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Marlins Announce Series Of Roster Moves

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The Marlins have the night off but announced a series of roster moves nonetheless, with Christina De Nicola of MLB.com being among those to relay the batch. (Twitter links)

Infielder Joey Wendle and left-hander Richard Bleier have each been reinstated from the injured list. To make room on the active roster, catcher Payton Henry and infielder Joe Dunand were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Bleier was one of many Marlins to recently land on the COVID-related IL, with infielder Erik Gonzalez being his replacement. Gonzalez has been designated a COVID “substitute” and thus allowed to be subtracted from the roster without being exposed to waivers. Infielder Luke Williams, acquired in a trade earlier today, has been added to the 40-man roster but optioned to Triple-A. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, right-hander Paul Campbell has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. That series of moves involves three players being subtracted from the active roster and two being added, meaning another move should also be involved. Parsing the words of SportsGrid’s Craig Mish in this tweet, it seems like catcher Nick Fortes will also be recalled to even everything out.

Wendle was acquired from the Rays in an offseason trade and began the year on a heater before a hamstring strain put him on the shelf. Through 25 games, he was hitting .304/.368/.456 for a wRC+ of 139. He had been primarily slotting into third base before the injury, with Brian Anderson spending more time in the outfield corners. While Wendle was out, Anderson moved to the hot corner but will likely be spending more time on the grass again.

While the news on Wendle is encouraging for the Marlins, the news about Campbell is potentially ominous. He was placed on the IL April 18 with an elbow strain. He is now ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial placement, meaning the club doesn’t expect him to return in the coming weeks. He had been recalled from the minors just days before landing on IL without getting into a game. Although he’s yet to make his season debut at the MLB level, he was nonetheless in the big leagues at the time of his injury. That means he’ll earn service time and MLB pay for as long as he’s out of action. The 26-year-old came into this year with 93 days of service under his belt. No timeline has been provided for his expected recovery.

Marlins Acquire Luke Williams From Giants

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The Marlins announced they’ve acquired utilityman Luke Williams from the Giants for minor league infielder Hayden Cantrelle. San Francisco had designated Williams for assignment last week.

Williams returns to the NL East, where he began his career as a third-round pick of the Phillies. He reached the majors for the first time last season, getting into 58 games and hitting .245/.315/.316. Williams showed solid plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills, but he collected just five extra-base hits in 108 plate appearances. It was a similar story at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he posted a .270/.329/.341 line through 143 trips to the dish.

The Phils designated Williams for assignment in Spring Training, and the Giants brought him in for minor league third baseman Will Toffey. His stint in the Bay Area was brief, as the 25-year-old got into just eight MLB games and made ten appearances with their top affiliate in Sacramento. The Giants later acquired a pair of infielders — Kevin Padlo and Donovan Walton — from the Mariners, and they’d seemingly surpassed Williams on the depth chart.

Miami picks up a versatile infield option for manager Don Mattingly. Williams has played all over the diamond in the minor leagues, with the bulk of his action coming at third base. He still has all three option years remaining, so the right-handed hitter can bounce between the majors and Triple-A Jacksonville for the foreseeable future if the Fish keep him on the 40-man roster.

Miami already has a fair bit of infield depth, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Miguel Rojas comprising the everyday middle infield. Offseason trade pickup Joey Wendle has been the primary third baseman, though he’s been on the injured list for two weeks because of a hamstring strain. That’s left Brian Anderson to step back third base from his corner outfield role, although Wendle is currently on a rehab assignment with Low-A Jupiter and should be back before long. Out-of-options utilityman Erik González is on the active roster as a depth player.

Cantrelle, like Williams, spent less than two months with the club that traded him today. The Marlins landed the 23-year-old as one of two players in the Spring Training deal that sent catcher Alex Jackson to Milwaukee. Cantrelle was a fairly recent fifth-round pick of the Brew Crew. A good runner who’s primarily a second baseman, he has struggled offensively during his pro career. Cantrelle is hitting .185/.312/.337 through 110 plate appearances with Double-A Pensacola. The University of Louisiana product has drawn plenty of walks in the minors, but he’s also struggled quite a bit with strikeouts.

