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Chris Heston

Chris Heston Eyeing Comeback Following 2019 Shoulder Surgery

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Former Giants right-hander Chris Heston announced that he has his sights set on a big league comeback after undergoing a significant procedure on his right shoulder this past June (link to Twitter thread). Heston had surgery to repair his labrum and biceps tendon while also “cleaning up” his rotator cuff. His right shoulder had been bothering him for the past “couple years,” he adds.

Heston, 31, was limited to 19 1/3 minor league innings in 2018 and pitched 72 2/3 innings between the Majors and minors back in 2017. He hasn’t topped 100 innings in a season since racking up 177 2/3 frames out of the Giants’ rotation back in 2015 — a season that saw him throw an 11-strikeout no-hitter against the Mets in what was just his 13th Major League start. Overall, the righty pitched to a 3.95 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a strong 53 percent ground-ball rate. Despite the presence of veterans like Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain on the San Francisco staff that year, Heston finished second in starts (31) and innings to Madison Bumgarner.

It’s been a rocky go of things for Heston since that time, as he somewhat surprisingly fell off the Giants’ radar almost entirely the following season. The team’s signings of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija impeded his path to the big leagues in 2016, and it seems that Heston’s shoulder began barking not long thereafter. In total, he’s only thrown 189 1/3 innings (big leagues and minors combined) since his terrific rookie campaign in 2015.

Heston is planning to throw for clubs in late February in hopes of securing a minor league contract. The righty notes that he’s picked up his real estate license during the early stages of an arduous rehab process but makes clear that his goal is to continue his pitching career now that his shoulder has been repaired.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/14/18

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There are quite a few minor moves to cover, with Baseball America’s Matt Eddy releasing several weeks’ worth of transactions. We’ll use this post to cover the most notable ones that haven’t yet featured on MLBTR:

  • The Angels released outfielder Ben Revere, who could perhaps be an interesting player to target for contending clubs that like the idea of adding a good defender and baserunning threat to their system. Revere, 30, hasn’t seen the majors this year after seven-straight seasons of action at the game’s highest level. He’s slashing .277/.319/.406 with a pair of steals through 166 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • Ending a relationship that never seemed to work out, the Dodgers have cut loose infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena. Now 28, the former international signee hadn’t played much in the club’s system since he was suspended in May of 2016.
  • The Phillies have released a pair of former big leaguers: infielder Danny Espinosa and outfielder Adron Chambers. Espinosa’s always fickle bat has not yet recovered from a 2017 nosedive. In 240 Triple-A plate appearances with three organizations this year, he owns a .295/.239/.312 slash. Chambers, meanwhile, hasn’t seen the majors since 2013 and last played affiliated ball in 2015, but came back from an indy stint to produce a .278/.328/.437 batting line in 138 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • A host of players received their walking papers from the Diamondbacks. Righty Brian Ellington is among them; the flamethrower struggled badly with his command in limited minor-league action. Southpaw Anthony Vasquez was also released after after 85 2/3 innings of 5.04 ERA ball in the upper minors. The club also dropped several outfielders. Cesar Puello (.317/.426/.454) and Dan Robertson (.263/.361/.407) are both former big leaguers who were getting on base at Reno, but will now seek other opportunities.
  • The Giants released two notable players in righty Chris Heston and backstop Ryan Hanigan. Heston, 30, only made nine appearances in the minors this year owing to injury. Hanigan, who’s closing in on his 38th birthday, is still looking to crack the majors for the 12th-straight season but did not help his cause with a .175/.254/.193 batting line in 63 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • The Cubs parted with Ryan Webb after he made just 11 appearances at the Rookie ball level. It is not immediately clear why the 32-year-old did not get a shot in the upper minors, or what’s next for him In eight seasons of MLB pitching, from 2009 through 2016, Webb owns a 3.43 ERA through 393 1/3 innings.
  • A variety of other former major-league relief pitchers were also on the move. Among them: The White Sox signed once-promising Braves reliever Mauricio Cabrera. Righty Dallas Beeler was released by the Royals. A trio of former MLB lefties are back in free agency after being cut free: Elvis Araujo (Orioles); Paco Rodriguez (Twins); and Dario Alvarez (Mariners).
  • Meanwhile, the Mariners parted with outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis and the Nationals did the same with Alejandro De Aza. One-time Rule 5 pick Taylor Featherston landed with the Reds.

Giants To Sign Chris Heston

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The Giants have agreed to a minor-league deal to bring righty Chris Heston back into the fold, according to a report from Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Other terms of the contract are not yet known.

Heston, 29, is a former 12th-round pick who debuted in the majors with the Giants back in 2014. He went on to turn in a strong rookie campaign in the following year, etching his name permanently into organizational lore with a no-hitter.

Unfortunately, Heston’s career has largely sputtered since. With mounting injuries and marginal output on the hill, he has thrown just 11 MLB frames over the ensuing two seasons. Heston spent time with three organizations last year after San Francisco dealt him to the Mariners in advance of the 2017 campaign.

