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Brewers Option Domingo Santana

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The Brewers announced today that they’ve optioned outfielder Domingo Santana to Triple-A Colorado Springs. In a related move, the club has elected to promote Brad Miller, whom the team acquired from the Rays just under two weeks ago.

It’s been quite the fall from grace for the soon-to-be 26-year-old Santana, who last season enjoyed a breakout campaign headlined by 30 homers, 15 stolen bases and a .278/.371/.505 batting line. That hardly seems like a fluke on the surface, considering Santana’s .362 xwOBA ranked just outside the 10th percentile among 546 hitters with at least 50 batted ball events. His hard contact rate (39.7%) and plate discipline (12% walk rate, 26.5% chase rate) also supported the argument that Santana was simply a very good hitter.

Santana’s struggles this season have been well-documented. He appears to have taken a step backwards in nearly every facet of his game. Certainly the power has mysteriously disappeared, evidenced by a mere three homers and .354 slugging percentage. But equally alarming is the fact that his walk rate has dropped off significantly; his 8.5% clip so far would be the lowest of his career by a full two points (not including an 18 PA cup of coffee in 2014). Santana’s batting average has also dropped a full 31 points even despite a marginal increase over last year’s gaudy .363 BABIP. His one stolen base thus far puts him on pace for a dramatic drop-off from the 15 bases he stole in 2017.

One of the biggest differences in Santana’s game this year is his batted ball profile. His line drive rate has plummeted from 27.4% last season to 22.8% so far in 2018. Those lost liners have all turned into ground balls, and as a result Santana’s hit the ball on the ground more than half the time this year. He’s also been chasing quite a few more pitches outside of the strike zone; his chase rate of 30.8% is a large jump from last year’s 26.5% clip.

The move likely means more playing time for Jesus Aguilar, who’s been a revelation for the Brewers this season. Aguilar, who came to Milwaukee last year after being designated for assignment by the Indians, has been one of the top ten best hitters in baseball this season. However, due in part to the return of Eric Thames to the lineup, Aguilar has sat on the bench twice in the past week. The removal of Santana from the active roster should help clear up a bit more playing time for a hitter who has certainly earned it with his 16 homers and .975 OPS.

Tigers Sign Josh Thole To Minor-League Deal

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The Tigers have signed catcher Josh Thole to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Double-A Erie, per the SeaWolves’ Twitter account.

Thole, 31, is perhaps best known as the personal catcher for Cy Young-winnings knuckleballer R.A. Dickey during some of his best seasons. The relationship between the two was strong enough to facilitate the addition of Thole into the December 2012 trade that sent Dickey from the Mets to the Blue Jays; the backstop ended up appearing in 102 games for Toronto in the two years following that swap.

The veteran Thole has certainly never been known for his bat. He last appeared in the majors during the 2016 season, when he hit just .169/.254/.220 across 136 plate appearances. For his MLB career, Thole sports a wRC+ of just 73, in part due to a slugging percentage that barely tops .300.

To be fair, though, Thole’s never been valued for his bat. Despite these laughable offensive numbers, Fangraphs’ WAR formula rates Thole as an above-replacement-level player for his lifetime due to solid defensive numbers. Thole’s also shown an aptitude for catching knuckleballs during his career, which is no simple feat.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Jones, Orioles, Sanchez, Blue Jays

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It’s still early in the season relative to the league’s non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July, so with the disclaimer that trade are still subject to change before then, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports that the Red Sox “have an eye on” adding a reliever and a right-handed hitter to complement the team. Drellich points out that these types of additions would not mean “mortgaging” the team’s already-thin farm system, as the addition of a righty-bat would likely be an infielder to balance out the club’s lefty-heavy group. He also cites some troubling statistics about the usage and performance of pinch-hitters for the club, signaling that a backup plan for Dustin Pedroia could help the team in matchup situations. The veteran was seen as likely to resume baseball activities shortly after returning to the DL on June 2nd, but still has yet to be cleared for such activities three weeks later.

