A’s Place Max Muncy On Injured List Due To Broken Finger
4:05pm: Muncy did indeed suffer his injury against the Rangers on April 13 and tried to play through it, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com.
4:00pm: The Athletics placed infielder Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list due to a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand, per a team announcement. Fellow infielder Brett Harris is up from Triple-A to take his place on the active roster.
The 23-year-old Muncy — not to be confused with the unrelated Dodgers third baseman of the same name — was the Athletics’ first-round pick in 2021 and has been their primary third baseman so far in 2026. He’s out to a decent .239/.308/.402 start. Muncy has smacked a pair of homers, gone 2-for-3 in stolen base attempts, and added five doubles and a pair of triples. He’s walked at a below-average 5.8% clip and struck out in an alarming 35.6% of his plate appearances. He’s been a thorn in the side of left-handed pitching, in particular, tallying five extra-base hits and five walks in only 34 plate appearances against southpaws.
It’s not entirely clear when Muncy suffered the injury, though his performance gives us a good clue. He had a mammoth showing in spring training (.380/.466/.800, five homers in 58 plate appearances) and sprinted out of the gates with a .317/.349/.533 showing in his first 63 trips to the plate during the regular season. Muncy was hit on the bands by a Nathan Eovaldi pitch on April 13, and his bat his since gone in the tank. He’s mired in an awful 3-for-32 stretch and has fanned 15 times in his past 41 turns at the plate. The original diagnosis at the time was a bruised left hand, but it’s fairly common for swelling to obscure a fracture in the immediate aftermath of a hit-by-pitch.
Muncy has yet to firmly cement himself as an everyday player in the big leagues and probably won’t do so unless he’s able to whittle down that sky-high strikeout rate. (He had a 34.9% strikeout rate even in that torrid stretch of 63 plate appearances to begin his season.) He knocked Triple-A pitching around at a hearty .325/.397/.504 clip in 141 plate appearances last year and has been consistently productive in the minors since reaching the Double-A level. Strikeouts haven’t been a major issue in the upper minors — he’s fanned at just a 23% clip in Triple-A — perhaps giving cause for optimism that he can eventually scale back his strikeouts in the majors.
Even if Muncy doesn’t settle in as a regular at the hot corner, there’s enough pop in his bat and enough versatility in his defensive repertoire that he could profile as a utility option. He has experience at shortstop, third base and second base. Scouting reports have long pegged him as an adequate shortstop who could handle second or third if needed. His hit tool is below average, but he’s generally credited with average power, if not slightly better. He’s not a burner on the bases but has above-average speed, sitting in the 72nd percentile of big leaguers this season.
The A’s haven’t provided a timetable, but a broken finger in the infielder’s glove hand seems like it’ll sideline him for more than a minimum stint. In the interim, the A’s can go with a combination of Harris and Darell Hernaiz at third base. They could also slide Jeff McNeil over to the hot corner in order to clear some playing time at second base for Zack Gelof, although the 26-year-old Gelof has struggled immensely since a promising rookie showing back in 2023.
Justin Steele Shut Down Due To Setback
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele has hit a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The specifics of the setback aren’t clear but Rogers suggests that Steele’s return timeline is likely to be pushed into the future.
Steele underwent surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament in April of 2025. The Cubs called it a “revision repair”, something less than a full Tommy John surgery, and suggested Steele could be back in about a year’s time. He was throwing off a mound by the end of January 2026, creating some hope that he could return fairly early in 2026.
The Cubs put Steele on the 60-day injured list just as the season was beginning, meaning he couldn’t officially return prior to late May. Even that timeline may no longer be on the table, as Rogers says the plan of returning by Memorial Day may now be in jeopardy.
Further details will likely be forthcoming from the club prior to tonight’s game. Whenever Steele is finally healthy, it will still be a while before he can rejoin the club. He’ll need to build up through the standard steps of throwing bullpens, then live batting practice, then a rehab assignment, with that overall process to take at least a few weeks.
