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Tyler Danish

Rockies, Tyler Danish Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Rockies have signed Tyler Danish to a minor league deal, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He has been assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque. According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (on X), the right-hander will start for the Isotopes tomorrow.

Danish had just signed with the Mexican League’s Olmecas de Tabasco last week. He started once, tossing six innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and two walks. Colorado was evidently impressed with the 29-year-old’s form, as they signed him after that lone start. He’ll apparently get a chance to continue working out of the rotation in affiliated ball. Danish has worked almost exclusively from the bullpen since 2017, when he was in Triple-A with the White Sox.

Chicago initially selected Danish in the second round of the 2013 draft. He made cameos with the White Sox between 2016-18 but didn’t get his first extended MLB opportunity until 2022. After signing a minor league contract with the Red Sox, Danish logged 40 1/3 innings over 32 relief outings in Boston. He worked to a 5.13 ERA with a below-average 18.5% strikeout percentage, although he showed solid control and kept the ball on the ground at a solid 47.2% clip.

Danish hasn’t reached the majors since the Red Sox waived him at the conclusion of the ’22 season. He signed successive minor league deals with the Yankees and Nationals a year ago. Danish spent a couple months with Washington’s Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings out of the bullpen. That solid run prevention figure wasn’t supported by middling strikeout and walk numbers, though, and Washington decided against calling him up when he triggered an opt-out in his deal last July. He remained on the open market until his cameo in the Mexican League served as a springboard for his next minor league chance.

Colorado has had a predictably rough rotation. No team has gotten a worse ERA from their starting staff than the Rox’s 6.29 mark. Opening Day starter Kyle Freeland recently suffered an elbow strain that’ll cost him upwards of a month. That pushed Peter Lambert from long relief to the rotation, where he joins Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, Ryan Feltner and offseason pickup Dakota Hudson. Righty Noah Davis might’ve been the next man up, but he recently suffered a shoulder strain and is going on the minor league injured list (as reflected on the MLB.com injury tracker).

Tyler Danish Opts Out Of Nationals Contract

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Tyler Danish has opted out of his minor league deal with the Nationals, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter link).  Danish signed with Washington at the start of May, after being released from a previous minors contract with the Yankees at the end of Spring Training.

Over 29 relief innings with Triple-A Rochester, Danish posted a 3.72 ERA, with a 15.3% strikeout rate and a 11.5% walk rate.  The low strikeout rate isn’t necessarily a surprise since Danish is a grounder specialist (his groundball rate is a whopping 58.7% this year), but his high walk rate continues the control problems that have emerged over his last two seasons at the minor league level.  The Nationals apparently hadn’t seen enough to add Danish to their active roster, or to make room for him on the 40-man.

The 28-year-old right-hander will now head back to the open market once more, looking for another path back to the big leagues.  Danish appeared in parts of the 2016-18 seasons with the White Sox (for 13 total innings) before resurfacing back in the majors with the Red Sox in 2022, posting a 5.13 ERA over 40 1/3 frames.

Nationals, Tyler Danish Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals are signing reliever Tyler Danish to a minor league contract, reports the Talk Nats blog (Twitter link). He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Rochester.

Danish spent the 2022 campaign with the Red Sox. He appeared in 32 games and threw a personal-high 40 1/3 innings. He allowed 5.13 earned runs per nine innings, striking out a below-average 16.1% of opponents while issuing walks at a lofty 12.9% rate. He kept the ball on the ground at a better than average clip but nevertheless surrendered 1.56 home runs per nine.

Boston cut Danish loose at the end of last season. He latched on with the Yankees on a minor league deal over the winter. The former second round pick spent the spring in camp with New York but had a brutal few weeks. Opponents teed off for 19 runs on 18 hits (including five homers) in just six innings. The Yankees released Danish at the end of camp. After a month on the open market, he’ll get a fresh start with Washington.

The Nationals’ bullpen ranks 19th in the majors with a 4.38 ERA. They’re 28th with a 19.9% strikeout percentage but sit ninth with a 45% ground-ball rate. Danish brings a similar grounder-oriented profile to add some experience to the high minors. The 28-year-old has yet to qualify for arbitration and would be an affordable addition to the bullpen if he pitches well enough to earn an MLB spot. He’s out of minor league option years, so the Nats would have to keep him in the majors or designate him for assignment if he secures a big league call at any point.

Yankees, Tyler Danish Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees are in agreement with reliever Tyler Danish on a minor league contract, reports Sweeny Murti of WFAN (on Twitter). He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.

Danish has appeared in parts of four major league seasons, with the bulk of his work coming this year. He made brief MLB appearances as a member of the White Sox each year from 2016-18 before a few seasons kicking around the upper minors. Danish latched on with the Red Sox on a minor league deal last winter and cracked the 40-man roster out of Spring Training. He’d spend most of the season in the majors, with 32 of his 42 outings coming at the highest level.

