Astros To Activate Josh Hader
The Astros announced yesterday that righty Logan VanWey was being optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. The team didn’t specify a corresponding move, noting that a transaction would be announced Tuesday. Manager Joe Espada now tells SportsTalk 790’s Matt Thomas that closer Josh Hader will be reinstated from the injured list and active for tonight’s game. Hader is on the 60-day IL, so in addition to VanWey’s option, Houston will need to open a 40-man roster spot. That can be achieved simply by transferring Carlos Correa to the 60-day IL following his season-ending ankle surgery, however.
Hader’s 2025 season ended in mid-August due to a capsule strain in his left shoulder. He didn’t end up requiring surgery and was even hopeful of being able to return at some point during a potential postseason run. The Astros wound up falling shy of the playoffs, so we never found out whether he’d have been able to do so.
The plan for Hader was a mostly normal offseason. General manager Dana Brown said in mid-November that his closer had already thrown off a mound three times. The hope organization hoped to have the multi-time All-Star back in the Opening Day mix. That might well have been the case based on Hader’s shoulder alone, but he began experiencing biceps pain early in spring training. He was eventually diagnosed with tendinitis, ruled out for Opening Day, and has now missed more than two months of the season.
Hader has pitched well for most of his minor league rehab stint. The 32-year-old breezed through his first seven appearances, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk with 11 punchouts in seven frames. He was roughed up a bit in his final two outings, yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits and a pair of walks without a strikeout. That nudged his minor league ERA up to 4.15, but the bulk of his work between Double-A and Triple-A is reason for encouragement.
It’s worth noting that Hader’s sinker has averaged 93.9 mph in Triple-A — well shy of last year’s 95.5 mph, which was already his lowest mark since 2020. He’s very likely still building up velocity after a long layoff and a pair of fairly notable arm issues, so it’s not a major warning light, but it’ll still be worth keeping an eye on his velocity in the early stages of his return. Hader had no problem missing bats even back in 2017-18, when his sinker was sitting 94.4 mph, but he pushed that average up to 96.4 mph over a four-year period from ’21-’24.
Hader’s return should be a substantial boon for an Astros bullpen that has been pieced together for much of the season. Bryan Abreu was a natural fill-in for Hader in the ninth inning after last year’s dominant performance in a setup role — or so it seemed. Abreu, however, has lost about three miles per hour off his heater this year, dropping from an average of 97.3 mph to 94.8 mph. He stumbled through an abysmal April before getting better results in May, but Abreu’s velocity isn’t any better now than it was in March — and he’s walked nearly 24% of his opponents this season. He doesn’t look close to his former self.
Houston has also seen at least modest steps back from key relievers like Steven Okert and Bryan King. Both have comparable ERAs to last season but with diminished rate stats. Lefty Bennett Sousa, who posted a 2.84 ERA in 50 2/3 frames last year, has pitched 3 1/3 innings this season and is on the injured list due to elbow inflammation.
All of that has conspired to leave Houston relievers with a major league-worst 5.16 ERA on the season. The Astros’ bullpen is tied for the sixth-lowest strikeout rate in baseball (20.5%) and has the third-highest walk rate (12.4%). It’s a major reason the team finds itself seven games under .500. Getting Hader back in the fold should help protect late leads, but he’s only one of several high-end contributors whose absence has helped dig a brutal hole for the ‘Stros to try to escape in the two months leading up to this year’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Reds Designate Brandon Leibrandt, Lyon Richardson For Assignment
The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Zach McCambley and recalled fellow righty Luis Mey. In corresponding moves, lefty Brandon Leibrandt and righty Lyon Richardson have been designated for assignment.
The Reds have been making frequent roster moves on the pitching side in recent days, as they try to cover for some injuries. On Friday, Graham Ashcraft hit the 60-day injured list with a sprained UCL, with the club selecting Yunior Marté to replace him. The next day, Pierce Johnson hit the IL with elbow inflammation and the club selected Richardson to the roster in his place, designating Kyle Nicolas for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Yesterday, the club selected Leibrandt and designated Marté for assignment.
Chase Burns was supposed to start yesterday’s game but was scratched due to illness. He hasn’t been placed on the IL and may start Wednesday’s game but the Reds had to improvise yesterday. Richardson tossed the first inning, allowing four runs. Caleb Ferguson tossed two scoreless, followed by Leibrandt going six, allowing five runs in a game the Reds dropped to the Royals 9-2. Richardson and Leibrandt have now been quickly bumped into DFA limbo to get fresh arms into the mix.
