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Cubs Place Justin Steele, Adrian Sampson On Restricted List

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Aug. 30: Estrada has now officially been selected as a substitute player, reports Lee on Twitter.

Aug. 29: Steele and Sampon have officially been place on the restricted list, tweets Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, with Little taking one spot on the roster. Montemurro adds that Estrada is with the team and likely to be added tomorrow.

Aug. 28: The Cubs will be traveling to Toronto for a three-game series that begins tomorrow, though left-hander Justin Steele and right-hander Adrian Sampson will not be making the trip. They will instead be placed on the restricted list, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. That’s standard procedure for players unvaccinated against COVID-19, as current health restrictions prevent such individuals from crossing the American-Canadian border.

Normally, the club wouldn’t be able to make corresponding moves right away, as league rules dictate starting pitchers aren’t eligible to be replaced until four days after they last pitched in these circumstances. Sampson started today’s game, though Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune tweets that he will indeed be eligible to be replaced due to having thrown less than four innings today. Steele, on the other hand, threw 5 1/3 innings on Friday, meaning the Cubs should be able to bring in someone else to take his spot by Tuesday.

Although no moves have been made official just yet, Montemurro relays that left-hander Brendon Little and right-hander Jeremiah Estrada are with the team. Neither are currently on the club’s 40-man roster, but they will likely be added as COVID “substitutes” and subsequently removed after the series without having to be exposed to waivers.

The 26-year-old Little was selected by the Cubs 27th overall in the 2017 draft. That high draft selection got him onto Baseball America’s list of top prospects in Chicago’s system in 2018 and 2019, though he’s since lost his spot on that list. This year, he’s thrown 39 Triple-A innings with a 4.15 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 11.6% walk rate and 62.6% ground ball rate.

Estrada, 23, was a sixth-round pick in 2017. He’s spanned three levels this year, from High-A to Triple-A, faring well at each stop. Through 48 1/3 combined innings for the season, he has a 1.30 ERA with an incredible 40.4% strikeout rate, along with a 10.4% walk rate.

Reds Select Derek Law, Designate Ross Detwiler

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Derek Law, with left-hander Ross Detwiler being designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Additionally, infielder/outfielder Max Schrock, who was designated yesterday, has been released.

Law is a veteran who turns 32 years old in two weeks. He’s previously suited up for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers in his career, having appeared in 178 career games with a 4.22 ERA. He began this season on a minor league deal with Detroit, getting selected to the big league club at the end of July. After just two appearances, he was designated for assignment before electing free agency and signing a minor league deal with the Reds.

He’s performed well in Triple-A this year, registering a 3.23 ERA while with in the Tigers’ organization and an even better 1.13 since joining the Reds. Between the two, he’s thrown 47 Triple-A innings on the year with a 2.87 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate.

In order to make room for Law, the Reds are cutting the 36-year-old Detwiler from the roster. Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, the southpaw was selected to the big league roster in May. Since then, he’s thrown 26 1/3 innings out of Cincy’s bullpen with a 4.44 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 38.3% ground ball rate.

Since the trade deadline has passed, the Reds will have to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. If he is claimed prior to 11:59pm ET on August 31, he will be eligible for that team’s postseason roster. If he clears, he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, as a player with over five years of MLB service time.

As for Schrock, he was designated for assignment yesterday but has been on the minor league injured list for a while. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, making this release an inevitability.

Rockies Select Michael Toglia

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The Rockies announced that they have selected first base prospect Michael Toglia to their roster and recalled infielder/outfielder Sean Bouchard. Outfielders Wynton Bernard and Sam Hilliard were optioned to Triple-A in corresponding moves. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster for Toglia. Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweeted about Toglia’s promotion before the official announcement.

Toglia, 24, was a first-round draft pick, being selected 23rd overall by the Rockies in 2019. He landed on Baseball America’s list of top Colorado farmhands in 2020 and has been there ever since. He got into 41 games at Low-A the year of his draft, but missed out on formal game action in 2020 when the pandemic canceled the minor league seasons.

