Astros Suspend Reymin Guduan
The Astros have suspended left-hander Reymin Guduan for what GM Jeff Luhnow described as a “disciplinary issue” at Triple-A, the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome writes. Guduan will be suspended for the rest of the season. Specifics aren’t known about what caused the punishment, as Luhnow only said that Guduan “broke our team rules and is being disciplined because of it.”
Guduan has appeared in 32 games for the Astros over the last three seasons, with just 24 2/3 innings amassed over that limited big league action. The hard-throwing southpaw has an 8.03 ERA as a Major Leaguer, including an 11.81 mark in only 5 1/3 frames this season. Even in the minors, Guduan hasn’t exhibited much consistency — a 4.64 ERA over 382 career innings in Houston’s farm system, with an 11.1 K/9 that has been undermined by a 6.2 BB/9. Between this lack of a track record and now a lengthy suspension, it’s fair to wonder if this could mark the end of Guduan’s time with the Astros organization.
Though Guduan wasn’t likely to be much of a factor for the Astros down the stretch this season, though his absence does remove some depth in an area that was already something of a thin area for the team. As Rome notes, Wade Miley, Framber Valdez, and Cionel Perez are the only left-handers on Houston’s entire 40-man roster. Of that trio, Miley is a starter, Valdez and Perez are in the minors, and Perez is additionally on the injured list. While the Astros haven’t much sweated their lack of left-handed relievers over the last couple of years, the lack of an August waiver trade period this season would make it all the more difficult for the team to acquire another pitcher if it felt another lefty arm was needed.
Reds Sign Tim Collins To Minors Contract
The Reds have signed left-hander Tim Collins to a minor league deal, as first listed on MLB.com’s official transactions page. Collins made his debut for Triple-A Dayton this afternoon.
Collins has only 8 2/3 MLB innings (with a 3.12 ERA) to his name this season, as he has been shuttling between the Cubs’ 25-man roster and their Triple-A affiliate. The veteran southpaw was designated for assignment last week, and he chose to become a free agent in search of a new opportunity rather than accept an outright assignment to Chicago’s farm system.
Amir Garrett and Wandy Peralta are the only left-handed relievers on Cincinnati’s Major League roster, and Collins’ addition gives the Reds some depth once Garrett begins serving the suspension issued for his role in the recent brawl between the Reds and Pirates. While Garrett is appealing that suspension and could possibly get it reduced from eight games, he will very likely still miss some time, and Collins’ presence at Triple-A gives the Reds a veteran option who will be ready to go once Garrett sits.
Collins has a 3.60 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 1.80 K/BB rate over 242 1/3 innings in a big league career that began in 2011, though also didn’t see any MLB action from 2015-17 due to a long recovery from two Tommy John surgeries.
Post-Deadline Outrights: Flynn, De La Cruz, Guerra, Blazek
In the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline, a handful of clubs cleared 40-man roster space with a series of designations. Many of those players have since cleared waivers, and we’ll round up those minor moves here…
Latest Moves
- The Royals announced that southpaw Brian Flynn was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. Flynn has a 5.22 ERA over 29 1/3 innings for K.C. this season, a disappointing result for a reliever who posted solid numbers out of the Royals’ bullpen in both 2016 and 2018.
Earlier Today
- Cubs minor-league right-hander Oscar de la Cruz has cleared waivers. The 24 year-old has seen his once-lofty prospect status deteriorate due to a combination of injuries, command woes, and a suspension for a masking agent. He’ll remain with the club’s AA affiliate in the Southern League.
- Nationals right-handers Javy Guerra and Michael Blazek each cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Fresno. Because each veteran has previously been outrighted, they may elect free agency, but the shaky Washington bullpen could plausibly offer them the best opportunity to return to the big leagues in short order.
- Giants right-handed reliever Dan Winkler was outrighted. San Francisco acquired him as a salary offset in the Mark Melancon trade but never had any interest in letting him see the field amidst a disappointing 2019 season. Winkler can elect free agency because he has over three years of MLB service.
- Rockies left-handed relief arm Harrison Musgrave will remain on hand at Triple-A Albuquerque after clearing. The 27 year-old has had little success in 45 MLB games in Colorado over the past two seasons.
