Minor League Transactions -- First Half of Season (Pre-Draft)

[Mass Haas]

First of all, here's the link to your now-closed offseason transaction thread.

 

Outfielder Adam Stern, who had such a great big-league camp with the Brewers, left last night's game, as we highlighted in the Link Report. While we're still determining the nature and status of the injury (sometimes easier to determine because it apparently happened during the course of play), the Brewers didn't waste any time placing him on the DL.

 

Nashville Media Notes:

 

STERN PLACED ON THE DISABLED LIST: After leaving last night’s contest in the second inning due to injury, Sounds outfielder Adam Stern was placed on the (7-day minor league) disabled list today. Catcher Patrick Arlis was activated from Rookie-Class Helena to replace Stern on the Nashville roster.

 

***

 

That explains the 25 vs. 24 man confusion we had earlier with the AAA roster. Similar to last season, expect the Sounds to play with an extra body who is with the club but not on the roster almost all season long. It seems MiLB allowed clubs to play abit loose with roster moves last season to provide clubs more flexibility. Patrick Arlis was often that man last season.

[Mass Haas]

Turns out Adam Stern strained his right oblique muscle early in Friday's Nashville game. You know obliques, they'll be careful, so expect a cautious two-three week absence.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have released 23-year-old LHP Josh Romanski, their 4th round pick in 2008 out of the University of San Diego.

 

Amazingly, Romanski never tossed a professional pitch for the Brewers. He had a stress fracture in his left elbow in 2008, which did not allow him to pitch, but he did appear in four games as a designated hitter and batted .333 (5-for-15) with three doubles. (Thank you, Brewer media guide, for the reminder.)

 

Romanski missed all of 2009 after surgery on that same left elbow. Hopefully the at-bats didn't aggravate things further, we'll probably never know.

 

Certainly one of the more discouraging Brewer "careers" of all time -- nary a single pitch.

[TheCrew07]

This news is surprising, yet not completely unexpected, too bad for Josh. I wonder if his injury turned out to be of the career ending variety? It's odd that he never appeared in a single game if not...

[thumperden]

I don't understand how a stress fracture would earn a 4th rounder a pink slip. I'm sure we'll get more information as time passes, but this is a baffler at this time. I'll take a pitcher who can hit .333 with extra base skill to boot.

[Mass Haas]

At Brevard, OF Kentrail Davis has been placed on the seven-day DL with an undisclosed injury, retroactive to April 14th.

 

The Manatees have activated two players from Helena (extended spring training), as SS Josh Prince and INF Steve Braun join the club. Brevard had an extra roster spot to work with.

 

The two Erik's (Komatsu and Miller) are the only true outfielders on the squad, although Brock Kjeldgaard will see time in left field.

 

The infield is a mix-and-matchfest of Braun, Prince, Brent Brewer, Matt Cline, Sergio Miranda, and Juan Sanchez.

 

When we know more about Kentrail Davis, we'll be sure to let you know.

[Mass Haas]

That last post is probably the first post you've seen in a while on the Minor League Forum mentioning Braun and Prince http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

 

[DHonks]

ha ha...good one Mass. Also, is there any reason why Brewer has been primarily DH'ing? He's had limited action at SS, and I'm not sure if it's his lack of offensive results (some would say they've been rather offensive!) or an injury he's nursing.

[Mass Haas]

Twisted left ankle for Kentrail Davis -- doesn't sound like it's going to be very serious at all, maybe could linger if it's one of those high ankle sprains (pure conjecture on my part), but then again, a twist isn't really a sprain, is it?

 

Be smart and safe for a week on the 7-day DL.

[TheCrew07]

but then again, a twist isn't really a sprain, is it?

In most cases yes it is.

[paul253]

I didnt want to start a new thread for this, but is Angel Salome hurt?

[battlekow]

I didnt want to start a new thread for this, but is Angel Salome hurt?

Mass Haas wrote:

---

Nashville

Media Notes:

SALOME AWAY FROM CLUB FOR BIRTH OF CHILD:

Catcher Angel Salome will be away from the Sounds for

the next few days. He returned to New York to join his wife, Johanica,

for the upcoming birth of their second child.

[paul253]

Oh ok that's good news. Congrats to Angel. Thanks Battlekow.

[battlekow]

To clear room for Mitch Stetter at Nashville, Mike McClendon was transferred to Huntsville, with Mark Willinsky going on the DL.

[And That]

Wow, Jeff Suppan can even screw Mike McClendon.

[battlekow]

Wow, Jeff Suppan can even screw Mike McClendon.

Not to mention Mark Willinsky, whom I doubt is actually injured, having just struck out six guys in two innings last night.

