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Giants Designate Stuart Fairchild For Assignment, Option Sean Hjelle, Reinstate Austin Slater

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The Giants have made a number of roster moves today, optioning Sean Hjelle to Triple-A, reinstating Austin Slater from the injured list, and designating Stuart Fairchild for assignment, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). In addition, Sam Delaplane was added to the 40-man roster and assigned to Class A San Jose. Delaplane is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Slater is the biggest name here in terms of experience. The 29-year-old outfielder was off to a solid start to the season through 34 games before being placed on the injured list. Slater returns to the active roster boasting a .250/.388/.391 triple-slash line through 80 plate appearances. The on-base percentage jumps off the page, buoyed by a solid 18.8 percent walk rate against a 26.3 percent strikeout rate. With just a 10.5 percent walk rate for his career, Slater showed improved discipline thus far, though in a small sample.

The towering 6’11” Hjelle logged four innings while giving up two earned runs in his first bit of Major League action. The former 2nd round pick has served exclusively as a starter in Triple-A, making nine starts with a 5.49 ERA over 41 innings. Baseball America rates Hjelle as the Giants’ 20th-ranked prospect.

Fairchild has already seen time this season with the Mariners and Giants after being drafted by the Reds and making his Major League debut with the Diamondbacks. Fairchild can play all three outfield spots. The 26-year-old outfielder will now be available to the other 29 teams through waivers.

AL Roster Notes: Twins, White Sox, Rays

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The Twins have reinstated Gilberto Celestino from the COVID injured list, per the team. Chi Chi Gonzalez was returned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster. It’s worth nothing that Gonzalez has an opt out clause in his contract that he can trigger next week, per Darren Wolfson of KSTP Eyewitness News (via Twitter). The 30-year-old Gonzalez made just one appearance for the Twins, yielding three earned runs in three innings of work. Let’s check on other roster moves made today in the American League…

  • The White Sox optioned Tanner Banks to Triple-A today to make room for reliever Kyle Crick, per the Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter). Crick has 10 appearances on the year with a 3.60 ERA/3.95 FIP across 10 innings with a 11-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Banks, a 30-year-old rookie, made 14 appearances spanning 21 2/3 innings with a 4.57 ERA/4.44 FIP.
  • Southpaw Ben Bowden, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Bowden, 27, was claimed off waivers earlier this season from the Rockies. He has not yet seen big league action for the Rays.

Marlins Option Elieser Hernandez

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The Marlins have optioned right-hander Elieser Hernandez to Triple-A, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Hernandez has mostly pitched out of the rotation this season, making nine starts, though he also has a pair of relief outings to his name.

It was not long ago that Hernandez looked like a bedrock arm for the Marlins’ rotation, but the 27-year-old has been unable to keep the ball in the ballpark this season. He has surrendered a whopping 18 home runs in just 48 innings of work, leading to a 6.75 ERA/7.25 FIP. Hernandez has continued to control the zone in line with his career marks, posting a 47-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hernandez tends to keep this ball in the air, but he’s done so this year more than usual with just a 30.0 percent groundball rate.

Though no corresponding move has been made yet, Braxton Garrett is expected to get the call-up tomorrow to step into Hernandez’s rotation spot, per MLB Network contributor Craig Mish (via Twitter). The 24-year-old southpaw has yet to appear in the Majors this season, but he has made 10 appearances (nine starts) over the past two seasons for Miami, compiling a 5.18 career ERA over 41 2/3 innings. Time will tell whether Garrett is able to hold onto a rotation spot in the long-term.

Rangers Promote Ezequiel Duran

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The Rangers are promoting top infield prospect Ezequiel Duran to the big league club, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). He will start today’s ballgame at third base. Duran, 23, is already on the 40-man roster, so no move is required on that front.

Before the season started, Duran was the 83rd-ranked prospect in baseball per MLB.com and the 99th-ranked prospect by Baseball Prospectus. He has risen to the 66th-ranked overall prospect per Baseball America, who ranks him as the 4th-best prospect in the Rangers’ system. He was one of the pieces sent to Texas as part of the Joey Gallo trade.

