Nick Anderson Retires
Right-hander Nick Anderson has retired, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 35-year-old spent six seasons in the big leagues. He pitched for five teams, most recently appearing with the Rockies in 2025.
Anderson inked a minor league deal with the Athletics in November. He earned an invitation to Spring Training, where he pitched reasonably well, tossing 10 1/3 frames with a 4.35 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning. The veteran fell short of a big-league roster spot out of camp. He triggered an upward mobility clause in his deal, but no club stepped in to add him.
With no MLB roster spot waiting for him, Anderson headed to Triple-A Las Vegas. He pitched well with the Aviators. The righty posted a 2.16 ERA with a 16:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 15 appearances. It wasn’t enough for him to earn a call-up to the A’s.
The Twins signed Anderson as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He was already 24 years old when he got his first look in pro ball. Anderson pitched well in the minors with Minnesota, reaching Triple-A by 2018. He was dealt to Miami for third baseman Brian Schales that offseason. Anderson broke camp with the Marlins in 2019. He delivered a sub-4.00 ERA with a massive 37.1% strikeout rate over 45 appearances. Miami shipped Anderson and righty Trevor Richards to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline for outfielder Jesus Sanchez and righty Ryne Stanek.
Anderson put together the best stretch of his career with the Rays, though injuries limited him from emerging as a true shutdown reliever. He closed the 2019 season with a ridiculous 52.6% strikeout rate in 23 appearances with his new team. Anderson was just as good in the postseason, allowing one earned run over 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts. He continued his strong work in the shortened 2020 season, opening the year with 11 scoreless appearances. He missed time with forearm inflammation, but returned in time to pick up three saves and two holds in September.
The 2020 postseason marked a shift in Anderson’s career. He struggled mightily as the Rays marched to the World Series. The righty was scored upon in eight of 10 outings. Anderson blew leads in Game 4 and Game 7 of the Fall Classic. He was charged with the loss in the final game of the series.
Anderson threw just six innings from 2021 to 2022 as he dealt with a back injury, a torn UCL, and plantar fasciitis. He departed for the Braves in free agency ahead of the 2023 season. Anderson bounced around frequently after his tenure with the Rays. He spent time with eight different organizations over the past four years. Anderson posted decent seasons with the Braves and Royals, but was ineffective in a brief stint with the Rockies last year.
Anderson wraps up his time as a big leaguer with a 3.43 ERA over 173 innings. He recorded 10 saves. The righty was one of the league’s best bat-missing relievers for a couple of seasons. Despite tailing off in the past few years, he’ll conclude his career with a 30.2% strikeout rate. We at MLBTR wish Anderson the best in whatever comes next.
Photos courtesy of Nick Wosika, Kim Klement, Imagn Images
Denzel Clarke Out Beyond All-Star Break With Hamstring Strain
The Athletics announced this evening that center fielder Denzel Clarke suffered a high-grade strain of his left hamstring while playing in a rehab game. The A’s won’t even have a defined return timeline until he’s reevaluated at some point after the All-Star Break.
Clarke sustained the injury on Tuesday with Triple-A Las Vegas. He was working back from a bone bruise in his right foot that had already cost him a month. The hamstring seems to be far more significant, as it’ll be a couple months before they consider a return to play. That all but ensures he won’t be ready for MLB action until at least August.
One of the most talented defensive players in the sport, Clarke has missed most of the past calendar year with injuries. He lost almost all of the 2025 second half with an adductor strain. The injuries have robbed the A’s of their starting center fielder and Clarke of much needed reps to develop at the plate.
The 26-year-old has appeared in 69 games at the big league level. He has struck out 85 times while batting .214/.262/.323 over 219 plate appearances. Clarke has already racked up an impressive highlight reel on the other side of the ball, pulling off multiple home run robberies while grading as one of the top outfielders in MLB. Statcast credits him with 14 Outs Above Average in a little over 500 innings in center field.
Zack Gelof initially handled center field when Clarke went on the injured list in late April. They’ve moved him to third base of late, giving the center field responsibilities to Henry Bolte and Lawrence Butler. The latter hasn’t gotten going in his return from last fall’s patellar tendon procedure. Butler is hitting .174/.273/.265 over 150 plate appearances. Bolte is batting .269 with one double in his first seven MLB games.
