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Dodgers Select Justin Wrobleski

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TODAY: The Dodgers officially announced the selection of Wrobleski’s contract today and optioned right-hander Gus Varland to make room for the lefty on the active roster. The club previously cleared a 40-man roster spot by trading lefty Matt Gage to the Mets earlier today.

July 5: The Dodgers are planning to promote left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski this weekend, according to a report from Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. He will make his MLB debut in a spot start on Sunday against the Brewers. Corresponding moves will be necessary for the Dodgers to add Wrobleski to the 26 and 40-man rosters.

Wrobleski, 23, has quickly risen through the Dodgers’ minor league system since making his professional debut in 2022. He made a name for himself last season at High-A, tossing 102 1/3 innings over 25 games (23 starts) with a 2.90 ERA and 3.22 FIP. That performance helped him rocket up Dodgers prospect lists ahead of the 2024 season; Baseball America ranked him #6, FanGraphs ranked him #11, and Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him #9. All three publications agreed he was the top left-handed pitching prospect in the organization.

The southpaw received a promotion to Double-A at the beginning of the 2024 season, and he continued to pitch just as well as he had the year before. In 13 starts for the Tulsa Drillers, Wrobleski put up a 3.06 ERA and 2.98 FIP, walking just 4.8% of batters he faced. After pitching what was arguably the best game of his career to date (seven shutout innings against the Arkansas Travelers), he earned another promotion.

Wrobleski has since made a couple of starts for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club. Although his surface-level stats leave something to be desired (five earned runs in 10 1/3 innings of work), he went at least five innings in both games and struck out 17 of the 43 batters he faced.

Although Wrobleski only has two starts at Triple-A under his belt, the Dodgers seem to have decided he is ready for a new challenge. That challenge will come in the form of the NL Central-leading Brewers, who currently rank fourth in the NL with 4.8 runs scored per game. It’s no easy task, but it helps that the Brewers have struggled against left-handed pitching this season. Their offense has a .749 OPS and 114 wRC+ against righties, compared to a .679 OPS and 95 wRC+ against southpaws.

The Dodgers have lost several starting pitchers to injury the season, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler the latest casualties. The team is currently relying on Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, James Paxton, Bobby Miller, and Landon Knack as the starting five, and Wrobleski’s spot start will allow those five arms to take an extra day of rest.

White Sox Release Cody Sedlock

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The White Sox released right-hander Cody Sedlock earlier this week, according to the pitcher’s transaction log on MLB.com. He had signed a minor league contract with Chicago back in April.

Selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Sedlock was once a well-regarded pitching prospect in the Orioles’ farm system. Unfortunately, his stock dropped quickly after a poor 2017 season at High-A, and thoracic outlet syndrome got in the way of his 2018 campaign. Although he was no longer a top prospect, Sedlock continued to work his way through the minors over the next several years, and in 2022, he finally earned his call to the show. His time in the majors was brief – the Orioles promoted him for one appearance before designating him for assignment – but Sedlock will always have major league experience on his resume.

Sedlock finished out the 2022 campaign in the Tigers organization, pitching to a 3.51 ERA for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. He then elected free agency and sat out the entire 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. The righty returned to a professional mound for the Charlotte Knights (the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate) in mid-May 2024, just over 14 months after his surgery, and pitched five innings over six appearances before he was released. He walked 13 of the 30 batters he faced, striking out only two. Although he gave up just three hits, he allowed 10 earned runs to cross the plate. His performance was undeniably disappointing, but it is worth remembering that he is still just 16 months removed from UCL surgery. It could take more time for his elbow to return to full strength.

As a free agent, Sedlock is now able to seek out his next opportunity. Not yet 30 years old, he would be a low-risk investment for a team in need of right-handed pitching depth.

Blue Jays Release Tim Mayza

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The Blue Jays have released Tim Mayza, according to the left-hander’s player page on MLB.com. He was designated for assignment last week.

