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Minor MLB Transactions: 6/11/21

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The latest minor transactions:

  • The Orioles announced that right-hander Shawn Armstrong has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore designated the 30-year-old for assignment last week. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, Armstrong had the right to elect free agency. He’s apparently chosen to accept the minor league assignment, though, as he’s listed on Norfolk’s active roster. Armstrong tossed twenty innings for the O’s this season before being designated, only managing an 8.55 ERA/4.30 SIERA.

An Underrated Reliever Who Could Find Himself On The Trade Market

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Still amidst a multi-year rebuild, the Orioles are one of a handful of teams around the league certain to trade players off the big league roster in advance of the July 30 deadline. Much of the discussion about the club in the coming weeks figures to revolve around the potential availability of staff ace John Means and first baseman Trey Mancini, with good reason. But there’s a lower-profile Oriole whose excellent performance should draw plenty of attention from contenders: lefty reliever Paul Fry.

A former 17th-round pick of the Mariners, Fry was traded to Baltimore for international signing bonus space back in 2017. He made his MLB debut the following year. While Fry began as a rather nondescript middle reliever, he’s quietly been lights-out for the past two seasons. Since the start of 2020, Fry has pitched to a 2.22 ERA that ranks twelfth among big league relievers (minimum 40 innings).

Relievers can sometimes fluke their way into strong ERA’s given their generally small sample workloads, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with Fry. He’s among the top 25 bullpen arms in strikeout rate (33%), strikeout/walk rate differential (22.9 percentage points), SIERA (2.98) and ground ball rate (55.3%) over the last two years. Quite simply, he’s done almost everything teams want from a pitcher. He’s shown the ability to both miss bats and keep the ball on the ground, so it’s no surprise he continues to post scoreless innings. His 10.1% walk rate, while slightly worse than league average, is far from disastrous.

Fry was very good in 2020, and he’s seemingly taken his game to another level this season. Fry’s punching out hitters at a career-best 36.7% rate this year, helping him pitch to a 1.99 ERA across 22 2/3 frames. He’s averaging a career-high 93.5 MPH on his four-seam fastball, which is missing bats at an elite level. And Fry’s been equally dominant against hitters from both sides of the plate, holding left-handed and right-handed batters alike to a sub-.500 OPS.

That level of on-field dominance is interesting enough, but Fry’s contractual status makes him all the more appealing a trade target. He’s making just more than the league minimum salary this season and comes with three additional years of team control via arbitration. Even the lowest-payroll contenders would have no issue adding Fry to the books; the same is true of big-market teams seemingly set on staying underneath the luxury tax threshold (i.e. Astros, Red Sox and Yankees).

While that level of production and cost control certainly appeals to the Orioles as well, Baltimore figures to at least entertain offers on Fry. They’re not going to contend this season, and it’d be a stretch to envision them hanging around the postseason picture in 2022. The performance of relief pitchers can be volatile, and the late-blooming Fry will be 29 years old by deadline day. It’d make sense for the Orioles to move him to a more immediate contender if they’re offered high-end prospect talent to continue to stockpile the farm system. Contending clubs are seemingly always on the lookout for relief help at the deadline, so there should be no shortage of teams in touch with the Orioles about one of the game’s most underrated arms in the coming weeks.

Orioles Place John Means On Injured List

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3:35 pm: Means’ MRI showed no structural damage, Hyde said (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). He’ll be shut down for seven to ten days and then reevaluated to determine a more definitive timetable for his return.

11:15 am: The Orioles have placed left-hander John Means on the injured list due to a strain in his throwing shoulder, per a team announcement. Zac Lowther has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to replace him on the active roster.

Means left his start last night in the first inning, with the team terming his issue shoulder fatigue at the time. He’s since undergone an MRI, manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun), although the team has yet to receive the results. For the moment, it seems Means’ IL placement is more precautionary than anything.

There’s little reason for the O’s to risk more serious injury to their staff ace until they specifically diagnose the problem. Means is amidst a breakout season, having pitched to a 2.28 ERA over his first twelve starts (71 innings). The lefty’s underlying metrics don’t quite support that level of run prevention. Means’ 25.7% strikeout rate is above-average but not elite, and he’s given up a somewhat alarming 13 home runs.

Even if he doesn’t continue to keep runs off the board at quite this level, there are reasons to believe he’s taken legitimate steps forward. The southpaw’s always been a quality strike-thrower, and his 4.9% walk rate remains stellar. Means is also missing bats at a strong 14% clip, a career-best mark, thanks largely to one of the sport’s best changeups.

As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored this week, that makes him one of the more interesting trade candidates in the league. The Orioles are certainly not contending this season, and it’s difficult to see a path to the playoffs next year. There’s a case to be made for the O’s to move Means this summer. If his current issue proves to be minor, he’d certainly draw plenty of interest from contending clubs, and today’s IL placement serves as a reminder about the potential injury risks associated with building around any pitcher. On the other hand, Means is controllable through 2024, and the Orioles certainly hope to compete before that point. If he returns in a relatively short amount of time, Means will be among the most interesting players to follow in the coming weeks.

