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Matt Wisler Elects Free Agency

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Reliever Matt Wisler has gone unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rays this week, reports Darren Wolfson of SKOR North (on Twitter). He’s electing minor league free agency in lieu of an outright assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).

It’s a bit of a surprise to see Wisler go unclaimed, as he’s currently amidst a decent campaign. He owns a 2.25 ERA across 44 innings over 39 appearances. Wisler has only struck out 19.9% of opponents, but he’s shown strong control. While he’s not missed many bats this year, Wisler has induced swinging strikes at an above-average rate in each of the prior three seasons. In both 2020-21, the Ohio native paired those whiffs with decent overall run prevention.

Still, clubs are apparently apprehensive by Wisler’s dip in velocity. He’s averaging a career-low 89.7 MPH on his four-seam fastball this year. More important, his slider is down to 79.8 MPH after sitting at 81.5 MPH last year. Wisler leans almost exclusively on that breaker, turning to it on a staggering 91.5% of his offerings. He’s used the slider as his primary pitch four years running, but he’s continued to push his approach to greater extremes with each season. Despite turning almost exclusively to the slider, Wisler hasn’t encountered any sort of platoon issues. He’s actually fared better against opposite-handed hitters than righties over the past few seasons, including holding southpaws to a .186/.240/.314 line in 75 plate appearances in 2022.

Now that he’s on the open market, Wisler will have the right to explore opportunities elsewhere. Players who join an organization after August 31 aren’t eligible for postseason play, however, so any signing team would only be able to install him in the bullpen for the final few weeks of the regular season. Wisler has surpassed his sixth year of major league service this season, so he’d be eligible for free agency again at the end of the year even if he signs for the stretch run.

It’s possible Wisler just turns his attention to 2023 at this stage on the calendar, but there’d be no financial downside for another team adding him for the final few weeks if he’s searching for a more immediate opportunity. The Rays are responsible for what remains of his $2.16MM salary, while another team would only owe him the prorated portion of the $700K minimum if he finds another MLB job (which would be subtracted from Tampa Bay’s obligations).

Starling Marte Diagnosed With Non-Displaced Finger Fracture

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Mets outfielder Starling Marte has been diagnosed with a partial non-displaced fracture of the middle finger on his right hand, the team informed reporters (including Steve Gelbs of SNY). The club currently considers him day-to-day, although it remains to be seen if he’ll eventually require a stint on the injured list.

Marte suffered the injury last night, when he was hit on the hand by a 96 MPH fastball from Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller. He came out of the game a couple innings later, and he sat out today’s doubleheader. The Mets haven’t provided a timetable as to when they expect Marte to be ready for game action, although it’s seemingly encouraging they’re not immediately placing him on the injured list. The expansion of active rosters in September from 26 to 28 players gives the Mets a bit more leeway to give Marte a few days, particularly with an off day tomorrow to reassess his condition.

Signed to a four-year, $78MM deal over the winter, Marte has had an All-Star first season in Queens. He’s hitting .292/.347/.468 through 505 trips to the plate, on par with the best offensive seasons of his career. The star outfielder has connected on 16 homers, 24 doubles and five triples. He’s chipped in 18 stolen bases (albeit with nine caught stealings) and served as the club’s primary right fielder and #2 hitter.

The Mets turned to Tyler Naquin in right field today, and he’d presumably pick up the majority of playing time if Marte’s forced out of action. The lefty-hitting Naquin can split time with the right-handed Darin Ruf in the corner opposite Mark Canha, with Brandon Nimmo continuing to man center field.

New York has been hit with a couple notable injury situations in recent days. They placed Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with side fatigue this morning. At 87-51, the Mets are a lock to make the playoffs, but they’re in a tight NL East battle with the defending World Series champions. New York holds a half-game lead on the Braves in a race for the division title and accompanying first-round bye.

Huascar Ynoa Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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The Braves announced that Huascar Ynoa underwent Tommy John surgery this afternoon. The hard-throwing righty had been on optional assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, but he hadn’t pitched in over two weeks.

Originally a member of the Twins organization, Ynoa was dealt to Atlanta as a rookie-ball prospect in 2017. He reached the majors a couple seasons thereafter, debuting late in 2019. After a couple seasons bouncing on and off the active roster, Ynoa looked to have broken out as a rotation building block early last year. He earned a spot in the starting five and posted a 3.02 ERA with excellent strikeout and walk numbers through his first 44 2/3 innings.

