The Opener: Dominguez, Dobbins, Palencia
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz drew a walk against right-hander Michael Wacha in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game. The free pass pushed his streak to 18 games with a walk. Kurtz is now tied with Barry Bonds for the third-longest run since 1900 (h/t Martin Gallegos of MLB.com). Ted Williams is next on the list at 19 games.
1. Dominguez leaves after HBP
Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez was knocked out of Wednesday’s contest after taking a Nathan Eovaldi cutter to the elbow. He was replaced by Max Schuemann in left field. Dominguez underwent initial X-rays and is now headed back to New York for more imaging, per Erik Boland of Newsday Sports. It’s a tough blow for the former top prospect, who has struggled to gain his footing as a big leaguer. The returns of Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham this offseason helped push Dominguez off the Opening Day roster. An injury to Giancarlo Stanton afforded him another opportunity with the big-league squad. He was recalled on Monday and started all three games against Texas. Dominguez went 1-for-9 before the elbow injury.
2. Dobbins coming up Thursday
Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins is expected to be called up for a start today. The 26-year-old is making his way back from a torn ACL. Dobbins came over from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras trade, along with prospects Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita. He was solid in his first taste of the majors with Boston, delivering a 4.13 ERA across 13 appearances (11 starts). St. Louis moved several veteran players in the offseason, bringing back a slew of prospects. Dobbins will be the first of the group to debut with the club. The Cardinals have been more competitive than expected this year, but finding out what they have in the players acquired last winter will be a key storyline to watch as the season unfolds.
3. Palencia could return without rehab
The Cubs’ banged-up bullpen could get back a key piece on Friday. Closer Daniel Palencia has a chance to return for the series against the Diamondbacks, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The righty has been sidelined with what was initially labeled an oblique injury, then was updated to a lat strain. Chicago is also missing Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Ethan Roberts, and Riley Martin. Porter Hodge is done for the year. Phil Maton returned this week after missing time with a knee injury. Manager Craig Counsell has mixed and matched in the ‘pen with Palencia out. It was lefty Hoby Milner who recorded the final out on Wednesday against the Padres. He’s the fifth different Cubs reliever to pick up a save this season.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
MLB Mailbag: Cardinals, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Mize
This week's mailbag gets into the Cardinals' strong start, the Mets' terrible offense, what a Mets, Red Sox, or Phillies sell-off might look like, Casey Mize's contract year, and more.
Andrew asks:
I came into the year with low expectations for the Cardinals, but we still have a decent record. How long would the Cardinals need to maintain a winning record before I get any hopes up about making the playoffs?
FanGraphs is much more optimistic than PECOTA on this team, so we'll go with their 13.5% playoff odds. The Cardinals have played .552 ball through 17.9% of their season, but FG calls for .462 from here on out. If the Cards instead play .500 ball for their final 129, they'll win 82-83 games, which might put them firmly in the mix for a wild card spot until the end.
At 4.83 runs scored per game, the Cardinals' offense ranks sixth in the NL. If they actually get into the neighborhood of 800 runs, it'd be impressive for any team, not just one that entered the season with low expectations.
Nine Cardinals players have 60+ PA and account for 85% of the team's total:
- Ivan Herrera - 138 wRC+. The Statcast metrics are strong, and even if Herrera can't maintain a 17% walk rate, his .278 xBA and .471 xSLG suggest this is mostly real. If so, the Cardinals have a lineup cornerstone at DH/catcher through 2029.
- JJ Wetherholt - 132 wRC+. The highly-regarded rookie is getting on base and exceeding expectations. He'll slump at some point, but with a 70 hit grade and 55 power, one can make the case for strong production to continue even if it looks different (such as a higher batting average).
- Alec Burleson - 115 wRC+. He has a track record at this level, so this is reasonable.
- Jordan Walker - 153 wRC+. If this holds up, Walker is a top ten hitter in baseball. Maybe that's optimistic, but the breakout is backed by Statcast.