This marks the end, at least for now, of Mayza’s 11-year career with Toronto. The Blue Jays selected him in the 2013 draft, and he made his MLB debut at the Rogers Centre four years later. He would go on to make 352 appearances over the next eight years, far more than any other pitcher on the team in that span; he ranks eighth all-time in appearances by a Blue Jays pitcher.

Mayza became a key player in Toronto’s bullpen in 2021, and over the next three years, he pitched 155 innings with a 2.67 ERA. The southpaw had the best season of his career just last year, pitching to a 1.52 ERA in 69 games. His underlying stats were not quite as impressive, but his 3.11 SIERA and 3.38 xERA were still good numbers, especially for a higher-leverage reliever like Mayza. Thus, his struggles in 2024 came as a major surprise.

In 24 2/3 innings over 35 games this year, Mayza gave up 24 runs (22 earned) on 36 hits and 12 walks. He managed to strike out only 16 of the 121 batters he faced. All of that added up to an 8.03 ERA, which makes him the only reliever in the league (min. 20 IP) with an ERA over 8.00. While his underlying numbers are better than his ERA, they’re still disappointing across the board. His 5.04 SIERA and 6.77 xERA both rank last among Blue Jays relievers (min. 10 IP), which is especially bad considering the Blue Jays have had one of the least effective bullpens in baseball this season. With all that in mind, the team’s decision to release Mayza is not difficult to understand – even though it would have been almost impossible to imagine at the beginning of the year.

After more than a decade with the Blue Jays, Mayza will now be able to seek employment elsewhere. At 32 years old, he could be an intriguing reclamation project for an organization that thinks it can help him regain his 2023 form.

Cubs Sign Christian Bethancourt To Minor League Deal

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Christian Bethancourt has signed a minor league contract with the Cubs, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The journeyman catcher was released by the Marlins last week. The Cubs will be his ninth MLB organization since he made his big league debut with the Braves in 2013.

Bethancourt failed to make much of an impression over his first five MLB seasons, appearing in 161 games for the Braves and Padres between 2013-17 and slashing .222/.252/.316 with a 52 wRC+. He did not play in the majors from 2018-21, bouncing between the Brewers, Phillies, and Pirates organizations, with a brief stopover in the KBO during the 2019 campaign.

At 30 years old, Bethancourt finally returned to the major leagues in 2022, appearing in 56 games for the Athletics and playing well enough to catch the attention of the Rays ahead of the trade deadline. He continued to play well with Tampa Bay down the stretch, finishing the season with a league-average 100 wRC+ and 1.8 FanGraphs WAR.

Unfortunately, Bethancourt did not find the same success in 2023. While he made Tampa Bay’s Opening Day roster and played 102 games behind the dish, he finished the season with just a 74 wRC+. His defensive numbers took a hit as well; he caught 13 of 30 would-be base stealers in 2022 but only 13 of 57 the following year. His pitch-framing numbers also declined, according to metrics from both FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The Rays flipped Bethancourt to the Marlins over the offseason, and his offensive struggles have only gotten worse in 2024. He slashed .159/.198/.268 over 38 games in Miami before he was designated for assignment in mid-June. He was released shortly thereafter. Bethancourt will now join the Triple-A Iowa Cubs as he strives to get his next big league opportunity on the North Side of Chicago. The Cubs have gotten very little production from their catchers this year; the only team whose catchers have a lower OPS or wRC+ is the Marlins. Currently, Tomás Nido and Miguel Amaya are the only two backstops on Chicago’s 40-man roster. Presumably, Bethancourt is now the next catcher on the depth chart.

Nationals Select Juan Yepez

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July 5: The Nats have made it official, announcing that they have selected Yepez and transferred Gray to the 60-day IL.

July 4: The Nationals are planning to promote Juan Yepez, according to Andrew Golden of The Washington Post. The first baseman signed a minor league contract with the team this past December.

Yepez signed with the Braves as an international free agent in 2014, and three years later, the Braves traded him to the Cardinals in exchange for Matt Adams. Another five years after that, Yepez made his MLB debut with St. Louis in 2022, appearing in 76 games, hitting 12 home runs, and producing a 107 wRC+. He went 2-for-5 with another long ball in the playoffs, driving in two of the three runs the Cardinals managed to score against the Phillies in the Wild Card Series.

