Indians Re-Sign Matt Belisle
The Indians have announced that righty Matt Belisle is re-joining the organization on a minor-league deal. He’ll begin his tenure at Triple-A.
It seems that Belisle was not able to find a better opportunity with another club. He opened the year on Cleveland’s active roster after winning a job in camp, but was designated for assignment two weeks ago and thereafter elected free agency.
Bullpen depth has been an ongoing problem for the Indians, so it’s not surprising to see this move. The club also had an opening at Triple-A after promoting Neil Ramirez to the MLB roster.
Belisle, who’s closing in on his 38th birthday, had a solid 2017 campaign — in particular, he finished on an excellent run — but was not overly impressive out of the gates this year. In his 10 1/3 innings, he allowed six earned runs on nine hits and a walk. Belisle compiled just four strikeouts in that span, though he did maintain a swinging-strike rate of 9.8% that falls in line with his prior levels.
Blake Swihart’s Agent Asks Red Sox For Trade
Blake Swihart‘s agent, The Legacy Agency’s Brodie Scoffield, tells Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston that he has asked the Red Sox to trade the little-used player to another organization.
It has been an awkward arrangement from the start of the season, as the out-of-options Swihart has seen just 24 innings in the field (mostly in left) while picking up 32 plate appearances off of the bench. A catcher by trade, he’s obviously not a part of the team’s plans behind the dish, as he has caught only a single inning despite the marked offensive struggles of Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez.
In all likelihood, the trade request won’t have any meaningful impact on Swihart’s future. But it’s also likely to be fulfilled on the team’s own volition. After all, the Sox are engaged in what promises to be a season-long battle for supremacy in the AL East. It feels as if something has to give at some point, given that Swihart is effectively being treated as something like a Rule 5 pick.
Frankly, it’s a curious situation all around. Surely, some other teams would be glad to give a shot to the 26-year-old Swihart, a former first-round pick and top-100 prospect. But it’s also tough to imagine he’ll be valued too highly in a trade. Swihart produced good, but hardly overwhelming, offensive numbers on the way up the ladder. Since his first MLB action in 2015, he hasn’t hit much at any level and still hasn’t settled in anywhere defensively while dealing with injuries and inconsistent opportunities. The fact that Swihart cannot be optioned will make it tough for a team that wishes to try him out behind the plate, since he’d have to be thrown right into the fire at the MLB level despite minimal time under the mask this season.
As Drellich explains, it seems that a decision point could soon be approaching, as Dustin Pedroia‘s pending return from the disabled list will make it all but impossible to continue carrying Swihart. It could be that the Sox are simply waiting until the last possible moment to make a decision. After all, an injury could arise that would enhance Swihart’s utility to the Boston organization (or to a potential trade partner). Presumably, the Boston front office already knows which rivals have serious interest and what sort of return — a useful MLB reliever? some far-off young talent? — might be achievable, if any. In the meantime, there’s little for Swihart to do but sit back and wait.
Mariners To Select Contract Of Christian Bergman
The Mariners will select the contract of righty Christian Bergman to make tomorrow’s start, reports Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com (via Twitter). Seattle has a pair of open spots on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding 25-man move to activate the 30-year-old for tomorrow’s 2018 debut.
Bergman is in his second season with the Mariners organization, having re-signed a minor league deal with Seattle this past offseason. He posted an even 5.00 ERA in 54 innings with the Mariners in 2014, averaging 5.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and 2.0 HR/9 with a 37.7 percent ground-ball rate in 13 appearances (eight starts). He’ll make his 2018 debut in a spot start following this weekend’s doubleheader and yesterday’s makeup game against the Twins in Minneapolis.
