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Archives for August 2023

White Sox Outright Brent Honeywell

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The White Sox have sent right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. outright to Triple-A Charlotte, tweets Scott Merkin of MLB.com. He cleared waivers following a designation for assignment on Wednesday.

Chicago had nabbed Honeywell off waivers from the Padres a few weeks ago. As they play out the string on a disappointing season, the Sox have rolled the dice on a few former top pitching prospects (Honeywell, Deivi García and Luis Patiño). While Chicago has been able to keep García and Patiño in Triple-A, they had to carry Honeywell on the major league roster since he’s out of options.

He only got four relief appearances, allowing seven runs through 5 2/3 innings. Honeywell had a larger body of work in San Diego early in the year, pitching to a 4.05 ERA through 46 2/3 frames. His 20.6% strikeout rate was a couple points below league average, while he allowed a few more walks and home runs than the typical reliever. The Friars pushed him off the roster as part of their reshuffling to accommodate their deadline acquisitions.

After his struggles on the South Side during his limited time in Chicago, Honeywell won’t find an immediate MLB spot. A staggering series of injuries — a 2018 Tommy John procedure, ’19 elbow fracture, 2020 nerve decompression surgery and another elbow fracture last year — have dealt a major hit to his once excellent prospect stock. The longtime Rays’ farmhand appeared among Baseball America’s Top 100 minor league talents each season from 2016-20 but had just three MLB appearances before this year.

The A’s successfully passed Honeywell through outright waivers last September. Players with multiple career outrights have the ability to test free agency in lieu of the minor league assignment. It isn’t clear whether Honeywell will do so. He’d reach minor league free agency at the start of the offseason if he heads to Charlotte and doesn’t make it back onto Chicago’s MLB roster by season’s end.

Athletics Could Share Oracle Park With Giants Prior To Las Vegas Move

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The Athletics’ move to Las Vegas isn’t official but there’s little doubt at this point that it will eventually come to fruition. One complicating detail is where the club will play from 2025 to 2027, since their lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after 2024 and their new Vegas ballpark isn’t expected to be ready until 2028. In a recent conversation with Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, club president Dave Kaval mentioned that splitting Oracle Park with the Giants is one option, a possibility that John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle explored at greater length.

At this point, it’s not clear if such a plan is likely or even realistic, but it’s noteworthy that it is a path being considered. Some of the other options include staying in the Coliseum or playing out of Las Vegas Ballpark in the Summerlin South region of Las Vegas, the home of the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the A’s.

“It really comes down to the league and the (players) union and their decision to what makes the most sense,” Kaval said to Akers. “We’re kind of deferring to them on that. We’re providing all the necessary information that they need. But in the end, we’re going to take direction from the league in the interim.”

Despite that deflection, there are reasons why the A’s might want to play their home games in San Francisco for a few years. As Shea points out, the A’s would continue to receive payouts from their regional sports network contract as long as they remain in the Bay Area. Their 25-year deal with NBC Sports California runs through 2033 and has an annual value close to $60MM. Moving the club out of the region, such as to the Aviators’ home ballpark, would mean leaving that money on the table.

Whether the Giants would be open to such an arrangement is another matter. Shea’s report indicates that the club wouldn’t be willing to have the A’s play more than 30-40 of their 81 home games at the facility, since taking on more than that would interfere with bookings for concerts, meetings, receptions and other activities when the Giants are on the road. There’s also the complication of adding a third clubhouse, as Shea reports the baseball operations staff wouldn’t want to constantly swap out all of the Giants’ gear for Athletics’ gear in the home clubhouse. But those complications aside, it would be a chance for the Giants to generate some extra revenue for a few years by charging the A’s rent. Shea adds that the Giants likely wouldn’t be keen on having Athletics’ tickets be cheaper than Giants’ games and thus undercut themselves on the market, meaning the pricing would have to be similar.

But the other options also have drawbacks. Staying in the Coliseum is complicated by the fact that the relationship between the A’s and Oakland has clearly become frosty in the wake of recent events. Moving to the Triple-A ballpark in Nevada also has complications, beyond losing the TV money. The ballpark has a capacity of just 10,000, limiting gate revenues, and doesn’t have a roof to help deal with the extreme heat of the summer.

Shea floats the possibility of playing in Summerlin to start the season before moving to San Francisco for the warmer months. That would allow them to tick all the boxes of sticking in the Bay Area and collecting the TV money, avoiding the peak Nevada heat and allowing the Giants to still rent out the venue for non-baseball events. However, that solution seems speculative and there’s nothing to indicate that’s a feasible option at the moment.