Cardinals Claim Brandon Waddell, Outright Tyler Webb

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The Cardinals have claimed lefty Brandon Waddell off waivers from the Orioles, per announcements from both teams. Additionally, St. Louis lefty Tyler Webb has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Memphis. Both clubs now have a full 40-man roster.

St. Louis becomes Waddell’s third team of the 2021 season. A former Pirates prospect, Waddell opened the year with the Twins, but the Orioles claimed him off waivers last month. Between Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Baltimore, Waddell has logged 8 1/3 innings over the past two seasons, allowing seven runs (six earned) on twelve hits and six walks with just three strikeouts.

Obviously, Waddell hasn’t found success at the big league level yet, but he’s continued to attract interest from teams. He’s shown the ability to spin his low-90s fastball and mid-80s slider at high rates during his limited MLB time. Waddell has also posted impressive minor league numbers up through Double-A, although he’s only managed a 6.02 ERA in parts of three Triple-A seasons.

Waddell could be an option to replace Webb as a lefty relief option for St. Louis. The Cards designated the 30-year-old for assignment earlier this week after a dreadful start to the season. Webb doesn’t have the requisite service time to reject an outright assignment. He’ll instead report to Memphis and look to work his way back into the major league mix at some point.

John Means To Undergo MRI On Shoulder

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John Means left his start today in the first inning with what’s currently being identified as “left shoulder fatigue,” per Rich Dubroff of Baltimorebaseball.com. Said Means after the game, “This is something I’ve been battling the last few weeks. Not really during the games, but after games. I felt it more so in warmups when I was out there, the last couple of pitches when I really started to let it eat.” The O’s lefty will undergo an MRI on Sunday morning. Elsewhere in the American League…

  • The Twins have not gotten the kind of production they need from Matt Shoemaker this season. The 34-year-old veteran gave up eight earned runs while recording just one out against the Royals on Friday. For the season, Shoemaker’s 7.28 ERA/5.98 FIP rank last by a fair margin among starters with at least 50 innings this season. He will continue to make his turns in the Twins’ rotation for now, per the Athletic’s Dan Hayes.
  • Even if the Twins wanted to make a move, they’re somewhat hampered by recent injuries in their minor leagues. Minor league hurlers Lewis Thorpe and Matt Canterino were placed on the injured list today, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com (via Twitter). They are dealing with a left shoulder strain and right elbow strain, respectively. Canterino, pitching in High-A, was not likely to help out at the big league level this season, but Thorpe already has 14 innings in four appearances (three starts) with the Twins this season. He has pitched exclusively out of the pen at Triple-A.
  • J.D. Martinez was a late scratch from the Red Sox’ lineup with a sore wrist, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He appeared to jam his wrist sliding into second base during play on Friday. The injury does not appear to be serious. Per Christopher Smith of Masslive.com, manager Alex Cora commented on the situation, saying, “…we’ll take care of him today, get treatment. If he feels good and we need him late in game, then probably we’ll use him.”
  • Aledmys Diaz will undergo X-Rays after being hit by a pitch and suffering a left hand contusion, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 (via Twitter). Diaz would be missed. He’s posted a solid .281/.339/.439 line in 124 plate appearances this season.

Orioles Make Several Roster Moves

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The Orioles announced a flurry of moves this afternoon, including the news that infielder Domingo Leyba has been claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.  Infielder Ramon Urias and right-hander Travis Lakins have been called up from Norfolk, and righty Hunter Harvey has been activated off the 60-day injured list.

To create roster space, right-hander Shawn Armstrong and lefty Brandon Waddell were designated for assignment.  (Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported earlier today that Waddell was being DFA’ed.)  Additionally, infielder Pat Valaika was placed on the bereavement list.

Leyba was designated for assignment just two days ago.  The 25-year-old went hitless (with two walks) in 24 plate appearances for Arizona this season, following a very respectable .807 OPS over his first 30 career big league PA in 2019.  This wide range of production comes on the heels of a solid .290/.347/.434 slash line in 2624 PA in the minors as part of the Diamondbacks’ and Tigers’ farm systems since 2013.  Leyba put up particularly big numbers with Arizona’s Triple-A team in 2018-19, though the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League environment might have played a role considering his more modest career output in previous years.

Harvey suffered a left oblique strain in mid-March, and is now set to finally make his 2021 debut.  Injuries have pretty much been the story of Harvey’s career since being selected 22nd overall in the 2013 draft, as his MLB resume consists of only 15 total innings in 2019-20.  Even that small sample size still hints at some promise, however, as Harvey’s fastball sits in the high 90’s and he has struck out 17 of his 63 batters faced.  Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told The Athletic’s Dan Connelly and other reporters that Harvey will be used in a variety of bullpen roles, with seemingly no concession made to his injury history — he’ll be deployed “like a regular piece in the bullpen,” Hyde said.

