Tigers Claim James Outman
The Tigers announced Thursday that they’ve claimed outfielder James Outman off waivers from the Twins. Detroit’s 40-man roster was full, but they created space by shifting infielder/outfielder Javier Báez from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. The Tigers will need to create an active roster space for Outman before tomorrow’s game, given that he’s out of minor league options.
Outman, 29, gives the Tigers another option in center field with both Báez and Parker Meadows on the injured list. That pair has been shelved since April. Detroit has been using Matt Vierling and Wenceel Pérez in center field for the past six weeks, though both are better suited for infield or corner outfield work. Outman, with above-average sprint speed and arm strength, gives manager A.J. Hinch a more credible defensive option.
While Outman may be a fine defender, however, his bat has typically undercut any value he adds with his glove or his legs. He impressed as a rookie with the Dodgers in 2023, hitting .248/.353/.437 despite a sky-high 32% strikeout rate. His contact problems have only increased since, which has relegated Outman to a backup role for the most part.
Dating back to 2024, Outman has taken 374 big league plate appearances but turned in a woeful .144/.235/.284 slash. He’s walked at a respectable 8.8% clip, but his 39.3% strikeout rate is far and away the worst among the 444 players who’ve totaled 300 or more plate appearances in that time. Jose Siri is second-worst, sitting two percentage points lower. No other hitter is within four percentage points of Outman’s strikeout rate.
The Twins acquired Outman from the Dodgers at last year’s deadline in a trade sending talented but oft-injured reliever Brock Stewart to Los Angeles. It was a head-scratching move even at the time. Minnesota’s roster was deep with lefty-swinging outfield options (Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, Kody Clemens, Alan Roden), and the Twins’ top two prospects — Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez — are both lefty-swinging outfielders who’d perhaps already have debuted this season were it not for injuries. Add in that Outman was going to be out of options in 2026, and the fit was all the more curious.
Perhaps the Twins felt they could cut down on Outman’s swing-and-miss troubles, but the opposite has played out. This year’s 41.4% strikeout rate is the highest in baseball for any of the 428 players with even 40 plate appearances on the season. Outman has four steals but has also been caught twice. His defense in the outfield has been solid, but Minnesota still designated him for assignment a few days ago.
If nothing else, Outman gives the Tigers a late-game option when they need a pinch-runner or a defensive upgrade in the outfield. Given his penchant for strikeouts and the overall anemic offensive output since what now looks like an outlier rookie showing back in ’23, it’ll be hard for him to stick on the roster for the rest of the season, barring a massive turnaround.
The Tigers are hopeful that Meadows — who suffered a concussion and a broken forearm in an April outfield collision with teammate Riley Greene — will return this summer. Báez’s return appears less certain. Hinch said late last month that the veteran’s sprained ankle hasn’t healed as hoped, and Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported earlier this month that Báez was being shut down entirely due to ongoing discomfort. The Tigers will presumably remain on the lookout for outfield help. If they continue their recent hot streak — today’s win gives them seven victories in their past nine games, at a time when Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize are set to return — then bringing in some additional center field help could be a point of focus at the trade deadline.
Dodgers Place Will Smith On Injured List
June 11th: The Dodgers have now made it official, listing Smith’s ailment as neck inflammation. Robinson has been selected to take his place on the roster.
June 10th: The Dodgers will place Will Smith on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register). They’ll select Chuckie Robinson onto the active roster to back up Dalton Rushing. L.A. opened the necessary 40-man roster spot by releasing Tyler Fitzgerald this afternoon.
Smith has been nursing a stiff neck for the past few days. He hasn’t played since Friday. The Dodgers can backdate his IL placement for up to three days, so he’ll be down until at least next Wednesday. Roberts downplayed the level of concern.
It has been a relatively slow start to the season for Smith. He’s hitting .249/.338/.382 with six home runs in 201 plate appearances. His plate discipline and batted ball metrics are mostly in line with those of previous seasons, so the Dodgers surely aren’t worried. Smith remains on the short list of the best catchers in the sport even if the slight dip may keep him from a fourth straight All-Star appearance.
Rushing, who is hitting .275/.352/.532 on the season, would be the #1 catcher on most other teams. He’s more than capable of holding the primary job for what should be a short-term absence. Rushing has started four straight around Monday’s off day. The Dodgers don’t have another day off until next Thursday, so they needed to get a healthy catcher up at some point.
