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 him 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.
Padres Release Jose Miranda
The Padres released corner infielder Jose Miranda from his minor league contract. The move was announced by San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate this afternoon.
Miranda signed with the Friars in mid-December. He had a big spring and legitimately seemed to be in consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. The Padres opted for Ty France in that role instead, assigning Miranda to Triple-A. France has certainly rewarded their faith, hitting .278 with four homers among nine extra-base knocks in 82 plate appearances.
The 27-year-old Miranda has had a rougher time in the minors. He’s batting .268/.308/.482 with five longballs in 120 trips. That superficially strong slash line is actually a fair bit worse than league average given the Pacific Coast League setting. That’s mostly due to the subpar on-base percentage, as Miranda has only worked four walks over 28 games. He’s among the bottom 15 PCL hitters (minimum 100 plate appearances) in reaching base.
A one-time top prospect with the Twins, Miranda hasn’t been able to build off a strong rookie showing in 2022. He hit .268/.325/.426 with 15 homers over his debut campaign. Miranda missed a good chunk of time the following year with a shoulder issue. He returned to hit .284/.322/.441 during the ’24 campaign but spent most of last season in Triple-A. Miranda had a dismal year in the minors, batting .195/.272/.296 and leading the Twins to drop him from the roster at season’s end.
Miranda should be able to find another minor league opportunity in the coming days. He has a solid contact/power combination that has been undermined by the aggressive approach and a lack of defensive value. Miranda isn’t a good defender at either corner spot and has seen most of his work at first base this year.
Peter Strzelecki Elects Free Agency
The Brewers announced this evening that reliever Peter Strzelecki cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, relays Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. They designated him for assignment over the weekend.
Strzelecki had a one-day stint on the active roster. Milwaukee selected his contract on Saturday and dropped him a day later. Strzelecki didn’t pitch in the one game for which he was active. He’s out of minor league options, so the Brewers couldn’t send him back to Triple-A without putting him on waivers. That gave Strzelecki the right to explore other opportunities, as this is the second outright assignment of his career.
It could be a formality that sees the 31-year-old re-sign in the next day or two. That’s common in situations like these. Strzelecki began his career as an undrafted free agent signee by the Brewers back in 2018. He made 66 MLB appearances with the Crew from 2022-23, turning in a 3.69 ERA across 70 2/3 innings. Milwaukee traded him to Arizona at the ’23 deadline.
After bouncing around for various teams in the upper minors, Stzelecki returned to the Brewers on an offseason minor league contract. He has allowed 10 runs (nine earned) through 19 2/3 innings with Triple-A Nashville. Strzelecki has fanned 20 opponents against four walks. He’s attacking the zone but not getting many whiffs on a per-pitch basis.
Astros To Select Alimber Santa
The Astros are selecting reliever Alimber Santa onto the MLB roster, reports Héctor Gómez. Houston opened a spot on the 40-man roster by designating righty Cody Bolton for assignment on Monday. They’ll only need to create an active roster spot by optioning a pitcher before Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field.
It’s the first MLB call for the 23-year-old Santa. The 5’10” righty signed with Houston for $75K as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic in 2020. He struggled early in his minor league career but earned a nomination to last year’s Futures Game with an impressive season. Santa turned in a 2.31 earned run average while striking out 28% of opponents across 70 innings between the top two minor league levels.
Baseball America ranked Santa the #28 prospect in the Houston system over the winter. Their offseason scouting report credited him with a five-pitch arsenal, but this season’s Triple-A pitch tracking data indicates he has only used a mid-80s slider and a 94-95 mph four-seam fastball. Santa’s slider has been his best pitch throughout his time in the minors. He’s using it almost two-thirds of the time with strong results.
This year, Santa has fanned 32% of opponents while allowing only five runs (three earned) over 19 Triple-A innings. His 9.2% walk rate is close to league average, an improvement after he walked 13% of batters faced a year ago. He has plunked three batters and has a career 14.3% walk percentage over six minor league seasons.
Santa will come to town hoping to boost a bullpen that has been one of the worst in the Majors. They carried an MLB-high 5.78 ERA into play Wednesday, though that’ll drop slightly after AJ Blubaugh and Nate Pearson combined for two scoreless innings today. Houston relievers have allowed the most home runs (35) while ranking in the bottom third of the league in strikeout rate.
Angels Outright Alek Manoah
The Angels announced that right-hander Alek Manoah has been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. There wasn’t any announcement about him being designated for assignment but it appears the Halos quietly put him on waivers and he cleared. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.
Manoah has the right to elect free agency but isn’t likely to do so. A player with at least three years of big league service has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of the open market but needs five years of service to exercise that right while keeping his salary commitments in place. Manoah’s service count is over four years but less than five. The Angels signed him to a deal worth $1.95MM this offseason. With roughly $1.35MM left to be paid out, it’s fair to expect Manoah will accept his assignment and won’t be walking away from that money.
