Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rays Promote Brandon Lowe

By | at

The Rays have officially promoted infielder Brandon Lowe to the major league roster, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was first to report. Daniel Robertson has been placed on the DL to accommodate.

The 24-year-old Lowe is a homegrown product, having been selected by the Rays in the third round of 2015’s amateur draft. He’s dominated at every level of the minors since joining the organization, most recently posting a commanding .304/.380/.613 batting line at Triple-A with 14 homers in just 205 plate appearances. And while his 22.9% strikeout rate at that level is a bit high, it’s far from the levels of some of the power threats in today’s game. Overall, his performance was good for a 177 wRC+.

Baseball America ranked Lowe as the 16th-best prospect in a deep Rays farm system prior to the 2018 season, touting his above-average bat speed and penchant for being aggressive on pitches in the strike zone. At the midpoint of the season, MLB Pipeline has Lowe all the way up to ninth in the Tampa Bay organization. The publication raved about his hitting ability and “consistent pop to the gaps” with sneaky raw power and loads of patience. His ceiling will be limited by the likelihood that he becomes a solid yet unspectacular defender at second base.

Red Sox Place Ian Kinsler on DL, Pedroia To 60-Day DL

By | at

The Red Sox have officially placed the recently-acquired Ian Kinsler on the disabled list and moved fellow second baseman Dustin Pedroia to the 60-day DL. Infielder Tony Renda has been added to the MLB roster to take Kinsler’s place.

Kinsler, of course, recently came to Boston by way of a July 30th transaction that sent a pair of minor leaguers to the Angels. The Red Sox also received about $1.83MM in the swap. The 36-year-old had already amassed four hits in just 11 plate appearances with the Red Sox and has enjoyed a strong season to date, accruing 2.1 fWAR across the 2018 season in part due to typically stellar defense.

It remains to be seen how the Sox plan to proceed in Kinsler’s absence. The “tight hamstring” probably won’t shelve the veteran for too long, but it’s not as though Boston has a host of capable keystone defenders. Following the removal of Kinsler from last night’s matchup, MVP candidate Mookie Betts shifted from the outfield to second base (his natural position, though one he hasn’t played since 2014).

As for Pedroia, it would appear that recent concerns were not without cause. Following offseason knee surgery, the veteran (and one of the long-time faces of the Red Sox franchise) hasn’t been able to make a clean comeback to the field. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that Pedroia has already been back on the disabled list for over 60 days, so this transfer won’t in and of itself affect his timetable to return to the field. Still, there’s been no word of any change to his status.

Padres Place Wil Myers On DL, Recall Franmil Reyes

By | at

The Padres announced that they’ve placed outfielder Wil Myers on the 10-day disabled list with a “left foot contusion/bone bruise”, retroactive to yesterday. In his place, they’ve recalled fellow outfielder Franmil Reyes.

It’s been about six weeks since the club made the reverse transaction; that is to say, they activated Myers from the DL and optioned Reyes to Triple-A. Myers had been on the shelf with an oblique injury for about two months, and will now be out for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time.

There’s not a significant 2018 impact here for the 43-69 Padres, regardless of how long Myers is out. But it’s certainly a moral blow to a team that when 5-20 in July and hasn’t been able to find its footing in a tough NL West division that also features the Dodgers, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Giants. The silver lining is that a bone bruise probably won’t have a serious long-term impact on Myers’ ability to take the field, despite the fact that he’s got somewhat of an injury history.

For the time being it would seem as though Reyes will directly replace Myers in the outfield, with some combination of Travis Jankowski, Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe set to complete the picture. Reyes, for his part, has struggled to a .221/.270/.423 batting line in a small major-league sample so far, though he does come with a prolific power track record in Triple-A.

Greg Holland Rumors: Saturday

By | at

Amidst the whirlwind of rumors and action leading up to the trade deadline, one notable transaction may have flown under the radar. After being released by the Cardinals, Greg Holland (he of a 7.92 ERA and as many walks as strikeouts) is officially a free agent and can be signed by any team… if they think he’s worth a roster spot.

