. Matijevic were recalled.

Verlander, 39, pitched only six innings in 2020 and missed the entire 2021 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. He held a showcase in the offseason and showed enough promise that the Astros were willing to give him a $25MM salary this year, despite that length layoff. Up until this calf issue popped up, Verlander was pitching beyond just about everyone’s expectations for a 39-year-old returning from such a lengthy absence. Through 152 innings over 24 starts, he’s currently sporting a 1.84 ERA with a 26.5% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 38.6% ground ball rate.

His fantastic comeback season will have to take a pause, at least for a little while. It doesn’t seem as though anyone is expecting a lengthy absence, based on the word coming from members of the organization today. A team announcement said that Verlander’s MRI showed “fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption,” as relayed by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.

Astros general manager James Click spoke to the media to provide more context, generally downplaying the significance of the issue. (Twitter links from Rome.) “This was relatively good news, is my understanding,” Click said. “Our hope and expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.” Verlander himself then spoke on the matter, with Rome relaying some more quotes on Twitter. “The doctors said there was an injury, but when it comes to calf injuries, I feel like I really kind of dodged a bullet here where the muscle isn’t involved,” Verlander said. He then added that he’s disappointed to have to go to the IL, but provided the caveat that “on the spectrum of calf injuries go, this is as good of news as I could have gotten.” He also added that, had his muscle fibers been injured, he would have been shut down for weeks, missing the rest of the season and possibly some of the playoffs.

All in all, it seems everyone involved feels Verlander can make a quick return, which would be great for both him and the team. In the short-term, there’s no reason for the Astros to panic, as their 82-47 record is the best in the American League, 11 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners in the West division. They are also effectively guaranteed to earn one of the two byes through the first round of the playoffs, as they are four games ahead of the East-leading Yankees and 13 1/2 games ahead of the Central-leading Guardians. Even without Verlander, the rotation should be in good shape, with Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier still in place. In the long-term, the ’Stros will surely be hoping that the issue passes quick enough for Verlander to return for postseason action. There are just over five weeks remaining on the regular season schedule.

Verlander’s return could also have an impact on his offseason, as he could be returning to free agency. By surpassing 130 innings pitched this year, he vested a $25MM player option for 2023. Since he just got $25MM after two lost seasons, it stands to reason that he could surpass that number on the heels of his excellent campaign here in 2022. Based on that logic, it seems likely that he would turn down that option and return to the open market, especially if he can come back healthy and show no ill effects of this calf issue. On the other hand, if the next few weeks don’t go quite as smoothly as hoped and the injury persists, it could have a negative effect on his market this winter.

As for Meyers, 26, he had a nice debut for Houston last year, hitting .260/.323/.438 in 49 games. However, he hasn’t been able to carry that forward into 2022, as he’s slashed .209/.255/.302 for the year so far. Houston was rumored to be looking for center field upgrades at the deadline but didn’t end up pulling the trigger on a deal. Based on those slouching numbers, Meyers will be sent down to the minors to try to get back on track. Mauricio Dubon and Chas McCormick seem to be ticketed for the work in the middle of the grass without Meyers, with Rome relaying word from Click.

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