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Rogelio Armenteros

Nationals Release Rogelio Armenteros

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The Nationals have released right-hander Rogelio Armenteros, The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty reports (Twitter link). The 27-year-old will be free to explore opportunities with other clubs.

Washington claimed Armenteros off waivers from the Diamondbacks last December, but he never appeared in a big league game with the Nats. He began the season with Triple-A Rochester, and was outrighted off the 40-man roster after being designated for assignment in June. Armenteros landed on the minor league injured list not long after, and he made one rehab appearance with the Nats’ complex league affiliate last weekend before being released.

While Armenteros’ tenure with the Nationals didn’t go as hoped, he’s not far removed from a generally well-regarded arm. Baseball America slotted Armenteros among the top thirty prospects in the Astros’ system in each season from 2017-20, thanks to his plus changeup and strike-throwing acumen. Armenteros has a 1.94 ERA over 83 2/3 innings at the Double-A level and has a decent 4.04 mark in 300 2/3 career innings at Triple-A. His big league experience consists of 18 innings with Houston in 2019, as he pitched to an even 4.00 ERA with solid strikeout (24%) and walk (6.7%) rates.

Nationals Reinstate Starlin Castro, Outright Rogelio Armenteros

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The Nationals announced they’ve reinstated infielder Starlin Castro from the restricted list. Also returning to the active roster is right-hander Austin Voth, who’s been on the 10-day injured list due to a broken nose. Reliever Ryne Harper was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, while outfielder Andrew Stevenson has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 17, with an oblique strain. Additionally, righty Rogelio Armenteros, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Rochester.

Castro went on the restricted list earlier this week to attend a personal matter. He’ll return after a three-day absence. Castro, who has started 62 of the Nationals 65 games this season at third base, will return to his customary role at the hot corner. He’ll look to right the ship after a brutal start to the campaign. The 31-year-old has hit just .239/.287/.312 over 254 plate appearances, a far cry from his generally average offensive output the three seasons prior. Castro, who is in the final season of a two-year, $12MM contract with the fourth-place Nats, could be a potential trade candidate before the July 30 deadline, although he’ll need to substantially pick up his performance at the plate to attract much interest.

Voth returns after a minimal IL stint, a fortunate development given the scariness of his injury. The 28-year-old was struck in the face by a Vince Velasquez pitch during his first start of the season. Voth, who has otherwise spent the entire year working out of the bullpen, has pitched to a solid 2.73 ERA/3.70 SIERA in 29 2/3 innings.

The Nationals will keep Armenteros in the organization without devoting him a 40-man roster spot. Washington claimed the 26-year-old off waivers from the Diamondbacks last winter. Once a decently regarded prospect in the Houston system, Armenteros made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2019. He tossed 18 innings of 4.00 ERA/4.08 SIERA ball that year but missed last season with bone spurs in his elbow. The righty has spent all of 2021 in Rochester, struggling over seven starts. Through 29 1/3 Triple-A frames, Armenteros has managed just a 5.83 ERA while walking an uncharacteristically high 14.2% of opposing hitters. He’ll stick around with the Red Wings and look to pitch his way back onto the 40-man roster at some point this year.

Nationals Place Max Scherzer On Injured List

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The Nationals announced they’re placing ace Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 12, due to groin inflammation. Reliever Justin Miller has been selected to the roster to replace him. To clear space for Miller on the 40-man roster, Washington designated righty Rogelio Armenteros for assignment.

Scherzer was forced out of his start on Friday night in the first inning with the groin issue. He downplayed the injury after his start, but he’ll apparently still need some time on the IL to recover. The team didn’t announce an initial timetable for his return.

The 36-year-old Scherzer has been his usual incredible self this season. Through 77 1/3 innings, he’s worked to a pristine 2.21 ERA/2.67 SIERA, striking out a stellar 36% of opposing hitters while walking only 5.2%. Even a minimal IL stint is a tough blow to the 28-35 Nats, who sit in fourth place in the National League East. After wrapping up a series with the Pirates tomorrow, Washington will kick off a run of eleven consecutive games against divisional foes (including five meetings with the division-leading Mets).