Here’s the latest on the 2017 NL saves leader…

  • According to agent Scott Boras, Holland has “received five or six calls from teams” (h/t Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe). Of course, it’s not clear exactly what level of interest these teams might have in actually signing the right-hander, who can be added for just the pro-rated portion of the league minimum salary (leaving the Cardinals on the hook for the prorated portion of the one-year, $14MM contract they signed him to at the end of March).
  • Elsewhere in Boston media, Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal reports that the Red Sox aren’t among the teams to have allegedly inquired on Holland. However, the club is “open to continuing to look at the relief market”, per McAdam. Boston’s bullpen has been one of the best in baseball so far this season, compiling a combined 3.35 ERA that ranks fifth-best in baseball thanks in part to excellent performances by Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Matz, Miller, Pham, Pillar

By | at

ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(August 3rd)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

—

AMERICAN LEAGUE

  • CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 60-Day DL: RP Andrew Miller
    • Designated for assignment: RP Zach McAllister
    • Injury news: OF Tyler Naquin is likely out for the remainder of the season after undergoing hip surgery. He is currently on the 10-Day DL.

—

FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

Injury Notes: Deal Medicals, Matz, Devenski, Nicasio, Kinsler

By | at

WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford took an interesting look at changes that have been made to the process of assessing health in trades. The 2016 Drew Pomeranz swap, and more particularly the fallout from it, sparked the development of a much more robust system for documenting and assessing medical matters. While thee’s obviously an advantage in enhancing the scrutiny, it also leads to what Bradford calls a “tremendously tedious process.”

Here’s the latest on some injury situations around the league:

  • The Mets announced today that they have placed lefty Steven Matz on the 10-day disabled list with a flexor pronator strain. That sounds a bit frightening, though indications are that it’s not a terribly concerning injury situation. Still, any arm troubles are somewhat more worrisome for a young hurler that has experienced so many already since his 2015 debut. Matz, who will be replaced on the active roster by right-hander Corey Oswalt, joins Phillip Evans on the shelf. The 25-year-old infielder suffered a non-displaced fracture of his tibia, though it is perhaps still possible he’ll be able to return to action this season.
  • The Astros have placed reliever Chris Devenski on the 10-day disabled list with left hamstring tightness, the club announced. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by southpaw Cionel Perez. Devenski had been cruising through another dominant season before he imploded very recently. Devenski had a 1.32 ERA as of July 1st, but has since allowed 13 earned runs in seven outings — including eight without recording an out over his past two appearances. Clearly, something isn’t quite right, so the ’Stros will give him a chance to get back to full health before the stretch run.
  • Also heading to the DL is Mariners righty Juan Nicasio, the team announced. He’ll be replaced by reliever Chasen Bradford. Knee problems have been an issue for the 31-year-old Nicasio this year. He’s now sporting a 6.00 ERA through 42 frames on the season, though he’s also carrying a sparkling 53:5 K/BB ratio.
  • Just-acquired Red Sox second baseman Ian Kinsler is likewise set to hit the DL after leaving tonight’s game with a tight hamstring, Bradford tweets. The seriousness isn’t yet apparent, but it doesn’t appear to be a major source of concern. Kinsler will be replaced for the time being by infielder Tony Renda.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/3/18

By | at

We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves:

  • The Athletics have outrighted right-hander Carlos Ramirez, who cleared waivers after being designated for assignment recently. Ramirez, 27, has allowed just eight earned runs on nine hits in his 25 MLB innings over the past two years. Of course, he also dished out nine free passes to go with only five strikeouts in 8 1/3 frames this season. Ramirez has spent most of his time of late in the upper minors. At Triple-A this year, in 32 1/3 innings with the A’s and Blue Jays organizations, Ramirez has worked to a 5.01 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 5.6 BB/9.

