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Matt Beaty

D-backs, Matt Beaty Agree To Minor League Deal

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The D-backs have agreed to a minor league contract with first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty, as noted on the transaction log at MiLB.com. Beaty is now listed on the roster for Arizona’s Double-A affiliate in Amarillo.

Beaty, 31, is making his rounds through the National League West, having been drafted/developed by the Dodgers, who then traded him to the Padres in 2022. He also got into four games with the Giants last season, so the Snakes will be his fourth NL West club if he reaches the MLB level at any point.

In 675 big league plate appearances dating back to 2019, Beaty is a .247/.323/.394 hitter with 18 homers, a 16.7% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate rate. Most of the former 12th-round pick’s production came during a 2021 showing with the Dodgers that saw him post a hearty .270/.363/.402 line in 234 trips to the plate. Beaty has struggled mightily since that time, hitting just .173/.277/.240 in a small sample of 119 plate appearances between the Padres, Giants and Royals.

In addition to last year’s sparse big league work, Beaty spent 44 games in Triple-A between Omaha (Royals) and Sacramento (Giants), slashing a combined .279/.395/.455. That level of production is par for the course for Beaty in the upper minors. He’s played in parts of five Triple-A seasons and sports a .287/.386/.421 line overall, thanks largely to excellent contact skills (15% strikeout rate) and a keen eye at the plate (9.2% walk rate).

The Diamondbacks have been one of baseball’s least-productive teams against right-handed pitching, which the left-handed-hitting Beaty handles far better than he does fellow southpaws. D-backs hitters have logged a combined .224/.308/.357 against righties, sitting 25th in the majors by measure of wRC+ (92).

Joc Pederson has absolutely feasted on right-handed pitching, while Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno have provided strong on-base marks against right-handers. However, the D-backs have received poor production against righties from veteran Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and even more surprisingly from lefty-swinging Corbin Carroll, whose overall output at the plate this season has been shockingly anemic. Lefty bench bat Pavin Smith has struggled as well and (barring a turnaround) would seemingly be the most at risk if Beaty shows well in the minors. Any such decision is likely a ways off, however. Beaty hasn’t played yet this season — his Instagram reveals he and his wife welcomed a child midway through the offseason while he was a minor league free agent — and he will presumably need some time to ramp up before he’d even be considered a big league option.

29 Players Elect Free Agency

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October brings postseason play for a handful of teams and their fanbases. Just over two-thirds of the league is now in offseason mode after being eliminated, however. As the season comes to a close, a number of veterans will hit minor league free agency.

These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. The first group, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Royals Outright Matt Beaty

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The Royals have sent Matt Beaty outright to Triple-A Omaha, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. The left-handed hitter was designated for assignment on Tuesday.

Beaty appeared in 26 games after re-signing with K.C. on a minor league pact in June. He’d also signed with the Royals in Spring Training before being traded to the Giants on Opening Day. San Francisco immediately called him up but only played him four times before waiving him. After going unclaimed, Beaty chose free agency and circled back to Kansas City.

In 67 trips to the plate, Beaty hit .232/.358/.304. He walked six times with 12 strikeouts but only had four extra-base hits, all of which were doubles. Beaty is best suited for first base or a corner outfield position, putting extra pressure on his bat.

The former 12th-round draftee posted above-average offensive numbers in a part-time role with the Dodgers from 2019-21. He hit .262/.333/.425 in 240 contests. Los Angeles nevertheless DFA him before the start of the 2022 campaign. Beaty hasn’t hit well in scattered looks over the two seasons since then. He’s a .173/.271/.240 hitter in 119 big league plate appearances since the Dodgers dealt him.

Beaty has the right to again test free agency. He’d be a minor league free agent at the beginning of the offseason anyhow unless the Royals add him back to the roster.

