Astros Place Roddery Muñoz On Waivers
The Astros have placed Rule 5 pick Roddery Muñoz on outright waivers, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Players can be placed on waivers while remaining on the 40-man roster but it seems likely that the Astros plan to cut the right-hander. If any club claims him, they would also be bound by the Rule 5 parameters. If he clears waivers, he would have to be offered back to the Reds, who could assign him to the minors without putting him on the 40-man roster.
Muñoz was an unusual Rule 5 selection. Most guys taken in that draft have been in the minors for a few years without getting a big league shot. Muñoz had already seen a notable amount of time in the majors, having tossed 93 2/3 for the Marlins and Cardinals. He didn’t have much success, however, with a 6.73 earned run average in that time. He exhausted his option years over the 2023 to 2025 seasons.
The Cards put him on waivers in November. The Reds claimed him, non-tendered him and re-signed him to a minor league deal. Shortly thereafter, the Astros grabbed him in the Rule 5. He had a good spring, striking out 16 opponents in ten innings. He did allow five earned runs but the punchouts were enough to get him an Opening Day roster spot. Unfortunately, he has been lit up to start the season. Through four innings, he has allowed seven earned runs. He racked up six strikeouts but also gave out six walks and threw two wild pitches.
Even if Muñoz weren’t out of options, he couldn’t be sent to the minors as a Rule 5 guy. It seems the Astros have run out of patience and will make a move. As mentioned, teams are allowed to place players on waivers while keeping them on the active roster, so it’s possible Muñoz could still be with the club tonight. However, it’s also possible he gets designated for assignment before game time to make way for someone else.
Rule 5 guys can be traded or claimed off waivers. If any other team takes a shot on Muñoz, they would be bound by the same Rule 5 parameters. If he clears waivers, he’ll be offered back to the Reds. That club could send him to the minors as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
White Sox Claim Doug Nikhazy
The White Sox announced that they have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the Guardians and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Cleveland designated him for assignment last week. The White Sox had a 40-man vacancy and don’t need to make a corresponding move.
More to come.
Cubs To Place Matthew Boyd On Injured List
The Cubs are placing left-hander Matthew Boyd on the 15-day injured list with a left bicep strain, retroactive to April 3rd, reports Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Right-hander Javier Assad will be recalled from the minors and will start tomorrow’s game.
There wasn’t any prior indication that Boyd was hurt, as he took the ball for the first two turns to start the year. The first one didn’t go well, as Boyd allowed six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He bounced back on Wednesday, tossing 5 2/3 against the Angels, striking out ten while allowing just two earned runs. For what it’s worth, his velocity did drop. His fastball averaged 93.3 miles per hour in the first outing but was down to 92.2 in the second.
On its own, it doesn’t appear to be a disastrous development. Sharma adds that Boyd and manager Craig Counsell feel it’s a small issue that will require a minimal IL stint. Regardless, it’s a bit worrisome in the larger context of the club’s rotation. They started the year with Justin Steele still working his way back from last year’s surgery. He is on the 60-day injured list and is therefore out until at least late May. Cade Horton landed on the IL last week due to forearm discomfort. His status is still up in the air but that’s a worrisome diagnosis.
Losing Boyd is another hit for a group that is already snakebit. They do still have Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga in three spots. Assad was optioned to the minors to start the year but will now come back up and slot in behind those three. It’s expected that Colin Rea, who began the season in the bullpen, will probably jump to the rotation as well.
As far as fallback plans go, Assad and Rea are pretty good. Assad has a 3.43 earned average over 331 career innings. He only really got nudged out of the season-opening rotation because he still has options. Rea posted a 3.95 ERA in a swing role last year and the Cubs clearly value his ability to move fairly seamlessly between starting and relieving. They restructured his deal in November to give him a bit of extra cash and keep him around while adding a club option for 2027.