[Related: Seattle Mariners depth chart]
While Bergman’s numbers last season were rather pedestrian, he’s off to a fine start in 2018, having notched a 3.40 ERA with a 41-to-12 K/BB ratio (8.2 K/9, 2.4 BB/9) in 45 innings for the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. He’s been the team’s most effective starter in Triple-A by a wide margin, which, while not exactly a ringing endorsement for Seattle’s upper-level depth, makes clear why he’s getting the first look among the team’s current options in Tacoma. He does have a minor league option remaining as well, meaning the M’s can shuttle him back to Tacoma following the spot start without needing to expose him to waivers.
MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Darvish, Moncada, Pollock, Turner
ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(May 15th)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: CF A.J. Pollock (fractured thumb)
- Pollock is expected to miss 4-8 weeks.
- Chris Owings and Jarrod Dyson are expected to share CF duties while Pollock is out.
- Promoted: 1B/OF Christian Walker
- Placed on 10-Day DL: CF A.J. Pollock (fractured thumb)
- ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
- Acquisition: RP Chad Bell (claimed off waivers from Tigers)
- Bell was optioned to Triple-A.
- Acquisition: RP Chad Bell (claimed off waivers from Tigers)
- CHICAGO CUBS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Yu Darvish
- Optioned: OF Mark Zagunis
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 3B Justin Turner, INF Logan Forsythe
- Turner played 3B and batted 3rd on Tuesday.
- Forsythe played 2B and batted 7th on Tuesday.
- Optioned: C/INF Kyle Farmer, OF/INF Tim Locastro
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 3B Justin Turner, INF Logan Forsythe
- NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
- Reinstated from Paternity List: OF Jay Bruce
- Placed on Paternity List: RP Jerry Blevins
- Promoted: RP Buddy Baumann, RP Jacob Rhame
- Optioned: 1B Dominic Smith, RP Corey Oswalt
- PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Mark Leiter Jr.
- Optioned: RP Jake Thompson
- SAN DIEGO PADRES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Joey Lucchesi (strained hip)
- Promoted: 2B Carlos Asuaje
- SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: INF Miguel Gomez
- Optioned: OF Austin Slater
- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Adam Wainwright
- Promoted: SP Jack Flaherty
—
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- BALTIMORE ORIOLES | Depth Chart
- Possible role change: RP Miguel Castro was set to start Wednesday’s game, though with a rainout Tuesday, it’s not clear if he’ll get a start later in the week or remain in the bullpen.
- Outrighted: INF/OF Renato Nunez
- BOSTON RED SOX | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: RP Carson Smith (shoulder subluxation)
- Promoted: RP Bobby Poyner
- CHICAGO WHITE SOX | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 2B Yoan Moncada
- Moncada played 2B and batted 1st on Tuesday.
- Optioned: INF Jose Rondon
- Activated from 10-Day DL: 2B Yoan Moncada
- CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: OF Bradley Zimmer (rib contusion)
- Promoted: RP Neil Ramirez (contract purchased)
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: P Ryan Merritt
- NEW YORK YANKEES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: OF Clint Frazier
- Frazier was not in Tuesday’s lineup.
- Designated for assignment: RP David Hale
- Promoted: OF Clint Frazier
- OAKLAND ATHLETICS | Depth Chart
- Reinstated from Bereavement List: OF Stephen Piscotty
- Piscotty played RF and batted 8th on Tuesday.
- Optioned: SP Kendall Graveman
- Reinstated from Bereavement List: OF Stephen Piscotty
- SEATTLE MARINERS | Depth Chart
- Placed on Restricted List: 2B Robinson Cano
- Cano was suspended 80 games
- Dee Gordon is expected to play second base at least occasionally in the near future.
- Placed on Restricted List: 2B Robinson Cano
- TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: SP Anthony Banda
- Banda made his Rays debut as the starting pitcher in Tuesday’s game.
- Optioned: RP Hunter Wood
- Promoted: SP Anthony Banda
- TEXAS RANGERS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 3B Adrian Beltre (strained hamstring)
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa played 3B and batted 6th on Tuesday.
- Promoted: INF Hanser Alberto (contract purchased)
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 3B Adrian Beltre (strained hamstring)
- TORONTO BLUE JAYS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: OF Dwight Smith Jr.
