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Reds Place Nick Lodolo On Injured List, Recall Yosver Zulueta For MLB Debut

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The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve placed lefty Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list due to a blister on his left index finger and recalled righty Yosver Zulueta in his place. If Zulueta gets into a game, he’ll be making his MLB debut. Francys Romero first reported early this morning that Zulueta was being called up for his debut.

The 26-year-old Lodolo’s IL placement is retroactive to yesterday. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings in that start and issued four walks in his shakiest start in over a month. While injuries like blisters and cracked fingernails can seem minor on the surface, they can often make it difficult for a pitcher to properly grip his pitches, depending on their placement. A blister on the fingertip of the index finger would make it particularly difficult for Lodolo to execute his curveball, which he’s thrown at a 28% clip this season. He’ll let the issue cool down for the next couple weeks in hopes of a quick return.

Lodolo has been the Reds’ most effective starter this season, pitching to a 2.96 ERA in 70 innings. He’s fanned 25.1% of his opponents against a sharp 6.5% walk rate. This will be his third IL placement of the season, having previously missed time due to minor groin and calf injuries. He’s also spent time on the 60-day injured list in each of the past two seasons, owing to back and calf injuries.

With Lodolo shelved for what’ll presumably be a relatively brief stay on the IL, the Reds’ rotation will be down to Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Frankie Montas and Carson Spiers. Right-hander Graham Ashcraft, who was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month, has tossed consecutive quality starts since being sent down and yielded a total of four runs in 12 innings with a 12-to-2 K/BB ratio. He could be in the mix to come back to the big league roster in short order and step into Lodolo’s vacated rotation spot, but for the time being the Reds will add Zulueta to give their bullpen an extra arm.

Zulueta, 26, has pitched in 23 games this season and logged 30 2/3 innings of 2.93 ERA ball with a strong 28.3% strikeout rate and elite 60.5% ground-ball rate — but also an ugly 14.5% walk rate. The right-hander came to the Reds via an Opening Day waiver claim after he’d been designated for assignment. In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level between the two organizations, the Cuban-born righty has a 3.71 ERA, 26.2% strikeout rate and 15.4% walk rate.

Rays Designate Chris Devenski For Assignment

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The Rays announced that they have recalled right-hander Edwin Uceta from Triple-A Durham. Fellow right Chris Devenski was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, dropping their 40-man roster count to 39. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relayed the info on X prior to the official announcement.

Devenski, now 33, has had an up-and-down career but seemed to be in decent form with the Rays last year. After being let go by the Angels, he signed with Tampa at the end of August and finished 2023 with a 2.08 earned run average in nine appearances for the Rays. That was enough for the Rays to re-sign him for 2024, as the two sides agreed to a one-year deal with a $1.1MM guarantee, in the form of a $1MM salary and a club option for 2025 with a $100K buyout.

Unfortunately, Devenski hasn’t been able to carry those results over this year. He has been working a multi-inning role out of Tampa’s bullpen, tossing 26 2/3 frames over 19 appearances this year, but having allowed 6.75 earned runs per nine. His 19.7% strikeout rate, 11.5% walk rate and 25% ground ball rate have all been subpar.

The righty is a veteran with far more than five years of major league service time, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. Based on his poor results overall, and the fact that he threw 43 pitches last night while only recording two outs, the Rays figured they could make better use of his roster spot and had to remove him from the 40-man entirely.

The Rays will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers, though it’s unlikely any club would have much interest as acquiring Devenski would involve taking on what’s left of his salary and the buyout on that option. Since he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment, he’s should end up a free agent at some point in the next week.

He may garner more interest at that point, as the Rays would still be on the hook for what’s left of his contract, while any other club could sign him and only pay him the prorated version of the league minimum for any time spent on the roster.

Devenski had a strong run early in his career but has struggled more recently. In 2016 and 2017, he tossed 189 innings for the Astros with a 2.35 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. His results took a step back in the subsequent seasons and he ended up missing a decent chunk of time due to injuries, including Tommy John surgery. He has a 5.42 ERA since the start of 2018 and a 6.46 ERA since the start of 2020.

As recently as last year, he was in decent form. Between the Angels and Rays, he had a 4.46 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. The Rays were willing to take a shot on that bounce-back but it didn’t play out. Given the slate of pitcher injuries around the league, perhaps some other club will take a low-cost gamble on him in the weeks to come.

Orioles, Garrett Cooper Agree To Minor League Deal

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June 25: The Orioles have now announced the signing.

