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Red Sox Place Romy Gonzalez On 10-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve placed infielder Romy Gonzalez on a the 10-day injured list due to a left quad contusion. Infielder Nick Sogard was recalled from Triple-A to replace Gonzalez on the active roster.

The loss of Gonzalez is particularly devastating for Boston given that he’s been filling in for Triston Casas at first base after the latter underwent season-ending knee surgery. The 28-year-old has hit quite well in that fill-in capacity, slashing .308/.362/.423 in 17 games for the Red Sox this year. Gonzalez had been handling first base as part of a tandem with Abraham Toro in Casas’s absence, in part due to the refusal of Rafael Devers to play first base. That refusal and Devers’s subsequent comments expressing frustration with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for bringing up the possibility of a move to first base after Devers had already been moved from third base to DH this spring has ignited plenty of public scrutiny that eventually led to a meeting between Devers and club owner John Henry.

It still seems as though there’s no plans to have Devers begin taking grounders at first, much less play the position in a game. As noted by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, manager Alex Cora commented on the first base situation with reporters earlier today.

“He’s DHing today… We’ll keep talking about stuff. We’ll keep looking for alternatives, with what we need to do to keep getting better,” Cora said of Devers, as relayed by Cotillo. “Of course, we’ve got Romy, we’ve got Toro and now we’ve got (Sogard). That’s the route we’re going to have right now.”

While Cora name-checked Gonzalez as an option at first, he’ll be unavailable for at least the next ten days. That leaves Toro and Sogard as the most likely options to handle first in the meantime. Outfielder Rob Refsnyder has some first base experience and could be another option, but Cora has expressed hesitance about taking him out of the outfield mix in the past and Cotillo relays that the veteran is currently dealing with back spasms that leave his status as day-to-day.

The combination of Toro and Sogard at first base isn’t exactly an inspiring one. Toro is a career .219/.283/.350 hitter in the majors who has gone just 2-for-14 with two strikeouts and zero walks or extra base hits at the big league level to this point in the year. Sogard, meanwhile, got his only big league action last year when the Red Sox leaned on him as a utility man in 31 games. During that brief look in the majors, Sogard hit a below-average .273/.326/.325 with a 29.1% strikeout rate. Gonzalez’s eventual return should help matters, and fortunately the nature of his injury does not seem severe enough that an extended absence should be expected.

Even so, one must assume that the Red Sox are looking at other options given the worrisome state of first base. If Devers is still not an option to get work in at first base, perhaps the team will be able to swing a minor trade to add a depth option like DJ Stewart, Dominic Smith, or Joey Meneses who’s not currently on a 40-man roster. None of those names would be especially impactful, but the fact that major trades at this point in the calendar tend to be exceedingly rare figures to limit Boston’s external options.

Rafael Devers Meets With Red Sox Owner John Henry

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As the Red Sox began a series with the Royals yesterday, Sox owner John Henry, team CEO Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow all flew to Kansas City in response to Rafael Devers’ comments on Thursday about his refusal to play first base, and his displeasure with what the slugger felt was an unreasonable series of requests from upper management.  Henry and manager Alex Cora (with Kennedy and Breslow not present) met with Devers privately prior to Friday’s game for a lengthy meeting that, in theory, helped clear the air about what has become a public controversy.

None of Devers, Henry, or Cora commented about the meeting, but Breslow told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that Henry said an “honest and candid exchange” took place about the situation.  The intent, as per Breslow, was to have “an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox and that is being great teammates for each other.  And so we think we had a productive conversation.  John seems to have had a productive conversation.  And that’s where things stand right now.”

In a follow-up about what Breslow considered a great teammate, he answered “I think it’s No. 1, being honest and open with communication.  I think it is recognizing when there’s an opportunity to step up, when there’s a need for the group to be in front of any individual achievement or accomplishment.  And I think it’s important that that gets reinforced given what we’re hoping to accomplish.”

Devers said Thursday that he took issue with Breslow recently asking about a position change to first base, and the two parties haven’t yet spoken since Devers went public with his frustrations.  Though Breslow said his conversation with Devers was more “exploratory” in nature about a possible move to first base, the CBO took some responsibility for the awkward situation.

“My reaction was there potentially was some misunderstanding on the communication or an opportunity to more clearly provide communication,” Breslow said.  “And so hopefully that was a step in the right direction here today….Obviously, it’s unfortunate that we’re in the situation that we are right now.  But as you approach every decision, you try to provide as much clear communication as possible. It’s my job to always put the priorities of the organization first.  But I should also be evaluating every interaction I have with players and I’ll continue to do that.”

More will be known if or when Devers himself comments on the meeting, and it isn’t likely that Henry (who rarely speaks with the media) will issue a comment.  As McCaffrey noted, however, the fact that Henry felt the need to personally travel to Kansas City and meet with Devers directly was a very public statement in its own right, and underscored the “unusual” nature of what has become a major subplot of Boston’s season.

