Phillies Sign Logan Morrison
The Phillies have signed free-agent first baseman Logan Morrison to a minor league contract, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Morrison became available when he opted out of a minors pact with the Yankees on July 2.
The 32-year-old Morrison is only two seasons removed from serving as one of the majors’ finest offensive producers. He slashed .246/.353/.516 (130 wRC+) with 38 home runs in 601 plate appearances with the Rays that year to earn a $6.5MM guarantee with the Twins entering 2018. Morrison wasn’t nearly as good last year, though, owing in part to a labrum tear that ended his season in August. He then went without a contract until signing a minors pact with the Yankees toward the end of April.
Morrison never reached the majors with the Yankees, instead hitting an excellent .289/.341/.658 (143 wRC+) with 15 HRs in 164 PA with their Triple-A affiliate. With Rhys Hoskins holding down first in Philadelphia, it’ll also be difficult for Morrison to find much playing time with his new team.
Brewers Select Jay Jackson, Option Mauricio Dubon
The Brewers have selected the contract of righty Jay Jackson from Triple-A San Antonio and optioned Mauricio Dubon to AAA, the team reports.
Jackson, 31, appeared poised for a middle-inning role after a dominant 2015 season for San Diego’s AAA-affiliate, but opted instead to pitch in Japan. He excelled there, too, posting back-to-back seasons of sub 2.03 ERAs for the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Central League.
In 35 2/3 innings for San Antonio this year, Jackson’s offered up a commanding 1.01 ERA/1.66 FIP on the back of unassailable peripherals marks: a 12.62 K/9 against just 2.02 BB/9, and not a single homer allowed in a league that’s seen its homer rate jump by as astounding 50.5% this season. The righty should insert himself into a high-leverage role straight away for a team that’s been surprisingly short on reliable late-inning options in ’19. Josh Hader has again been dominant, if homer-prone, but the rest of the club’s complement of ‘pen arms – aside from perhaps Jeremy Jeffress – have been mediocre-to-shaky thus far in the campaign.
Dubon, acquired with Travis Shaw in the lopsided deal that sent reliever Tyler Thornburg to Boston, missed much of last season with a torn ACL. He’s rebounded nicely in ’19, though a .307/.343/.491 slash is good for only a 100 wRC+ in the unhinged offensive environment of the PCL.
Twins Designate Adalberto Mejia For Assignment
The Twins have designated lefty Adalberto Mejia for assignment, tweets Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Mejia, 26, was once a borderline top-100 prospect in the Giants farm before being shipped for INF Eduardo Nunez in a 2016 deadline deal. The Twin Cities haven’t been kind to the big lefty – he was shelled in his initial 2017 taste, and then mostly stashed at Triple-A Rochester over the next two seasons. Mejia moved to the Twin bullpen this season, where he was hit hard (6.13 FIP, 7.04 BB/9) in 13 appearances the club before hitting the IL in mid-May.
Mejia has flashed back-of-the-rotation promise as recently as last season and is a good bet to latch on elsewhere in the coming days. Each of Minnesota’s rotation and pen were too deep for him this season, and the club has a host of capable hurlers in the minor-league wings. Righty Jake Odorizzi, back after a brief blister bout, will re-gain his seat in a rotation that’s posted the AL’s second-highest fWAR total in 2019; nearly each of the club’s five fulcrums are on pace for a career-best season.
Phillies Designate Rob Brantly For Assignment
The Phillies have designated catcher Rob Brantly for assignment among a series of roster moves, the team reports.
Brantly’s contract was selected yesterday by Philly, presumably to hold down the weekend fort with catcher J.T. Realmuto away on paternity leave. In 182 plate appearances for AAA-Lehigh Valley in ’19, the former Tiger and Marlin farmhand has turned in one of his best seasons yet. The lefty’s walked more than he’s struck out so far in the International League, posting a stellar .306/.401/.452 line for the club.
He’ll likely go unclaimed on waivers, but the offensive gestation period for a catcher can be lengthy, and it’s possible Brantly has now positioned himself as a legitimate MLB backup option. In 429 career plate appearances with the White Sox and Marlins, Brantly’s paired a .229/.294/.332 (72 wRC+) slash with unseemly defensive metrics behind the plate.
White Sox Designate Juan Minaya For Assignment
The White Sox have designated righty Juan Minaya for assignment, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Minaya, a former Astro farmhand, was reasonably effective for the club this season, posting a 3.90 ERA with a decent 27/12 K/BB in 27 2/3 mostly low-leverage innings. ERA estimators were far less impressed, though – his 29.4% grounder rate was among the league’s lowest, leaving a projected HR/9 well north of the 1.30 total he allowed this season. The 28-year-old’s velocity also dipped nearly two full miles per hour from his career-best 95.4 MPH mark in ’18, and his slider effectiveness had diminished substantially.