June 24: The Orioles are bringing in first baseman Garrett Cooper on a minor league contract, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid (X link). The Ballengee Group client presumably head to Triple-A Norfolk as he awaits his next MLB opportunity.

Cooper is on his third organization of the 2024 season. The righty-hitting first baseman signed a minor league deal with the Cubs and broke camp. While he turned in an impressive .270/.341/.432 batting line with Chicago, the front office was alarmed by his 13 strikeouts in 41 plate appearances. The Cubs designated Cooper for assignment and dealt him to the Red Sox in a cash trade.

The regression that the Cubs anticipated indeed came to pass in Boston. Cooper hit only .171/.227/.229 in 75 trips to the plate. Boston DFA him and released him a couple weeks ago. The former All-Star has lingered on the free agent market since then. The Yankees reportedly showed some interest after losing Anthony Rizzo to injury. New York opted for a different righty-hitting corner infielder/designated hitter, acquiring J.D. Davis from the A’s yesterday.

Baltimore doesn’t present the cleanest path back to the big leagues for Cooper. The O’s have arguably the deepest lineup in the majors. Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan Mountcastle respectively have first base and designated hitter secured. Baltimore has Anthony Santander and Colton Cowser as their main corner outfield tandem, while Austin Hays and Heston Kjerstad are also in the mix. It might take an injury for Cooper to get a look at Camden Yards.

At the very least, the minor league deal gives him an opportunity to try to find his rhythm against Triple-A pitching. Cooper has struggled offensively over the past year and a half, largely because of an uptick in his strikeouts. He’s a .242/.297/.395 hitter since the start of the 2023 campaign. Between 2019-22, Cooper was an effective middle-of-the-lineup presence for the Marlins. He hit .274/.350/.444 over that stretch.

Twins Place Chris Paddack On Injured List

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The Twins announced Tuesday that they’ve placed right-hander Chris Paddack on the injured list with shoulder fatigue. Right-hander Ronny Henriquez has been recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in his place. Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that Paddack informed the team after his most recent start that he’s been experiencing a dead arm recently.

Some fatigue for Paddack should come as little surprise. The 28-year-old righty pitched only 18 1/3 innings last year (minors and postseason included) in his return from 2022 Tommy John surgery — a procedure that limited him to just 22 1/3 frames that season. He’s already surpassed his combined 2022-23 innings total with this year’s 78 1/3 frames.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Paddack in his first full year since his second career Tommy John surgery. Overall, his 5.29 ERA looks rather grim, but that number is heavily skewed by two disastrous outings: a nine-run drubbing in Baltimore during his third start of the season and a seven-run showing at Yankee Stadium earlier this month. On the other end of the spectrum, Paddack has a pair of 10-strikeout gems this season. He’s been a boom-or-bust option for manager Rocco Baldelli throughout the year, but Paddack will take a seat for at least the next two weeks after yielding a combined eight runs in his past seven innings of work across two starts (both of which came against a lackluster Oakland lineup).

With Paddack on the shelf, the Twins will have an opening in the fifth spot of the rotation behind Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson. Paddack’s spot is set to come up on Thursday, though the Twins just had an off-day, which could allow them to start Ober on regular rest that day. St. Paul righties Caleb Boushley and Randy Dobnak would also be on full rest (Dobnak would need to be added to the 40-man roster) if the Twins want to give Ober an extra day after throwing a complete game his last time out.

Other depth options like Louie Varland and top prospect David Festa both pitched within the past couple days, likely ruling them out for Thursday — but either could be an option for subsequent starts, depending on how long Paddack is out. There’s no timetable for Paddack’s return at present, though the lack of a strain or any other notable injury doesn’t create immediate concern of a protracted absence. The right-hander is in the second season of a three-year, $12.5MM extension he signed while rehabbing from that Tommy John procedure. That deal bought out Paddack’s final two arbitration seasons as well as his first free-agent year.

Royals Prioritizing Bullpen Help Over Outfield Bat

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The Royals have been linked to both bullpen and outfield help in recent weeks. General manager J.J. Picollo has gone so far as to publicly acknowledge a desire to improve in both areas in advance of next month’s trade deadline. At the moment, however, it seems the two needs are not viewed as equally necessary. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Kansas City is currently prioritizing relief help over its search for additional outfield talent.

