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Angel Perdomo

Braves Place Pierce Johnson On 15-Day Injured List

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The Braves placed right-hander Pierce Johnson on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.  Johnson’s placement is backdated to May 1.  Atlanta also announced that Jackson Stephens’ contract has been selected from Triple-A Gwinnett, and that to create 40-man roster space for Stephens, left-hander Angel Perdomo was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.

Acquired from the Rockies prior to last season’s trade deadline, Johnson posted an 0.76 ERA over 23 2/3 innings for the remainder of the 2023 season, with a 36% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate to go along with that tiny ERA.  Given those hugely impressive numbers, it isn’t surprising that the Braves moved to extend Johnson before he hit free agency, locking up the righty to a two-year, $14.25MM contract last October before Johnson hit the open market.

Johnson’s numbers haven’t been quite as outstanding in 2024, yet with a 3.00 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, and a 58.6% grounder rate, there’s still plenty to like about his performance.  His walk rate has ticked back up to 10 percent, which is of some concern given how control has sometimes been a struggle for Johnson throughout his seven MLB seasons.

For now, however, the bigger concern is just getting Johnson back onto the field, though there isn’t yet any indication that his elbow problem is anything more than soreness.  Johnson (who turns 33 next week) did miss most of the 2022 season due to forearm tendinitis, so his recent injury history does have a prominent arm-related issue.

The Braves’ deep bullpen should provide enough cover to withstand a relatively short absence for Johnson, but in the meantime, Stephens should receive his first MLB action of the 2024 season.  The right-hander posted a 4.83 ERA for the Reds over 63 1/3 innings in 2018-2019 and a 3.56 ERA for the Braves in 65 2/3 frames in 2022-23, and spent the three seasons in between pitching in the minors, the Mexican League, and sitting out due to the canceled 2020 minor league season.

Stephens is out of minor league options, so he has been a frequent visitor to DFA limbo over the last year as the Braves had to continually designate him for assignment and then outright him in order to remove Stephens from the 40-man roster.  While Stephens has used his right to elect free agency rather than just accept the outright assignments, he has then re-signed with Atlanta on a new contract.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see this scenario play out again if Stephens’ latest stint on the 26-man is relatively short-lived, either due to Johnson’s quick return or if Atlanta cycles another fresh arm into the bullpen and Stephens is against the odd man out.

Perdomo underwent Tommy John surgery last October, so he was already slated to miss the entirety of the 2024 season.  Surgery notwithstanding, the Braves claimed him off waivers from the Pirates last November (ironically, with Stephens getting outrighted as the corresponding move), cut Perdomo prior to the non-tender deadline, and re-signed him to a split contract in December.  Since Perdomo is controlled through the 2028 season, the Braves are making a long-term bet on a reliever who had some pretty solid numbers for Pittsburgh in 2023.

Braves Sign Angel Perdomo, Outright Evan White

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The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve signed left-hander Angel Perdomo to a one-year, split Major League contract. Atlanta also passed recently acquired first baseman Evan White through waivers and assigned him outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves claimed Perdomo off waivers from the Pirates in early November but non-tendered him later in the month. He’ll now return to their 40-man roster.

White’s outright comes as little surprise; the Braves’ acquisition of him was always a financial mechanism to facilitate their trade for Jarred Kelenic, and it was obvious that no team would place a claim on White, given the remaining $17MM he’s owed under his previously signed contract extension with the Mariners. White technically has enough service time (three-plus years) to reject the assignment but not enough to do so while retaining the remainder of his salary (which requires five years). As such, he’ll surely accept the assignment and head to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin the 2024 campaign.

Perdomo, 29, posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings for the Pirates in 2023 and did so with a gaudy 37.6% strikeout rate against a 9.4% walk rate. Had he been healthy, the Pirates surely would’ve hung onto him, but Perdomo hit the injured list with an elbow injury in August. He ultimately required Tommy John surgery and is slated to miss the 2024 campaign as a result. Even if he spends the entire season on the 60-day injured list, he’d still finish out the 2024 season with two-plus years of service time, meaning Atlanta could potentially control a healthy Perdomo from 2025-28, if all goes well.