Earlier this week, owner John Fisher told Akers that the club has officially filed for relocation with MLB. They need 75% of ownership groups to sign off on the move, a vote that has not yet been scheduled, but it’s largely seen as a rubber stamp at this point. The club’s interim home is a significant unknown in the process, with the temporary relocation to San Francisco an intriguing possibility.

Giants Place Michael Conforto On IL, Outright Johan Camargo

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The Giants have placed Michael Conforto on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Heliot Ramos is up to take his active roster spot. San Francisco also announced that infielder Johan Camargo has cleared outright waivers.

Conforto’s strain is of the Grade 2 variety, the team informed reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). That’s of moderate severity and seems likely to keep him out beyond the requisite week and a half. San Francisco didn’t specify a timetable. Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel missed roughly six weeks when he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain earlier in the season. That’s not a guarantee Conforto’s absence will be the same but suggests he’s likely at least in for a multi-week absence.

The injury halts a strong recent run for Conforto, who has been one of the best hitters in a struggling San Francisco lineup. He’s hitting .300/.400/.433 going back to the start of August. His first season in the Bay Area has been up-and-down overall.

In 426 plate appearances, the longtime Met owns a .251/.343/.405 line with 15 home runs. That’s above-average but not overwhelming offensive output. When paired with slightly below-average defensive marks in the corner outfield, Conforto’s season looks quite similar to his final year in Queens. By tallying 350 trips to the plate, he vested the right to opt out of his $18MM salary for next season. That’s a borderline call if he’s healthy. An extended absence could increase the odds he returns.

The Giants are running with Joc Pederson, Wade Meckler and Luis Matos as their outfield tonight against Braves ace Spencer Strider. Righty-swinging Austin Slater is on hand as a platoon complement, while the former first-round pick Ramos fills out the bench.

As for Camargo, the veteran infielder was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He appeared in eight games between the time San Francisco selected his minor league contract and DFA him after signing Paul DeJong. Camargo collected four hits (all singles) and a walk in 20 trips to the plate.

He’ll have the right to head back to free agency. Camargo only signed with the Giants 12 days ago but could explore other landing spots now that DeJong has jumped him on the depth chart. The switch-hitter owns a .260/.339/.466 line in 165 Triple-A plate appearances on the season — split between the affiliates of the Royals, Tigers and Giants.

Angels Select Chad Wallach, Designate Chris Devenski For Assignment

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The Angels announced that catcher Matt Thaiss has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 24, due to right shoulder inflammation. Fellow catcher Chad Wallach has been selected to the roster as his replacement. To open a 40-man spot for Wallach, right-hander Chris Devenski was reinstated from the injured list and designated for assignment.

Wallach, 31, served as part of the club’s catching duo alongside Thaiss for much of the year. The Angels had originally planned on having Max Stassi and Logan O’Hoppe behind the plate but both ended up spending significant time on the injured list, bumping Thaiss and Wallach to the top of the depth chart. But when O’Hoppe returned from the IL last week, Wallach got designated for assignment, eventually clearing waivers and accepting an outright assignment. With Thaiss now set to miss an undetermined amount of time, Wallach has his roster spot back.

In 58 games for the Halos this season, Wallach struck out in 34.2% of his plate appearances but launched seven home runs. His .209/.279/.403 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 84, indicating he’s been below average overall, but fairly solid by backup catcher standards. He also produced two Defensive Runs Saved and was just under average in terms of framing. He can be retained for next year via arbitration but is out of options.

Devenski has made 29 relief appearances for the Halos on the season. The veteran has a 5.06 ERA across 33 2/3 innings despite generally solid underlying marks. Devenski has a decent 23.6% strikeout percentage and has walked only 6.4% of opposing hitters. He has kept the ball on the ground and missed bats on a respectable 11.9% of his offerings. Opponents have hit only .244/.295/.394 against him, but he’s had a hard time stranding the runners he does allow to reach base.

The 32-year-old Devenski has bounced around the league following a strong 2016-17 run with the Astros. He owns a 5.38 ERA in 175 2/3 frames between four clubs since the start of the 2018 season. The Halos will put him on waivers in the coming days. If he goes unclaimed, he’d have the right to elect free agency.

Cubs Outright Edwin Uceta

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The Cubs announced to reporters, including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, that right-hander Edwin Uceta has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. There hadn’t been any previous indication he had been designated for assignment, so this move will drop the club’s 40-man roster count to 37.