- Optioned: OF Anthony Alford
—
FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- DET: SP Ryan Carpenter will be recalled from the minors on Wednesday May 16th, according to Evan Woodberry of MLive.com.
- DET: OF Leonys Martin expected to return from the disabled list on Friday May 18th, according to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News.
- OAK: SP Trevor Cahill is expected to return from the disabled list on Wednesday May 16th, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- SEA: SP Christian Bergman will have contract purchased from the minors on Wednesday May 16th, according to Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com.
AL West Notes: Athletics, Heaney, Moore
Trevor Cahill is set to return from the disabled list tomorrow after missing one start, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Athletics will have him displace Kendall Graveman in the rotation, she adds in a separate column. Graveman pitched reasonably well in his one start after a demotion to Triple-A, but the A’s still would like him to continue to round back into form in Nashville following a surprisingly ugly start to the season. As Slusser notes, Oakland could’ve dropped Brett Anderson from the rotation, but doing so would mean designating the lefty for assignment.
Graveman was optioned out to make room on the roster for the return of Stephen Piscotty — who homered in his first at-bat back with the team tonight — from the bereavement list. The Athletics will need to make another roster move to accommodate Cahill’s activation tomorrow, which could mean optioning Jake Smolinski to Nashville as well, per Slusser.
Here’s more from the division…
- Angels lefty Andrew Heaney dominated the division-rival Astros last night, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes, in what the pitcher calls “probably the best game I pitched in my career.” Heaney now carries a 3.93 ERA over 34 1/3 innings through six starts. But fielding-independent pitching numbers suggest he has been even better; he’s carrying an appealing combination of 10.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. As Fletcher notes, the results have been particularly promising over the last four outings, reflecting a decision by Heaney to abandon an experiment with pitching on the third-base side of the rubber. All said, his performance to date has been enormously encouraging, though the big question remains whether he can stay healthy.
- Despite a terrible start to the season, left-hander Matt Moore will remain in the Rangers‘ rotation for now, writes MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. The former Rays/Giants southpaw will lug a 7.82 ERA into Saturday’s start against the White Sox, having averaged 6.6 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 with 1.42 HR/9 and a 38.6 percent ground-ball rate. Moore has no doubt had some poor fortune, with a .388 BABIP and 62.3 percent strand rate, but even fielding-independent metrics peg him well north of 5.00. Sullivan does note that Moore’s spot, however, is in some jeopardy. Manager Jeff Banister stressed that Moore has “got to show some progress” before adding that he’s not considering a switch in the rotation just yet. Right-hander Jesse Chavez has showed well in a long relief role, though Banister suggested that the organization is happy with Chavez in his current role at present.
Rangers Place Adrian Beltre On DL, Select Contract Of Hanser Alberto
8:45pm: Beltre has a Grade 1 strain and could miss two to three weeks of action, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that Beltre conceded that he may need to be more open to spending time as the designated hitter.
5:19pm: The Rangers announced today that third baseman Adrian Beltre is headed back to the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. His placement on the DL is retroactive to Monday, and he’ll be replaced on the roster by infielder Hanser Alberto, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Round Rock. Texas now has a full 40-man roster.
[Related: Texas Rangers depth chart]
This marks the second DL trip of the season due to a left hamstring strain for Beltre, who was only activated from his original DL placement a month ago. He’s eligible to be activated from the disabled list on May 24, though it’s not yet clear if he’ll be able to return in the minimum 10-day allotment. The future Hall of Famer is hitting .314/.375/.422 with a homer and eight doubles on the season and was 5-for-15 in the five games he managed to play between DL stints.
With Beltre out of commission for at least another nine days, the Rangers can turn to the newly recalled Alberto and rookie Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the hot corner, where the latter already appeared on seven occasions this season. Renato Nunez absorbed some playing time in Beltre’s last absence, but he’s since been claimed off waivers and outrighted to Triple-A by the Orioles.