[True CryM]

Wow, that's quite an impact. I guess McClendon getting innings is the most important part, and the trip from Nashville to Huntsville is a long one, but man, isn't his early performance enough to warrant some form of continuity? Isn't McClendon still considered a prospect?

[HiAndTight]

Wow, Jeff Suppan can even screw Mike McClendon.

Haha....I've never seen more upheavel over a player returning to a big league roster that makes both the bullpen AND the starting rotation WORSE than it was.

 

It's truly amazing.....I half expected Suppan to hit Odorizzi with an errant pitch while warming up for his rehab start just to kinda stick it to the organization juuuuuust a little extra.

 

 

 

[Minigoon]

Johnny Raburn got into the Nashville game today. Brendan Katin was placed on the DL. No word on what Katin's injury is.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Injuries start to take a toll on Sounds

Brendan Katin's hurt knee weakens lineup

By Maurice Patton, THE TENNESSEAN

 

Ask any minor league manager about the biggest challenge of his job, and the quick response likely would be dealing with the constant personnel changes.

 

Over the Nashville Sounds' 8-3 start — including an 11-6 loss Sunday to visiting Iowa — second-year Manager Don Money's team has already had eight transactions.

 

The most significant of the moves could be the one that saw slugger Brendan Katin placed on the disabled list prior to Sunday's game.

 

The veteran right fielder, whose four home runs entering Sunday's games were tied for the second-most in minor league baseball, suffered an injury to his right knee in Friday's loss to the I-Cubs. He left that game after one at-bat, and did not play in Saturday's win.

 

"It's day-to-day right now," Katin said. "I've had surgery on it before, to repair the meniscus. We'll just see when it wants to cooperate."

 

In addition to Katin, outfielder Adam Stern was placed on the DL two days into the Pacific Coast League season with a hamstring injury, relief pitcher Mike McClendon was reassigned to Double-A Huntsville and catcher Angel Salome was temporarily inactive from April 11-16.

 

Since Opening Day, catcher Patrick Arlis, pitcher Mitch Stetter and infielder Johnny Raburn have joined the Sounds.

 

Maintaining a high level of success with such a high amount of movement isn't always easy.

 

"We've had a couple get hurt, and with Katin getting hurt we're down to two outfielders," Money said. "But our pitching's been there for the most part. They've stayed pretty well intact. The rest, you can work around.

 

"Katin's on the DL for at least a week. It's still swollen. Hopefully we'll know a little more after it calms down. We'll see where it stands then."

 

With Katin sidelined, the Nashville offense couldn't overcome five errors — matching the most committed by the team in one game since joining the PCL in 1998 — despite Adam Heether's performance at the plate.

 

The third baseman doubled and scored in a four-run second-inning rally, then tied the game with his third homer of the season in the sixth, following Erick Almonte's leadoff triple. Iowa scored five runs over the final three innings.

 

"We've had a couple of (roster) moves, but I don't think it's going to affect this team as a whole," Heether said. "As a group, this is the closest team I've seen. Everybody gets along with everybody, and everyone shares the other players' successes.

 

"I think good things are going to come. We're just waiting for everyone to get their timing down and put it together as a team."

 

Heether's homer ended a string of 41 innings without one for the Sounds. He had two of Nashville's five extra-base hits — as many as the team had totaled in its previous six games.

[Mass Haas]

Kraig with photos of Brendan Katin's departure (at the time he surmised it was a foot injury)

[bork]

McCalvy has a few injury updates.McCalvy

Capuano should be ready to be activated by the end of the week, probably to Brevard County.
Riske should be ready for a 30 day rehab at the end of April
Stern (rib-cage strain) is two weeks away
Gamel (Shoulder) is a month away,

[Mass Haas]

Because we like to keep our transaction thread fairly lean for reference purposes, we've split off discussion of the Jonathan Lucroy to AAA move to another thread. As we learn more about Angel Salome's status and how the balancing act of having the two top prospects co-exist plays out, discussion can take place there, thanks.

[Mass Haas]

Catcher Martin Maldonado has been bumped from Brevard County to Huntsville -- he's in Wednesday's lineup. He and Sean McCraw will handle the AA staff for now.

[Mass Haas]

With Martin Maldonado's move to Huntsville, a spot opened up at Brevard that has been filled by C / 1B Shawn Zarraga, up from extended spring training.

 

So with Anderson De La Rosa, Mike Roberts, and Zarraga on the squad, it's kind of an eclectic catching corps, as each has seen action in the outfield in the past, or in Zarraga's case, first base.

 

Roberts has some pop, he needs to see a few more AB's.