More to come.
Shaun Anderson Elects Free Agency
The Angels announced Tuesday that right-hander Shaun Anderson, who was designated for assignment a few days ago, passed through waivers unclaimed. The Halos outrighted Anderson to Triple-A, but he rejected the assignment (which is his right as a player who has previously been outrighted in the past). He’s elected free agency instead.
Anderson tossed 16 2/3 innings out of the Angels’ bullpen this season. The 31-year-old was hit hard, surrendering 13 runs (11 earned) on 17 hits and eight walks with a dozen strikeouts. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.
That’s now parts of seven seasons in the majors for Anderson, although most of his looks in the majors have been fleeting — as evidenced by the fact that he’s accrued only two-plus years of service in those seven partial seasons. The 2016 third-rounder (Red Sox) has a career 6.35 ERA with a subpar 16.7% strikeout rate against a solid but unspectacular 8.8% walk rate. His slider and changeup have both graded as plus pitches at various points in the past, but not much from Anderson’s arsenal has generated positive results in recent seasons.
Anderson had a solid run with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kia Tigers in 2023 and posted very strong minor league numbers between the Triple-A affiliates for the Rangers and Marlins in 2024 (3.00 ERA, 23.4 K%, 5.9 BB%). He spent the bulk of the 2025 season in the Angels’ Triple-A rotation and was tagged for a 6.02 ERA in 23 starts (plus one bullpen outing). That rough season skewed his career line in Triple-A, but Anderson still carries a 4.35 ERA in 428 2/3 innings at that level, even with last year’s 6.02 mark in 116 2/3 frames.
Cubs Claim Doug Nikhazy, Designate Ben Cowles For Assignment
The Cubs have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. There wasn’t any previous indication Nikhazy had been removed from the Sox roster but it appears they tried to sneak him through waivers in recent days. The Cubs designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was the first to report the moves.
It’s mildly surprising that the Sox put Nikhazy on the wire. He has options and has mostly been in the minors as depth since they claimed him off waivers three weeks ago. They don’t have 40-man pressure, as guys like Tanner Murray and Drew Thorpe are 60-day IL candidates. Perhaps the Sox felt now was a good time to try to pass Nikhazy through waivers since he has an 8.71 earned run average in Triple-A this year.
Instead, the Cubs have swooped in and put the kibosh on that plan. The North Siders are looking past this year’s struggles and focusing on Nikhazy’s better numbers in previous seasons. The southpaw had a strong 2024 campaign in the Guardians’ system, tossing 123 2/3 innings on the farm with a 2.98 ERA. His 10.8% walk rate was high but he struck out 25.4% of batters faced.
He hasn’t been in amazing form since then. He made a brief major league debut in 2025 but spent most of the season in the minors, where he posted a 5.02 ERA. As mentioned, this year has been even worse so far. Despite the poor results of late, he clearly still has interest around the league. The Guards put him on waivers a few weeks ago, which is when the Sox scooped him up. Now the Cubs are taking a turn.
The Cubs have had a large number of pitching injuries this year, moreso in the bullpen than in the rotation. Nikhazy gives them some extra starting depth but perhaps could be recalled if they need a spot start or another long relief option in the bullpen. His stuff isn’t overpowering, as he averages around 90 miles per hour with his fastball. Between that and his subpar control, perhaps he should be moved to the bullpen so that his stuff could play up, but he’s mostly been a starter/swingman to this point in his career.
Cowles, 26, is clearly in a fringe zone where he’s considered a borderline roster guy. The Cubs put him on their 40-man roster in November of 2024. He was designated for assignment in September of last year and claimed by the White Sox. In the offseason, he went to the Cubs, to the Blue Jays and then back to the Cubs via waiver claims. Now he’s been bumped into DFA limbo once again.