After spending his first eight seasons as the Red Sox third baseman, Devers has become a full-time DH this season in order to accommodate Alex Bregman (a much better defensive player) at the hot corner.  Devers has long expressed his preference to remain at third base and even continued this stance after Bregman was signed, though he eventually stated that he was “good to do whatever they want me to do.”  After a slow start at the plate, Devers has been crushing the ball over the last couple of weeks, seemingly settling in nicely to his new designated hitter role.

Triston Casas began the season as the everyday first baseman, but since Casas’ 2025 campaign has now likely been ended by a knee surgery, Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro have been handling the position.  Moving Devers to first base seemed like a possible answer to the first base problem, as opening up the DH spot would’ve also allowed the Red Sox to find a spot for Masataka Yoshida (currently on the injured list) or for top prospects Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer.  After being asked to change positions once, however, Devers has balked at learning a new position on the fly, and was quite openly frustrated over now being asked to become a first baseman after being told that he would only be a DH in 2025.

It remains to be seen what next steps might be taken, or whether or not Friday’s meeting might have laid some groundwork for Devers to eventually move to first base after all.  Given how Breslow mentioned the concept of teammate behavior, it is worth noting that the other Red Sox players seem to be staying quiet about the situation for now.

“We will talk about it.  Obviously, things are fresh and a little emotional right now, but yeah, we will do it,” Trevor Story told MLB.com’s Jackson Stone.  “And like I said, we’re all adults and we’ll figure this thing out eventually.  One way or another, it’s about winning games and I think everyone can agree on that.”

Rafael Devers Unwilling To Play First Base

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Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers spoke to members of the media today, including Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Devers said that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow recently asked him about playing first base in the wake of the Triston Casas injury. Devers said that he is unwilling to take up the position, adding that the club told him to put away his glove when they moved him from third base to designated hitter this winter. He feels that the team has now gone back on its word. He also responded “Sí, claro” when asked if he was upset by the request.

“I know I’m a ballplayer,” Devers said, via translator, relayed by Speier, “but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In break training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.” Devers added this about Breslow,  per Speier, “I’m not certain what (issue) he has with me. He played ball, and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.” Speier relayed more from Devers: “Here in the clubhouse, thankfully, the relationship that I have with my teammates is great. I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know, someone in the outfield gets hurt and they want me to play in the outfield.” As for the first base spot, Devers seems to think an external addition is the answer, per Christopher Smith of MassLive: “Now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player (to play first base). I’m not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have me now.”

Perhaps he will alter that stance in time but he seems to be taking a strong stand for now. Per Smith, Devers doesn’t think there’s a chance he’ll change his mind. “I don’t think so. They told me I’m a little hard-headed. They already asked me to change once and this time I don’t think I can be as flexible.”

It’s been a strange few months in terms of the relationship between Devers and the Red Sox. Throughout the winter, the club was connected to third basemen Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado, despite Devers seemingly having that spot locked down. Devers has never been a strong defender, so there was some on-paper logic to the consideration of moving him elsewhere, but there was the question about Devers himself and how he would feel about being displaced. The two sides had agreed to a nine-figure extension in January of 2023, a contract which runs through 2033, so the long-term relationship would obviously be a real consideration.

Breman remained unsigned into the middle of February. The Sox scooped him up at that time on a three-year, $120MM deal, though one with notable deferrals and opt-outs after each season. The club didn’t immediately come out and declare their intentions in terms of defensive alignment and Devers was adamant that he would stick at third base. He said that he had been promised by the club that he could stay at the hot corner for the long term. Manager Álex Cora dismissed that promise because “That was under Chaim,” referring to former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. The Sox fired Bloom towards the end of the 2023 season and eventually replaced him with Breslow.

It soon became clear that the Sox wanted Bregman, the superior defender, to take over at third. Devers would be the club’s full-time designated hitter, not even playing the field occasionally. “Raffy is going to DH,” Cora said in March. “We had a conversation, we talked about it. He’s DHing. He’s the DH of the Boston Red Sox. One thing is we don’t want him to overthink it. Don’t get caught up in the whole thing. He’ll be OK.”

Though Devers was clearly not happy with being moved off his position, reportedly even thinking about asking for a trade at one point, he did strike a more amicable tone eventually. In the middle of March, with the start of the season just about two weeks away, he said: “I’m good to do whatever they want me to do,” he said. “I’m here to help. I’ve already spoken with them about that, and they know where I stand. I’m just ready to play.”

That all seemed to be working fine enough for the first few weeks of the season, until Casas suffered his aforementioned injury. A ruptured left patellar tendon last week led to knee surgery for Casas and he is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

That quickly led to speculation about Devers being a good fit to replace Casas. In the initial aftermath of the injury, the Sox used guys like Romy González and Abraham Toro to cover the position. Those two have generally been light-hitting utility guys in their careers, less than ideal solutions for a bat-first position like first base.