The A’s enter play tonight with a 25-24 record that has them narrowly above the Rangers and Mariners in the AL West. It’s unlikely they’ll invest much prospect capital to upgrade center field on the trade market, though they’ll need at least one of Bolte or Butler to get on a roll offensively. They’ll move Clarke to the 60-day injured list the next they need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
A’s Re-Sign Michael Stefanic To Minor League Deal
The Athletics re-signed infielder Michael Stefanic to a minor league contract. He’s back in the Triple-A lineup tonight as the designated hitter for the Aviators.
Stefanic elected free agency yesterday after being outrighted from the A’s roster one day earlier. He’d been designated for assignment on Saturday when they acquired Alika Williams from Pittsburgh. That ended Stefanic’s brief stint on the big league roster.
The A’s had called him up last Tuesday when they lost Jacob Wilson to the injured list. Stefanic played twice, once starting at second base and entering the other game as a pinch-hitter. He went 2-5 with a run scored. It marks five consecutive years with some MLB action for the 30-year-old infielder. He’s a lifetime .231/.315/.269 hitter at the major league level.
The righty-hitting Stefanic has been a fantastic Triple-A performer throughout his career. He owns a .326/.422/.447 batting line in more than 2000 plate appearances. Stefanic has elite strike zone judgment and pure contact skills, but he doesn’t hit for much power. He’s also more of a second/third baseman than a true shortstop, which limits his value off the bench for MLB clubs. That’s evidenced by the A’s going with Williams as a more valuable defender behind their middle infield pairing of Jeff McNeil and fill-in shortstop Darell Hernaiz.
Gunnar Hoglund Undergoes Season-Ending Hip Surgery
The Athletics announced that right-hander Gunnar Hoglund underwent left hip surgery yesterday, specifically a hip labral repair and cartilage debridement to address femoroacetabular impingement. He will miss the entire 2026 season. He is already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the remainder of the campaign.
It’s a brutal development for Hoglund, as this will be his second straight season ended by surgery on that hip. In 2025, he was on the mound through the month of May. He hit the IL in early June due to a left hip impingement and went under the knife a couple of weeks later.
Ideally, he would have been healthy again in 2026 but that hasn’t come to pass. He missed all of spring training due to a knee issue and a back issue. He started the season on the IL with a lumbar spine strain. Now yet another hip surgery will wipe out his whole season.
Injuries were already a part of Hoglund’s story even before these multiple hip surgeries. While still in college, he required Tommy John surgery in May of 2021. A couple of months later, the Jays selected him 19th overall in that summer’s draft. While still rehabbing in March of 2022, Hoglund was traded to the A’s as part of the deal sending Matt Chapman to Toronto.
Hoglund was able to make a very brief professional debut late in 2022, tossing eight innings on the farm. He got up to 61 minor league innings in 2023 but with poor results, posting a 6.05 earned run average. He showed some progress in 2024, posting a 3.44 ERA in 130 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A.
He was added to the 40-man roster in November of 2024, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He began 2025 back at Triple-A and made six strong starts, which led to a call-up to the majors. He put six big league starts under his belt before hitting the IL last year. Ideally, he would have been developing as a pitcher and continuing to build his workload capacity as he moved further from his Tommy John. Instead, he lost most of 2025 and now all of 2026, leaving him as a big question mark going into 2027.
For the A’s, without Hoglund, they have primarily relied on a rotation consisting of Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Aaron Civale, J.T. Ginn and Jacob Lopez. That group has mostly been putting up good numbers, except for Lopez, who has a 6.14 ERA. Depth options on the 40-man include Luis Morales, Joey Estes, Mason Barnett and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang.
The A’s are 24-24, which is good enough for them to have the lead in the American League West at the moment. If they continue to hang in the playoff race this summer, the pitching staff would certainly be an area to add before this summer’s trade deadline. The club has a collective 4.38 ERA on the season, which is better than just six clubs in the majors. Since Hoglund won’t be able to come back this year, that should only add to the club’s desire to add arms in the coming months.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images
Michael Stefanic Elects Free Agency
Infielder Michael Stefanic has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The Athletics outrighted him to Triple-A yesterday. Since he has a previous career outright, he has the right to reject further such assignments. He has exercised that right and heads to the open market.