- Nolan Gorman - 81 wRC+. He hasn't really hit since 2023, though he's OK against righties and looks fine at third base this year. If the Astros fall further, could the Cardinals make a trade for Isaac Paredes?
- Masyn Winn - 103 wRC+. He's hitting to expectations.
- Victor Scott II - 39 wRC+. Scott isn't in there for his bat, but seems best-suited for a fourth outfielder role.
- Nathan Church - 106 wRC+. The speedy 25-year-old came into the year as just a 40-grade prospect and may also lack the bat to be a starter, but he hit well in the upper minors. I'm not sure I'd want Scott and Church in the same lineup, but they are a strong defensive pair. Thomas Saggese is in this mix, and prospect Joshua Baez could join it if he cuts down on strikeouts.
- Pedro Pages - 106 wRC+. Pages does have a little bit of pop, but he probably can't keep this up.
Lars Nootbaar underwent surgery in October to address deformities in his heels, and could be a great June addition capable of a 115-120 wRC+. If Nootbaar has a setback, a trade for the aforementioned Duran or Marsh could be interesting. You can't help but wonder how good this offense would look had the Cardinals retained Contreras and Brendan Donovan, though.
Bottom line, though: there's something here with this offense, especially if Nootbaar can provide a boost. And this also seems to be one of the better defenses in the NL. What about the pitching side?
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MLBTR Podcast: The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Red Sox firing manager Alex Cora and several coaches (0:30)
- The Padres signing Lucas Giolito (27:30)
- The Phillies firing manager Rob Thomson and releasing Taijuan Walker (39:00)
- The Guardians promoting prospect Travis Bazzana (59:45)
Check out our past episodes!
- Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time – listen here
- Lenyn Sosa Traded, And Injury Concerns For The Astros, Cubs And Orioles – listen here
- Previewing The 2026-27 Free-Agent Class – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
Braves To Activate Spencer Strider On Sunday
The Braves will reinstate Spencer Strider from the 15-day injured list on Sunday, manager Walt Weiss told reporters before tonight’s walk-off win over Detroit (link via Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He’ll make his season debut in the close of a weekend set at Coors Field.
Strider has missed the first month of the season after straining his oblique during Spring Training. He has taken the ball three times on a rehab stint, building to five innings and 82 pitches at Triple-A Gwinnett. Strider’s stuff has looked sharp, as he’s averaging 95.5 mph on his fastball and sitting at 84 with the slider. It’s not the upper-90s heat he brandished before undergoing elbow surgery in April 2024, but it’s a match for last year’s velocity.
Atlanta’s rotation has excelled despite the spring injuries to Strider, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach and Joey Wentz — to say nothing of AJ Smith-Shawver’s 2025 UCL surgery. Bryce Elder has solidified his hold on a rotation spot. Grant Holmes and Martín Pérez have worked around middling strikeout and walk numbers to manage good results. The Braves have also gotten looks at rookies Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie. They’re positioned well enough to push Reynaldo López to the bullpen for the time being.
Ritchie held a hot Nationals lineup to two runs over seven innings in his debut last week. He fought his command a bit tonight but managed 5 2/3 frames of three-run ball against Detroit. Weiss said postgame he expects Ritchie to take another turn through the rotation (relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com). That’ll come early next week at T-Mobile Park, a nice moment for the Seattle native.
That could allow the Braves to use Pérez out of the bullpen. Elder goes tomorrow afternoon as they try to sweep the Tigers. Although the Braves haven’t announced plans for the first two games of the Colorado series, they’d have Holmes and Chris Sale lined up on extra rest after Monday’s off day.
Strider is just one of a handful of key players nearing their returns from injury. Weiss said this evening that closer Raisel Iglesias is not expected to require a rehab assignment (via Bowman). He could return directly to the MLB bullpen when first eligible on Tuesday after a minor bout of shoulder inflammation. That’ll move Robert Suarez back into a setup role.
Sean Murphy has been on a rehab stint since April 14. Those can last up to 20 days for position players, so he’ll be back by Monday at the latest barring a setback. Ha-Seong Kim opened his own 20-day rehab window tonight with an appearance at Double-A Columbus. He played five innings at shortstop and collected a single in two at-bats.