That’ll fall to the 31-year-old Robinson, an organizational depth type. He played one game for the Dodgers last September and has had brief MLB stints with the Reds and White Sox. The Dodgers re-signed him on a minor league deal over the offseason and have kept him at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Robinson missed the first month of the season but has come back with a solid .274/.338/.466 start over 20 games. He’s a career .131/.169/.192 hitter at the big league level.
Mariners Designate Domingo González For Assignment, Select Michael Rucker
The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Michael Rucker. Fellow righty Domingo González has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.
Last night, the Mariners went into the game with a pretty taxed bullpen. They are operating with a six-man rotation at the moment, giving them a seven-man bullpen while most other clubs have eight. Andrés Muñoz, Jose A. Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier all pitched two out of three days from Sunday to Tuesday. Alex Hoppe and Nick Davila both pitched on Tuesday.
George Kirby started last night’s game and was dealing for a while, keeping the Orioles scoreless through five. But he allowed three runs in the sixth, putting the M’s down 3-0. Seattle opted to have González enter at that point. He covered the seventh and eighth, allowing four earned runs and throwing 39 pitches as Baltimore took the game 7-2. While the other arms got a day of rest, the Mariners have decided to swap in a fresh arm for tonight.
González, 26, was claimed off waivers from Atlanta last year. He has made five appearances for the Mariners this year as they have shuttled him between Triple-A and the majors. In his 7 2/3 innings, he has allowed four earned runs, which all crossed the plate last night.
He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mariners could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, though they could also put González on waivers sooner than that.
He is still optionable, which could give him some appeal to a club looking for more depth in the minors. He has thrown 107 Triple-A innings since getting promoted to that level in 2024. In that time, he has a 3.62 earned run average, 24.7% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. His four-seamer and sinker both average around 93 miles per hour. He also throws a slider and a changeup.
Rucker, 32, gets back to the big leagues for the first time in a few years. From 2021 to 2023, pitched 123 1/3 innings for the Cubs with a 4.96 ERA. He was traded to the Phillies ahead of the 2024 season but he didn’t pitch for them in the big leagues. He spent the campaign either on the injured list or pitching on optional assignment. He was put on waivers in September and claimed by the Nationals, but that club also kept him on optional assignment and then outrighted him off the roster at season’s end. He elected free agency and didn’t sign with any club for 2025.
He signed a minor league deal with the Mariners coming into 2026 and has been with Triple-A Tacoma. He has thrown 22 2/3 innings over 22 appearances with a 1.59 ERA. He’s gotten a lot of help from an 87.1% strand rate. His 24.5% strikeout rate and 47.5% ground ball rate are a few ticks better than average but his 10.8% walk rate is on the high side. Rucker will try to put up some good numbers with the Mariners. If they need bring in more fresh arms in the near future, he is out of options.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Rockies Outright Keegan Thompson
The Rockies sent righty Keegan Thompson outright to Triple-A Albuquerque, per the MLB.com transaction log. Colorado designated him for assignment yesterday when they needed a 40-man roster spot for outfield prospect Cole Carrigg. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so they evidently began that on Monday’s off day before formally announcing the DFA.
It’s the second time this year the Rox have gotten Thompson through waivers. He was designated for assignment at the end of Spring Training after failing to break camp. Thompson is out of options and can’t be sent down without going through waivers. The Rox selected him back onto the roster when Victor Vodnik went on the injured list in late May.
Thompson only got into five games over his three weeks on the MLB roster. He worked in mop-up relief and allowed 11 runs through 12 innings. Thompson had a solid enough 11:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he allowed 19 hits and tossed three wild pitches. That was his first MLB work in two seasons. Thompson spent last year in Triple-A in the Cubs’ system.
The 31-year-old will likely return to Albuquerque. He has the right to elect free agency but would forfeit his split contract if he does so. Thompson is making $350K while in the minors and is paid at a prorated $1.3MM rate for any time on the big league roster. He presumably won’t walk away from that to pursue a minor league contract elsewhere. He has worked 32 1/3 innings in a swing role for the Isotopes, pitching to a 3.34 ERA despite a subpar 13.6% strikeout rate.
Astros Sign Trenton Brooks To Minor League Deal
The Astros signed outfielder Trenton Brooks to a minor league contract. Although the team never formally announced the move, Brooks is tonight’s lineup for their Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land.
It’s another flier on a left-handed hitting outfielder for the Astros. They added LaMonte Wade Jr. on a big league deal last week, but he almost immediately went on the injured list with a hamstring strain. That moved Joey Loperfido back to the big league level. CJ Alexander and Zach Cole are on the Triple-A roster as lefty-hitting outfielders.