Duran has improved his stock without appearing as high as Triple-A. In Double-A, he has a .317/.365/.574 triple slash line through 200 plate appearances this season. He spent all of last season in High-A. Duran will play third base today, but he has the ability to play up the middle. Of course, the Rangers doled out millions this winter for Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to play second and shortstop, respectively. Both players are signed through 2028.

Josh Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left shoulder, per the team. Smith, also acquired in the Gallo deal, has raked in his first taste of the big leagues, going 5-for-12 with a pair of walks to just one strikeout over five games. Smith is the Rangers’ 9th-ranked prospect, per Baseball America.

Royals Recall Kris Bubic, Option Ronald Bolanos

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The Royals recalled Kris Bubic to start today’s ballgame and optioned Ronald Bolanos to Triple-A, per the Athletic’s Alex Lewis (via Twitter).

Bubic, 24, got off to a disastrous start this season with a 12.83 ERA over five starts and one relief appearance totaling 13 1/3 innings. He fared little better over three starts in Triple-A, surrendering 10 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. His peripheral numbers did improve, however, with a 4-to-17 walk-to-strikeout ratio after posting a 11-to-10 such mark in the bigs.

Bolanos, 25, has made eight appearances out of the bullpen this year while serving as a bulk reliever. He has a 4.42 ERA/5.71 FIP over 18 1/3 innings of work with 12 strikeouts and 12 walks in that time. Bolanos has primarily served as a starter while in the minors.

Cubs Select Caleb Kilian, Option Mark Leiter Jr., DFA Conner Menez

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The Cubs have officially selected the contract of Caleb Kilian while making a number of other roster moves to accommodate his arrival and prepare for today’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. Mark Leiter Jr. was optioned to Triple-A and Conner Menez was designated for assignment, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). Anderson Espinoza was also brought aboard to serve as the 27th man for today’s twin bill.

The news of Kilian’s promotion first came across the wire yesterday. His performance will carry more consequence to Cubs’ fans than a normal prospect because of his status as the trade return for Kris Bryant, the one-time face-of-the-franchise. Whether or not it makes sense to put that burden on Kilian, the optics of Kilian’s progress are likely to serve as a touch point for judging the effectiveness of President of Baseball Ops Jed Hoyer’s rebuilding efforts. He’s not the only one, but because Kilian was one of only two pitching prospects returned in the deals for Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Yu Darvish, and Javier Baez, his importance among the group of acquired prospects is somewhat bloated.

Leiter Jr., 31, has been up and down this season as both a starter and reliever. He has been a tad generous with free passes with a 9-to-16 walk-to-strikeout ratio over 17 1/3 innings in the bigs. Though a 4.53 FIP suggests he can be a serviceable arm, the bottom-line results have not been there, as he has racked up a 6.23 ERA.

Menez, 27, was designated for assignment to clear a space on the 40-man roster. He made just one appearance for the Cubs, tossing a scoreless inning. The southpaw has logged 17 1/3 innings in Triple-A, however, with a 2.08 ERA. Claimed off waivers from the Giants this past December, Menez will again be exposed to open waivers.

Espinoza, meanwhile, made his Major League debut just a couple of days ago, tossing four innings against the Brewers, giving up two earned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six.

Yankees Reinstate Giancarlo Stanton

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The Yankees have reinstated slugger Giancarlo Stanton from the 10-day injured list, per the team. He is back on the active roster batting cleanup as the designated hitter.

New York weathered the loss of Stanton just fine, having gone 7-2 in his absence. Stanton spent the minimum amount of time away, missing only nine games. Prior to his placement on the injured list, Stanton was hitting .285/.339/.523 in 168 plate appearances with 11 long balls.

The corresponding roster moves were made yesterday after last night’s ballgame. Miguel Andujar was optioned to Triple-A. Andujar appeared in 12 games, slashing .268/.279/.317 through 43 plate appearances while mostly playing left field.