Royals Announce Five Roster Moves

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The Royals announced several roster moves today, including the news that Brady Singer and Brad Keller have both been placed on the 15-day injured list, ending their seasons.  Kansas City recalled right-hander Jonathan Bowlan from Triple-A and selected the contract of left-hander Anthony Veneziano from Triple-A as well.  To create 40-man roster space for Veneziano, Matt Beaty was designated for assignment.

Keller already spent a big chunk of the season on the 60-day IL due to a right shoulder impingement, and his placement today was due to a “return of symptoms associated with thoracic outlet syndrome,” according to the Royals’ official announcement.  That is unwelcome news for the veteran righty, and it implies that a TOS surgery might be required to correct the problem.  The Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly is one of the rare examples of a pitcher returning from a TOS procedure and still pitching well in the aftermath, though if Keller does need a surgery, his chances of a recovery and a return to form might hinge on the specific nature of his TOS issue.

In the bigger picture, undergoing a major surgery will also certainly hamper Keller’s chances of landing a new contract in free agency this winter.  With a 5.17 ERA over 318 2/3 innings since Opening Day 2021, Keller was already likely looking at a non-guaranteed deal on the open market, but he might now face a longer wait before landing any kind of contract if he does indeed have to get a TOS procedure.

Singer has a strain in his left lower lumbar area, and the injury will put a coda on an overall disappointing year for the 27-year-old.  After seemingly breaking out in 2022, Singer appeared to be the front-of-the-rotation type of pitcher the Royals were desperately hoping to find from their group of highly-touted (but to date underwhelming) crop of top pitching prospects.  Unfortunately, Singer took a step backwards in 2023, with a 5.52 ERA over 159 2/3 innings and some of the worst hard-contact numbers of any hurler in baseball.  The right-hander’s strikeout rate was also well below average, sharply declining from 24.2% in 2022 to 18.9% in 2023.

One of the many questions the Royals face heading into 2024 is discovering what exactly they have in Singer, and whether or not he can be an effective and consistent starting pitcher.  He did have a few stretches of quality starts amidst his broader struggles in 2023, but that is small consolation for a Kansas City team in dire need of rotation help.

Veneziano has been in the Royals organization since he was selected in the 10th round of the 2019 draft.  After a strong start to the season at Double-A, he earned a promotion to Triple-A Omaha in mid-May.  He has pitched to a 4.22 ERA over 89 2/3 innings with below-average strikeout (20.6%) and walk (11.2%) rates, but it has been enough to earn the 26-year-old his first taste of Major League action.

Baseball America ranks Veneziano as the fourth-best prospect in the Kansas City farm system, while Bowlan is 18th on their list.  MLB Pipeline has Veneziano 16th and Bowlan out of their top 30 altogether, quite possibly owing to the injuries that have plagued Bowlan since he was a second-round pick in the 2018 draft.  He underwent a Tommy John surgery in 2021, and has dealt with some shoulder issues this year.

The results haven’t been there for Bowlan since returning from his TJ rehab, as he posted a 5.92 ERA over 62 1/3 combined innings (at rookie ball, high-A ball, and Double-A) in 2022, and he has a 5.91 ERA over 102 frames of Double-A and Triple-A work this season.  His first appearance with the Royals will also mark the MLB debut for the right-hander.

Since the Royals have off-days on both Thursday and Monday, it remains to be seen how they’ll line up their rotation over the final two weeks of the season.  However, it stands to reason that both Bowlan and Veneziano will get at least one start as K.C. looks to patch these holes in their rotation and takes a look at two farm system arms that could factor into the club’s 2024 plans.

This is the second time that Beaty has been designated for assignment this season, as the Giants DFA’ed him at the end of May.  Beaty opted for free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, and he landed in Kansas City on a minors deal in June.  This was technically his second stint with the Royals, as Beaty also signed a minor league contract with K.C. during the offseason but was then traded to San Francisco just prior to Opening Day.

