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Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

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The Nationals have made an in-season shake-up of their organization, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez have both been fired.  The Nats have confirmed the news, and announced that assistant GM Mike DeBartolo will be the team’s interim general manager for the remainder of the season.  An interim manager to replace Martinez will be determined tomorrow.

“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city.  Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.” managing principal owner Mark Lerner said in an official statement from the team.  “While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our Club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”

The news comes on the heels of Washington’s 6-4 loss to the Red Sox today, which dropped the Nats to a dismal 37-53 for the season.  Only the White Sox and Rockies have won fewer games than the Nationals, who are on pace for their sixth straight losing season since winning the 2019 World Series.  James Wood and MacKenzie Gore are enjoying breakout seasons and CJ Abrams is delivering big for the second straight year, but virtually the entire rest of the Nationals roster has underachieved in what was supposed more of a step-forward season in the club’s rebuild.

Given this backdrop, it isn’t surprising that Nationals ownership has chosen to make a fresh start, even if the specific timing is a little surprising.  Some contractual language was also likely at play, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that the middle of July loomed as a deadline for the organization to decide whether or not to exercise club options on Rizzo and Martinez for the 2026 season.  It was known that Martinez’s last extension contained a club option for 2026, and while the specific terms of Rizzo’s last extension weren’t publicly revealed, it makes sense that his deal would line up timeline-wise with Martinez’s contract.

DeBartolo has been with the Nationals organization since starting as an intern with the team in 2012, and he worked his way up the management ladder to the AGM position prior to the 2019 season.  While most teams promote from within for interim positions, keeping some continuity in place is particularly important in this case given how the Nationals hold the first overall pick in next weekend’s MLB Draft, plus the club has plenty of important decisions to make on the selling front for the July 31 trade deadline.

Rizzo’s tenure with the Nationals ends just short of 19 years, as he was hired as an assistant GM in July 2006.  Rizzo himself was named to an interim GM role when Jim Bowden resigned as general manager just prior to the start of the 2009 season, and Rizzo was promoted to the full-time GM job that August.  Washington lost 103 games in 2009 in the low point of another rebuild, yet Rizzo overall a successful rebuild and franchise overhaul that turned the Nationals into consistent contenders for much of the next decade.

Bottoming out helped the Nationals land the first overall pick in both the 2009 (Stephen Strasburg) and 2010 (Bryce Harper) drafts, so there’s some irony in Rizzo being fired so close to Washington getting to make another top selection.  Taking Anthony Rendon sixth overall in 2011 added to this new core of talent, though Rizzo and the Nationals already announced their intention to compete a little earlier when Jayson Werth was signed to a seven-year, $126MM free agent deal during the 2010-11 offseason.

This bold move from a last-place team was one of many headline-grabbing transactions Rizzo swung over the years, as the Nationals made more big free agent investments in such players as Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin.  Trea Turner was a major trade acquisition as a prospect who developed into a star infielder, and Juan Soto’s emergence from international prospect to immediate superstar added to the all-around roster creation that culminated in the 2019 World Series title.  That championship capped off a run of eight straight winning seasons for Washington from 2012-19, and four NL East crowns (though the Nats made it into the 2019 playoffs as a wild card team).

More to come…

Rays Sign Peter Strzelecki To Minor League Contract

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The Rays have signed right-hander Peter Strzelecki to a minor league deal, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports.  Strzelecki was just released from a previous minors contract with the Pirates earlier this week, and he’ll now try for a fresh start with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham.

It has been a rough season for Strzelecki, who battled some injuries and posted a 9.90 ERA over 20 innings and 16 appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis.  The righty’s walk rate ballooned to 11.8% and his strikeout rate was only 14.7%, which is far below the solid K% numbers Strzelecki has posted throughout the rest of his minor league career.

That was enough for Pittsburgh to part ways with the 30-year-old, and it marks the third straight year Strzelecki has struggled against Triple-A batters.  Interestingly, he has posted much more respectable numbers during his time in the Show, with a 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 8.4% walk rate in 83 2/3 innings with the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Guardians from 2022-24.  Cleveland dealt Strzelecki to the Pirates in advance of last year’s non-tender deadline, as his lack of minor league options makes him a trickier player to keep on a big league roster.

The Rays will take a look at Strzelecki and see if he can be the latest in a long line of pitchers revived by Tampa Bay’s player development factory.  Should he get the call to the majors, Strzelecki will be in familiar territory, as he played college ball at the University of South Florida.