Despite Assad and Rea being decent contingencies, it’s less than ideal for the rotation to lose two guys in a span of a few days. The remaining 40-man guys on optional assignment are relievers. Ben Brown is perhaps an option to make a start or two but he’s in the big league bullpen. Prospect Jaxon Wiggins is in Triple-A but isn’t on the 40-man and is still showing big control issues, with a 13.9% walk rate so far this year. In terms of non-roster guys with big league experience, Vince Velasquez tossed five innings yesterday in a Triple-A start yesterday.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Red Sox Send Patrick Galle To Cardinals As PTBNL In Sonny Gray Trade
The Red Sox announced today (as relayed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, among others) that they’ve sent right-hander Patrick Galle to the Cardinals to complete their trade for veteran righty Sonny Gray from this past offseason. Galle joins right-handers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to make up the complete return for Gray. The Cardinals subsequently announced that Galle has been assigned to Single-A Palm Beach.
Galle, who celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday, joins the Cardinals organization after spending less than a year in the Red Sox organization. A 17th-round pick by the club during last year’s draft, Galle pitched just 11 innings in relief during his two years with the University of Mississippi during college. He’s spent his entire professional career to this point at the Single-A level, and he’s pitched to a 4.91 ERA in 7 1/3 innings of work. He’s posted a strikeout rate of just 11.4% with a 20% walk rate. Those are lackluster numbers to be sure, and at 22 years old it’s an open question if Galle will ever develop enough to make it to the majors. With that being said, the righty hasn’t spent much time in professional ball at this point, and it’s possible that getting into a new organization that has pivoted to have such a strong focus on player development could be just what Galle needs to take a big step forward.
The deal completes a trade for Gray that helped to patch up a Red Sox rotation that was not only losing Lucas Giolito to free agency but had too often proven inconsistent in 2025 outside of staff ace Garrett Crochet. Gray’s numbers with Boston don’t exactly jump off the page through two starts, with a 4.50 ERA and 19% strikeout rate in ten unremarkable innings. The veteran’s track record as a consistent and durable above-average arm suggests that he’ll be a productive asset for the Red Sox this year, however, as long as he remains in good health. Turning to the Cardinals, Clarke has not yet made his organizational debut but Fitts has a very impressive 1.74 ERA across two outings for Triple-A Memphis so far this season.
Rays Activate Taylor Walls From IL, Option Carson Williams
The Rays are shuffling their infield mix this morning, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays that shortstop Taylor Walls is being activated from the injured list. Infield prospect Carson Williams is being optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Walls, 29, has been sidelined to this point in the year by a right oblique strain. He suffered the injury in late March and was expected to be sidelined for at least three to four weeks, but he seems to have beaten that timeline by a solid amount given that he’s returning just 18 days after the injury occurred. The infielder doesn’t offer much in the way of offense to the Rays, as a career .195/.286/.298 hitter who slashed just .220/.319/.380 last year. But he’s a consistent threat to steal 15 to 20 bases a year and plays strong defense at shortstop with +17 Defensive Runs Saved last year for his work at shortstop (and +18 DRS overall).
Walls’s return to the lineup ends Williams’s latest stay in the majors. The 22-year-old was the Rays’ first-round pick back in 2021 and made his MLB debut last year. In 39 games at the big league level, Williams has not yet had any success at the plate to speak of with just a .164/.209/.320 slash line across 131 plate appearances. That hasn’t stopped him from being a consensus top-100 prospect entering this year, but his rankings near the bottom of those lists are a far cry from the consensus top-10 status he had entering last year. That reflects real questions about if Williams will be able to hit in the majors after a rough start to his big league career and him hitting a mediocre .213/.318/.447 with a 34.1% strikeout rate even at Triple-A.
Those numbers won’t play in the majors, so it’s hardly a surprise that the Rays have opted to send their prized shortstop prospect back down to the minors in hopes that more time to develop will help him overcome his contact woes. If he can get back on track hitting-wise, the rest of the package is there for an elite shortstop. He’s got real power with 28 homers (48 extra-base hits) between Triple-A and the majors last year. He’s widely regarded as an excellent defender at shortstop who should have no issues sticking at the position. And his speed has allowed him to swipe between 20 and 30 bags every year. Plus defensive shortstops with 30/30 potential aren’t easy to come by, and one need look no further than the peak of someone like Javier Baez to see how productive a player can be even with a subpar hit tool.
