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Keston Hiura Won’t Make Tigers, Has Upward Mobility Clause

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4:30pm: Petzold tweets that the upward mobility clause dates are March 26, June 1 and August 1.

4:10pm: The Tigers announced today that they have reassigned right-hander Trey Wingenter, left-hander Andrew Vasquez, catcher Anthony Bemboom, infielder Keston Hiura and outfielders Bligh Madris and Ryan Vilade to minor league camp, indicating that no one in that group will make the club’s Opening Day roster.

Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press takes a look at the moves and notes that the organization plans to have Hiura serve as the primary first baseman for Triple-A Toledo. However, the wrinkle in that plan is that his minor league deal has an upward mobility clause, also known as an assignment clause. There are multiple dates where the Tigers must ask the other 29 clubs if any is willing to give Hiura a roster spot. If any of them say yes, the Tigers either have to call him up themselves or trade him to the team that wants him.

That means that the Tigers can only keep him in Triple-A if the other teams all pass on the chance to take him. Petzold doesn’t provide specifics about the dates when the clause will be triggered, but he does note that one of them is next week.

The 27-year-old has had a feast-or-famine career thus far, as he has shown huge home run power but also a worrying penchant for strikeouts. He has 1,057 plate appearances at the major league level, all with the Brewers from 2019 to 2022. He struck out in 380 of them, a 36% rate which is well above par. The league-wide average was 22.7% in the majors last year, for reference. But Hiura did hit 50 home runs in that time.

Last year, Hiura was stuck in Triple-A. He hit 25 homers in 367 plate appearances at that level while keeping his strikeout rate to a more passable 24.5% clip. But he never got called back up to the big leagues and hit minor league free agency at season’s end, signing a minor league deal with the Tigers.

Here in the spring, he batted .323 for the Tigers with two homers in 34 plate appearances. He only struck out at a 23.5% rate but it’s a small sample size and spring stats are always to be taken with a grain of salt as opposing pitchers may not be major league caliber or may be experimenting as they get ready for the season.

Hiura doesn’t have a strong path to playing time in Detroit. He came up as a second baseman but was a poor defender there and spent more time at first base and left field last year. The Tigers have Spencer Torkelson entrenched at first for the foreseeable future. The designated hitter slot will likely be used to rotate their outfielders through, with Kerry Carpenter perhaps seeing the most time as a DH while Mark Canha, Parker Meadows and Riley Greene are on the grass. The bench will be taken up by backup catcher Carson Kelly and utility infielder/outfielders Andy Ibañez, Zach McKinstry and Matt Vierling.

The Tigers would surely like to keep Hiura around as depth but the other 29 clubs will have multiple opportunities to take a chance on him. The Rays just lost one player from their first base/designated hitter mix as it was reported today that Jonathan Aranda requires surgery for a broken finger. The Yankees may be without DJ LeMahieu to start the season after he fouled a ball of his foot. Hiura wouldn’t be able to step in as the everyday third baseman but could provide another bench bat while Oswaldo Cabrera covers the hot corner. The Angels have Nolan Schanuel as their first baseman despite the fact that he was just drafted last summer, and he’s also currently dealing with some back tightness.

There’s also the possibility for platooning, as Hiura has significant reverse splits in his career. He’s hit just .201/.283/.323 against southpaws for a 64 wRC+ but .253/.332/.508 against righties for a 122 wRC+, despite being a right-handed hitter. For any club that feels they are weak against righties, Hiura will be there for the taking. His deal comes with a $2MM base salary if he’s in the majors.

Tigers Sign Ryan Vilade To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have signed infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade to a minor league contract, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He will receive an invitation to major league Spring Training, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

Vilade, 25 in February, spent 2023 with the Pirates mostly in a non-roster capacity. He was claimed off waivers from the Rockies in the offseason but was designated for assignment on Opening Day, passing through waivers and sticking with the Bucs at Triple-A. He played 122 games at that level, striking out in 24.9% of his plate appearances but also walking at a 12.5% clip. He only hit six home runs on the year, leading to a batting line of .270/.370/.382 and wRC+ of 96.

He brings plenty of defensive versatility to the table, as he spent some time at first base, third base and all three outfield positions this year. He’s played some shortstop in the past, though not since 2019. He was limited to seven stolen bases in 2023, but he was in double digits in each previous year in which minor league games were played going back to 2018. He has three games of MLB experience, which came with the Rockies in 2021.

The Tigers already have plenty of outfielders, with Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Mark Canha and Akil Baddoo looking to split the playing time on the grass and perhaps in the designated hitter spot. Spencer Torkelson seems entrenched at first base but the hot corner is a bit more open. Matt Vierling is likely the favorite at that spot for now, though he hasn’t really done anything to lock the job down as he was around league average offensively and defensively in 2023. Andy Ibañez, Tyler Nevin, Nick Maton and Andre Lipcius are also on the roster and in the mix. Prospect Colt Keith could be the third baseman of the future but he’s also been getting some second base work lately. Justyn-Henry Malloy is also an attractive third base prospect, though he plays the outfield corners as well.