Stefanic, 30, is a journeyman depth infielder. He can bounce around the infield and has torched Triple-A pitching in his career. That has led to a few big league opportunities that he hasn’t been able to capitalize on. In 294 major league plate appearances, he has a .231/.315/.269 batting line. The A’s just added him to their roster when Jacob Wilson got hurt, but they designated Stefanic for assignment a few days later when they acquired Alika Williams.
As mentioned, Stefanic has huge Triple-A numbers, with a .326/.422/.447 line at that level over the years. He generally has a contact-based approach, not hitting for too much power but rarely striking out. He provides defensive versatility, with experience at all four infield spots and the outfield corners in his minor league career. In the big leagues, he has mostly played second base, with brief appearances at third and shortstop.
Stefanic is out of options, which makes it hard for him to hold a roster spot for a lengthy period of time. The A’s added him when they had a need but quickly pivoted and bumped him off the roster.
In these situations, it’s common for the player to return to his previous club on a new minor league deal, but Stefanic can at least explore the market to see if there’s a better opportunity somewhere else. The A’s would probably be happy to get him back with both Wilson and Max Muncy on the IL right now, leaving them a bit shorthanded on the dirt.
Photo courtesy of Ed Szczepanski, Imagn Images
Athletics Outright Michael Stefanic
The Athletics sent infielder Michael Stefanic outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, per the MLB.com transaction tracker. They’d designated him for assignment on Saturday when they acquired Alika Williams from Pittsburgh to replace Stefanic as a utility infielder.
Stefanic had a brief stint on the big league roster. The A’s had called him up on Tuesday when they lost Jacob Wilson to the injured list. Stefanic played twice, once starting at second base and entering the other game as a pinch-hitter. He went 2-5 with a run scored. It marks five consecutive years with some MLB action for the 30-year-old infielder. He’s a lifetime .231/.315/.269 hitter at the major league level.
The righty-hitting Stefanic has been a fantastic Triple-A performer throughout his career. He owns a .326/.422/.447 batting line in more than 2000 plate appearances. Stefanic has elite strike zone judgment and pure contact skills, but he doesn’t hit for much power. He’s also more of a second/third baseman than a true shortstop, which limits his value off the bench for MLB clubs. That’s evidenced by the A’s going with Williams as a more valuable defender behind their middle infield pairing of Jeff McNeil and fill-in shortstop Darell Hernaiz.
Stefanic has been outrighted a handful of times throughout his career. That gives him the right to elect free agency, though it seems likelier he’ll accept the assignment back to Las Vegas and hang around as non-roster infield depth.
Gio Urshela Announces Retirement
Infielder Gio Urshela has announced his retirement as a player in a post on his Instagram page. In the post, he thanks the people who contributed to his career, including his family, friends, fans, baseball organizations, coaches, the people of Colombia and more.
Urshela, now 34, was signed by Cleveland back in 2008. An international amateur out of Colombia, he secured a signing bonus of $300K. He quickly developed a reputation as a plus defender at third base while also dabbling at the other infield positions. His bat was a bit more questionable. He didn’t strike out much in the minors but also didn’t draw many walks and it wasn’t clear how much thump he could produce with his contact approach.
He cracked the majors in 2015. His initial big league opportunities matched his profile. He could pick the ball at third and didn’t strike out a lot but also didn’t produce offensively. He was eventually designated for assignment in 2018 and flipped to the Blue Jays in a cash deal. The Jays put him on waivers later that year and the 29 other clubs all declined a chance to claim him. At that time, he had 499 major league plate appearances and a .225/.274/.315 line.
The Jays traded Urshela to the Yankees for cash late in 2018. He began the following season as non-roster depth for Miguel Andujar, who had just finished a solid rookie campaign, finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Shohei Ohtani. Early in the 2019 campaign, Andujar suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that would eventually require season-ending surgery. Though that was unfortunate for Andujar, it turned out to be the opportunity for Urshela to break out.
Urshela took over the third base job in the Bronx that year with a big step forward offensively. He hit 21 home runs and slashed .314/.355/.534 for a 132 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with 3.1 wins above replacement. He may have hit his personal zenith that year with some help from external forces. His .349 batting average on balls in play was well above average. That was also the juiced-ball year, with home run records set all around the league.