Chris Young Undergoes Hip Surgery

By | at

Angels outfielder Chris Young has undergone right hip surgery, per a club announcement. He will need an additional procedure on his left hip as well. Both are to address labral tears.

The 34-year-old’s outlook isn’t immediately clear, but it seems reasonable to guess it’ll be challenging for him to make it back this year. He has already been on the shelf for a month with a hamstring strain. With just two months of the season left to be played, Young may be looking at a return next spring.

Regardless, the Halos likely will not get value on the $2MM they invested in Young over the winter. That was certainly a reasonable amount to pay for the veteran reserve, who has mostly provided solid overall output over his 13-year career. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out as hoped.

In 128 plate appearances on the year, Young carries only a .168/.252/.363 batting line with six home runs. It’s fair to note that he’s only carrying a .183 BABIP, but Young is also producing soft contact at a whopping 38.5% rate and his strikeout rate has jumped to 28.9% after sitting in the twenty percent range in recent years. Plus, he has graded as a below-average defender in the outfield.

Young has been more effective against left-handers (85 wRC+) than against same-handed pitchers, but obviously he has lagged even in that regard. The expectation was that he’d provide something of a platoon partner for Kole Calhoun and a back-up for Mike Trout and Justin Upton, helping to form a highly productive outfield unit on a contending team. Instead, with the since-rejuvenated Calhoun embroiled in a miserable slump to begin the year, right field became one of the problem areas for a club that has fallen short of expectations.

Hunter Greene Diagnosed With Sprained UCL

By | at

Top Reds prospect Hunter Greene has been diagnosed with a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament, the team announced. He won’t pitch again this season.

For the time being, Greene is slated to attempt to rehab the injury. The announcement indicates that he’ll report to the organization’s Spring Training facility and be monitored “throughout the offseason.” Perhaps the hope is that he’ll be ready to ramp up fully in camp next year.

It seems promising that the organization feels it’s worth pursuing a rehab rather than a surgical route. The club has not specified the grade of the strain. Obviously, any UCL injury raises the specter of the famous Tommy John procedure, but there’s no indication that it’s a consideration at this point in Greene’s case and plenty of pitchers have made it back from the injury without going under the knife.

Greene, who’s closing in on his 19th birthday, was the second overall pick in the 2017 draft. The high-powered righty rose to 18th on MLB.com’s mid-season ranking of the top prospects in baseball. In eighteen starts this year, he compiled a 4.48 ERA with 11.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over 68 1/3 innings at the Class A level.

Cardinals Outright Tyler Lyons, Release Greg Holland

By | at

The Cardinals announced today that two recently-designated relief pitchers have cleared waivers. Lefty Tyler Lyons was outrighted to Triple-A, while right-hander Greg Holland was given his release.

Both of these hurlers were trimmed from the St. Louis roster during a pre-trade deadline bullpen purge. Clearly, neither performed to expectations this year.

Lyons, 30, was one of the club’s most reliable relievers over the past few campaigns. But he dealt with injuries and struggled through 16 2/3 innings on the current season, allowing 16 earned runs on 24 hits.

Though he looks similar in many respects over that short sample — velocity, swinging-strike and strikeout rate — Lyons has given up quite a bit of hard contact. That’s reflected in the .412 BABIP he surrendered, which could reflect some poor fortune and/or degradation in the quality of his work.

As for Holland, he was off to a miserable start before hitting the DL for a hip impingement. Things were generally better upon his return: outside of one particularly awful outing, he allowed three earned runs and recorded 11 strikeouts in 11 frames.

Still, it’s hard to fault the Cards for deciding they’d seen enough, especially after Holland turned in another poor outing in his last appearance with the team. He ended up with a 7.92 ERA in his 25 frames for the St. Louis organization, which is not at all what the team bargained for when it made a late strike that promised the veteran hurler $14MM this season. The remainder of that promise will stay on the Cardinals’ books, less any pro-rated portion of the league minimum he makes with another organization.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top