The 28-year-old posted a 5.13 ERA through 40 1/3 innings over that stretch. Danish induced grounders at a solid 47.2% clip and limited walks to a meager 6.9% rate but he didn’t miss many bats. He averaged just under 91 MPH on his sinker, relying more frequently on a low-80s curveball than any other offering. The Florida native picked up swinging strikes on a below-average 7.4% of his pitches, resulting in a fairly modest 18.5% strikeout percentage.

At the end of the season, the Red Sox ran Danish through outright waivers. He cleared and elected minor league free agency, where he’s now landed with their top rivals. He’ll try to crack a Yankee bullpen that is already fairly deep in right-handed options. Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Ron Marinaccio, Tommy Kahnle, Lou Trivino and Michael King should be on the roster if healthy (as would southpaw Wandy Peralta). Domingo Germán and Albert Abreu — both of whom are out of minor league option years — look to have the inside track on jobs as well. Jimmy Cordero, Greg Weissert, Matt Krook and Clarke Schmidt are all also on the 40-man roster but can still be sent to the minors.

Given that depth, Danish looks likely to open the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He’d add some experienced depth to the upper levels of the system. He’s out of minor league options himself, so if he cracks the 40-man roster at any point, he’ll have to remain in the majors or be designated for assignment and made available to other clubs.

Tyler Danish Elects Free Agency

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The Red Sox announced that reliever Tyler Danish has elected minor league free agency. Boston had evidently placed the right-hander on waivers in recent days, freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Danish spent a year in Boston. A former second round pick of the White Sox, he signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox in Spring Training and cracked the 40-man roster before Opening Day. Boston didn’t immediately carry him on the big league club but he pitched his way to the majors by the middle of April. It marked his first big league action in four years, as he’d kicked around the upper minors without landing an MLB opportunity from 2019-21.

The 2022 campaign was by far Danish’s longest look against big league competition. Manager Alex Cora called upon him 32 times, giving him 40 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He pitched to a 5.13 ERA, striking out only 18.5% of opponents on a modest 7.4% swinging strike rate. He did show the best control of his career, walking only 6.9% of opposing hitters, but his lack of missed bats and a higher than average seven home runs against (1.56 HR/9) push him off the roster.

Danish isn’t a particularly hard thrower, averaging just under 91 MPH on his sinker. He leaned primarily on a curveball this year, with that low-80s offering generating a fair amount of soft contact but not missing many bats. Danish was reasonably effective against right-handed batters, against whom he managed a .245/.310/.415 line. He couldn’t find much of an answer for southpaws, though, punching out just seven of the 57 lefties he faced and surrendering a .275/.351/.490 mark.

Because he’s already been outrighted in his career, Danish had the right to elect free agency as soon as he cleared waivers. He’ll head back to the open market and may be looking at minor league offers with Spring Training invitations once again.

With the offseason approaching, the Red Sox are conducting typical roster maintenance. Removing Danish from the 40-man drops their tally to 39. The Sox have five players on the 60-day injured list who’ll need to be reinstated at the start of the offseason, although they’re on track to see seven players hit free agency (including Xander Bogaerts, who’s a lock to opt out of his contract if the sides don’t agree on an extension in the next week and a half).

Red Sox Select Michael Feliz; Likely To Activate Chris Sale On Tuesday

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The Red Sox announced that reliever Tyler Danish has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. To take his place on the active roster, they have selected the contract of righty Michael Feliz. They already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster due to Hansel Robles being designated for assignment recently. However, the news from today that’s most likely to intrigue fans of the club relates to the starting rotation.

The Red Sox are dealing with a rash of injuries to their starting staff, with Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Whitlock and Rich Hill all currently on the injured list. Michael Wacha also missed his last start due to a “heavy arm,” creating another hole in the rotation. Manager Alex Cora tells reporters, including Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald, that the extra rest hasn’t led to Wacha’s arm recuperating as hoped, meaning it’s possible he joins the others on the IL.

This will have a few ripple effects for the team, one of which seems to be Chris Sale being activated to make his season debut on Tuesday. “He’ll pitch Tuesday,” Cora said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “Somewhere, he’ll pitch Tuesday, but there’s a good chance he’ll pitch with us.” Sale threw 72 pitches in his most recent rehab start, and the club is apparently pleased enough with the results that he could be back in the big leagues in a few days.