Giants Place Curt Casali On Concussion IL, Select Michael Papierski, Designate Luke Williams

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2:18pm: The Giants announced the moves, with utility player Luke Williams being designated for assignment to create space for Papierski on the 40-man roster. Acquired from the Phillies in March, Williams has played eight games and hit .250/.250/.333, 67 wRC+, though he’s hit much better in ten Triple-A games. The 25-year-old still has options and has played everywhere on the diamond except in the battery, meaning he should garner plenty of interest around the league. The Giants will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers.

2:10pm: The Giants have placed catcher Curt Casali on the seven-day concussion injured list, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Fellow catcher Mike Papierski has had his contract selected and will start behind the plate in tonight’s game. Papierski was not previously on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be required to make room for him.

Casali, 33, came out of last night’s game, with Shea relaying that the reason was because of a foul tip that he took off the mask, leading to some concussion symptoms. Manager Gabe Kapler said that Casali felt better after the game but would be re-evaluated today. It seems there must have been something lingering, as Casali will now be out of action for at least a week.

This is Casali’s second year with the Giants. Last season, playing backup to Buster Posey, Casali got into 77 games and hit .210/.313/.350 for a wRC+ of 82. In the wake of Posey’s retirement, Casali and Joey Bart have been splitting the catching time almost evenly, with Bart getting 22 starts to Casali’s 16. Bart’s 102 wRC+ indicates he’s been 2% better than league average at the plate so far this year, though that’s come about in a very uneven fashion. His four home runs and 14% walk rate are excellent, but he’s also hitting .169 and striking out 45.3% of the time. Casali, on the other hand, was off to a great start in a more straightforward manner. In 61 plate appearances so far, he’s hitting .264/.344/.472 for a wRC+ of 134. Unfortunately, that hot start has now been stalled by this unfortunate injury.

As for Papierski, he was just acquired from the Astros in last week’s Mauricio Dubon trade and will be quickly called up to make his major league debut. A ninth round selection in the 2017 draft, he has played in 29 Triple-A games this year between the two organizations. His batting line for the season is .200/.303/.260.

Giants Acquire Luke Williams From Phillies, Place Matthew Boyd On 60-Day Injured List

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The Giants have acquired utilityman Luke Williams from the Phillies in exchange for minor league third baseman Will Toffey and cash considerations.  Both teams have announced the trade.  To create a 40-man roster spot, the Giants placed southpaw Matthew Boyd on the 60-day injured list.

Williams was designated for assignment by Philadelphia earlier this week when the Nick Castellanos signing became official.  After six seasons in the Phils’ farm system and a brief stint in the Australian Baseball League, Williams made his MLB debut in 2021, appearing in 58 games.  While Williams hit only .245/.315/.316 in 108 plate appearances, he made a mark with his versatility, making multiple appearances at every position except catcher and pitcher.

Williams began his career as a third baseman, but has more recently moved all over the diamond, with the bulk of his brief big league career spent as an outfielder.  Giants manager Gabe Kapler is surely familiar with Williams from Kapler’s past job as the Phillies’ skipper, and San Francisco has frequently sought out multi-positional players in recent years.  Williams is also a right-handed hitter, which could give him an opportunity for playing time given how the Giants’ projected starting outfield (Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Joc Pederson) are all left-handed bats.

Toffey has something of a similar resume to Williams, as Toffey is also a third baseman who has started to branch out at other positions.  The 2021 season saw Toffey play both corner outfield positions, first base, and second base while playing with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate and the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.  San Francisco acquired the 27-year-old Toffey from the Mets last July, with left-hander Anthony Banda going back to New York in return.

Boyd signed a one-year deal with the Giants last week, and the former Tigers lefty is set to earn $5.2MM in guaranteed money in 2022.  First, however, Boyd will have to fully recover from flexor tendon surgery last September.  The 60-day IL placement was expected, as Boyd wasn’t expected to be ready until early June.

Phillies Designate Luke Williams For Assignment

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The Phillies announced this afternoon they’ve designated utilityman Luke Williams for assignment. The move opens space on the 40-man roster for Nick Castellanos, whose five-year deal has been made official.

Philadelphia selected Williams in the third round of the 2015 draft. The right-handed hitter methodically climbed the minor league ladder, never posting overwhelming numbers but making plus rates of contact throughout his pro career. He opened the 2021 campaign with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and earned his first big league call in June.

Williams tallied 108 MLB plate appearances last year, hitting .245/.315/.316 with one home run and a pair of stolen bases. He made contact on 85% of his swings — around nine points above the league average — but he only managed five extra-base hits. It was a similar story in Lehigh Valley, where he hit .270/.329/.341 without a homer in 143 trips to the dish.

