Minor League Transaction Thread -- From 2013 All-Star Break to 2014 Opening Week

[Jim Goulart]

Via the Brewers -- italics mine

 

Roster moves - Damien Magnifico to the DL in Brevard Cty (darn those blisters!), RHP Taylor Mangum promoted to Brevard Cty (nice ride for the 2012 undrafted free agent thus far), LHP Hobbs Johnson (first name Jeffrey) promoted to Wisconsin.

[TURBO]

Went to the T-Rats game tonight, no Michael Reed, and no one around me knew where he was. Hurt or moved up??? Dude is having a great season, not surprised if he moved up.

[Jim Goulart]

Lance Roenicke has been transferred from Brevard down to Wisconsin.

 

Now 25 years old, it's been a tough .612 OPS in 205 AB's, plus only 3-for-9 in SB attempts. Roenicke's OPS in 143 2012 AB's with the Rattlers was actually lower, .606.

 

Roenicke was the Brewers' 25th round pick last year.

 

Manatees roster now one short at 24, no word yet on a corresponding Rattlers move.

[Jim Goulart]

OF Michael Reed goes on the Wisconsin DL with an undisclosed injury, thus the Roenicke demotion to fill in.

 

The Post-Crescent needs to cut back on its player profiles for a bit, RHP Austin Blaski and Reed get DL'd immediately after being interviewed.

[Jim Goulart]

Via the Brewers:

 

Roster moves: OF Michael Reed off the DL & OF Tyrone Taylor to the DL at Wisconsin, SS Ozzie Chavez active in Nashville

 

***

 

We have no details on any of the injuries/absences.

[Jim Goulart]

The DSL site lists an R. Benoit as pitching the ninth inning. I'm not familiar with him (a recent signing perhaps?), but he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the Brewers.

 

Now at MiLB.com:

 

Rodrigo Benoit out of Santiago, Dominican Republic - 19 year old RHP listed at 6'2", 170.

 

That was his pro debut (noted because the Brewers have picked up a few players released by other clubs).

[Jim Goulart]

Via the Manatees:

 

RHP Damien Magnifico has been activated from the disabled list. He will start tonight for the Manatees in their series finale against the Charlotte Stone Crabs in Port Charlotte. Brevard County's roster is now at 25 active players, which is the Florida State League limit.

 

***

 

Via the Stars:

 

On Monday, Stars C Shawn Zarraga was placed on the disabled list after being removed from Sunday's game in the sixth inning. In 59 games played with the Stars this season, the 24-year-old catcher is hitting .325 with a homer and 12 runs batted in. He has 11 hits in his last 16 at-bats. No corresponding move has been made at this time. The Stars active roster sits at 24 players, one under the Southern League maximum.

 

Here is a description of the play we noted in Sunday's Link Report.

[Jim Goulart]

MLB announces 50-game suspension for Brewers minor league LHP Will West for 2nd violation for drug of abuse. On AZL rookie roster.

 

***

 

Just turned 21 last month.

 

Bad year in this regard for Brewer LHP's -- Alan Williams is wrapping up his own suspension.

[Jim Goulart]

MiLB.com's Danny Wild reminds us about Will West's somewhat unique amateur background and signing --

 

The lefty from Tallahassee, Fla., attended Georgia Tech and Tallahassee Community College after graduating from North Florida Christian School, where he threw back-to-back no hitters during the 2009 season. He never pitched collegiately, though, and quit baseball while in college. The southpaw then moved back home to work in construction but was scouted by the Brewers during a summer adult league game and later signed a free agent contract with the organization in 2011.

[Jim Goulart]

Catcher Anderson De La Rosa has been transferred by the Brewers from Nashville to Huntsville.

 

De La Rosa had not seen much playing time with the Sounds as of late, and the Stars just lost Shawn Zarraga to a head/neck injury (see three posts above).

 

The Stars roster is now at the 25-man limit, and still has Adam Weisenburger and Joey Paciorek available for catching duties if need be.

 

Up in Nashville, Robinzon Diaz and Blake Lalli are the two catchers on the roster, and the Sounds now carry only 11 position players, 24 on the 25-man roster. No immediate news available on when or with who the Sounds will get back up to a full squad.

[Jim Goulart]

Catcher Anderson De La Rosa has been transferred by the Brewers from Nashville to Huntsville.

 

De La Rosa had not seen much playing time with the Sounds as of late, and the Stars just lost Shawn Zarraga to a head/neck injury (see three posts above).

 

The Stars roster is now at the 25-man limit, and still has Adam Weisenburger and Joey Paciorek available for catching duties if need be.