If Washington doesn’t get back on track, Scherzer’s name figures to surface in plenty of trade speculation in the coming weeks. He’s slated to hit free agency at the end of the season, and there’d be plenty of demand from contenders for one of the top pitchers in the game. There’s no indication today’s IL stint will last long enough to jeopardize his potential trade candidacy, although it’s still unclear if the team would make him available. Moving star players midseason hasn’t traditionally been the Nationals style, but there’s a case they should listen to offers on Scherzer if they don’t close the division gap in the coming weeks. Having previously received a qualifying offer in his career (back in 2014 from the Tigers), Scherzer is ineligible to be tagged with a QO this winter. Thus, the Nationals could stand to lose him for no compensation if they don’t move him this summer.

Miller makes his way back to Washington for the first time in two years. The righty looked to have broken out with a strong 2018 season in the Nats bullpen, when he tossed 52 1/3 frames of 3.61 ERA/3.34 SIERA ball. A pair of IL stints the following season knocked him off course, though, and his strikeout rate plummeted from 27.9% in 2018 to 16.9% in 2019. The Nationals outrighted him off the 40-man roster that season.

The 34-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays over the 2019-20 offseason. He wound up traded to the Reds but didn’t make it onto either club’s 40-man roster. Miller elected minor league free agency and re-signed with the Nationals this March. He’s been nothing short of dominant this year with Triple-A Rochester. Over 16 1/3 innings, Miller’s allowed just a single earned run, striking out 29 of the 62 batters he’s faced (46.8%) while walking just four.

Like Miller, Armenteros has spent the entire season at Triple-A. He’s been far less successful, though, pitching to a 5.83 ERA with an average 23.1% strikeout rate but an elevated 14.2% walk percentage. Washington will now have a week to trade or waive the 26-year-old, whom they claimed from the Diamondbacks last December. Armenteros was once a decently regarded prospect in the Astros system and still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a rival club that needs rotation depth acquire him in a small transaction.

Nationals Select Luis Avilan’s Contract, Designate Dakota Bacus

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Left-hander Luis Avilan has made the Nationals’ roster, manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including The Athletic’s Maria Torres and Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com).  To create 40-man space for Avilan, the Nats have designated righty Dakota Bacus for assignment.  Right-hander Rogelio Armenteros and left-hander Seth Romero were also optioned to Triple-A as Washington continues to pare down its roster.

A veteran of nine big league seasons, Avilan is now in position to officially suit up for his seventh different team.  The southpaw was a reliable bullpen arm for the Braves and Dodgers from 2012-17, though he has run into increasing problems as his soft contact percentages, and home run rates have wrong directions over the last three seasons.  After posting a 6.3% homer rate in his first seven seasons, Avilan’s number jumped to 18.5% over 32 innings with the Mets in 2019 and then 22.2% in his brief 8 1/3 inning-stint with the Yankees last season.

Avilan was hampered by some shoulder problems in 2020, so it’s certainly possible that he’ll regain his old effectiveness with better health in the Washington bullpen.  Avilan and closer Brad Hand are the only lefty relievers projected to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster, as fellow 40-man roster members Romero and Sam Clay look to begin the season at Triple-A.  (T.J. McFarland was also in camp on a minor league deal but was released yesterday.)

Bacus made his big league debut in 2020, posting a 7.94 ERA over 11 1/3 relief innings for the Nationals before his rookie season was cut short by a flexor strain.  Originally acquired from the A’s in the Kurt Suzuki trade of August 2013, Bacus is a groundball specialist who posted a 3.53 ERA and 19.56% strikeout rate over 609 2/3 career minor league innings, converting into a full-time relief role during the 2016 season.

Nationals Claim Rogelio Armenteros

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The Nationals announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Rogelio Armenteros off waivers from the Diamondbacks. Arizona picked up the righty in a waiver claim of their own after the Astros tried to pass him through outright waivers earlier this winter. Washington’s 40-man roster is at 34 players.

Armenteros, 26, didn’t pitch in 2020 owing to surgery that removed a bone spur from his right elbow. He made his big league debut with the Astros in 2019, however, and pitched to a 4.00 ERA with an 18-to-5 K/BB ratio in 18 innings (four starts). The righty has a generally sharp track record in parts of three seasons in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League, having compiled a 3.73 ERA with averages of 10 strikeouts, 3.4 walks and 1.2 homers per nine innings pitched.