Other news and notes from around a topheavy AL East division…

  • Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun takes a look at the situation of Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, who’s enjoying one of his best calendar months in years. Per Meoli, Jones isn’t concerned about all the resulting trade chatter surrounding him. “I can’t let it bother me. I’m in a different part of my life to where I’m not anticipating a $150 million, $200 million, $300 million offer this offseason. I’m more just, ’Let me go be a pro, do what I do best,’ and that’s play the game hard and live with the result. All the other stuff, all the projections and this and that, that’s all whatever.” Notably, Jones is well aware that he “holds all the cards” in regards to where (or if) he’s traded, as the veteran’s been with the O’s long enough to qualify for ten-and-five rights.
  • Speaking of the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com takes a look at what the club’s infield (and roster) could look like post-Machado, if and when the veteran is shipped to another club. Kubatko notes that where fellow infielder Tim Beckham plays will depend upon whether or not the O’s get a major-league ready shortstop as part of the return for their superstar (if the don’t, Beckham seems likely to take over the position). In addition to all this speculation, Kubatko adds that Danny Valencia could see time at third in that case, but has also played himself into potential trade-chip status.
  • Young Blue Jays hurler Aaron Sanchez left last night’s game with a finger contusion, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports, noting that his departure throws a question mark into Toronto’s rotation. It’s not clear at this juncture whether Sanchez’ current finger issue is in any way related to the blister-related issues that limited him to just 36 innings last season, though reports of a contusion would seem to make that improbable. With so many moving parts on the Jays’ pitching staff, the Davidi wonders how the rotation alignment will shake out; there’s been some suggestion that Jaime Garcia could move to the bullpen with Marcus Stroman and Sam Gaviglio set to return from the DL and paternity list soon, respectively.

2018 Amateur Signings: 6/22/18

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Let’s round up Friday’s draft deals of note. As always, the rankings referenced come courtesy of Fangraphs, MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law; Fangraphs and MLB.com scouting reports are available to the public free of charge, while the others require subscriptions.

  • The Pirates have a deal with second-rounder Braxton Ashcraft, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. Aschcraft’s $1,825,000 bonus comes in well over the slot value for the 51st overall selection ($1,382,400). The Baseball America (#58) and MLB.com (#64) analysts were highest on the reputedly athletic hurler, who’s regarded more for his projectability than his present ability on the mound. He’ll forego a commitment to Baylor to join the Bucs, who have inked most of their top picks but are still trying to work things out with sandwich round selection Gunnar Hoglund.
  • Astros second-rounder Jayson Schroeder also lands over slot, Callis tweets. Like Ashcraft, Schroeder is a high-school righty who still needs polish but has shown promising tools. He’ll take home a $1.25MM bonus after being taken 66th overall, a choice that carried a $965,300 allocation. Schroeder had been slated to attend the University of Washington.
  • The Brewers announced their deal with second-round choice Joe Gray, with Callis again tweeting the dollars. Gray lands right at the $1,113,500 allocation for the 60th selection. He’s another toolsy player who’ll forego a collegiate commitment, but in his case he’s an outfielder who has decided against a run at the University of Mississippi. A quality defender with power, Gray is seen as possessing significant upside — if his hitting ability can catch up to his other talents. Notably, the Brewers have yet to ink first-rounder Brice Turang. And amateur scouting director Tod Johnson suggested today that a deal is not inevitable, telling Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link): “Obviously he and his family have to make a decision as to whether he wants to get on the field and start playing professionally, or go down to LSU and go that route.”

NL Notes: Kershaw, Cespedes, Strasburg, Robles, Machado

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In a surprise move, the Dodgers announced today that ace Clayton Kershaw will start the club’s game tomorrow, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times was among those to tweet. Kershaw, who is coming back from a lower back strain, had been scheduled for a rehab outing but evidently felt up to the task of jumping back to the bigs after missing about three weeks  of action. That’s promising news for the Los Angeles organization, which will hope that the southpaw can not only avoid a third trip to the DL this year, but return to form after a less-than-dominant (by his lofty standards, at least) start to the season.

