RosterResource Roundup: April 14

by
April 15, 2024

Below you’ll find a roundup of notable moves and roster notes from the past few days, as well as future expected moves and a Minor League Report, which includes a list of recent major league debuts and top prospect promotions. For this column, any lineup regulars, starting pitchers, or late-inning relievers are considered “notable,” meaning that middle relievers, long relievers, and bench players are excluded. You can always find a full list of updated transactions here.

RosterResource News:
•View all 30 projected lineups (vs RHP and vs LHP) on one page, updated daily with 2024 Stats (PA, 2B, HR, BB, K, OPS, wRC+) and 2021-2024 Stats (PA, OPS, wRC+).
•Our 2024 Minor League Power Rankings leaderboard is active. Click HERE to see how the rankings are determined.
•“Knocking Down The Door” will make its debut in this column sometime next week (April 16-21). This feature will highlight minor leaguers who are making a case for a major league promotion
•Jon Becker is writing a weekly “Reliever Roundup” column each Saturday during the regular season.

Lineup Regulars

Kansas City Royals
•C Salvador Perez left Sunday’s game with a strained groin/hip.

Perez, who walked slowly off the field after being injured, is a candidate for the 10-Day IL.

 

Whether he can still be a designated hitter is another question and will be the determining factor for a roster move prior to Monday’s game against the White Sox. Further complicating things, their only other catcher on the 40-man roster, Austin Nola, is on the 7-Day IL in Triple-A. If they have to call up a catcher, a 40-man spot would have to be opened up for Logan Porter or Brian O’Keefe to join the team. The other option would be to allow MJ Melendez to serve as the backup catcher until Perez is healthy. But since he is off to a terrific start at the plate, it’s unlikely that they’ll want to shift his focus so early in the season.

Roster/Depth Chart  |  Playing Time Projections

Miami Marlins
•3B Jake Burger left Sunday’s game with oblique discomfort. 

Oblique injuries are rarely mild enough for a player to avoid an IL stint, but there is no word as of yet on Burger’s status. They’re starting a series at home against the Giants on Monday. Emmanuel Rivera, who has been playing third base against left-handed starters, would likely take on the full-time job if Burger misses time.

Jonah Bride would be a candidate to replace him on the roster with left-handed hitting Tristan Gray also a possibility. The 28-year-old Gray, who made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2023, has a .963 OPS with six homers in Triple-A while playing mostly third base and shortstop.

UPDATE: Burger will be placed on the 10-Day IL; INF/OF Otto Lopez will be recalled.

Roster/Depth Chart  |  Playing Time Projections

Milwaukee Brewers
•OF Christian Yelich left Saturday’s game with lower back discomfort and was absent from Sunday’s lineup.

The Brewers are expected to make a decision on Yelich prior to Monday’s home game against the Padres. The 32-year-old has avoided the Injured List in back-to-back seasons and is off to a 13-for-39 start with five homers and six walks. Needless to say, Yelich wants to get back on the field as soon as possible. But the Brewers will be cautious with their superstar left fielder and will continue to give Blake Perkins regular at-bats until Yelich is healthy.

Already considered an above-average center fielder, the 27-year-old Perkins has also made an impact with his bat. After a three-hit game on Sunday, the switch-hitter is now 10-for-26 with two homers and two stolen bases on the season.

Roster/Depth Chart |  Playing Time Projections

Oakland Athletics
•3B J.D. Davis left Sunday’s game with a strained groin.

If Davis is placed on the 10-Day IL, it’s likely that Abraham Toro will be the regular third baseman — he’s currently the starting DH — and Davis’ at-bats could be split between Tyler Nevin, Darell Hernaiz, or Max Schuemann. Or they could call up another third baseman — Brett Harris has an .859 OPS in Triple-A – or maybe bring back a familiar face like Stephen Piscotty.