Despite his strong first impression, Yepez failed to make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster in 2023. He hit poorly in spring training (60 wRC+), poorly at Triple-A (82 wRC+), and poorly during a few brief stints with the big league squad throughout the season (51 wRC+). St. Louis non-tendered him after the year.

The Nationals took a chance on Yepez this past winter, signing him to a minor league deal and issuing the 26-year-old an invitation to spring training. He did not make the major league roster out of camp, but the righty batter had a much better spring this time around, slashing .382/.405/.559 and striking out only once in 37 trips to the plate. His Triple-A stats aren’t quite as impressive, but he has continued to limit his strikeouts, and his numbers are much better across the board than they were last season. He has been hot over his last 14 games, going 21-for-54 (.389) with a 1.070 OPS and 178 wRC+.

Washington optioned first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses to Triple-A Rochester earlier today. Meneses has struggled all season, slashing .235/.294./.310 (72 wRC+), and evidently, the goodwill he earned with the Nationals during his breakout 2022 season has finally run out. He hit poorly last season as well (96 wRC+), but his numbers this season are significantly worse. Meneses ranks among the bottom five qualified hitters in OPS and wRC+.

Presumably, Yepez will see most of his playing time at first base. The Nationals will hope he can provide some of the right-handed thump they were looking to get from Meneses. With Joey Gallo on the injured list and Harold Ramírez hitting pretty much just as poorly as Meneses, Washington doesn’t have a ton of other options at first. Yepez also played the corner outfield with the Cardinals, but he has not played the outfield this year at Triple-A. More to the point, the Nationals don’t need any help in the outfield, with Lane Thomas, James Wood, Jacob Young, and Jesse Winker on the roster.

The Nationals did not immediately replace Meneses on the active roster, so there is an open spot for Yepez on the 26-man roster. However, the team will need to make a corresponding transaction to add Yepez to the 40-man. The most straightforward move would be to transfer Josiah Gray from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Gray has already missed significantly more than 60 days nursing an elbow injury.

Mike Ford Signs With NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars

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Mike Ford has signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, the team has announced. Ford was designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this season. He elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to the minor leagues.

Ford, 32, signed with the Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Six years later, he made his MLB debut for the Bronx Bombers. A first baseman and designated hitter, the lefty batter made quite the impression in his rookie season, slugging 12 home runs in 50 games and putting up a .909 OPS. The following year, at 28 years old, he made his very first Opening Day roster.

Unfortunately for Ford, he struggled to replicate that early success over the rest of his tenure in pinstripes. He slashed .134/.250/.276 across 51 games in 2020 and ’21, and the Yankees designated him for assignment in June 2021. He then bounced between the Rays, Nationals, Mariners, Giants, Mariners (again), Braves, and Angels organizations before landing back with the Mariners for a third time ahead of the 2023 campaign. Four years after his breakout, Ford would put together the best season of his career. He forced his way to the majors with 13 home runs and a 1.031 OPS in 49 games at Triple-A, then hit another 16 home runs with a .798 OPS in 84 games for Seattle from June to October.

Despite his strong performance in 2023, the Mariners designated Ford for assignment at the end of the season. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds this past February, opted out in March, re-signed a week later, and then opted out again in early May. This time, he re-signed on a major league deal, but after going 9-for-60 with a .411 OPS in 17 games, he was designated for assignment at the end of the month. Before signing with the BayStars, he had been a free agent since May 31.

AL West Notes: Tucker, Verlander, Bloss, Woo, Jung

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Astros manager Joe Espada offered a disappointing, if not entirely surprising, injury update regarding two of his biggest stars. Speaking to reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle) ahead of today’s contest in Toronto, the skipper acknowledged that neither Kyle Tucker nor Justin Verlander is likely to return from the IL before the All-Star break.