Minaya’s DFA makes room for the return of righty Dylan Covey, himself somewhat of a chink in the already-frail armor of the White Sox rotation. The team’s bullpen’s also struggled, making the Minaya move a bit of a head-scratcher. Only a dominant Aaron Bummer has separated himself; Alex Colome and Evan Marshall have gotten outs with iffy peripherals, with the former sporting a comically low .124 BABIP.
Rays, Rangers Swap Nick Solak, Peter Fairbanks
The Rangers have acquired INF/OF Nick Solak from Tampa for righty Peter Fairbanks, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Solak, 24, has slugged 17 homers for Triple-A Durham so far this season, though his .266/.353/.485 line checks in just 11 percent above the league average in the rocket-powered International League. The utility man sits at #93 on FanGraphs’ latest update of the game’s top prospects, with the site especially lauding his makeup, versatility, and power/speed combo. An addition to the 40-man roster would have been necessary for the former Yankee farmhand this offseason, and with the club already possessing of Joey Wendle, rookie-of-the-year candidate Brandon Lowe, Christian Arroyo, Willy Adames, Daniel Robertson, Matt Duffy, Mike Brosseau, Yandy Diaz, and up-and-comer Vidal Brujan in roles that would mirror Solak’s eventual place on the roster, a move did seem prudent.
Fairbanks, 25, brought his super-charged fastball to Arlington for the first time this season. The 6’6 righty struggled big-time with command in his short Ranger stint, walking seven in just 8 2/3 IP, to go with four homers allowed, but did flash world-beating stuff over that span (15 K, 97.2 MPH average fastball velocity). The two-time Tommy John survivor has logged just 43 minor-league innings since a transition to the bullpen in 2017, a sample which hasn’t held back plaudits from evaluators around the game. FanGraphs describes the flame-thrower as an “impact relief piece,” grading his fastball/slider combo as one of the best for burgeoning relief prospects across the minors.
Fairbanks’ll head to Triple-A Durham, per Topkin, where he’ll bolster an already-staunch register of high-leverage pieces in the Tampa ‘pen. Even without effective seasons from lynchpins Diego Castillo and Jose Alvarado, the Tampa ‘pen reigns FIP-supreme in MLB this season, with an AL-best 45.5% grounder rate.
The assignment for Solak is as-yet unclear, but he’d seem to represent a perfect right-side complement to Nomar Mazara, Shin-Soo Choo, or Asdrubal Cabrera, all of whom have slumped badly against southpaws this season. Rougned Odor, he of the dreadful 63 wRC+, has actually been far better against same-side hurlers this season, so perhaps the club pans to slot in Solak full-time at the keystone in his place.
Orioles Place Dylan Bundy On Injured List
The Orioles placed starting pitcher Dylan Bundy on the 10-day injured list with right knee tendinitis, the team announced today. Pitcher Tayler Scott was recalled from Triple-A.
Bundy underwent a medical exam this morning after feeling discomfort during yesterday’s shellacking at the hands of the Rays, per MASN’s Roch Kubatko. Bundy and the Orioles will sleep better chalking this one up to the injury after Bundy suffered through an 8-hit, 7-run barrage in his shortest outing of the year. He was pulled after one inning. The cavalry didn’t fare much better against the Rays, as Gabriel Ynoa wore the damage a day before they’d planned to use him in a piggyback role. Ynoa was ultimately tagged with 9 runs, 7 earned in 5 1/3 innings.
Bundy took the loss, falling to 4-11 on the year. In 18 starts, Bundy has a 5.28 ERA (5.30 FIP) with a 3.03 strikeout to walk ratio while lobbing 2.1 home runs per nine innings. His numbers took a hit with yesterday’s loss, of course, but the overall numbers aren’t far off what the Orioles have come used to seeing out of Bundy.
Scott, 27, is recalled for the first time since being acquired from the Mariners. He made two starts and three bullpen appearances in Seattle, serving up 10 earned runs in just 7 2/3 innings of work. The South African native was a 5th round draft pick of the Cubs in 2011. David Hess, meanwhile, will serve as the 26th man for today’s doubleheader, a role with which he is by now quite familiar.
Rays Activate Ji-Man Choi, Option Ian Gibaut
The Tampa Bay Rays activated first baseman Ji-Man Choi ahead of today’s action, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Ian Gibaut has been optioned back to Durham.
Choi missed the minimum ten games for a sprained left ankle. He is a key cog in the middle of the Rays lineup. With little margin for error in a top-heavy American League, the Rays could stand to get a little more production from him after a .266/.351/.423 first half.
For now, manager Kevin Cash will rotate Choi with Nate Lowe, tweets Topkin. Lowe would most naturally be used as a roster replacement for Choi, but Cash is also prepared to use Lowe at third base, where he’s spent time in the minors. For now, they simply don’t want to take Lowe out of the lineup as the 24-year-old has hit .291/.355/.509 with 3 home runs in 15 games. That kind of production out of the first base spot would go a long way in helping the Rays secure a spot in this year’s playoffs.
