- Diamondbacks right-hander J.B. Wendelken was reinstated from the COVID-related injured list, with righty Luis Frias heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Wendelken has been out since April 28 due to a positive COVID-19 test. Since the D’Backs claimed Wendelken off waivers from the A’s last August, the righty has a 4.33 ERA over 27 innings in an Arizona uniform, though with only a 15.31% strikeout rate.
Diamondbacks Rumors
D-Backs Activate Josh Rojas, Designate Sergio Alcantara
The Diamondbacks announced a handful of roster moves before tonight’s game against the Rockies. Closer Mark Melancon is back from the COVID-19 injured list, while utilityman Josh Rojas has been reinstated from the 10-day IL. To create active roster space, Arizona optioned right-hander Corbin Martin to Triple-A Reno and designated infielder Sergio Alcántara for assignment. The team’s 40-man roster tally remains at 38.
Rojas opened the year on the shelf after suffering an oblique strain in Spring Training. That cost him the first month of the year, a disappointing development after the left-handed hitter showed pretty well last season. Over 550 plate appearances, Rojas hit .264/.341/.411 with 11 home runs and nine stolen bases. He drew walks at a solid 10.5% clip while striking out a hair more often than the average batter.
It was a decent performance for the 27-year-old in his first full MLB season. Acquired from the Astros as part of the four-player return for Zack Greinke, Rojas has overcome a modest 26th-round draft status to develop into a capable hitter. He’s a versatile defender — he suited up at each of second base, third base, shortstop and in both corner outfield spots — but he’s a bat-first player who hasn’t rated particularly well with the glove anywhere on the infield.
Now that he’s back to full strength, Rojas figures to take over as the Snakes’ primary third baseman. Arizona has gotten league-worst production out of the hot corner in the early going, with a group of five players combining for a woeful .160/.209/.247 slash line. The switch-hitting Alcántara has taken 45 of the 88 plate appearances there, but he’s limped to a .189/.200/.321 start overall.
Arizona acquired Alcántara from the Cubs for cash considerations during Spring Training. It was the second stint in the D-Backs organization for the slick-fielding shortstop. Alcántara hasn’t offered much at the plate during his MLB career, however, as he’s coming off a .205/.303/.327 showing in 255 trips for the North Siders. He’s out of minor league option years, so the D-Backs had to designate him for assignment if they’d determined not to continue carrying him on the active roster as he scuffled offensively. They’ll now have a week to trade him or try to to run him through waivers.
Melancon, meanwhile, went on the IL last Friday after contracting the virus. Signed to a two-year deal over the offseason, the veteran closer has collected four saves and tossed eight innings of three-run ball in his new environs. He’ll step back into the ninth inning for skipper Torey Lovullo.
Diamondbacks Designate Matt Davidson For Assignment
The D-Backs announced they’ve designated corner infielder Matt Davidson for assignment. Coupled with the optioning of right-hander Taylor Widener to Triple-A Reno, the Snakes have gotten their active roster down from 28 to 26 players. Davidson’s DFA also clears a 40-man roster spot; Arizona’s tally now sits at 38, although they’ll eventually need to reinstate relievers Mark Melancon and J.B. Wendelken from the COVID-19 injured list.
Davidson’s latest stay in the majors lasted a little under two weeks. Arizona selected him to the big leagues in late April, and he ultimately appeared in five games. The 31-year-old collected one hit (a homer off Josh Rogers) while drawing three walks in 13 plate appearances. That marked Davidson’s first MLB action since he suited up in 22 games for the Reds two seasons ago.
The right-handed hitter was a regular for the White Sox from 2017-18 but has otherwise picked up scant playing time in the majors. In a little under 1100 career plate appearances, Davidson owns a .222/.292/.433 line. He’s popped 53 homers with an impressive .211 ISO, but he’s also fanned in 34.1% of his trips to the plate. To his credit, he had gotten off to an incredible .386/.471/.955 start in Reno to earn his latest promotion.
Davidson is out of minor league options, so the Snakes had to remove him from the 40-man roster to take him off the big league club. They’ll presumably place him on waivers in the coming days. He’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Several Veterans On Minor League Deals Have Sunday Opt-Outs
The latest collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association is rife with contractual intricacies, as one would expect. MLBTR has confirmed that one of the new wrinkles set forth in this latest agreement stipulates that any Article XX(B) free agent — that is, a player with at least six years of service time who finished the prior season on a big league roster or injured list — who signs a minor league contract will have three uniform opt-out dates in his contract, so long as that minor league deal is signed 10 days prior to Opening Day. Those opt-out dates are five days before the start of the regular season, May 1 and June 1.