Getting back into action last year, the switch-hitter split his time between High-A and Double-A, hitting 22 home runs and stealing 10 bases in 115 games. Overall, he hit .228/.333/.445, walking in an impressive 13% of his plate appearances but also striking out in 28.5% of them. In 2022, he’s produced fairly similar results while splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. In 114 games between those two levels, he’s hit 30 long balls and swiped seven bags. His .249/.341/.510 batting line comes with a 12.1% walk rate but a 30.1% strikeout rate. Despite that high-strikeout approach, he’s still been 24% above average at the plate for the year, as evidenced by his 124 wRC+.

Defensively, Toglia has primarily played first base in his young career thus far, though he also played right field in nine games this season. The Rox have used C.J. Cron as their primary first baseman in recent seasons, though it may be possible for both he and Toglia to share the lineup. Cron is in the designated hitter slot tonight while Toglia will be making his MLB debut and playing first base. That could potentially limit the club’s flexibility if Toglia proves himself worthy of everyday at-bats, though Cron will be a free agent in just over a year. Also, if the club deems Toglia a passable defender in the outfield, he could see some time out there. The Rockies are 55-74 and in the NL West basement, 15 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. They can use the remaining weeks of the season to evaluate young players for future roles, with Toglia now stepping up for his audition.

Braves Claim Jesse Chavez Off Waivers From Angels

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The Braves announced that they have claimed right-hander Jesse Chavez off waivers from the Angels.

Chavez, 39, is no stranger to switching jerseys, having played for the Pirates, Braves, Royals, Blue Jays, Athletics, Dodgers, Angels, Rangers and Cubs in his career, having returned to many of those clubs for a second or even third stint. 2022 has been no exception, as the veteran hurler began the season with the Cubs, but has since been traded twice, going to the Braves and then the Angels. He was released by the Halos yesterday and now returns to Atlanta for the second time this season.

Between those three clubs, he’s thrown 54 2/3 innings with a 3.62 ERA, 25.6% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 37.2% ground ball rate. His best stretch of the year was definitely with Atlanta, though, as he has a 2.11 ERA as a Brave while registering marks of 6.35 with the Cubs and 7.59 with the Angels.

The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move won’t be necessary. Placing him on the activer roster should be smooth as well, since rosters expand from 26 to 28 on September 1. Players claimed off waivers generally have three days to report to their new club, meaning Chavez can just join the club on Thursday and take one of the fresh spots.

Giants Release Ken Giles

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The Giants have released Ken Giles from their Triple-A roster, tweets Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The club had signed Giles to a minor league deal just over a week ago. As Pavlovic notes, this move gives Giles a chance to join the organization of a contending team before the postseason eligibility cutoff, which is 11:59pm ET on August 31.

Giles, 31, has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball at times during his career. In 2019, he threw 53 innings with the Blue Jays with a 1.87 ERA, racking up 23 saves and striking out an incredible 39.9% of batters faced. He was limited by injuries to just 3 2/3 innings in 2020, eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery in October.

The Mariners signed Giles to a two-year deal covering the 2021 and 2022 seasons, knowing that he would miss the first year of the deal while rehabbing from the surgery. He earned a salary of $1.5MM last year and is making $5MM here in 2022. He seemed to be on track to help the club on Opening Day this year until a finger injury suffered in Spring Training kept him on the IL until June 21. He threw 4 1/3 innings over five frames for the M’s before he had to return to the IL due to shoulder tightness.

He began a rehab assignment in early August but was designated for assignment by the Mariners during that rehab stint. He eventually rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency, as was his right as a player with more than five years of MLB service time. The Mariners are on the hook for the remainder of his salary this year, in addition to the $500K buyout on the club option for 2023.

The Giants signed him to a minor league deal just over a week ago, with Giles making one appearance with the club’s Complex League team and three at Triple-A. The Giants have slumped to a 61-66 record and are now 8 1/2 games out of a postseason spot. If Giles can find a new team by midnight tomorrow, he will be eligible for that club’s postseason roster, even if it’s just a minor league deal. If he is selected to a club’s major league roster, that team would only have to pay Giles the prorated league minimum for any time he’s on the team, with that amount being subtracted from what the Mariners pay.