Regardless, Urshela still proved to be a viable major league hitter in subsequent seasons. Over the shortened 2020 season and the 2021 campaign, he hit 20 homers in 159 games and slashed .275/.320/.438 for a 108 wRC+. He was credited with 2.4 fWAR for that span.
Going into 2022, Urshela was part of a big trade. He and catcher Gary Sánchez were flipped to the Twins for third baseman Josh Donaldson, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt. Urshela had a solid campaign in Minnesota, hitting 13 home runs and putting up a .285/.338/.429 line, translating to a 118 wRC+. FanGraphs put another 2.6 WAR on his ledger that year.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Urshela was traded to the Angels for pitching prospect Alejandro Hidalgo. That was unfortunately just before things started to turn sour for Urshela. He hit a respectable .299/.329/.374 for the Halos but went on the injured list in June due to a pelvic fracture. He didn’t require surgery but he missed the second half of that season and was never really able to get back on track after that.
He became a free agent and signed a $1.5MM deal with the Tigers going into 2024. He got into 92 games for Detroit but hit .243/.286/.333 for a wRC+ of 74. He was designated for assignment and released that August. He latched on with Atlanta and finished on a slightly higher note, slashing .265/.287/.424 in 36 games.
That strong finish was enough to get him a $2.15MM deal with the Athletics for 2025. He hit .238/.287/.326 in 59 games for the A’s before getting designated for assignment and released in August. He returned to the Twins on a minor league deal this past offseason. He hit .192/.250/.231 in spring training and was released at the end of camp.
Urshela finishes his career having played in 851 games with 3,028 plate appearances. He only walked in 5.9% of those but also limited his strikeouts to an 18.3% pace. He collected 759 hits, including 147 doubles, nine triples and 73 home runs. He scored 312 times, drove in 352 runs and stole seven bases. His career slash line finishes at .270/.314/.407. That leads to a subpar 97 wRC+ but is dragged down by his slow start and soft finish. From 2019 to 2022, he hit .290/.336/.463 for a 118 wRC+. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference credit him with about eight wins above replacement, mostly from that four-year peak. Baseball Reference pegs his career earnings over $25MM.
We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Urshela on a fine career and wish him the best for his post-playing days.
Photos courtesy of David Butler II, Jesse Johnson, Nick Wosika, Imagn Images
AL West Notes: D’Arnaud, Smith, Clarke
Plantar fasciitis in his right foot sent Travis d’Arnaud to the Angels‘ 10-day injured list on May 7, and it will be some time yet before the catcher is back on the field. D’Arnaud is currently using a scooter to get around, and he told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that it will be at least two weeks before he can put any weight on his right foot. Between this recovery time, a ramp-up of baseball activities and a minor league rehab assignment, a mid-June return looks like the absolute best-case scenario for d’Arnaud’s return.
After signing a two-year, $12MM deal with Los Angeles in November 2024, d’Arnaud struggled to a .197/.255/.343 slash line over 231 plate appearances in the first year of the contract. He had a modest .614 OPS over his first 40 PA this season, so between the lack of production and now this extended IL stint, d’Arnaud’s time in Anaheim is looking like a bust for all sides. D’Arnaud’s absence is just one of many issues plaguing the woeful Angels, whose 16-30 record is the worst in the majors.
More from the AL West…
- Josh Smith will spent 7-10 days in hospital being treated for viral meningitis, the Rangers announced in a press release on Friday. As per the release, “the club will determine an appropriate return to play program for Smith once he is able to resume physical activity.” Smith has been on the 10-day injured list since May 4 due to a right glute strain, since he has since been set back by wrist soreness and now this illness. These health concerns add to what has already been a tough year on the field for Smith, as he was hitting only .217/.324/.239 in his first 108 plate appearances.
- Denzel Clarke began a minor league rehab assignment yesterday, with MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos writing that Clarke will play two games at A-level Stockton before likely heading onto the Athletics‘ Triple-A affiliate. Clarke hasn’t played since April 20 due to a bone bruise in his right foot, so it’ll be a full month on the shelf for the outfielders even though he seems to be making good progress. Already one of baseball’s top defensive center fielders in just his second MLB campaign, Clarke’s bat is a long ways behind his glove, as he has hit just .214/.262/.323 over 219 career PA with the Athletics.