More from the National League:

  • The Mets, on the other hand, will face off against Kershaw without one of their key players. Slugger Yoenis Cespedes has been down longer than might have been hoped with a hip injury. While the club announced today that Cespedes is still not running or taking part in baseball activities due to ongoing symptoms, GM Sandy Alderson suggested it’s possible the veteran outfielder may get moving again early next week. (Via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, on Twitter.) At this point, though, it’s still anyone’s guess just when he may make it back to the bigs.
  • For the Nationals, health has been a major problem all season long. The club has received reasonably promising news of late regarding two key assets, though. Stephen Strasburg has now thrown the ball twice this week without apparent incident, as Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com was among those to tweet. That seems to indicate that his shoulder inflammation is beginning to subside, though the real tests are surely yet to come. Meanwhile, president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo said in an appearance on 106.7 The Fan (via TalkNats.com) that outfield prospect Victor Robles is nearly ready to resume baseball activities after a long layoff from a hyper-extended elbow. If he’s able to progress from there, Robles may yet be back in action this year. The club may not call upon him to play a role in the majors in 2018, but having Robles available would surely be beneficial, and getting him back in action would also help with sorting the plans for 2019.
  • The odds seem rather long, to say the least, but Jon Heyman of Fan Rag wrote yesterday that the Padres have at least checked in with the Orioles on star infielder Manny Machado. That connection might make greater sense if the Padres were a more plausible contender or, at least, if Machado was not slated to reach free agency at season’s end. As it stands, it’s tough to fathom the Friars unloading young talent in an attempt to chase the postseason this year. Doing so in earnest, in all likelihood, would mean adding multiple other pieces as well. It could still make sense, though, for the Padres to get a gauge on Baltimore’s situation. The Pads could face some 40-man pressures this winter, so there could be an opportunity to function as a part of a three-team arrangement. If the club is really feeling bold, perhaps it could make an early strike for Machado with plans to flip him if a sudden run up the standings doesn’t ensue, though a mid-season gambit of that kind involving a rental player of Machado’s caliber would be sui generis.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Cervelli, Garcia, Joyce, Soroka

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(June 22nd)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

  • CHICAGO WHITE SOX | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: INF/OF Leury Garcia, OF Avisail Garcia
      • Leury played LF and batted 6th in Game 1 of Friday’s double-header.
      • Avisail played RF and batted 2nd in Game 1 of Friday’s double-header.
    • Promoted: RP Thyago Vieira 
      • Vieira was the 26th man for Friday’s double-header.
    • Optioned: INF Jose Rondon
    • Designated for assignment: OF Trayce Thompson
  • OAKLAND ATHLETICS | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Matt Joyce
      • Joyce played LF and batted 3rd in Game 2 of Friday’s double-header.
    • Promoted: RP Danny Coulombe
      • Coulombe was the 26th man for Friday’s double-header.
    • Optioned: OF Jake Smolinski

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FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

Pirates Place Francisco Cervelli On 7-Day Concussion DL

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The Pirates announced just before today’s game that they placed catcher Francisco Cervelli on the 7-day concussion DL. Fellow backstop Jacob Stallings has been recalled to take his place on the active roster.

That’s unwelcome news for the Bucs, who say that Cervelli alerted the organization to symptoms last night, per MLB.com’s Adam Berry (via Twitter). At this point, the prognosis is unknown.

It is hard to overstate Cervelli’s importance to a Pirates club that is trying to hang in a tough NL Central race. He has been not only one of the team’s best players, but one of the very most productive receivers in all of baseball. In just 218 plate appearances, Cervelli has already set a career-high with nine home runs and carries a .257/.390/.486 slash with a healthy 14.2% walk rate.

If the Pirates can’t stay close enough to a postseason berth, of course, some summer trade movement is likely. In that event, Cervelli could be a major possible trade asset — if, that is, the 32-year-old is at full health.

Under the three-year, $31MM extension Cervelli signed early in the 2016 season, he’s owed $10.5MM this season and $11.5MM for 2019. Those contract rights could hold appeal for contenders, but the injury questions have certainly mounted in recent seasons.

The veteran backstop missed significant time in 2017, ending the season on the DL owing to a quad injury. Earlier in the year, he twice spent time on the concussion DL. Unfortunately, today’s news represents a continuation of a rather extensive history of head injuries for Cervelli.

MLB Suspends Roberto Osuna For 75 Games

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After a long-pending investigation, Major League Baseball has announced a 75-game suspension of Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The ban is retroactive to May 8th and will end on August 4th of this year. Osuna will not appeal the decision, the league states.

Manfred’s statement does not specify the league’s findings beyond stating that he determined Osuna to have violated the domestic violence policy. In some of the prior announcements of suspensions under the policy, Manfred has offered factual assessments and some explanation of the basis for the punishment.