Beaty has appeared in 26 big league games with the Royals, hitting .232/.358/.304 over 67 plate appearances.  That gives him only a .518 OPS over 119 PA since the start of the 2022 season, though Beaty was hampered by a shoulder injury for much of last year when he was a member of the Padres.  It seems likely that Beaty will clear waivers and again face an opt-out decision, and he could opt for free agency just to get a head start on the offseason rather than stick it out for the last few games of the Triple-A season.

Royals Transfer Daniel Lynch To 60-Day IL

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The Royals announced yesterday that they’ve transferred left-hander Daniel Lynch from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, opening a spot on their 40-man roster. Kansas City followed that announcement by announcing Thursday (an off-day for them) that first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. An additional roster move is forthcoming tomorrow, per the team.

Generally speaking, transfers to the 60-day IL are accompanied by corresponding 40-man moves, so it’s feasible that Kansas City will have such a move to make tomorrow. Right-hander Brad Keller, out since May due to a shoulder impingement, has been on a minor league rehab assignment for three weeks and could be an option to return (speculatively speaking). He’s been working out of the bullpen in Double-A and pitched two innings on Monday. Keller still has a week left on his rehab window, however, so the Royals could delay that move and select the contract of prospect or perhaps make an external addition via waivers or free agency. Kansas City’s starting pitcher for Friday’s game in Toronto is currently listed as TBD.

Lynch, 26, has been out since mid-July with a left shoulder strain. The move to the 60-day injured list is largely procedural. He hasn’t yet begun a minor league rehab stint and had already been on the injured list for 50 days (51 now), so it’s highly unlikely he’d have returned before reaching the 60-day mark anyhow. (The 60-day term on such IL stints is retroactive to the original placement on the injured list and does not reset when a player is transferred to the lengthier IL designation.) Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets that Lynch is slated to begin pitching live batting practice this week, so it seems there’s still a chance he could return before season’s end.

Selected with the No. 34 overall pick in 2018, Lynch was one of several college arms (joining Brady Singer, Kris Bubic and Jackson Kowar) on whom the Royals were banking to quickly turn the tides on their big league roster. The lefty ranked among baseball’s top pitching prospects prior to his 2021 debut but has yet to solidify himself as a staple in the Kansas City rotation.

Lynch opened the season on the injured list with a strained rotator cuff, returned in late May and made nine starts prior to returning to the 15-day IL. The 92.8 mph average velocity on his fastball was noticeably down from the 94.2 mph he averaged in 2022. In those nine starts, he pitched 52 1/3 innings of 4.64 ERA ball, striking out just 15.2% of his opponents against a sharp 7.2% walk rate.

That’s among the best stretches of Lynch’s career to date. He has an excellent but brief stretch last summer, tossing eight starts with a 3.18 ERA from June 17 through Aug. 17, but that was bookended by a poor start to the year (5.50 ERA in 54 frames) and an even rockier finish (6.63 ERA in 38 innings). Overall, Lynch has made 51 big league starts and pitched 252 innings with a 5.18 ERA, 18.6% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate.

Royals Select Matt Beaty, Place Michael Massey On 10-Day IL

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The Royals announced that they have selected the contract of utiltyman Matt Beaty from Triple-A, and placed second baseman Michael Massey on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand laceration.  MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reported earlier today that Beaty had a locker in the team’s clubhouse, and that Massey was likely headed to the IL with “a deep cut right on his knuckle, so he’s unable to move it much right now.”  Vinnie Pasquantino (whose season has been ended by shoulder surgery) was moved to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for Beaty.

After signing a minor league deal with Kansas City in January, Beaty was traded to the Giants on Opening Day, and he ended up appearing in four games for San Francisco while being optioned to the minors on multiple occasions and eventually designated for assignment.  Beaty elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, and then returned to the Royals on a new minor league deal earlier this week.