White, 27, was the Mariners’ first-round pick back in 2017 and was widely considered one of the sport’s best prospects. Touted as an elite defender at first base with a solid hit tool and above-average power, White looked the part of a future fixture in the Seattle lineup during his prospect days. His 2019 campaign in Double-A saw White turn in a .293/.350/.488 batting line with 18 home runs in 400 plate appearances. The Mariners signed White to a six-year, $24MM contract that November with the idea that he’d be their Opening Day first baseman in 2020. White, however, stumbled to a .165/.235/.308 batting line in 306 plate appearances from 2020-21 and was eventually overtaken by Ty France on the team’s depth chart.

Injuries have also played a notable role in White’s struggles. In the past three years alone, the University of Kentucky product has undergone a pair of surgeries on his left hip and a sports hernia surgery. He’s also dealt with a Grade 2 strain/tear in his groin. That hasn’t helped his production any, and it’s certainly possible that the faulty hip contributed to his struggles in prior stints with the M’s, as his first surgery took place midway through his second MLB campaign.

For now, White will head to Gwinnett and hope for better health and performance to create an opportunity — if not with the Braves then with another club. The aforementioned slate of injuries has limited him to just 30 minor league games since Opening Day 2022 — including only two last year. He’s owed $7MM in 2024 and $8MM in 2025. He’s also guaranteed a $2MM buyout on the first of three club options.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/17/23

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The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm CT. Here’s a rundown of fairly minor players on National League teams who have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all players eligible for arbitration last month.

All players who are non-tendered before this evening’s deadline go directly into free agency without being placed on waivers. They’ll be eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 teams. It’s not uncommon to see non-tendered players almost immediately return to their previous organization on a minor league deal.

The transactions:

Latest Moves

Earlier

  • The Reds have non-tendered relievers Derek Law and Reiver Sanmartin. Cincinnati also confirmed the previously reported non-tender of Nick Senzel.
  • In addition to Rowdy Tellez and Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers have non-tendered right-hander J.C. Mejía. He failed a PED test in September, the second such result of his career, and was suspended for 162 games.
  • Former Rookie of the Year winner Kyle Lewis was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks. He played in only 16 games after being acquired from the Mariners last offseason.
  • The Cubs non-tendered relievers Ethan Roberts, Brandon Hughes and Codi Heuer. All three are recovering from surgeries.
  • Right-hander Tommy Doyle was non-tendered by the Rockies. Colorado designated him for assignment when acquiring Cal Quantrill this morning.
  • The Cardinals have non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, first baseman Juan Yepez and starting pitchers Jake Woodford and Dakota Hudson. St. Louis reportedly tried to deal Hudson this afternoon but evidently did not find a taker.
  • The Mets have non-tendered relievers Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrod and Trevor Gott. New York also cut loose infielder Luis Guillorme and confirmed the reported non-tender of Dan Vogelbach.
  • Left-hander Josh Fleming was non-tendered by the Phillies, the team announced. Philadelphia just snagged the southpaw off waivers from the Rays a few weeks ago.
  • The Marlins have non-tendered catcher Jacob Stallings and infielder Garrett Hampson, per a club announcement. Stallings spent two seasons as the primary catcher after being acquired from the Pirates at the 2021-22 offseason. Hampson signed a minor league deal with the Fish last season.
  • The Pirates non-tendered Osvaldo Bido and Hunter Stratton, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Neither had yet been eligible for arbitration. Both right-handers made their big league debuts in 2023; Mackey suggests the Bucs will try to bring them back on minor league pacts.
  • The Nationals announced they’ve non-tendered first baseman Dominic Smith and right-hander Cory Abbott. Both players were designated for assignment earlier in the week, making this an inevitability.

Braves Claim Angel Perdomo, Outright Jackson Stephens

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The Braves have claimed lefty reliever Angel Perdomo off waivers from the Pirates, according to an announcement from Pittsburgh. Atlanta reliever Jackson Stephens was outrighted from the 40-man roster and elected free agency in a corresponding move. Pittsburgh also announced that Yerry De Los Santos — previously reported as on waivers — went unclaimed and was outrighted from the roster.

Perdomo, 29, has pitched in parts of three big league seasons. He logged a personal-high 29 innings with the Pirates in 2023 after signing an offseason minor league deal. The 6’8″ southpaw showed promise, working to a 3.72 ERA while striking out an elite 37.6% of batters faced. He generated swinging strikes at a solid 13% clip and held opposing lefties to a .125/.205/.225 line in a small sample.