Or, hear me out, they could just call up the guy who has already proven that Triple-A is no match for him and let him try to figure things out in the majors with a team that is clearly not going to compete in 2024. In case you’re keeping track at home, Esteury Ruiz is now slashing .326/.423/.581 with three homers, six walks, and seven stolen bases in 52 plate appearances with Triple-A Sacramento. With close to 1000 plate appearances under his belt in the upper minors, the 25-year-old has an OPS right around .900 to go along with 86 extra-base hits and 131 stolen bases. It’s possible that he’s not good enough to be more than a 4th outfielder in the big leagues. But he should be officially graduated from Triple-A.

Roster/Depth Chart  |  Playing Time Projections

Seattle Mariners
•OF Dominic Canzone (sprained AC joint) will be placed on 10-Day IL; OF Jonatan Clase will be recalled.

Canzone injured his shoulder while making a catch against the wall in Sunday’s game. He’s headed for the 10-Day IL, although there is no timetable as of yet.

On his way to Seattle to take Canzone’s roster spot before Monday’s game against the Reds is Clase, a 21-year-old outfielder who is off to a 14-for-45 start in Triple-A with six extra-base hits (4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR), seven walks, and three stolen bases. Between High-A and Double-A in 2023, the speedy switch-hitter had an .802 OPS and 79 stolen bases.

Clase and Luke Raley are the candidates to take over for Canzone as the starting left fielder versus right-handed starters — Dylan Moore has been playing there versus lefties. It would make sense to give Raley an opportunity, considering he was acquired from the Rays during the offseason to fill that role. But between Canzone’s impressive spring and Raley’s unimpressive spring, he has been relegated to a bench role. That also hasn’t gone well, but maybe regular at-bats will help him regain his 2023 form (.823 OPS, 19 HR).

Roster/Depth Chart |  Playing Time Projections

 

Starting Pitching

Atlanta Braves
•Darius Vines will start on Monday.

The audition to replace Spencer Strider (UCL surgery; out for the season) in the rotation is on to contestant number two. Vines will have slightly more room for error than Allan Winans, who would’ve had to dominate the Mets if he wanted to stick around for more than one start. But he gave up six runs in five innings and might not get another chance.

The 25-year-old Vines allowed two earned runs in six innings in his MLB debut on August 30 at Colorado, then matched those numbers in his second start nearly a month later at home against the Cubs. He’ll have a tough matchup on Monday, facing an Astros team that has scored 25 runs in their last three games despite being without Alex Bregman (out of the lineup due to illness).

Roster/Depth Chart

Chicago White Sox
•Nick Nastrini will have contract selected from minors on Monday.

The 24-year-old, who is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the organization by FanGraphs, will be making his MLB debut at home against the Royals. Even with Mike Clevinger expected to join the rotation in the near future, Nastrini could stick around (maybe for good) if he pitches well. Chris Flexen (8.78 ERA in 3 starts) could eventually move to the bullpen if Nastrini isn’t sent back to Triple-A.

Roster/Depth Chart

Cleveland Guardians
•Xzavion Curry will be activated from 15-Day IL on Monday; Ben Lively will be activated from 15-Day IL on Wednesday.

A couple of rainouts meant that Shane Bieber’s rotation spot didn’t have to be filled immediately once he went on the Injured List on April 6. But because of Saturday’s double-header — Carlos Carrasco and Triston McKenzie each started a game — they’ll now need a starter on Monday to fill the open rotation spot and another on Wednesday for a spot start. It just so happens that Curry and Lively, who each began the season on the IL after coming down with a viral illness during Spring Training, are ready to go.

Curry struck out seven batters in 2.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab start, then allowed one run in 4.1 innings in his second start. He should be good for at least five innings at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. Lively pitched three shutout innings in his first rehab start and then followed up with 5.1 innings (3 ER) in his second start. He’ll also face the Red Sox at Fenway, where he pitched 5.2 shutout innings while with the Reds last May.

Roster/Depth Chart

New York Mets
•José Buttó recalled from minors.

In his second start of 2024, Buttó was even better than his first. After allowing only one run in six innings against the Tigers on April 4, he fired six shutout innings (2 H, BB, 9 K) in a 2-1 win over the Royals. With Tylor Megill currently without a timetable for return and Kodai Senga out until at least late May, the 26-year-old Buttó has a golden opportunity to lock down a rotation spot for good if he can keep it up.