Brooks, 30, is back in affiliated ball after beginning this season in Korea. He signed with the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes on a $700K contract. Brooks didn’t perform as the team hoped, batting .217/.286/.259 over 41 games. KBO teams have a roster limit on foreign-born players, so they’re quick to move on from those who struggle. The Heroes waived him in mid-May to sign Keston Hiura.
A former 17th-round pick, Brooks has played 37 games at the major league level. He debuted with the Giants in 2024 and got some run with the Padres last year. Brooks has hit .136 with one home run and 19 strikeouts in 72 trips. As one would imagine, he has a much better track record against minor league arms. Brooks is a lifetime .279/.382/.472 slash line with nearly equal walk and strikeout rates in nearly 2000 career Triple-A plate appearances.
Padres Sign Nick Pratto To Minor League Deal
The Padres signed first baseman Nick Pratto to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A El Paso. The affiliate announced the move this evening.
Pratto had spent the season on a minor league contract with Texas. The Rangers released him just yesterday and he quickly finds a new landing spot. Pratto had spent the first month of the season on the development list, which is a non-injury reserve list for minor league players. That’s typically used when a player is making mechanical adjustments outside of game action.
The 27-year-old Pratto reported to Triple-A Round Rock at the end of April. He appeared in 26 games and hit .237/.287/.473 across 101 plate appearances. Pratto slugged five home runs among 10 extra-base knocks but struck out 33 times while only taking six walks. The swing-and-miss has been an issue throughout his career.
A first-round pick of the Royals in 2017, Pratto hit .216/.295/.364 for Kansas City between 2022-23. He made one appearance as a late-game substitute in 2024 but has otherwise spent the last two and a half years in the minors. The former top prospect has a .226/.327/.430 slash line with a 30% strikeout rate over six Triple-A seasons.
Tigers Acquire Jacob Waguespack
The Tigers have acquired right-hander Jacob Waguespack from the Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group was among those to pass along the news. The righty was just signed to a minor league deal last month and won’t immediately need a roster spot with the Tigers, unless his deal had some sort of opt-out or upward mobility clause.
Waguespack, 32, began the season with the Brewers on a minor league deal. Milwaukee granted him his release in early May. After exploring his opportunities for a little over a week, they re-signed him to a new minor league deal.
He has been having a good year on the whole, though with some important notes. He has tossed 21 2/3 innings over 16 Triple-A appearances, allowing 1.66 earned runs per nine. He has received some help from a .238 batting average on balls in play and 73.2% strand rate. His 16.5% walk rate is very high but he has also punched out 36.3% of batters faced. He has 105 2/3 innings of big league experience with the Blue Jays and Rays, posting a 5.11 ERA in that time. He struck out 18.9% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10.1% clip.
The Tigers have been working through a huge number of pitching injuries this year, with nine arms currently on the big league injured list. Tarik Skubal, Justin Verlander, Casey Mize and Kenley Jansen are all expected back soon, which could lead to some roster shuffling.
As they sort things out in the coming days and weeks, Waguespack can give them some extra depth without taking up a roster spot, unless his minor league deal had some sort of contract provision that will lead to the Tigers adding him to their 40-man. If that is the case, Waguespack is out of options and will need to be added to the active roster.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Orioles Sign Chadwick Tromp To Minor League Deal
The Orioles have signed catcher Chadwick Tromp to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He elected free agency earlier this week after being designated for assignment by Atlanta.
Tromp, 31, has seen scattered big league playing time over seven seasons. He has stepped to the plate 205 times in 79 games. That includes six games with Baltimore last year. On the whole, he has a .218/.225/.371 line in his career. He has generally received solid grades for his glovework but the light offense has kept him in a depth role. He has exhausted his options over the years, which has led to him bouncing on and off rosters, mostly as an injury replacement.
The Orioles currently have a bit of uncertainty in their catching mix. Adley Rutschman has a left hamstring issue while Samuel Basallo is dealing with a left wrist ailment. Sam Huff was added to the roster recently and has started the three most recent games, including tonight. Rutschman hasn’t appeared in a game since Sunday, when he served as the designated hitter. Basallo hasn’t started since Sunday, though he has made pinch-hit appearances in the past two games.
Tromp will give the O’s some non-roster depth while they navigate those injuries. If Rutschman or Basallo ultimately need a stint on the injured list, or both, Tromp could be added to the roster. If both manage to get healthy in the coming days, Huff is out of options and could end up designated for assignment. Huff was designated for assignment earlier this year and cleared waivers, which allowed the O’s to re-sign him to a new minor league deal after he elected free agency. But there is no guarantee that the same thing would happen again, so there’s sense in having Tromp around as a contingency for various scenarios.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
Angels Select Logan Porter
4:19pm: The Angels have officially announced Porter’s selection. Rivero was placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamate fracture and will require surgery, reports Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Kochanowicz was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot.
