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Stephen Nogosek

Mets’ Travis Jankowski Out 6-8 Weeks Following Hand Surgery

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The Mets announced to reporters, including Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News, that outfielder Travis Jankowski underwent surgery today following a fracture of the fourth metacarpal on his left hand. He has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 26, with a recovery timeline of approximately 6-8 weeks. Thosar also relays word from manager Buck Showalter that the injury was sustained as Jankowski made a diving catch in Wednesday’s game. The club also optioned left-hander Thomas Szapucki, recalling right-handers Stephen Nogosek and Yoan Lopez to take the open spots on the active roster, per Tim Britton of The Athletic.

A veteran of eight MLB seasons now, Jankowski has never been a huge threat at the plate, but has continually been employed for his speed and defense. In 459 career games with the Padres, Reds, Phillies and Mets, he’s hit .238/.320/.314 for a wRC+ of 78. But thanks to 72 steals and good defensive numbers, he’s still produced 2.1 wins above replacement in that time, according to FanGraphs.

Signed to a minor league deal by the Mets in the offseason, he had his contract selected to start the season and has gotten into 33 games so far, but starting just 13 of those, often entering games as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. He’s hit just .209/.292/.209 on the season but has swiped three bags and helped out with the glove.

With Jankowski on the shelf, the Mets will have a little less outfield depth. Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Mark Canha will get the the lion’s share of time on the grass, with Jeff McNeil occasionally joining them while Luis Guillorme plays second. It’s possible that McNeil gets a bit more time in the outfield, though perhaps Dominic Smith could factor in as well. He played some outfield in each of the previous four seasons but has only played first base so far in this campaign. Britton relays that Showalter has mentioned Nick Plummer as someone who could come up from the minors, with Plummer not in tonight’s lineup for Triple-A Syracuse.

Mets To Select Stephen Nogosek, Transfer Sean Reid-Foley To 60-Day IL

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10:45 am: Mike Puma of the New York Post relays that the corresponding move is Sean Reid-Foley being transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. The righty was placed on the IL May 1 due to a partial UCL tear and wasn’t expected to return anytime soon.

9:24 am: The Mets are going to be selecting the contract of right-hander Stephen Nogosek, manager Buck Showalter tells Tim Healey of Newsday. He isn’t on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be necessary in that regard. Since the team is playing a doubleheader today, the active roster swells from 26 to 27 for the day. Healey adds that Adonis Medina has technically been optioned but will stay with the team today as that 27th man.

Nogosek, 27, was drafted by the Red Sox but was sent to the Mets in the 2017 Addison Reed trade. He made it to the big leagues in 2019 and was able to throw 6 2/3 innings that year. At the end of that season, he was outrighted off the roster but made it back in 2021, logging another 3 innings. Those 9 2/3 frames mark the sum total of his big league experience so far. He was non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal in the offseason.

He’s off to a great start so far this season, throwing 10 2/3 innings over seven Triple-A appearances. His ERA is 1.69 in that time, along with an excellent 31% strikeout rate. Although walks have often been an issue for him in his career, his rate is just 4.8% in the early going. If he can sustain that type of production, he could be a nice piece for a bullpen that was been one of the only weak points on a strong Mets team. The team’s relievers have a 3.72 ERA, placing them 20th out of the 30 MLB teams in that department. However, the advanced metrics are more bullish, with FIP placing them at 3.30 (8th), xFIP at 3.21 (3rd) and SIERA at 2.83 (4th).

Mets Sign Alex Claudio, Stephen Nogosek To Minor League Contracts

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The Mets recently signed left-hander Alex Claudio and right-hander Stephen Nogosek to minor league deals, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.  The signings are allowed during the lockout since both players are minor league free agents.

Claudio was released by the Red Sox in late September after inking a minors deal with Boston in August.  That deal with the Sox came on the heels of a 5.51 ERA over 32 2/3 innings with the Angels, as Claudio had some uncharacteristic struggles against left-handed batters and with his control (10.1% walk rate).

Known for his durability and his knack for inducing grounders, Claudio enjoyed some solid success with the Rangers and Brewers from 2014-20, even if his lack of a traditional high velo/high strikeout bullpen resume twice led Milwaukee to non-tender him.  Claudio’s early-career numbers (a 2.66 ERA over 162 1/3 innings from 2014-17) were better than his more recent work (4.28 ERA in 149 1/3 IP in 2018-20), and he has also had trouble keeping the ball in the park in two of his last three seasons.  In 2021, Claudio posted a 26.1% homer rate, allowing six home runs over his 32 2/3 frames with the Halos.

Only just entering his age-30 season, Claudio could be an interesting candidate for something of a rebound year, particularly since the defensively-challenged Angels weren’t a great fit for a groundball pitcher.  The Mets can take a closer look at Claudio in spring camp, and he would seemingly have a good shot at winning a job in a New York bullpen thin on southpaws.  David Peterson represents the only healthy left-handed pitcher on the Mets’ entire 40-man roster.