With the Rays, however, everything is fluid, and one day’s cleanup hitter could be back in Triple-A the next. Yandy Diaz also figures to play a prominent role in the corner infield rotation as the regular starter at third now that he’s discovered a power stroke (.278/.351/.477 on the year). Two other third base options remain on the shelf: Matt Duffy and Daniel Robertson are close enough to returning that each of them could be on rehab assignments by next week, per Topkin (Twitter links).
Gibaut has a fairly high ceiling as a bullpen piece, but his first taste of the majors was short: one appearance, two innings, two earned runs, two walks, two strikeouts, one hit.
Injury Notes: Scherzer, Kluber, Hamels
Nationals ace Max Scherzer will push back his first post-All-Star-break start from Sunday to Tuesday due to back tightness, per Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. At 5.5 fWAR on the season, Scherzer trails only Mike Trout (6.4 fWAR) and Cody Bellinger (5.7 fWAR) while leading all pitchers by a fairly significant margin (Lance Lynn is next at 4.4 fWAR, while Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole, and Nats-teammate Stephen Strasburg follow with 3.4 fWAR). Scherzer has been beyond mortal over the last two months, winning seven consecutive starts over which he sports a 0.87 ERA while limiting opposing hitters to .157/.196/.249 at the dish (his 79:6 K:BB ratio isn’t half bad either). Needless to say, Mad Max is an essential cog in the Nationals revamped playoff hopes, no less so due to their lack of organizational depth. The scheduling adjustment should give Scherzer the extra rest he needs, as he and the team anticipate he will be ready by Tuesday’s opener at Baltimore. Let’s check in on the health of a couple other star hurlers…
- Corey Kluber intends to pitch again for the Indians this summer, and he’s progressing as planned, per Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes. Kluber is playing catch at a distance of 150 feet, and he looks like he’ll be ready for bullpen sessions soon. He’s not there yet, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel for Kluber, who has been out since May 1 with a fracture in his right forearm. The Indians hope he’ll have time to course correct after an aberrant seven starts in which he posted a 5.80 ERA (4.04 FIP).
- Cole Hamels has begun playing catch as well, with the next steps being a team evaluation sometime today, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times. Hamels hit the shelf in late June after scoring a 1.22 ERA for the month. On the whole, Hamels’ Chicago rejuvenation has kept pace into 2019 with a 6-3 record and 2.98 ERA (3.57 FIP). The Cubs need only replace Hamels spot in the rotation once until early August, at which point a return is conceivable. In the meantime, Tyler Chatwood has held the line in three spot starts, though the Braves hit him hard the last time he got the nod. Alec Mills, 27, has looked ripe as ever with a 2.72 ERA over his last eight starts in Triple-A, where he holds a 4.72 ERA for the season. Mills doesn’t figure as a long-term piece for the Cubs, but he’s more than adequate for this brand of spot start. Before you ask, no, Adbert Alzolay won’t take Hamels next time through the rotation, as his rest days won’t align with the Cubs’ need after starting last night’s game for Iowa.
Mariners Notes: Adams, Bradford, Altavilla, King Felix, Long
The Mariners are no longer pacing the playoff race, but they’re just one behind the Yankees for the league lead in players on the injured list with 12, per MLB.com’s Sarah Wexler, who provides updates on a number of injured Mariners. The bullpen trio of Austin Adams, Chasen Bradford, and Dan Altavilla are all in a similar boat in that they shouldn’t require surgery, but none are throwing yet so their return dates remain nebulous. Adams, in particular, was having a fine season out of the Mariners pen after he was inexplicably traded to Seattle by the pen-starved Nationals. Adams has appeared in 21 games for Seattle with a 3.47 ERA and even better 2.21 FIP. His strikeout rates dazzled throughout his minor league career, and he’s kept it up in Seattle with an eye-catching 41 strikeouts in 23 ⅓ innings (15.8 K/9). Let’s check in on a couple other injured Mariners…
- Felix Hernandez may return sooner than most, as he’s schedule to throw a bullpen on Monday, per Wexler. King Felix has been out since May 12. Health will be a necessary precursor for a King Felix return, as he struggled at the outset of the season with a 6.52 ERA across eight starts. He’ll have a role on the Mariners when he returns, but it’s been a steep decline for the Mariners legend, who’s pulling down just under $28MM this season and likely headed towards free agency at season’s end.
- Just as Shed Long was given an opportunity to get his season back on track, the music stopped again for the well-traveled prospect. Long came off the injured list for Thursday’s game in Tacoma only to injure his hand while playing second base, tweets the Rainiers’ broadcaster Mike Curto. Long will return to the injured list. When he’s been healthy, Long has fared better with Tacoma than with the big league club, though he showed promise at the ML level as well. As a Rainier, he’s slashing .279/.343/.466, versus .232/.329/.377 in 19 games as a Mariner. It’s been a tumultuous calendar year for long, who no doubt would appreciate a stretch of stability if he can get healthy. The Seattle roster should be able to accommodate giving him another crack at it if/when he sustains a measure of good health.