Roster/Depth Chart

Pittsburgh Pirates
•Marco Gonzales (strained forearm) placed on 15-Day IL.

Paul Skenes is not going to get called up to the majors because one of the Pirates’ starters is injured. Also, Paul Skenes is not going to get called up to the majors because one of the Pirates’ starters is injured. And, lastly, Paul Skenes is not going to get called up to the majors because one of the Pirates’ starters is injured.

A prospect of Skenes’ caliber does not have his path to the majors blocked by another player. His big league career will begin when the Pirates decide it will. And, from all indications, they’re bringing him along slowly — he pitched 3 innings in his first two Triple-A starts and 3.1 innings (55 pitches) in his last start — and are expected to promote him to the big leagues later this season.

For now, the Pirates will likely replace Gonzales with Quinn Priester, who has good numbers in his three starts (13.2 IP, 6 ER, 12 H, 5 BB, 20 K). That’s not as good as Skenes (0.00 ERA), but it’s likely good enough to get him back to Pittsburgh for a start next weekend against the Red Sox.

Roster/Depth Chart

Texas Rangers
•Cody Bradford (strained lower back) placed on 15-Day IL; Michael Lorenzen will be activated from 15-Day IL on Monday.

Bradford could be back as soon as he’s eligible on April 26, but that tough decision that was approaching — who would be the odd man out in the rotation with the arrival of Lorenzen — can now be delayed for at least a couple weeks. For now, the interesting question is whether the Rangers still want to use a six-man rotation this week. And, if so, will top prospect Jack Leiter make his MLB debut?

After a disappointing start to his professional career (5.32 ERA, 5.3 BB/9 in 174.1 IP in two Double-A seasons), the 23-year-old seems like he’s finally figuring things out. In three Triple-A starts, Leiter has allowed six runs in 14.1 innings. He’s walked only three batters while striking out 25. Even if he doesn’t get called on for a spot start this week, he could be a factor at some point in 2024.

Roster/Depth Chart

Washington Nationals
•Mitchell Parker will be recalled from minors on Monday.

Parker, who allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings in his lone Triple-A start this season, gets one of the toughest matchups possible for his MLB debut as he faces the Dodgers on the road. With two upcoming off days (April 18, April 22), he may be sent right back to Triple-A since the Nationals won’t need a No. 5 starter until later in the month.

Roster/Depth Chart

 

Click HERE to view our Starting Pitcher Probables Grid.

 

Late-Inning Relievers

Miami Marlins
The Marlins have been such a bad team overall that a few very shaky outings from closer Tanner Scott have mostly gone unnoticed. Prior to Sunday’s game, the 29-year-old lefty had allowed only one unearned run in 6.2 innings and his only save chance was successful when he recorded five outs to close out a win over the Yankees. But he also had nine walks and six strikeouts. Not ideal for the guy you’re counting on in the highest-leverage situations. Scott got his second save chance on Sunday with his team clinging to a 7-6 lead over the Braves in the 9th inning. With two outs and a runner on, he walked Matt Olson and allowed a three-run homer to Marcell Ozuna. Not an easy task, but he now has one blown save and three losses.

I assume his job is safe, for now, but that’s mostly because the other candidates to replace him, Anthony Bender (5.14 ERA) and Andrew Nardi (12.27 ERA), have also struggled. Once the rotation gets Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett back from the Injured List — both appear close to returning —  it’s possible that the Marlins will consider moving A.J. Puk back to the bullpen, where he’ll immediately become a candidate for save chances.

Roster/Depth Chart

Toronto Blue Jays
If it was up to Jordan Romano, his rehab assignment is done and he’ll be reinstated from the 15-Day IL before Monday’s game against the Yankees.

Of course, it’s not completely up to him, but it does appear as though his return is imminent. The Jays bullpen could really use Romano and Erik Swanson back in the mix, although Yimi García and Chad Green have been very good in the late innings. If Romano needs to pitch in one or two non-save situations upon his return, García could still be the frontrunner for save chances.

Roster/Depth Chart

 

Click HERE to view our Closer Depth Chart.