For Nogosek, it marks a quick return to the organization after the Mets cut him loose at the November 30 non-tender deadline.  Nogosek (who just turned 27 earlier this week) first came to the Mets from the Red Sox in July 2017 as part of the trade package for Addison Reed, and the righty has eight career MLB games on his resume.  Between 6 2/3 innings over seven appearances in 2019 and a single three-inning appearance this past season, Nogosek has a 9.31 ERA in his brief big league career.

As a minor leaguer, Nogosek has a 3.55 ERA over 238 innings, working as a reliever for all but three of his 170 games.  Nogosek can miss some bats (27.01% strikeout rate) but control has been an issue, with an above-average 11.91% walk rate in his time on the farm.  He struggled to a 5.14 ERA over 35 innings with Triple-A Syracuse in 2021, and also spent about six weeks on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/30/21

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We’ve now passed the deadline for teams to tender contracts to pre-arb and arbitration-eligible players. We’ll keep track of the more minor players non-tendered in the National League here. The American League non-tenders are available at this link.

As a reminder, you can view MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players here:

  • The Cardinals announced they’ve non-tendered utilityman José Rondon. The right-handed hitting infielder tallied 90 plate appearances this past season while suiting up at a handful of position.
  • The Giants announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Luis González, right-hander Sam Delaplane and southpaw Joe Palumbo. None of that trio was arbitration-eligible, and all three were recently acquired via minor transactions. It wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco attempts to work out minor league pacts with one or more of that group now that they’ve been removed from the 40-man roster.
  • The Phillies have non-tendered southpaw Kyle Dohy and re-signed him to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. He’ll remain in the organization but no longer occupies a spot on the 40-man roster. Dohy made on major league appearance in 2021.
  • The Padres announced they’ve non-tendered relievers José Castillo, Trey Wingenter, and Matt Strahm. Castillo and Wingenter haven’t pitched since 2019 because of arm injuries that necessitated Tommy John surgeries. Strahm was limited to just 6 2/3 frames in 2021 by health issues himself.
  • The Cubs are non-tendering reliever Jason Adam, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The southpaw missed much of the season after suffering a gruesome ankle fracture in Triple-A in May, but he made a triumphant late-season return to the big leagues. Adam ultimately tossed 10 2/3 innings over 12 outings. Chicago also announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Michael Hermosillo, who made a late-season appearance on the big league roster.
  • The Mets have non-tendered outfielder Mark Payton, per a club announcement. The left-handed hitter was acquired from the Reds midseason but never suited up for New York at the major league level.
  • The Reds have non-tendered righty Brandon Bailey, per a team announcement. The 27-year-old made five appearances with the Astros in 2020. He missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, the second such procedure of his career. Bailey is re-signing on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic.
  • The Nationals announced three non-tenders: relievers Wander Suero and Ryne Harper and first baseman Mike Ford. Suero is the most notable of the group, having been an effective set-up option at times during his four-season run in D.C. He struggled to a 6.33 ERA across 42 2/3 innings in 2021, though.
  • The Mets have non-tendered reliever Stephen Nogosek, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (on Twitter). The right-hander made just one three-inning appearance at the big league level in 2021. He worked 35 innings of 5.14 ERA ball with Triple-A Syracuse.
  • The Diamondbacks are non-tendering reliever Taylor Clarke, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has pitched with the D-Backs in each of the past three seasons. The left-hander worked to a 4.98 ERA over 43 1/3 innings this past season, showing solid control but posting a 20.1% strikeout rate that was about four percentage points below the league average mark for bullpen arms.
  • The Dodgers have non-tendered southpaw Andrew Vasquez, tweets Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. Vasquez wasn’t eligible for arbitration, but Los Angeles decided to bump him off the 40-man roster without placing him on waivers. Acquired in a minor trade with the Twins, Vasquez made two appearances for the Dodgers in early September. The 28-year-old struck out a massive 37.4% of batters faced in Triple-A in 2021.
  • The Pirates have non-tendered right-hander Chad Kuhl, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). A productive back-of-the-rotation arm at times, Kuhl has developed escalating control problems over the past couple seasons. The 29-year-old throws in the mid-90s and has posted decent strikeout numbers, but he’s coming off a 4.82 ERA/4.89 SIERA over 28 appearances (including 14 starts)
  • The Mets have non-tendered reliever Robert Gsellman, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (on Twitter). The right-hander has appeared with New York in each of the past six seasons, moving to the bullpen full-time in 2018. While Gsellman showed quite a bit of promise over seven starts as a rookie, he’s yet to find much consistent success in the years since. The 28-year-old did manage a solid 3.77 ERA with a 49.5% ground-ball rate over 28 2/3 innings in 2021, but he also missed a couple months because of a lat strain and only punched out 14.3% of batters faced.

Mets Select Anthony Banda, Stephen Nogosek

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Before this evening’s game against the Reds, the Mets selected the contracts of pitchers Anthony Banda and Stephen Nogosek. To create space on the 40-man roster, New York transferred righty Corey Oswalt from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list and designated outfielder Johneshwy Fargas for assignment.