Ynoa’s season was knocked off track in mid-May, however. Following a rough outing, he punched the dugout in frustration. Ynoa fractured a bone in his throwing hand and lost two months to injury. He returned in August but didn’t pitch especially well down the stretch, posting a 5.05 ERA over nine outings. He was relegated to bullpen work in the postseason, and he was diagnosed with inflammation in his throwing shoulder during the NL Championship Series. That ended his campaign, and Ynoa came into 2022 in competition for a rotation spot.

While he secured a spot in the starting five out of the gate, Ynoa was hit hard in his first two outings. Atlanta optioned him back to Gwinnett at that point, and he’s spent most of the year there. Aside from a brief major league recall in mid-August — during which time he spent three days on the active roster and didn’t make an appearance — he’s played the rest of the season with the Stripers. The 24-year-old has started 17 of his 18 outings, pitching to a 5.68 ERA through 77 2/3 innings. Ynoa has punched out an above-average 25.8% of batters faced and induced grounders at a solid 48.1% clip, but he’s also been far too prone to both home runs and walks.

The emergence of Spencer Strider and Kyle Wright and the deadline acquisition of Jake Odorizzi combined to squeeze Ynoa out of the MLB plans. He’d still been on hand as a depth option with a reasonable amount of upside, but the Braves will now have to navigate a hit to that depth. Given the timing of the procedure, it’s likely Ynoa will miss all of next season as well. Tommy John surgery recoveries typically take upwards of 14 months, making it unreasonable to expect he’ll be able to factor in at any point before 2024.

Unfortunately for Ynoa, that he suffered the injury while in Gwinnett means he won’t immediately land on the major league injured list. Players on the minor league IL aren’t paid at an MLB rate, nor do they collect major league service time. It’s possible the Braves eventually recall Ynoa and place him on the major league 60-day IL, which would remove him from the 40-man roster. That’d involve paying him at the MLB rate, but the hurler will be paid a Triple-A salary unless that happens.

The 2022 campaign was Ynoa’s final minor league option year. That means the Braves will either need to carry him on the MLB injured list to start next season or make him available to other teams via trade or release waivers.

Rangers To Promote Josh Jung

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The Rangers are going to promote prospect Josh Jung, per Levi Weaver of The Athletic. Brad Miller is going to go on the 10-day injured list with a hip issue, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. That will create a spot on the active roster for Jung, but he will also need a corresponding move to get him onto the 40-man roster.

Jung, 24, was selected by the Rangers with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft and has been considered one of the top prospects in the sport ever since. He played 44 games in the minors that year, mashing the whole way through. In 2020, he jumped onto Baseball America’s top 100 list, coming in at #93.

Of course, 2020 brought the pandemic and all levels of the minor leagues were canceled, putting a dent in the plans of prospects all across the sport. As things were ramping back up for 2021 and they were all hoping to get back on track, Jung hit another setback. In March, he underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his foot, which was expected to lengthen his absence from organized baseball for another six to eight weeks.

"<strongDespite those setbacks, once Jung was finally healthy, he made up for lost time in a big way, finishing 2021 on an incredible tear. He finally made his season debut in Double-A on June 15 and played 43 games at that level, hitting .308/.366/.544 for a wRC+ of 140. He was promoted to Triple-A on August 20 and somehow hit even better. In 35 games for the Round Rock Express, his slash line was .348/.436/.652, wRC+ of 166. That strong finish to his campaign launched him all the way up to #26 on Baseball America’s list going into this year.

It seemed possible that Jung could make his MLB debut early in 2022, maybe even cracking the Opening Day roster. However, he suffered a shoulder strain in February while lifting weights as part of his preseason training program. He had to undergo surgery, which was expected to keep him out for six months. He returned to action in August, seemingly not missing a beat. In 30 games this year, he’s hitting .267/.323/.542, hitting nine homers in that short time. Although the shoulder injury slowed him down, it only delayed the inevitable.

Jung is now considered the #42 prospect in the game by Baseball America, #12 by FanGraphs, #24 by ESPN, #39 by MLB Pipeline and #54 by Keith Law of The Athletic. Just a few days ago, the Rangers seemed committed to keeping Jung down while giving the playing time at the hot corner to Ezequiel Duran, though it seems the injury to Miller has altered the plans. Duran is having an intriguing debut season, hitting  .240/.282/.373 for a wRC+ of 86. However, he could also be moved to other positions, having spent some time in his career at second base, shortstop and center field. Miller’s been used mostly as a designated hitter recently, with that spot now freed up somewhat for days when the Rangers want both Jung and Duran in the lineup.