While expectations won’t be very high at this point, the move could certainly help bolster the Giants’ pitching depth. The team has parted with a few MLB pitching assets to improve in other areas, so non-roster players could play an important role if needs arise during the course of the season. While it’s hard to imagine Heston earning a roster spot this spring, he’s said to be healthy and could take up a key spot on the Giants depth chart.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/3/17

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Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • Infielder Tony Renda has been dealt from the Reds to the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. The 26-year-old had been outrighted over the winter after struggling in his MLB debut last year. Through 198 plate appearances at Triple-A in 2017, he was slashing just .260/.305/.326 — albeit with just 18 strikeouts to go with a dozen walks.
  • In another minor swap, the Giants purchased Tyler Herb from the Mariners for an undisclosed sum, both teams announced. He’ll actually represent the player to be named later in the deal that sent Chris Heston to Seattle, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, with some undisclosed technicality requiring the particular treatment. The 25-year-old was taken in the 29th round of the 2014 draft. He made it up to the Double-A level last year and has thrown well there upon a repeat assignment. Herb has made it through 98 innings in 16 starts on the year, posting a 3.31 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
  • Nationals righty Jacob Turner has accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers, per a team announcement. Still just 26, Turner has given the Nats some badly needed innings this year, though his ERA stands at 5.08 after 39 frames of action. He is expected to resume working as a starter in case he’s needed in that role at the major league level.
  • Also outrighted was Blue Jays outfielder Ian Parmley, Toronto announced. He was up for a brief stretch, but will return to plying his trade at Triple-A Buffalo. over 205 plate appearances there on the year, Parmley is slashing .289/.332/.369.
  • The Mariners released southpaw Nick Hagadone, according to Triple-A Tacoma announcer Mike Curto (via Twitter). As Curto notes, Hagadone has been particularly impressive of late. The 31-year-old has seen action in parts of four MLB seasons, all with the Indians, but missed all of last year after an elbow fracture. He landed in Seattle on a minors deal and has thrown 33 1/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball — with 9.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 — since arriving in Tacoma. (It could well be, then, that Hagadone utilized an opt-out clause, though we’ve heard no indication of that as of yet.)

Earlier Transactions

  • The Brewers announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Michael Blazek from Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 28-year-old was outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier this year but remained in the organization and has posted a solid 3.13 ERA in that extremely hitter-friendly setting. While all of Blazek’s 104 career appearances in the Majors have been in relief, he’s been working as a starter for his past 10 trips to the hill in Triple-A. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy suggests (via Twitter) that Blazek could very well pitch today in relief of left-hander Brent Suter. Piggybacking the two would certainly make some sense, as Suter may not be fully stretched out with his most recent start coming back on June 13. Milwaukee already had an open spot on the 40-man, so there’s no corresponding 40-man move needed to accommodate Blazek.

Twins Outright Chris Heston

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The Twins have outrighted right-hander Chris Heston, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press tweets. His roster spot will go to southpaw Adam Wilk, who is scheduled to take the hill tomorrow.

Heston, 29, only ended up making one appearance for Minnesota after being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers and opening the year with the Mariners. He has thrown just 11 total MLB frames since the start of 2016.

Before that, though, Heston turned in an interesting 2015 campaign with the Giants. Over 31 starts and 177 2/3 innings, he carried a 3.95 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. (You may also recall that he recorded one of baseball’s more surprising no-hitters that year.)

Twins Claim Chris Heston Off Waivers, Release Nick Tepesch, Place Hector Santiago On 10-Day DL

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7:36pm: The Twins have created a 25-man roster spot for Heston by placing southpaw Hector Santiago on the 10-day DL with a shoulder strain.  Santiago has a 5.26 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 1.68 K/BB rate over 65 frames for Minnesota this season.  His career-long issues with the home run ball has been an even larger issue than usual, as Santiago has already allowed 14 homers over his 65 IP.

5:18pm: The Twins have claimed right-hander Chris Heston off waivers from the Dodgers, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.  In a corresponding move, righty Nick Tepesch has been released to create room on the 40-man roster.  Minnesota will still have to make another 25-man roster move to accommodate Heston.

It’s been a busy six months for Heston, who will join his fourth different organization in that span.  After spending his first four seasons with the Giants (which included a no-hitter in 2015), Heston was dealt to the Mariners in December and then claimed off waivers by the Dodgers two weeks ago after Seattle designated him for assignment.

Heston will now look to stabilize his career with the Twins, not to mention simply pitch well enough to stay in the majors.  Heston has only pitched 10 big league innings in 2016-17, to the tune of an ugly 15.30 ERA with more walks (11) than strikeouts (six).  Never one to miss many bats, Heston has somewhat less margin for error, though he showed a good ability to keep the ball on the ground during his one full big league season in 2015 (53% grounder rate), and in the minor leagues.

If he can get himself on track, he could find an opportunity within a Twins rotation that is short on stability behind ace Ervin Santana and impressive rookie Jose Berrios.  Minnesota could also potentially use Heston as a reliever to help a relief corps that has a league-worst (5.32) bullpen ERA.