Astros Place Justin Verlander On IL With Calf Injury

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The Astros announced a series of roster moves today, the most notable of those being Justin Verlander’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Verlander, whose IL placement is retroactive to August 29, left his last start due to calf discomfort. Additionally, outfielder Jake Meyers was optioned to Triple-A. To take the two open rosters spots, righty Brandon Bielak and first baseman/outfielder J.J. Matijevic were recalled.

Verlander, 39, pitched only six innings in 2020 and missed the entire 2021 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. He held a showcase in the offseason and showed enough promise that the Astros were willing to give him a $25MM salary this year, despite that length layoff. Up until this calf issue popped up, Verlander was pitching beyond just about everyone’s expectations for a 39-year-old returning from such a lengthy absence. Through 152 innings over 24 starts, he’s currently sporting a 1.84 ERA with a 26.5% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 38.6% ground ball rate.

His fantastic comeback season will have to take a pause, at least for a little while. It doesn’t seem as though anyone is expecting a lengthy absence, based on the word coming from members of the organization today. A team announcement said that Verlander’s MRI showed “fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption,” as relayed by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.

Astros general manager James Click spoke to the media to provide more context, generally downplaying the significance of the issue. (Twitter links from Rome.) “This was relatively good news, is my understanding,” Click said. “Our hope and expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.” Verlander himself then spoke on the matter, with Rome relaying some more quotes on Twitter. “The doctors said there was an injury, but when it comes to calf injuries, I feel like I really kind of dodged a bullet here where the muscle isn’t involved,” Verlander said. He then added that he’s disappointed to have to go to the IL, but provided the caveat that “on the spectrum of calf injuries go, this is as good of news as I could have gotten.” He also added that, had his muscle fibers been injured, he would have been shut down for weeks, missing the rest of the season and possibly some of the playoffs.

All in all, it seems everyone involved feels Verlander can make a quick return, which would be great for both him and the team. In the short-term, there’s no reason for the Astros to panic, as their 82-47 record is the best in the American League, 11 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners in the West division. They are also effectively guaranteed to earn one of the two byes through the first round of the playoffs, as they are four games ahead of the East-leading Yankees and 13 1/2 games ahead of the Central-leading Guardians. Even without Verlander, the rotation should be in good shape, with Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier still in place. In the long-term, the ’Stros will surely be hoping that the issue passes quick enough for Verlander to return for postseason action. There are just over five weeks remaining on the regular season schedule.

Verlander’s return could also have an impact on his offseason, as he could be returning to free agency. By surpassing 130 innings pitched this year, he vested a $25MM player option for 2023. Since he just got $25MM after two lost seasons, it stands to reason that he could surpass that number on the heels of his excellent campaign here in 2022. Based on that logic, it seems likely that he would turn down that option and return to the open market, especially if he can come back healthy and show no ill effects of this calf issue. On the other hand, if the next few weeks don’t go quite as smoothly as hoped and the injury persists, it could have a negative effect on his market this winter.

As for Meyers, 26, he had a nice debut for Houston last year, hitting .260/.323/.438 in 49 games. However, he hasn’t been able to carry that forward into 2022, as he’s slashed .209/.255/.302 for the year so far. Houston was rumored to be looking for center field upgrades at the deadline but didn’t end up pulling the trigger on a deal. Based on those slouching numbers, Meyers will be sent down to the minors to try to get back on track. Mauricio Dubon and Chas McCormick seem to be ticketed for the work in the middle of the grass without Meyers, with Rome relaying word from Click.

Dodgers Expected To Activate Blake Treinen This Week

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The Dodgers have been without right-hander Blake Treinen since late April due to a right shoulder injury, but Treinen is set to make one final minor league rehab appearance today and could rejoin the active roster as soon as Friday, tweets Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The Dodgers will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster, as Treinen is on the 60-day injured list. Treinen is on track to be the second major return for Los Angeles this week, as Clayton Kershaw is also apparently set for reinstatement from the injured list.