Tim Locastro also completed his rehab assignment. He was reinstated and optioned to Triple-A as well. The speedy Locastro is largely a reserve option for the Yankees. His ability to play all three outfield positions provides some value as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

Nationals Sign Ildemaro Vargas To Minors Deal

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The Nationals signed utility man Ildemaro Vargas to a minor league deal last week and assigned him to Triple-A Rochester, per MLB.com.

The 30-year-old Vargas spent a little less than two weeks in the Majors this year with the Cubs before being designated for assignment and released. It was his second tour of duty with  the Cubbies, having spent parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons in Chicago. This year he managed to his just .130/.231/.348 in 26 plate appearances with the Cubs.

Vargas was originally signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela back in 2008. Prior to his time in Chicago, Vargas appeared with the Diamondbacks (twice), Pirates, and Twins, with the brunt of his 407 career plate appearances coming with Arizona. For his career, reaching back to include every season since 2017, Vargas owns a ..227/.265/.354 line. He has primarily contributed at second base and third base, but he has also made appearances at shortstop and the corner outfield spots.

With the Nationals, he’ll serve as infield depth, especially useful given the recent injury to Alcides Escobar, Washington’s de facto shortstop. The Nationals are rolling with a 3-man bench unit right now, with Lucius Fox as the only reserve infielder.

Nationals Designate Aaron Sanchez For Assignment

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The Nationals designated starter Aaron Sanchez for assignment, the team announced after today’s doubleheader against the Rockies. Andres Machado, up as an extra man for the twin bill, will remain on the active roster. By DFA’ing Sanchez, the Nationals have opened a spot on their 40-man roster, which now sits at 39.

Given the options available to the Nats, Sanchez seemed a good bet to take on some of the innings load, but they’re moving on after six starts, 27 2/3 innings, and a 7.16 ERA/5.53 FIP. Those numbers don’t even include today’s start, in which Sanchez was pelted for seven runs over 3 2/3 innings, ballooning his ERA to 8.33. The 29-year-old could remain in the organization if he goes unclaimed by another organization.

To replace him in the rotation, the Nats could turn to an old stand-by in Paolo Espino or Josh Rogers. The more exciting option for Nats fans would be Cade Cavalli, the club’s top pitching prospect, who threw seven scoreless frames tonight in Triple-A, lining him up to take Sanchez’s spot in the rotation. The rotation has been a particular area of need for Washington. Erick Fedde is currently their only starter with a sub 5.00 ERA.

Machado, 29, has a 2.45 ERA/3.32 FIP in ten outings spanning 11 innings with the big league club this year. He emerged as one of manager Dave Martinez’s more reliable arms last season, posting a 3.53 ERA/4.63 FIP over 35 2/3 innings.

Rehab Notes: Adames, Jimenez, Giles

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Willy Adames is on his way to begin a rehab assignment, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The Brewers shortstop has been out since May 16th with a high ankle sprain, and it’ll take a couple of rehab starts before he’s ready to rejoin the club. He won’t join the team in Chicago for their series against the Cubs, but he could be ready by Thursday, when the Brewers come home to face the Padres. Adames, 26, has been a key piece for the Brewers since coming over from Tampa Bay. While he’s been out, it’s been Luis Urias sliding over from his regular spot at the hot corner, while Jace Peterson and Mike Brosseau have worked out a platoon at third. In other recovery news…

  • Eloy Jimenez got just two at-bats in his first rehab assignment before leaving the game with right leg soreness. The White Sox slugger is day-to-day, per the team. Jimenez was seemingly making a quick recovery from a torn right hamstring, but the good vibes may have been too good to be true. Jimenez has been out for only a month for an injury that was projected to require a six-to-eight week layoff.
  • Ken Giles began his rehab assignment in Tacoma today, per the Rainiers Director of Media Relations Paul Braverman (via Twitter). The Mariners bullpen could use a little help. Seattle’s relief crew ranks 24th in the Majors by ERA and 19th by FIP, though they haven’t been overworked, currently 26th in terms of their innings workload. The former closer will be a question mark until proven otherwise, however, having made just four appearances over the past two seasons.

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