If Jung can meet the lofty expectations placed upon him by his prospect status, he could be the final piece of a Rangers infield that could be set for years to come. Shortstop Corey Seager is in the first of a ten-year deal he signed in the offseason. Marcus Semien has second base locked after signing a seven-year deal this winter. Nathaniel Lowe is enjoying a tremendous breakout season over at first, which MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote about just yesterday. Lowe is under team control for four seasons beyond the current campaign. There’s a lot of change in the wind in Texas, as they just recently fired their manager and president of baseball operations, but it’s possible that this infield could be a solid foundation for them to build upon in the coming years, helping them emerge from a lengthy rebuilding period.

If Jung can stick with the big league club from here on out, he is on pace to reach arbitration for the first time after 2025 and free agency after 2028. Future option assignments could delay those timelines, however. Jung also won’t reach 60 days of service time here in 2022 and is unlikely to get 130 at-bats. That means he will retain rookie/prospect status through the winter, which could have ramifications for the team. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players with less than 60 days of service who appear among two preseason Top 100 lists at Baseball America, ESPN or MLB Pipeline can net their team a bonus amateur draft choice based on their early-career finishes in awards voting, so long as their club carries them on the MLB roster for a full service year. If Jung cracks the Opening Day roster next year and he wins a Rookie of the Year or places highly in MVP balloting during his first couple seasons, the club could pick up an extra draft choice down the line.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Red Sox Select Abraham Almonte

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5:30pm: The Sox have now made it official, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Almonte has been selected with Cordero going on the 60-day IL. He won’t be eligible to return this season.

3:50pm: The Red Sox are going to select outfielder Abraham Almonte to their roster for tonight’s game, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Almonte isn’t yet on the 40-man roster, meaning corresponding moves will be required. It’s possible that outfielder Franchy Cordero will head to the 10-day or maybe even the 60-day injured list. Abraham reported yesterday that Cordero has a sprain on both sides of his ankle and could be done for the season.

Once Almonte gets into a game, it will be the 10th straight season of MLB action for the 33-year-old. He’s spent time with Seattle, San Diego, Cleveland, Kansas City, Arizona and Atlanta. In 440 career games, he’s hit .223/.302/.374 for a wRC+ of 83. This year, he signed a minor league deal with the Brewers and went to the Red Sox in a July trade. He’s been having a great year down on the farm, hitting .293/.417/.534 across 80 Triple-A games. That amounts to a 154 wRC+.

Despite his years of experience, he’s only accrued four years and 155 days of MLB service time. Should he carry any of that tremendous minor league production up to the big leagues with him, the Red Sox could keep him around for another season via arbitration. He’ll step into an outfield mix that includes Alex Verdugo, Tommy Pham, Enrique Hernández and Rob Refsnyder.

That mix won’t include Cordero for now, as he injured himself crashing into the wall at Tropicana Field on Monday, having to be carted off the field. The 28-year-old has gotten into 84 games on the season, hitting .219/.300/.397 for a wRC+ of 93. Like Almonte, he can be retained for 2023 via arbitration, should the Sox decide to tender him a contract.

Injury Notes: Carpenter, Gonsolin, Kopech, Lowe

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The miraculous Matt Carpenter comeback was put on pause last month when the infielder/outfielder for the Yankees fractured his foot. On August 10, it was reported that he would need surgery and be reevaluated in a month, with the club hopeful he could return in 6-8 weeks. Here we are almost a month later and Carpenter has made progress but not much. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Carpenter underwent some X-rays that showed healing but it isn’t enough to get him out of his protective walking boot. He’ll be reevaluated again in 10-14 days, says manager Aaron Boone.

That essentially eliminates any chance of Carpenter returning at the short end of that 6-8 time frame and even puts the longer end of it in doubt. By the time that next evaluation rolls around, it will already have been six weeks since the injury. Even if Carpenter gets good news at that point, he will surely need some kind of rehab assignment to get him back into game shape after such a long layoff. That could also be a challenge if the injury lingers, as most minor league teams will be winding down their seasons in the coming weeks. The Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are the Yankee affiliate that goes the latest, though their last scheduled game is September 28, three weeks from today.

Prior to the injury, Carpenter was on an absolute tear, hitting 15 home runs in 47 games and slashing .305/.412/.727 for a wRC+ of 218. It’s all the more remarkable given that Carpenter was hitting at a below-average rate in the previous three seasons. The club has seemingly missed that hot bat, going 10-13 since August 10. They have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Rays and a six game cushion on the Blue Jays in the AL East race.