Moving Devers into the spot would seemingly make things easier for the Sox. While learning a new position midseason would certainly be a challenge, first base is generally considered to be lower than third base on the defensive spectrum, with many subpar third basemen having become adequate first basemen over the years. Doing so would also free up the DH spot, opening up more at-bats for players other players. Outfield prospect Roman Anthony and infield prospect Marcelo Mayer are both somewhat blocked from regular playing time at the moment. It’s also tough to find a spot for Masataka Yoshida, currently on the injured list, as he’s also an outfielder. A poor defender, he was the club’s primary designated hitter last year.

Cora has publicly said a few times recently that he hasn’t asked Devers about the switch, but it appears the Red Sox privately considered the plan and Breslow initiated the conversation, which Devers didn’t take kindly to.

From his perspective, it’s understandably been a jarring half year. As of a few months ago, he thought he was Boston’s third baseman and seemingly felt secure in that role. Now he’s been shaken from that security and has been asked to adapt.

Still, his response has been bizarre and hasn’t always reflected well on him. It’s pretty rare for a player to refuse to do something his team asks of him. In fact, there have been dozens of players over the years who have switched positions in order to help their team. Learning first base might not be Devers’ ideal outcome but there’s little harm in exploring the possibility by taking some grounders and feeling it out, especially if the team thinks it can help them win some more games in the long run. Though Devers maintains the clubhouse rapport is good, it’s fair to wonder if any of his teammates are upset about this hardline stance, since it’s doesn’t appear to be a team-first decision.

Additionally, when discontent develops between a team and a player, efforts are usually made to keep it private. It’s especially uncommon for a player to criticize his team’s front office leader, especially for making a fairly understandable inquiry.

It’s inevitable more developments are forthcoming with this story. For now, it appears Devers will stay in the DH spot. If the Sox are unhappy with his refusal, there’s not too much they can do about it. Whatever drama has been happening off the field doesn’t seem to be impacting him at the plate. He has a .246/.370/.430 batting line and 123 wRC+ this year, even though he went hitless in his first five games of the season. They surely don’t want to subtract that bat from the lineup.

For the record, Devers does not have no-trade protection in his contract, so they technically could just run him out of town if they really wanted to. But there’s no indication that is a consideration or even a remote possibility. Even if they did come to a point of wanting him gone, shipping out a contract that still runs for eight-plus years and has far more than $200MM left on it is hard to move at any point. That would be especially true in the middle of a season, when clubs have mostly spent their budgets. Also, other clubs are surely aware of the public drama and would try to use it as leverage in any talks if Breslow called them up.

Unless more developments arise, it seems Devers will stick in the DH spot. The Sox will try to cover first base with guys like González and Toro, at least for now, though it’s possible they could pursue first basemen in the coming weeks and months.

As for the relationship between Devers and the Sox, this surely isn’t the last we’ll hear about it. As mentioned, Bregman can opt out of his contract after this season and seems to be trending towards doing so, since he’s having a great year. There may eventually be questions about whether Devers would be an option to retake that spot in 2026 or if the club would want to keep him as a DH for the rest of his contract, while someone like Mayer or Trevor Story or Kristian Campbell takes over at third. That means more twists and turns are fairly inevitable, in a saga that has already had plenty.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images.

MLBTR Podcast: Replacing Triston Casas, A Shakeup In Texas, And The Blue Jays’ Rotation

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What does the trade deadline look like for the Orioles if they’re out of contention? (37:10)
  • Can the Tigers extend Tarik Skubal and what does his contract look like? (45:05)
  • Who are some fun under-the-radar contributors this year? (51:05)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Red Sox Notes: First Base, Devers, Yoshida

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The Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas to a season-ending knee injury earlier this week and quickly selected Abraham Toro’s contract to the big league roster. The switch-hitting Toro and righty-swinging Romy Gonzalez appear set to share time at the position for the time being, although the Casas injury immediately prompted speculation about a potential move to first base for Rafael Devers. Manager Alex Cora told the Red Sox beat last night that there’s been no discussion of a role change for the third baseman-turned-DH (link via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic).

“We got these two guys (Gonzalez and Toro) here, Toro starting today,” Cora said prior to last night’s loss. “Romy has done an amazing job in the starts over there so we’ll keep going that way.”

Cora followed up today in an appearance on WEEI radio, repeating that Devers is a DH for the time being but taking a slightly softer stance on the possibility of an eventual position change (link via WEEI’s Tom Carroll).

“We asked him to do something in spring training that, as you guys know, he didn’t agree with in the beginning,” said Cora. “And then little by little, he has embraced it because he knows the quality of the player that we have at third base and where we’re at as a team. … I’m not saying we’ll never have that conversation [about moving to first base], but I think for now, where we’re at, I like Raffy as a DH.”