In another (perhaps related) distinction from some prior precedent, the criminal case against Osuna is still pending. The league has generally waited until criminal matters are fully litigated or otherwise resolved, at least in part to facilitate the acquisition of information.

In this case, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag, “it is believed MLB was able to interview the alleged victim” of the domestic assault. Osuna is said to be facing charges of assaulting his girlfriend. It seems, then, that commissioner Rob Manfred has been able to secure sufficient information to reach a determination.

There was surely greater pressure to reach a resolution given that the issue arose during the season. Osuna has been on administrative leave since his arrest, which explains the retroactive treatment. Heyman previously reported that the Toronto organization had unsuccessfully lobbied MLB for an expedited handling.

Under the policy, Manfred can issue suspensions or other punishments upon a finding that a player has committed a domestic assault or otherwise violated the terms of the policy, regardless of whether charges are brought or a conviction is secured. Punishment is subject to a “just cause” standard, though that will not be tested since Osuna has agreed to forego any appeal.

The 75-game duration of this suspension makes it the third-longest issued under the policy. Jose Torres (100 games) and Hector Olivera (82 games) hold the dubious distinction of having merited lengthier bans.

As the suspension is unpaid, Osuna will lose something on the order of $2.5MM of his $5.3MM salary for the season. It remains to be seen just how the remainder of his career will be impacted — it seems reasonable to expect broader ramifications, certainly — but at a minimum, his future potential arbitration earnings will be impacted substantially by the time he will have missed this season.

Braves Place Mike Soroka On DL, Select Contract Of Danny Santana

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3:57pm: Soroka says that an MRI cleared him of any structural issues, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. That’s certainly good news for the team, though presumably a conservative course will still be taken.

2:10pm: The Braves have sent young righty Mike Soroka back to the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He’s again dealing with inflammation in his pitching shoulder.

To replace him on the active roster, the Atlanta organization selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Danny Santana. A 40-man roster spot was opened for Santana by moving righty Jose Ramirez to the 60-day DL.

Soroka has been quite impressive this year, throwing 25 2/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball in his first five MLB starts at just twenty years of age. Unfortunately, though, he already missed about a month with a shoulder ailment and is now back on the shelf.

There’s still no indication that there’s a significant underlying problem at play here, though MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Soroka experienced a velocity drop-off in the midst of his last outing. Needless to say, any kind of issues in the shoulder will certainly be handled with ample care by the Braves, who are counting on Soroka to be a major contributor for years to come.

At this point, we’ll need to await further word before knowing more about Soroka’s outlook. A lengthy absence could certainly impact the team’s plans as the trade deadline approaches. Though rotation depth doesn’t seem to be a particular concern for the Braves at the time being, that can change quickly if injuries or performance issues begin to add up. And an upgrade is always a possibility, too.

The 27-year-old Santana played a significant role down the stretch last year for the Braves, but was non-tendered after the season. He ended up re-joining the organization on a minors deal.

Since his eye-popping debut season in 2014, Santana has struggled to hit at the MLB level. He has produced this year at Triple-A, though, launching 11 long balls and carrying a .539 slugging percentage Of course, Santana also maintains a meager .300 on-base percentage and has drawn just eight walks while going down on strikes 57 times.

NHL Draft Day At Pro Hockey Rumors

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The day has finally arrived, and the 2018 NHL Entry Draft is on tap tonight at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The Buffalo Sabres hold the first-overall pick and are widely expected to make Rasmus Dahlin only the second Swedish-born No. 1 selection in history after Mats Sundin in 1989. Dahlin is a franchise-changing defenseman who will be in Buffalo’s lineup on opening day, but there are plenty of other top prospects waiting to find out where their professional future will start.

Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Filip Zadina, Brady Tkachuk and others will all hear their names selected in the first few picks, but in which order is still to be determined. The Montreal Canadiens are holding everyone in suspense with their decision with the third-overall pick, while anyone from 6-10 could easily trade up or down. With all the speculation and rumor floating around you’ll need someone to cut through everything and bring just the most accurate, reliable information to you within seconds of it happening. Pro Hockey Rumors is the place for that, and the only place you’ll need to stay updated through tonight’s first round.

All the action starts at 6pm CDT, so make sure to check in regularly at ProHockeyRumors.com, follow @prohockeyrumors on Twitter and set your notifications accordingly in the Trade Rumors mobile app for iOS and Android to get all the breaking news alerts.

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