Royals relievers currently rank 21st in the majors with a 4.37 earned run average but sit last in baseball with a well below-average 17.7% strikeout rate from their bullpen. Kansas City’s 10% walk rate from the ’pen is also the seventh-worst mark in MLB, and their 93.6 mph average fastball this season is tied for 28th overall. Based on Picollo’s prior comments in an appearance on Jayson Stark’s podcast, adding the type of power arm they’re lacking could be of particular interest (though that’s just my own inference/speculation, to be clear). “I’ve talked in the past about strikeouts,” Picollo said at the time. “We’re more of a matchup bullpen without necessarily the big power.”

Things have been particularly dicey of late. As the Royals have fallen in the AL Central standings in the midst of a 3-11 swoon, their bullpen has been a key culprit. Kansas City relievers are lugging an ugly 5.31 ERA over the past 14 days while punching out just 15.7% of their opponents and surrendering a woeful 1.99 homers per nine innings pitched (far and away the highest mark in the sport, leading 29th-ranked San Diego’s 1.75 HR/9 in that span).

The Royals had hoped that offseason additions Chris Stratton and Will Smith would join righty James McArthur, who was one of MLB’s most dominant relievers over the final few weeks of the 2023 season, in bolstering the 2024 bullpen. That hasn’t panned out.

Smith has pitched better of late, helping to nudge his ERA just under 5.00, but he’s been working in lower-leverage spots since late April. It’s a similar story with Stratton, who began the year working the seventh and eighth innings with regularity before dropping to the fifth, sixth and seventh amid a handful of rough meltdowns. He’s recently been throwing well and returned to some setup work, however. McArthur has rattled off four straight scoreless outings but still has a 6.35 ERA dating back to May 1 and a 4.70 earned run average overall.

With that group struggling, Kansas City has been linked to a handful of relievers known to be available — Chicago’s Michael Kopech and Miami’s Tanner Scott among them. They’re also tinkering with some in-house options in an effort to see if they can upgrade the ’pen internally. Starter Kris Bubic is on a rehab assignment working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery but will work in a relief capacity once he completes is rehab window.

It’s still early in trade season, although that doesn’t rule out a deal coming together. The Padres already acquired Luis Arraez back in early May, clearly illustrating the Marlins’ willingness to sell at any point. We’re also coming up on the one-year anniversary (June 30) of the Royals themselves trading Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers in a deal that netted them current top starter Cole Ragans.

While the Royals’ more immediate priority may be adding a reliever (or multiple relievers), it bears repeating that Picollo has been candid about his desire to add a bat — ideally one that can handle both the infield and the outfield. A left-handed bat, specifically, seems prudent for the righty-heavy Royals. Kansas City’s outfield, led by the trio of MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe, has been the least productive unit in baseball this season. In addition to placing Renfroe on the injured list, the Royals just yesterday optioned struggling corner outfielder/DH Nelson Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha.

A trade for an outfielder feels almost inevitable, and adding one who’s controlled beyond the current season would be particularly helpful. As I explored here in greater depth last month, the Royals have struggled immensely to develop outfielders internally; they’ve received little to no production from homegrown outfielders since the departures of now-retired former All-Stars Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon.

Elieser Hernandez Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Elieser Hernandez rejected an outright assignment from the Brewers after clearing waivers and is now a free agent, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Milwaukee had designated him for assignment last week.

The 29-year-old Hernandez allowed a pair of runs in six innings with the Brew Crew and also tossed 9 2/3 innings for the Dodgers earlier in the year. He was tagged for nine runs in his time with L.A. and is currently sitting on an unsightly 6.32 ERA in this season’s 15 2/3 frames. That’s near-identical match with the 6.35 ERA he logged in 62 1/3 innings with the Marlins during his most recent MLB stint, in 2022. Hernandez spent the bulk of the 2023 season on the minor league injured list with the Mets.

While the past few years have been tough, Hernandez looked like an interesting arm with Miami as recently as 2020-21, when he pitched a combined 159 2/3 innings with a 4.45 ERA (4.10 SIERA), a 25.1% strikeout rate and a 6.6% walk rate. Home runs have long been an issue though, as is often the case with relatively undersized right-handers. The 6’0″ Hernandez sits in the low 90s with a four-seamer that doesn’t offer premium spin, leaving his primary quite susceptible to extra-base damage. He’s surrendered 73 homers in 303 1/3 career innings (2.17 HR/9);

Hernandez has good command and has regularly missed bats at a high clip with his slider (and, to a lesser extent, his changeup). Opponents have posted a bleak .189/.226/.436 slash against his slider and a .204/.268/.409 line against his changeup in his career. His heater, however, has been pummeled for a .299/.375/.562 line.