- Diamondbacks right-hander Joey Krehbiel will remain on-hand at Triple-A Reno. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel named the 26 year-old reliever a prospect to watch thanks to a plus changeup preseason, but he’s had a nightmarish season in the Pacific Coast League.
- Veteran catcher Tim Federowicz has cleared. The backstop had been playing for the Rangers, but he may elect to catch on elsewhere on a minor-league deal.
- Phillies corner infielder Mitch Walding has also cleared waivers. He’ll remain in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’s struggled to make contact in 2019.
- Eric Stamets, the Indians‘ Opening Day shortstop, has cleared as well. The 27 year-old has put up anemic offensive numbers with Triple-A Columbus, where he’ll continue to try to right the ship, over the past two seasons.
Marlins To Promote Isan Diaz
After placing outfielder Cesar Puello on the injured list, the Marlins are prepared to call up minor-league second baseman Isan Diaz to make his Major League debut, per Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio. Diaz is already on the 40-man roster. Mish would add in a later Tweet that Lewis Brinson has also been recalled from Triple-A.
Diaz, 23, joined the Marlins as one of the pieces in the package that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee. Diaz is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Marlins’ fifth-best prospect and No. 86 in all of baseball. Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com tout his raw power as his carrying skill, with his “bat speed and the strength in his compact frame translating into hard-hit balls to all fields.” However, it bears mentioning that there will be some pressure on the bat to produce, given his unremarkable defense and baserunning. If his Triple-A numbers are to be believed, there’s plenty of reason to believe in the power and overall offensive potential: Diaz has slugged 26 home runs this year, not to overlook a pretty .305/.395/.578 batting line. Though his strikeout numbers are high, he’s sporting a tidy 12.3% walk rate in his minor league career, which began in 2014 when the D-Backs made him a second-round draft choice.
On the diamond, second base looks like the best spot for Diaz, and the keystone might be the smoothest fit on the Major League roster. With Brian Anderson playing right field, the Marlins could give Starlin Castro a look at third base, leaving the door open for Diaz to get regular at-bats at second.
Diaz’s promotion to the big leagues may put him on the vanguard of a burgeoning Miami farm system that added touted 21-year-olds Jazz Chisholm and Jesus Sanchez at the trade deadline. FanGraphs ranks the Marlins’ farm as the fifth-best in baseball, and it’s stocked with a number of high-ceiling, volatile athletes who will determine the precise timeline of Miami’s rebuild. Either way, the organizational depth is a massive improvement over its state after dealing Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and Marcell Ozuna, all of whom brought arguably light returns.
Given Lewis Brinson’s struggles, Diaz may be the piece to salvage the much-maligned Yelich trade, which has already returned some value to the Marlins in the form of promising rookie Jordan Yamamoto. If Brinson’s results to date are representative of his true talent, Diaz may end up being the headliner of Miami’s return, though the verdict is still out on Monte Harrison, who has yet to debut.
The book’s not closed on Brinson, either: since his demotion, the 25-year-old has played 81 games at Triple-A, where he’s swatted 16 home runs and posted an overall .871 OPS. He’s managed a solid 9.4% walk rate in that same span, a skill that has completely vanished in his stints in the Majors. Just 25 years old, there’s still time to show that he can carry that success to the Major League level, but early returns have made the acquisition look like a misstep.
Diamondbacks Outright Yasmany Tomas
The Diamondbacks have sent Yasmany Tomas outright to Triple-A Reno, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, removing Tomas from the D-Backs’ 40-man roster. He had previously been optioned to Triple-A on Thursday.
The move comes after a brief stint that saw Tomas play in the Majors for the first time since 2017. In four games this season, the 28-year-old went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts.
No longer on the 40-man roster, it would appear that the Diamondbacks are running out of patience with Tomas, one of the organization’s highest-paid players. He’s managed a serviceable .765 OPS for his career, including a 2016 season in which he clubbed 31 home runs, but the masher has failed to offset his defensive shortcomings enough to justify a spot on the roster.
Tomas is still owed more than $20MM through the end of next season and he’s been productive in the minor leagues—to the tune of a .944 OPS this season—but evidently the organization has minimal confidence in his ability to defend capably.
Yankees Place Aaron Hicks On IL, Activate J.A. Happ
According to an official team release, the Yankees have placed center fielder Aaron Hicks on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain and have returned left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ from the paternity list.