Despite all that time on various rosters, he is still looking to make his major league debut, since he hasn’t been producing much in the minors. Back in 2024, he slashed .286/.372/.457 in Double-A, which is why the Cubs gave him a roster spot in the first place. But since then, he has a .235/.305/.372 line in Triple-A.
DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to explore trade interest. Cowles hasn’t been hitting for the past year-plus but he does provide speed and defensive versatility. He’s generally good for about 15 to 25 steals per year. Defensively, he has spent time at the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as left field. He still has options and could be stashed in the minors for the rest of this season and one additional campaign.
Photo courtesy of Ed Szczepanski, Imagn Images
Yankees Place Giancarlo Stanton On Injured List
April 28th: The Yanks officially put Stanton on the IL today, with infielder Max Schuemann recalled as the corresponding move. It appears the Yanks will play one more game with 14 position players and 12 pitchers. They plan to recall Elmer Rodríguez to start Wednesday’s game, so it may just be a one-day stint on the roster for Schuemann.
April 27th: The Yankees are placing Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list with a “low-grade” strain of his right calf, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (relayed by Erik Boland of Newsday). They can backdate the placement to April 25.
New York recalled Jasson Domínguez to serve as the designated hitter in tonight’s 4-2 win over the Rangers. They played with 14 position players and only 12 pitchers after optioning struggling starter Luis Gil on Sunday. That means they’ll probably recall a reliever tomorrow as the corresponding move for the Stanton IL placement.
Stanton tweaked his calf on Friday while running the bases. The Yankees gave it a few days before making the IL move. Between that and Boone specifying that it’s of a low-grade variety, it doesn’t seem the club anticipates an extended absence. Stanton will need at least another week before he’s able to return to action.
It’s the first injury of the 2026 season for Stanton. He has required at least one IL trip in every year since 2018 and hasn’t reached 500 plate appearances in a season in five years. The Yankees surely anticipated at least one injury absence from the five-time All-Star.
Stanton is out to a league average start at the plate. He’s hitting .256/.302/.422 with a trio of home runs through 96 plate appearances. The power numbers are down in the early going, but Stanton still ranks at the top of the league in bat speed and exit velocity. Even if repeating last season’s .273/.350/.594 slash would be a tough ask, he should remain an impact power threat when he’s able to take the field.
This should open the DH spot for Domínguez, at least against right-handed pitching. He got the nod tonight against Jack Leiter and went 1-4 in his season debut. The Yankees face two more right-handers, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, to close that three-game series. The switch-hitting Domínguez has been much better from the left side in his career and would be the sensible choice to start those games.
The complicating factor is that the Yankees are expected to welcome Anthony Volpe back from the injured list this week. That’ll push José Caballero to a utility role and someone off the big league bench — presuming they don’t want to stick with a 12-man pitching staff. Ben Rice hasn’t caught all season and is destroying the ball as the primary first baseman. They may not want to mess with that arrangement by optioning J.C. Escarra and making Rice the backup catcher.
They could option Domínguez back to Triple-A, but he’s probably not benefiting much from destroying mediocre minor league pitching. He was squeezed off the season-opening roster simply because the Yankees couldn’t find a path to getting him everyday playing time, which is now open at DH as long as Stanton is on the shelf.
That could instead point to them designating a veteran role player for assignment once Volpe returns. Randal Grichuk broke camp in a short side platoon outfield role and is hitting .194 without a home run over 33 plate appearances. Paul Goldschmidt has had a slow start as well but figures to have a longer leash in his second season in the Bronx on a $4MM contract.
Mets Place Kodai Senga On Injured List
The Mets announced Tuesday that righty Kodai Senga has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to lumbar spinal inflammation. Right-hander Christian Scott has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in his place.
Senga, the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year runner-up, has seen his standing in the Mets organization drop precipitously in recent seasons. He missed the 2024 season due to injury, came back strong early in 2025 but crumbled over the summer. Although he finished the 2025 season with a 3.02 ERA, all of Senga’s production came in the season’s first three months. He struggled so much in the summer — 6.56 ERA, eight homers, 22 walks in 35 2/3 innings — that he consented to be optioned by the Mets.