 

Up in Nashville, Robinzon Diaz and Blake Lalli are the two catchers on the roster, and the Sounds now carry only 11 position players, 24 on the 25-man roster. No immediate news available on when or with who the Sounds will get back up to a full squad.

 

Well, the Brewers just filled in some of the gaps here. Catcher Adam Weisenburger joins Shawn Zarraga on the DL, thus the need for De La Rosa at Huntsville.

 

Also, Micah Owings joins the Stars from Maryvale. While the Stars roster reaches 25 with that move, realistically it's like 26 because of Owings' two-way versatility. When you consider Owings both a pitcher and hitter, the Stars have 14 arms available and 12 position players.

[Jim Goulart]

The Brewers once again go with a 13-man pitching staff at the big league level, so Scooter Gennett has to return to Nashville to make room for a returning Marco Estrada. Nashville had a spot open.

[Jim Goulart]

Couple of injury updates direct from the players Twitter accounts --

 

Timber Rattler's infielder Jose Sermo last played May 30th when he suffered a serious leg injury, looks like he'll be back on a field (likely Maryvale) on Saturday (tweet).

 

***

 

We knew Wisconsin RHP Austin Blaski had surgery last month, turns out it was related to his labrum (tweet).

[Jim Goulart]

At Wisconsin, OF Tyrone Taylor comes off the DL, RHP Eric Semmelhack goes on the DL.

 

Rattlers now with a 12-man pitching staff, 13 position players.

[Jim Goulart]

As per Matt Eddy of Baseball America, the Brewers have signed 28-year-old RHP Dustin Molleken, who has Canadian National Team experience with several currently in the Brewers organization. Molleken was released by the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan on July 9th after spending much of 2012 and all of 2013 thus far with them. The Saskatchewan product has yet to reach the big leagues, maxing out at AAA in the Colorado system in 2011-12, after reaching AA previously in the Pirates system (Pittsburgh drafted him out of high school in the 15th round in 2003). Molleken missed all of 2004 with Tommy John surgery, pitching in only 12 games over his first three pro seasons.

 

Career numbers via Baseball Reference

 

No specific word on when he'll be activated and whether he'll report to Nashville or Huntsville, although his Wikipedia page has him going to Nashville (who updated that?).

 

The Brewers have activated Molleken from the Temporary Inactive List and he joins the Sounds tonight in Colorado Springs, filling the open roster spot.

[Jim Goulart]

From the 'Tees:

 

RHP Cody Scarpetta has been placed on the disabled list, retroactive to August 8th.

 

RHP Eric Arnett has been returned from his Minor League rehab assignment with the Arizona League Brewers and has been activated from the disabled list at Brevard County.

 

Arnett will be active for the Manatees in tonight's series finale against Tampa.

 

Brevard County's roster sits at 25 active players with five players on the disabled list (RHP's Scarpetta, Andre Lamontagne, and Seth Harvey, LHP Jed Bradley, and catcher Brent Dean) and one player on Major League rehab assignment (Mark Rogers).

 

***

 

It's been a rough go coming back from Tommy John for Scarpetta (stats), painfully so from a statistical standpoint. The Brewers own his rights for one more season before he's eligible to walk if not on the 40-man; Cody will turn 25 later this month.

[Jim Goulart]

Via the Manatees:

 

RHP Damien Magnifico has been placed on the disabled list, retroactive to August 11th.

 

Brevard County's roster is at 24 active players, one under the Florida State League limit, with six players on the disabled list and one player on Major League rehab assignment.

 

***

 

No word on whether this is DL trip #3 related to blisters. If it is, that's frustrating but a bit silly that they can't get it under control yet.

 

And yet you hope that's all it is and nothing of a more serious nature.

[dacbrewers]

From what I have heard, blisters have been a problem for a lot of pitchers in the FSL. Might have something to do with humidity and heat.

[Jim Goulart]

From Saturday's Link Report:

 

Garrett Cooper left the game after being hit by a pitch, I missed what Mehring said about the substitution in the 9th other than his hit streak came to an end.

 

We'll let Garrett give the news via his hospital-based tweet.

 

Hopefully he'll be OK.

 

***

 

No specific details, but apparently they're not going to take any chances with Cooper's wrist, as he goes on the 7-day DL. Hopefully not a hamate bone -- why is it only the power sluggers seem to lose that bone?

 

RHP Eric Semmelhack is activated from the Wisconsin DL to fill the open spot. 13 pitchers on the Rattlers' 25-man roster now.

