Mets Place Francisco Alvarez On Injured List
2:45pm: Alvarez is now officially on the IL due to a right thumb sprain with Senger recalled. The Mets say Alvarez will be further evaluated in 10-14 days.
11:13am: The Mets will place catcher Francisco Alvarez on the injured list today due to his right thumb injury, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. An exact diagnosis isn’t clear just yet, but Alvarez exited Sunday’s game early after injuring his hand on a slide into second base. Manager Carlos Mendoza noted that night that Alvarez was headed for an MRI to evaluate the extent of the injury (link via The Athletic’s Tim Britton).
Losing Alvarez for any period of time is a crushing blow to a flailing Mets club that has come out of the All-Star break with an 11-16 record — including just a 4-11 mark in August. The 23-year-old backstop has been the team’s hottest hitter after a monthlong reset in Triple-A. He’s come to the plate 71 times since being recalled on July 21 and turned in a brilliant .323/.406/.645 batting line (193 wRC+) with four homers, six doubles and a triple.
With Alvarez out for at least the next nine days — his stint can be backdated to Monday — the Mets will have to lean on backup Luis Torrens and rookie Hayden Senger behind the dish. It’s a notable offensive downgrade, with Torrens hitting just .214/.280/.301 in 225 plate appearances this season and Senger carrying a .174/.208/.196 slash in 49 plate appearances as a 28-year-old rookie.
Alvarez missed significant time in 2023 with a thumb injury, though that was due to a ligament tear in his other (left) thumb. He’s also missed time due to a fractured hamate in his left wrist. While it’s perhaps the smallest of silver linings that this latest injury didn’t occur in the same hand that’s already caused him to miss significant action on two separate occasions, his absence will be prominently felt.
Braves Claim Jake Fraley
The Braves announced that they have claimed outfielder Jake Fraley off waivers from the Reds. Cincinnati designated him for assignment a couple of days ago. Atlanta has multiple 40-man vacancies. They will need to open an active roster spot once Fraley reports to the team, as he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.
Fraley has had some major league success but isn’t having his best season. He has had a couple of stints on the injured list, one due to left calf tenderness and another due to a right shoulder sprain. Those injuries limited him to 67 games with the Reds. His .232/.332/.387 batting line translated to a 98 wRC+, indicating he was 2% below league average. He only stole four bases, despite getting at least 20 in the previous two seasons.
The Reds squeezed him off their roster, opting to give some of his playing time to Will Benson as they are trying to make a playoff push. Atlanta is in a different situation, as they are out of contention this year. Fraley can be retained for 2026, so they can give him some playing time down the stretch to see if he’s worth tendering a contract for next year.
His career has had ups and downs but there are things to like in his profile, particularly his ability to succeed with the platoon advantage. A left-handed hitter, he has a career .260/.344/.434 line and 112 wRC+ against righties. Against southpaws, that line is just .172/.269/.234, leading to a 45 wRC+. As mentioned, he can swipe a few bags as well. He only has four this year but got 21 in 2023 and 20 last year.
Defensively, the reviews are mixed. Playing all three spots, he’s been credited with four Outs Above Average in his career. Defensive Runs Saved gives him a far worse grade of -9. However, DRS hates his work in center and right field but likes him in left.
Fraley is making $3.125MM this year and, as mentioned, can be retained for next year via arbitration. This year’s injuries will limit his ability to earn a massive raise. Atlanta evidently feels there’s a possibility to him serving a role on next year’s club, so they have grabbed him today.
Atlanta’s current outfield mix includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris II, Eli White and Vidal Bruján. They have Marcell Ozuna as the designated hitter on a regular basis but he’s an impending free agent. It’s possible the club wants to use next year’s DH spot to get more at-bats for the catching duo of Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy, but they could also rotate some outfielders through there. It’s been speculated that they might make Murphy available in trades this winter to give the job to Baldwin and clear some payroll space. Others have speculated that they might make Profar available since he got hit with a PED suspension shortly after signing. Trading either would open up some more playing time for others.
Those are questions still to be answered in the long run. Atlanta is not committed to including Fraley in next year’s plans as they could always non-tender him after 2024. For now, Fraley will jump into the current outfield mix. Perhaps Acuña will get some time off his feet down the stretch since his health has been touch-and-go this year. He was still recovering from last year’s ACL tear at the start of the 2025 campaign. More recently, he missed a few weeks due to a calf strain.
Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
Phillies Designate Josh Walker For Assignment, Activate José Alvarado
The Phillies announced that left-hander José Alvarado has been reinstated from the restricted list. That move was expected as he had served his 80-game PED suspension. To make make room for him, the Phils optioned right-hander Nolan Hoffman to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and designated left-hander Josh Walker for assignment.
Walker, 30, was acquired from the Jays in exchange for cash back in May. He pitched five innings with Toronto but hasn’t appeared in the majors with Philadelphia. Rather, he’s spent his entire time with the Phillies organization in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’s logged 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate.
A towering 6’6″ left-hander, Walker has appeared in parts of three big league seasons — two with the Mets and earlier this year with the Jays. He’s pitched only 27 1/3 MLB frames, however, and sports a rocky 6.59 ERA in that limited sample of work. He’s fanned nearly one quarter of his opponents and has a sharp 12.4% swinging-strike rate, but command has been a struggle for him both in the majors and in the upper minors. That said, Walker does have a more palatable 4.46 ERA and 26% strikeout rate in 167 2/3 innings of Triple-A work.
Alvarado has been out since May 16 after receiving an 80-game ban following a positive PED test. His absence subtracted one of the Phillies’ top relief arms, and he’ll return to a new-look bullpen that suddenly looks like a powerhouse. In Alvarado’s absence, the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins and signed free agent David Robertson. That pair, combined with Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks and the returning Alvarado, makes the Phillies’ relief corps both exceptionally deep and dangerous for opposing lineups.
In 20 innings prior to his suspension, Alvarado pitched to a 2.70 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate and just a 4.8% walk rate. While he had some struggles last year (4.09 ERA), Alvarado has generally been a high-impact bullpen weapon for skipper Rob Thomson for the past several seasons. Dating back to 2022, he’s pitched 174 major league innings and logged a 3.10 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 50.5% grounder rate.
Despite being on the restricted list, Alvarado was allowed to pitch in a minor league rehab stint as a tune-up to return to the Philadelphia bullpen. He tossed five shutout innings, albeit with as many walks as strikeouts. Alvarado recorded a huge 62.9% ground-ball rate in that time. His average sinker dipped from 99.3 mph to 98 mph, though that’s not exactly a surprise given the lengthy layoff.
While Alvarado will provide a major boost to the Phillies down the stretch, he’ll be a non-factor when the postseason rolls around. Players who are suspended for PED usage are ruled ineligible for the playoffs during the year in which they served their suspension. Thomson will have Alvarado at his disposal for the next six weeks, but in October, it’ll be Duran, Robertson, Strahm, Banks and Kerkering anchoring the bullpen — perhaps alongside one of the current rotation members, depending on the health and performance of the group between now and late September.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good morning! We’ll get going at 1:00 CT, give or take a couple minutes, but feel free to begin sending in questions ahead of time if you prefer.
- Greetings! Let’s get going
Doug Sisk
- What happens to Frankie Montas’ 2026 player option if the Mets release him before the end of the 2025 season?
Steve Adams
- The player option is guaranteed money. He’d make next year’s $17MM and count against the luxury tax whether he’s on the roster or not.
OsKnows
- Mountcastle’s time as an O almost over?
Steve Adams
- I do think he’ll be traded this offseason (or perhaps just non-tendered if he really struggles down the stretch, but he’s hitting well since returning from the IL anyhow). I’d expect first base to primarily be a combination of Mayo and Basallo next year. Mountcastle only has one year of club control left and will probably make more than $8MM. O’s can move him and put that money toward pitching instead.
Greg Allen Elects Free Agency
The Orioles announced that outfielder Greg Allen declined a minor league assignment in favor of free agency. He’d cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment on Saturday when the O’s called up prospect Dylan Beavers.
Allen had a brief stay with Baltimore. He’d signed a big league contract on August 8, a couple days after being granted his release from a minor league deal with the Cubs. He made seven appearances but went 0-14, striking out five times while grounding into a pair of double plays. Allen probably wouldn’t have been long for the roster even if he’d played well in a tiny sample.