The early returns in 2026 were promising. Senga yielded only two runs with an 11-to-1 K/BB ratio in 9 2/3 spring frames. He totaled 11 2/3 innings and held opponents to four runs with a 16-to-5 K/BB ratio in his first two starts this year. He looked to be getting back on track — at least until his third start of the season. Senga was tagged for seven runs, followed with another seven-run clunker (six earned), and lasted only 2 2/3 innings (three runs allowed) in his most recent start. Over his past three turns, he’s totaled just 8 1/3 innings but been shelled for 16 earned runs on the strength of five homers — all with more walks issued (eight) than strikeouts recorded (seven).
Senga averaged a hefty 97.4 mph on his four-seamer in his 2026 debut, but it’s been downhill since then. His average fastball dipped to 96 mph in his second start and sat between 95.1 mph and 95.7 mph in each of his three subsequent starts. That’s still better-than-average velocity, but a drop of two miles per hour since March 31 certainly seems to suggest that he’s been pitching at less than 100 percent.
The Mets haven’t provided a timetable for Senga’s return. That’ll presumably come closer to today’s game, when skipper Carlos Mendoza meets with the media. Regardless, today’s injury announcement continues a worrying downward trendline for Senga. His struggles have played a notable role in the Mets’ underperformance as a whole, and getting the right-hander healthy would go a long way toward the Mets digging themselves out of the awful 9-19 hole they’ve dug in the season’s first month.
Scott, once one of the game’s top pitching prospects, will look to play his own role in that turnaround. He entered the 2024 season considered to be the Mets’ top pitching prospect and one of the top 100 prospects in the sport. He had a decent debut that summer but wound up requiring Tommy John surgery that wiped out his entire 2025 campaign. Scott made his big league return last week against the Twins, and it didn’t go well; he faced 10 batters, walking five of them and plunking a sixth. He didn’t make it out of the second inning, and the Mets optioned him back to Triple-A the following day.
That’s not a great start to his big league campaign, but Scott has had more encouraging results in Syracuse. Granted, a 5.27 ERA isn’t much to look at, but it’s come in a small sample of 13 2/3 innings. Scott was roughed up for six runs through 3 1/3 frames in his first game action since 2024, but he rebounded with just two total runs allowed across 10 1/3 innings in his next two Triple-A starts. He’s sitting on a strong 17-to-2 K/BB ratio in Syracuse, though he’s also hit a pair of batters there. Still, Scott has a nearly 30% strikeout rate and is sitting 95.4 mph on his four-seamer this year — a full mile per hour north of the 94.1 mph he averaged back in 2024.
The Mets have gotten brilliant results from rookie ace Nolan McLean and veteran Clay Holmes. Offseason acquisition Freddy Peralta had a rocky start but has strung together three sharp outings. Senga and David Peterson have struggled throughout the year. The former is now on the injured list, while the latter was moved into the bullpen for the current turn through the rotation. If Scott struggles again in Senga’s place, it’s possible Peterson will be plugged back into that rotation spot, but the situation seems fluid with several underperforming and/or injured options on the staff.
Angels Release Jordan Romano
Right-hander Jordan Romano has been released by the Angels, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment a couple of days ago. He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity.
Players with at least five years of major league service time have the right to reject outright assignments to the minor leagues, instead electing free agency while retaining their salaries. The Halos have seemingly skipped that formality and opted to release Romano. They will remain on the hook for the remainder of his $2MM salary for now. Another club could sign him and only pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Angels pay.
Any interest from other clubs would not be based on recent trends. Romano has had a tough time in the past few years. He was injured for much of the 2024 season with the Blue Jays. He signed with the Phillies last year and had awful results. The Angels tried to get a bounceback but didn’t succeed. Between those three clubs, he has tossed 64 1/3 innings since the start of 2024, allowing 8.11 earned runs per nine.