For now, though, it’s only become clearer that Williams needs more time to develop at Triple-A. He should remain there for quite some time at this point, barring another injury to the club’s infield mix. Aside from second baseman Richie Palacios, who is already on the big league bench, non-roster veteran Logan Davidson and his career strikeout rate north of 40% in the majors are the closest thing to a next-man-up available in the Rays organization outside of Williams.
Astros Place Hunter Brown On Injured List With Shoulder Strain
1:40pm: Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relays that, according to manager Joe Espada, Brown felt off during his throwing program on Friday and underwent imaging before returning to Houston to be evaluated by team doctors. It’s possible the Astros will have a clearer picture of Brown’s timeline for return once he’s been more thoroughly examined by the team’s medical staff.
12:44pm: The Astros are placing right-hander Hunter Brown on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain. Right-hander Christian Roa was recalled to the majors to replace Brown on the roster.
Brown, 27, broke out last year to become one of the top pitchers in the entire sport. In 31 starts last year, Brown pitched to a 2.43 ERA and struck out opponents at a 28.3% clip. He earned his first career All-Star nod and finished third behind Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet in the AL Cy Young award race. Through two starts this year, he was arguably even better with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with a 39.5% strikeout rate. After losing Framber Valdez to free agency over the offseason, the Astros entered the year counting on Brown to lead their rotation as they look to make their way back into the postseason picture.
All of that is now on hold for the time being. While it’s unclear just how much time Brown should be expected to miss, even a minimum stint on the shelf constitutes a big blow to the Astros. A longer one could be devastating. Mike Burrows, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr. make up the rest of Houston’s Opening Day rotation. Burrows has significant upside but has struggled so far this year. McCullers looked quite good in his first start of the year last week but pitched to a 6.15 ERA last season and last threw even 60 innings at the big league level back in 2021. Javier offered reasons for optimism after returning from Tommy John surgery last year but has been shelled for six earned runs in each of his first two starts this season. Losing Brown from the top of a rotation that already has so many question marks is going to be hard to stomach.
In the long-term, the Astros figure to turn to a depth option like Spencer Arrighetti, Colton Gordon, or perhaps even prospect Miguel Ullola to fill the void. The good news for Houston is that they’ve shown a remarkable ability to weather the storm of rotation injuries in recent years, getting passable or better production from little-known youngsters and depth pieces. Arrighetti has a bit more name recognition than that after a solid start to his career, and after two scoreless starts at Triple-A to open the season he seems likely to be the Astros’ first choice to replace Brown. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes that the Astros were expected to a move to a six-man rotation this week prior to the news regarding Brown thanks to an upcoming stretch in the schedule where they play 13 consecutive games without a day off. If that’s still the plan, the Astros will need to turn to multiple Triple-A arms to fill out a rotation that now has just four active members.
For now, however, the team is turning to Roa to fill Brown’s roster spot. Brown’s spot in the rotation won’t come up until tomorrow, and so the Astros can afford to give their bullpen some extra depth for the time being as they figure out what direction they want to go in with Brown sidelined. Roa surrendered a run in 1 1/3 innings of work during his first stint with the club earlier this year and has a career 2.08 ERA in four appearances after briefly making his big league debut as a member of the Marlins last year. The righty sports a career 4.52 ERA in 171 2/3 innings of work as a swing man at the Triple-A level, and while he won’t be an impact arm for the Astros he should be capable of eating innings in long or middle relief for the club over the next few days as they figure out their longer-term pitching plan.
White Sox Place Everson Pereira On 10-Day IL, Promote Tanner Murray For MLB Debut
Prior to today’s 3-0 win over the Blue Jays, the White Sox placed outfielder Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain. The placement is retroactive to April 2. Infielder Tanner Murray was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Murray made his Major League debut as the starting shortstop in today’s contest.