Were he healthy, that likely would have been enough to hold a spot in the Pittsburgh relief corps. Unfortunately, Perdomo landed on the injured list with a season-ending elbow problem in August. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported over the weekend that Perdomo underwent a Tommy John procedure a month ago. He’s likely to miss all of 2024. With no injured list during the offseason, the Bucs felt it best to let him go.

Atlanta will carry him on the 40-man roster, at least for the moment. Should he stick on the roster all winter, they could place him on the 60-day IL during Spring Training. He’ll step into the spot vacated by Stephens, who made five appearances late in the season. The 29-year-old righty posted a 3.28 ERA over 24 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s likely to find another minor league deal this offseason.

Pirates Decline Club Option On Jarlin Garcia

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The Pirates announced this evening that the club had declined its club option for the 2024 season on left-hander Jarlin Garcia. While Garcia’s option was worth just $3.25MM, the 30-year-old lefty did not pitch in 2023 after being shut down during Spring Training thanks to a nerve issue in his biceps, making the decision to decline the option fairly unsurprising.

Garcia made his big debut with the Marlins back in 2017. Though he struggled to a 4.81 ERA and 5.41 FIP across 119 1/3 innings of work his first two seasons in the majors, Garcia enjoyed a breakout season for Miami back in 2019 with a 3.02 ERA (144 ERA+) and 3.77 FIP across 50 2/3 innings of work. Despite that strong season, the Marlins exposed him to waivers during the 2019-20 offseason the Garcia was claimed by San Francisco.

Garcia continued to improve upon joining the Giants, recording a sensational 0.49 ERA in 18 1/3 innings of work during the shortened 2020 campaign before following that up with a 2.62 ERA and 3.77 FIP over 68 2/3 innings of work in 2021. Unfortunately, Garcia’s results took a turn for the worse in 2022, with a 3.74 ERA and 4.27 FIP across 65 innings of work. While that was still quality production for a middle reliever, the Giants opted to non-tender Garcia last offseason, leading him to sign with the Pirates. Ultimately, he’ll depart Pittsburgh without throwing a pitch for the big league club and return to the open market.

While Garcia has certainly found success as a quality left-handed option out of the bullpen throughout his career, it’s hard to imagine a club guaranteeing Garcia a particularly significant sum for what will be his age-31 campaign in 2024 after he missed the entire 2023 campaign season due to injury. That’s especially true given Garcia’s low strikeout totals throughout his career. While Garcia has managed to get results by keeping the ball on the ground at a 41.8% clip throughout his career, he sports a career strikeout rate of just 19.6%, including a 20.7% rate when he last took the mound during a 2022 season.

In addition to the news regarding Garcia, more details have become available regarding the club’s decision to waive left-hander Angel Perdomo earlier this week. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relays that the 29-year-old lefty underwent Tommy John surgery last month. After first breaking into the big leagues with the Brewers back in 2020, Perdomo resurfaced with the Pirates this season and impressed out of the club’s bullpen, with a 3.72 ERA and 3.01 FIP in 30 appearances before his season came to an end in August due to elbow discomfort. That discomfort clearly ended up being more serious than initially though, given Perdomo underwent surgery two months later that figures to see him miss at least the majority of the 2024 campaign.

Pirates Place Miguel Andujar, Angel Perdomo On Waivers

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The Pirates have placed outfielder Miguel Andújar and reliever Angel Perdomo on outright waivers, reports Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports. They join righty Yerry De Los Santos as Pittsburgh players known to be on the waiver wire. Both Andújar and Perdomo will become free agents if they aren’t claimed.

Pittsburgh ran Andújar through waivers twice this past season. The former Rookie of the Year runner-up got into 30 big league contests, hitting .250/.300/.476 with four home runs across 90 plate appearances. He had a very strong offensive showing at Triple-A Indianapolis, running a .338/.404/.536 line while connecting on 16 home runs in 103 games. Andújar walked at a strong 10.1% clip and struck out only 11.8% of the time.

The 28-year-old hasn’t found much major league success since his excellent 2018 debut with the Yankees, however. Paired with questions about his defensive profile, he has fallen into a depth role. With a projected $2.2MM arbitration salary, he looked a very likely non-tender.