The O’s were planning to promote Beavers around the middle of August. At that point, he’d spend fewer than 45 days on the MLB roster and would remain rookie eligible next season — potentially allowing the team to recoup a draft pick if they carry him for a full service year and he plays well enough to earn awards consideration. Baltimore also welcomed Colton Cowser back from a minimal injured list stint on Sunday. Allen was always going to be a stopgap outfielder.
This marked Allen’s first MLB action in two years. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Yankees, suiting up 22 times during the ’23 season. Allen’s speed and ability to cover all three outfield positions has gotten him to the majors in parts of eight seasons, almost always as a fourth or fifth outfielder. He was hitting .270/.355/.440 in Triple-A with the Cubs earlier in the year and should land elsewhere on a minor league deal.
Pirates Release Ryan Borucki
The Pirates released veteran reliever Ryan Borucki, according to the MLB.com transaction log. That was the expected outcome after Pittsburgh designated the southpaw for assignment on Friday. Borucki has more than five years of service time and had the right to refuse a minor league assignment, making the release a formality.
Assuming no team claims Borucki off release waivers, he’ll be a free agent. The Pirates will remain on the hook for the rest of his $1.15MM salary, while a signing team would pay him the prorated $760K league minimum rate if he gets an MLB opportunity. If he does sign somewhere, it’d likely come before the beginning of September. Players need to be in an organization by September 1 to be eligible for postseason play. They don’t need to be on the 40-man roster by that point, so Borucki would be playoff eligible even if he signs a minor league contract within the next two weeks.
The 31-year-old would be a long shot to make a postseason roster but should get attention from teams seeking left-handed relief depth. While he has struggled to a 5.28 earned run average through 30 2/3 innings, his underlying marks are a little more intriguing. Borucki has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 55% clip while posting slightly worse than average strikeout and walk marks.
Borucki recently returned from a six-week absence due to a lower back injury. He reeled off five straight scoreless outings upon coming off the IL, but he gave up three runs in an inning of work in Milwaukee last week. The Pirates designated him for assignment after that, calling up lefty Evan Sisk to take his spot in the bullpen. Sisk is a 28-year-old rookie reliever, so the ceiling isn’t exactly high, but the Pirates liked him enough to acquire him from Kansas City in the Bailey Falter deadline deal. It’s understandable they’d rather take a look at Sisk for the final six weeks of the season than continue pitching Borucki, who was headed for free agency at season’s end.
The Opener: Alvarado, Guerrero, MLBTR Chat
Here are three things for MLBTR readers to watch out for throughout the day:
1. Alvarado to return:
Phillies southpaw Jose Alvarado served the 80th game of his PED suspension yesterday, meaning he’s set to be activated for today’s game against the Mariners. While Alvarado won’t be eligible to participate in the postseason, if he can continue to produce anything close to the 2.70 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate and 1.84 FIP that he posted in 20 innings of work prior to his suspension back in May, he’ll be a major asset to the Phillies’ bullpen down the stretch. Alvarado will join what’s become a fearsome back of the Phillies bullpen after the club picked up Jhoan Duran and David Robertson to complement Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm. That deep bullpen mix should serve the Phillies well as they look to wrap up the NL East and angle for a bye through the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Corresponding moves to accommodate Alvarado’s addition to both the active and 40-man rosters will be necessary before he can be activated.
2. Guerrero to undergo MRI:
The AL-leading Blue Jays suffered a major scare yesterday when star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exited the team’s loss against the Pirates due to a hamstring injury. As noted by MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, Guerrero is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue. Matheson adds that the MRI seems to be viewed as “precautionary” at this point.
With just six weeks left in the regular season, it would be understandable if Toronto exercised an abundance of caution with the face of their franchise and sent him for a brief stint on the injured list rather than risk letting him play through the issue and further aggravating the hamstring. Ty France and Joey Loperfido are among the club’s potential first base options to fill in for Guerrero in the event that he misses time.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
The trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and the stretch run has officially begun. There is no shortage of close postseason races, and it’s never too early to look ahead to the offseason and what free agency and the winter trade market might bring. MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a live chat this afternoon at 1pm CT to discuss it all. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Andrew McCutchen Intends To Continue Playing In 2026
Andrew McCutchen hopes to return for an 18th season in the big leagues. “I want to continue to play. I think I’m still capable of doing that,” the former MVP tells Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
McCutchen has spent the past three seasons playing on one-year deals with the Pirates. The franchise icon has previously suggested he plans to remain in Pittsburgh until he retires.
