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Minor MLB Transactions: 6/21/19

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Friday’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Royals have signed infielder Chase d’Arnaud to a minor league deal, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. D’Arnaud was last with the Rangers, who released him Tuesday. The 32-year-old opened 2019 with a .164/.275/.316 line in 178 plate appearances with Texas’ Triple-A affiliate. While the well-traveled d’Arnaud has primarily played at the Triple-A level as a professional, he has combined for 599 major league PA – 100 of which came with the Giants in 2018. He’s a .222/.273/.316 hitter in the bigs.
  • The Mariners have inked infielder Jordan Pacheco to a minors pact, according to Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto. Pacheco saw action with the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Reds from 2011-16, but he has since made a few stops outside the majors – including Monclova of the Mexican League this season. The 33-year-old’s known for his defensive versatility, having lined up at catcher, first base, second, third and in the outfield in his MLB days. Pacheco hit .272/.310/.356 during that 1,149-PA span.

Phillies Notes: Velasquez, Morgan, Bohm

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The latest out of Philadelphia…

  • The Phillies moved right-hander Vince Velasquez to their bullpen May 26, but they’re already giving him an opportunity to reclaim his old starting role. Velasquez will start Saturday, when he could “take control of the fifth spot for the time being,” manager Gabe Kapler told Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters. The 24-year-old Velasquez hasn’t performed well as either a reliever or starter this season, evidenced by a 4.71 ERA/5.57 FIP in 42 innings. But with no obvious answer behind Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta, Zach Eflin and Nick Pivetta, the Phillies are turning back to Velasquez. For the most part, Nola, Arrieta, Eflin and Pivetta haven’t been great either, which helps explain the Phillies’ recent tumble down the NL East standings. They’ve lost 13 of 19 since sitting a season-best 11 games over .500 on May 29, and now trail the division-leading Braves by 4 1/2 games.
  • Philadelphia announced Friday that it has reinstated reliever Adam Morgan from the 10-day injured list and optioned fellow lefty Cole Irvin to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Morgan missed just under a month with a left forearm strain. Before that, the former starter pitched to a 1.96 ERA (with a less shiny 3.93 FIP) and logged 8.84 K/9 against 2.45 BB/9 in 18 1/3 innings. Morgan’s return is a bit of good news for a Philly bullpen which is still dealing with injuries to David Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez, Pat Neshek, Victor Arano, Jerad Eickhoff and Tommy Hunter.
  • The Phillies have promoted young third baseman Alec Bohm to the Double-A level, per per the Inquirer’s Matt Breen. The 22-year-old Bohm opened the season at Single-A before jumping to High-A, where he raked with a .329/.395/.506 line (164 wRC+), four home runs, and 17 unintentional walks against 21 strikeouts in 177 plate appearances. Bohm, the third pick in last year’s draft and now MLB.com’s 39th-ranked prospect, could end up in the majors around September if he continues rolling in the minors, Breen writes. The Phillies are weak at third base, where Maikel Franco has managed awful production, though they could remedy that by the July 31 trade deadline instead of counting on Bohm as a late-season savior.

White Sox Sign Hector Santiago

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The White Sox have signed left-hander Hector Santiago to a minor league contract, according to Roster Roundup. Santiago was most recently with the Mets, who designated him for assignment last Friday.

This will be the third White Sox tour for Santiago, whom the team selected in the 30th round of the 2006 draft. Santiago wound up pitching with the White Sox from 2011-13, during which he notched a 3.41 ERA/4.49 FIP in 224 2/3 innings.

Chicago dealt Santiago to the Angels in a noteworthy three-team trade heading into the 2014 campaign. After stints with the Halos and Twins, Santiago returned to the Sox on a minors deal in February 2018. He went on to throw 102 innings (49 appearances, seven starts) of 4.41 ERA/5.09 FIP ball with 9.09 K/9 and 5.29 BB/9 at the big league level last season.

Now, Santiago will once again try to turn a minors pact with the White Sox into a major league opportunity. He’ll have to perform better than he did as a Met, though. While Santiago did log a 3.35 ERA over 43 innings with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate this year, his run prevention success came with far less encouraging peripherals. The 31-year-old then fell flat over eight innings with New York, where he gave up six earned runs on 10 hits and five walks (with six strikeouts).

Giants Place Steven Duggar On IL, Recall Alex Dickerson

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The Giants have placed outfielder Steven Duggar on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain and recalled fellow outfielder Alex Dickerson from Triple-A Sacramento, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports California was among those to report.