For the Angels, signing Manoah was a bet on a bounceback. He was a borderline ace earlier in his career. With the Blue Jays in 2022, he posted a 2.24 ERA over 31 starts and finished third in Cy Young voting. But he hasn’t been anywhere close to that level since. He posted a 5.87 ERA in 2023. Shoulder and elbow issues held him back after that and he ultimately required Tommy John surgery. He made five big league starts in 2024 and none in 2025.
He was put on waivers late last year and was claimed by Atlanta, but that club non-tendered him. That sent him to free agency and allowed the Angels to scoop him up, but that hasn’t panned out thus far. He started the season on the IL due to a middle finger contusion. He came off the IL earlier this month and has made three relief appearances. The first two were scoreless but he was torched by the Dodgers in the third, allowing eight earned runs in an inning and a third. He was optioned to the minors a few days ago and is now off the 40-man.
It’s unclear if the Angels want to keep Manoah stretched out or use him out of the bullpen. He made just one rehab appearance before coming off the IL, tossing 4 1/3 innings. Once activated, he started with a single-inning appearance, then tossed five frames in the second outing. That was followed by the aforementioned drubbing from the Dodgers in an inning and a third.
With Yusei Kikuchi on the IL, the rotation currently consists of José Soriano, Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, Walbert Ureña and Grayson Rodriguez. They have George Klassen, Caden Dana and Sam Aldegheri on the 40-man but currently on optional assignment. If Manoah is used as a starter in Triple-A, he can try to pitch his way into that group.
Photo courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Release Joe Ross
The D-backs released veteran right-hander Joe Ross, who’d been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Reno, per the MiLB.com transaction log.
Ross signed a minor league deal with the Snakes over the winter and cracked the Opening Day roster. He pitched only 3 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment, at which point he cleared waivers, elected free agency and returned to the organization on a new minor league contract. He’s been pitching with Reno since.
It’s been a decent year for Ross with the D-backs’ top affiliate. He’s tossed 21 innings, working mostly in long relief, and posted a 4.29 earned run average in that hitter-friendly setting. The 32-year-old (33 tomorrow) has just a 14% strikeout rate on the year, but he’s offset that lack of whiffs with a 5.8% walk rate, a 47.8% grounder rate and plenty of light contact (87.7 mph average exit velocity, 38% hard-hit rate).
Ross has pitched in parts of nine big league seasons and sits just one day shy of eight years of major league service. He showed glimpses of breaking out as a quality big league starter early in his career, but much like his older brother (Tyson Ross) was routinely set back by injuries. He’s had a pair of Tommy John surgeries in his career in addition to a procedure to remove bone spurs from his elbow. Ross has also had multiple IL stints due to lower back injuries and shoulder troubles.
Ross had a nice season with the ’24 Brewers, tossing 74 innings with a 3.77 ERA and rate stats that were only slightly worse than league average. He was hit hard in a partial season with the ’25 Phillies though, yielding a 5.12 ERA with a career-low 17.1% strikeout rate. Overall, the big 6’4″ righty has a 4.37 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 43% ground-ball rate in 572 major league frames.
Teams in need of some length in the bullpen and/or rotation depth could take a minimal-risk flier on Ross now that he’s a free agent again. He’s stretched out enough for a swingman role right now and could be built up to a starter’s workload without much issue; Ross has a pair of three-inning outings on the books already, the most recent coming early this month. He’s been sitting 95.6 mph with his four-seamer and 96.2 mph with his sinker in Reno. Both would be career-best marks.
Rockies Designate Blaine Crim For Assignment
The Rockies announced Wednesday that first baseman Blaine Crim has been designated for assignment. His 40-man roster spot goes to veteran righty Keegan Thompson, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado placed right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik on the 15-day injured list due to ulnar nerve inflammation in his right arm.
Crim joined the Rockies last August when they claimed him off waivers from the Rangers. He went on to rip five homers in only 15 games and 61 plate appearances, though his .295 on-base percentage and huge 36% strikeout rate both tamped down reason for optimism. This season’s .265/.339/.449 slash in Triple-A looks solid at first glance, but in the ultra-hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, it’s about 13% worse than league-average (by measure of wRC+).
The 29-year-old Crim has played in parts of five Triple-A seasons, slashing a combined .281/.370/.479 in 1882 trips to the plate. It’s about 11% better than average, and Crim has turned in encouraging strikeout and walk rates of 18.4% and 11.5%, respectively, along the way. Crim, however, has well below-average speed (21st percentile in 2025, per Statcast) and is limited to first base and designated hitter. He’s been passed over in multiple Rule 5 Drafts and has now been designated for assignment twice in the past eight months, so it seems many big league clubs are skeptical of his ability to carry that production over to the majors.