Tepesch signed a minor league deal with the Twins last winter and made one appearance for the team, allowing seven runs (but only one earned) over 1 2/3 innings in a losing start on May 6.  After breaking into the league as a starter with the Rangers in 2013-14, Tepesch missed all of 2015 recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and spent 2016 pitching for four different organizations, including a cup of coffee in the bigs with the Dodgers.

Dodgers Claim Mike Freeman, Chris Heston

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The Dodgers have claimed two players off waivers from the Mariners, the teams announced today. Infielder Mike Freeman and righty Chris Heston are now headed to the Los Angeles organization.

Both players have been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open their tenures with the new club. To create roster space, outfielder Andrew Toles and southpaw Scott Kazmir were shifted to the 60-day DL.

Freeman, 29, is a left-handed hitter with experience all over the field — the bulk of it coming at second base. He has struggled in two brief cracks at the majors in the past two seasons, but has shown quite a bit more in the upper minors. Indeed, through 1,245 Triple-A plate appearances over parts of four seasons, Freeman owns a .316/.378/.427 batting line with 113 walks against just 180 strikeouts. He also has hit only nine home runs in that span, so clearly it would be unwise to expect much in the power department.

As for Heston, it’s interesting to see him land with the Dodgers, who saw him emerge with the rival San Francisco Giants back in 2015. He ended that year with a no-hitter and 177 2/3 innings of 3.95 ERA pitching on his ledger, but has only thrown ten MLB frames since. Heston, 29, was throwing well in his time this year at Triple-A, though, with a 3.41 ERA and 8.0 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 over 31 2/3 frames.

Mariners Acquire Andrew Aplin, Designate Chris Heston

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The Mariners have acquired outfielder Andrew Aplin from the Astros, per a club announcement. Cash or a player to be named later will head to Houston in return. To create room on the 40-man roster, Seattle has designated righty Chris Heston for assignment.

[RELATED: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]

Aplin, 26, had just been designated for assignment when the ’Stros had a need for a 40-man spot. He’ll now head to the division-rival Mariners, who carry a variety of young outfielders on their 40-man roster — a situation with plenty of competition but also a good bit of opportunity.

Seattle is surely intrigued by Aplin’s ability to manage the strike zone, make contact, and get on base. He owns a .375 OBP through thirty games at Triple-A this year. But Aplin has also failed to show much else with the bat at the highest level of the minors, with a composite .245/.341/.329 batting line through 953 total plate appearances over four seasons. He did manage nine home runs in 598 plate appearances at the High-A level back in 2013, however. And Aplin is regarded as a quality defender who can play anywhere in the outfield; Baseball America credits him with a high-quality arm while noting that “his range and defense play up thanks to good routes and reads.”

The 29-year-old Heston, who’s best known for his 2015 no-hitter, has struggled badly in his limited major league opportunities over the past two seasons. Most recently, he was bombed in a spot start on Sunday. Still, Heston had managed a 3.41 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over 31 2/3 innings this year at Triple-A Tacoma.

Mariners Place Felix Hernandez, Mitch Haniger On 10-Day DL

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2:44pm: Hernandez is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks at a minimum, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

2:13pm: Both righty Felix Hernandez and outfielder Mitch Haniger are going on the 10-day DL after suffering injuries last night, as the team announced and Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported on Twitter.

Seattle made a variety of other roster moves, too. Righties Chase De Jong and Casey Fien, lefty Dillon Overton, and outfielder Ben Gamel are all headed onto the MLB roster. Meanwhile, righties Chris Heston and Evan Marshall have each been optioned back to Triple-A.

[RELATED: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]

In Hernandez’s case, he has been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, as Dutton tweets. But it’s still not entirely clear whether that’s just an isolated issue or if there’s an underlying injury of greater concern causing the problem. The 31-year-old has been knocked around in his first five starts, allowing 14 earned runs on 39 hits.

As for Haniger, he has been a revelation. But an oblique issue will sideline him after 95 plate appearances of .338/.442/.600 hitting. It’s still not known how severe Haniger’s injury is or what kind of timeline he’ll be facing.

Needless to say, these DL placements constitute significant losses for a struggling Seattle club, though perhaps the hope remains that neither player will be out for an extended stretch. The M’s are already staring at a 6.5 game deficit in the AL West.

Giants Trade Chris Heston To Mariners

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The Giants have traded righty Chris Heston to the Mariners, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets. The Giants will receive a player to be named in return, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Morosi had previously tweeted that the two teams were discussing a deal involving Heston.

The Giants were hoping to trade Heston by tonight, Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News wrote (Twitter links). They had planned to designate Heston for assignment to open a roster spot for incoming closer Mark Melancon when Melancon’s deal became official later today. By trading Heston, they will at least receive a prospect in return. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted earlier today that the Giants were shopping Heston.

The 28-year-old Heston had an effective season in the Giants rotation in 2015, posting a 3.95 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a robust 53.0 GB% over 177 2/3 innings. He began the 2016 season in the bullpen, however, and was eventually optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, where he posted a somewhat disappointing 4.54 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 81 1/3 innings while also dealing with an oblique injury. He has less than two years of service time and has an option remaining, so he figures to provide the Mariners with a controllable starter.

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