For the Yankees, the injury woes continue unrelenting, with Hicks making his second trip to the injured list this season. The outfielder, playing out the first year of a seven-year extension signed this spring, has been limited to just 59 games this year. With an apparent elbow issue, his departure from last night’s game certainly inspired some nervousness in New York. However, as James Wagner of the New York Times notes, the silver lining in the situation is that there’s no damage to the ligament, meaning that Hicks will avoid Tommy John surgery. He’ll be shut down from throwing, with the Yankees hoping that a 2019 return is still in the cards.
Happ will be activated in time to start Sunday’s series finale against the Red Sox, with the Yankees seeking a sweep. He’ll be opposed by David Price, who was likewise activated from the paternity list on Sunday.
In this equation, another name that bears mentioning is Clint Frazier‘s. Evidently, he isn’t the immediate replacement for Hicks, but he could get another shot down the stretch, depending on the extent of Hicks’s injury. As it stands, it’s hard to find room for the promising 24-year-old on the Yankees active roster. With Hicks out of commission, it appears that Brett Gardner will assume the center field duties, with Mike Tauchman slotting into left field and leaving Cameron Maybin as the team’s fourth outfielder. Both Tauchman and Maybin have been revelations, making it hard to justify demoting either.
Nationals Place Howie Kendrick, Roenis Elias On Injured List
The Nationals have made a couple of roster moves, placing infielder Howie Kendrick and left-handed pitcher Roenis Elias on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. Javy Guerra, who only just got out of DFA limbo, has been selected and will be added to the 40-man and 25-man roster. Additionally, outfielder Andrew Stevenson has been promoted to the active roster.
Both Kendrick and Elias are suffering from hamstring strains, affecting Kendrick’s left hamstring and Elias’s right. Kendrick’s IL placement comes retroactive to August 1; Elias’s move was not backdated.
For the 31-year-old Elias, the injury comes before he’s had much of a chance to put his chops on display for his new ballclub. The Nats acquired the southpaw on Wednesday’s deadline in hopes that his addition, among others, would bolster a bullpen unit that has been one of baseball’s worst in 2019. Elias only managed to contribute 2/3 of an inning before his Nats tenure will have to be put on hold. Though not a big-name reliever, Elias figures to be critical to the Nationals’ second-half success; outside of closer Sean Doolittle, lefty out-getters have been hard to come by for Washington. Matt Grace has been sent out for 42 1/3 innings despite a 5.95 ERA, which is a far cry from the 2.98 mark that Elias has put up over the last two seasons.
Kendrick, meanwhile, has emerged as a surprisingly valuable offensive piece for the playoff-hopeful Nats; as the top bench option for the team, he ranks third on the team in OPS and RBI. He’s mainly toggled between first, second, and third base as need. If it’s any consolation, the Nationals can at least fall back on capable regulars at those positions in Kendrick’s absence; Matt Adams and Brian Dozier will have to anchor first and second base, though the team will surely miss Kendrick’s pinch-hitting prowess.
Guerra will have to reverse course after being outrighted to Triple-A on Saturday, just before Elias landed on the injured list. He had been designated for assignment on Wednesday, but he’ll reclaim a spot on the Nationals’ 40-man after all. He’s made it into 23 games for Washington this year, posting a 5.40 ERA while striking out 21 batters.
As for the two veterans’ injury timelines, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports provides some clarity (via Twitter), suggesting that both Elias and Kendrick are expected to return when their 10 days are up. According to Zuckerman, Kendrick was placed on the injured list out of precaution rather than necessity, while the strain to Elias was only a mild one.
Giants Activate Evan Longoria, Option Zach Green
The Giants have activated third baseman Evan Longoria from the 10-day injured list, tweets Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group. In a corresponding move, Zach Green has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
Longoria had been on the injured list since July 15 after dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The injury came at an inopportune time for the 33-year-old, who had been enjoying perhaps his best month as a Giant before he was forced out of action. Prior to his deactivation, Longoria had muscled six home runs in just 34 plate appearances for the month of July. He managed an otherworldly 1.537 OPS in that span, but it bears mentioning that those results are the exception—not the rule—to Longoria’s history in San Francisco.