MLB Announces 2025 All-Star Rosters

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The starting lineups for the 95th All-Star Game were revealed earlier this week, and the league has now announced the rest of the American League and National League rosters for the upcoming Midsummer Classic on July 15 in Atlanta.  Each roster is comprised of 32 players — the nine starting position players determined by fan voting, and then 23 pitchers and backup position players selected by both a player ballot and input from the Commissioner’s office.

The league’s share of the reserve picks will help adhere to the rule that every team must have at least one All-Star rep.  This rule could also be observed via substitutions that will inevitably be named to the rosters in the coming days, as some players won’t participate in the All-Star Game due to injury or personal choice.  The starting pitchers won’t be announced until July 14, with each team’s manager (Aaron Boone for the AL and Dave Roberts for the NL) deciding who will get the honor of the All-Star start.

The Dodgers lead the way with five players selected, while the Tigers and Mariners each had four players selected.  Nineteen of the players in this year’s game are making their All-Star debuts.  Clayton Kershaw made the team specifically as a “Legend Pick” from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, in a nod to Kershaw’s performance over what is sure to be a Hall-of-Fame career.

American League

National League

Rhys Hoskins Suffers Grade 2 Thumb Sprain, Headed To IL

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Rhys Hoskins left the Brewers’ 3-1 win over the Marlins on Saturday due to a left thumb injury, and now faces a lengthy stint on the injured list.  Initial x-rays were negative on Hoskins’ thumb, but Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the first baseman underwent an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 thumb sprain.  Hoskins will be placed on the 10-day IL prior to the Brewers’ game with the Dodgers on Monday.

The injury occurred on a tag play at first base, as Hoskins had to lunge at a wide throw and tag out Miami’s Eric Wagaman.  Hoskins showed immediate discomfort in the aftermath.  Hoskins was able to finish the inning, but Jake Bauers took over as a pinch-hitter and then at first base for the remainder of the game.

The Grade 2 designation indicates a more severe variety of sprain, so chances are Hoskins will be out of action for at least a month.  We’ll likely learn more specifics about a recovery timeline soon, and the exact timing could very well factor into the Brewers’ plans for the July 31st trade deadline.

If Hoskins is going to be sidelined for well into August or beyond, Milwaukee could consider adding a bat to help out at first base.  Should Hoskins be projected for a return in early August, the club could stand pat with in-house options.  Bauers is the obvious candidate, and Andrew Vaughn (acquired in a trade with the White Sox in mid-June) will probably be called up from Triple-A to team up with Bauers in a lefty/righty first base platoon.  Utilityman Andruw Monasterio and even Sal Frelick (who has all of one career inning as a first baseman) could potentially chip in at the cold corner if necessary.

It should be noted that the thumb sprain also likely removes any chance that Hoskins himself could be traded at the deadline.  Though the Brewers are competing for a playoff berth, Hoskins is an impending free agent who still has roughly $8.25MM of his $18MM salary for 2025 left to be paid out.  (He is also owed a $4MM buyout on an $18MM mutual option for 2026 that will surely be bought out.)  This price tag probably would’ve made it difficult for the Brewers to find a trade partner anyway, but the Vaughn trade created some speculation that Milwaukee might try to shed Hoskins’ salary at the deadline in order to address other needs for their postseason push.  With payroll space at a premium, the Milwaukee front office has often tried to both buy and sell at the deadline regardless of the club’s position in the standings, with the 2022 deadline trade of Josh Hader standing out as the prime example of the Brewers’ flexibility.

Hoskins is hitting .242/.340/.428 with 12 homers, good for a 115 wRC+ over his 318 plate appearances.  In what seemed like an echo of his 2024 season in Milwaukee, Hoskins also got off to a big start this year before drastically cooling off.  The first baseman had an .892 OPS over his first 187 PA of the season and then just a .436 OPS in his following 83 PA, though Hoskins had started swinging the bat a lot better over the last couple of weeks.

Looking ahead to Hoskins’ free agency, an extended injury absence won’t help his chances of landing a multi-year contract.  It was already going to be a bit of an uphill battle for Hoskins as a first base-only player entering his age-33 season, and it remains to be seen how his market might develop this winter.  More immediately, of course, Hoskins is just focused on getting healthy and returning to help the Brewers both reach and succeed in the playoffs.

Pirates Re-Sign Yohan Ramírez, Release Peter Strzelecki

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TODAY: Ramirez has signed a new minor league contract with the Pirates, as per his MLB.com profile page.  Ramirez has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

JULY 4: The Pirates have released right-handers Yohan Ramírez and Peter Strzelecki, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Gorman adds that Ramírez triggered a release clause in his contract.