Acquired in a minor trade with the Giants earlier this month, Banda’s now set to appear in his fifth consecutive big league season, although he only has 51 1/3 combined innings under his belt. Banda hasn’t yet had sustained big league success, with just a 5.96 ERA/4.66 SIERA over that time. The southpaw was well-regarded as a prospect before being set back by injuries, thanks largely to some excellent minor league numbers up through Double-A. Banda hasn’t translated his low minors’ dominance to Triple-A though, pitching to a 4.99 ERA with average strikeout and walk rates (22.6% and 9.2%, respectively) over parts of five seasons.

Nogosek is back in the majors for the first time since 2019. He made seven relief appearances with New York that year before being outrighted off the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old has spent the entire 2021 campaign with Triple-A Syracuse, pitching to a 5.76 ERA across 29 2/3 innings. The poor run prevention belies strong swing-and-miss numbers, as Nogosek has punched out a lofty 32.8% of batters faced in the minors this year.

With their outfield decimated by injury, the Mets selected Fargas to the big league roster in mid-May. He had four extra-base hits in just 22 plate appearances but went down with a shoulder problem himself. By the time he returned from the IL last week, New York’s other outfielders had already made their way back. The Mets will now have a week to trade Fargas or expose him to waivers.

Oswalt landed on the IL on July 6 with right knee inflammation. He’ll miss at least the majority of the rest of the season, with today’s transfer ruling him out for sixty days from the date of that placement. Before going down with injury, the 27-year-old tossed 10 1/3 innings across three appearances.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/21/19

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A couple minor moves from around the sport…

  • The Twins have signed infielder Wilfredo Tovar to a minor league contract, per an announcement from Nate Rowan, the director of communications for their Triple-A team in Rochester. The Minnesota organization’s already familiar to Tovar, who spent 2016 in Rochester, though he didn’t play a game for the Twins that year. Tovar has also garnered minor league experience with the Mets, Cardinals and Angels. The 28-year-old has picked up 110 plate appearances in the majors (including 88 with the Angels last season), but he owns an unimposing .188/.241/.238 line without a home run in the bigs. While Tovar has also put up below-average offensive marks in the minors, he is known as a quality defender.
  • The Mets outrighted hurler Stephen Nogosek to Triple-A Syracuse after he cleared waivers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. The club designated him for assignment earlier this week. The right-handed Nogosek, who will turn 25 next month, joined the Mets as part of the package they received from the Red Sox for reliever Addison Reed in 2017. Nogosek reached the Triple-A and major league levels for the first time in 2019. Although he logged encouraging results in Syracuse, evidenced by a 1.15 ERA with 8.62 K/9 over 31 1/3 innings, he walked almost four batters per nine and was the beneficiary of a 2.6 home run-to-fly-ball rate that looks out of whack in light of his 37.5 groundball mark. Nogosek wasn’t nearly as successful in a 6 2/3-inning cup of coffee as a member of the Mets, with whom he yielded eight earned runs.

Mets Designate Stephen Nogosek For Assignment

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The Mets announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Stephen Nogosek for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to right-hander Rick Porcello, whose previously reported one-year, $10MM contract is now official.

Nogosek, 24, was the last of three remaining pitchers in the organization that the Mets had acquired when trading Addison Reed to the Red Sox back in 2017. Fellow righties Gerson Bautista (traded to Seattle in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz deal) and Jamie Callahan (outrighted and signed with the Giants) have both gone to other clubs within the past 13 months.

Nogosek made his MLB debut with the Mets this past season but was roughed up for eight runs on a dozen hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 2016 sixth-round pick posted an eye-popping 1.07 ERA in 50 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, although his control (4.9 BB/9, 12.8 BB%) wasn’t great and he benefited from a .155 BABIP in 31 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball.

On the one hand, Nogosek is a fairly young reliever with minor league options remaining, a heater that averaged 95.1 mph in his brief MLB cup of coffee an a longstanding knack for avoiding home runs (0.81 HR/9 in 199 minor league innings). On the other hand, he’s a pronounced fly-ball pitcher with a persistent control issues who’ll need to continue avoiding the long ball against the game’s best hitters due to that limited ability to locate the ball. He’ll turn 25 in July and is more or less MLB-ready, so a club could take a look at him via a minor trade or a waiver pickup. The Mets will have a week to trade Nogosek or place him on outright waivers in hopes that he’ll clear and remain in the organization.

Mets Select Stephen Nogosek

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The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Stephen Nogosek from Triple-A Syracuse, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News tweets. The team also recalled lefty Daniel Zamora from Syracuse. Those two will take over for the injured Jeurys Familia and the optioned Drew Gagnon.

Now 24, Nogosek entered pro baseball as a sixth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2016. They sent Nogosek to the Mets a little over a year later in a July 2017 trade for veteran reliever Addison Reed. Nogosek struggled with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in 2018, but he has been almost impossible to score against in the minors this year. He owns a 0.57 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 31 1/2 innings divided Double-A and Triple-A in 2019, and will try to carry that success to a Mets bullpen in dire need of answers.

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