The Rockies might have had an opening for Crim at first base this year, but offseason acquisitions of TJ Rumfield (from the Yankees for reliever Angel Chivilli) and Edouard Julien (from the Twins for prospect Jace Kaminska) pushed him down the depth chart.
Crim’s solid track record in the upper minors could potentially hold appeal to other clubs in need of some right-handed punch and/or help at first base/designated hitter. He’s in the second of three minor league option years, so a new club wouldn’t need to carry him on the major league roster right away. He’ll be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days, and we’ll know the outcome of his DFA within a week’s time.
The 31-year-old Thompson, another waiver claim (from the Reds), cleared waivers earlier this season but now joins the big league roster after a nice run in Albuquerque. He’s appeared in 11 games, five of them starts, and posted a 3.34 ERA in 32 1/3 innings. He’s only struck out 13.1% of his opponents, which is a concern, but his 7.1% walk rate is strong and his 43.6% ground-ball rate is a hair north of average.
Thompson has pitched in four big league seasons, all with the Cubs. He owns a career 3.64 ERA, 23% strikeout rate and 11.3% walk rate in 227 2/3 major league innings. He’s sitting 92.2 mph on his four-seamer this season, down from his 93.9 peak as a rookie in 2021.
Thompson adds some length to a Rockies bullpen that could use extra innings. Starters Chase Dollander and Ryan Feltner are both on the injured list, which has pushed Tanner Gordon, at least in effect. Gordon hasn’t started a game but has worked behind an opener his past couple times out. He’s sitting on a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 frames this season, however. Looking up and down the rest of Colorado’s rotation, Tomoyuki Sugano is the only starter who’s averaged even five innings per start. Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Kyle Freeland are all averaging about 4 2/3 frames per trip the mound, underscoring the need for a reliever like Thompson who can work several innings at a time.
As for the 26-year-old Vodnik, he started the season well, yielding only two runs in his first nine innings. He’s been rocked over the past month, however. In his past 10 appearances, he’s totaled only nine innings and been shelled for 14 runs on 15 hits and nine walks with 11 strikeouts. The flamethrowing righty has been far better in the past couple seasons, logging 124 1/3 innings of 3.76 ERA ball.
Vodnik doesn’t miss as many bats as one might expect for a reliever who averages nearly 99 mph on his heater, but he’s a clearly talented righty who’s been in the Rox’ late-inning mix since 2024. If a trip to the injured list helps him right the ship, he’ll likely factor back into the closer committee alongside Antonio Senzatela and Juan Mejia.
Mets Select Zach Thornton
May 20th: Thornton has now been officially selected, per a team announcement. Right-hander Daniel Duarte was optioned as the corresponding active roster move. They opened a 40-man spot yesterday when they designated outfielder Austin Slater for assignment and recalled Nick Morabito.
May 18th: The Mets are going to promote pitching prospect Zach Thornton this week. Manager Carlos Mendoza informed reporters, including Tim Britton of The Athletic, that Thornton will play some kind of role for the Mets on Wednesday. That could be as a starter or working as a bulk guy behind an opener. Thornton is not yet on the 40-man roster, so the Mets will have to make room for him somehow.
Thornton, now 24, was a fifth-round pick of the Mets in 2023. He put himself on the prospect map with a strong 2025 season. He only made 14 starts before an oblique injury ended his season, but the numbers were good. Between High-A and Double-A, he tossed 72 2/3 innings, allowing 1.98 earned runs per nine. He struck out 28.5% of batters faced and only walked 4% of opponents. He also induced grounders on 43.2% of balls in play.
Coming into 2026, Baseball America ranked him the #13 prospect in the system and FanGraphs had him 12th. He doesn’t have huge velocity, averaging just 91 miles per hour with his fastball these days, but both BA and FG highlight his excellent command. FG also highlights his vertical slot and his ability to hide the ball as part of his delivery. His full arsenal includes a four-seamer, sinker, slider, cutter, curveball and changeup.
He has continued to post good numbers this year, with five Double-A starts and two at Triple-A. Combined, he has thrown 37 innings with a 3.16 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 44.4% ground ball rate. BA bumped him up to #10 in the system in today’s update.
The Mets are dipping into their depth due to the recent injury to Clay Holmes, who fractured his right fibula and might be sidelined into August. Christian Scott is starting tonight and Nolan McLean tomorrow. Wednesday would have been Holmes’s turn. The Mets have some long relief options on the roster, although Sean Manaea just tossed four innings behind Freddy Peralta yesterday. Tobias Myers has starting experience but hasn’t tossed more than three innings in any game this year.