The return of Sale is tremendous news for Red Sox fans, as he has missed the entirety of the season thus far due to a stress fracture in his rib cage. It’s been a few years since the club has seen Sale at his best, as he missed the entirety of 2020 due to Tommy John surgery. Though he was able to return and throw 42 2/3 innings last year, the results were diminished, at least when compared to his elite levels of previous years. A 3.16 ERA and 28.4% strikeout rate are still very good numbers, but Sale’s ERA was under 3.00 in 2017 and 2018, along with strikeout rates above 36%. Since those 42 2/3 innings are all he’s tallied since the end of the 2019 campaign, it’s fair to wonder what level the 33-year-old will be at in his return. Still, even if there’s a bit of rust, he’ll surely be a welcome addition to the banged-up pitching staff.

Another side effect of the mounting injuries is that Brayan Bello seems to be getting another turn in the rotation. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke about the matter on The Greg Hill Show (hat tip to Ken Laird of WEEI) and said that Bello will not be moved to the bullpen. Cora then told Browne today that Bello is likely getting another start this week. The injury situation created the opportunity for the prospect to get called up, though he had an uninspiring debut against the Rays, allowing four earned runs in four innings, with six hits, three walks and just two strikeouts.

There is some help on the way, however, as Browne relays that both Whitlock and Eovaldi are starting rehab stints in the coming days. Though Eovaldi will return to the rotation once healthy, Whitlock seems ticketed for bullpen work. Cora told reporters a few days ago that Whitlock was “pretty much likely” going to be coming on in relief in his return.

All things considered, it seems the outlook for the staff should improve in the weeks to come. However, the one bit of bad news in all this relates to Danish. He has been quietly solid in his first MLB action since 2018, throwing 31 1/3 innings for the Red Sox this year with a 4.02 ERA, 19.2% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 43% ground ball rate. The Sox haven’t provided any estimates on his expected absence, though the fact that his injury is being described as a forearm strain is potentially ominous. A forearm strains is often a precursor to Tommy John surgery, though that’s not true in all cases.

As for Feliz, 29, he was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason and has spent the year in Triple-A thus far. He’s made 18 appearances, which includes three starts, though they were of the opener variety, never logging more than two innings in any of them. Through 24 2/3 innings on the season, he has a 3.28 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 54.8% ground ball rate.

With a record of 45-37, the Sox are 14 games behind the Yankees in the AL East but are still in possession of one of the three Wild Card slots. With less than four weeks to the August 2 deadline, they will surely be on the lookout for available arms to help them bolster this snakebitten group.

Red Sox Place Michael Wacha On 15-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox are placing right-hander Michael Wacha on the 15-day injured list due to left intercostal irritation, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The move is retroactive to May 5. Fellow righty Tyler Danish has been recalled in a corresponding move. (Twitter links)

This is yet another in a series of frustrations for the Red Sox so far this year. After a 92-win campaign a year ago, the club is off to a dismal 10-18 start here in 2022, dropping them into the basement of the AL East. They also got some bad news yesterday, when it was reported that Chris Sale and James Paxton have both suffered setbacks in their attempts to rehab from their respective injuries.

Wacha has been one of the few bright spots for Boston this year, as he has an ERA of 1.38 over his first five starts. There might be some good fortune in there, as Wacha’s strikeout rate of 19% and walk rate of 11% are both a bit worse than league average. His surface-level success is probably connected to his unsustainable .162 batting average on balls in play and 94.3% strand rate. Still, it’s a blow to a club that has had little to feel good about over the first month of the campaign. The rotation also lost Rich Hill, who went on the Covid-related injured list recently, though it’s unclear how long he is expected to be out for.

With Wacha being scratched from today’s start, the club gave the ball to Tanner Houck instead. Houck opened the season in the rotation but was gradually usurped by Garrett Whitlock. He’s been piggybacking behind Hill for the past few turns through the rotation but could get more starts now with the recent openings. He was pitching on just two days’ rest today and was only able to throw 39 pitches over 2 2/3 innings but could get further stretched out in the weeks to come. Unless Hill can return soon, the club might need another arm down the line, as they are down to a four-man rotation of Houck, Whitlock Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta. That will do for now, as the club has off-days tomorrow and on Thursday. But after that, they will play ten days in a row, followed by one off-day and then a stretch of ten games in nine days, thanks to a doubleheader on May 28.

Red Sox Activate Christian Vazquez

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Apr. 20: Vazquez has been reinstated with Hernandez optioned backed to Triple-A Worcester, per a team announcement.

Apr. 19: The Red Sox have selected the contract of veteran infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder and recalled right-hander Tyler Danish from Triple-A Worcester, per a club announcement. Catcher Christian Vazquez and infielder Jonathan Arauz were placed on the Covid-19-related injured list.

