Royals, Brett de Geus Agree To Minor League Contract
The Royals have signed reliever Brett de Geus to a minor league deal, according to an announcement from the Frederick team in the Atlantic League. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Omaha.
de Geus was one of a few former major leaguers who signed with Frederick last month. It only took five appearances there for him to catch the attention of Royals’ evaluators. de Geus threw six innings of two-run ball, striking out six while walking just one of 25 opponents. Kansas City will give him another crack in the affiliated ranks for what’ll be his sixth season in the minors.
The Dodgers originally drafted de Geus in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft. He topped out at High-A in the Los Angeles system before the pandemic shuttered the minor leagues in 2020. The Rangers selected him with the second pick in that year’s Rule 5 draft and carried him on the MLB roster for 18 games. He subsequently landed with the Diamondbacks on waivers and finished the season in the Arizona bullpen.
Between the two clubs, de Geus worked to a 7.56 ERA with a below-average 17.2% strikeout rate over 50 innings. While it wasn’t a great showing, he was making a big jump from the low minors. He was designated for assignment at the end of the year and outrighted to Double-A Amarillo. The 25-year-old struggled there last season, allowing a 5.96 ERA with matching 14.4% strikeout and walk percentages. Arizona released him midway through the season.
Even with middling results, de Geus has had some success keeping the ball on the ground at the upper levels. He’s yet to pitch in Triple-A in his career and will get the opportunity to try to work his way back to the majors. Kansas City has had one of the league’s least effective bullpens thus far. They’re 28th in ERA (5.38) and rank 25th in ground-ball percentage (41.3%).
Luis Campusano Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Expected To Miss Eight Weeks
Padres catcher Luis Campusano underwent surgery on his ailing left thumb, manager Bob Melvin told the team’s beat (relayed by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune). He’s expected to be sidelined around two months.
Campusano has already been on the 10-day injured list for nearly a month. He landed on the shelf on April 17 with a sprain that apparently hasn’t healed as the club had initially hoped. IL stints can be backdated to the start of a player’s absence, so it now seems a formality Campusano will be transferred to the 60-day IL once the Friars find a need for a 40-man roster spot.
The 24-year-old was somewhat recently one of the sport’s top prospects. He’s performed well in the minor leagues but has yet to get an extended opportunity at the highest level. Campusano has seen some action for the Padres in each of the last four years but picked up a total of 114 plate appearances over 35 games. He carries just a .198/.237/.302 line with three homers in that scattershot playing time.
This year’s injury came at a particularly inopportune time. Starting catcher Austin Nola had been off to a rough start and San Diego had expressed an intent to give the young backstop more playing time. Before that could really come to fruition, he hurt his thumb while catching a bullpen session. Nola has continued to struggle and is now sitting on a .152/.256/.215 slash in 27 games. San Diego has turned to rookie Brett Sullivan as Nola’s backup, but he’s hitting only .208/.240/.417 through his first 25 big league plate appearances.
The door seemed open for Campusano, who owns a .296/.364/.511 mark over two seasons in Triple-A. Instead, he’ll now be out of action until around the All-Star Break in the best case scenario. He won’t have much time to seize the starting job before the August 1 trade deadline. If Nola and Sullivan are still struggling offensively, catcher looks like an obvious area of concern for president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and his front office.
Upgrading behind the plate midseason can be challenging — clubs tend to be hesitant about tasking deadline pickups with too much work in acclimating to a new pitching staff — but San Diego may have to look into options at the trade deadline. Yasmani Grandal (White Sox), Yan Gomes (Cubs) and Eric Haase (Tigers) are among the veteran backstops who are performing well on clubs that could fall out of contention by July.
Astros Shut Down Michael Brantley Due To Shoulder Inflammation
Astros outfielder Michael Brantley was diagnosed with inflammation in his surgically repaired right shoulder, skipper Dusty Baker told reporters this evening (relayed by Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle). The veteran hitter will be shut down for an indeterminate period of time.
It’s an obvious setback that’ll keep him from making his season debut as expected. The Astros had hinted last weekend that Brantley could be back in the lineup early in the week. That didn’t come to fruition, and while the Astros were typically reticent with any substantive injury updates, they announced that Brantley had left the team for further evaluation a couple days ago. That examination apparently revealed the new concern.
Brantley hasn’t appeared in a major league game in over ten months. His last appearance came on June 26, 2022. Brantley landed on the injured list with a shoulder problem and underwent season-ending surgery to repair a labrum tear in August. He hit free agency but returned for a fifth season in Houston on a one-year, $12MM guarantee over the winter. The contract contains up to $4MM in additional plate appearance incentives, beginning at 400 trips to the dish.