Tucker has not played since June 3 as he nurses a right shin contusion he suffered when he fouled a ball off his leg. In mid-June, Espada suggested that Tucker would likely require a minor league rehab assignment. With the All-Star break fast approaching and the outfielder yet to begin any on-field work (per Kawahara), it’s hard to imagine he makes it back before the break. The Astros would surely like to have Tucker back as soon as possible, but they have played surprisingly well in their best hitter’s absence. Making sure that he’s healthy for the stretch run is more important than rushing him back in July.

Meanwhile, Verlander has not pitched since June 9; he is dealing with neck discomfort. He is progressing well, but Espada says the future Hall of Famer has not yet gotten back to throwing off a mound. Once again, the Astros could certainly use the veteran in their injury-plagued rotation ASAP, but rushing him back would be a shortsighted move with so much season left to play.

Another point of interest concerning Verlander: As Kawahara notes, it is now extremely unlikely that his conditional $35MM player option for 2025 will be triggered. Even if the 41-year-old were to return immediately after the All-Star break and pitch once every five games for the rest of the season, he would need to average 6 1/3 innings per start to reach the necessary 140 innings pitched.

Finally, Espada also mentioned that rookie Jake Bloss will make a rehab start this weekend. Barring any setbacks, the young righty could make his next start in Houston. Bloss, 23, is generally considered one of the Astros’ better pitching prospects. He landed on the IL with shoulder discomfort on June 21, the same day that he made his MLB debut.

More injury updates from around the AL West:

  • Rangers manager Bruce Bochy offered reporters an update on Josh Jung, who has been on the IL almost all season. The All-Star third baseman fractured his wrist on a hit-by-pitch on April 1. Jung has recently been nursing a flare-up of discomfort in his injured wrist and has not swung a bat since his last rehab game on June 20 (per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). However, he has no further structural damage. The Rangers are going to shut him down completely for another week, after which they hope he’ll be able to restart his rehab assignment (per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today). Needless to say, this means Jung will not be ready to return to Arlington before the All-Star break.
  • In more positive news, the Mariners aren’t ready to rule out the possibility that Bryan Woo could return to their rotation ahead of the Midsummer Classic. He threw a successful bullpen session on Wednesday (per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com) and will make a rehab start this weekend. If all goes well in that outing, there’s a chance he could make his next start for Seattle. Woo, 24, has pitched exceptionally well in his sophomore season, with a 1.77 ERA in eight starts. Not all of his underlying numbers are quite as eye-catching (4.01 SIERA, 3.96 xFIP), but there’s no doubt the Mariners would like to have the young hurler back as soon as possible to see more of what he’s capable of.

Dodgers Release Jonathan Araúz

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The Dodgers have released Jonathan Araúz, according to the infielder’s player page on MLB.com. The 25-year-old spent the first three months of the season playing around the infield for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club.

Arauz signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last December, after electing free agency at the end of the 2023 campaign. He spent the previous season in the Mets organization, playing in 100 games for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets and 27 contests for the big league squad. However, he was outrighted at the end of the season and chose to seek a new opportunity with another team.

Signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2014, Arauz made his professional debut in Philadelphia’s system at just 16 years old. Not long after, he was traded to the Astros as part of the Ken Giles deal. The infielder then spent four years in Houston’s minor league system until the Red Sox took him in the Rule 5 Draft ahead of the 2020 season.

Arauz appeared in the majors every year from 2020-23, first with the Red Sox and then the Orioles and Mets. He has played a total of 95 MLB games, slashing .184/.253/.308 across 262 PA. He has never graded out as a particularly effective fielder or baserunner either, but he provides value with his versatility; he can hold his own at second base, third base, and shortstop. The Dodgers, who appreciate positional flexibility, had some questions about their infield picture entering the season, so Arauz made good sense as a minor league depth signing. However, he has hit especially poorly at Triple-A, slashing .227/.286/.324 with a 51 wRC+. With several other infielders playing significantly better for Oklahoma City, Arauz became the odd man out.

Arauz is now free to search for his next professional opportunity. Not yet 26 years old, he should be able to find another club in need of a versatile infielder with big league experience.