The series of moves leaves Connor Wong as the only catcher on Boston’s active roster, as backup Kevin Plawecki was also placed on the Covid list yesterday. It would appear that additional moves could be forthcoming, as MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported last night that minor league catcher Ronaldo Hernandez was expected to be promoted to the big league roster. Hernandez has since shared news of a big league call-up on his Instagram story. The Sox have not yet formally announced that move, however.

Refsnyder, 31, spent the 2021 season with the Twins and logged 157 Major League plate appearances, batting at a .245/.325/.338 pace while spending time at all three outfield positions. Refsnyder also has ample experience at second base and third base, though Minnesota used him exclusively in the outfield. In 614 career plate appearances between the Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays, Rangers and Twins, Refsnyder is a .224/.310/.308 hitter.

Both Vazquez and Arauz will be away from the Sox for a yet-to-be-determined period of time. Boston has not yet announced whether either Vazquez or Arauz has tested positive or whether they’re showing symptoms and thus undergoing further testing. The jointly agreed-upon health and safety protocols for the 2022 season stipulate a 10-day absence following a positive test, though that absence can be shortened if the player records a pair of negative PCR tests and is approved by a team medical official and a joint committee of one MLB-appointed and one MLBPA-appointed doctor.

Red Sox Select Tyler Danish, Place Chris Sale On 60-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox announced this afternoon they’ve selected reliever Tyler Danish to the big league roster. In order to open space on the 40-man roster, seven-time All-Star  Chris Sale has been placed on the 60-day injured list.

Danish, 27, will be returning to the majors for the first time in four years. A former second-round pick of the White Sox, he suited up for the South Siders each season from 2016-18. He only tallied 13 innings during that time, allowing seven runs with 11 strikeouts against 13 walks. Chicago outrighted him off the 40-man roster in September 2018. The right-hander went on to spend time in the Mariners and Angels systems on minor league deals but didn’t make it to the big leagues with either club.

Despite not seeing any MLB time in Orange County, Danish had a nice 2021 campaign in the Angels system. He worked 70 1/3 innings over 32 appearances, frequently pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen. Along the way, he posted a 3.84 ERA while striking out an impressive 26.8% of opponents against a minuscule 5.1% walk percentage. That earned Danish a non-roster invite to big league Spring Training with the Red Sox. He’s thrown six innings of one-run ball during exhibition play, evidently impressing Sox brass along the way.

To make room for Danish, Boston officially rules out their ace until at least early June. It’s a disappointing but not especially surprising development. Sale was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his rib in mid-March, an injury that was always expected to keep him from throwing for weeks. The southpaw has still yet to begin throwing, and he’ll need plenty of time between when he first picks up a ball and when he’s ready for big league action.

Sale will need weeks to build arm strength via a throwing program, then he’ll assuredly have to embark upon a minor league rehab assignment. Given that timetable, it makes sense the Boston front office didn’t consider it possible for him to make it back for a couple months. With Sale out, the Red Sox look likely to open the season with a rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha. Danish and Kutter Crawford — who was informed this morning he’d be on the Opening Day roster (link via Ian Browne of MLB.com) — are on hand as swing options.

{Related: view the transcript of Danish’s February chat with MLBTR readers}

Red Sox Sign Tyler Danish To Minors Deal

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The Red Sox have signed right-hander Tyler Danish to a minor league contract, Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors reports (Twitter link).  The contract contains an invitation to Boston’s big league Spring Training camp.

Danish recently took part in a chat with MLBTR readers, discussing his career and some of the ins and outs of being a professional ballplayer.  As Tim wrote at the time, Danish “expects to sign with an MLB team within the next week or so,” and that deal has now come about with the Red Sox.  Since Danish was a minor league free agent, the lockout didn’t prohibit him from signing.

A second-round pick for the White Sox in the 2013 draft, Danish posted a 4.85 ERA over 13 innings for Chicago, pitching in parts of the 2016-18 seasons.  This represents his only big league experience, as subsequent minor league contracts with the Mariners (prior to the 2019 season) and Angels (last May) didn’t result in another call to the Show.  In between those stints in affiliated ball, Danish also pitched for teams in the independent Atlantic League and American Association.

As Danish noted during his chat, he “kinda broke my whole delivery down and almost rebuilt it from the ground up” in 2020, resulting in some interesting numbers during his season in the Angels’ farm system.  Mostly a grounder-specialist for the bulk of his career, Danish still posted a 47.1% grounder rate over 60 1/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2021, but he also had a strong 25.8% strikeout rate. 

Danish also improved his control, though became a little more susceptible to the long ball, with nine home runs allowed over those 60 1/3 frames.  He’ll now get a chance to catch on with the Red Sox in Spring Training, with seemingly a decent chance at winning a job given the unsettled nature of the Boston bullpen.

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