Unfortunately, the five-time All-Star hasn’t been able to get back to the diamond yet. He opened this season on the IL as he continued working back from the shoulder procedure. Houston sent him on a rehab stint with Triple-A Sugar Land on April 23. Brantley played in nine games and tallied 37 plate appearances for the Space Cowboys. That appeared to set him up for a major league return until the shoulder inflammation that arose on the cusp of his reinstatement.
Houston had planned for Brantley and Yordan Alvarez to split their reps between left field and designated hitter. Alvarez has divided his time almost evenly between the two positions, appearing 16 times at DH and on 15 occasions in left. Corey Julks and David Hensley have picked up the most extra playing time in Brantley’s absence. Neither rookie hitter has performed well. Julks carries a .260/.265/.365 batting line, while Hensley is hitting .145/.244/.203.
The Astros have also had to weather an injury to center fielder Chas McCormick, pushing Jake Meyers into the lineup a bit more than anticipated. McCormick was activated after a month-long IL stint on Monday but has only played once since then as he’s experienced renewed back discomfort.
Drew Rasmussen Shut Down For Two Months With Flexor Strain
4:53pm: Rasmussen will be shut down from throwing entirely for two months, Topkin reports (on Twitter). If all goes as planned, he could restart a throwing program in the middle of July. That’d be a multi-week process involving bullpen sessions, batting practice and likely multiple minor league rehab starts. It’d be a surprise if he’s back on an MLB mound before August, but it at least appears the club is hopeful he’ll be able to return for the stretch run.
3:04 pm: The Rays have been dealt another huge blow to their rotation. As first reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay placed starter Drew Rasmussen on the 60-day injured list after the righty was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his forearm. He’ll be out until at least the All-Star Break.
It’s an out-of-the-blue development. Rasmussen pitched just yesterday and didn’t show any signs of being hampered. He twirled seven shutout innings in a win over the Yankees, striking out seven while allowing just two baserunners. The velocity on each of his fastball, slider and curveball was right in line with his previous work this season.
Surprising as it is, Rasmussen apparently came down with a severe forearm issue from that appearance. Topkin tweets that he’s hopeful of avoiding surgery but he’s obviously in line for a notable absence in any event. The Rays wasted no time in putting him on the 60-day IL, indicating they didn’t feel there was any chance of him being back on an MLB mound before July.
It’s horrible news for the 27-year-old hurler. Rasmussen has a checkered injury history. He underwent Tommy John surgery midway through his sophomore year at Oregon State in 2016. The Rays drafted him in the first round the following year, but issues with his post-draft physical led the team to decline to sign him. Rasmussen subsequently underwent a second Tommy John surgery and didn’t pitch as a senior, causing him to fall to the sixth round of the 2018 draft.
Selected by Milwaukee, Rasmussen debuted in the majors as a reliever with the Brew Crew in 2020. The Rays acquired him alongside J.P. Feyereisen for Willy Adames and Trevor Richards in May 2021. Tampa Bay began to stretch him back out to starting at the end of that season and has seen him blossom into an excellent starting pitcher over the past couple years.
Rasmussen started 28 games and tallied 146 innings last season. He worked to a 2.84 ERA with a decent 21.4% strikeout rate and an excellent 5.3% walk percentage. He’d been off to an even better start this year. Last night’s performance brought him to 44 2/3 frames of 2.62 ERA ball over eight outings. He punched out 26.6% of batters faced and upped his ground-ball rate to a strong 52.6% clip.
His stellar early-season work was among the reasons the Rays have sprinted to a 30-9 start. They’re remarkably five games up in a division in which every team is at least three games above .500. It has been an incredible first few weeks for Tampa Bay, but they’re navigating a mounting number of rotation injuries. They were always going to be without Shane Baz for the bulk of the season after last year’s Tommy John procedure. Tyler Glasnow has been out all year after a Spring Training oblique strain. He’s on a minor league rehab assignment and should be back within the next couple weeks, but left-hander Jeffrey Springs is out for the season after undergoing a Tommy John procedure of his own.
Rasmussen’s injury leaves Shane McClanahan as the last starter who has been a constant all year. Offseason signee Zach Eflin missed some time with low back tightness but returned a couple weeks ago. He’s been excellent through six starts. Tampa Bay has gotten their first look at top pitching prospect Taj Bradley, who seems likely to return from Triple-A Durham to eventually take Rasmussen’s rotation spot. Josh Fleming and Calvin Faucher have worked in a swing capacity and could take some starts, as could one-time starter Yonny Chirinos. Cooper Criswell and Luis Patiño are on the 40-man roster and working out of the rotation in Durham.
Depending on Rasmussen’s long-term prognosis, it’s possible the Rays eventually look outside the organization for rotation depth. They’re going to be left to rely mostly on internal options until the trade deadline draws nearer, though.