 

Minor League Report

Major League Debuts 

  • Cole Winn, RP, Texas Rangers: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K  4/14/24
  • Yariel Rodriguez, SP, Toronto Blue Jays: 3.2 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K  4/13/24
  • Max Schuemann, PR, Oakland Athletics: 0-for-0, R  4/12/24
  • Tyler Jay, RP, New York Mets: 2 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, K 4/11/24
  • Jackson Holliday, 2B, Baltimore Orioles: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 K  4/10/24
  • Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros: 3 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K  4/10/24
  • Dedniel Núñez, RP, New York Mets: 2 IP, ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K  4/9/24
  • Davis Wendzel, 3B, Texas Rangers: 0-for-3  4/9/24
  • Blair Henley, SP, Houston Astros: 0.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 K  4/8/24
  • Josh Maciejewski, RP, New York Yankees: IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K  4/8/24
  • Wenceel Pérez, PH, Detroit Tigers: 0-for-2, K  4/8/24
  • Pedro Pagés, PH, St. Louis Cardinals: 0-for-1, K  4/7/24
  • Justin Foscue, 2B, Texas Rangers: 0-for-1  4/5/24
  • Ryan Fernandez, RP, St. Louis Cardinals: IP, 0 R, H, BB, 3 K  4/3/24
  • Jorge Barrosa, PH, Arizona Diamondbacks: 1-for-1, 2B  4/1/24
  • Shota Imanaga, SP, Chicago Cubs: 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 9 K, W  4/1/24
  • Nick Avila, RP, San Francisco Giants: 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K  4/1/24
  • Matt Sauer, RP, Kansas City Royals: IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K  3/31/24
  • Kai-Wei Teng, RP, San Francisco Giants: 3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K  3/31/24
  • Justin Slaten, RP, Boston Red Sox: 0 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 0 K  3/30/24
  • Ben Brown, RP, Chicago Cubs: 1.2 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K  3/30/24
  • Jordan Leasure, RP, Chicago White Sox: IP, 0 R, H, BB, K, Hold  3/30/24
  • Cade Smith, RP, Cleveland Guardians: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 5 K  3/30/24
  • Oliver Dunn, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers: 1-for-4, K  3/30/24
  • Austin Martin, PR, Minnesota Twins: 0-for-0  3/30/24
  • Jared Jones, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates: 5 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 10 K, W  3/30/24
  • Austin Shenton, PR, Tampa Bay Rays: 0-for-1  3/30/24
  • Trey Lipscomb, 3B, Washington Nationals: 1-for-4, SB 3/30/24
  • Nasim Nuñez, PR, Washington Nationals: 0-for-0, SB 3/30/24
  • Clayton Beeter, RP, New York Yankees: IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 0 K  3/29/24
  • Mitch Spence, RP, Oakland Athletics: 3 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K  3/29/24
  • Landen Roupp, RP, San Francisco Giants: IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K  3/29/24
  • Blaze Alexander, DH, Arizona Diamondbacks: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K  3/28/24
  • Anthony Molina, RP, Colorado Rockies: 0.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, BB  3/28/24
  • Colt Keith, 2B, Detroit Tigers: 1-for-4  3/28/24
  • Darell Hernaiz, PH, Oakland Athletics: 0-for-1  3/28/24
  • Victor Scott II, CF, St. Louis Cardinals: 0-for-3, SB, K  3/28/24
  • Jung Hoo Lee 이정후, CF, San Francisco Giants: 1-for-3, RBI, K, CS  3/28/24
  • Erik Miller, RP, San Francisco Giants: IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K  3/28/24
  • Wyatt Langford, DH, Texas Rangers: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K  3/28/24
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers: IP, 5 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K  3/21/24
  • Stephen Kolek, RP, San Diego Padres: 0.2 IP, 2 ER, 0 H, BB  3/21/24
  • Jackson Merrill, CF, San Diego Padres: 0-for-3   3/20/24
  • Graham Pauley, PH, San Diego Padres: 0-for-1, K  3/20/24
  • Yuki Matsui, RP, San Diego Padres: 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, BB, K  3/20/24

Promotions: Top 101 Prospects





 

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