Vilade will give the club a bit more depth at that spot in a non-roster capacity, with the ability to pivot to other spots if injuries open up holes elsewhere. He is still quite young, has a couple of options and less than a year of service time, meaning he could be a long-term depth option for the club if he earns his way onto the roster.

Pirates Select Tyler Heineman, Designate Edwin Uceta

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The Pirates announced a batch of roster moves prior to tonight’s game. Catcher Austin Hedges was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list. Fellow catcher Tyler Heineman was selected to take his active roster spot. In order to open a spot for Heineman on the 40-man, right-hander Edwin Uceta was designated for assignment. Additionally, outfielder Ryan Vilade, who was designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Hedges, 30, has long been considered one of the game’s better defensive backstops, though he doesn’t provide much on offense. His career batting line of .189/.247/.330 amounts to a wRC+ of 54, indicating he’s been 46% below league average at the plate. But he’s racked up 75 Defensive Runs Saved since debuting in 2015, the highest total in the majors during that stretch. He signed with the Bucs in the offseason for one year and $5MM, a sensible match given that he could work with the rebuilding club’s young pitching staff.

It’s unclear exactly how Hedges sustained this concussion, but the club will have to proceed without him for at least the next week. Jason Delay is already on the roster and Heineman will now join him to form the club’s catching duo for the time being. Heineman, 32 in June, has 82 games of major league experience with a .214/.279/.276 batting line and +6 DRS. Both he and Delay have options, so either could be sent to the minors when Hedges returns.

Uceta, 25, has changed jerseys quite a few times in the past little while. The Pirates just claimed him off waivers from the Tigers two days ago, with the latter club claiming him off waivers from the Diamondbacks in January. He spent just one year in Arizona, as that club claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers at the end of the 2021 season. He posted a 5.82 ERA for the Snakes last year and a 4.86 mark for their Triple-A club. He only struck out 17.8% of hitters he faced in the big leagues but he had a 32.7% rate in the minors, though that came with a 14% walk rate. The Pirates will now have a week to trade him or try to pass him through waivers.

Vilade, who just turned 24 in February, has just seven plate appearances of experience in the big leagues, which came with the Rockies in 2021. He struck out once and walked once without recording a hit. A career .281/.357/.410 hitter in the minor leagues, Vilade has experience at each of shortstop, third base, first base, and the three outfield spots during his minor league career. In addition to his positional versatility, Vilade’s fairly low strikeout rate (17.4%) and solid walk rate (10.0%) in the minor leagues indicate a potentially valuable bench piece at the big league level, but for now he’ll wait for an opportunity with the Pirates at Triple-A. As a player with less than three years of big league service time who has not yet been outrighted in his career, Vilade cannot reject his outright assignment.

Pirates Designate Ryan Vilade For Assignment

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The Pirates announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Ryan Vilade for assignment and selected the contracts of left-hander Rob Zastryzny and catcher Jason Delay, both of whom were in spring training as non-roster invitees. Lefty Jarlin Garcia (nerve injury) was placed on the 60-day injured list to open a second spot on the 40-man roster. Righties JT Brubaker (right elbow discomfort) and Robert Stephenson (right elbow inflammation) have both been placed on the 15-day injured list as well.

Vilade, 24, was claimed off waivers from the Rockies back in November. He ranked among Colorado’s best prospects just one year ago but struggled in his second go through the Triple-A level, slashing a tepid .249/.345/.352 with five homers and ten steals through 99 games in that hitter-friendly setting. Originally drafted as a shortstop, Vilade has moved down the defensive spectrum, first shifting to third base before a move to the outfield corners. He went just 3-for-18 without an extra-base hit this spring, finishing with a .167/.211/.167 line in 19 trips to the plate. The Pirates will have a week to trade Vilade, release him or pass him through outright waivers.

Zastryzny, 31, returned to the Majors in 2022 after a three-year layoff and tossed four innings between the Mets and Angels. He’s making the first Opening Day roster of his 10-year professional career, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic points out (Twitter link). Zastryzny earned it this spring, punching out 10 of his 29 opponents against one walk while firing 7 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

In parts of four big league seasons, mostly with the Cubs, Zastryzny has a 4.66 ERA and a 34-to-17 K/BB ratio in 38 2/3 innings of work. His Triple-A numbers across six seasons are generally similar, albeit with slightly better strikeout and walk rates. Zastryzny will give manager Derek Shelton a second lefty in the ’pen, joining Rule 5 pick Jose Hernandez.