White Sox Acquire Junior Perez
The White Sox and Athletics have announced a trade, as outfielder Junior Perez is on his way to Chicago in exchange for minor league southpaw Jackson Nove. Perez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, and no further roster move was required since the Sox already had an open spot on their 40-man roster.
The A’s designated Perez for assignment on Thursday, ending a stint on the 40-man roster that began back in November when the Athletics added Perez in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. That placement came on the heels of the .298/.412/.642 slash line that Perez posted over 182 Triple-A plate appearances in 2025. Over the whole season at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Perez hit .231/.348/.473 with 26 home runs, and 27 steals out of 33 attempts.
This seeming breakout got Perez ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the Athletics’ farm system by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, yet his numbers fell back to earth this year. He was hitting just .210/.273/.384 over 154 PA for Triple-A Las Vegas when the Athletics sent him to DFA limbo.
Perez has yet to make his big league debut, and he’ll now look for that opportunity in the Windy City. While his bat remains a work in progress, Perez is known as an excellent defender who can handle all three outfield positions, and he has a good throwing arm and plus speed. Perez has the tools to stick around as at least a bench option in the Show, but he’ll need to make some level of consistent and productive contact.
Nove is a University of Kentucky product who signed with the White Sox as a free agent after going undrafted in 2025. The 23-year-old has some eye-popping numbers in his first pro season, as Nove has a 1.96 ERA, 59.5% grounder rate, and a 42.3% strikeout rate over 23 innings with A-level Kannapolis.
A’s Acquire Alika Williams, Designate Michael Stefanic
The A’s announced that infielder Alika Williams was acquired in a trade with the Pirates in exchange for minor league righty Kyle Robinson. Infielder Michael Stefanic was designated for assignment to clear space for Williams on the Athletics’ 26-man and 40-man rosters, as the team officially selected Williams’ contract to the active roster.
Selected 37th overall by the Rays in the 2020 draft, Williams came to Pittsburgh in the June 2023 trade that brought Robert Stephenson to Tampa. Williams made his MLB debut in a Pirates uniform later that year, and went onto hit .202/.257/.271 over 208 plate appearances for the Buccos over the 2023-24 seasons. Pittsburgh designated Williams for assignment during the 2024-25 offseason and then outrighted him to Triple-A, where Williams hit an uninspiring .268/.329/.393 over 391 PA for Indianapolis during the 2025 campaign.
This year, Williams has hit .317/.385/.467 over 135 Triple-A plate appearances, representing one of the best offensive stretches of his pro career. Despite this hot bat, the Pirates apparently didn’t want to select Williams’ contract back to the 26-man roster just to be a bench guy, as Konnor Griffin and Brandon Lowe are the starting middle infielders, and Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo are being used at third base.
There’s more of an opportunity for Williams in Sacramento, as both Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy are on the Athletics’ 10-day injured list. Williams could see time at shortstop when Darell Hernaiz isn’t at the position, and some second base at-bats could become available in Jeff McNeil‘s place when a left-hander is on the mound.
Stefanic signed a minor league deal with the A’s last winter, and his contract was selected in the wake of Wilson’s IL placement earlier this week. After all of two games in an Athletics uniform, Stefanic’s tenure with the club may already be over, if he is claimed away on waivers or if he elects free agency over an outright assignment if he clears waivers. Because Stefanic has been outrighted in the past, he now has the ability to reject any future outrights in favor of free agency, though he could opt to stay with the A’s if he feels he’ll get more big league opportunities down the road.
Though Stefanic has hit only .231/.315/.269 over 294 career PA with the Angels, Blue Jays, and Athletics, he had posted some big numbers at Triple-A in the past. Like Williams, Stefanic also has a wealth of experience at shortstop, second base, and third base, plus Stefanic has a handful of games as a first baseman and at both corner outfield positions.
Robinson is a 22-year-old righty who was an 11th-round pick for the A’s in the 2024 draft. The Texas Tech product pitched at both the high-A and Double-A levels last season, but returned to high-A Lansing this year to post a 3.62 ERA, 16.7% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate across 27 1/3 innings. Robinson has started 27 of his 34 games as a professional, but he’ll need both miss more bats or improve his control to remain as any kind of a viable starter candidate.