More to come.
Braves Select Carlos Carrasco
The Braves announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The righty takes the 40-man spot that was opened when he himself was designated for assignment a few days ago. He cleared waivers, elected free agency, re-signed and is now back with the big league club again. In terms of the active roster, fellow right-hander Anthony Molina was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett yesterday.
Carrasco and the club have done these dance steps many times. He was acquired from the Yankees in a cash deal in July of 2025. Since then, they have repeatedly gone through this cycle where he is added to the roster, helps absorb some innings and gets designated for assignment. After clearing waivers, he either accepts an outright assignment or elects free agency and then signs a new deal.
The appeal for Atlanta is clear, as they effectively get a 41st man on their 40-man roster. Whenever they want a fresh arm, they can call on Carrasco, who has generally done well when called upon this year. He has a 2.45 earned run average in four appearances. For Carrasco, he gets some sporadic big league pay and service time. Perhaps he would prefer a more steady gig but the fact that he keeps clearing waivers suggests no other club is willing to give him that.
Carrasco went four innings on May 27th and wasn’t going to be available for a few days. Atlanta swapped him out for Molina but then didn’t need Molina in the interim. With yesterday’s off-day, the staff isn’t taxed but they decided to bring Carrasco back as a long relief option.
Atlanta kicks off a six-game road trip tonight with three games in Toronto followed by three in Pittsburgh. They are scheduled to go with Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Chris Sale against the Blue Jays. That should set them up to start with Martín Pérez and Spencer Strider against the Pirates, with Elder’s spot coming up again for the final game against the Bucs. If any of those games turns lopsided, Carrasco could be called upon to spare the rest of the relief corps.
Photo courtesy of Geoff Burke, Imagn Images
Bailey Ober Diagnosed With Flexor Strain
Twins righty Bailey Ober recently hit the injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. A subsequent MRI revealed a mild flexor strain, general manager Jeremy Zoll told the Twins beat (via The Athletic’s Dan Hayes). The imaging did not raise concern regarding Ober’s ulnar collateral ligament, though he’s receiving a second opinion as a precaution. Ober will be shut down from throwing entirely for the next 10 to 14 days. He’s likely to spend the majority or entirety of this month on the shelf.
It’s another notable hit to a Twins rotation that has been decimated by injury this season. Pablo López suffered a UCL tear in his first bullpen session of spring training and underwent internal brace surgery not long after, wiping him out for the entire season. Right-hander David Festa went down with a shoulder impingement during spring training and hasn’t pitched this season. A pair of big young arms Minnesota added at last year’s deadline — righty Mick Abel and lefty Kendry Rojas — are both on the shelf, too. Abel has been out for six weeks now with elbow inflammation, while Rojas recently landed on the 15-day IL due to a triceps injury. Meanwhile, Simeon Woods Richardson has struggled to the extent that the Twins designated the out-of-options righty for assignment.
June was a problematic month for Ober in 2025 as well. After a nice start to his season, he was blown up for 30 runs in 30 innings before heading to the injured list with a hip impingement. He spent a month on the IL and pitched decently in his return. He’s now looking at a second straight season with around a monthlong absence.
Ober, 30, opened the season on an impressive run. He capped off a stretch of nine strong outings (3.46 ERA in 52 innings) with a complete game shutout over the Marlins back on May 12. He’s struggled in three starts since, with worse results each time. Ober was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) over 4 2/3 innings his most recent time out and has yielded a total of 14 earned runs over his past 14 2/3 innings.
This is Ober’s fourth full season in the majors and the sixth overall in which he’s logged some big league time. The towering 6’9″ righty was never an especially touted prospect but has emerged as a capable mid-rotation stalwart in Minnesota. He carries a career 4.13 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate in 684 1/3 frames at the major league level. He’s controlled through 2027 and is earning a reasonable $5.2MM salary this season. If the Twins operate as sellers for a second straight deadline, it stands to reason that Ober would be a natural trade candidate — that is, as long as he’s healthy.
Zoll did provide a bit more positive news for Twins fans in his media session with the beat (via Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune). Rojas is slated to resume throwing today, signaling a potentially short stay on the injured list. Abel will also take a big step toward returning when he pitches two innings in a simulated game this Thursday.
The Twins’ rotation at the moment includes Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and current/recent top prospects Connor Prielipp and Zebby Matthews. They’ll go with Prielipp and Bradley in their next two games, but Thursday’s starter is listed as TBD. With five starters on the injured list and a sixth designated for assignment, their in-house options to step into that spot are slim. The same can be said of stopgaps on the waiver wire, though journeyman Austin Voth is currently out there after being DFA by the Blue Jays. A bullpen game is another option, though Minnesota’s bullpen is among the worst in the sport.