Rasmussen will be paid around the MLB minimum rate and collect big league service while on the injured list. He’s slated to be eligible for arbitration for the first time at the end of this season and is controllable through 2026. He and the organization will obviously hope he’ll be able to avoid another serious arm procedure and return to the mound without too extended of an absence.
Rays Select Chris Muller
The Rays announced they’ve selected reliever Chris Muller onto the major league roster. He’ll take the active and 40-man spots of Drew Rasmussen, who was placed on the 60-day injured list with a flexor strain.
Muller, 27, entered the professional ranks six years ago. Tampa Bay selected him in the 17th round of the 2017 draft out of UT San Antonio. The Dallas native has worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen for his entire career. He’s spent some time on the injured list but showed an impressive enough arsenal that Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs named him the #46 prospect in a deep Tampa Bay system over the winter. Longenhagen praised his mid-90s fastball and a slider and split that both can miss bats but expressed concerns about his strike-throwing.
The 6’5″ hurler went unselected in last year’s Rule 5 draft. He was assigned to Triple-A Durham to open 2023 and has made 14 appearances there. Over 17 innings, he’s allowed nine runs (seven earned) with 19 strikeouts and ten walks. Muller worked 58 2/3 frames of 4.91 ERA ball in Triple-A last season; he’s up to a 4.64 ERA with an intriguing 27.6% strikeout rate but elevated 12.9% walk percentage at the top minor league level.
Muller adds an arm with some swing-and-miss capability to Kevin Cash’s bullpen. He’ll be in his first of three minor league option years, so the Rays can freely bounce him between Tampa and Durham for the extended future if he hangs onto his 40-man roster spot.
Cubs Place Nico Hoerner On Injured List
The Cubs announced they’ve placed second baseman Nico Hoerner on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 9, due to a left hamstring strain. Utility player Miles Mastrobuoni was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take his spot on the active roster. Chicago also reinstated reliever Brandon Hughes from the IL and optioned swingman Javier Assad to Iowa.
Hoerner has gotten off to a nice start to the year. After signing a three-year extension in Spring Training, the 25-year-old infielder has put together a .303/.348/.395 line over 164 plate appearances. He’s already stolen 12 bases in 14 attempts and has kept his strikeout rate to a customarily excellent 10.4% clip. The Stanford product has gotten typically strong reviews from public metrics for his defense at second base.
The Cubs have deployed Hoerner at the top of the lineup. Since he came up with the hamstring issue a few days ago, Nick Madrigal and Christopher Morel have gotten some looks at second base and in the leadoff spot. That’ll continue for at least the next week, with Mastrobuoni also again in the picture after hitting .291/.494/.455 over 18 games in Iowa.
Hughes, 27, figures to return to a high-leverage role out of the bullpen. The southpaw was excellent as a rookie last year, tossing 57 2/3 innings of 3.12 ERA ball with a strong 28.5% strikeout rate. He’d seen some time in the ninth inning by year’s end and picked up eight saves. He’s twice gone on the IL because of left knee inflammation thus far in 2023, though, limiting him to five MLB appearances.
AL West Notes: Seager, Moniak, Rodriguez
Rangers fans have been anticipating the imminent return of star shortstop Corey Seager from his hamstring injury for some time now. As noted by Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, the club appears to have a clear plan in place for Seager’s rehab, which began yesterday, and return to action in the majors. After playing five innings at shortstop as planned last night, Seager is expected to start as the DH for the club’s Double-A affiliate in Frisco before playing seven innings at shortstop on Sunday. If all goes well, manager Bruce Bochy indicated that Seager could be activated from the injured list in time for Monday’s game against the Braves.
Should Seager indeed be ready to return early next week, the Rangers would return one of their best hitters to a team that has taken control of the AL West with a 23-14 record in the early going. Seager was off to a torrid start through 11 games this season, slashing .359/.468/.538 in 49 plate appearance prior to his stint on the IL. As the Rangers have indicated a desire to keep Ezequiel Duran in the lineup going forward, Seager’s return could cut into the playing time of players like Brad Miller, Robbie Grossman, and Bubba Thompson.
More from around the AL West…
- The Angels today announced that they have recalled outfielder Mickey Moniak to the big league club. Moniak will take the roster spot of infielder Jake Lamb, who was previously reported to have been optioned down to Triple-A. A former 1st overall pick by the Phillies in 2016, Moniak has struggled offensively since his big league debut in 2020, slashing just .157/.218/.268 in 167 plate appearances, a slash line that’s 68% worse than league average by measure of wRC+. Moniak has impressed so far at the Triple-A level this season, however, with a solid .308/.355/.585 slash line in 141 plate appearances this season. Moniak figures to factor into the corner outfield mix along with Taylor Ward and Hunter Renfroe, with Mike Trout locked in as the everyday center fielder.