Ramírez, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason. He has been putting up good numbers this year, so it’s understandable that he triggered his release clause. He has thrown 29 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis with a 3.41 earned run average. His 28.2% strikeout rate and 52.9% ground ball rate are both well above average, while his 8.4% walk rate is right around par.

Despite that solid work, the Pirates didn’t call him up. He’ll head to the open market to see what other opportunities are out there for him. In addition to his recent minor league numbers, he has some decent major league work on his track record. He threw 169 innings for various clubs over the previous five seasons with a 4.58 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate, 11.3% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate.

Other clubs around the league have shown interest in him in the past. He exhausted his final option year in 2023, which led to him getting passed around the league. He went to the White Sox, Mets, Orioles, Mets again, Dodgers and Red Sox from September 2023 to July of 2024 via waiver claims or small trades. He eventually cleared waivers late last year and was able to elect free agency at season’s end, which led to his deal with the Bucs. Based on all of that previous interest, his phone could be ringing in the coming days.

As for Strzelecki, 30, his case seems to be more of a straightforward release. Outrighted off the big league roster in March, he has posted a 9.90 ERA in 20 Triple-A innings this year. A tiny 43.5% strand rate played a role there but he also had subpar strikeout and walk rates of 14.7% and 11.8% respectively.

That’s a small sample size and he has some decent big league numbers in his past as well. He logged 83 2/3 innings over the past three seasons with a 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. His poor form in 2025 will naturally tamp down interest but perhaps there’s a club out there that feels there’s a way to get him back on track.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Place Pavin Smith On IL, Select Tristin English

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves this afternoon headlined by their placement of first baseman Pavin Smith on the injured list with an oblique strain. Infielder Tristin English had his contract selected from Triple-A to replace Smith on the roster while left-hander Tommy Henry was recalled to the majors and placed on the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot for English.

Smith, 29, has played just one of Arizona’s last four games and now heads to the shelf with an oblique strain. The severity of the injury is not yet known, nor is it clear when Smith will be able to return, though he’ll be out until after the All-Star break at the very least. It’s a tough blow for a Diamondbacks roster that’s already been ravaged by injuries to key pieces like Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez, and Gabriel Moreno this season.

The club’s first-round pick all the way back in 2017, Smith made his big league debut in 2020 but scuffled at the big league level for several years before finally breaking out during his age-28 season last year. Since then, Smith has been a key cog in the Diamondbacks’ lineup with a fantastic .265/.363/.485 slash line in 139 games, with 17 homers, 26 doubles, and a 13.7% walk rate. That sort of production is difficult to replace, and bench pieces like Randal Grichuk and Jake McCarthy will be called upon to help take up the load in the Arizona lineup.

One other potential contributor could be English, who is set to make his MLB debut should he make it into a game. The club’s third-rounder back in 2019, English has spent time in all four corners throughout his time in the minors can could be a major help for the club off the bench or against left-handed pitchers. The 28-year-old scuffled a bit at Triple-A last year but has hit incredibly well across 58 games at the level this season with a .338/.388/.549 slash line to go with nine home runs, 23 doubles, and a strikeout rate of just 14.2%. Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor have the infield corners locked down on a fairly regular basis for the Diamondbacks, though Smith’s departure leaves DH at-bats for the taking and English could contribute in the outfield as well. It’s also possible that Naylor, who has been playing through a neck injury in recent days, could benefit from extra time at DH that would allow English to step in at first base.

As for Henry, the southpaw underwent elbow surgery late last month. Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZ Sports) today that Henry’s procedure repaired his UCL with an internal brace rather than a full replacement (Tommy John) surgery. That could improve Henry’s odds of pitching at some point during the 2026 season, but the decision to move him to the 60-day IL remains largely procedural as he won’t pitch again in 2025 regardless. With that being said, the move does afford Henry the opportunity to collect an MLB salary and earn big league service time while he rehabs his surgically repaired elbow.

Details On Bryan Reynolds’ Limited No-Trade Protection

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The Pirates appear to be open for business regarding trade talks for most of their roster (sans Paul Skenes) this summer. In a trade market without many quality bats available, that could make two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds a particularly intriguing commodity for some teams. One potential wrinkle in Reynolds’s availability is his partial no-trade protection, which allows him to block trades to a list of six teams. A report from Noah Hiles from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday revealed those teams are the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, and Padres.

