Cardinals Designate Matt Pushard, Recall Hunter Dobbins
The Cardinals are designating reliever Matt Pushard for assignment, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Pushard was a Rule 5 pick and will need to be offered back to the Marlins if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Hunter Dobbins is being recalled from Triple-A in Pushard’s place. The team’s 40-man roster is now at 39.
Pushard, 28, made his big league debut on March 29th, allowing three earned runs on 31 pitches. He then spent a month and a half on the injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis. Since being activated on May 16th, Pushard has made five more appearances, allowing a single earned run in six innings. That brings Pushard’s total output with the Cardinals to a 5.14 ERA in seven innings, plus six strikeouts against four walks.
More to come.
Pirates Place Konnor Griffin On 10-Day IL, Activate Ryan O’Hearn
The Pirates are placing shortstop Konnor Griffin on the 10-day injured list, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Per Jason Mackey of MLB.com, Griffin has a flexor tendon strain and he’s expected to miss only a short time. Ryan O’Hearn is being activated off the injured list in his place.
Griffin was a Top-100 prospect entering 2026 and signed a nine-year, $140MM extension with Pittsburgh just a few days after making his debut. The 20-year-old’s numbers don’t leap off the page, but Griffin has more than held his own against big league pitching. In 208 plate appearances, he’s batted .270/.327/.402 with 14 stolen bases and a 104 wRC+. The latter figure is middle-of-the-pack among qualified shortstops, although there’s room for Griffin to cut back on his 26.9% strikeout rate.
Early reviews on Griffin’s defense have been mixed. On the one hand, he’s been worth 3 Defensive Runs Saved and boasts 78th percentile arm strength according to Statcast. At the same time, Griffin’s been worth -4 Outs Above Average and is in the 15th percentile of Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric. Defensive metrics are always tricky, and obviously there’s room to improve when the player in question is as young as Griffin. For now, the team can be happy that he is finding his footing in the Majors.
While Griffin is on the shelf, the Pirates will need a temporary replacement at shortstop. Jared Triolo is the next man up, but he’s struggled badly in 83 plate appearances as a backup infielder. Since the start of 2024, Triolo has a 76 wRC+ in just over 900 plate appearances. He also doesn’t fare well defensively at shortstop, with -6 DRS and -3 OAA in over 500 innings there. Triolo is a better fit at third base or second, where has 14 and 10 career DRS, respectively.
Tyler Callihan is the other backup infielder, but he’s barely played in the Majors and has played exactly zero professional innings at shortstop. Nick Gonzales has 254 innings of experience at short, but he currently occupies the hot corner, so moving him to short would create another problem. Nick Yorke and Jack Brannigan are on the 40-man roster. Yorke has a 64 wRC+ in the Majors, while Brannigan is only at Double-A and is striking out 37.5% of the time.
Given those options, the likeliest outcome is that the Pirates roll with Triolo at short for now and simply hope for a minimal absence for Griffin. The team’s 106 wRC+ is tied for seventh in the Majors. Brandon Lowe, Spencer Horwitz, and Bryan Reynolds all have a wRC+ over 140, and Oneil Cruz is no slouch at 120. Griffin and Gonzales are both hovering around league average.
O’Hearn belongs in the first group as a key contributor to the Pirates’ success on offense. The 32-year-old, who signed a two-year, $29MM pact over the offseason, returns after a two-week absence for a right quad muscle strain. In 182 plate appearances prior to his injury, O’Hearn was batting .289/.368/.459 with a 132 wRC+. The latter mark is fourth-best among Pirates hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, while O’Hearn’s overall output nearly matches last year, when he was worth 3.0 fWAR between the Orioles and Padres. Although a few weeks of Triolo as the starting shortstop won’t be ideal, O’Hearn’s return and the abundance of talented hitters leave the Pirates in a good position while Griffin is out.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Twins Place Bailey Ober On Injured List, Select Mike Paredes
The Twins are placing right-hander Bailey Ober on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. They are also selecting the contract of Mike Paredes from Triple-A. He’ll be making his major league debut when he gets into a game. Meanwhile, Travis Adams has been recalled from Triple-A, while John Klein is being optioned in his place. The Twins’ 40-man roster is at 39 with Paredes’ selection, so no corresponding 40-man move is needed.