As the MLBPA announced at the onset of the most recent offseason, there were 188 players who became Article XX(B) free agents. The majority of those players signed Major League contracts. A handful retired, and some have yet to sign a contract at all. There were still more than two dozen players who signed minor league contracts, however, which makes them subject to the new uniform opt-out dates. Several of those players — Marwin Gonzalez, Matt Moore and Wily Peralta, to name a few — have already had their contracts selected to the Major League roster. Others signed their minor league deal after March 28, meaning they’re not covered under the uniform opt-out provision.
By my count, there are a dozen players who qualified as Article XX(B) free agents, signed minor league deals on or before March 28, and remain with those organizations but not on the 40-man roster. Each of the following veterans, then, will have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if they’re not called up to the current organization’s big league roster:
- Tyler Clippard, RHP, Nationals: The 37-year-old Clippard had a strong 2019 season in Cleveland and pitched brilliantly with Minnesota in 2020. His 2021 campaign with the D-backs was solid but truncated by a strained capsule in his right shoulder. He missed nearly four months to begin the year but pitched to a 3.20 ERA in 25 1/3 innings upon activation — albeit with subpar strikeout and walk rates (19.8% and 9.9%, respectively). He’s had a rough go in Triple-A Rochester so far, yielding seven runs on six hits and a whopping 11 walks in 8 1/3 innings. He’s also picked up a dozen strikeouts.
- Austin Romine, C, Angels: Romine is 2-for-15 with a pair of singles so far in Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never provided much with the bat, but the longtime Yankees backup is regarded as a quality defender and receiver. He spent the 2021 season with the Cubs but only logged 62 plate appearances thanks to a sprained left wrist that landed him on the 60-day injured list for a significant portion of the season. Romine hit .217/.242/.300 when healthy last year and is a lifetime .238/.277/.358 hitter in 1313 Major League plate appearances.
- Billy Hamilton, CF, Mariners: At 31 years old, the former top prospect is what he is now: an elite defender and baserunner who’s never been able to get on base consistently enough to capitalize on his 80-grade speed. Hamilton slashed .220/.242/.378 in 135 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and is out to a 7-for-32 start with one walk and 11 strikeouts so far with the Mariners’ top affiliate. Hamilton has four seasons of 55-plus stolen bases under his belt, but he also has a career .293 OBP that’s gotten even worse (.269) over the past three seasons (524 plaste appearances).
- Blake Parker, RHP, Cardinals: Parker, 36, has yielded three runs in 7 1/3 Triple-A frames but is brandishing a far more impressive 11-to-1 K/BB ratio. He split the past two seasons between Philadelphia and Cleveland, pitching to a combined 3.02 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout rate against a 9.1% walk rate. Parker has had an up-and-down career since debuting with the Cubs as a 27-year-old rookie in 2012, but the cumulative results are solid. He carries a career 3.47 ERA with 34 saves and 47 holds. When Parker’s splitter is working well, he can be a very effective late-inning option.
- Derek Holland, LHP, Red Sox: The veteran southpaw has provided innings, but not necessarily at quality since transitioning into a bullpen role in 2019. Last season he appeared in 39 games for the Tigers, tossing 49 2/3 innings with a 5.07 ERA/3.96 FIP. Holland’s time with Triple-A Worcester hasn’t been smooth, as he has a 5.79 ERA and six walks over 9 1/3 innings.
- Steven Souza Jr., OF, Mariners: Due to an ugly knee injury and some struggles at the plate, Souza hasn’t been a truly productive big leaguer since 2017. Looking to revive his career with the Mariners, Souza has hit .200/.383/.333 over 60 PA with Triple-A Tacoma.
- Kevin Pillar, OF, Dodgers: This season marks Pillar’s first taste of Triple-A ball since 2014, and the veteran outfielder is overmatching pitchers to the tune of a .313/.415/.627 slash line over 82 plate appearances. One would imagine this performance will earn Pillar a look in Los Angeles or perhaps another team if the Dodgers don’t select his contract. Pillar’s minor league deal guarantees him a $2.5MM salary if he receives a big league call-up, which could be a factor for a Dodgers club that may be trying to stay under the third tier ($270MM) of the luxury tax threshold.
