Catching You Up on What You Definitely Missed

If you’ve been trying to keep up with all the Durham Bulls roster moves the last few days, and you just haven’t quite been able to figure it out, we don’t blame you. The term “revolving door” is fairly appropriate for the guys that have been coming and going (and in some instances coming back) from the Durham clubhouse, so we want to do our part to help you understand who has come and gone from the roster, and what each move exactly means.

Some things/terms to keep in mind:

• 25-man roster: In both the Major Leagues and Triple-A, teams cannot have more than 25 players on their active roster. For example, a team could have 28 players on their roster in total, but three would have to be in inactive (Disabled List, Suspended, etc.)
• 40-man roster: The 40-man is composed of all the players in a Major League club’s organization who are signed to a major-league contract. These are the players who are able to be called up to the 25-man roster at any given time. Also on the 40-man are any players on the 15-day disabled list and minor league players who are signed to a major-league contract but are on an “optional assignment” to the minors. Players who are on the 60-day DL or are suspended are taken off the 40-man roster until their injury time or suspension has concluded. A player can be moved back-and-forth between the Major and Minor Leagues an unlimited amount of times over a three-year span, but after those three seasons a player is considered to be “Out of Options” and must be placed on and clear waivers prior to being sent down to the minor league (we’ll handle that in some other post).

So, with all of that being said, let’s take our wacky week of transactions to get you caught up on the current Bulls roster, but also to help explain what roster moves actually mean.

KEY: Underline: Date of transaction Bold: Roster move Italics: Our explanation of what it means

Sunday, May 25

RHP Alex Colome reinstated from Restricted List and assigned to Durham

Alex Colome was suspended for the first 50 games of the season for testing positive for a PED. His suspension ended Sunday, and he was added to the Durham Bulls roster.

RHP Juan Sandoval released from Tampa Bay Rays organization

In order to make room on the Bulls 25-man active roster for the addition of Colome, the Rays opted to release Juan Sandoval from the organization

Monday, May 26

RHP Alex Colome recalled by Tampa Bay

Rays OF Brandon Guyer was placed on the 15-day Disabled List Monday, meaning the Rays had an open roster spot. To fill that spot, they recalled Colome from the Bulls roster. “Recall” is the term used for when a player on the Major League club’s 40-man roster is promoted to the Bigs.

RHP Doug Mathis transferred to Durham from Extended Spring Training

In order to fill the void on the roster left by Colome’s departure, Doug Mathis rejoined the Durham roster

Tuesday, May 27

C Ali Solis had contract selected by Tampa Bay

With starting catcher Ryan Hanigan battling a nagging injury, the Rays opted to promote C Ali Solis to the Majors. His “contract was selected” because unlike Colome, Solis was not on the 40-man roster. In order to be eligible to play for a Major League club, a player must be on the 40-man roster, so therefore Solis’ contract was selected, thus making him eligible to play for the Rays. In a side-note, LHP Matt Moore was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to make room for Solis on the 40-man roster.

C Mayo Acosta transferred to Durham from Extended Spring Training

In order to fill the void on the roster left by Colome’s departure, Mayo Acosta rejoined the Durham roster

RHP Alex Colome optioned to Durham from Tampa Bay

When a player on the 40-man roster is sent down to the Minors, he is “optioned” to the minor league club.

Wednesday, May 28

OF Kevin Kiermaier recalled by Tampa Bay

With Ryan Hanigan placed on the 15-day DL on Wednesday, the Rays recalled Kevin Kiermaier to fill the open slot on their roster

INF Robby Price transferred to Durham from Extended Spring Training

In order to fill the void on the roster left by Colome’s departure, Robby Price rejoined the Durham roster

Confused yet? We thought so. Such is the world of Triple-A baseball.