This is the fifth IL placement of Ober’s big league career. The previous four were due to hip and groin ailments, so this is Ober’s first elbow injury since 2019, when he missed two months with a right ulnar nerve subluxation. Ober’s timeline for returning should be made clearer in the coming days, though in any case, his absence comes at an unwelcome time for Minnesota.
Entering today, the Twins have a 27-32 record and are in third place in the AL Central. The club’s rotation has been middle of the pack, and that’s largely due to the excellence of Joe Ryan, who has a 2.94 ERA and 2.1 fWAR in 64 1/3 innings. Taj Bradley has a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts and is a solid No. 2 arm. Ober, despite leading the group with 66 2/3 innings, has merely been okay. He is striking out a career-low 16.4% of opposing hitters, and he’s already allowed 12 home runs, tied for ninth-highest among qualified starters.
Despite those shortcomings, Ober still holds value as a mid-rotation arm. His 4.59 ERA outpaces his 4.18 expected figure, which suggests that Ober has been somewhat unlucky. Ever the control artist, Ober is walking just 6.4% of hitters, which ranks in the 83rd percentile across the Majors. His breaking pitches have a run value of 7 according to Statcast, giving Ober lethal weapons to compensate for upper-90s fastball velocity.
All to say, Ober has been a reliable starter for the better part of six years. His absence doesn’t deprive the Twins of an ace, but it does strain the depth of the rotation behind Ryan and Bradley. Simeon Woods Richardson was designated for assignment yesterday after struggling to a 7.74 ERA in 12 appearances, 10 of which were starts. Zebby Matthews has three quality starts since being recalled on May 14th, but he had a 5.56 ERA in 16 starts last year. Connor Prielipp is Minnesota’s No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com, but he’s averaging less than five innings per start so far.
In the meantime, Paredes could be a short-term option for the rotation. The 25-year-old reached Triple-A for the first time in 2025 and has spent most of 2026 at that level. In 34 2/3 Triple-A innings across nine appearances (seven starts), Paredes has a solid 3.38 ERA. That mark comes with a sharp 5.7% walk rate and a 23.4% strikeout rate that would be better than average in the Majors. Paredes works off a 93.5 MPH four-seamer and also incorporates a slider and changeup, using those three pitches 85% of the time. FanGraphs’ RosterResource has Paredes as a long reliever, but given that he’s mostly started in the minors this year, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to get some starts.
Klein heads down to Triple-A only one day after being recalled. He threw 39 pitches over two scoreless innings yesterday, striking out one but walking three hitters. The pitch count would have made Klein unavailable for a couple days, so he is swapped out for a fresh arm in Adams. The latter has been optioned and recalled three times since being activated off the injured list at the end of April. Adams has only thrown ten innings in the Majors this year around those options, allowing eight earned runs in that small sample.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Tigers Activate Kerry Carpenter From 10-Day Injured List
The Tigers have activated Kerry Carpenter from the 10-day injured list, per Tony Paul of The Detroit News. He will bat fourth and serve as the DH today against the White Sox. Gage Workman has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding active roster move.
Carpenter has been on the shelf since May 10th with a left AC joint sprain. Recent reporting indicated that he and Gleyber Torres were set to begin rehab assignments. In Carpenter’s case, that ended up lasting just two games. He now returns to the Tigers having missed exactly three weeks.
Carpenter, now in his fifth season in the Majors, recorded 117 plate appearances before his injury. He batted .216/.299/.451 in that small sample, good for a 107 wRC+. Carpenter was walking 9.4% of the time, a big step up from last year’s 3.9% walk rate. However, he was also striking out at a 34.2% clip, which would be a career high over a full season. Going forward, the club will bank on Carpenter cutting the strikeouts back to the mid-20s and resuming his place as a middle-of-the-order bat.