That number probably overstates how poorly Romano has pitched. His 9.3% walk rate in that time was close to average, while his strikeout rate of 24.7% was a couple of ticks better than par. An 18.1% home run to fly ball rate didn’t help. His .331 batting average on balls in play and 54.2% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His 5.43 FIP for that time wasn’t good but far better than his ERA. On the wildly optimistic side, Romano actually has a 3.71 SIERA in that span.
Rather than sifting for positives in recent numbers, Romano’s potential is best shown in his more distant past. From 2020 to 2023, he posted a 2.29 ERA in 200 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays. He racked up 97 saves in that time with a 30.8% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and 43.3% ground ball rate.
He hasn’t been nearly as effective since, as mentioned. Despite some optimistic underlying data, getting back to that level will be difficult with such diminished stuff. Romano averaged 97.6 miles per hour on his four-seamer back in 2021. That number has ticked down every year since and has been at 94.5 mph so far in 2026. Similarly, his slider is more than 4 mph down from its peak.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Activate Trey Yesavage
April 28th: The Jays officially reinstated Yesavage today. Right-hander Chase Lee, who was recalled yesterday when Scherzer hit the IL, was optioned as the corresponding move.
April 25th: Trey Yesavage is ready for his 2026 debut, as the rookie right-hander will be activated from the 15-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game with the Red Sox. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) that Dylan Cease, Yesavage, and Max Scherzer will start during the three-game series against Boston. Cease and Patrick Corbin will swap places in the rotation so Corbin will now face the Guardians on Sunday, and Eric Lauer will be moved from a starting role into a long relief role.
Yesavage had never thrown a professional pitch prior to 2025, and his quick path from A-ball to the Blue Jays’ World Series rotation was one of the key storylines of Toronto’s postseason run. After debuting in September with a 3.21 ERA over his first 14 big league innings, Yesavage then had a 3.58 ERA over six games and 27 2/3 frames in the playoffs, highlighted by an epic seven-inning, 12-strikeout performance against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series.
Between the minors, the majors, and the postseason, Yesavage threw a total of 139 2/3 innings in 2025 — a marked increase from the 98 innings Yesavage threw for East Carolina University in 2024 before Toronto made him the 20th overall pick of the 2024 draft. As such, there was already a sense that the Blue Jays would look to limit Yesavage’s innings in 2026 in order to keep the righty from overextending himself, though an immediate hurdle arose when Yesavage arrived at Spring Training with a shoulder impingement.
The Jays took it slow with Yesavage’s workload in camp, and then placed him on the 15-day IL to begin the season so the right-hander could continue to ramp up at his own pace. Yesavage has made four minor league rehab starts, and his most recent outing with Triple-A Buffalo on April 21 saw him toss only 64 pitches, in a step backwards from the 71 pitches he threw in his previous start. Yesavage also has a 7.50 ERA and a 12.5% walk rate across his 12 rehab innings, though on-field results are less important than feel and comfort during a rehab assignment.
As Matheson noted, Yesavage “typically landed more in the range of 65 to 85 pitches” per outing in 2025, and the Blue Jays will probably keep him on something of a similar leash this year. The goal is to keep Yesavage fully past any lingering after-effects of his shoulder problem, and also to keep him fresh for what the Jays hope will be another deep run into October.
For the moment, however, simply getting back to the .500 mark is the first order of business for the 10-15 Blue Jays. Yesavage is one of seven pitchers and 12 players overall on Toronto’s injured list, as a swath of health problems big and small have caused the Jays to stumble out of the gate this season. For the rotation in particular, the absences of Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios, and (to a season-ending ACL tear) Cody Ponce has left the Jays scrambling for pitching despite what seemed to be a surplus of starters in March.