As for Alberto, he’ll be making his first big league appearance since 2016 when he steps onto the field for the Rangers. The 25-year-old missed all of last season due to shoulder issues and was non-tendered this winter but re-signed on a minor league pact. He hit .281/.308/.383 in 135 plate appearances for Round Rock before being called upon and is a career .194/.204/.226 hitter in a fairly small sample of 162 plate appearances — all of which came at ages 22 and 23.
Red Sox Acquire Josh Taylor From Diamondbacks
The Red Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired minor league left-hander Josh Taylor from the Diamondbacks as the player to be named later in the trade that sent infielder Deven Marrero to Arizona back on March 24.
Originally signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent, Taylor was traded to the D-backs alongside right-hander Chris Oliver back in the 2015 trade that sent the top international bonus slot from Arizona to Philadelphia. He’s in his first full season as a reliever after struggling as a starter in the minors and has pitched to a 2.81 ERA with a 20-to-5 K/BB ratio in 16 innings, albeit as a 25-year-old pitching against younger competition at the Class-A Advanced level. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe tweets that Taylor is headed to Boston’s Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.
Last season, Taylor worked to a 4.96 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 and a 49 percent ground-ball rate in 98 minor league innings — 97 of which came at the Double-A level. He’s not considered to be among the D-backs’ 30 best prospects by either MLB.com or Baseball America.
The Marrero pickup, thus far, has provided the Diamondbacks with some quality glovework at multiple infield positions but netted sub-par value with the bat. In 56 plate appearances, Marrero is hitting just .196/.250/.235, with a triple representing his lone extra-base hit of the season. Of course, he’s played sparingly and can’t be sent down to sharpen his approach with regular at-bats, given the fact that he’s out of minor league options.
Stephen Vogt To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Brewers catcher Stephen Vogt met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to have another examination of his ailing shoulder and received an unfortunate but largely expected diagnosis, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter links). He’ll require season-ending shoulder surgery that could threaten his career.
The 33-year-old Vogt was emotional last week when talking to reporters about the injury, which he sustained when making a throw to third base on a recent minor league rehab assignment. Vogt’s shoulder is said to have damage in each of the rotator cuff, labrum and anterior capsule, making the surgical procedure he’ll require extremely complex.
It’ll be the second major shoulder surgery of Vogt’s career, and the veteran backstop acknowledged last week that having been through a similar process before, there are “big implications” he’s being forced to think about. “I felt everything go wrong that could go wrong with a shoulder,” Vogt said at the time.
Vogt, commonly cited as a significant clubhouse fixture for both the Athletics and the Brewers (who acquired him last summer) is by all accounts beloved by both teammates and fans, as evidenced by the popular “I believe in Stephen Vogt” chants at O.Co Coliseum and the corresponding t-shirts created by fans. A two-time All-Star, Vogt is a career .251/.310/.416 hitter in parts of six big league seasons and slashed .254/.281/.508 with eight homers in just 129 plate appearances for the Brewers down the stretch last season.
[Related: Milwaukee Brewers depth chart]
With Vogt now decidedly out of the catching mix in Milwaukee, the Brewers will continue to rely on Manny Pina and Jett Bandy behind the plate. However, neither player has produced much offensively this season, which could push the Brewers to eventually give a longer look to either Jacob Nottingham or Christian Bethancourt. Giving Bethancourt a look would require a 40-man roster move for the Brewers. Vogt is already on the 60-day DL, so he couldn’t be transferred there as a means of clearing room.
A.J. Pollock Out Four To Eight Weeks With Fractured Thumb
Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock has been diagnosed with an avulsion fracture of his left thumb, the Diamondbacks announced on Tuesday. He’s expected to miss between four and eight weeks, per manager Torey Lovullo. The injury will not require surgery, per FanRag’s Jack Magruder (Twitter link), and Pollock will wear a soft cast for the time being.