Detroit can use all the help they can get on offense. The team ranks 24th in the Majors with a 93 wRC+ and is also fourth-worst with a .367 slugging percentage. Riley Greene, Kevin McGonigle, and Dillon Dingler are all in the 116-138 wRC+ range. Spencer Torkelson is right around league average despite a .208 average and a massive 32.3% strikeout rate. Six other Tigers hitters have taken at least 100 plate appearances. Aside from Carpenter and Torres, Colt Keith (92 wRC+) is the only one approaching respectability. Matt Vierling (77 wRC+), Wenceel Pérez (52), and Zach McKinstry (29) have been dreadful.
All in all, the Tigers have a 22-37 record entering today’s game. That puts them dead last in the weak AL Central and at an 11.0% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. The return of Carpenter is not enough to solve their woes, which have been caused by rotation injuries in addition to the struggling offense. Adding Carpenter and his .502 career slugging percentage will certainly help, but even then, the club would need to play at a 92-win pace the rest of the way just to finish at .500.
The optioning of Workman to the minors is a neat reversal, as he was selected from Triple-A when Carpenter went down on May 10th. The 26-year-old Workman only made 38 plate appearances in those three weeks, and unfortunately, the results were ugly. Workman batted .158/.158/.395 with a 44 wRC+, striking out 16 times and failing to draw a walk. He’s faired much better in Triple-A this year, batting .358/.413/.590 with a 163 wRC+ in 150 plate appearances. That will give him more chances eventually, though he’ll obviously need to hit more if he wants to stick.
Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images
Giants Designate Ryan Borucki, Select Jonah Cox
The Giants have designated left-hander Ryan Borucki for assignment and selected the contract of outfielder Jonah Cox from Double-A Richmond, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports. Outfielder Will Brennan has also been optioned to Triple-A, with righty Tristan Beck recalled in his place.
After being cut by the White Sox near the end of Spring Training, Borucki quickly caught on with the Giants on a big league contract. The results haven’t been there for Borucki in his ninth MLB season, as the southpaw has a 4.94 ERA, 14.4% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate across 23 2/3 relief innings. Just when it seemed like Borucki was getting on track after a shaky start to the season, he gave up five earned runs over his last three outings and 5 1/3 innings of work.
As usual, Borucki has drastic splits, as left-handed batters have only a .550 OPS against him this season (while righty batters have a whopping 1.085 OPS). A team in need of southpaw relief help could be inclined to claim Borucki off San Francisco’s waiver wire, but the likelier scenario is that he’ll clear waivers and then be outrighted to Triple-A. Borucki has been outrighted in the past, so he can elect free agency rather than accept that assignment.
The 24-year-old Cox will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game, and Cox will get his first taste of the Show before even getting a look at the Triple-A level. It seems like Cox’s superb performance in Richmond couldn’t be ignored, as Cox is hitting .400/.453/.644 with six home runs and 27 steals (in 34 attempts) over 183 Double-A plate appearances.
Cox has never posted anything close to these numbers in his previous three minor league seasons, and he is surely getting a lot of help from an eye-opening .464 BABIP. That said, Cox’s elite speed has helped him generate large BABIPs in the past, and he has drastically cut back on his strikeout rate to 16.9% in Double-A ball.
The bat has been the only question mark about Cox’s game, as his defense and speed were already seen as ready for primetime. Those plus skills alone make Cox a viable bench piece for the Giants and perhaps a platoon partner for Drew Gilbert in center field, even if there’s bound to be a learning curve as Cox makes the big jump from facing Double-A pitching to big league arms. The Giants rank last in baseball in stolen bases, so Cox should provide an immediate boost on the basepaths.
Baseball America ranks Cox 21st on their list of Giants prospects. Cox was a sixth-round pick for the Athletics in the 2023 draft, and he was dealt to San Francisco in the February 2024 trade that sent Ross Stripling to the A’s.
Marlins Place Janson Junk On 15-Day IL, Recall Josh White
The Marlins placed right-hander Janson Junk on the 15-day injured list with right shin inflammation, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Right-hander Josh White was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move, and White will be making his big league debut whenever he appears in a game.