Uceta, 25, has filled up the transaction logs in the past year. He finished last year with the Diamondbacks but has since gone to the Tigers, Pirates, Mets and Cubs on waiver claims, before now finally passing through unclaimed. Despite all of those claims, he’s only been able to make one major league appearance this year, a three-inning scoreless outing with the Mets. He missed much of the season due to surgery to address a torn meniscus in his left knee. Around those waiver claims and the injury issues, he’s only tossed 8 2/3 innings in the minors this year.

He has likely continued to draw interest based on his strikeout stuff in the minors in previous seasons. He’s now tossed 84 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 29% strikeout rate but an uninspiring 5.12 ERA thanks to a 13.1% walk rate.

By being the club to pass Uceta through waivers, the Cubs will be able to retain him without him taking up a roster spot. He lacks the three years of service time or previous career outright to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, he will qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end if he’s still not on the roster. He’ll be out of options next year but still has five years of club control remaining.

Red Sox Claim Zack Weiss From Angels

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Right-hander Zack Weiss, who was designated for assignment by the Angels earlier this week, has been claimed off waivers by the Red Sox. Both clubs announced the move, with the Red Sox adding that Weiss has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester. Righty Corey Kluber was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on Boston’s roster.

Weiss, 31, has been on the Angels’ roster just under a year now, getting added last September. Since that time, he’s been an up-and-down depth arm, getting frequently optioned to the minors. He has thrown 18 2/3 major league innings in that time with a 3.86 earned run average. He struck out 30.9% of batters faced but also walked 11.1%.

He’s spent more time this year in Triple-A, tossing 37 1/3 innings with a 6.03 ERA. He walked 14% of hitters at that level but struck out 29.2%. Those control issues pushed him off the Angels’ roster but the Red Sox will see if they can help him rein in that command and get better results. He can still be optioned for two more seasons after this one and has yet to reach one year of major league service time, meaning they can cheaply retain him for the foreseeable future as long as he continues to hold a spot on the 40-man.

Kluber’s transfer is little more than a formality since he’s already been on the injured list for more than 60 days at this point, having landed there in June due to right shoulder inflammation. He’s eligible to return whenever healthy but he was shut down in late July after experiencing a setback. There’s been no public reporting to indicate he’s close to a return and may have trouble getting back on the mound this year with just over a month left on the schedule.

Rockies Designate Justin Bruihl, Select Evan Justice

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The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Evan Justice, with fellow lefty Justin Bruihl designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Bruihl, now 26, had spent the past few years with the Dodgers. Since being added to their roster in August of 2021, he made 65 major league appearances for that club with a 3.65 earned run average. His 15.6% strikeout rate was well below league average, but his 7.6% walk rate and 44.7% ground ball rate were both strong. He was designated for assignment just prior to the deadline when the Dodgers added Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly.

The Rockies sent cash considerations to the Dodgers in order to take a shot on Bruihl, which was a sensible gamble. They are now playing out the string on a lost season and he’s a pitcher with some major league success and years of club control remaining. But in 3 2/3 innings with his new club, he’s allowed six earned runs on four hits and three walks, which seems to have prompted the club to quickly move on.

Since the trade deadline is now in the rear-view mirror, the Rockies will have to put Bruihl on waivers in the coming days. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand, which could lead to Bruihl getting some interest. If he has a new club prior to September 1, he would be postseason eligible for that team. He can still be optioned for the rest of this campaign and one more season and comes with five years of control beyond this one. If Bruihl were to clear waivers, he would have to accept an outright assignment since he doesn’t have three years of service or a previous career outright.

The Rockies will use the remaining weeks of the season to take a look at Justice, 25, who cracks a big league roster for the first time in his career, having been selected by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He made a brief professional debut in the Complex League after that draft but spent all of 2022 on the minor league injured list.

This year, he has gone from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A, logging 38 2/3 innings between those levels with a 3.49 ERA. He’s struck out 38% of batters faced but also issued walks at a concerning rate of 15.7%. Back in June, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs gave Justice an honorable mention on the list of top prospects in the system, noting that he was hitting 94-95 mph with his fastball but has been held back by a lack of command with his slider.

Robert Suarez Appealing 10-Game Foreign Substance Suspension

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August 25: Suarez has received the expected 10-game suspension, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, but is appealing.

August 23: Padres reliever Robert Suarez was ejected from this afternoon’s win over the Marlins following a foreign substance inspection. Called on to pitch the top of the eighth, Suarez was thrown out before throwing a pitch when umpires examined him coming in from the bullpen.