Now, Beaty finally looks set to make his official debut in a K.C. uniform.  The 30-year-old made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 2019, and hit .262/.333/.425 over 556 plate appearances in part-time action over the next three seasons, earning a World Series ring in 2020.  Los Angeles traded Beaty to the Padres in March 2022 but the SoCal move went poorly, as Beaty played in only 20 games for San Diego last season while missing the bulk of the year due to a shoulder injury.

Beaty has experience at both corner infield and outfield positions, with first base and left field being his primary positions.  He could help out at all four spots plus the DH role in Kansas City, though first base might be a less-frequent role since Beaty and Nick Pratto are both left-handed hitters.  In what is already looking like a lost season for the Royals, the team will surely prioritize giving Pratto everyday at-bats as a small silver lining to the blow that was Pasquantino’s shoulder injury.

Massey has seen most of the playing time at second base this season, though Matt Duffy, Nicky Lopez, and Maikel Garcia have also gotten some work at the keystone for platoon reasons and because Massey hasn’t hit much.  The 25-year-old has batted .217/.279/.315 over 204 PA, with four home runs.  Beaty’s availability for third base could open the door for Garcia or Lopez to play second base in Massey’s absence.

Royals Sign Matt Beaty, Jermaine Palacios To Minor League Deals

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The Royals announced Monday that they’ve signed first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty and infielder Jermaine Palacios to minor league contracts. Both will be active at the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Omaha this week.

Beaty, 30, returns to the Royals after spending all of 2023 spring training with them. The Giants acquired Beaty just prior to the start of the season and carried him on their Opening Day roster, but he was optioned in mid-April and designated for assignment at the end of May. Beaty cleared outright waivers and rejected a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

The rebuilding Royals have now liked Beaty enough to ink him to a minor league deal twice in the past several months. He’ll rejoin the organization after batting .272/.406/.477 in 129 Triple-A plate appearances with the Giants’ Sacramento affiliate. Notably, Beaty’s return also aligns with some uncertainty regarding first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. The 25-year-old Pasquantino was placed on the injured list due to shoulder soreness over the weekend, and he’s headed for an MRI today. Nick Pratto is likely to step in and take the bulk of the playing time at first base for however long Pasquantino is sidelined, but Beaty gives the Royals another lefty-swinging hitter who can fill a first base/corner outfield/designated hitter role.

Beaty struggled through a miserable showing with the Padres in 2022, though his .093/.170/.163 batting line came in a sample of just 47 plate appearances. It’s understandable enough why the Padres opted to quickly move on, but in 556 prior plate appearances with the Dodgers from 2019-21, he posted a solid .262/.333/.425 batting line.

Even if Pasquantino doesn’t end up missing much time at all, there’s a chance Beaty could play his way onto Kansas City’s big league roster. Veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. hasn’t hit whatsoever with the Royals, and catching/outfield prospect MJ Melendez has struggled mightily while playing primarily in the outfield. Utilityman Nate Eaton and outfielder Kyle Isbel have also struggled. Veteran corner options like Hunter Dozier and Franmil Reyes, meanwhile, have both been released. At present, Edward Olivares is the only full-time Royals outfielder who’s been at least average at the plate.

As for the 26-year-old Palacios, he was once a well-regarded prospect with the division-rival Twins, who traded him to the Rays in exchange for righty Jake Odorizzi several years ago. Palacios didn’t hit much in the Rays organization and returned to the Twins on a minor league deal prior to the 2021 season. He had a pair of solid minor league seasons in 2021-22 and even made his big league debut with the ’22 Twins. However, in 77 plate appearances he batted just .143/.184/.229.

Palacios hit .283/.341/.462 in 428 Triple-A plate appearances for the Twins a season ago, but he opened the year with the Tigers’ top affiliate and got out to just a .176/.232/.352 start in 138 plate appearances. Detroit released him just last week. He’s a quality defender who, in addition to that strong year with the Twins’ St. Paul affiliate in 2022, posted a huge showing in the Dominican Winter League this offseason (.400/.471/.633 in 138 plate appearances). He can play any of shortstop, second base and third base at an above-average level.