The ankle injury forced Pereira to be removed early from last Wednesday’s game against the Marlins, and a few days of rest didn’t show enough improvement for the outfielder to avoid an IL visit. Acquired from the Rays as part of a four-player trade in November, Pereira was Chicago’s starting right fielder in five of the team’s first six games, and he had a .250/.294/.500 slash line and one homer over his first 17 trips to the plate. There isn’t any indication that the sprain is too serious, and until Pereira is back, the Sox figure to shuffle Derek Hill more regularly into the outfield mix.
It remains to be seen how often Pereira will be part of the starting lineup over the course of the season, though the White Sox can afford to give the 24-year-old some looks as a possible post-hype breakout prospect. Pereira drew some top-100 attention from Baseball America during his time in the Yankees’ farm system, but he hit only .146/.227/.215 over 176 PA with the Yankees and Rays over the 2023-25 seasons.
That November trade with Tampa also brought Murray into the White Sox organization, and the 26-year-old can now officially call himself a big leaguer in his sixth pro season. Murray’s first game was highlighted by an impressive play when the Jays had the bases loaded with two out in the third inning, as Murray got to a tricky Addison Barger grounder up the middle and threw Barger out to end the threat.
A fourth-round draft pick for the Rays in 2020, Murray posted decent numbers in the lower minors but has an uninspiring .242/.304/.409 slash over 622 PA at the Triple-A level, albeit with 20 home runs. Murray has played mostly as a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop in the minors, but he has also gotten time at first base and all three outfield slots. Becoming a super-utility type might help Murray’s efforts in sticking around as a bench player, and he’ll provide the White Sox with some depth in his first stint in the Show.
Orioles Place Yaramil Hiraldo On 15-Day IL, Promote Cade Povich
Prior to today’s game, the Orioles placed right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 2) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Left-hander Cade Povich was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Povich was immediately needed for 5 2/3 innings of long relief work after starter Chris Bassitt was hit hard early in an 8-2 O’s loss to the Pirates.
The 30-year-old Hiraldo made his MLB debut last season, posting a 4.58 ERA over 19 2/3 innings and 18 appearances for the Orioles. Between his decent Spring Training performance and some injuries up and down Baltimore’s pitching staff, Hiraldo won a spot on the Opening Day roster, though he has a 21.60 ERA over 1 2/3 innings of work early in this season. Three of Hiraldo’s four earned runs allowed came in his last outing on Tuesday, and his shoulder issue may have impacted that rough performance.
Hiraldo will now get some time to heal up, while Povich joins the roster in perhaps more than just a bullpen capacity. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko wrote yesterday that Povich was brought up as a member of the Orioles’ medical taxi squad, so perhaps the team already had a feeling that Hiraldo would require an IL stint. However, the feeling was that Povich was in line to start Monday’s game as the replacement for the injured Zach Eflin, but that plan is obviously out the window given Povich’s usage today.
Dean Kremer was optioned to Triple-A before the season began, as the longtime starter was the odd man out given Baltimore’s full rotation of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Bassitt, and Eflin. Since injuries are inevitable, Kremer was expected to be called up sooner rather than later, though Kremer just made a Triple-A start on Friday. Rogers’ last start was last Wednesday, so he might end up going on Monday on normal rest, rather than benefiting from an extra rest day provided by the Orioles’ off-day last Thursday.
Cardinals Select Jared Shuster
The Cardinals are selecting the contract of left-hander Jared Shuster, as relayed by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Lefty Nick Raquet was designated for assignment in the corresponding move, while right-hander Chris Roycroft was optioned to the minor leagues.
Shuster, 27, was once a first-round pick by Atlanta back in 2020. He made his big league debut in 2023 to some fanfare, although he ultimately struggled with a lackluster 5.81 ERA and 5.38 FIP in 11 starts for the Braves that year. Shuster was traded to the White Sox as part of the Aaron Bummer deal prior to the 2024 season, and with the White Sox he pitched primarily out of the bullpen. Across two years in Chicago, Shuster posted a 4.96 ERA with a 4.30 FIP in 89 innings split between six starts and 45 relief outings. His numbers were even lackluster at Triple-A, and Shuster eventually found himself designated for assignment and outrighted off the roster. He posted a 6.94 ERA in 35 Triple-A innings last year between the White Sox and Athletics organizations.