Within that WEEI appearance, Cora again praised the season that Gonzalez has put together thus far. There’s no denying that the 28-year-old has excelled in the early stages of the 2025 season. He’s hitting .327/.382/.449 in 55 trips to the plate, although that small-sample production is buoyed by a .421 average on balls in play. Gonzalez is averaging 94.1 mph off the bat and has seen 58% of his batted balls depart at 95 mph or more.

It’s a strong profile, but one that is preceded by minimal track record. Gonzalez is in his fifth major league season and entered 2025 as a .242/.271/.387 hitter. He’s always hit lefties well (.281/.329/.465), but right-handers have long been a problem. That hasn’t been the case this year, and Cora’s comments seem to suggest he’ll at least get some runway to prove he’s made some real gains.

Toro, also 28, has a similar track record to that of Gonzalez. He’s a career .220/.285/.352 hitter who’s now seeing action in his seventh MLB campaign. He’s bounced around the league more (Astros, Mariners, Brewers, A’s) and has a strong Triple-A track record but limited success in the majors. Cora noted that Toro “put [together] some good at-bats” in his Red Sox debut yesterday, when he went 1-for-4 with a single.

The combination of Gonzalez and Toro, whether in a traditional platoon or a more selective timeshare, doesn’t feel like a feasible long-term option, but it’s understandable to hear a team’s manager voice confidence in the options he presently has on the roster. That said, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow took a more open-minded stance to the team’s first base void, telling NESN’s Tom Caron prior to the game that the Sox “need to be willing to put all idea and options on the table” and “uncover every rock” to make the team as competitive as possible (hat tip to the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham).

The case for moving Devers to first base is one that we discussed on this morning’s MLBTR podcast episode. MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes also touched on it in today’s mailbag. That switch would open DH at-bats for the return of Masataka Yoshida, or it could help facilitate a big league promotion for Roman Anthony, who is widely ranked as the game’s No. 1 overall prospect. Anthony could join Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu in cycling through the outfield and DH spots. He’s hitting .294/.410/.495 with five homers as a 20-year-old in Triple-A. Dating back to last year, Anthony has slashed .321/.440/.508 in 298 Triple-A plate appearances — all before even turning 21.

The 31-year-old Yoshida, meanwhile, has been out all season while recovering from October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder. Yoshida spoke with the Red Sox beat yesterday and said through an interpreter that hitting is “no problem” but that he’s still feeling discomfort when throwing (video link via NESN). He received a cortisone injection three days ago and will be shut down from throwing for at least another couple days while that takes effect. The Red Sox have no plans to activate Yoshida until he is able to play in the outfield, per Abraham.

Devers’ move from third base to DH was a major storyline in spring training and led to plenty of hand-wringing early in the season when he went through one of the worst stretches of his career at the plate. That panic looks silly in retrospect, as Devers struggled for all of one week and has hit .292/.404/.508 since the calendar flipped to April. His lack of experience at first base is an obvious consideration in any scenario, but the current tandem of Gonzalez and Toro have relatively limited experience there themselves: 319 innings for Gonzalez and 353 for Toro.

There’s no perfect solution. The Red Sox will likely be getting sub-par defense at first base whichever route they take. Playing Devers there could free up DH at-bats for Yoshida or open a clearer path to get Anthony to the majors. For the time being, they’re sticking with Devers at designated hitter and seeing what they have in Toro and Gonzalez.

Run production has been an issue over the past week as the Red Sox have dropped five of six games, and even looking at the past month (i.e. excluding Devers’ early slump) they’ve been a league-average offense on a rate basis and sit 15th in the majors in runs scored. If Boston’s rotation continues to struggle as it has over the past two weeks (24th in MLB with a 4.76 ERA), or if Gonzalez and Toro play closer to their career levels in the weeks ahead, one would imagine the Sox will more seriously consider changes to get more offensive firepower into the lineup.

Looking Ahead To Club Options: AL East

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MLBTR wraps our division by division look at next year’s team/mutual option class with the AL East. Virtually all of the mutual options will be bought out by one side. Generally, if the team is willing to retain the player at the option price, the player will decline his end in search of a better free agent deal.

Previous installments: player options/opt-outs, NL West, AL West, NL Central, AL Central, NL East

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore signed Kittredge to a one-year, $10MM free agent deal over the winter. He’s making $9MM this season and has a matching club option or a $1MM buyout for 2026. Kittredge was supposed to be a key setup man in front of Félix Bautista, but he suffered a left knee injury early in camp and required a debridement surgery. He began a rehab stint at High-A Aberdeen on Sunday. While there’s plenty of time for Kittredge to turn things around, it hasn’t been the start to his O’s tenure that he envisioned.