Asked by Mackey whether he still wants to be a Pirate, McCutchen replied that he “(wants) to win” and added that he needs to show he’s capable of playing well enough to be part of that. While the “(wants) to win” response will be viewed by some as a shot at an organization stumbling to yet another last-place finish, McCutchen concluded by saying he needs to “show that (he) was able to have a good year and still can play the following year and not (fill) in a spot.” Readers are encouraged to view Mackey’s post for the full scope of McCutchen’s comments.
In any case, it’d be a surprise if McCutchen were anywhere other than Pittsburgh next season. The Bucs have not considered trading him at either of the past two deadlines even though he could’ve helped a contender as a bench bat. If McCutchen actually had any interest in leaving the Pirates, they’d presumably have accommodated him in trying to arrange a trade to a playoff team.
The 38-year-old has a slightly below-average .239/.326/.370 slash line with 11 home runs through 437 plate appearances. His numbers have trended gradually down over the past three seasons. It’s not strong production for a full-time designated hitter. Yet he’s far from the biggest problem in a completely punchless lineup. The Pirates have had 17 different hitters take at least 50 trips to the plate. Not a single one has turned in an above-average offensive showing, as measured by wRC+.
Among the team’s position players, only Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales have been worth at least one win above replacement, according to FanGraphs. Baseball Reference WAR has impending free agents Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Tommy Pham as the team’s two most valuable position players. It’s a bleak picture.
Even if McCutchen shouldn’t be an everyday designated hitter, the Pirates could surely find room for him on the roster. He told Mackey he still believes he’s capable of playing the outfield despite only starting seven games there this year. McCutchen has had a nice season against left-handed pitching (.282/.359/.398), so perhaps he’d fit best in a part-time DH/corner outfield role that allows whomever is managing the 2026 team to use him more selectively. McCutchen has signed for $5MM in each of the past three offseasons.
Vesting Options Update: Giolito, Polanco, Strahm
The upcoming free agent class doesn’t feature a ton of players whose contracts contain vesting options. Marcus Stroman’s deal with the Yankees would’ve contained an $18MM player option had he reached 140 innings, but an early-season knee injury made that impossible. The Yanks released him earlier this month anyhow.
While Stroman’s option was a non-factor, a trio of players are closing in on their own vesting provisions.
- Lucas Giolito, Red Sox RHP ($14MM club option converts to $19MM mutual option at 140 innings; $1.5MM buyout in either case)
Giolito is up to 106 2/3 innings across 19 starts. He needs another 33 1/3 frames to convert next season’s $14MM team option into a $19MM mutual provision. That’d allow him to decline his end and retest free agency as he heads into his age-31 campaign. He’d very likely do so and could command a three-plus year contract.
The righty’s season numbers aren’t exceptional. Giolito carries a 3.63 earned run average with a 19.6% strikeout percentage that is his lowest since his terrible 2018 campaign. He had a trio of blowups in his first seven appearances after missing all of last season to an internal brace surgery. He has been locked in over the past two-plus months. In his last 12 starts, Giolito carries a 2.34 ERA while averaging over six innings per appearance. His 20.4% strikeout rate still isn’t great, and he has benefitted from a .229 opponents average on balls in play, but he at least looks the part of a durable mid-rotation arm again.
Giolito has a good shot to reach 140 innings. He’d need to average a little under six innings per start over his next six appearances. If he stays healthy, he should take the ball at least seven times — which would give him leeway in case he has one bad outing in which he’s knocked out after two or three frames. Even a minimal injured list stint would take it off the table, though.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said over the weekend that the Sox had no intention of changing Giolito’s workload to keep him from vesting the option. No front office executive would publicly admit otherwise, of course, but there’s no reason to doubt Breslow in this case. The Red Sox are trying to secure a postseason berth. Even if they were out of contention, limiting a player’s workload so they could exercise an option to keep that player at a below-market rate wouldn’t make for an especially good relationship. If he gets to free agency, Giolito could take aim at something like the three-year deals secured by Luis Severino ($67MM with an opt-out after the second season) and Sean Manaea ($75MM with deferrals).