Though he’s struggled in the big leagues, Hernandez touts a career 2.87 ERA, 31.7% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate in parts of six Triple-A seasons. That track record, plus his interesting blend of secondary pitches, could get him another look from a club seeking some additional pitching depth. Hernandez has a starter’s background and made five starts with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate this season, though it’s fair to wonder what his repertoire would look like in a full-time bullpen role where his pedestrian fastball velocity might tick up a bit.

The Opener: Reynolds, Woo, MLBTR Chat

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As the 2024 regular season approaches its midpoint, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Reynolds nearing season-best streak:

Bryan Reynolds has been putting up fantastic numbers in recent weeks. Since the calendar flipped to June, the switch-hitter has slashed .357/.419/.643 and collected a hit in 21 straight games. While the Pirates have largely failed to take advantage of Reynolds’s hot streak, with a record of just 11-10 in June, the outfielder nonetheless enters play today on the cusp of establishing the longest hitting streak of the 2024 campaign so far, beating out Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose streak last month ended at 21 games. Reynolds and the Pirates will take on the Reds in Cincinnati at 7:10pm local time this evening. Cincinnati will send righty Hunter Greene (3.35 ERA) to the mound to take on Pittsburgh righty Mitch Keller (3.11 ERA).

2. Woo to undergo MRI:

It’s been a season fraught with injury concerns for young Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo, and that continued yesterday when he exited his start against the Rays yesterday after throwing just 60 pitches due to what the club has termed right hamstring tightness. As noted by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, Woo is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue before the club determines whether or not he’ll require a trip to the IL.

The 24-year-old Woo has dominated to the tune of a 1.77 ERA and 2.71 FIP in 40 2/3 innings of work this year but has been limited to just eight starts due to elbow inflammation and tightness in his forearm. Right-hander Emerson Hancock appears to be the most likely candidate to step into the rotation in Seattle if Woo ends up missing time. The former sixth-overall pick made his big league debut last year and struggled across eight starts in the majors earlier this year with a 4.79 ERA and 5.67 FIP in 41 1/3 innings of work.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

It’s been an eventful week around the majors. One of the top hitting prospects in baseball was suspended for nearly all of the 2024 season’s remainder. The Yankees added some a corner infield bat. With just over a month to go until the July 30 trade deadline, two notable lefties who might’ve otherwise been available went down with injuries. If you have any questions about the upcoming deadline or your team’s direction with July just over the horizon, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.

Kris Bubic Moving To Bullpen On Rehab Stint

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Royals left-hander Kris Bubic is closing in on his first major league work since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April. The Stanford product began a rehab assignment last month and has made seven starts between Double-A and Triple-A.

While Bubic has worked from the rotation in the minors thus far, that won’t be his role with the big league club. General manager J.J. Picollo tells MLB.com’s Anne Rogers that the Royals are moving Bubic to the bullpen for now (X link). He has a week and a half left on his rehab assignment, so he’ll begin working in relief at Triple-A Omaha.

The assignment probably doesn’t come as a shock. While the 6’3″ southpaw has been a starter for essentially his entire career, Kansas City already has a defined front five. Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Brady Singer, Michael Wacha and Alec Marsh have taken all but four of the team’s starts this season. Ragans, Lugo and Singer have been varying degrees of excellent. Wacha is having his typically solid year, turning in a 4.07 ERA with plus control. K.C. signed him to fill that role as an innings eater and certainly isn’t bumping him from the rotation while he’s pitching this effectively.

Marsh is arguably the one question mark of the group. The second-year righty overcame a 15.9% strikeout rate to turn in a 2.70 ERA during the first month of the season. He dramatically increased the whiffs and ran a 3.86 ERA behind a 27.4% strikeout percentage in May. The wheels have fallen off over the past couple weeks, though. Marsh’s strikeout rate has normalized in between the levels of his first two months and he has allowed 6.66 earned runs per nine in June. He dominated the Yankees for seven scoreless innings on June 13 but has allowed at least three runs in the other six of his most recent seven starts.

If the Royals wanted to push Bubic back into the rotation, Marsh was the only one who might’ve been bumped. His overall body of work is still solid — a 4.40 ERA with average strikeout and walk rates — so the Royals will push Bubic to the bullpen instead.