Twins Sign Matt Bowman To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed relief pitcher Matt Bowman to a minor league contract, according to his player page on MLB.com. The deal includes an opt-out in early August (per Darren Wolfson of SKOR North). The right-hander has been assigned to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.

Bowman began the 2024 season with the Twins, with whom he signed a minor league deal in January. Although he did not make Minnesota’s Opening Day roster, the team selected his contract in mid-April. He made five appearances for the Twins, giving up two earned runs in seven 2/3 innings of work before he was designated for assignment at the end of the month.

The Twins traded Bowman to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations, and the journeyman made four appearances for Arizona (6 ER, 6 2/3 IP) before he was designated for assignment once more. The 33-year-old elected free agency and found his next opportunity with the Mariners, signing a minor league contract with Seattle. He made just one appearance for the M’s, giving up a home run and a walk and recording two outs, before he was DFA’d yet again. After electing free agency, Bowman signed a new minor league deal with the Mariners in mid-June, but the deal contained an opt-out clause – one which he chose to exercise earlier this week. Presumably, the reliever decided he had a better chance to get back to the majors with a different organization.

Thus, Bowman returned to the place where his 2024 campaign began. The Twins have had one of the better bullpens in the American League this season, but they currently have four relievers on the 60-day IL. They only have two right-handed relievers on the 40-man roster who aren’t in the majors (Josh Winder and Ronny Henriquez), neither of whom has anywhere close to as much big league relief experience as Bowman. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why both sides were interested in a reunion.

Bowman began his professional career with the Mets in 2012 and made his MLB debut as a Rule 5 Draft pick with the Cardinals in 2016. He has also spent time with the Reds and Yankees. The righty made 183 appearances from 2016-19, pitching to a 4.02 ERA and 3.86 SIERA. Unfortunately, he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 and did not make his way back to the majors until September 2023, when he made four appearances for the Yankees. In other words, while he has plenty of experience, it has been several years since he enjoyed any prolonged big league success. His MLB numbers over the past two years are uninspiring (19 IP, 13 K, 9 BB, 4 HR, 6.16 ERA), but his minor league stats (74 2/3 IP, 3.62 ERA, 4.24 FIP) are significantly more promising.

Mets Release Trayce Thompson

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The Mets have released outfielder Trayce Thompson, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He signed a minor league contract with the club this past offseason.

A second-round pick in the 2009 draft, Thompson made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2015. He has since spent time with the Dodgers, Yankees, Athletics, Guardians, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Padres, Tigers, and Mets organizations, including two separate stints with the Dodgers and three with the White Sox.

Thompson, now 33, had the best year of his career with the Dodgers in 2022. He joined the team in mid-June (after short stints with the Padres and Tigers) and stuck on the active roster for the rest of the season. Over 74 games with L.A. that year, he slashed .268/.364/.537 with 14 doubles and 13 home runs. He also played well in the field, putting up a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and 4 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 496 2/3 defensive innings. After his impressive performance, Thompson made the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster in 2023 but struggled to replicate his success from the year prior. He spent almost all of June and July on the IL with a strained oblique, and the Dodgers traded him back to the White Sox at the deadline as part of a package for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. Thompson struggled even more over the rest of the year in Chicago, and the White Sox outrighted him after the season. He elected free agency shortly afterward.

The Mets came calling this past winter, and Thompson agreed to a minor league deal with his tenth organization in December. Although he received an invitation to spring training and produced an .891 OPS in 12 Grapefruit League games, he failed to earn a spot on New York’s Opening Day roster. He hit reasonably well in 62 games for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, hitting 16 home runs and posting an .800 OPS in 253 plate appearances. However, the International League has a high standard for offense, as evidenced by the fact that Thompson’s .800 OPS translates to a below-average 95 wRC+. The Mets recently needed to promote an outfielder when Starling Marte went on the IL, but it was Ben Gamel – another veteran who signed a minor league deal with the club this offseason – who got the call.

Thompson is now eligible to seek his next opportunity and perhaps join his eleventh MLB organization.

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