Transactions Notes 4/14/11 - 4/20/11

4/14

MLB:
- Alan Johnson purchased and recalled from AAA Colorado Springs.
- Greg Reynolds optioned to AAA Colorado Springs and placed on the Reserve List.
- Aaron Cook transferred to 60 Day Disabled List.

This past week began with some MLB level moves in preparation for the spot start resulting from the double header. Aaron Cook, who had been on the 15 Day Disabled List, was transferred to the 60-Day to make room on the 40 man Roster for newcomer Alan Johnson. Cook will now be eligible to return to the active roster on May 21st.

To make room on the 25 man roster, Greg Reynolds was optioned to AAA Colorado Springs. Reynolds is in the middle of a bonus 4th option year, having used ten days of it before getting recalled. That option will now become official this Saturday, rendering Reynolds firmly out of options after the 2011 season. When sent down, he was placed on the Reserve List, allowing him to join the team without taking up a roster spot.

AAA:
- Daniel Perkins activated from the 7 Day Disabled List and assigned to AAA Colorado Springs.

To fill Alan Johnson's spot on the roster, Daniel Perkins, who had been on the minors' 7 Day Disabled List where he began the season, was promoted to AAA. Perkins had previously never played above Asheville.

The rest of the week in roster transactions after the jump.

Notes from Last Week:

Disabled List Notes:
7 Day DL
- Michael Mitchell
- Geoff Parker
- Brian Rike

60 Day DL
- Eric Federico
- Kyle Hancock
- Hernan Iribarren
- Aaron Weatherford

Matt Eddy's minor league transactions blog at Baseball America (which is one of the best sources for organizational transactions across the league) confirmed last Thursday that the above players, who are currently not assigned to any of the four actively playing teams, currently reside on their designated disabled lists. These assignments were likely given on the first day of minors play, and date back to then at least, and perhaps retroactively still. It will be difficult to tell exactly when the 60 Day players are eligible to be assigned, but it should be at least mid-late May. The 7 Day players are likely already eligible to be activated and can be assigned to teams when healthy. The other players on Eddy's list of DL'ed minor leaguers are already assigned to teams while injured.

Signed:
- Max Leon

Another tidbit via Eddy, Leon, a 2004 50th round draft pick, was one of the Detroit Tigers class of departing MiLB Free Agents that had finished their initial minor league contract. Leon has reached the AAA level, but did not reach the majors with Detroit and has not yet been assigned to a team in our organization, meaning he is likely in Extended Spring Training somewhere. Leon is a utility player who has logged professional innings at every position except catcher and pitcher.

Now let's continue with the rest of the week.

4/15

A+:
- Maikol Gonzalez activated from 7 Day Disabled List.
- Josh Rutledge placed on 7 Day Disabled List.

Just a simple swap of middle infielders for the Nuts. Haven't heard anything on the nature of Rutledge's injury.

4/16

AAA:
- Josh Muecke assigned to AAA Colorado Springs from A- Tri-City.
- Eric Young Jr. assigned to AAA Colorado Springs from Temporarily Inactive List.
- Billy Buckner assigned to A- Tri-City.
- Daniel Perkins assigned to A- Tri-City.

Muecke returned to the Sky Sox to make a start, with Eric Young Jr. returning from his break on the TIL. To make room, starting pitchers Buckner and Perkins were placed on the Tri-City roster, just as Muecke was last week himself. Neither would be gone long though (see below a few days later).

A+:
- Kala Ka'aihue activated from 7 Day Disabled List.
- Eliezer Mesa placed on 7 Day Disabled List.

Another injury swap in Modesto, outfielder Mesa's injury allowed first baseman Ka'aihue to join the Nuts roster.

A:
- Erik Stavert assigned to A Asheville from Temporarily Inactive List.
- Corresponding mystery roster move that may or may not involve Albert Campos. (Albert Campos placed on 7 Day Disabled List)

One thing I was quick to learn when I started following the minors this closely early in 2010: Asheville never updates their roster. It makes it a real pain to deal with, and I have to do some guesswork. As you may remember, last week Stavert was sent to the TIL and Josh Mueller took his place; it wasn't until I saw Matt Eddy's post a few days later that I knew Stavert's roster spot was the one replaced. Stavert returned to the Asheville roster to start the game on the 16th, but no corresponding move was announced. Since the move, every player on the roster has gotten into a game except Albert Campos, meaning the corresponding move either involves him, or a second move was made sometime during the following four games that went unreported altogether.