[Jim Goulart]

As is being discussed in the Major League Forum, OF Caleb Gindl has been optioned to Nashville to make room for Aramis Ramirez. Purely a numbers game on that one. See you in September, Caleb.

 

INF Blake Davis, who we learned has an injured hamstring, goes on the Sounds' DL to make room for Gindl.

[Jim Goulart]

We posted this back on June 1st --

 

The Brewers have signed RHP Nelson Arguila (career stats) and assigned him to their Dominican Summer League roster.

 

Arguila originally signed with Boston prior to the 2011 season, but that contract was voided. He landed in Tampa's organization, and as his stats indicate, he worked strictly in relief with the DSL Rays in 2011 and 2012.

 

Listed at 6'0", 180, likely a hard thrower (35 walks in 39.1 innings).

 

Arguila is going to be 25 (!) in September, so the arm had better be mighty big.

 

This might be best listed as "hey, we have to fill the roster...".

 

Arguila walked 16 in 7.1 innings covering just six appearances. He was released earlier this month by the Brewers, his last outing was on August 1st. A flyer by the Brewers that didn't fly...

 

***

 

But the Brewers have also added a young arm.

 

Assuming he's Dominican, but that's not confirmed.

 

Out of the International Prospect League, meet RHP Jesus Brea - listed at 6'3", 194 lbs., Brea will turn 18 years old this coming Christmas Day.

 

Unlike this summer's signings in the new signing period (those players will debut next season), Brea was signed in May and has just been added to the DSL Brewers roster. There are nine games left in the DSL season, so perhaps he'll sneak in an appearance or two.

 

Here's video of then-16-year-old Brea from April 2012.

 

Series of three photos here.

 

As we often note, no matter how obscure (Brandon Kintzler out of indy ball, Jim Henderson assigned to A-Ball at age 26 as a "favor"), no signing is insignificant. Hopefully we'll link back to this August 15th post in five years when Brea makes his big league debut.

[Jim Goulart]

Via the Sounds --

 

HALTON TO BREWERS; DE LA ROSA RETURNS TO SOUNDS: Outfielder Sean Halton was recalled by the Brewers today to begin his second major league stint of the season after batting .314 (28-for-91) in his last 20 contests and leading the PCL with 11 extra-base knocks since he rejoined Nashville on July 26. Catcher Anderson De La Rosa rejoins the team to fill the spot left by Halton. De La Rosa hit .290 (9-for-31) in eight games for Huntsville and recorded a season-best three hits on August 7 at Chattanooga.

 

ALFREDO FIGARO TO NASHVILLE: The Brewers optioned right-handed pitcher Alfredo Figaro to the Sounds today. The 29-year-old carried a 4.25 ERA (31 ER / 65.2 IP) in 26 games (five starts) for the Brewers this season. He will join the team in the coming days. Upon his addition a corresponding move will be made.

 

***

 

Via the Stars --

 

On Friday, the Stars activated C Shawn Zarraga from the disabled list. Zarraga, who was placed on the disabled list on August 5th, is hitting .325 this year with a homer and 12 runs batted in for Huntsville in 59 games played.

 

To make room for Zarraga on the roster, C Anderson de la Rosa was transferred to Triple-A Nashville. The longtime Brewers farmhand spent eight games with Huntsville after being transferred to the Stars from the Sounds, hitting .290 with two runs batted in and three doubles.

[Jim Goulart]

Via Jeff Hem on Twitter:

 

Michael Olmsted transferred to Double-A. Makes room for Alfredo Figaro, who is sched. to start Sunday.

 

***

 

Now it's the Stars who will need to make a corresponding move on Saturday.

 

That's got to be a bit of soul-searching 90-mile drive for Olmsted, it's been a rough season that began with such promise.

[Jim Goulart]

The Brewers option Donovan Hand to Nashville as Yovani Gallardo comes off the DL.

 

When Hand formally reports, the Sounds will need to make a roster move.

 

It's the first minor league option used on Hand.

 

It's not a big deal regarding saving options on the 27-year-old Hand, but it's too bad that options were needed for both he and Alfredo Figaro (Figaro's final option) so close to September 1st. If the options had been used within ten days of September 1st, the pitchers could have been recalled without the options being counted.

[Jim Goulart]

According to the farmhand twitter stream, look for 23-year-old RHP Ryan Fasano's promotion from Helena to Wisconsin to be announced formally later today.

 

RHP Chris Razo, who made the jump from Helena to Wisconsin, earlier this season, now tweets he's heading back to Helena, so it's a Fasano-for-Razo swap.