All six of those teams are in playoff contention and stand out as likely to not only buy this season, but do so fairly aggressively. It’s not unheard of for a player to waive their no-trade clause, and some players with limited no-trade protection even specifically prioritize putting likely contenders on their no-trade lists to maximize the amount of leverage they have in determining their destination should their team decide to trade them. With that being said, the news of Reynolds’ no-trade list certainly makes a deal sending him to any of those six clubs far less likely.

Many of the clubs Reynolds can block a trade to appear to be imperfect fits on paper. The Dodgers, Yankees, and Mets all have deep corner outfield mixes and seem very unlikely to prioritize adding a bat like Reynolds when they have larger needs elsewhere. The Giants likely made their big splash of trade season already when they acquired Rafael Devers from the Red Sox, although Mike Yastrzemski is in the final year of his contract and would be unlikely to stop San Francisco from adding an impact bat. Addison Barger’s breakout and George Springer’s resurgence have more or less locked down the right field and DH spots for the Blue Jays, and while there’s an opening in left field for the moment that figures to change as soon as Anthony Santander returns from the injured list.

Perhaps the clearest fit for Reynolds on his no-trade list is the Padres, who have long appeared to be a bat short in the lineup as they’ve cycled through options like Jason Heyward, Trenton Brooks, and Oscar Mercado with little success this year. There’s a clear opening in left field for Reynolds to theoretically step into, as well. With that being said, San Diego has operated under some extremely tight financial constraints in recent years that would make it difficult to see them deal a player like Reynolds, who is due more than $77MM after this season on his extension with the Pirates. It should also be noted that, despite Reynolds’s long track record of success in the majors, he’s in the midst of the worst full season of his career as he’s slashed just .232/.298/.384 with a wRC+ of 87 this season.

That combination of a hefty contract, a tough 2025 campaign so far, and now a list of six contenders who likely will not be in the market for Reynolds’s services could mean the Pirates won’t get as much interest in their star outfielder as they may have hoped. Even if that proves to be the case, however, Reynolds is sure to get at least some interest around the league. The Royals have already been connected to Reynolds just this past week, and there will surely be more outfield-needy teams who at least give the Pirates a call to see if there’s a match. Speculatively speaking, the Phillies and Cardinals stand out as clubs that could theoretically stand to make a substantial upgrade to their outfield who might have the resources necessary to take on Reynolds’s contract.

Tigers Select PJ Poulin

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The Tigers announced a pair of roster moves this morning. They’ve selected the contract of left-hander PJ Poulin to the 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. Left-hander Sean Guenther was recalled from Triple-A and placed on the 60-day injured list to make room for Poulin on the 40-man roster. According to Evan Woodbery of MLive, Poulin had an upward mobility clause in his contract and the Tigers opted to add him to their 40-man roster in order to keep him in their organization.

Poulin, 29 later this month, was an 11th-round pick by the Rockies back in 2018. A two-way player in college, Poulin committed to pitching upon his move to affiliated ball. He looked quite good in the lower minors as a reliever in his first two years as a professional, but the canceled minor league season in 2020 lost him a year of development and he generally struggled with his effectiveness in the upper minors during his time with the Rockies organization.

He was dealt to the Tigers prior to the 2024 season and has looked quite good since then, as he posted a 2.10 ERA in 60 innings between Double- and Triple-A last year before posting a 3.72 ERA in 36 1/3 frames at Triple-A this season. That solid but unspectacular ERA comes with a much more impressive 33.8% strikeout rate, and that kind of strikeout stuff from the left side makes it easy to see why the Tigers decided it was worth it to add the lefty to their 40-man roster rather than risk losing him to another organization.

Making room for Poulin on the 40-man roster is Guenther, who has a 2.30 ERA and 2.73 FIP across 31 1/3 innings of work with the Tigers over the past two seasons. Guenther was on the shelf in the minors after undergoing hip surgery last week, meaning that the move to place him on the 60-day IL is largely a procedural one. With that being said, it does come with the side effect of allowing him to collect a big league salary and earn MLB service time until he’s activated and optioned back to the minor leagues.

Blue Jays Place Andres Gimenez On 10-Day Injured List

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The Blue Jays announced a flurry of roster moves this morning, headlined by their move to place second baseman Andres Gimenez on the 10-day injured list with an ankle sprain. Outfielder Joey Loperfido was recalled to the big league roster to replace Gimenez. In a second set of moves, right-hander Ryan Burr was activated from the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Lazaro Estrada was optioned to Triple-A and outfielder Will Robertson was designated for assignment to make room for Burr on the active and 40-man rosters respectively.