It’s notable that the team Longoria will join on Sunday is markedly different than the way he left it. While the Giants had found themselves in the midst of a hot streak when Longoria last suited up on July 15, the club was still below .500 and seemed poised to sell off Major-League pieces at the trade deadline. However, the Giants have since catapulted themselves into the hunt for playoff positioning, and a Wild Card berth, while perhaps not likely, does not seem out of the question. Longoria, a former Ray, is of course no stranger to September Wild Card races, so one hopes that the IL stint won’t halt his stretch of success that began in July.
Interestingly, Pablo Sandoval managed to force his way back into the hearts of the San Francisco faithful while Longoria was on the shelf, so the team will have to find at-bats for both players down the stretch. Bruce Bochy managed to handle the pair’s workload nicely when both were available earlier in the season, so there shouldn’t be any problems here.
Zach Green got his first taste of the Major-League game and will now have a chance to iron out some issues with more regular at-bats in Triple-A. He only made 16 plate appearances in a brief 8-game big-league stint, but a strong Triple-A track record suggests this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the 25-year-old Green. In his first crack at the game’s highest level, he batted .143/.250/.214
Twins Place Sam Dyson On IL
The Twins announced they have placed reliever Sam Dyson on the 10-day injured list with right biceps tendinitis. In his place, they’ve recalled prospect Devin Smeltzer, who will start this afternoon’s game against Kansas City.
Dyson has pitched just twice since Minnesota acquired him from the Giants at the trade deadline. He’s continued to ride a fastball-heavy approach to great success, working to a 3.48 ERA with a strong combination of strikeouts (23.3%), walks (4.4%), and groundballs (54.3%) in 2019. He’s not quite the groundball machine he was in his best days with the Rangers, but he’s still an integral part of the Twins’ bullpen. Fortunately, manager Rocco Baldelli told Dan Hayes of the Athletic that Dyson’s rest period will be measured in “days instead of weeks.” That’s welcome news for a club hanging onto a three-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.
Smeltzer, a low-slot lefty acquired at the 2018 deadline from the Dodgers for Brian Dozier, will start his third game of the season for Minnesota. He’s been quite good in 16 starts in the high minors this year and ranks as the #23 prospect in a strong Twins’ farm system, per Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs.
Phillies Option Maikel Franco
The Phillies have optioned Maikel Franco to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a surprising move, the club announced. Brad Miller has been activated from the 10-day injured list to take Franco’s place on the 25-man roster.
Perhaps Franco’s demotion shouldn’t be all that eyebrow-raising. After all, he hasn’t done much to warrant a roster spot. His .231/.296/.405 slash translates to a 70 wRC+, easily the worst offensive output by any of the league’s 24 qualified third basemen. On top of that, Franco doesn’t come with a strong defensive reputation at the hot corner, making his woeful offense all the more troubling. Tied for the National League’s final Wild Card spot, evidently the Phils decided they could no longer tolerate such a lack of production.
Nevertheless, the Phillies have run with Franco as their starting third baseman for more or less four years. He’s never been all that productive, but the club has never gone out and acquired a definitive upgrade, suggesting they still believed in him long-term, at least somewhat. Moreover, Franco’s putrid numbers at the plate seem a bit misleading. His walks and strikeouts are both at career-best levels (although the walks may be a result of his frequently hitting eighth in an NL lineup), and he’s no doubt unlucky to have a meager .228 BABIP.
Evidently, the organization felt whatever positive regression might be forthcoming for Franco at the plate wouldn’t be meaningful enough to wait for. Franco will arbitration-eligible for the third time this winter and is tracking as a probable non-tender candidate, although he’ll have two months to right the ship.
Interestingly, Philadelphia will move Scott Kingery to third base in Franco’s stead, tweets Matt Gelb of the Athletic. A former second base prospect, Kingery has MLB experience all around the diamond but has played mostly center field this season. Presumably, Roman Quinn will get a longer leash in center with Kingery back on the dirt.
Philadelphia will also welcome back the 29 year-old Miller, a longtime utilityman for the Mariners and Rays who had a fantastic showing with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate earlier in the season. He offers a left-handed bat with some power and more defensive versatility than Franco, but defensive metrics have never been fond with his glove at any position and he brings a significant amount of swing-and-miss.