Red Sox turn to Eovaldi; Angels release Harvey
Detroit Tigers
RHP Trevor Rosenthal got off to a promising start with the Tigers, allowing one unearned run in three innings in his first three relief appearances.
Detroit signed Rosenthal to a minor league contract June 29 after he was released by the Washington Nationals with a 22.74 ERA in 12 games. Rosenthal was assigned to Class AAA Toledo (Ohio) and compiled another ugly ERA (10.13) in six games before being called up.
Rosenthal sat out last season while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery.
❚ OF Nicholas Castellanos is a prime candidate to be traded, and it sounds as if he wouldn’t mind getting sent away from spacious Comerica Park. “This park’s a joke,” he said after his walk-off home run July 21. It was Castellanos’ 11th homer of the season.
Kansas City Royals
LHP Mike Montgomery had a rocky return to the Royals organization, getting tagged for five runs in two innings in a loss to the Indians at Cleveland on July 19.
Montgomery, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on July 15 in a trade for C Martin Maldonado, moved into the Royals rotation after making 20 relief appearances for the Cubs this season.
The Royals selected Montgomery in the supplemental first round of the 2008 amateur draft. He never pitched in the major leagues for them before being traded in 2012 to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Montgomery got the last out of the 2016 World Series while pitching for the Cubs against the Indians.
❚ C Cam Gallagher and C Meibrys Viloria will split starts behind the plate following the departure of Maldonado. Viloria was recalled from Class AA Northwest Arkansas (Springdale, Arkansas).
Minnesota Twins
CF Byron Buxton, injured while making a face-first catch, was in the concussion protocol and waiting to be cleared to return from the injured list.
An AL Gold Glove winner in 2017, Buxton spent most of last season at Class AAA Rochester (New York) after hitting .156 in 28 games for the Twins. He has a .249 batting average, nine home runs and 13 stolen bases in 75 games this season.
OF Max Kepler, normally the right fielder, shifted to center field, and IF/OF Marwin Gonzalez was getting the majority of starts in right.
❚ 1B C.J. Cron returned from the IL after missing five games, sandwiched around the All-Star break, because of a sore right thumb that probably won’t improve until after the season.
AL WEST
Houston Astros
The Astros rotation, with RHPs Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole and LHP Wade Miley, is the envy of many teams.
But the lower half hasn’t been nearly as sharp, which could provide an opening for rookie RHP Jose Urquidy.
After uneven performances in his first two starts in the majors, Urquidy showed why the organization thinks so highly of him when he defeated the Texas Rangers for his first win. He allowed one run over seven innings while striking out nine and was dominant in stretches during an outing that could diminish the team’s need to trade for another starter.
❚ 2B Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) and SS Carlos Correa (ribs) both were closing in on returning to the active roster. Myles Straw or Tony Kemp, two players who fill multiple positions, will be demoted when Correa returns, but Kemp is more likely to stick because he’s out of options.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels’ second-half run won’t feature two of their costly free agent acquisitions.
RHP Matt Harvey, who signed a one-year, $11 million deal and then pitched to a 7.09 ERA in 12 starts, was released. The plan was for RHP Jaime Barria and LHP José Suarez to fill the back end of the rotation.
RHP Cody Allen ($8 million) was cut earlier this season after being ineffective out of the bullpen. Some of his innings have gone to RHP Trevor Cahill.
Cahill ($9 million) was another offseason pickup who was unable to fulfill the Angels’ plans for him. They’d hoped he could be a starter.
❚ LHP Andrew Heaney (shoulder) is expected to come off the injured list soon, a key for a rotation that has struggled all season.
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics’ knack for hitting homers is a given; they’ve been among the major league leaders in that category since mid-May. Now they’re hoping RHP Homer Bailey can deliver a punch, too.
Bailey was inserted into the rotation after being acquired from the Kansas City Royals and was impressive in his A’s debut. In his first start since July 4, Bailey surrendered two runs over six innings to beat the Seattle Mariners.
The 33-year-old veteran has had his ups and downs in a career spent mostly in the National League. But the surging A’s hope Bailey stays hot; he is 4-1 with a 3.31 ERA in his last nine starts.
❚ LHP Sean Manaea is checking off the boxes on his rehab assignments and is nearing a return for his season debut. Manaea was 12-9 last year before shoulder surgery ended his season. He could supply a significant boost to the rotation in the season’s final two months.
Seattle Mariners
C Omar Narvaez, acquired in the offseason, continues to be a bright spot in Seattle’s dismal season with his display of power. After smacking 12 home runs in 221 games with the Chicago White Sox, he hit 16 in his initial 80 games with the Mariners.
Narvaez was believed to be more of an offensive force than Mike Zunino, the catcher he replaced in Seattle’s lineup, and has continued to flex his muscles after the All-Star break.
He was among the league leaders for home runs in July and in a 25-game stretch hit .350 with seven home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.042 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
❚ The Mariners’ return from their expected trade of RHP Mike Leake should increase after he took a perfect game into the ninth inning July 19 against the Los Angeles Angels. Leake’s value has soared because of a dearth of available starting pitchers and with so many teams in both leagues in contention for a wild-card spot. DAVID DERMER/AP
Texas Rangers
The Rangers’ season has been a roller coaster. They entered the year in a rebuilding mode but have played better than expected in manager Chris Woodward’s first season and were in the running for an AL wild-card spot before a recent plunge.
When the chatter switched from adding players to shedding them, that didn’t sit well with some players – especially LHP Mike Minor, who won eight of his first 12 decisions and is under contract through 2020. Minor wants to stay put and wasn’t happy about the rumors.
“It’s almost like I signed so they could trade me,” he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
❚ Hunter Pence, who missed 23 games because of a groin strain, has resumed his role as the designated hitter. But Pence, once his legs get stronger, also is expected to play in the outfield.