10:31am: The Angels are set to select the contract of catcher Logan Porter, reports Ari Alexander of 7News. He signed a minor league deal with them five days ago after choosing free agency over an outright assignment with the Giants. Porter hasn’t even suited up for a game with the Halos’ Triple-A affiliate yet, but he’ll jump right to the big leagues after backup catcher Sebastian Rivero exited last night’s game due to an apparent hand injury.
Porter, 30, is joining his third big league team. He has brief experience in the majors with both the Royals and Giants, for whom he’s totaled a combined 47 plate appearances. Porter is just a .184/.326/.289 hitter in that time, but he’s a .244/.359/.389 hitter in parts of five Triple-A seasons. He’s light on power but has walked at a gaudy 14.4% clip in more than 1200 Triple-A plate appearances.
Porter also gives the Angels a defensively sound backup to starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe. He’s thrown out a roughly average 22% of runners who’ve attempted to steal on him in the minors (33% dating back to last season) and drawn quality framing grades with slightly below-average marks for his blocking abilities, per Baseball Prospectus.
The Angels have already utilized four different catchers in 2026. Porter will be the fifth, joining the quartet of O’Hoppe, Rivero, Travis d’Arnaud and Omar Martinez. He has a full slate of minor league options remaining, so the Angels don’t necessarily need to designate him for assignment when d’Arnaud and/or Rivero get healthy. The Halos will need to open 26-man and 40-man roster spots for Porter, but that should be pretty straightforward. His selection to the majors seems to point to an IL trip for Rivero, and righty Jack Kochanowicz can be shifted to the 60-day IL after undergoing Tommy John surgery this week.
Mariners Place Matt Brash On IL With Lat Strain
The Mariners announced a series of roster moves today. Infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and right-hander Domingo González has been recalled from Triple-A Tacoma. In corresponding active roster moves, infielder Ryan Bliss has been optioned to Tacoma while right-hander Matt Brash has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain, retroactive to June 9th. To open a 40-man spot for Mastrobuoni, righty Yosver Zulueta has been designated for assignment.
This is the second time this year that Brash has landed on the IL because of his lat. Inflammation in that muscle put him out of action for roughly the first three weeks of May. He came back for a few weeks but has evidently strained the muscle this time. The M’s haven’t yet provided any updates about his expected absence but it seems fair to expect an even longer absence than when he was just dealing with inflammation.
For however long he’s out, it’s an unfortunate blow for the Seattle bullpen. He has been a key setup arm for them throughout his career, with a 3.06 earned run average in 185 1/3 innings. That includes an ERA of 0.54 ERA in 16 2/3 innings around his injuries this year. He wasn’t going to maintain that kind of run prevention all year but his longer track record shows what he is capable of.
Seattle is working with a short bullpen since they are running a six-man rotation right now, leaving them with just seven relievers while most other clubs have eight. The one upside of Brash’s injury is that it allows the M’s to bring up a fresh arm at a time when the relief group is fairly taxed. Andrés Muñoz, Jose A. Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier have all pitched in two of the past three days.
Zulueta, 28, has never pitched for the Mariners in the big leagues. He was acquired from the Reds in January and has been on optional assignment this year. He has thrown 20 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 5.75 ERA. That has come in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but Zulueta hasn’t helped himself by walking 16.3% of batters faced. His 21.4% strikeout rate isn’t awful and his 56.9% ground ball rate is quite good but that poor control is hard to work around in any setting.
That has generally been the issue with Zulueta throughout his career. He has big stuff, with his fastballs both averaging in the upper 90s, but he hasn’t been able to harness it. He now has 203 1/3 Triple-A innings under his belt with a 3.94 ERA and 26.9% strikeout rate but a big 14.3% walk rate. He has only walked 10.9% of batters faced in the majors but in a much smaller sample of 23 2/3 innings.
He is now in DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mariners could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner than that. He can still be optioned for the remainder of this year, so perhaps some club with an open roster spot will be intrigued enough to stash him and hope he reins things in a bit more.
He has never been outrighted in his career and has less than three years of service time, meaning he does not have the right to reject an outright assignment. If he is passed through waivers unclaimed in the coming days, the Mariners could keep him as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images