Some other tidbits from around the league…

  • Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin was placed on the IL due to a forearm strain August 29, but since the move was retroactive to August 26, he’s eligible to come off in a few days. Gonsolin has been playing catch in recent days, which is perhaps a sign that he’s not far from returning. However, it’s not all good news, with Juan Toribio of MLB.com relaying word from manager Dave Roberts that Gonsolin isn’t progressing as quickly as they initially hoped for. The Dodgers are virtually guaranteed a bye through the first round of the playoffs and can take their time with Gonsolin, though it’s at least noteworthy that the plan isn’t on schedule so far. The righty had enjoyed a tremendous breakout season, throwing 128 1/3 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 43.2% groundball rate.
  • White Sox righty Michael Kopech landed on the IL August 23 due to a knee strain but was activated today after a minimum stint. After missing all of 2019 and 2020, Kopech threw 69 1/3 innings last year and has already jumped up to 110 2/3 here in 2022, coming into today’s action. He’s fared well overall on the season, registering a 3.58 ERA, though his 21.4% strikeout rate and 12% are both a bit worse than league average, with a .228 BABIP likely helping him keep that ERA down. The club will be looking for a strong finish from Kopech and the team overall, as they are currently three games back of the Guardians in the Central and 7 1/2 out of a Wild Card spot.
  • The Rays have reinstated infielder Brandon Lowe from the IL, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Lowe landed on the shelf due to a right triceps contusion but has now returned after a minimum stay. It was the second IL stint of the year for Lowe, who also missed about two months due to a back issue. Despite the multiple ailments, he’s still hitting .234/.319/.405 on the season for a wRC+ of 114. That’s a bit of a drop-off from his previous seasons but still 14% above league average. Tampa is in the thick of all the American League action, sitting 4 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the East while grappling with the Mariners and Blue Jays for the top Wild Card spot.

Cardinals Place Dylan Carlson On IL, Select Alec Burleson

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The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves today, placing outfielder Dylan Carlson on the 10-day injured with a left thumb sprain. His spot on the roster has gone to fellow outfielder Alec Burleson. Since Burleson wasn’t previously on the 40-man roster, outfielder Conner Capel has been designated for assignment to open a spot.

Burleson, 23, was selected by the Cardinals 70th overall in the 2020 draft. There were no minor leagues for him to play in that year due to the pandemic, but he took off in 2021. He started in High-A and mashed his way up to Double-A after just 11 games. In 63 games with the Springfield Cardinals, he hit .288/.333/.488, producing a wRC+ of 116. That was enough to get him up to Triple-A for the end of the season, his third level of the year.

While Burleson struggled in his first taste of Triple-A, he’s dominated here in 2022. In 109 games with the Memphis Redbirds, he’s hit 20 home runs while striking out in only 14.3% of his plate appearances. His slash line on the year is .331/.372/.532, leading to a wRC+ of 138.

Thanks to his strong performance in the minors, Burleson has been creeping up prospect lists since his draft. Last year, Baseball America ranked him the #26 prospect in the Cards’ system, before bumping him up to #10 at the start of this year and #4 at the midseason update. BA also considers him the #66 prospect in the entire league.

As for Carlson, it’s unclear when or how he sustained his injury, as he entered last night’s game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter. The club has not yet provided any information on how long they expect him to be out. He’s hitting .240/.316/.386 for the year, producing a wRC+ of 102. He’s played mostly center field this season but has seen Tyler O’Neill take over the bulk of the playing time up the middle lately. Burleson has mostly played left field in the minors, with a bit of time in right as well. He’ll try to replace Carlson’s bat and take some corner outfield time but likely won’t be an option in center, leaving that spot for O’Neill and Ben DeLuzio.

As for Capel, 25, he was drafted by Cleveland but came to the Cardinals in the 2018 trade that sent Oscar Mercado the other way. He was selected to the big league roster for the first time this June, producing a tepid batting line in a tiny sample of just 19 plate appearances. In 87 Triple-A games, he’s hit .258/.361/.425 for a 112 wRC+. He’s shown strong work at the plate in that stretch, striking out in just 16.4% of his plate appearances while walking in 13.3% of them. He’s also popped 1o homers and stolen 19 bases.

Despite some signs of optimism there, it seems Capel has been nudged out of the plans in St. Louis. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Cards will place him on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days. Given his full slate of options and limited service time, he could prove to be an intriguing option for the 29 other clubs.