- Cam Bedrosian, RHP, Phillies: After signing a minor league deal with Philadelphia last July, Bedrosian posted a 4.35 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with the club despite recording almost as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (eight). The righty inked a new minors deal with the Phillies over the winter but has yet to pitch this season due to injury.
- Shelby Miller, RHP, Yankees: The former All-Star pitched well with the Cubs’ and Pirates’ Triple-A affiliates in 2021, and he has kept up that strong Triple-A performance now working as a full-time reliever. Over eight innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barres, Miller has a 2.25 ERA with outstanding strikeout (31.3%) and walk (3.1%) rates. He also hasn’t allowed any homers, a notable stat for a pitcher who has had great trouble containing the long ball over the last few seasons.
- Matt Carpenter, INF, Rangers: Carpenter got a late start to Spring Training, and upon Opening Day, he expressed a desire to take the necessary time to get himself up to speed. Through 52 plate appearances in Triple-A, Carpenter has slashed an improved .239/.327/.457 with a pair of home runs. While not standout numbers, they are an improvement over the .203/.235/.346 slash line Carpenter posted in 901 PA from 2019-21 with the Cardinals.
- Carlos Martinez, RHP, Giants: Another former Cardinal looking for a fresh start, Martinez has yet to pitch for Triple-A Sacramento, as he is still rehabbing from the thumb surgery he underwent last July. With injuries and a nasty bout of COVID-19 factoring into matters, Martinez has only a 6.95 ERA over 102 1/3 big league innings since the start of the 2020 season.
- Keone Kela, RHP, Diamondbacks: Kela has also been ravaged by injuries over the last two seasons, including Tommy John surgery last May. Given the usual TJ recovery timeline, Kela isn’t likely to be a factor for the D’Backs until at least midseason.
Of course, players remain free to negotiate additional out clauses into their minor league contracts. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports, for instance, that lefty Adam Morgan has an opt-out provision in his contract with the Astros today. Morgan doesn’t have enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, but he’ll nevertheless have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if he doesn’t like his chances of eventually being added to Houston’s roster.
Diamondbacks Place Mark Melancon On Injured List, Select Keynan Middleton
The D-Backs announced they’ve placed closer Mark Melancon on the injured list. His placement was without a designation, indicating it’s related to COVID-19. Keynan Middleton was selected to take his place on the roster. Additionally, Arizona recalled Caleb Smith from Triple-A Reno and optioned southpaw Tyler Holton.
Melancon is the second Arizona reliever lost to the COVID list in as many days. The Snakes also placed J.B. Wendelken on the IL yesterday. Placement on the list can indicate a positive test, viral symptoms or exposure to a person who has tested positive. It isn’t clear whether Melancon has tested positive.
Middleton signed a minor league deal over the offseason. The righty has appeared in each of the past five MLB seasons, spending his career with the Angels and Mariners. Middleton had some strong numbers early on with Los Angeles, but he’s struggled since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. Last season, he tossed 31 innings of 4.94 ERA ball, only striking out 17.1% of batters faced while walking 13.6% of opponents.
Assigned to Reno to open the year, the 28-year-old has made seven appearances. He’s worked 7 1/3 frames of one-run ball, punching out nine while allowing five hits and three walks. That promising start will earn him another chance in the big leagues.
Diamondbacks Select Tyler Holton
The D-Backs announced they’ve selected left-hander Tyler Holton onto the major league roster. Arizona placed reliever J.B. Wendelken on the injured list without a designation, recalled Luis Frias and optioned Tyler Gilbert to Triple-A Reno. The team also announced that veteran southpaw Oliver Pérez, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has been released.
Arizona selected Holton in the ninth round of the 2018 draft out of Florida State. The Tallahassee native was one of the top pitchers in Division I ball in 2017, but he suffered a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery early the next year. That kept him out of action until July 2019. Holton made 13 appearances between rookie and short-season ball that year, then didn’t pitch in games due to the canceled 2020 minor league season.