Gimenez suffered an ankle injury on Wednesday, and aggravated the issue further on Friday after initially attempting to play through it. He was viewed as day-to-day initially, but Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet noted yesterday that Gimenez was being sent for an MRI. That MRI revealed a sprain, and the Blue Jays evidently felt the issue was severe enough to warrant a trip to the injured list. Gimenez’s exact timeline for return is not yet known, but the timing of the injury means he won’t be back until after the All-Star break at the very earliest.

It’s a tough blow for the division-leading Blue Jays, as while Gimenez is batting just .218/.300/.322 on the year he’s offered his trademark strong glove at second base and has heated up considerably since returning from a quad strain at the start of June. In 25 games since returning, Gimenez had slashed .253/.340/.349 with a wRC+ of 101. A combination of league average offense and Gimenez’s stellar defense is enough to make him an extremely valuable player, as seen in 2023 when he posted 3.8 fWAR for the Guardians despite a 97 wRC+.

While Gimenez is on the shelf, the Jays appear likely to rely on some combination of Will Wagner, Leo Jimenez, and Davis Schneider at the keystone. Loperfido is replacing Gimenez on the roster after posting a 111 wRC+ at the Triple-A level throughout this season, but he hit just .214/.264/.350 in 81 games for the Jays last year and seems unlikely to be much more than a depth option for the club during this return to the majors. Acquired from the Astros as part of the Yusei Kikuchi trade, Loperfido does actually have some experience at second base in the minors but has been limited to the outfield and first base at the big league level.

As for Burr, the right-hander is now poised to make his season debut after being sidelined by a bout of right shoulder inflammation during Spring Training. Burr posted a 4.08 ERA in 75 innings with the White Sox between 2018 and 2022 before spending the 2023 campaign in the Rays’ minor league system. He joined the Blue Jays for the 2024 season and posted a 4.13 ERA in 32 2/3 innings of work with an impressive 33.6% strikeout rate. Toronto is surely hoping Burr can leverage that high strikeout rate into stronger results going forward, and if he can it wouldn’t be hard to see him become a late-inning option for the Jays to help set up Jeff Hoffman.

Making room for Burr on the 40-man roster is Robertson, who crushed the ball at Triple-A this year to the tune of a .288/.410/.582 slash line (159 wRC+) in 51 games to break down the door to the majors and force himself onto the big league roster for the first time in his career. He ultimately appeared in just three games at the big league level, however, and struck out in seven of his 12 plate appearances in the majors. He did notch his first big league hit before getting sent back down, however, and since then he’s continued to hit at a high level in the minors. The Blue Jays will now have one week to either trade Robertson or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he can be outrighted to the minor leagues as a non-roster depth option for the remainder of the season.

Yankees Sign Geoff Hartlieb To Major League Deal

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The Yankees announced this morning that they’ve signed right-hander Geoff Hartlieb to a major league deal and selected him to the roster. Left-hander Jayvien Sandridge has been optioned to Triple-A to make room for Hartlieb on the active roster.

Hartlieb, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees during the offseason and made his lone big league appearance of the season this past week against the Blue Jays. He was lit up for three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three in one inning of work and was promptly designated for assignment. He ultimately cleared waivers and elected free agency but is now back in the majors with New York on a fresh MLB contract.

Prior to playing for the Yankees, Hartlieb had played in five MLB seasons across four organizations. He got his start with the Pirates in 2019 and struggled to a 9.00 ERA in 35 innings during his debut season but settled in and provided some solid middle relief help for Pittsburgh during the shortened 2020 campaign with a 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 frames. Since then he’s made only sparing MLB appearances, with an ugly 8.59 ERA in 22 innings of work between 2021 and 2024 for the Pirates, Mets, Marlins, and Rockies.

Going forward, Hartlieb figures to offer the Yankees another depth option capable of going multiple innings. That could be a useful stopgap addition as they try to sort out a pitching staff that recent lost Clarke Schmidt to what will likely end up being season-ending Tommy John surgery. Schmidt’s injury leaves the Yankees very short on starting depth with Ryan Yarbrough, Gerrit Cole, and Luis Gil all already on the shelf. That could leave the Yankees relying on bullpen games every fifth day for the time being unless they’re willing to dedicate a rotation spot to right-hander Allan Winans. As for Sandridge, the lefty recently made his MLB debut and two runs on two walks, a hit batsman, and a homer while recording two strikeouts in 2/3 of an inning. He’ll head back to Triple-A and serve as optionable lefty depth for the Yankees going forward.

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