Pirates Claim Zack Collins and Junior Fernández Off Waivers

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The Pirates have made a couple of waiver claims today, per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com. They’ve grabbed catcher Zack Collins from the Blue Jays and reliever Junior Fernández from the Cardinals. Both players have been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Bucs already opened up one 40-man roster spot earlier today by designating infielder Josh VanMeter for assignment, but have opened another by designating left-hander Cam Vieaux.

Collins, 27, was traded to the Blue Jays in early April, with fellow catcher Reese McGuire going to the White Sox. Part of the appeal of that trade for the Jays was the fact that Collins was still optionable, whereas McGuire wasn’t. As such, Collins has been bounced between the majors and the minors a few times, with Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk getting the bulk of the playing time in the bigs. While in the majors, Collins has added a bit of pop but also his share of strikeouts. He’s hit four home runs in 26 games, slashing .194/.266/.417 for a wRC+ of 93 while going down on strikes in 39.2% of his plate appearances. In 36 Triple-A games, he’s struck out 25.8% of the time but walked at an incredible 20.6% rate, producing a batting line of .195/.361/.398, wRC+ of 107.

For the Pirates, he can be optioned for the remainder of this year but will be out of options next season. The catching job in Pittsburgh is fairly wide open, as Roberto Perez was supposed to be the everyday guy this year until he required season-ending hamstring surgery. There’s apparently mutual interest in a reunion, though he will be a free agent at season’s end. For the time being, rookie Jason Delay and journeyman Tyler Heineman are on the active roster. Collins won’t reach arbitration this winter and can be kept around cheaply as long as he continues to hold his roster spot.

Fernández, 25, joins a new organization for the first time, as he has spent his entire career in the Cardinals’ system until now. He’s logged 50 2/3 innings of MLB action over the past four seasons, producing a 5.51 ERA in that time. Perhaps his best attribute is his ability to get batters to hit the ball into the ground. He has a 49.4% ground ball rate in his time in the majors, including a 60.4% rate this season. For context, the MLB league average is 42.8% this year. Like Collins, he can be optioned for the rest of this season but will be out of options next year. He will also come up short of arbitration this winter and can be kept around for years if the Pirates deem him worthy of a roster spot.

As for Vieaux, 28, this is the second time he has been designated for assignment by the Pirates this season. The first time, he cleared waivers and was outrighted. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Pirates will put him on waivers again in the coming days. If he clears again, he will be eligible to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, as is the right of any player who has previously been outrighted in their career. He’s only been able to throw 8 2/3 innings in the majors this year, with one especially ugly outing bumping his ERA up to 10.38. In 45 Triple-A innings for the season, he has a 2.80 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate.

Giants Select Luis Ortiz

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The Giants have selected the contract of right-hander Luis Ortiz today. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster after catcher Andrew Knapp was designated for assignment yesterday. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle mentioned that Ortiz appeared to be about to join the club with Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area relaying that Ortiz had a locker for today’s game. Slusser also relays that outfielder Bryce Johnson has been optioned in a corresponding move to get Ortiz onto the active roster. Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News relays that the moves are official.

Ortiz, 26, has some MLB experience, although a very small amount. In 2018, he made two appearances for the Orioles, followed by one more in 2019. He has a 12.71 ERA in a tiny sample of 5 2/3 innings over those three games. Prior to that, Ortiz was a highly-touted prospect with the Rangers, cracking Baseball America’s top 100 list in 2016 and 2017. He got traded to the Brewers and then to the Orioles, though his prospect stock faded as injuries limited his output. Despite being a starting pitcher in his early career, he only cracked the 100-inning plateau once, which was the 102 frames he logged over three levels in 2018.

He’s moved into more relief work over the past couple of seasons and seems to have taken a step forward here in 2022. Signed by the Giants to a minor league deal in the offseason, he’s spent this entire season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. His 4.66 ERA might not jump out and grab you, but it’s not as bad as it seems since the River Cats play in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Ortiz has a strong 25.7% strikeout rate for the season, along with a miniscule 4.5% walk rate and average-ish 42% groundball rate. It’s also worth noting that he’s gotten into an excellent groove after a rough start. Through June 28, his ERA was way up at 7.30, but he’s thrown 23 scoreless innings since then to cut almost three full runs off that number.

Ortiz will provide a fresh arm to a Giants bullpen that’s in the midst of a stretch where they play 20 games in 19 days thanks to tomorrow’s doubleheader in Milwaukee. He still has two options and just 29 days of service time, meaning the Giants could potentially keep him around for a while if he continues throwing well.

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