Productive as their starting five has been, Kansas City’s relief group has been a weakness. They entered play Monday ranked 22nd in the majors with a 4.43 earned run average. No bullpen has recorded fewer strikeouts (17.5%) or missed fewer bats on a per-pitch basis (8.9% swinging strike rate). Picollo has already made clear the front office will try to add some firepower via trade.

Bubic isn’t the kind of power arm the front office has been seeking. His fastball sits in the low-90s and he leans on a low-80s changeup, not a power breaking ball, as his go-to secondary pitch. Yet Bubic had flashed bat-missing upside just before his elbow gave out. He ran a massive 14.7% swinging strike rate and punched out 23.5% of opposing hitters over his first three starts in 2023. Bubic’s elbow never gave him a chance to prove he could sustain that extra level.

The early returns on his rehab stint have been promising. Bubic owns a 2.14 ERA in 21 innings with Omaha, where he has fanned nearly 26% of opposing hitters.

Angels Outright José Suarez

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The Angels announced that left-hander José Suarez has been sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. That indicates he was passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment a week ago.

Suarez, 26, has more than three years of major league service time. That gives him the right to reject this outright assignment and elect free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service, choosing the open market would mean forfeiting what remains of his salary.

He qualified for arbitration for the first time after last season and eventually lost a hearing against the club. He is making $925K instead of the $1.3MM that his side filed for. It seems fair to presume he will report to Salt Lake as opposed to walking away from the roughly half a million still coming his way.

That will give the Halos a bit of non-roster pitching depth with some past success. The lefty had good results working as a swingman for the Angels over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Between the two campaigns, he made 45 appearances, including 34 starts. He tossed 207 1/3 innings in that time, allowing 3.86 earned runs per nine. His 21.5% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 44.5% ground ball rate were all around league average.

Since then, the results have taken a steep nosedive. He spent much of 2023 on the injured list due to a shoulder strain, posting an 8.29 ERA in 33 2/3 innings. This year, he was healthy and moved to the bullpen, but couldn’t get his numbers in better shape. He threw 35 1/3 innings with an 8.15 ERA before getting bumped off the roster last week. Since he’s out of options, the Angels had to remove him from the 40-man to get him off the active roster.

It’s unclear if the Angels want him to continue working out of the bullpen or get stretched out to start. There would be an argument for the latter, with the club likely to end up making rotation moves in the weeks to come. With a record of 30-46, they are one of the few clubs clearly in seller position as the trade deadline approaches.

Since Suarez was designated for assignment, the rotation already took two big hits with Patrick Sandoval hitting the injured list with a UCL injury and José Soriano due to an abdominal infection. Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning are logical trade candidates since both are slated for free agency after 2025. Zach Plesac has been inserted into the rotation to cover for those two but has an 8.68 ERA through two starts.

Chase Silseth is currently on a rehab assignment and will be back in the mix soon enough. Reid Detmers could be recalled from his optional assignment, as could Davis Daniel or Kenny Rosenberg. But even with those guys potentially coming back, it’s possible that Suarez may have a role to play on the club down the stretch.

Dodgers Temporarily Shut Down Clayton Kershaw With Shoulder Soreness

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The Dodgers are halting Clayton Kershaw’s rehab process. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that L.A. is shutting down the future Hall of Famer after he reported lingering soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder (link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).

Roberts downplayed any significant alarm, noting that a recent MRI revealed “no new incidents.” Rather, it seems the team is chalking it up as residual soreness. That’s not entirely unexpected as Kershaw builds into game shape after undergoing the procedure to repair the gleno-humeral ligaments and capsule in his throwing shoulder last November.

It seems Kershaw will be shut down entirely for at least a week. Roberts left open a fairly broad timetable, indicating the 10-time All-Star will hold off until the soreness completely subsides. That’s an understandable approach that might not delay Kershaw for too much longer. It introduces some amount of uncertainty to his timeline, though.

The 36-year-old had looked to be on track for a return around the All-Star Break. Kershaw started a rehab stint for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga last Wednesday. He tossed 36 pitches, 26 of them strikes, over three innings of one-run ball in his first game action of the season. Kershaw’s second start had been scheduled for tomorrow but things are on hold after he felt the discomfort in the days coming out of his first appearance.

Los Angeles recently placed Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler on the 15-day injured list. That pushed Landon Knack into the starting five behind Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and James Paxton. Knack was recalled to rejoin the MLB staff last Friday. He tossed five scoreless frames against the Angels. Roberts said this evening that the rookie righty will remain in the starting five for the moment and is slated to take the ball for this weekend’s series in San Francisco (relayed on X by David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports).

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