Dodgers Place Hyun-Jin Ryu On 10-Day IL
The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu on the 10-day injured list with neck soreness. His anticipated timeline to return isn’t yet known.
In other moves, the L.A. org announced the already reported arrival of exciting pitching prospect Dustin May while recalling fellow righty Tony Gonsolin. Reliever Dylan Floro was optioned out to create roster space. Southpaw Scott Alexander moves to the 60-day injured list to make 40-man space for May.
Ryu, 32, has been on an unbelievable run of success since accepting a qualifying offer to remain with the Dodgers. In 21 starts, he has run up 135 2/3 innings of 1.53 ERA pitching while maintaining 7.8 K/9 against 1.1 BB/9 along with a 51.5% groundball rate.
It’s unlikely the veteran lefty will be able to keep up quite that level of output the rest of the way, but he seems to be in top form at an important time for a Dodgers club that just placed a big bet on its existing pitching options at the trade deadline. Given his lengthy injury history and limited accumulation of innings in recent campaigns, it’s not surprising to see Ryu hit the shelf. There’s no indication of the seriousness of the injury, but it’s reasonably likely the Los Angeles organization was as concerned with finding Ryu some down time as it was worried about this particular malady.
Rockies To Remove Wade Davis From Closer’s Role
The Rockies will remove struggling veteran Wade Davis from the closer’s role, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Fellow righty Scott Oberg will fill the void in the ninth inning, manager Bud Black tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (via Twitter).
This decision represents an acknowledgement of what had long been observable: Davis is struggling badly. The 33-year-old was solid enough last year and at the outset of the current campaign, but has been bombed mercilessly since returning from an oblique injury in early June.
Since his return to action, Davis has allowed twenty earned runs in 17 innings. He’s carrying a 15:10 K/BB ratio and has coughed up five home runs, exhibiting some velocity decline along the way. Over the full course of the season, Davis has shown a decline in his swinging-strike rate (to 11.2% from 15.4% in 2017).
That’s all bad news for a Rockies team that has underperformed despite running its Opening Day payroll up to $145MM. Davis occupies a big chunk of that tally, with a $18MM salary this year. His contract includes a $17MM commitment for 2020 as well as a $1MM buyout on a mutual option for the ensuing campaign.
Giants Designate Tyler Austin
The Giants have designated outfielder/first baseman Tyler Austin for assignment, the team announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover on Twitter. That move opens 40-man and active roster space for newly acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett.
In other roster moves that don’t implicate control rights, the Giants have added outfielder Steven Duggar to the active roster. Righty Dereck Rodriguez was optioned down to make way.
Austin, 27, hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunity in San Francisco, making him the latest position player to be sent packing from the MLB roster after receiving a shot. Through 147 plate appearances on the year, Austin carries a .185/.279/.400 batting line with eight home runs and 57 strikeouts.
Phillies Place Adam Morgan On 10-Day IL
The Phillies have placed southpaw Adam Morgan on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain. His placement, which opens a roster spot for the activation of just-acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson, is retroactive to the first of the month.
It isn’t known yet precisely how long Morgan will be down, but it seems his season is at risk, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets. Fortunately, surgery won’t be required, but it’s disappointing news nevertheless for a club that has been racked by bullpen injuries and performance downturns. The 29-year-old hurler isn’t exactly a premium late-inning arm, but he was an important part of the relief picture for the Phils.
Since converting full-time to a bullpen role in the 2017 campaign, Morgan has produced 133 2/3 innings of 3.97 ERA ball in Philadelphia. He’s carrying 9.6 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in that run. It has been much of the same this year, with Morgan turning in solid but hardly dominant overall work.
That characterization tends to understate Morgan’s value. He has jumped up to a 15.4% swinging-strike after a dip in 2018. And while he’s a marginal performer against right-handed hitters, he has largely dominated lefties. This year, they’re slashing a putrid .143/.150/.204. They struggled to meager .267/.350/.314 and .193/.245/.352 slashes in the prior two seasons.
In sum, Morgan is an important match-up piece for a team that will need to squeeze out close victories if it’s to reach the postseason. Without him, the club will rely upon Jose Alvarez and Ranger Suarez as lefty relief options.
Angels Designate Jonathan Lucroy
The Angels have designated veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to just-acquired receiver Max Stassi.
Additionally, the Halos announced that southpaw Adam McCreery was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. McCreery was designated for assignment recently.
Lucroy. 33, was designated for assignment right on the heels of his activation from the injured list. He had suffered a concussion and broken nose in a scary collision at the plate.
While the Halos forewent a chance to swap Lucroy at the deadline, it would have been tough to swing a deal due to the quick succession of transactions. Stassi only became available after the Astros added Martin Maldonado earlier that day. And it was the first game back for Lucroy.
Now, Lucroy can’t be traded. If and when he’s placed on outright waivers, rival organizations will have a chance to claim his contract, which would mean taking on the remainder of the $3.35MM he’s guaranteed this year. (The deal also includes bonuses based upon games started as a catcher and plate appearances.) If he clears, Lucroy can reject an outright assignment and keep his guaranteed money, signing on with another club as he chooses. In that case, the Halos would stand to save a pro-rated version of the MLB minimum salary for any time Lucroy spends on the MLB roster of a different team.
While Lucroy likely won’t be seen as a difference-maker, he’s an experienced veteran who could improve some contenders — or, at least, bolster the depth at a key position. Through 268 plate appearances this year, Lucroy carries a marginal .242/.310/.371 batting line that’s only slightly better than his output from the prior season.