The D-Backs pushed Holton to Double-A to open 2021. He posted a 6.33 ERA in 48 1/3 innings but had above-average strikeout (26.2%), walk (6.1%) and ground-ball (53.3%) marks. He earned a late-season bump to Reno last year, and he’s made five appearances with the Aces thus far in 2022. Over eight innings, he’s allowed six runs on 12 hits (including a pair of homers) and five walks, but he’s punched out ten. Holton has never appeared on an organizational prospects list at Baseball America; Brendan Gawlowski and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs included him as an honorable mention in their write-up of the Arizona farm this past offseason, noting that he throws an 88-90 MPH fastball and has a promising changeup.
Holton will join Joe Mantiply and Kyle Nelson as left-handed relief options for skipper Torey Lovullo. Pérez had been in that mix to open the year, but the D-Backs removed him from the roster on Monday. He’ll have the option to explore offers from all 30 teams now that he’s a free agent if he wants to continue playing in affiliated ball. Pérez had been set to play the 2022 campaign — which he’s already announced will be his last — with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League before he landed with the D-Backs.
Jon Jay Announces Retirement
Veteran outfielder Jon Jay took to Twitter earlier today to announce his retirement after over a decade in the big leagues.
“As a kid I remember watching SportsCenter highlights and imitating my favorite MLB players,” Jay wrote. “It is still surreal to me that I played Major League Baseball. As I officially retire from the game that changed my life, I want to thank everyone who has played a role in getting me here.”
Jay, 37, was a second round pick of the Cardinals in 2006 and then made his MLB debut in 2010. He immediately hit the ground running with the contact-oriented approach that would be a trademark of his career. He hit .300/.359/.422, walking in 7.4% of his plate appearances and striking out just 15.5% of the time. That production amounted to a 116 wRC+, or 16% above league average. The next year, he put up a similar line of .297/.344/.424, 115 wRC+, helping the Cardinals qualify for the postseason and eventually win the 2011 World Series.
Jay stuck with the Cardinals for the next four seasons, with the team making the postseason in each of them. His production stayed largely consistent until wrist issues started hampering him in 2015. He underwent surgery prior to that season and then struggled at the plate, hitting .210/.306/.257. After that campaign, he was traded to the Padres for Jedd Gyorko.
He was able to bounce back somewhat in 2016, hitting .291/.339/.389 as a Padre, good enough for a wRC+ of 99. He signed with the Cubs for the 2017 season and had another solid season, hitting .296/.374/.375, 101 wRC+. He went into journeyman mode for the next few years, spending time with the Royals, Diamondbacks, White Sox, D-Backs again, and then the Angels last year, with none of those stints lasting more than 84 games.
In all, Jay played in 1201 games in 12 MLB seasons from 2010 to 2021. He will head into retirement with a lifetime .283/.348/.373 batting line, 37 home runs, 185 doubles, 25 triples, 1,087 total hits, 532 runs scored, 341 runs batted in and 55 stolen bases. He was a solid contributor to an excellent run of Cardinals baseball, earning a World Series ring in the process. MLBTR congratulates him on a fine career and wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.
Diamondbacks Designate Oliver Perez For Assignment
The D-Backs announced this evening they’ve activated outfielder Jordan Luplow from the 10-day injured list. Outfielder Jake McCarthy was optioned to Triple-A Reno. Additionally, left-hander Tyler Gilbert was recalled from Triple-A, while veteran reliever Oliver Pérez was designated for assignment. Arizona’s 40-man roster now sits at 39.
The Diamondbacks acquired Luplow from the Rays over the offseason, sending infield prospect Ronny Simon to Tampa Bay. The right-handed hitting Luplow has a history of excellent offensive production when holding the platoon advantage. In 378 career plate appearances against southpaws, he owns a .245/.360/.549 line. That batting average isn’t eye-catching, but Luplow’s elite 14.3% walk rate and 23 home runs in that time result in a 139 wRC+ that indicates he’s been 39 percentage points above league average against lefties.
Luplow has been a below-average hitter against right-handers, making him a best fit for a corner outfield platoon. The D-Backs have lefty swingers David Peralta, Pavin Smith and Seth Beer as their primary corner outfielders and designated hitter, respectively. There should be plenty of opportunity for Luplow to spell those players against opposing southpaws. He missed the first few weeks of the season recovering from an oblique strain but figures to rotate fairly frequently into the outfield mix for manager Torey Lovullo.
Pérez signed a minor league deal with the Snakes shortly after the lockout lifted. He made the Opening Day roster but had a rough go in the desert. Over seven appearances, he’s tallied four innings of nine-run ball. Pérez has fanned just one of the 24 hitters he’s faced, and Arizona has decided to move forward with Joe Mantiply and Kyle Nelson as their top two southpaws in the bullpen.