Rangers Release Ryan Brasier
The Rangers released veteran reliever Ryan Brasier from their Triple-A affiliate, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Brasier had been pitching well and was cut loose on June 1, which suggests there may have been an opt-out date in his contract with Texas. He joins righty Josh Sborz, also released from the Rangers’ Round Rock affiliate yesterday, in returning to the open market.
Brasier signed a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason. He was in big league camp this spring but opted out of that original minor league pact when he was told he wouldn’t make the roster. The 38-year-old righty and Texas native eventually re-signed on a new minor league deal but hasn’t gotten a call to the majors despite solid results in the upper minors.
In 22 2/3 innings with the Express this season, Brasier has posted a respectable 3.97 ERA with more encouraging rate stats. He’s set down an above-average 24.5% of his opponents on strikes, turned in a sharp 6.4% walk rate and induced grounders at a hearty 47.6% clip. He’s yielded only two round-trippers thus far — an average of 0.79 per nine innings pitched.
Brasier’s velocity has been on the decline for a few seasons now, as one would expect for a veteran who’s in his 20th professional season and approaching his 39th birthday (in August). He’s no longer averaging the 96 mph he was at his peak, but the 93.9 mph he’s averaged in Round Rock this season is right in line with the 94 mph he averaged in the Cubs’ bullpen last year; Brasier tossed 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA in Chicago last year (with a more impressive 3.74 SIERA and 3.17 FIP).
Brasier has pitched in parts of nine major league seasons and accrued more than eight years of MLB service time. He made brief MLB debut with the 2013 Angels but didn’t settle in as a consistent big leaguer until an age-29 stint in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp helped to turn his career around. A nice performance in Japan landed him a minor league deal with the Red Sox, and he broke out with a 1.60 ERA in 33 2/3 frames for their World Series-winning club in 2018.
Since that return from NPB, Brasier carries a 3.96 ERA in 302 1/3 frames. As previously mentioned, the stuff isn’t where it was in his early 30s, but even over the past three seasons, Brasier has worked to a solid 3.48 earned run average while fanning a league-average 22.3% of his opponents. His command has sharpened in the late stages of his career; Brasier has posted a sub-5% walk rate in three of the past four seasons, including each of the past two.
There are plenty of teams around the league in far more dire need of bullpen help than Texas. Rangers relievers have combined for a 3.39 ERA that ranks eighth-best in the sport. They’ve struggled a bit more over the past month (4.43 earned run average), but they ostensibly preferred to give rookie left-hander Robby Ahlstrom (just selected to the roster yesterday) a look over a more veteran option like Brasier or Sborz. Brasier’s track record and solid performance in Triple-A this year ought to earn him an opportunity with another organization before long — perhaps even a major league deal.
The Opener: Mets, Mlodzinski, deGrom
Big slate for revenge tonight. Kyle Harrison faces the Giants, Mike Burrows gets the Pirates, and Kevin Gausman is back in Atlanta.
1. Extras again for the Mets
The Mets played their 12th extra-inning game of the year on Monday in Seattle. That’s three more than any other club. As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes, New York is on pace to set the record for extra-inning games in a season, currently held by the Red Sox (31 in 1943). “Not ideal,” manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters, relayed by DiComo. “But it’s part of it. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to find a way. I feel like we’ve been playing a lot of close games.” The Mets had won five straight extra-inning contests, including a 10-inning win on Friday against the Marlins. Mariners second baseman Cole Young ended New York’s streak with a walk-off single yesterday.
2. Mlodzinski returns to Pirates
The Pirates reinstated right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski before a three-game series against the Astros. He’s expected to be available to pitch on Tuesday. Mlodzinski was placed on the restricted list over the weekend after the club deemed he wasn’t up for pitching on Sunday against the Twins. The righty recently lost his rotation spot when right-hander Jared Jones returned from the IL. He was a candidate to piggyback with righty Braxton Ashcraft on Sunday. Instead, he could work behind right-hander Bubba Chandler tonight. Chandler hasn’t gone more than five innings in a start since mid-April.
3. deGrom gets 100th win
Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom tossed five scoreless frames against the Cardinals on Monday, earning the win. It was the 100th victory of his 13-year MLB career. He’s the 16th active pitcher to reach the century mark in wins, notes Jeff Jones of MLB.com. deGrom picked up 82 wins during his nine years with the Mets. That included back-to-back Cy Young seasons in 2018 and 2019. The righty recorded 12 wins with the Rangers last year, his most in a season since 2017.
Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
MLBPA’s Bruce Meyer Comments On League’s First Economic Proposal
Last week provided an early preview of the expected forthcoming offseason lockout. The MLB Players Association made its first collective bargaining proposal to the league on Wednesday. MLB countered with its initial proposal one day later, one that confirmed the longstanding expectation that the league is looking to incorporate a salary cap/floor system in the next CBA.
Readers can find the details of each side’s proposal at the above linked posts. Neither has a chance of being approved by the opposite party. They’re notable only insofar as they provide an insight into each side’s priorities as negotiations get underway. It behooves both to stake out maximalist stances this early in the process.
MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer held a video chat with reporters (including Alden González of ESPN and Evan Drellich of The Athletic) on Monday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, Meyer was less than enthused with what the league put forward. “I thought they would try harder to make it look good, and they didn’t even do that.”
Meyer reiterated the union’s firm opposition to a salary cap, which he called “a form of institutionalized collusion.” MLB’s proposal included what the league deemed to be a 50-50 revenue split between players and ownership. That reportedly would’ve included a $245.3MM cap and $171.2MM floor. A portion of player salaries would be held in escrow in case the league underperformed revenue expectations to maintain the 50-50 balance. The NHL and NBA have used similar setups.
“Using MLB’s definition of revenue and player share as set forth in their proposal and their presentation to us, player share under their proposal would go down,” Meyer said. “Player share for this season, 2026, is projected to be well over 50%, using, again MLB’s definitions of revenues and what counts against player share.” He claimed that if the league’s proposal had been in place for the 2026 season, players would have made roughly $500MM less than they actually will.
League spokesman Glen Caplin responded to Meyer’s comments via a prepared statement. “Our salary cap-and-floor proposal addresses our fans’ concerns by leveling the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50-50 like the other leagues. Under our proposal, major league players will receive more compensation in year one of the system than in 2026,” Caplin said. That’d ostensibly be due to the need for various teams to raise payroll to meet the salary floor.
The union would presumably dispute that assertion. It also seems notable that Caplin’s statement specified “major league players” while Meyer focused on “player share” more broadly. Meyer said the union anticipates the league will propose cuts to spending on amateur signing bonuses, though he added that MLB has not yet done so. “They projected MLB players’ payroll in ’27, ’28, would be flat,” he noted. “The only way to get to even those numbers would be to drastically reduce or eliminate amateur entry compensation, both domestic and international.”
MLB has traditionally looked to curtail spending on amateur players in previous bargaining agreements. The Players Association doesn’t formally represent them until they enter professional ball. The PA does take amateur players into account, as a player’s initial signing bonus can impact their later professional earnings. A player who signs for a modest bonus as an amateur may be more inclined to lock in earnings on an early-career contract extension, for example. That can have a trickle-down effect on free agency.
There’s nevertheless a tension for the Players Association between balancing the interests of amateur and minor league players — the latter of whom are now under the MLBPA umbrella after unionizing in 2022 — against those of major leaguers. The MLBPA had traditionally been willing to make concessions on tightening amateur spending (e.g. accepting hard caps on international bonus pools in 2016) for more immediate benefits for big leaguers. They started to move away from that under the ’22 agreement — most notably in rejecting the league’s offer to agree to an international amateur draft in exchange for the elimination of the qualifying offer, which adds penalties for teams that sign certain free agents.
Interested readers can find more of Meyer’s comments in the linked pieces from ESPN and The Athletic. Jeff Passan of ESPN notes that commissioner Rob Manfred is likely to meet with the media on Wednesday at the end of the quarterly owners meetings. It stands to reason Manfred will restate some of the league’s talking points and provide a response to Meyer’s media session.
It’s worth reiterating that public combativeness on both sides was always to be expected. The 2021-22 lockout featured months of this kind of squabbling. This set of negotiations is likely to be even more contentious. MLB is making its first formal cap push since the 1994-95 players strike; the players’ initial proposal called for a much higher luxury tax threshold and far more revenue sharing that’ll be opposed by bigger-market clubs.
Caplin’s statement added that the league is “ready to listen if the MLBPA wants to counter our proposal at the bargaining table.” Meyer said no talks have currently been scheduled but would be soon, even if to negotiate on areas aside from core economics.