Laureano, who was non-tendered by the Braves, signed a $4MM contract with Baltimore in February. That came with a $6.5MM team option without a buyout, giving the Orioles an extra season of club control. Injuries to Tyler O’Neill and Colton Cowser have pressed him into everyday work, mostly in left field. He hasn’t provided much through his first 24 games. Laureano is hitting .185 with a .237 on-base percentage through 59 plate appearances. He has hit a trio of home runs but struck out 18 times while drawing only four walks. Laureano has generally been a below-average hitter since being suspended following a positive PED test in 2021. He’ll need much better production over the next few months for the Orioles to exercise the option.

Boston Red Sox

Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05MM free agent deal to match the price of the qualifying offer — which the Dodgers had declined to issue when he hit the market. It’s a relatively expensive pillow contract. Buehler was coming off a dismal regular season, in which he’d posted a 5.38 ERA with a career-worst 18.6% strikeout rate over 16 starts. He finished his Dodger tenure on a high note, though, closing out the World Series while pitching to a 3.60 earned run average in 15 playoff innings.

An ace-caliber pitcher early in his career, Buehler hasn’t looked the same since undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in August 2022. His stint in Boston has gotten out to a shaky start. While his 4.28 ERA through 33 2/3 innings is serviceable, he’s striking out just 20.7% of opponents while averaging a personal-low 93.5 MPH on his fastball. Shoulder inflammation sent him to the injured list last week. The mutual option was always an accounting measure designed to push the $3MM buyout to the end of the year rather than disbursing it throughout the season as salary. The team seems likelier to decline its end than the pitcher does.

Giolito signed a two-year, $38.5MM deal during the 2023-24 offseason. He negotiated an opt-out clause after the first season and hoped to retest the market after one strong year. Instead, Giolito’s elbow gave out during Spring Training and he required UCL surgery that cost him the entire season. The veteran righty made the easy decision to stick around for year two.

By exercising his player option, Giolito unlocked a 2026 option for the team. It’s valued at $14MM and comes with a $1.5MM buyout. If Giolito pitches 140 innings this year, it’d convert to a $19MM mutual option (still with the $1.5MM buyout). That’d give him a chance to test free agency if he wants. Giolito has an uphill battle to 140 frames. A hamstring strain cost him the first month of the season. He finally made his team debut last week, working six innings of three-run ball with seven strikeouts in a no-decision against Toronto. The Rangers tagged him for six runs on 10 hits in just 3 2/3 frames tonight.

The Red Sox added Hendriks on a two-year, $10MM deal over the 2023-24 offseason. They knew they wouldn’t get much in year one, as Hendriks had undergone Tommy John surgery the prior August. He attempted to make a late-season return last year but was shut down after a minor flare-up of elbow discomfort. Elbow inflammation shelved him for a couple weeks to begin this season, though he made his team debut in mid-April.

Hendriks allowed two runs on three hits in one inning during his first appearance. He has rattled off five straight scoreless outings since then, albeit with four walks in five frames. His 95 MPH average fastball is solid but below the 97-98 range at which he sat during his elite seasons with the White Sox.

Note: Jarren Duran’s arbitration deal contains a ’26 club option with an $8MM base salary. He’d remain eligible for arbitration if the Sox decline the option.

New York Yankees

  • Tim Hill, LHP ($3MM club option, $350K buyout)

Hill finished last season with the Yankees after being released by the White Sox in June. He’d allowed nearly six earned runs per nine with Chicago but managed a tidy 2.05 ERA over 44 frames for New York. He’s out to a similarly productive start to the ’25 season. Hill has surrendered five runs through 17 1/3 innings (2.60 ERA).

While the soft-tossing lefty has managed just 11 strikeouts, his game has always been built around ground-balls. He’s getting grounders at a massive 81.6% clip thus far. Only nine of the 40 batted balls he’s allowed have been hit into the air. It’s easily the highest grounder rate in the majors. The Yankees value this skillset as much as any team, and the $2.65MM option decision is a drop in the bucket for them.

Loáisiga is still working back from last April’s elbow surgery. The righty has generally been a productive reliever when healthy, but he’s only once managed even 50 MLB innings in a season. He’s on a rehab stint with Low-A Tampa and will need another few weeks before he’s built into MLB game shape. Loáisiga is making $5MM this season. The option has a matching base value and could climb by another $500K if the Yankees exercise it. He’d earn $100K each at reaching 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 innings in 2026.

Tampa Bay Rays

Fairbanks is in the final guaranteed season of the three-year, $12MM extension that he signed before the 2023 campaign. That includes a $1MM buyout on a club option that comes with a $7MM base value. That’s a bargain for a quality high-leverage reliever, but the deal includes various escalators that could push the option price above $12MM.

The option value would climb by $500K if he gets to 125 combined appearances between 2023-25 and another $1MM apiece at 135, 150 and 165 combined outings. Fairbanks made it into 95 games over the first two seasons. He’d trigger the first $500K escalator at just 30 appearances this year and would max it out if he makes it into 70 games. He can boost the option price by another $2MM based on this year’s games finished total: $500K apiece at 25, 30, 35 and 40.