To his credit, Williams suited up all over the diamond for manager Joe Girardi. He started games at each of second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field last year. Baseball America named him the #17 prospect in the Phillies system this offseason, writing that his combination of defensive aptitude and bat-to-ball skills could make him a decent option off the bench even if his lack of power probably prevents him from emerging as a regular.

The Phils will have a week to trade Williams or place him on waivers. The 25-year-old still has all three minor league option years remaining, so he’d be a flexible multi-positional depth piece for any acquiring team.

Phillies Designate Tyler Phillips For Assignment

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The Phillies announced they’ve designated minor league righty Tyler Phillips for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for utilityman Luke Williams, who has been activated from the COVID-19 injured list. Outfielder Mickey Moniak was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to open active roster space for Williams.

Phillips joined the Philadelphia organization in July, when they added him via waiver claim from the Rangers. He’d spent his entire career up to that point with Texas, who drafted him in 2015. Phillips posted quality numbers throughout much of his low minors tenure, but he struggled a bit upon reaching Double-A two years ago and was knocked around in his first four Triple-A appearances this season.

The Phillies assigned Phillips to Double-A Reading after adding him, but he was tagged for nine runs (eight earned) in 11 1/3 frames of work in that hitter-friendly setting. 2021 has been a struggle for Phillips no matter where he’s pitched, as he’s managed just a 6.13 ERA over 39 2/3 total minor league frames. That has come with subpar strikeout and walk rates, as the 23-year-old has punched out 22.7% of batters faced while issuing walks at an elevated 12.7% clip.

Obviously, things haven’t gone as planned for Phillips this season. But he’s not far removed from being seen as a potential back-end starter by public prospect evaluators. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him 29th in the Rangers’ system this May, projecting Phillips to overcome fringy raw stuff because of potential plus-plus command.

Indeed, Phillips had doled out free passes to only 4.6% of opponents in his career entering this season, making his sudden strike-throwing woes quite perplexing. It’s certainly not of the question he could again find that kind of feel for locating and reemerge as a decent prospect. The Phillies will place him on outright or release waivers in the coming days.

Phillies Place Three Players On COVID-19 Injured List

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The Phillies announced they’ve placed three players — right-hander Zach Eflin, utilityman Luke Williams and catcher Andrew Knapp — on the COVID-19 injured list. Righty Enyel de los Santos and catcher Rafael Marchán were recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, while outfielder Jorge Bonifacio was selected back to the roster. The three players were all fully vaccinated but have apparently tested positive for the virus, relays Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Eflin just returned from the 10-day injured list yesterday after missing five weeks with patellar tenditis. He was scratched from last night’s scheduled start due to recurring trouble with his knee and will now miss some time due to viral issues. When healthy, Eflin is one of the Phils better starters, having pitched to a 4.17 ERA over 105 2/3 innings. Knapp and Williams, meanwhile, have gotten sporadic playing time in reserve capacities — Knapp as the #2 catcher, Williams in a multi-positional role.

Bonifacio returns to the big leagues just two days after being passed through outright waivers. The 28-year-old was called up last week and made two appearances before being designated for assignment. Because he was selected as a COVID replacement, Bonifacio won’t have to go on waivers this time around if he’s sent back down whenever the Phils are able to activate someone from the COVID IL.

Phillies Select Luke Williams

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The Phillies have selected the contract of infielder Luke Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Philadelphia also reinstated right-handers Chase Anderson and David Hale from the COVID-19 injured list, optioned lefty Cristopher Sanchez and placed reliever Brandon Kintzler on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Monday) with a neck strain.

This is the first major league opportunity for Williams, a 24-year-old who has been with the Phillies since they drafted him in Round 3 in 2015. Williams now ranks as the Phillies’ 29th-best prospect at MLB.com, which compliments his high-end speed, defensive versatility and improving offense. Indeed, in his Triple-A debut this year, Williams has slashed a marvelous .352/.439/.465 with three stolen bases in 82 plate appearances.

Kintzler, meanwhile, has gotten off to a rough start this year after joining the Phillies on a minor league contract in the winter. The 36-year-old previously established himself as a competent reliever with multiple teams, but he has only managed an 8.50 ERA in 18 innings this season. To Kintzler’s credit, he has continued to induce groundballs and limit walks at above-average clips, and his 3.47 SIERA suggests better days may be ahead.

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