Now in his second season with Miami, Junk emerged as a rotation option last season by posting a 4.17 ERA over 110 innings and a 2.9% walk rate that ranked among the league’s very best. Junk’s 5.1BB% this season is still excellent but his recipe of great control without many strikeouts hasn’t been quite as effective, as he has an 4.80 ERA over 11 starts and 60 innings. Most of the damage against Junk came against two of baseball’s top clubs, as the Rays and Braves combined to torch Junk for 15 runs over 10 2/3 innings in starts on May 15 and 20.
Junk was scratched from today’s scheduled start against the Mets, and as per De Nicola, he’ll need 2-3 weeks of recovery. While the injury doesn’t appear to be all that serious, it leaves the Marlins scrambling for a bullpen game today, and down yet another starting pitcher. In a little over a week, the Fish have lost Robby Snelling for the season (due to an internal brace procedure) and Eury Perez to a right gracilis strain that will sideline Perez for about two months.
Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer are the only full-fledged starters remaining in the Miami rotation, and long reliever Tyler Phillips is now being stretched out for a starting role. Braxton Garrett was hit hard in two previous starts this season but might earn another look in the majors out of sheer necessity. The Marlins could also turn to other 40-man options like Ryan Gusto, Dax Fulton, or Bradley Blalock. Top prospect Thomas White isn’t an option to make his Major League debut since the left-hander is currently on the Triple-A injured list.
Off-days on June 4 and 8 give the Marlins some time to try and figure things out, or to at least provide the relief corps with a break over what might be a heavy workload. The bullpen also took a hit with Andrew Nardi‘s placement on the 15-day injured list yesterday due to a stress reaction his rib cage, and the injury will cost Nardi most of the season. Manager Clayton McCullough told De Nicola and other reporters today and Nardi will need three months of recovery time.
Josh White’s call-up brings a fresh arm to the relief mix, and gives the 25-year-old his first taste of MLB action. A fifth-round pick for the Marlins in the 2022 draft, White was added to Miami’s 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. Baseball America ranks White 21st on their list of Marlins prospects, and credits him with an outstanding curveball and a plus slider.
Now in his second year of Triple-A ball, White has a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings with Jacksonville, but a .,155 BABIP and a 96.6% strand rate are the primary reasons for that sparkling ERA. White’s strikeout rate of 26.7% is down considerably from last year’s 40.8% mark, while his walk rate has spiked to 14.3%.
Brewers Activate Rob Zastryzny, Transfer Angel Zerpa To 60-Day IL
The Brewers have activated left-hander Rob Zastryzny off the 60-day injured list to rejoin their bullpen, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Righty Carlos Rodriguez is being optioned to Triple-A. Angel Zerpa has been shifted to the 60-day IL in Zastryzny’s place.
Zastryzny pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic but suffered a left shoulder strain in spring training with Milwaukee. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 25th and transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-April. That ruled out Zastryzny through the end of May, though he’s now healthy and returning for his third season with the Brewers.
Zastryzny’s had three extended injury absences since joining the Brewers for the 2024 season, so he’s only thrown 29 2/3 innings for them. His results in that sample have been solid. Zastryzny has a 2.12 ERA while allowing just a .580 OPS to opposing hitters since 2024. At the same time, Zastryzny’s fastball sits in the low 90s, and his 4.09 FIP since 2024 shows he benefitted from good luck (and good defense behind him).
That said, the Brewers only need Zastryzny to be a serviceable arm, not a premium back-end reliever. The club’s bullpen is in the Top 10 in the Majors by most metrics, including strikeout rate (24.3%), K-BB rate (13.9%), groundball rate (45.9%), and ERA (3.28). Among eight qualified Brewers relievers, only Trevor Megill and Jake Woodford have ERAs over 4.50. Megill has a a 2.88 expected ERA and strong peripherals, so he’s due for positive regression. Led by the nine-win Aaron Ashby, the other relievers have ranged from solid to excellent. Zastryzny is out of options, so he’ll need to re-establish himself quickly, as he can only be taken off the roster by a DFA.