Fairbanks has never reached 50 appearances in a season because of various injuries, but he’s already at 14 games through this season’s first six weeks. Fairbanks has finished 11 of those contests while working as Kevin Cash’s primary closer. He has recorded 13 strikeouts against six walks while allowing three runs over 13 1/3 innings. The option price should remain solid value, though the escalators might eventually push it to an area where Tampa Bay would rather explore deadline or offseason trades rather than having a reliever projecting as one of the highest-paid players on the roster.

Jansen seemed to be pulling away from the rest of a weak free agent catching class early last season. His production tanked from June onwards, leaving him to sign an $8.5MM pillow contract with Tampa Bay. He’s making an $8MM salary and will collect a $500K buyout on a $12MM mutual option at year’s end. Last summer’s offensive drought has carried into 2025. Jansen has only one home run with a .147/.301/.221 batting line through 83 plate appearances. He remains a very patient hitter, but the Rays would have an easy decision to decline their end of the option if he doesn’t find the double-digit home run power he showed during his best seasons in Toronto.

Lowe has had a rare extended run with a Tampa Bay team that is almost always willing to trade any player. He’s in his eighth big league season and in year seven of the extension he signed in Spring Training 2019. Lowe collected $24MM for what would have been his standard six seasons of team control. The Rays exercised a $10.5MM option for this year and can retain him once more at an $11.5MM price. It’s an $11MM decision after accounting for the $500K buyout.

While injuries have been a recurring issue, Lowe has been one of the better offensive middle infielders in the sport when healthy. His 39-homer season in 2021 is an outlier, but he has tallied 21 longballs in each of the past two seasons. He’s out to a much slower start this year, batting .203/.258/.305 with four homers across 128 plate appearances. The batted ball metrics are still solid, but his career-worst 20.1% swinging strike rate is the fifth-highest among hitters with at least 50 PAs.

This one can still go a few different ways. If Lowe hits like this all season, he’d be bought out. If he finds something like his 2023-24 form (.238/.319/.458), then $11MM is reasonable. It’d keep him as one of Tampa Bay’s highest-paid players, though, so there’s a decent chance he’ll be traded at some point this year. The 16-18 Rays look like fringe Wild Card contenders for a second consecutive year. They could again try to walk the line between buying and selling come deadline season.

The Rays signed Waguespack to a restructured deal early last offseason. He’s making $1.3MM this season and has a $1.5MM club option for next year. That’d escalate to $2MM if he reaches 20 “points” this season. Waguespack would receive one point for each MLB relief appearance and two points per big league start. He has spent the ’25 season to date on optional assignment to Triple-A Durham.

Working as a pure reliever for the Bulls, Waguespack has reeled off 14 innings of two-run ball. He has fanned 15 hitters against three walks while getting ground-balls at a lofty 60% clip. It hasn’t earned him a major league call yet, but he should be up before too much longer if he keeps performing at that level. Waguespack spent the 2022-23 seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. He made four MLB appearances with Tampa Bay last year but lost a good portion of the season to a rotator cuff injury.

Note: Taylor Walls’ arbitration deal contains a ’26 club option with a $2.45MM base salary. He’d remain eligible for arbitration if the Rays decline the option.

Toronto Blue Jays

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Poll: What Should The Red Sox Do About First Base?

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The Red Sox entered the 2025 season with big expectations after adding Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman to a team that already had Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer all knocking on the door. So far, things have not gone quite as smoothly as fans in Boston were surely hoping. While the club is just two games back in the AL East, that’s with a lackluster 18-18 record thanks in part to spotty health in the rotation behind Crochet. The injury bug has now moved onto the lineup as Triston Casas has undergone season-ending surgery on his knee.

The 25-year-old was expected to be a major piece of the club’s lineup this year, but his campaign is now over before it ever really got going. Casas’s 112 plate appearances this year were subpar, as he hit just .182/.277/.303 across 29 games before going down with injury. Those struggles were mostly fueled by a low .217 BABIP that was sure to rebound given time, however, and there was little reason to think Casas wouldn’t eventually experience enough positive regression and finish the year in that range of a 125 wRC+, which was his career mark entering 2025. Now, of course, he won’t get that opportunity.

Without Casas locking down first base, the Red Sox don’t have many obvious solutions they can rely on to take up the lion’s share of playing time at the position. Romy Gonzalez was off to a hot start (133 wRC+) to open the year in a part-time role, but his .421 BABIP is completely unsustainable and he’s never hit at an even league average level before in his career. Gonzalez is currently slated to share time with Abraham Toro at first base in the short-term, but the switch-hitter has a similarly lackluster career 81 wRC+ while playing mostly in part-time capacities around the AL West over the years. Depth options at the minor league level are similarly uninspiring. Vaughn Grissom was a top prospect in the not-too-distant past but has yet to establish himself at the big league level. Blake Sabol has at least a little experience at first base, but didn’t hit at all in a brief call-up earlier this year.