Perdomo, a 6’8″ southpaw, made 30 appearances for the Bucs this year. He posted a 3.72 ERA with a massive 37.6% strikeout rate across 29 innings. Perdomo looked as if he’d stake a claim to a spot in the Pittsburgh bullpen before landing on the injured list with season-ending elbow discomfort in August.

Pirates Select Rob Zastryzny, Transfer Angel Perdomo To 60-Day IL

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The Pirates have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny from Triple-A Indianapolis, the team has announced. To make room on the 26-man roster, they have optioned right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A. In addition, to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, left-hander Angel Perdomo has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Zastryzny, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He’s been on and off the roster since then, having twice landed on the injured list, once due to discomfort in his throwing elbow and another due to forearm inflammation. He made 18 appearances around those trips to the injured list with a 5.29 earned run average and was designated for assignment at the end of his second IL stint.

He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. He has thrown 16 1/3 innings at that level this year with a 4.41 ERA but better peripherals. He has struck out 23.9% of opponents while issuing walks at a tiny 1.5% rate and keeping the ball on the ground at a 45.8% clip, leading to a 2.80 FIP at that level. That will get him another shot on the big league roster on a non-competitive Pirates club. He has between one and two years of service time, meaning he’s yet to reach arbitration and can be cheaply retained by the Bucs for future seasons, but he’s out of options and will need to stay on the active roster or else be removed from the 40-man again.

Perdomo, 29, landed on the injured list just a few days ago due to left elbow discomfort. The club hasn’t released any specifics on his condition but it seems it’s serious enough that they don’t expect him back this season, as this transfer eliminates any chance of him returning before the middle of October. He posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings this year, striking out 37.6% of hitters while walking 9.4%. Like Zastryzny, he has less than two years of service time and can be cheaply retained for next year if the Bucs so choose, but he’s also out of options.

Pirates Designate Chris Owings For Assignment, Select Angel Perdomo

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The Pirates announced a series of roster moves this morning as the club selected the contract of left-hander Angel Perdomo and recalled right-hander Yerry De Los Santos to the big league club. In corresponding moves, infielder Chris Owings was designated for assignment while right-hander Cody Bolton was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Perdomo, 29, has not pitched in the majors since 2021 after making a 2 2/3 inning MLB debut for the Brewers in 2020. In 19 2/3 career innings in the big leagues, Perdomo sports a 8.24 ERA and 6.43 FIP. While he’s struck out a strong 33.7% of batters faced over that time, his massive 23.5% walk rate has held him back from being a quality big league reliever to this point. While Perdomo has posted a strong 2.47 ERA at the Triple-A level since the start of the 2022 season, it’s been accompanied by continued control issues, as evidenced by his 15.3% walk rate in that timeframe. The Pirates are clearly hoping Perdomo can harness his excellent stuff to contribute to the bullpen alongside fellow lefties Rob Zastrynzy and Jose Hernandez.

De Los Santos, on the other hand, made his big league debut for the Pirates last season, posting a 4.91 ERA and 4.01 FIP in 26 appearances. Now 25, he figures to help the likes of Perdomo and Yohan Ramirez cover the middle innings for the Pirates bullpen.

On the other end of things, the moves likely bring Owings’s time with the Pirates to an end. A former first round pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2009 draft, Owings signed with the Pirates this past offseason on a minor league deal, eventually being selected to the roster in early May after initially being re-assigned to the minor leagues after failing to make the roster out of spring training. Owings appeared in ten games for the Pirates, with 12 strikeouts, no walks, and four hits (all singles) in 25 trips to the plate.

Though Owings has not managed to find regular playing time at the big league level since leaving the Diamondbacks in 2019, he’s appeared in parts of 11 big league seasons thanks in large part to his versatility, which has allowed him to appear in every defensive position throughout his big league career except for first base and catcher.

Meanwhile, Bolton heads to Indianapolis less than two weeks before his 25th birthday. A sixth-round pick by the Pirates in the 2017 draft, Bolton saw considerable success in the lower levels of the minors and was considered one of the better prospects in the Pirates organization early in his professional career. Unfortunately, he struggled with his command in 2022 at the Triple-A level, with a 12.4% walk rate in 75 2/3 innings split between the rotation and the bullpen. Nonetheless, he made his big league debut earlier this season, but in five appearances in the majors, Bolton has struggled to a 12.83 ERA in just eight innings of work. He figures to act as depth in Triple-A going forward as he tries to get things back on track.