Mauricio Dubón has done a nice job as a fill-in shortstop in Kim’s absence. Dubón has carved out a strong career as a utility player and should move back into a multi-position role in the middle of May. The Braves don’t tend to play matchups very often, yet they’ll presumably ease Kim back into action. Dubón could also take some work in left field, where Mike Yastrzemski is one of the few Atlanta players who hasn’t gotten out to a strong start.
Tommy Pham Elects Free Agency
Outfielder Tommy Pham has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. The veteran has exercised his right to reject the assignment and elect free agency. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported the news.
Pham, 38, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in March. He was added to the roster in mid-April. He got into nine games and was sent to the plate 14 times. He struck out seven times, walked once and did not get a hit. The Mets pounced on Austin Slater a couple of days after the Marlins let him go. Pham was the roster casualty for that signing. As a veteran with many years of experience, Pham has the right to reject outright assignments and has exercised that right.
He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. He’ll most likely be limited to minor league offers. In the most recent offseason, he lingered unsigned until late into March, signing on March 26th. His recent performance with the Mets surely didn’t do anything to improve his stock.
Though Pham is in his late-30s, he was still providing offense close to league average with the Pirates last year. He hit ten home runs and drew walks at an 11.1% clip, leading to a .245/.330/.370 line and 94 wRC+. That’s not too inspiring but he did have a torrid stretch in the summer. He had a brutal .207/.280/.237 line through the end of May but then slashed .304/.382/.495 from the start of June to the end of August, before he scuffled through September with a .143/.270/.270 line.
Coming into 2026, Pham expressed some hope that a treatment to address plantar fasciitis could improve his game after struggling with the condition in recent years. That hasn’t panned out yet but he also didn’t really get a good chance to get into form. As mentioned, he remained unsigned long enough to miss spring training. The Mets put him into five Single-A games before calling him up and he didn’t get into a groove. Though he may only get minor league offers, it’s theoretically possible that some regular reps could position him for another summer surge.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Royals’ Ryan Bergert, Ben Kudrna Undergo Elbow Surgeries
The Royals lost a pair of depth starters to elbow surgeries. The team announced that right-hander Ryan Bergert underwent UCL reconstruction (Tommy John surgery). Prospect Ben Kudrna had an operation to repair an olecranon stress fracture.
Kansas City didn’t provide return timelines, though both pitchers are surely done for the season. Bergert will miss at least a calendar year and probably won’t be back until the second half of 2027 given the usual 14-16 month timeline for Tommy John procedures. It’s unclear if Kudrna will be ready for the start of the ’27 campaign.
The Royals acquired Bergert and another back-end starter, Stephen Kolek, from San Diego at last year’s deadline for catcher Freddy Fermin. Bergert took the ball eight times after the trade, allowing a 4.43 ERA through 40 2/3 innings. He combined for 19 appearances between the two teams, pitching to a 3.66 mark while striking out 22.6% of opponents over 76 1/3 frames.
Bergert began this season on optional assignment to Triple-A Omaha. He made an early exit from his third start of the year and went on the minor league injured list on April 10.
Kudrna was a second-round pick out of a Kansas high school in 2021. He has been inconsistent in his minor league career but made it to Triple-A at the end of last season. Baseball America ranked him the #13 prospect in a below-average K.C. farm system over the winter. Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs placed him 12th in the organization last week. Both outlets praise his changeup and slider, though BA raised questions about fluctuations in his fastball velocity. Some evaluators projected him for a bullpen move before the injury.
The Royals added Kudrna to their 40-man roster over the offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He and Bergert are each on the minor league injured list for the time being. The Royals could carry either player on the MLB 60-day IL once they need space on the 40-man. Doing so would require paying them the prorated $780K league minimum salary through the end of the season. Kudrna could be an offseason non-tender candidate if the Royals want extra roster flexibility over the winter.