None of those options appear likely to provide even average production at first base this year for the Red Sox. That could lead the club to look for external additions, but those options may not be substantially better than their current internal group. After all, teams are typically reluctant to swing significant trades this far from the trade deadline, so external additions would likely be limited to non-roster players in other organizations like Mike Ford, Dominic Smith, or Jon Singleton unless they can convince a player like Anthony Rizzo to resume his playing career at this late point in the calendar. Any of those options could make sense as a lefty complement to Gonzalez, and Smith in particular was used as a stopgap by the Red Sox just last year with some success.

Perhaps they could even pry an ancillary 40-man player away without a clear path to playing time away from another organization. Jake Bauers (Brewers) and former Red Sox Justin Turner (Cubs) are both playing in bench roles in the NL Central. Boston’s former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom now works for the Cardinals, who have Luken Baker on the roster but without much playing time to offer. Juan Yepez is on the Nationals’ 40-man roster but currently playing the minors. Any of those external options could likely be more productive than the club’s internal group of first basemen, but going outside of the organization would require working out a trade with another club who may not be inclined to sacrifice their own depth, particularly in the case of players already on the 40-man roster, and they’re hardly impact options themselves for a team that sorely needs a boost.

One way to replace Casas with a player who can offer a more impactful ceiling would be to move some of the club’s existing talent to first base. Rafael Devers got bumped off third base by the Bregman signing and is currently the everyday DH in Boston. Perhaps he could be shifted to first base, opening up DH for either Anthony or Mayer to make the jump to the big leagues. Another option would be to get Anthony or Mayer regular reps at first in the coming days ahead of a promotion in the near future. Perhaps even Masataka Yoshida, who has been sidelined this year after shoulder surgery hampered his ability to make throws in the outfield, could handle first base and make a quicker return from the injured list.

Any of those players would be a fairly definitive offensive upgrade over either the club’s internal options already familiar with the position or any realistic external additions at this point in the calendar. The problem with that plan, however, is that none of those players have ever played first base as a professional. While the position is fairly low on the defensive spectrum, asking a defensively-limited player like Devers to pick up an entirely new position on the fly seems risky, as would be the case for asking either Mayer or Anthony to balance learning a new position with the adjustments and struggles that can often come with a young player’s first call-up to the majors.

That’s why, as noted by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo over the weekend, Red Sox brass have indicated that they don’t intend to move anyone to first base on the fly. That, of course, could change. The general expectation when the Red Sox signed Bregman was that he would play second base and Devers would remain at third, and that changed fairly quickly after Spring Training began. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the club finds itself unsatisfied with the options at its disposal and eventually begins having one of the club’s other players taking grounders at first.

How do MLBTR readers expect Boston to address the vacancy at first base? Will they stick with their current group of options, find someone from outside the organization, or move one of their own players to first? Have your say in the poll below:

Red Sox Acquire John Holobetz As PTBNL In Quinn Priester Trade

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The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve acquired right-hander John Holobetz from the Brewers as the player to be named later in last month’s trade that sent righty Quinn Priester from Boston to Milwaukee.

Holobetz, 22, was the Brewers’ fifth-round pick in the draft just last summer. The Old Dominion product didn’t pitch in 2024 following the draft but is out to a terrific start in 2025. He’s pitched 24 innings across five appearances in A-ball, logging a flat 3.00 ERA on 16 hits and five walks with 31 strikeouts. Holobetz has fanned 31.3% of his opponents and issued walks at just a 5.1% clip.

It’s a nice start to his pro career, but as a former college pitcher starting out in A-ball, Holobetz hasn’t yet been challenged by older and more advanced competition. How he fares in eventual moves up the ladder will be telling. The 6’3″ righty wasn’t ranked among Milwaukee’s best prospects heading into the season. He worked primarily as a reliever in college, but the Brewers have given him longer stints so far in pro ball.

Holobetz joins outfielder Yophery Rodriguez as one of two players the Red Sox acquired in exchange for Priester. Milwaukee also sent its Competitive Balance (Round A) draft selection to Boston in exchange for Priester, whom the Red Sox acquired ahead of the 2024 trade deadline in a swap sending former first-rounder Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh. Rodriguez has appeared in 19 games with the Red Sox’ High-A club and turned in a .224/.402/.418 batting line with more walks (21.8%) than strikeouts (17.2%) in 87 plate appearances.

For much of the season so far, Priester has been more or less what a Brewers team that was desperate for starting pitching had hoped. He’s been a serviceable back-end starter capable of providing five-inning efforts that keep the Brew Crew in the game. His ERA exploded to 5.79 when the Cubs clobbered him for seven runs yesterday, but Priester had worked to a 3.79 ERA through his first four turns.