- Jorge Polanco, Mariners DH/2B ($8MM mutual option converts to $6MM player option at 450 plate appearances, escalates to $8MM player option at 550 plate appearances; $750K buyout in either case)*
Polanco re-signed with Seattle last offseason on a somewhat complicated deal that reflected his health uncertainty coming off left knee surgery. The deal contains an $8MM mutual option which would vest into a $6MM player provision if Polanco reaches 450 plate appearances. Polanco has taken 395 trips to the dish. He’s 55 plate appearances from reaching the vesting mark, and he’d escalate the player option price back to $8MM if he tallies another 155 trips before season’s end.
Initially, the Mariners looked to have struck gold with that surprise re-signing. Polanco blasted nine home runs while hitting .384 through the end of April. Even with knee and side discomfort limiting him to early-season DH work, he looked rejuvenated. Polanco’s production completely tanked over the next two months, however. He had a huge July but is back to a .213/.275/.298 showing in 14 games this month.
Polanco has hit .209/.283/.344 across 315 plate appearances since the beginning of May. His season batting line (.245/.310/.439) is still above-average, but there have been significant peaks and valleys. Cole Young has taken over at second base. While Eugenio Suárez’s impending free agency leaves an opening at third base, Polanco hasn’t shown he’s healthy enough to play there regularly. There’s a good chance the Mariners would buy out their end of the option if it remains a mutual provision. Polanco only needs to start another 13 or 14 games to give himself more security.
That shouldn’t be a problem with 36 games remaining on the schedule. The M’s have sat him in each of their past two games against left-handed opponents, but he continues to play regularly versus righties. He’s highly unlikely to get all the way to 550 PA’s to push the player option to $8MM, but he should easily unlock the $6MM player option that’ll give him the unilateral decision whether to return to free agency.
* The vesting provision also requires that Polanco hasn’t suffered a lower body injury that’d prevent him from being ready for Opening Day 2026.
- Matt Strahm, Phillies LHP ($5.5MM team option becomes guaranteed at $7.5MM at 60 innings)*
Strahm’s extension with the Phillies contained a $4.5MM club option for the 2026 season. The southpaw has already pushed that to $5.5MM and will escalate it to $6.5MM when he records two more outs. He’s 10 2/3 innings away from hitting the 60-inning threshold, at which point the price jumps to $7.5MM and becomes guaranteed.
In his case, it’s probably immaterial. Even if Strahm suffers a minor injury that keeps him from getting to 60 frames, the Phillies would probably exercise the option. Strahm is having another impressive season, working to a 3.10 ERA with six saves and 14 holds. His velocity has dropped a tick and he has lost a few points on his strikeout rate, but he has still punched out an above-average 27.7% of opponents. Strahm is one of Rob Thomson’s more trusted setup arms.
* The vesting provision also requires that Strahm pass a postseason physical.
Mariners To Activate Bryce Miller On Tuesday
The Mariners are activating starter Bryce Miller from the injured list tomorrow, manager Dan Wilson tells reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer). He’ll go opposite NL Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sánchez in the second game of their series against the Phillies. While Miller has been out for over two months, Seattle never transferred him to the 60-day injured list. They’ll therefore only need to make an active roster transaction tomorrow.
Miller will take an MLB mound for the first time since June 6. He has been sidelined since then by elbow inflammation. The righty received a platelet-rich plasma injection and was able to rehab without anything more invasive. He has made a trio of rehab starts with Triple-A Tacoma this month. Miller got up to 5 2/3 innings and 76 pitches in his most recent appearance last Wednesday. He allowed a pair of runs on two hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts.
Perhaps more importantly, Miller’s velocity has looked sharp on the rehab assignment. He’s averaging 96.4 MPH on his fastball, more than two ticks higher than his early-season MLB work. Miller struggled over his first couple months, allowing 5.73 earned runs per nine while averaging fewer than five innings per start. His 18.1% strikeout rate was down more than six percentage points compared to last season. Miller was one of the better pitchers in MLB a year ago, taking the ball 31 times and working to a 2.94 ERA across 180 1/3 frames.
Miller will try to recapture last year’s form as the M’s battle the Astros for the AL West crown. Seattle is a game and a half back while holding a 3.5 game cushion on the Guardians in the Wild Card picture. They’ve dropped five of their past six but have been aided by Houston losing four of their last six games. Miller will step into the rotation in place of rookie righty Logan Evans, who went on the IL with his own elbow issue last week.