Pirates Announce Several Minor League Deals

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The Pirates announced six minor league deals to reporters today, with Justice delos Santos of MLB.com among those to relay them on Twitter. They include the previously reported deals for catcher Tyler Heineman, as well as right-handers Tyler Chatwood and Nate Webb. Also included in the announcement are three left-handers: Daniel Zamora, Rob Zastryzny and Ángel Perdomo.

Zamora, 30 in April, will be returning to his original organization, as he was drafted by the Pirates in 2015. He was later traded to the Mets and made his major league debut with them. He’s seen scattered MLB action in recent years, reaching the big in 2018, 2019 and 2021, logging 22 innings with a 4.50 ERA. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers for 2022, tossing 63 Triple-A innings with a 3.86 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate and 41.6% ground ball rate.

Zastryzny, 31 in March, pitched for the Cubs from 2016 to 2018 but didn’t make it to the big leagues in the three subsequent seasons. He returned in 2022, making one appearance for the Mets and three for the Angels after a waiver claim. He spent most of the year in Triple-A between the two organizations, throwing 55 1/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. He was non-tendered by the Halos in November.

Perdomo, 29 in May, made 22 appearances with the Brewers over 2020 and 2021 but struggled to the tune of an 8.24 ERA. The Rays claimed him off waivers from the Brewers in July but neither team called him up to the big leagues. He ended up throwing 34 innings in the minors between the two clubs, posting a 1.85 ERA while striking out an incredible 40.3% of batters faced but walking 12.9% of them.

These three southpaws will give the Bucs an extra layer of depth in terms of left-handed relief. Right now, the club only has two lefties on their 40-man roster in Jarlín García and Jose Hernandez, the latter of those two being a recent Rule 5 draftee from the Dodgers. If any of this group separates themselves from the pack, there could be a role for them. All three of them have limited service time, meaning they could be retained cheaply for future seasons if they crack the roster. However, they are all out of options, meaning they can’t easily be sent back down to the minors afterwards.

Outrights: Rondon, Larsen, Perdomo

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With a slew of players designated for assignment following Tuesday’s trade deadline madness, we’ll see several players claimed off waivers in the coming days — but also several who pass through waivers unclaimed and remain with their organization. A few updates on some players who fall into the latter of those two categories….

  • Giants righty Angel Rondon went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento, per a club announcement. Rondon, 24, has pitched seven scoreless big league innings with the Cardinals between 2021 and 2022, allowing just two hits but four walks with five strikeouts in that time. Encouraging as seven shutout frames may be, he’s also posted a 4.35 ERA in 51 2/3 Triple-A frames between the Giants and Cardinals organizations this season, striking out 24.3% of his opponents but also walking a whopping 16.1% of the batters he’s faced in the minors. Rondon had not been previously outrighted, so electing free agency wasn’t an option for him.
  • The Mariners announced last night that outfielder Jack Larsen went unclaimed on outright waivers and was assigned to Double-A Arkansas. The 27-year-old made his big league debut with the M’s this summer but appeared in just one game and fanned in his lone plate appearance. It’s a tough blow for any longtime minor leaguer to get such a fleeting taste of the Majors, but Larsen is a .266/.371/.444 hitter in Double-A who can play all three outfield slots, so perhaps he’ll get another look down the line — be it with the Mariners or another organization. It’s his first outright assignment, so Larsen remains under Mariners control.
  • Although the move wasn’t formally announced by the Rays, left-hander Angel Perdomo cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Durham. The 28-year-old Perdomo was back on the mound in Durham last night, where he punched out two more hitters (and walked another) in a scoreless outing. Perdomo has punched out half the hitters he’s fced in 8 1/3 minor league innings this season and 28 of the 79 he faced in the big leagues with the Brewers (35.4%). Unfortunately, as is so often the case, that prodigious bat-missing ability is accompanied by ghoulish command issues. Perdomo walked 24.1% of his big league opponents this season (plus a pair of hit-by-pitches). He’s also walked eight of 36 minor league opponents (22.2%) and plunked another. Now off the 40-man roster but sticking with the organization, he’ll work with the Rays’ development staff in hopes of refining his command to an at least passable level.
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