Orioles Place Trevor Rogers On Injured List With Illness
The Orioles announced this evening that starter Trevor Rogers is headed to the 15-day injured list. He’s dealing with an undisclosed illness. The placement is retroactive to April 26, so Rogers is first eligible to return on May 11. Reliever Cameron Foster, who was optioned on Saturday, is back up from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on the pitching staff.
Baltimore also announced that long reliever Albert Suárez cleared outright waivers and elected free agency after being designated for assignment over the weekend. However, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner was among those to report that Suárez is expected to re-sign on a new minor league contract. The righty is out of options, so the O’s needed to run him through waivers to get him back to Triple-A.
Rogers deservedly earned the nod as Baltimore’s Opening Day starter after his dominant second half in 2025. He fired seven scoreless innings to beat Minnesota in the debut. Rogers followed up with consecutive quality starts against Texas and the White Sox. His most recent three appearances have been rockier, as he has failed to advance into the sixth inning and taken the loss all three times out.
That has pushed Rogers’ earned run average to 4.75 across 30 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate is down a few points relative to last season, though he’s getting more chases off the plate and still has a strong 12.1% swinging strike percentage. He’ll probably be back around when first eligible but will lose at least two starts to the illness.
Rogers joins Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer on the injured list. Eflin underwent UCL surgery and is out for the season. Kremer will be down for a while due to a quad strain. Those injuries already pushed Brandon Young into the rotation. They’ll need another starter this weekend, as they don’t have an off day until May 14.
Baltimore was off on Monday. Shane Baz pitched last night in a win over the Astros. Their game today was rained out but will be made up with a doubleheader tomorrow. Chris Bassitt and Young will start those games. Rogers’ turn would have come up on Friday for the series opener against Will Warren and the Yankees.
Monday’s off day means Kyle Bradish would be on regular rest if the Orioles wanted to run him instead, but they’ll probably keep him on schedule for Saturday. Cade Povich is the only depth starter on the 40-man roster and would be on five days rest for Friday. Prospect Trey Gibson would be on regular rest if the O’s wanted to go in that direction. They have a couple vacancies on the 40-man after waiving Sam Huff and Suárez in recent days, so they could accommodate Gibson without issue.
Tigers Hire Kyle Hendricks As Special Assistant
The Tigers have hired recently retired right-hander Kyle Hendricks as a special assistant to the baseball operations department, reports Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. While Hendricks never pitched for Detroit during his excellent 12-year major league career, he knows both Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg dating back to the pair’s days in the Cubs’ front office. Stavenhagen adds that Hendricks is expected to focus his efforts on pitching development.
Hendricks, 36, spent 11 seasons (2014-24) pitching with the Cubs and finished up his career with the Angels in 2025. He retired with a career 3.79 ERA, 105 wins and 1373 strikeouts through 1745 innings in the major leagues. All of that success came despite Hendricks lacking the prototypical power arsenal associated with modern pitchers. He never averaged even 91 mph on his four-seamer in a given season, finishing with an overall average velocity of 87.2 mph on his “fastball” in his career.
A throwback to generations past, Hendricks thrived thanks to excellent command, a good feel for pitching and a knack for avoiding hard contact. “The Professor” and his thoughtful approach to attacking hitters with less-than-premium stuff could well prove to be an asset in developing young arms in the Detroit pipeline.
There’s been a growing number of former big leaguers climbing to prominent positions in major league front offices in recent seasons. Former players who are currently running baseball operations for their clubs include Jerry Dipoto (Mariners), Chris Getz (White Sox), Craig Breslow (Red Sox), Buster Posey (Giants) and Chris Young (Rangers). Brandon Gomes isn’t the top decision-maker for the Dodgers but holds the general manager title and sits No. 2 on their baseball operations hierarchy behind president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman. The same is true of Marlins GM Gabe Kapler, who’s the No. 2 executive behind Peter Bendix over in Miami. Sam Fuld recently held a GM position with the Phillies but is in the process of moving over to become their new president of business operations.