First base umpire Todd Tichenor made the call. After the game, Tichenor told reporters that the right-hander’s left wrist had been “too sticky, very sticky” (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). Suarez denied using any illicit substance, saying he’d simply applied his typical amount of sunscreen for a day game in San Diego.

Pitchers ejected after a foreign substance check are subject to an automatic 10-game suspension. MLB will presumably formally announce Suarez’s ban tomorrow. He has an appellate right, though an appeal would go in front of an MLB official for adjudication. As a result, the three players previously suspended for foreign substances this season — Max Scherzer, Domingo Germán and Drew Smith — all waived their appeals. Suarez said he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll do the same.

In all likelihood, the Friars will be without one of their better high-leverage arms for the next week and a half. Suarez posted a 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 frames last season and subsequently re-signed on a five-year, $46MM free agent guarantee. He missed the first half of this year with an elbow injury. He has allowed seven runs in 13 1/3 innings since returning. Teams aren’t allowed to replace players who have been suspended for an on-field rules violation, so the Padres would have to play with a 25-man roster for the duration of Suarez’s expected suspension.

Angels Place Mike Trout On Injured List

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August 25: Trout is now officially on the IL, per a club announcement, with Trey Cabbage recalled in a corresponding move.

August 24: The Angels are placing Mike Trout back on the 10-day injured list, general manager Perry Minasian informed reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). The three-time MVP had just returned from an IL stay on Tuesday.

Trout started in center field that night, going 1-4. He sat out both games of today’s doubleheader, ceding the position to Mickey Moniak. Minasian indicated that Trout remained in too much discomfort when hitting to continue playing through the injury. The GM didn’t provide a return timetable beyond noting that Trout won’t swing a bat for at least a few days.

His ’23 campaign was derailed when he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist on a swing. Trout underwent surgery on July 5 and was given a four-to-eight week recovery timetable. He briefly made it back around seven weeks later but evidently can’t proceed.

With five and a half weeks remaining on the schedule, it seems fair to wonder if Trout’s season could be in jeopardy. The Halos’ playoff hopes were already all but extinguished 48 hours ago. Since the 11-time All-Star’s effort to return, Los Angeles was swept in a three-game series by the Reds and lost Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher for the season. This will be their ninth straight year without a playoff appearance and, with the club now six games under .500, likely their eighth consecutive losing record.

As the Angels find themselves in the all too familiar position of playing out the string, they’ll presumably move cautiously with the future Hall of Famer. Trout has hit .263/.367/.490 over 362 plate appearances — still well above-average output but easily his worst rate stats since his age-19 rookie campaign. Moniak, who is hitting .282/.313/.496 through 278 trips to the dish, is likely to take over center field between Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk.

Josh Harrison Opts Out Of Minors Deal With Rangers

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Josh Harrison has opted out of his minor league deal with the Rangers, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Teams usually have 48 to 72 hours after an opt-out clause is triggered to decide whether or not to add a player to their roster. The specifics are unclear in this case, but it’s possible Harrison will become a free agent in the coming days, if he isn’t one already.

Harrison, now 36, signed a one-year, $2MM deal with the Phillies this winter. They were hoping to utilize him as a reliable veteran utility player who could slot in at multiple positions. While he did play some second base, third base and the outfield corners, he hit just .204/.263/.291 and was released in early August. He then landed with the Rangers on a minor league deal and has been with Triple-A Round Rock in recent days, hitting .222/.323/.370 in six games there.

It hasn’t been a tremendous year at the plate for Harrison but he has a longer track record there. He has a career batting line of .270/.316/.396 in 1,209 career games, a line that translates to a wRC+ of 95. For a guy who can bounce around to various spots on the diamond, that’s been serviceable production. He’s spent the majority of his career at second base or third base but has also spent time in all three outfield spots, along with limited action at shortstop, first base and even on the mound.

As mentioned, opt-out clauses usually give the club some window of time to decide whether or not to give the player a roster spot. If the team chooses not to, then the player can elect free agency. Players are postseason eligible for a club as long as they are within that organization prior to September 1, giving Harrison just under a week to either get a roster spot with the Rangers or perhaps find a new deal with another team if he returns to free agency.

The Rangers have a regular infield of Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Ezequiel Durán, with Josh H. Smith in the bench role and Jonathan Ornelas providing Triple-A depth. Josh Jung is out with a thumb fracture but could return later in the year. If the Rangers don’t add Harrison to the roster, he will return to free agency and market himself as a versatile depth piece, hoping to find a new club before the end of the month.

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