Since being claimed off waivers from the Mariners in April 2019, Armstrong has been something of a workhorse out of the Baltimore pen, appearing in 85 games and tossing 89 1/3 innings.  The results weren’t always there, however, as Armstrong had a 5.34 ERA during his stint in the orange and black.  Armstrong is out of minor league options, so the O’s had no choice but to designate him and expose him to a potential waiver claim.

Waddell was a waiver pickup himself, selected by the Orioles off of the Twins’ roster in early May.  He has pitched in only one game for the O’s and two games for Triple-A Norfolk, as Kubatko notes that Waddell was delayed by the intake process required by COVID-19 protocols.  A longtime member of the Pirates’ minor league system, Waddell has seen MLB action with the Bucs, Twins, and Orioles over the last two seasons, with a 6.48 ERA over 8 1/3 total career innings in the big leagues.

Orioles Release Josh Rogers

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  • The Orioles have released left-hander Josh Rogers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Rogers, soon to turn 27, was part of the return the Orioles received from the Yankees in a July 2018 trade centering on reliever Zack Britton. He wasn’t regarded as a high-end prospect at the time, and his stock took a hit when he underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2019. Rogers did appear in the majors with the Orioles during his first two seasons with the organization, but he could only muster an 8.65 ERA in 26 innings. While Rogers has returned to the mound at the Triple-A level this season after his TJ procedure, his struggles continued before the O’s cut him loose, evidenced by a 7.79 ERA in 17 1/3 frames.

Rockies Claim Rio Ruiz, Designate Bret Boswell

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The Rockies announced that that infielder Rio Ruiz has been claimed off waivers from the Orioles.  Infielder/outfielder Bret Boswell has been designated for assignment to create roster space for Ruiz.

Ruiz was a waiver claim himself back in December 2018, when the Orioles plucked him away from the Braves.  Ruiz has been a regular in his two-plus seasons in Baltimore, appearing in 213 games and receiving 718 plate appearances, but he has hit only .220/.292/.380.

Third base has been Ruiz’s primary position, both with the Orioles and in three previous seasons with the Braves.  However, Ruiz has also seen action at both second base and third base, so he brings some versatility to Colorado’s depth chart.  The Rockies have a lot of right-handed hitters on their bench, though Ruiz has actually hit lefty pitching better than righties over his career.

Boswell was selected out of the University of Texas in the eighth round of the 2017 draft.  After posting some big numbers in his first two pro seasons, Boswell spent the 2019 season with the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate, but hit a modest .219/.290/.397 over 404 PA.

Orioles Option Travis Lakins, Recall Brandon Waddell

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The Orioles optioned right-hander Travis Lakins to Triple-A on Sunday, recalling Brandon Waddell to take his roster spot, per Rich Dubroff of Baltimorebaseball.com.

Lakins seemed to have made himself an indispensable piece of Baltimore’s bullpen in 2020 with a 2.81 ERA over 25 2/3 innings. The former Boston reliever has been less stellar this season through 16 appearances covering 14 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old owns a 7.36 ERA/6.42 FIP and 41.9 percent groundball rate. He’s neither striking out many hitters (17.9 percent strikeout rate) nor limiting free passes enough (16.4 percent walk rate).

Waddell was only recently claimed from the Minnesota Twins. A former starter in the minors, Waddell saw a jump in his strikeout rate as he began transitioning into a relief role during the 2019 season. The 26-year-old southpaw has just 7 1/3 innings of Major League experience split between the Twins this season and the Pirates in 2020.

Orioles Activate Anthony Santander From Injured List

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1:56PM: The Orioles have officially reinstated Santander from the injured list.

8:16AM: Anthony Santander is set to make his return to the Orioles lineup, as manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) that Santander will be activated from the injured list prior to today’s game with the Nationals.  Outfielder Ryan McKenna was optioned to Triple-A yesterday, so a place is open for Santander on the active roster.

Santander hit the 10-day IL on April 21 due to a sprained ankle, so he’ll get back to action after exactly one lost month.  The injury only added to an overall rough start for Santander, who has a .196/.230/.321 slash line and two home runs over his first 62 plate appearances.

It was a far cry from the impressive numbers posted by Santander in 2020, when he hit .261/.315/.575 with 11 home runs in 165 PA before an oblique injury ended his season in early September.  Should Santander get back to that level of production, it will give Baltimore a pretty nice starting outfield combination given that Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays are both hitting well.  A return to form would also certainly revive trade interest in Santander, and though he is controlled through the 2024 season, a trade prior to the July 30 deadline can’t be entirely ruled out if the rebuilding Orioles got a tempting offer.

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