Matt Beaty Elects Free Agency

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Corner infielder/outfielder Matt Beaty has elected minor league free agency after being outrighted by the Giants, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’ll look for other opportunities after being designated for assignment last week.

Beaty had a fairly brief tenure as a Giant. Acquired from the Royals on Opening Day, the left-handed hitter stepped to the plate just five times for San Francisco. He spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Sacramento, where he put up a solid .272/.406/.447 showing. He walked at a 10.9% clip while striking out just 18.6% of the time and hitting four home runs.

Upper minors success is nothing new for the former 12th round draftee. Beaty carries a .286/.388/.415 line in 137 career games at the Triple-A level. His major league results are more mixed. Beaty showed some early promise with the Dodgers, including a .270/.363/.402 showing in 2021. He’s struggled in a very limited look since then, hitting .104/.173/.167 in 52 plate appearances between the Padres and Giants over the last two years.

Beaty’s Triple-A track record is sure to lead to minor league interest now that he’s back on the market. That he went unclaimed on waivers suggests he’s unlikely to secure an immediate big league roster spot in free agency. A team seeking left-handed hitting depth could bring him in on a non-roster deal.

Giants Designate Matt Beaty For Assignment

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The Giants announced they’ve designated corner bat Matt Beaty for assignment. The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Luke Jackson, who is back from the 60-day injured list. San Francisco had already optioned infielder David Villar to create space on the active roster.

Beaty has spent the bulk of his time in the organization with Triple-A Sacramento. Acquired from the Royals on Opening Day, he has appeared with San Francisco just four times. He singled while striking out twice in five at-bats. Beaty has hit well for the River Cats, compiling a .272/.406/.447 batting line over 129 trips to the plate. He’s walking at a quality 10.9% clip and has kept his strikeouts to a lower than average 18.6% rate.

Unfortunately for Beaty, that wasn’t enough to get him a longer look at Oracle Park. He’s appeared in just 24 MLB games dating back to the start of the 2022 season. The left-handed hitter showed some upside in prior looks with the Dodgers, including a .270/.363/.402 slash over 234 plate appearances during the ’21 campaign. He’s a career .249/.319/.405 hitter at the major league level and owns a .286/.388/.415 line through parts of five Triple-A campaigns.

Beaty clearly has offensive ability, but he’s struggled to carve out a consistent defensive role. He’s played all four corner positions at the major league level, the bulk of that time coming at first base and in left field. Those are the only two positions at which he’s started a game this year in Triple-A.

The Giants will have a week to explore trades or try to run Beaty through waivers. He has between three and four years of service time and is in his final option year, which could draw some attention from other clubs. Were he to go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to test minor league free agency by virtue of both his MLB service time and a previous career outright.

Giants Place Joc Pederson On IL With Right Wrist Inflammation

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The Giants have placed outfielder Joc Pederson on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. They’ve recalled Matt Beaty to take his place on the active roster.

Pederson was off to a solid start for the Giants this year, slashing .242/.350/.545 with a pair of home runs through his first 40 plate appearances of the season. Losing him is a sizeable blow to the middle of the Giants lineup which is already depleted, with Mitch Haniger, Austin Slater and Roberto Perez all out, while Michael Conforto is also currently out of the lineup with a calf problem.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters, including Evan Webeck of the Mercury News, that the hope is Pederson’s stay on the IL will be a short one. The Giants certainly need him back, going into Saturday’s games they sit 5-8 in the NL West and are a looking up at the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks all above them.

In Pederson’s place the team will turn to Beaty, an infielder/outfielder who signed with the team on a minor league deal this winter. Beaty has appeared for three teams in his career, both in the NL West, as he suited up for the Dodgers and then Padres. He holds a solid enough career .250/.321/.405 line in the big leagues, but struggled to a .093/.170/.163 line over 47 plate appearances for the Padres last season.

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