Treinen’s return will be a boon to a pitching staff that is currently dealing with key injuries both in the rotation (Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin) and in the bullpen (Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Tommy Kahnle, Victor Gonzalez, Yency Almonte). He may not be immediately dropped back into high-leverage spots, but given his track record, Treinen could find his way into such situations before long.

The 34-year-old Treinen was an All-Star with the 2018 A’s when he posted a majestic 0.78 ERA and saved 38 games — good for a sixth-place finish in American League Cy Young voting. However, his results tanked in 2019 (4.91 ERA, career-worst 13.9% walk rate), which prompted the A’s to non-tender him rather than pay a projected $7.8MM salary in hopes of a rebound. The Dodgers had no such qualms, actually paying Treinen a $10MM salary that exceeded arbitration projections by a wide margin. The results were more good than great, but Treinen was brought back on a two-year deal in the 2020-21 offseason and, last season, regained his status as one of the game’s top bullpen arms.

In 2021, Treinen racked up 72 1/3 innings of relief work while pitching to a pristine 1.99 ERA. He fanned 29.7% of his opponents against an 8.7% walk rate and a very strong 52.6% ground-ball rate. He saved seven games and posted an MLB-best 32 holds, regularly working in some of the team’s highest-leverage spots. Treinen went on to hold opponents to just two runs on five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts through 8 2/3 postseason innings.

Treinen’s 2022 season got out to a brief but brilliant start, as he tossed three innings and yielded just one solo homer with no other hits, no walks and five strikeouts. He hasn’t taken the big league mound since that time, but he’s pitched five innings on a Triple-A rehab stint, allowing a pair of earned runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts and a 53.3% grounder rate.

Even without Treinen in the mix, the Dodgers still have MLB’s third-lowest bullpen ERA, sitting at just 3.08. Dodgers relievers also have the game’s sixth-best strikeout rate (26.3%), second-lowest walk rate (7.4%) and fifth-lowest HR/9 mark (0.85). Treinen’s return could eventually give Dave Roberts an alternative to inconsistent closer Craig Kimbrel. If Kimbrel holds the ninth inning, Treinen will join lefty Alex Vesia, flamethrowing righty Brusdar Graterol, breakout righty Evan Phillips and deadline pickup Chris Martin in a deep and talented mix of setup arms.

A return to health for Treinen is particularly encouraging for the Dodgers, given that they rolled the dice on an extension for the right-hander back in May, when his status was murkier. Los Angeles preemptively exercised an $8MM option on Treinen for the 2023 season and tacked on another club option for the 2024 campaign.

Outrights: Padlo, Beckham

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A couple updates on some recent DFAs to kick off the morning…

  • Infielder Kevin Padlo cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, the Pirates announced Monday. He has neither a prior outright assignment nor three years of Major League service time, so he won’t have the option of rejecting the assignment. The 26-year-old corner infielder was hitless in 11 plate appearances with the Bucs this year and carries a dismal .109/.163/.152 slash in the Majors on the whole — although that’s come in a tiny sample of just 49 plate appearances. Padlo is a .251/.336/.484 hitter at the Triple-A level (836 plate appearances) and ranked among the top 25 prospects of the Rockies, Rays and Mariners over the past five offseasons, per Baseball America.
  • Twins infielder Tim Beckham went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Beckham went just 2-for-25 in his limited time with Minnesota but has posted a comical .413/.483/.579 slash with five homers and six doubles in 143 trips to the plate with Triple-A St. Paul so far in 2022. Beckham, who carries a .247/.299/.426 slash in 1776 Major League plate appearances with four different teams, has played all four infield positions in the minors this season and also logged four games in left field with the big league club. He has more than five years of big league service, which would allow him to reject this assignment and look for another opportunity if he desires.

Marlins Open To Trading From Rotation Surplus Again This Offseason

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As last year’s offseason was getting started, reports emerged that the Marlins were considering trading from their stock of young starting pitchers in order to bolster their position player mix. In the end, they did trade Zach Thompson as part of the Jacob Stallings trade, though stopped short of a more headline-grabbing deal.