Cease and Kevin Gausman have both been very good, and Patrick Corbin (signed to a one-year, $1MM deal as a response to all the injuries) has managed a respectable 3.86 ERA over three starts and 14 2/3 innings. Scherzer and Lauer have each been hit hard, which is also part of reason for Lauer’s shift back to relief work.
Lauer has been public about his desire to work both as a starter and not work behind an opener when starting, though his 6.75 ERA over 22 2/3 innings has left the southpaw with little room to contest a role change. In regards to Lauer’s comments, Schneider said “he’s still going to pitch meaningful innings for us. Our rotation has been and maybe will continue to be in flux. He was playing catch-up, I think. After his first outing, his stuff was down and there were some delivery things. Just talking to him yesterday, there’s still an opportunity to work on those things.”
Having Lauer work multiple innings out of the bullpen could help him get on track, and should also help relieve some of the pressure on the Blue Jays’ overtaxed relief corps. The 113 1/3 innings pitched by Toronto’s relievers is the fifth-highest total of any bullpen in the league, while the rotation’s 109 1/3 innings are the third-fewest in baseball.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! We’ll get going at the top of the hour, but feel free to start sending in questions right now if you’re so inclined.
- Sorry about that! Phone call. Let’s begin
Guards
- Did the guards miss their chance to capatalize on Kwan’s value in a trade?
Steve Adams
- I don’t know if it’s fair to say they missed their chance. They made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and Kwan had a big hand in that.His trade value is at its all-time low point right now, with him controlled only one more year beyond the current season and out to a terrible start. But if they’d traded Kwan ahead of the 2025 season, for instance, they might not have made the playoffs at all. They only squeaked in by one game.
So, sure, the window has passed to get max value. But the trade-off is playoff appearances in each of the past two seasons. I’d take that.
Don Don Don
- Is it inevitable that Alex Cora is the Phillies manager in 2027
Steve Adams
- Inevitable? No. Possible, sure. They reportedly offered him the job before moving onto Mattingly. There’s clearly interest. Dombrowski previously had Cora as his manager in Boston, obviously.
RoxTalks
- Could the Phillies look to offload some (not all) of their pricey veterans at the deadline as a pseudo reload? Obviously they probably wouldn’t get any notable prospects, but at least getting rid of some of their payroll constraints.
Rangers Sign Diego Castillo To Minor League Contract
The Rangers have signed infielder Diego Castillo to a minor league contract, per an announcement from his now-former club in the Mexican League, los Algodoneros del Unión Laguna. Presumably, the MAS+ Agency client will head to Triple-A Round Rock, although the Rangers have not yet formally announced the deal.
Castillo, 28, has played briefly in parts of three major league seasons. He logged a career-high 283 plate appearances with the 2022 Pirates before taking one plate appearance with the 2023 D-backs and eight with the 2024 Twins. He’s a career .208/.257/.383 hitter with 11 homers in the big leagues.
Though he hasn’t had much big league experience, Castillo has been an on-base machine in the upper minors. He’s played in parts of five Triple-A seasons and sports a .279/.384/.401 batting line there. Castillo has more than 1200 innings at each of second base, third base and shortstop. He’s also logged 91 innings at first base, 536 innings in left field and 224 innings in right field, giving him plenty of defensive versatility.
Castillo had something of a down year in Triple-A last season, hitting .262/.342/.395 in 263 plate appearances between the top affiliates for the Mets and Royals. He followed that with an unproductive 19-game stint in the Venezuelan Winter League and didn’t catch on with an affiliated club.
A sensational stint in Mexico quickly drew some big league attention, however; he’s totaled 38 plate appearances and is slashing .559/.605/.853 with a pair of homers, four doubles and more walks (four) than strikeouts (two). The Mexican League is notoriously hitter-friendly, but Castillo’s production is virtually unmatched. Former big league outfielder Andrew Stevenson (.455/.581/1.000) is the only hitter (min. 40 plate appearances) with a better OPS there so far in 2026.