Thornton will at least get a spot start. What remains to be seen is if he’ll get sent back to the minors after that or if he’ll stick around. For the next turn, they could put Manaea or Myers into the Holmes spot. They could also turn to someone else on the farm, such as Jonah Tong, Jack Wenninger or Jonathan Pintaro.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Braves Designate José Azócar For Assignment
The Braves announced that outfielder Eli White has been reinstated from the ten-day injured list. Fellow outfielder José Azócar has been designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move.
Azócar, 30, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason. He was added to the roster in May when Ronald Acuña Jr. hit the injured list. A few days later, they decided to promote infielder Jim Jarvis and move Mauricio Dubón to the outfield mix. Since Azócar is out of options, he was bumped off the 40-man. After clearing waivers, he quickly re-signed and then got added back to the roster in the wake of White hitting the IL.
Around those transactions, Azócar has put up good numbers. He has a .333/.375/.467 slash line but he surely wasn’t going to maintain that kind of production. He put up that line in a tiny sample of 16 plate appearances with a huge .417 batting average on balls in play. That’s nowhere near his career track record, which consists of 434 plate appearances with a .248/.293/.325 slash line.
Broadly speaking, Azócar is a glove-first depth outfielder. He gets good reviews for his defense and can steal a base from time to time but his offense has mostly been subpar. Atlanta clearly still views him that way and hasn’t been swayed by a few extra batted balls finding holes in the past few weeks.
Azócar now heads to DFA limbo again. Atlanta can take some time to explore trade interest but it’s possible he ends up back on waivers and clears, like he did a few weeks back, though it’s also possible a team with some recent injury trouble has a need for an extra outfielder and puts in a claim. If Azócar does clear again, he has the right to elect free agency since he has a previous career outright. That’s the way things played out earlier this month but Atlanta quickly re-signed him to a new minors deal.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Twins Grant Releases To Matt Bowman, John Brebbia
The Twins granted right-handers Matt Bowman and John Brebbia their releases Wednesday, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic and Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Both veteran relievers were pitching with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul, and both triggered opt-out clauses in their contracts on Sunday. The Twins had until this afternoon to add one or both to the 40-man roster or allow them to become free agents. They’ve gone with the latter option in both cases.
Bowman, 34, has pitched in parts of seven big league seasons. That includes a 2024 run with Minnesota, during which he tossed 7 2/3 decent innings. He carries a 4.38 ERA in 240 2/3 major league innings split among seven clubs. Bowman has a below-average 18.7% strikeout rate but a solid 8% walk rate and a very strong 52.3% ground-ball rate. He’s been excellent in Triple-A thus far, totaling 21 1/3 innings with a 1.69 ERA, a 28.1% strikeout rate and a 6.7% walk rate.
Bowman doesn’t throw particularly hard, by today’s standards. He’s sitting 91.8 mph on his sinker this year, which is below average but a slight bit north of his career 91.3 mph mark. Bowman complements the pitch with a 90 mph cutter and a splitter and slider that both reside in the low 80s. He doesn’t overwhelm opponents but also has neutral platoon splits in his career; lefties have hit .249/.322/.402 against him, while righties are at .245/.307/.383.
The 35-year-old Brebbia has the lengthier MLB track record but hasn’t pitched as well in 2026 (or in general, over the past few seasons). He has eight years of major league service to Bowman’s five, and Brebbia has worked to a 4.04 ERA in 378 1/3 big league frames. Broadly speaking, he’s missed bats and limited walks at better-than-average levels (25.6% and 7.5%, respectively), but the past few years haven’t been kind to the well-traveled righty. He’s pitched 78 2/3 innings between three teams — White Sox, Braves, Tigers — and been rocked for a 6.41 earned run average. Home runs have been his Achilles heel during that time. He’s averaged 1.83 dingers per nine innings pitched.
Brebbia has tossed 20 1/3 innings with the Saints this year but stumbled to a 6.20 ERA that closely mirrors his major league work from 2024-25. He’s punched out more than 28% of his opponents but has also issued walks at a 10.9% clip and served up four homers (1.77 HR/9). He started the season brilliantly, allowing just one run with a 17-to-3 K/BB ratio in his first 10 2/3 frames, but Brebbia has since been tagged for 13 runs in 9 2/3 innings. All four of his homers allowed have come in that span, and he’s walked nearly as many batters (seven) as he’s set down on strikes (nine).
It’s still possible both players will return to the Twins. That’s relatively common for journeyman veterans who trigger midseason opt-out clauses. Heyman suggests that Bowman could have a major league offer waiting somewhere else, however, which wouldn’t be all that surprising with how well he’s pitched. If anything, it’s at least a mild surprise that the Twins themselves wouldn’t find a way to take a look at Bowman in the majors. Minnesota relievers have the third-worst ERA in baseball.