Delay, 28, made his big league debut with the Bucs in 2022 but was removed from the 40-man roster and re-signed to a minor league deal. He had a rough showing in camp, going just 3-for-20 with three walks, but he’s a strong defensive backstop and likely landed the backup gig by virtue of his glove. Delay posted plus framing marks last season, has a career 31% caught-stealing rate in the minors and was credited with two Defensive Runs Saved in 436 innings behind the dish last year. He beat out fellow non-roster invitees Kevin Plawecki and Tyler Heineman and will open the season as the backup to defensive standout Austin Hedges.

Garcia’s placement on the 60-day IL comes as little surprise. The team announced he’d be shut down midway through camp, and after a ten days of not throwing, they further announced that he was dealing with a nerve injury in his biceps and would continue to be shut down for as many as four to five weeks. He’ll need to completely build back up after that delay. Stephenson pitched just two innings this spring and was slowed by elbow discomfort, and Shelton acknowledged last week that an IL stint was likely.

There’s more concern with regard to Brubaker. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted this morning that Brubaker’s elbow injury is “not minor” and the Pirates fear there’s a chance he could be lost for the season. The team hasn’t provided a formal diagnosis or update beyond today’s placement on the injured list, but additional news on Brubaker will likely follow in the near future. The 29-year-old Brubaker made 28 starts last season and pitched to a 4.69 ERA but with much more encouraging marks in FIP (3.92) and SIERA (3.97).

Pirates Claim Ryan Vilade

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The Pirates have claimed outfielder Ryan Vilade off waivers from the Rockies, per announcements from both clubs. Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster is now full.

Vilade, 23, was the No. 48 overall pick in the 2017 draft and ranked among the Rockies’ best prospects just last offseason, landing No. 6 on Baseball America’s organizational rankings. The team over at BA also placed Vilade tenth among Rox farmhands just this past summer.

Despite replaying the Triple-A level for a second time in 2022, Vilade had a season to forget, hitting just .249/.345/.352 with five home runs and ten stolen bases in 99 games. The Oklahoma native was drafted as a shortstop but has quickly slid down the defensive spectrum, first moving to third base and now spending the bulk of his time in the outfield corners. Vilade’s glove was never his carrying tool, however, as he was viewed as a bat-first prospect from the time of his selection.

Vilade’s bat indeed stood out in the lower minors, but after the canceled 2020 minor league season he jumped from High-A in 2019 directly to Triple-A and turned in lackluster results. He’s now played 216 games at that level and owns a .269/.342/.385 slash in 948 plate appearances. He made a brief MLB debut in 2021 but went hitless in seven plate appearances.

The Pirates will hope that a change of scenery and some new coaching can help coax another level out of Vilade’s bat in the upper minors. He won’t turn 24 until February and has a pair of minor league options remaining, so he can give the Bucs some flexible outfield depth if he survives the offseason on the 40-man roster.

Rockies Select Ryan Vilade, Designate Bernardo Flores Jr.

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The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of outfield prospect Ryan Vilade from Triple-A.  Left-hander Bernardo Flores Jr. was designated for assignment and righty Ryan Feltner was optioned to Triple-A in corresponding moves.

Vilade places fifth on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of the Rockies’ top prospects, and the 2017 second-round pick is now set to make his Major League debut.  Vilade has hit .286/.339/.420 with seven homers over 447 plate appearances for Triple-A Albuquerque this year, which marked his first experience at the Triple-A level.

With rather modest power numbers in the hitter-friendly environs of the former Pacific Coast League, Vilade has yet to fully tap into the power potential cited in Pipeline’s scouting report.  With increased strength paired alongside “solid bat-to-ball skills and an advanced approach” at the plate, Vilade could be a candidate to hit 25-30 home runs per year at the big league level.  Playing in Denver’s thin air could very well help unlock that extra pop, and the Rockies figure to give Vilade a good chunk of playing time over the season’s final two weeks.

Vilade is in Colorado’s lineup as the starting left fielder today, and this figures to be his primary position going forward.  He was originally drafted as a shortstop, however, and he has also seen work as a third baseman, first baseman, and at the other two outfield positions.  Developing into a multi-position type would only help the 22-year-old Vilade’s future prospects, giving him more chances to stick somewhere in the Rockies’ everyday lineup.

Flores was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals back in June, and he has spent much of his time in the Rockies’ organization on the Triple-A injured list.  The southpaw’s only MLB game of the 2021 season came on May 5, when he faced three batters without recording an out in a 7-2 Cardinals loss to the Mets.

A seventh-round pick for the White Sox in 2016, Flores made his MLB debut with two innings for Chicago last season.  The grounder specialist has a 3.42 ERA over 473 1/3 career innings in the minors, but with only a 6.68 ERA in 33 2/3 frames at Triple-A.

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