The D-Backs have a week to trade Pérez or place him on waivers, and it remains to be seen whether the 40-year-old will look to continue his MLB career. Given his poor start to the year, it seems likely Pérez will clear waivers and wind up released. He’d likely find some minor league interest at that point, but it’s possible he may not have the desire to attempt to work his way back onto an MLB roster.
The Mexico native had been set to play the 2022 season with the Toros de Tijuana in his home country before signing with Arizona. At the time, Pérez announced that this year with the Toros would be his final in professional baseball. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if he returns to Tijuana if/when he’s officially let go by the D-Backs.
Royals Acquire Matt Peacock, Designate Domingo Tapia
The Royals announced that right-hander Matt Peacock has been acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. To make roster space for Peacock, Kansas City has designated righty Domingo Tapia for assignment.
Arizona designated Peacock for assignment earlier this week, and he’ll now head to the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate after spending his entire pro career in the Diamondbacks organization. A 23rd-round pick in the 2017 draft, Peacock made his Major League debut last season and posted a 4.90 ERA over 86 1/3 innings, starting eight of his 35 appearances. In 2022, Peacock made two appearances out of Arizona’s bullpen before getting DFA’ed.
Peacock is a grounder specialist who regularly topped the 60% groundball-rate threshold during his time in the minors, and he also has respectable walk totals, though he doesn’t record many strikeouts. The D’Backs regularly used Peacock as a starter prior to the canceled 2020 minor league season, and he hasn’t recorded a minor league start since (albeit in limited action at Triple-A), so it will be interesting to see how the Royals will opt to deploy the righty. Conceivably, the Royals might use Peacock in a flexible swingman role depending on their needs, and his grounder-heavy arsenal could be particularly effective on a solid defensive team like K.C.
Tapia’s resume is pretty similar to Peacock, as both are right-handed groundball specialists who pitched in their first big league game in 2020. Tapia took a longer path than Peacock, as Tapia was an international signing for the Mets back in December 2009. After long stints in the New York and Cincinnati farm systems, Tapia finally broke into the Show with the Red Sox in 2020, then posted a 2.67 ERA over 33 2/3 combined innings with the Mariners and Royals in 2021.
Over 718 1/3 career innings in the minors, Tapia has a 4.12 ERA and 17.68% strikeout rate. Tapia has been more or less a full-time reliever since 2018, and his efforts to win a job in the K.C. bullpen this spring were hampered by a lack of control (six walks in 5 1/3 Cactus League innings).
Mariners Acquire Stuart Fairchild, Designate Kevin Padlo
The Mariners announced that outfielder Stuart Fairchild has been acquired from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. To open up a roster spot, infielder Kevin Padlo has been designated for assignment.
Arizona DFA’ed Fairchild earlier this week. Originally acquired along with Josh VanMeter in the Archie Bradley deal at the 2020 trade deadline, Fairchild’s tenure with the Diamondbacks saw him make his MLB debut last season, appearing in 12 games and making 17 plate appearance with the D’Backs. Fairchild posted some big numbers at Triple-A in 2021 but got off to a slow start this year, with only a .162/.279/.379 slash line over 43 PA for Triple-A Reno.
Fairchild will now look for a fresh start with his hometown team, as the 26-year-old was born in Seattle and played his high school ball in the Emerald City before playing his college ball at Wake Forest. The Reds selected Fairchild with the 38th overall pick of the 2017 draft, and he has posted solid (.272/.358/.438, 35 homers in 1443 PA) if unspectacular numbers over his minor league career. Fairchild can also play all three outfield positions, making him an interesting depth piece for the Mariners.
Padlo also made his Major League debut in 2021, playing in nine games with the Rays and then one game with the Mariners after being claimed off waivers from Tampa in August. Padlo has 92 home runs and a .239/.350/.439 slash line over 2738 career PA in the minors, with a resume that includes quite a lot of power potential and swing-and-miss.
Despite some nice numbers for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers following last year’s trade, Padlo didn’t get a long look on the M’s big league roster and he was also off to a rough start with the Rainiers this season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see another club take a flier of a waiver claim on Padlo just as the Mariners did last August, to see if some consistent results could be mined from his power bat.