Though the elbow procedure creates some uncertainty, it’s clear that Armenteros is still viewed as an intriguing depth option with some upside, as we’ve now seen a pair of clubs claim him this winter. He does have a minor league option remaining, which surely appealed to the Nats, who have some uncertainty at the back of their rotation. After Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, the Nats don’t have set fourth and fifth starters. Armenteros will join a group of candidates that includes Erick Fedde, Joe Ross and Austin Voth — assuming the Nats opt to carry Armenteros on the roster for the remainder of the offseason, of course.

D-backs Claim Rogelio Armenteros, Outright Domingo Leyba

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The Diamondbacks announced Friday that they’ve claimed righty Rogelio Armenteros off waivers from the Astros and outrighted infielder Domingo Leyba to Triple-A Reno. The D-backs’ roster is at 37 players. The Astros are down to 35.

Armenteros, 26, didn’t pitch in 2020 owing to surgery that removed a bone spur from his right elbow. He made his big league debut with the Astros in 2019, however, and pitched to a 4.00 ERA with an 18-to-5 K/BB ratio in 18 innings (four starts). The righty has a generally sharp track record in parts of three seasons in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League, having compiled a 3.73 ERA with averages of 10 strikeouts, 3.4 walks and 1.2 homers per nine innings pitched. He also has a minor league option remaining, so he’ll represent a nice depth addition for the D-backs’ staff.

Leyba, 25, came to the D-backs alongside Robbie Ray back in 2014’s three-team swap that sent Didi Gregorius to the Bronx and Shane Greene to Detroit. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and batted .280/.367/.440 in a tiny sample of 30 plate appearances, but he’s been oft-injured throughout his minor league career and has shown a glaring lack of power outside of 2019’s juiced-ball season in Triple-A. He has strong bat-to-ball skills, striking out in just 14 percent of his career plate appearances in the minors, but the fact that he went unclaimed is indicative of concerns surrounding his overall game.

Rogelio Armenteros Has Bone Spur Removed From Elbow

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Astros right-hander Rogelio Armenteros underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow yesterday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Armenteros should be ready to pitch again in four months time.

Armenteros, 25, made five appearances (two starts) for the Astros last season, contributing 18 innings of 4.00 ERA/2.77 FIP baseball. He also put together 84 1/3 innings with a 4.80 ERA/5.08 FIP in Triple-A.

While not an upper-tier prospect (Baseball America puts him as the Astros’ #26 prospect, while MLB.com does not rank him among their top 30), Armenteros nonetheless offers some upside as a late-season contributor in 2020. He will be an option for the rotation or bullpen upon his return. Given his lack of big league experience, however, the 25-year-old will likely report directly to Triple-A upon his return. There’s enough uncertainty baked into the Astros’ rotation that Armenteros could very well find himself a key contributor at the tail end of 2020. He’ll have to prove himself healthy and effective first, of course.

In the meantime, the Astros’ rotation is most likely to consist of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Urquidy and Josh James. The fifth spot is officially up for grabs, however, and Verlander remains on the shelf with a lat strain.

AL Notes: McKay, Gordon, Astros

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Rays left-hander Brendan McKay has been dealing with shoulder stiffness early in camp, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times writes. McKay’s “fine,” though, according to manager Kevin Cash. He long tossed from 120 feet Friday, and the hope is that he’ll throw his first bullpen session of the spring in the next couple days. If healthy, the 24-year-old figures to rack up at least some starts for the Rays this season. McKay totaled 13 appearances and 11 starts last season, when he pitched to a 5.14 ERA/4.03 FIP in 49 innings. He – like his organization as a whole – is an unconventional player, as someone who’s also capable of hitting. Two-way McKay batted a respectable .239/.346/.493 with five home runs in 78 Triple-A plate appearances last season. He only garnered 11 trips to the plate during his first MLB campaign, though.