It seems that strategy is still in play, with Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reporting that the club will again look to swap some pitching for some more offense. The report lists ace Sandy Alcantara and the club’s top prospect Eury Perez as the two “untouchable” arms on the team, with the others apparently available for the right price.

In addition to the Thompson trade, there were a few other ways in which the club’s rotation surplus was reduced in the past year. Prospect Max Meyer made two starts before Tommy John surgery put him out of action for the rest of this year and potentially all of next year as well. Sixto Sanchez has continued to deal with shoulder issues, not having thrown in a game since 2020. Elieser Hernandez struggled enough that he got bumped to the bullpen and later optioned to the minors.

Those setbacks aside, the club still has a mix that includes Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Edward Cabrera, Jesus Luzardo, Trevor Rogers, Braxton Garrett, Daniel Castano, Nick Neidert, with the report listing Lopez, Cabrera and Rogers as logical trade candidates. It also says the club would consider dealing prospects to a rebuilding team in order to get MLB-ready players. Though Perez is apparently not on the table, Jake Eder and Dax Fulton are mentioned as possibilities.

Lopez, 26, is no stranger to trade rumors, having been frequently mentioned both as someone who could be moved and as someone garnering interest around the league. It was reported last week that the Marlins and Yankees had discussed a deal prior to the deadline that would have seen the Fish acquire Gleyber Torres and infield prospect Oswald Peraza, though the Yanks apparently balked at the deal. There’s no real hurry for the Marlins to deal him, as he can be controlled through the 2024 season via arbitration. He’s in his third straight strong season, registering a 3.66 ERA through 25 starts this year. Perhaps most importantly, he has stayed healthy and put aside some concerns after he missed some of last year with shoulder issues. He’s making $2.45MM this year and will get a raise for next season via arbitration, though he will still be plenty affordable and should find lots of interest from other teams.

The 24-year-old Cabrera would make for a very different trade chip, having much more control but less of a proven track record. He just made his MLB debut last year and missed about six weeks this season due to elbow tendinitis. He only has 15 MLB starts on his ledger so far but has shown promise in that time, registering a 3.71 ERA in his young career. He came into this year with just 40 days of MLB service time but was optioned in the spring and didn’t get recalled until June 1, which should lead to him coming just shy of the one-year mark at the end of this season, even if he remains in the big leagues for the rest of the campaign. That means he should still have six years of control beyond this one, though he is in his final option year, which will mean he will need to hold a spot on an MLB roster starting next year or else be designated for assignment.

Rogers, 24, broke out last year with a 2.64 ERA over 25 starts but has regressed here in 2022. He has a 5.85 ERA through 19 starts and has been on the IL for over a month due to back spasms. He should still hold appeal given his previous showing and four remaining years of control, but he’ll certainly have diminished trade value compared to a year ago.

Eder, 23, was a fourth-round draft pick in 2020. The lefty made 15 Double-A starts last year with a 1.77 ERA before undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. He’s out for this year and might be limited in 2023, though the Marlins are hoping to deal him to a rebuilding club, who may not be so concerned about the short-term outlook. Fulton is also a left-hander but much younger, turning 21 in a couple of months. He was a second round pick in 2020, having since climbed up to Double-A. Between High-A and Double-A this year, he has a 4.05 ERA across 102 1/3 innings.

Whether the club can work out a deal with will of course depend upon lining up with another club. A team with designs on immediate contention would likely be more interested in Cabrera, Rogers or Lopez, while a rebuilding club would lean towards Eder and/or Fulton. It will also depend on what that theoretical other club has to offer the Marlins in return. As Jackson and Mish note in their report, the Marlins will be using the final weeks of the season to audition certain position players and evaluate their future roles. JJ Bleday, Lewin Diaz, Jerar Encarnacion and Peyton Burdick are all listed as players trying to secure jobs on the 2023 team. How they fare in those auditions could have an impact on who the Marlins look to target in trades to improve their lineup. The team as a whole has been about 12% below league average at the plate this year, as indicated by their 88 wRC+, a mark that places them 26th in the majors.

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