Headed into 2026, Shuster signed with the Cardinals on a minor league deal but was unable to secure a spot on the roster during Spring Training after surrendering five runs in five innings of work throughout camp. Shuster has made just one appearance at Triple-A Memphis since then, where he surrendered four runs on five hits (including a home run) in three innings of work. Lackluster as his results have been at all levels in recent times, however, the Cardinals have still opted to turn to him as a short-term innings eater for their bullpen.
Making room for Shuster on the 40-man roster is Raquet, a 30-year-old lefty who made his big league debut for the Cardinals last year. He threw two scoreless innings in the majors but struggled at Triple-A last year, with a 5.19 ERA across 17 1/3 innings of work. While Raquet both posted decent enough numbers during Spring Training and at Triple-A so far this year, that wasn’t enough to hold onto his roster spot. The Cardinals will now have one week to either trade Raquet or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed by the rest of the league, the former third-round pick by the Nationals can be outrighted to the minors as non-roster depth for St. Louis for the remainder of the 2026 campaign.
As for Roycroft, the righty has cobbled together 58 2/3 innings of work for the Cardinals in an up-and-down relief role over the past three seasons. He’s struggled to a 5.98 ERA in those outings, but as an optionable relief arm who’s still on the right side of 30 he could continue getting chances when the Cardinals bullpen needs an extra arm throughout the year. For now, he’ll head to Triple-A (where he has a career ERA of 3.85) to await his next opportunity in the big leagues.
Angels Designate Joey Lucchesi For Assignment
The Angels announced this afternoon that they’ve designated southpaw Joey Lucchesi for assignment. Right-hander George Klassen has been selected from the minors to replace Lucchesi on the active and 40-man rosters.
Lucchesi, 33 in June, has been in the majors for parts of eight seasons at this point. The veteran southpaw began his career back in 2018 as a starter for the Padres, but after two seasons of solid enough back-of-the-rotation production (97 ERA+, 4.24 FIP) he fell off the map somewhat. He made just three MLB appearances in 2020 and was dealt to the Mets in the three-team Joe Musgrove deal prior to the 2021 season. As a member of the Mets, Lucchesi was used as an optionable starter who spent much of his time in the minors. He spent four years in the organization (including a 2022 campaign lost to Tommy John surgery) and in that time continued to pitch at a more or less league average level in spot starts, with a 3.79 ERA and 4.02 FIP across 95 1/3 innings of work when in the majors.
After electing free agency prior to the 2025 season, Lucchesi signed on with the Giants as a non-roster invite to Spring Training. He didn’t initially make the team but made his way to the majors around midseason, and upon arriving pitched mostly in short-inning relief for San Francisco. He posted a 3.76 ERA with a 3.97 FIP across 38 1/3 innings of work for the club in 2025 but struggled late in the year and found himself non-tendered back in November. After initially re-signing with the Giants, he was released after failing to make the club out of Spring Training and landed a big league deal with the Angels. Unfortunately for the lefty, his stint in Anaheim lasted just three appearances. He struggled to a 7.71 ERA in 2 1/3 innings of work before being let go by the Angels. They’ll now have one week to try and work out a trade for him or pass him through waivers. If he makes it through waivers unclaimed, he’ll have the opportunity to elect free agency and return to the open market.
As for Klassen, the righty was acquired by the Angels in the Carlos Estevez trade with the Phillies back in 2024. Klassen spent his first full season in the Angels organization mostly at the Double-A level with lackluster results, including a 5.35 ERA in 24 starts. He’s made two starts at the Triple-A level between last season and this year, however, and in those outings he’s looked quite good with a 28.9% strikeout rate and just three earned runs allowed in 10 2/3 innings of work. That was enough for an Angels organization that has long been aggressive with prospect promotions to give the righty a look in the majors, and he’ll get his first look in the big leagues today with a start against the Mariners. For now, Klassen’s role appears to be that of a spot starter, but if he performs it would be easy to imagine the Angels finding a way to make room for him in their rotation mix.