The rookie Duggar has been a regular this season in the Giants’ outfield, where he has split time between center and right. Duggar has combined for an impressive eight Defensive Runs Saved in those spots, though the 25-year-old’s offense has lagged behind. He has hit an ugly .234/.277/.343 (64 wRC+) with four home runs in 267 plate appearances, thus contributing to the generally terrible numbers the Giants’ outfield has put up in 2019.

Duggar’s injury means San Francisco will get its first look at Dickerson, whom it acquired from NL West rival San Diego on June 10. Dickerson enjoyed success as a rookie in 2016 with the Padres, hitting .257/.333/.445 (111 wRC+) with 10 HRs in 285 PA. However, back problems and Tommy John surgery completely kept him out of action from 2017-18.

Dickerson, 29, bounced back in a big way this season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate before the team dealt him, as he slashed .372/.469/.606 (168 wRC+) with five HRs in 113 trips to the plate. Although, since the Giants acquired him, Dickerson has collected just three hits (all singles) with their highest minors affiliate.

Marlins Place Jorge Alfaro On IL, Select Wilkin Castillo

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The Marlins have placed catcher Jorge Alfaro on the seven-day concussion injured list and selected the contract of fellow backstop Wilkin Castillo from Triple-A New Orleans. In other moves, the club transferred catcher Chad Wallach (concussion) to the 60-day IL, recalled righty Jeff Brigham and optioned outfielder Austin Dean.

Alfaro, who suffered his injury in the Marlins’ win over the Cardinals on Thursday, has hit .261/.312/.419 (96 wRC+) with nine home runs in 218 plate appearances during his first year with the Fish. That’s fine production for a catcher, which is something the Marlins were hoping for when they acquired Alfaro in a trade with the Phillies for star backstop J.T. Realmuto last winter.

Despite his solid output, Alfaro hasn’t overcome the plate discipline woes that plagued him with his previous organization. So far this season, the 26-year-old has posted a 33 percent strikeout rate against a paltry 3.7 walk percentage. At the same time, though, Alfaro has earned plus marks behind the plate, where he has used his big arm to throw out 35 percent of would-be base stealers.

Castillo, 35, inked a minor league deal with the Marlins during the offseason. He’s now in line to back up Bryan Holaday, which will make for Castillo’s first major league action since 2008-09 with the Reds. Castillo totaled a mere 37 trips to the plate in the majors during that span. He’s a lifetime .245/.283/.352 hitter in 2,014 attempts at the Triple-A level.

Frankie Montas Gets 80-Game PED Suspension

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In stunning news, Major League Baseball has issued an 80-game suspension to Athletics ace Frankie Montas for performance-enhancing drug use, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Montas tested positive for banned substance Ostarine, according to Sam Dykstra of MLB.com.

“The A’s were disappointed upon learning of this suspension,” the team said in a statement. “We fully support MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and we will welcome Frankie back after the discipline has been served.”

Montas issued a statement of his own (via MLBPA Communications), saying, in part, “While I never intended to take any prohibited substance, I unfortunately and unknowingly ingested a contaminated supplement that I had purchased over-the-counter at a nutrition store here in the United States.”

The 26-year-old added that he accepts responsibility for the ban and hopes to contribute to the A’s later in the season.

Montas, who’s earning $560K this year, won’t be paid during his suspension. More importantly for Oakland, though, he won’t be eligible for the postseason if the team clinches a berth. At 40-36, the A’s are just one game out of the AL’s second wild-card spot.

The A’s are in contention this season thanks in no small part to Montas, who performed like an ace in 2019 prior to this shocking development. In what will go down as his last start for at least a few months, the hard-throwing right-hander tossed eight innings of one-run, nine-strikeout ball in a win over the Rays on Thursday. It was the fourth straight quality start for Montas, owner of a sterling 2.70 ERA/2.86 FIP with 9.7 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 50.8 percent groundball rate in 90 innings this season.

Should they stay in contention leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, the Athletics will have a chance to acquire starting help. However, it’s hard to believe anyone they’d acquire would make an impact similar to that of Montas, who’s near the top of the majors in most starting stats this year. The club does have important injury reinforcements working back – including Sean Manaea and Jesus Luzardo – who figure to make life easier for the Athletics once they return. However, any way you look at it, the loss of Montas is a devastating shot to the A’s rotation. It could have a significant effect on the AL playoff race as a result.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Twins Sign Drew Hutchison

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The Twins have signed right-hander Drew Hutchison to a minor league contract, according to Nate Rowan, director of communications for Triple-A Rochester. Hutchison will start for Rochester on Friday, per Rowan.