UPDATE: It is now confirmed, thanks again to Baseball America's Matt Eddy, that Albert Campos was placed on the 7 Day Disabled List.

4/17

AAA
- Andy Graham placed on 7 Day Disabled List.
- Daniel Perkins assigned to AAA Colorado Springs from A- Tri-City

Called right back to AAA right after being sent out the door, Perkins was recalled to the Sky Sox to replace the injured Andy Graham. It's a bit of an odd move, but if I were to guess, Perkins may not have left the team yet, making it the easiest answer to just cancel his plane ticket. That's all speculation, though. It may also have been related to the fact that the AAA rotation was about to be suddenly jumbled yet again.

4/18

MLB
- Clay Mortensen recalled from AAA Colorado Springs.
- Alan Johnson optioned to AAA Colorado Springs and placed on the Reserve List.

Because of the big club's desire to have someone capable of long relief available over the Giants series, Clay Mortensen's start was scrapped and he was recalled to the Rockies to serve that purpose (he'd of course be needed right away behind Esmil Rogers in that first game). His start out of the way, Alan Johnson was optioned away, and much like Greg Reynolds earlier in the week, Johnson was placed on the Reserve List so as to not take up an extra AAA roster spot. This is Johnson's first ever optional assignment, since he'd never been on an MLB roster before this week. It will become official on May 7th.

AAA
- Jesus Colome assigned to AAA Colorado Springs from Extended Spring Training.

Taking Mortensen's spot on the AAA roster was Jesus Colome, a late free agent signing this offseason who had spent the first couple weeks of the minors season unassigned.

4/19

MLB
- Ubaldo Jimenez activated from 15 Day DL.
- Ian Stewart optioned to AAA Colorado Springs..

Two days after being eligible, Jimenez was activated to make the start. Even though he would have been eligible to come off the day Alan Johnson started, his workout schedule up until that point had him lined up to rejoin the rotation in his proper spot behind Esmil Roger and before Jorge De La Rosa. By the time the double header became necessary, it was apparently too late to try and reshuffle that.

The struggling Ian Stewart finally saw patience run out as he was optioned down to AAA. This is Stewart's second MLB optional assignment (the other was from 2008), and it will become official on May 8th.

AAA
- Greg Reynolds activated from the Reserve List.
- Geno Espineli assigned to A- Tri-City.

As Reynolds was finally in line to make a start for the Sky Sox, he had to be activated from the Reserve List. The corresponding movie was the demotion of reliever Geno Espineli, who if you recall, had joined the Sky Sox just last week.

You may be wondering why there was no corresponding move for Ian Stewart. Sometimes the transactions from the MLB team occur before the MLB day counts but after the MiLB one does. In other words, this means that technically Stewart was optioned AWAY from the Rockies on April 19th, but didn't get optioned TO the Sky Sox until the 20th. A corresponding move was made the next day (see below).

4/20

AAA
- Billy Buckner assigned to AAA Colorado Springs from A- Tri-City.
- Daniel Perkins assigned to A- Tri-City.
- Cole Garner unassigned to Temporarily Inactive List.

With yet another pitching transaction for the Sky Sox with Billy Buckner's turn in the rotation, Perkins was finally let go from AAA after what must have been a whirlwind week for an A level player at the AAA level (what a sitcom logline...). Last time, as you remember from above, he had to be immediately recalled once they knew Mortensen wouldn't be making his start. This time, I expect him to stay down.

Cole Garner's trip to the TIL becomes the initial move to free room for Ian Stewart's arrival in AAA. This is likely a temporary solution at best, so expect another shuffle in the coming days, which will surely be discussed in next week's edition.

That wraps up a busy week in the organization for everyone except the Drillers, whose roster is exactly the same as it was at the end of last week's notes. See you next week!