Pollock, a free agent at season’s end, was originally diagnosed with a sprain earlier today, though further testing revealed the fracture, it seems. He sustained the injury while diving for a ball in last night’s game. This specific type of fracture, per the Mayo Clinic, occurs when “a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone.”
Jarrod Dyson and Chris Owings can step in to handle some of the team’s work in center field, though obviously the loss of Pollock is a notable blow for a Diamondbacks club that leads the NL West by two games with a 24-17 record. It’s also a substantial blow to Pollock, who’s been among the game’s best players early in the season and was doing a nice work in padding his free agent stock as the offseason approached. Through 160 plate appearances this season, he’s hitting .293/.349/.620 with 11 homers — just nine shy of his career-high despite the fact that we’re just a quarter of the way through the regular season. Pollock’s .620 slugging percentage leads all qualified hitters in the NL.
The D-backs haven’t yet announced a corresponding move for the clearly inevitable DL trip, though MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweeted earlier that first baseman/outfielder Christian Walker has a locker set up in the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse, so it seems that he’ll be added to the roster for tonight’s game with Pollock heading to the 10-day disabled list. The 27-year-old Walker went 2-for-15 in a brief stint with Arizona earlier this season and is hitting .286/.288/.521 through 52 PAs with Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno.
Dee Gordon To See Time At Second Base For Mariners
The Mariners will give Dee Gordon some time at his natural position of second base in the wake of Robinson Cano‘s shocking 80-game suspension, GM Jerry Dipoto told Seattle reporters today (Twitter links via Corey Brock of The Athletic). The organization has already approached Gordon about the possibility, and Brock notes that Gordon is “all in” and will play wherever the team asks of him. The transition won’t happen right away, however, as Gordon hasn’t been taking ground-balls since being acquired by the Mariners. They’ll instead give him some time to readjust to the position and take part in fielding drills outside of a game setting.
It’s not yet certain that Gordon will simply take over as the club’s everyday second baseman, though that possibility certainly exists. Rather, Gordon’s flexibility and willingness to move back to the infield on a full-time basis, if needed, will allow Dipoto and his staff the luxury of exploring the addition of both infielders and outfielders as they look to bolster the roster in Cano’s absence. Asked by TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune if the Mariners could reallocate some of the funds they’ll save on Cano’s suspension to a roster upgrade, Dipoto responded in the affirmative (Twitter link). By my calculation, Cano’s suspension will cost him about $10.26MM of his $24MM salary for the 2018 campaign.
The ever-active Dipoto is never one to shy away from a trade, so it’s not especially surprising that Dipoto plans to search outside the organization for potential acquisitions in both the infield and the outfield (Twitter link via Greg Johns of MLB.com). The Mariners are currently sitting 1.5 games out of the division lead in the AL West and an identical 1.5 games back from a Wild Card berth thanks to a strong 23-17 start to the season. Clearly, they’re at something of a disadvantage on the trade market given their thin farm system and the lack of teams selling off high-quality MLB assets this time of season, though the fact that they can apply some unexpected financial resources toward a potential trade could work to their advantage.
Regarding Cano, it’s also worth noting that Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the infielder will indeed undergo surgery to repair his fractured hand tomorrow (Twitter links). Of course, given his suspension, the fact that he’s undergoing surgery won’t prolong his absence from the roster. He’ll serve his suspension while on the disabled list, though he won’t be paid for any of the time he misses, of course, and remains ineligible for postseason play should the Mariners qualify.
[Related: Seattle Mariners depth chart]
For the time being, when Gordon does eventually move back onto the infield dirt, the Mariners can push Guillermo Heredia into an outfield role alongside both Mitch Haniger and Ben Gamel. Utilitymen Taylor Motter (currently in Triple-A) and Andrew Romine (on the 25-man roster) can both see time in both the middle infield and the outfield corners, giving manager Scott Servais some options to mix and match while the front office scours the trade market.