Hendricks’ eventual aspirations on the executive side of things aren’t yet clear, but there are certainly some parallels between the path he’s charting and the ones taken by Young and Breslow in particular. Both Young (Princeton) and Breslow (Yale) are former Ivy League standouts who enjoyed successful big league careers while operating with middling velocity. Young got his start in baseball operations working in the league’s central offices, while Breslow jumped right into the Cubs’ baseball ops department with an emphasis on strategic initiatives and pitching development. Hendricks, a Dartmouth product, could pursue a similar trajectory, though given his lengthy career and reputation within the game, he’d also surely have opportunities on the coaching side of things if he preferred to throw his hat into that ring at some point down the line.
The Reds’ Confusing April
The Reds are out to an early lead in the NL Central. Their 19-10 record is tied with San Diego's for third-best in the Senior Circuit, narrowly behind the Braves and Dodgers. They're on track for their best record in a month since June 2023.
It doesn't necessarily come as a surprise that the Reds have been competitive. They were a playoff team a year ago, and the division is one of the more wide open in MLB. Yet the way they've gotten to this start is more perplexing. Their two best starters haven't thrown a pitch. The back of their rotation has been knocked around. Their bullpen is walking more hitters than any other in MLB. They've had arguably the NL's least productive catching tandem and outfield.
How have they overcome all of that? The lineup has been carried by two players: one established star and a rookie who already looks like an impact slugger. Let's dig in beyond the scorching starts from Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart to gauge what the front office might prioritize when they start sketching out deadline plans 6-8 weeks from now.
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Tigers Place Casey Mize, Javier Báez On Injured List
The Tigers have placed righty-hander Casey Mize and utilityman Javier Báez on the injured list, per a club announcement. Mize heads to the 15-day IL due to a right adductor strain. Báez is going on the 10-day IL due to a sprained right ankle. Lefty Enmanuel De Jesus and infielder Jace Jung were recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a pair of corresponding moves.
The loss of Mize is a tough blow for the rotation. He’s out to the best start of his career, having pitched to a 2.90 earned run average with a 27.3% strikeout rate that would easily register as a career-high in a full season. He’s walked 8.6% of his opponents and kept 38.8% of batted balls against him on the ground. Mize’s prior career-highs in opponents’ chase rate and swinging-strike rate were 28.3% and 10.8%, respectively; he’s at 30.8% and 12.1% so far in 2026.
Mize exited his most recent start in the third inning. He pulled up with an apparent injury while attempting to field a bunt up the first base line. He wound up being charged with two earned runs that game — just the second time in six starts this season that he’s been charged with multiple earned runs in a start.
With Mize sidelined for at least two weeks and Justin Verlander also on the injured list, the Tigers’ rotation depth is being tested. Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez remain a formidable one-two punch atop the staff. Keider Montero is also out to a career-best start. Veteran Jack Flaherty, conversely, is having one of the worst starts to a season in his career. Swingman Drew Anderson, who’s stretched out and has gone as long as 3 1/3 innings this season, is a candidate to step into the vacant spot in the rotation. Detroit could also turn to Triple-A, where righties Sawyer Gipson-Long and Ty Madden are possibilities.
Báez, meanwhile, had to be carted off the field in yesterday’s game after injuring himself on a slide. He underwent an MRI that revealed the sprain. A timetable for his return isn’t yet clear. He’s been getting frequent run in the infield and in center field, following the Parker Meadows injury, and is hitting .256/.280/.397 with a pair of homers in 82 plate appearances this year.
With Báez out of the equation for the short term at least, Detroit’s options in center field include Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez. Young outfielder Max Clark, a former top-five pick and one of the ten top prospects in all of baseball at the moment, looms as an option in Triple-A. He’s slashing .303/.377/.444 with a homer, eight steals, an 11.4% walk rate and just a 13.2% strikeout rate in 116 trips to the plate. Clark isn’t on the 40-man roster but seems quite likely to make his big league debut at some point this season. It’s possible that Báez’s injury accelerates that timetable, although for now, center field will seemingly be entrusted to more experienced options.