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American League

National League

BOSTON RED SOX
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Recalled OF-R Rusney Castillo from Triple-A Pawtucket; optioned OF-L Jackie Bradley Jr. to Triple-A Pawtucket. [5/22]

The Red Sox entered the long weekend ranked last in the division in True Average (by a point) and third-to-last in the league in runs per game.

Enter Castillo, who hit .293/.341/.440 during an 18-game stint in Pawtucket, unimpressive numbers when stacked against those he posted last season during his big-league cameo, but almost identical to PECOTA's .279/.345/.442 preseason projection. Just how Castillo fits into the outfield alignment is unclear, in part because there's more opportunity than normal. Mookie Betts hasn't played to expectations; Shane Victorino was placed on the DL over the weekend; Hanley Ramirez has been dealing with his own injuries; and Daniel Nava is in the majors only because he can't be optioned. In short, the Red Sox can plug Castillo into any of the three spots on a given night without feeling too bad.

Seeing as how the Red Sox wouldn't have brought Castillo up if he weren't going to play, bet on them doing just that to get him into the lineup.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
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Purchased the contract of 2B-L Munenori Kawasaki from Triple-A Buffalo; placed 2B-R Devon Travis on the 15-day disabled list (shoulder inflammation). [5/22]

Label Travis' recent play regression or normalization or whatever, but losing him to the DL is another bad development for a team rich in them. The Jays were playing without Jose Reyes already, resulting in a double-play combination of Ryan Goins and Steven Tolleson. Oof. Kawasaki figures to see time at both middle-infield spots, though nobody cares about his actual play. His super-passive approach doubles as a fastball-control test for the opposition: Throw strikes and he can't burn you; walk him and he might unnerve you by jogging in place, dancing, or God knows what else at first base. In a sense, distraction being Kawasaki's lone contribution makes him a perfect fit, at least for Toronto's fans.

COLORADO ROCKIES
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Recalled OF-R Brandon Barnes from Triple-A Albuquerque; optioned OF-R Drew Stubbs to Triple-A Albuquerque. [5/20]

Sooner than later, someone had to pay for the Rockies' poor play; that someone, apparently, is Stubbs, whose 56 plate appearances comprised 31 strikeouts, three walks, and a 13 OPS+. You get the sense—probably because Barnes was hitting .205/.266/.364 in the minors—that this switch is about getting Stubbs back on the rails rather than an effort to improve the current roster. Barnes is a high-quality defender whose offensive output can be summed up as "he's a high-quality defender." Barnes has proved he doesn't need to play everyday to post eye-popping statistics. Oh no, his high-swing, high-miss ways can record 100 more strikeouts than walks in 350, 400 plate appearances tops. Put another way: Barnes is Stubbs without the past hype or offensive glimmers. Lovely.

Normally, there would be an interesting subplot here about whether Stubbs will stay in the minors too long to accrue the service time necessary for him to qualify for free agency at season's end. Should that happen, though, there's no chance Stubbs would be tendered a contract. So whatever.

MIAMI MARLINS
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Recalled RHP Andre Rienzo from Triple-A New Orleans; purchased the contract of RHP Vin Mazzaro from Triple-A New Orleans; placed RHPs Henderson Alvarez (shoulder inflammation) and Mat Latos (knee inflammation) on the 15-day disabled list. [5/23]

Dan Jennings' job(s?) gets tougher, with two more starters joining Jose Fernandez and Jarred Cosart on the DL. The intrigue here rests in not knowing who'll take over in the rotation. David Phelps and Tom Koehler are in already, so they aren't the new faces; Brad Hand isn't stretched out, so he doesn't appear likely, either. That leaves minor-league fill-ins—Pat Misch, anyone?—and some interesting, younger arms like Jose Urena and Justin Nicolino. Each is intriguing for conflicting reasons: Urena has a good heater and little else; Nicolino has a good changeup and solid curve, but a subpar fastball. Realistically, asking either to pitch better than a back-end starter is getting greedy. As such, the Fish will be more entertaining if they choose the rooks, but probably won't be more competitive.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
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Recalled C/2B-R Austin Barnes from Triple-A Oklahoma City; placed C-S Yasmani Grandal on the 7-day disabled list (concussion). [5/23]

Part of the Dee Gordon trade, Barnes has an odd profile. He's split time behind the plate and at the keystone throughout his pro career, and last season added the hot corner to his defensive portfolio. So far, the Dodgers have put an end to the flexibility experiment, opting instead to let Barnes catch. That change hasn't affected his offense, which remains driven by contact: He has more walks than strikeouts dating back through last season, and has hit at every level thrown his way. Whether the Dodgers keep him behind the plate or allow him to move around will determine if he's interesting or interesting, but he should serve alongside A.J. Ellis for now, before he's knocked off the roster this winter.

NEW YORK METS
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Purchased the contract of OF-L Darrell Ceciliani from Triple-A Las Vegas; designated OF-L Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment. [5/19]

A swap spurred by Nieuwenhuis' brutal 1-for-18, 10-strikeout performance in May. Ceciliani is a fan favorite in the making: He's shortish, bats barehanded, and runs with the ferocity of a scorned chihuahua. He fits on a big-league bench because his instincts, hustle, and above-average speed permit him to play across the outfield despite a crummy arm. The issue with Ceciliani is his bat. He's unlikely to hit for power given his level swing plane and his aggressive approach could leave him overdependent on an empty batting average. (His 8 percent walk rate in Las Vegas is the highest he's had since 2011, among assignments with more than 100 plate appearances.) Still, Ceciliani should be able to outhit Nieuwenhuis for the time being, and his other tools give him a real chance to stick around in the majors as a speed-and-D spare outfielder.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
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Claimed LHP Eury De La Rosa off waivers from the Dodgers; transferred RHP Josh Johnson to the 60-day disabled list (Tommy John surgery). [5/23]

A little known clause in the CBA states that only west coast teams are allowed to employ De La Rosa. He's bounced from the Diamondbacks to the A's to the Dodgers and now to the Padres since December 2014, without making an appearance in the majors for the middle two. De La Rosa's game remains the same: He's youngish (25) and short (5-foot-9) with a broad arsenal and some big-league success. He's probably no more than a second lefty, but that's what you get on the waiver wire. Come back here next month, when De La Rosa joins the Mariners or Angels.

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newsense
5/26
Did the San Andreas fault finally explode?Since when is Arizona on the West COAST?