  • The pricey Dee Gordon has seemingly become superfluous to a Seattle team that doesn’t figure to contend this season, the last guaranteed year of his contract. The Mariners are planning to start Shed Long, not Gordon, at second baseman. However, although Gordon and Long are friends, the veteran’s not ready to give up his position, as Greg Johns of MLB.com relays. “I’m the best player in the locker room,” Gordon said. “I’m the best player when I walk on the field. Y’all ain’t seen it. I’ve been hurt. I’ll just get ready and you’ll see something fun.” Injuries did limit Gordon to 117 games last season, but it has been a couple years since the speedster has been productive. He turned in a 60-steal, 3.6-fWAR campaign in 2017 – his final season as a Marlin – but has combined for 52 stolen bases and 0.5 fWAR over 1,009 plate appearances as a Mariner. In an ideal world, they’d probably like to get his $14.5MM guarantee off the books, but they haven’t been able to do it on the heels of back-to-back replacement-level seasons for Gordon.
  • The Astros’ pitching depth has taken a couple blows. The team shut down right-hander Rogelio Armenteros on account of soreness in his elbow and shoulder, and it has also shut down fellow righty Riley Ferrell because of shoulder soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The 25-year-old Armenteros threw 18 innings in the majors last season; he spent most of the year at the Triple-A level, where he pitched to a 4.80 ERA/5.08 FIP with 9.07 K/9 and 3.31 BB/9 over 84 1/3 innings. Arm injuries are nothing new for Ferrell, who dealt with biceps tendinitis last season and didn’t pitch much as a result. Miami took him from Houston in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, but the Marlins returned him to the Astros last June.

Astros Option Cy Sneed, Recall Rogelio Armenteros, Reinstate Francis Martes

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The Astros optioned Cy Sneed to Triple-A while promoting Rogelio Armenteros, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Armenteros, 25, is up to slated to start today’s game versus the Athletics. It’s been so far so good for Armeneteros this season, with a 1.93 ERA/2.86 FIP in 14 innings thus far, including one start. This will be his third stint with the team in as many months.

Sneed, 26, did a nice job soaking up innings in four appearances. Over 12 2/3 innings, Sneed pitched to a 4.26 ERA/3.93 FIP in his first big league action. The Nevada native has pitched in both relief and starting capacities in Triple-A this year, going 7-6 with a 4.22 ERA overall.

Also noted by Rome, Francis Martes has returned rom the restricted list and added to the minor league injured list. Martes received an 80-game PED suspension in March, but he isn’t expected to pitch until next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Astros To Activate George Springer, Collin McHugh

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The Astros are set to activate outfielder George Springer and right-hander Collin McHugh from the injured list, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Lefty Reymin Guduan and righty Rogelio Armenteros will be optioned to Triple-A to open spots on the active roster.

Springer will return to the ’Stros after missing exactly one month due to a hamstring injury. While Springer’s absence surely wasn’t the sole factor — Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa had IL stints overlap with Springer’s time on the IL — Houston posted a 14-12 record while he was sidelined. That’s a far cry from the 35-18 pace to which they’d played prior to his injury, but the club still holds a comfortable six-game lead over the surprising Rangers in the American League West. With Springer’s return, the team’s lineup is near full strength, as well; Altuve was reinstated last week, leaving Correa as the lone injured regular.

The 29-year-old Springer was in the midst of his finest offensive campaign at the time of his injury. Despite tallying just 216 plate appearances on the season, his 17 home runs are just five shy of last year’s season-long total. Springer’s walk rate, average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate have all soared in 2019, and the resulting .308/.389/.643 batting line checks in at about 70 percent better than the league-average hitter (per OPS+ and wRC+).

It was a different story for the 32-year-old McHugh, who struggled tremendously in his return to the Houston rotation in 2019. Through eight starts, McHugh was tagged for 30 runs in 41 innings — albeit with 10 of them coming in one road meltdown against the Rangers. Still, the Houston organization apparently deemed McHugh better suited for a relief role, as the Astros moved him to the bullpen in early May.

There’s no indication that McHugh will be returning to the Astros’ rotation now that he’s returned from a minor elbow issue. Framber Valdez has turned in a pair of strong outings (against weak Blue Jays and Orioles lineups) and one ugly one (at Yankee Stadium) since assuming the fifth spot in the rotation. It’s certainly possible that McHugh will eventually get another look, but he was also dominant in a multi-inning relief role last season (1.99 ERA, 11.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings). Which role McHugh occupies will be of particular interest, as he’s set to become a free agent for the first time this winter and his role could well impact his offseason earning power.

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