D-Backs’ Cristian Mena To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Diamondbacks right-hander Cristian Mena will undergo shoulder surgery, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Monday (link via Jesse Borek of MLB.com). It’ll likely end his 2026 season before it began.
Mena will go nearly two full years without making an appearance. He first landed on the injured list last June with a teres major strain that shelved him for the remainder of the ’25 season. Mena aggravated the injury over the winter and began this year on the injured list. He tried a throwing program at the end of April but apparently is still battling discomfort.
After exhausting all other options, the 23-year-old heads to surgery. Mena will spend the entire season on the 60-day injured list. Arizona will need to either reinstate him onto the 40-man roster or place him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason.
Mena was a relatively low-profile signee by the White Sox out of the Dominican Republic in 2019. He quickly worked his way up the minors and became one of the organization’s more intriguing pitching prospects. Chicago swapped him to Arizona for outfielder Dominic Fletcher going into the ’24 season. The trade hasn’t really worked for either club. Fletcher was a replacement level performer for two years and is now in the Pittsburgh system on a minor league contract. Mena started one game in 2024 and made three relief appearances last season. He has allowed five runs across 9 2/3 innings as a big leaguer.
Baseball America and FanGraphs respectively ranked Mena 11th and 10th in the Arizona farm system over the offseason. Both outlets credit him with a solid four-pitch mix headlined by his curveball with the potential for league average command. It’s a potential back-end starter profile on talent, but the durability concerns could push him to relief. Mena also missed time in 2024 with a forearm strain and will have thrown a combined 150 minor league and MLB innings between 2024-26.
Pirates Trade Justin Lawrence To Twins
The Twins announced they’ve acquired reliever Justin Lawrence from the Pirates for cash. Pittsburgh designated the right-hander for assignment last week. Minnesota already had an opening on the 40-man roster and doesn’t need to make a corresponding move tonight.
Lawrence is out of minor league options, so the Twins will need to add him to the MLB roster. They’ll need to demote a pitcher once he reports to the team. Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Yoendrys Gómez are Minnesota’s three in-house relievers who can’t be optioned.
It’s the latest dart throw for a patchwork Minnesota bullpen. Twins relievers are 25th in ERA and 29th in strikeout rate (above only the Nationals). They also had one of the highest walk rates in May. That was expected given the personnel, as the Twins have done very little to replace the various relievers they shipped out at last year’s deadline.
Lawrence is a 31-year-old sinkerballer who carries a 5.32 earned run average across 22 innings this season. He has a league average 23.6% strikeout rate against an elevated 11.3% walk percentage. Lawrence sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and has a swing-and-miss breaking ball. He has been held back by below-average command and missed the bulk of the 2025 season due to elbow inflammation.
Minnesota assumes the approximate $800K remaining on Lawrence’s $1.225MM arbitration salary. He’d be under club control for another two seasons if he pitches well enough to hold his roster spot.
Rangers Release Josh Sborz
The Rangers have granted reliever Josh Sborz his release from a minor league contract, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. The righty’s deal contained an unspecified June opt-out date. It’s not clear if Sborz formally opted out or if Texas preemptively released him after determining he wouldn’t make the MLB club.
Sborz pitched parts of four MLB seasons with Texas between 2021-24. While he had a mostly nondescript 4.86 earned run average across 150 regular season innings, he carved out a place in team history in October ’23. Sborz worked 12 frames of one-run ball over 10 appearances during the Rangers title run. He was one of Bruce Bochy’s top setup arms and fired 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the save in the World Series clinching Game 5 at Chase Field.
Shoulder problems have mostly hampered him since that triumphant moment. Sborz was limited to 16 2/3 innings in 2024. He missed all of last season working back from a debridement procedure, as he encountered a setback during a brief minor league rehab attempt. Texas opted not to tender him an arbitration contract but was able to retain him via minor league deal.
The 32-year-old has been healthy this year but hasn’t pitched well enough to earn a roster spot. Sborz allowed 13 runs across 14 1/3 innings at Triple-A Round Rock. He fanned 17 of 65 opponents (26.1%) but issued nine walks and gave up six home runs. He spent a month working on his mechanics outside of game action before being reassigned to Double-A a couple weeks ago. Texas bumped him back to Round Rock on May 27. He allowed hits to five of 10 batters faced in two innings before the release.
It’d be surprising if Sborz secures a major league deal given his recent form. He’ll presumably look for a new landing spot on a minor league contract in an effort to get on track. Sborz’s 93.4 mph average fastball speed in Triple-A this year is down a couple ticks from his peak.