Overall, it’s not an appealing set of numbers, though. The 5.79 ERA — inflated by one particularly poor start or not — is accompanied by ugly strikeout and walk rates of 15.7% and 14.8%, respectively. Priester has walked at least three batters in each of his past four starts. He’s posted an excellent 56.8% ground-ball rate, but that’s a small consolation when juxtaposed with the lack of missed bats and worrying command issues.

That said, the Brewers have control of Priester for the next six seasons, and he still has a minor league option remaining. He’s a former first-round pick and top prospect who’s still only 24 years old, and he has a solid minor league track record. The Brewers will hope as the season goes on that he can refine that command and cement himself as a reliable member of the staff. They’ve shuffled up his pitch mix a bit, adding a new cutter that sits just over 92 mph to complement his sinker-focused approach. That pitch has been hit quite hard so far, so it’s not clear he’ll stick with the offering.

For now, Priester remains set in a rotation alongside Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana, Tobias Myers and Chad Patrick. Milwaukee has pitchers Brandon Woodruff, Nestor Cortes, Aaron Civale, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall and Robert Gasser all on the mend from injury, but only Woodruff is close to a return at the moment.

Walker Buehler Hopeful Of Minimum IL Stint

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  • Speaking of pitchers on the injured list, Walker Buehler was sidelined earlier this week due to bursitis in his right shoulder.  The injury wasn’t thought to be overly serious, and Buehler told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) today that he would’ve pitched though the discomfort if it had arisen during a late-season scenario.  Buehler has a 4.28 ERA over 33 2/3 innings for the Red Sox, as a rough first two starts of the year gave way to a much smoother 2.59 ERA over his last four outings.

Triston Casas Likely To Miss Entire 2025 Season Due To Knee Surgery

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The Red Sox announced this morning that they have placed first baseman Triston Casas on the 10-day injured list with a ruptured left patellar tendon. He suffered the injury during last night’s game. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow says that Casas will have surgery and they don’t expect him back this year, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

To replace Casas on the active roster, the team has selected Abraham Toro’s contract from Triple-A Worcester. Boston had an open spot on the 40-man, so no further corresponding transaction was necessary. In an additional roster move, the Red Sox reinstated Brennan Bernardino from the bereavement list and optioned Luis Guerrero to Triple-A.

The Casas news is awful but unsurprising. He suffered an obvious injury last night when he hit the first base bag awkwardly while trying to beat out a grounder. He was down on the ground in clear pain for a long time and eventually was taken off the field on a stretcher. It seemed likely that he would miss an extended period of time and that is now confirmed. He hasn’t yet been moved to the 60-day IL but that will happen whenever the Sox need a 40-man spot.

The Sox will have to figure out what to do about replacing Casas at first base. Breslow says that all options are on the table and he didn’t rule out Rafael Devers taking over, though outfield prospect Roman Anthony or infield prospect Marcelo Mayer are unlikely to be moved to first.

Devers is currently the full-time designated hitter after getting bumped off third base by Alex Bregman. Moving him into first base and opening the DH spot would help the club with some roster crunches elsewhere.

Anthony and Mayer are two of the best prospects in baseball, but both are currently in Triple-A and somewhat blocked on the big league roster. The Sox currently have an outfield mix consisting of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder. The infield has Bregman, Trevor Story and Kristian Campbell at third base, shortstop and second base respectively. Outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida could get into the mix as well, though he has been battling ongoing shoulder problems and his return timeline is unclear.

With Devers in the DH spot, it’s a bit of a crowded picture. If he were to take over at first base, that would open things up and allow various players to rotate through the DH spot. Devers has no professional experience at first but plenty of subpar third basemen have made the move across the diamond over the years. While Breslow seemed to leave the door open to the idea, manager Alex Cora downplayed the possibility. “From my end, right now, no…. he’s my DH,” Cora said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

For now, it seems like utility infielder Romy González will be the first attempt. Cora tells Speier that this is an opportunity for González “to go out and perform.” He is the only Boston player apart from Casas to have played first base this year. He’s having a decent season so far, with a .279/.340/.419 batting line and 113 wRC+. However, that comes with no home runs and a .364 batting average on balls in play. In his 502 career plate appearances, he has a .246/.277/.390 line and 81 wRC+.

That career production would be less than ideal production from first base, which is generally a bat-first position, but the Sox will give it a try for now. Perhaps they will explore some external options in the coming weeks, looking to make a trade or grab another player off waivers. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe says that Breslow is indeed looking at the trade market.

González had previously been in a multi-positional role, having also played some second and third base this year. In his career, he has played shortstop and the outfield as well. With him set to become the club’s regular first baseman for now, Toro has been added to add some defensive versatility to the bench.

Toro, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the offseason. He has been performing well in Triple-A so far this year, with a .310/.403/.480 line, though a .392 BABIP is doing him some favors. In his big league career, he has played the three non-shortstop infield positions and the outfield corners. He has always hit well in Triple-A but has a .220/.285/.353 line and 82 wRC+ in 1,298 big league plate appearances.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

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