Braves Release Luiz Gohara
The Braves announced today that they have released lefty Luiz Gohara. He had been dropped from the 40-man roster as part of the team’s series of deadline moves; obviously, he ultimately cleared waivers.
Gohara, who just turned 23, has shown quite a bit of talent but has been limited by health and personal issues in recent seasons. He has been sidelined all year long and is presently rehabbing a shoulder procedure that is expected to cost him the remainder of the campaign.
It has been a roller-coaster ride for Gohara and the Braves ever since he landed in Atlanta in early 2017. The burly southpaw turned in a superlative 2017 campaign, dominating in a spring through the minors and showing quite a lot of promise in a five-start MLB debut.
Entering the 2018 season, it seemed Gohara would help anchor the Atlanta rotation. But the youngster endured a difficult time emotionally that coincided with arm issues and a battle with his weight. The talent was still evident, but Gohara was not able to have the anticipated impact at the MLB level.
Accordingly, Gohara came into camp this year in search of a rebound. There was cause for hope at the outset, but his balky shoulder proved unwilling. No doubt multiple MLB organizations will show interest in helping the Brazilian hurler try to find his way back to the majors, now that there’s no need to place him on a 40-man roster to do so.
Mariners Select Reggie McClain
The Mariners announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Reggie McClain. He’ll meet the team in Houston and join manager Scott Servais’ bullpen mix.
McClain, 26, was Seattle’s 13th-round draft pick back in 2016 and has posted strong numbers at three different minor league levels this season (Class-A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A). In all, he’s tallied 72 2/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball with 8.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.5 HR/9 and a ground-ball rate north of 57 percent.
That success corresponds with a shift from the rotation to the bullpen; McClain struggled to keep his ERA south of 5.00 in two trips through the Class-A Advanced California League in 2016-17 before breaking out as a fast riser with the move to a relief role in 2019. He’s not ranked among the club’s top prospects, but his excellent season to date will earn him a chance to carve out a spot in the Mariners’ bullpen moving forward.
Seattle’s 40-man roster is now up to a total of 38 players.
Indians Release Neil Ramirez, Trayce Thompson
Right-hander Neil Ramirez and outfielder Trayce Thompson have been granted their release from the Indians organization, per an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate. Both former big leaguers are free agents and can now sign with another club.
Ramirez, 30, was with the Indians earlier this season but struggled to a 5.40 ERA and allowed five home runs in 16 2/3 innings. Ramirez notched an 18-to-9 K/BB ratio in that time and has a lengthy history of missing bats, but he’s struggled to throw strikes and command the ball within the zone throughout his career. In 171 1/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, he’s logged a 4.41 ERA with 10.8 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 1.63 HR/9 and a 30.1 percent ground-ball rate.
Thompson, the younger brother of NBA star Klay Thompson, played 51 big league games between the White Sox and the A’s in 2018. The No. 61 overall pick by the White Sox in the 2009 draft, the now-28-year-old Thompson was a fairly well-regarded minor league talent but hasn’t found sustained success. He’s batted .206/.276/.389 in 589 MLB plate appearances and was hitting .219/.294/.482 with 24 homers, 10 doubles, three triples and eight steals in 89 Triple-A games this season. Strikeouts have increasingly become an issue for Thompson, as evidenced by this year’s 36.1 percent rate in Columbus.
Twins Acquire Brandon Barnes
The Twins have acquired outfielder Brandon Barnes from the Indians, per an announcement from the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. While the move will surely generate some confusion because it comes after the July 31 trade deadline, Barnes was still tradeable by virtue of the fact that he’s on a minor league deal and at no point had been on a 40-man roster this season. (We took a look at how these and other minor moves could still occur yesterday here at MLBTR.)
Cleveland didn’t specify a return, though it’s quite likely that the veteran Barnes was merely flipped to Minnesota for cash. The Twins have been looking for outfield depth in the minors — they signed Ramon Flores out of indie ball two days ago — and the Indians, conversely, have come into some newfound outfield depth. The trade of Trevor Bauer netted them both Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig, thus pushing Greg Allen and Jake Bauers to Triple-A Columbus and squeezing Barnes out of his everyday job there.
Barnes, 33, has posted a .271/.336/.529 batting line with 24 home runs, 25 doubles and nine steals in 420 plate appearances with Cleveland’s top affiliate in Columbus this season. He’s spent parts of six seasons at the Major League level, most recently appearing in 19 games with Cleveland just last season. Barnes is capable of playing all three outfield spots but carries an underwhelming .242/.290/.357 batting line through 1274 big league plate appearances. He’ll give the Twins some depth in Triple-A Rochester.
Red Sox To Place Heath Hembree On IL
Red Sox right-hander Heath Hembree is headed back to the injured list due to an elbow strain, reports Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Hembree also missed about three weeks earlier this summer owing to a similar injury.
Hembree, 30, hasn’t looked right whatsoever in his return from that prior IL stint. He’s made a dozen appearances and totaled only nine innings while yielding 10 runs (nine earned) on 14 hits (including three homers) and six walks with 10 strikeouts. As Speier points out, he’s also displayed diminished velocity readings since being activated.
Hembree punched out 35 hitters and logged a 2.51 ERA through 28 2/3 innings prior to that initial injury. It’s not clear how long he’s expected to miss, but the injury is yet another setback to a Red Sox relief corps that surprisingly went unaddressed at the trade deadline (and in the offseason). The elimination of August trade waivers all but eliminates the possibility of Boston adding any truly notable help to the relief corps, although there are still some ways to add some depth to what they already have in house.