Hutchison opened 2019 as a member of the Yankees’ Triple-A club after signing a minors deal in the offseason. He struggled to a 5.14 ERA/4.86 FIP with 8.7 K/9, 4.0 BB/9 and a 42.8 percent groundball rate in that 63-inning span, though. Hutchison was far better as a member of the Dodgers’ top affiliate in 2018, however, and does own a solid 3.81 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 425 1/3 Triple-A frames.

Now 28, Hutchison is still best known for an occasionally effective run with the Blue Jays from 2012-16. Since then, though, the former Tommy John surgery patient hasn’t produced much in the majors with the Pirates, Phillies or Rangers. Despite useful strikeout and walk rates (8.11 K/9, 3.07 BB), Hutchison has managed an unappealing 5.10 ERA/4.45 FIP in 460 1/3 major league innings – mostly as a starter.

Indians Expected To Promote Aaron Civale

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Right-hander Aaron Civale is expected to start for the Indians on Saturday against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic tweets. Civale is not yet on the Indians’ 40-man roster, which is currently at capacity.

This will be the first major league promotion for the 24-year-old Civale, who joined the Tribe as a third-round pick out of Northeastern University in the 2016 draft. FanGraphs (No. 22) and MLB.com (No. 24) each regard Civale as one of the Indians’ top 30 prospects. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in April that “Civale does not miss many bats because he has limited fastball velocity, but he’s a high-volume strike thrower with excellent secondary stuff, including one of the best curveball spin rates in the minors.”

So far in 2019, Civale has used what FanGraphs calls a “spacious bag of tricks” to record a 2.85 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in seven starts and 41 innings divided between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He’ll now temporarily take over in the Indians’ rotation for Mike Clevinger, whom they placed on the injured list Friday. Clevinger may only miss one start, so Civale’s first stint in Cleveland’s starting staff could be a short one.

Indians Place Mike Clevinger On 10-Day IL

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FRIDAY: The Indians have placed Clevinger on the IL (retroactive to June 18) and recalled lefty Josh Smith from Triple-A Columbus, Mandy Bell of MLB.com tweets.

THURSDAY: After spending over two months on the injury list, Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger is likely going to be sidelined again due to a sprained left ankle, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  Clevinger suffered the injury on Monday, while fielding a grounder in the second inning of the Tribe’s 7-2 loss to the Rangers.  He stayed in to finish the outing, ultimately lasting 4 2/3 innings and allowing five earned runs.

An IL placement could be somewhat precautionary in nature, as Hoynes thinks Clevinger could ultimately just miss one start if the Tribe backdates the move to June 18th.  As Clevinger only just returned from a teres major muscle strain, the team doesn’t want him to try and tough it out with an injury to his plant foot, which Hoynes notes could alter his delivery and lead to more serious injury problems.  Clevinger had been slated to start on Saturday against Detroit.

While this latest injury seems pretty minor, it still represents an unwelcome setback for a Cleveland team that needs all the help it can get as the Tribe try to remain in the wild card race (and within shouting distance of the Twins in the AL Central).  Clevinger has emerged as one of the Indians’ better pitchers over the last two seasons, and looked great in his first two outings of 2019 before his first injury absence.

Royals Activate Hunter Dozier

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The Royals have activated third baseman Hunter Dozier from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Jorge Bonifacio to Triple-A Omaha.

Dozier’s back after missing three weeks with chest tightness. The 27-year-old performed like one of the majors’ breakout stars over the season’s first two months, posting a .314/.398/.589 line with 11 home runs in 216 plate appearances. Dozier significantly slashed his swinging-strike, chase and strikeout rates along the way, and drew walks at a 12 percent clip.

Among hitters who have totaled at least 200 trips to the plate this year, Dozier ranks eighth in wRC+ (157, tied with Freddie Freeman and Pete Alonso) and 10th in weighted on-base average (.413). Dozier’s expected wOBA sits at a much lower .379, though it’s still an impressive figure in its own right.

The production Dozier has recorded this year is what the Royals had in mind when they spent the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft on him. Dozier didn’t do much in the majors or minors over the previous couple years, but his output this season has reportedly made him one of the only untouchable members of the rebuilding Royals’ roster.

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