- Mariners star Julio Rodriguez moved down to the sixth spot in the batting order in yesterday’s game against the Rangers, marking the first time this season the young outfielder batted outside of the leadoff spot. Manager Scott Servais told reporters, including The Athletic’s Corey Brock, that the move was designed to take pressure off of last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, who has scuffled to a .205/.270/.384 slash line, good for a wRC+ of just 85. Rodriguez, for his part, expressed support for the decision, noting that he believed it was the best thing for the team.
Marlins Select Eury Perez, Designate Chi Chi Gonzalez For Assignment
The Marlins have officially selected top prospect Eury Perez to both the active and 40-man rosters. The 20-year-old right-hander will start tonight’s game against the Reds. To clear room for Perez on the roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald notes that the club has designated right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez for assignment.
The move comes as little surprise, as Perez’s pending promotion had been reported earlier this week. A consensus top 10 prospect in the entire sport, Perez will skip the Triple-A level entirely and make his MLB debut less than a month after celebrating his 20th birthday. So far this season, Perez has posted a 2.32 ERA, 35.9% strikeout rate, and 51.6% groundball rate through six starts at the Double-A level.
Making room on the roster for Perez is Gonzalez, a former first round pick by the Rangers in the 2013 draft. Gonzalez made his MLB debut in 2015, but over seven seasons in the major leagues has struggled to match the promise of his former top prospect status, with a career 5.64 ERA in 287 1/3 innings of work. Having been used primarily as a starter throughout most of his career, Gonzalez has found some success with the Marlins as a reliever in 2023, albeit in a microscopic sample. In 2 2/3 innings of work with Miami this season, Gonzalez has allowed one run on four hits while striking out two and walking one.
Should Gonzalez go unclaimed on waivers, he will have the option to reject an outright assignment to the minor leagues, both as a player with more than three years of service time and as a player who has already received an outright assignment in the past.
Rays Claim Zack Littell
The Rays have claimed right-hander Zack Littell off of waivers from the Red Sox, according to Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe. The Rays have transferred Garrett Cleavinger to the 60-day IL to clear space on the 40-man roster for Littell, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Littell, 27, was acquired by the Red Sox from the Rangers last week in exchange for cash considerations. In three innings of work with the Red Sox, Littell struggled, allowing 3 runs on four walks (one intentional) and three hits while striking out just two. An eleventh round pick by the Mariners in the 2013 draft, Littell made his debut for the Twins in 2018, pitching to a 4.52 ERA with the club in 63 2/3 innings over the course of the next three seasons.
The best season of Littell’s career to this point came in 2021, as a member of the Giants. In 61 2/3 innings of work that season, Littell posted a phenomenal 2.92 ERA (142 ERA+) with a 3.87 FIP. That season, Littell struck out a career-high 25% of batters faced while walking 9.5%. The then 25-year-old also posted a career high 46.9% groundball rate during the 2021 campaign. Unfortunately, Littell’s previous struggles returned in 2022, as he posted a 5.08 ERA in 44 1/3 innings with San Francisco.
Without options remaining, Littell figures to factor into the Rays’ bullpen that has posted the third best ERA in the majors as a group thanks to stellar performances from the likes of Jason Adam, Colin Poche, and Ryan Thompson in addition to Cleavinger, who is likely out for the season after suffering an ACL injury.
Rockies Claim Chase Anderson
The Rockies have claimed right-hander Chase Anderson off waivers from the Rays, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Rockies have open space on their 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move is necessary.
Anderson, 35, was acquired by the Rays last week from the Reds in exchange for cash. He ultimately made two appearances for the Rays, picking up a save while not allowing a run in five innings of work. Anderson was then designated for assignment to clear room on the roster when Tampa signed lefty reliever Jake Diekman earlier this week.
Now in his tenth season as a major league player, Anderson has struggled in recent seasons with an ERA of 6.81 from 2020-2022 across 105 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Reds organizations. Those seasons saw Anderson struggle with the long ball, as he allowed more than two home runs per nine innings as 19.2% of his fly balls left the yard for home runs, far above his career 12.8% rate heading into the 2020 campaign.
Given Anderson’s terrible fly ball luck in recent years and his flash of quality results with the Rays this past week, it’s of little surprise that a team elected to claim him off waivers. That team ended up being the Rockies, who could certainly use the rotation depth that Anderson can provide. The club has already lost German Marquez and Noah Davis to injury, and right-hander Antonio Senzatela left his most recent start with forearm tightness. With the addition of a swingman to the roster in Anderson, the Rockies figure to have a potential replacement for Senzatela should he require a stint on the injured list, and a quality multi-inning relief arm should Senzatela be able to make his next start.