Zerpa’s move to the 60-day IL is entirely expected. He underwent Tommy John surgery a few weeks ago and will therefore miss all of 2026 and a good chunk of 2027. Zerpa will likely repeat his $1.095MM salary in arbitration as a result. The left-hander had a 4.03 ERA in 118 1/3 innings with Kansas City from 2024-25, along with a staggering 60.5% groundball rate that was fifth-best among qualified relievers. With Zerpa’s current timeline, he’ll have the opportunity to provide a year and a half of serviceable relief before hitting free agency after 2028.
Rodriguez heads back to Triple-A having only made two appearances in his latest stint in the Majors. He was recalled on May 24th and threw two scoreless innings against the Dodgers that same day. Rodriguez’s next appearance on May 30th was less fortunate, as he allowed three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Astros. He’s only 24 and has been optioned and recalled several times this year, so Rodriguez will certainly get more chances in the Brewers’ bullpen.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Orioles Outright Dietrich Enns
TODAY: Per Roch Kubatko, Enns has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
May 26th: The Orioles announced that they have recalled left-hander Nick Raquet from Triple-A Norfolk, a move that was reported by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com earlier. In a corresponding move, the O’s designated fellow lefty Dietrich Enns for assignment.
Enns, now 35, had an intriguing comeback season in 2025. He had made his major league debut a few years prior but wound up pitching overseas from 2022 to 2024. He was back in North America last year and logged 46 1/3 innings between the Tigers and Orioles. He allowed 4.08 earned runs per nine. His 24.5% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate were both a bit better than average. He may have even had better results without a .338 batting average on balls in play, which is why his 3.54 SIERA was a bit lower than his ERA.
The O’s signed Enns for the 2026 season, a one-year deal with a $2.625MM guarantee and a club option for 2027. Here in 2026, a left foot infection put him on the IL for about a month, from early April to early May. Around that IL stint, he has given Baltimore 16 innings with a 3.94 ERA but with worse numbers under the hood. His 18.6% strikeout rate and 15.7% walk rate are both subpar figures. His BABIP and strand rate are now to the lucky side, so his 5.24 SIERA suggests he’s been worse than last year, even though he ERA is slightly better.
The Rays and Orioles went to 13 innings last night. Baltimore ultimately came out on top but it was a bit of a pyrrhic victory, as they had to use six relievers in the process. One of them was Enns, who was pitching for a second straight day. It’s likely that Baltimore’s decision to cut Enns came from a combination of the pitching staff being taxed, him being unavailable, and his uninspiring results this year. He is out of options and needed to be bumped off the 40-man entirely to open an active roster spot.
Enns now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Orioles could take five days to explore trade interest. Given this year’s results and salary, they may not find much interest. If Enns were to clear waivers, he would likely stick around as non-roster depth. He has a previous career outright and would technically have the right to elect free agency in that scenario. But since he has less than five years of big league service time, he would have to walk away from the money he is still owed on his current deal.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Rays Place Craig Kimbrel On 15-Day IL, Announce Other Moves
The Rays have placed right-hander Craig Kimbrel on the 15-day injured list with a right wrist strain, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to May 28th. The club is also recalling lefty Cam Booser and righty Trevor Martin from Triple-A. In addition, righty Andrew Wantz is being designated for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster.
Kimbrel joined Tampa Bay on a major league deal last week. That came after he was designated for assignment by the Mets and elected free agency. Kimbrel only got into one game with his new club, striking out two hitters in a scoreless inning on May 26th. Now, he’ll be on the shelf through at least June 4th, continuing a frustrating age-38 season for the once-great closer.
Kimbrel had a 6.00 ERA in 15 innings with the Mets before joining the Rays. Although his 4.39 expected ERA was much better, that’s obviously still not a good mark and shows that Kimbrel is a shell of his old self even accounting for poor luck. Kimbrel is averaging 93.6 MPH on his four-seamer in 2026, continuing his decline from 2023, when the pitch averaged 95.8 MPH. Dating back to the start of 2025, Kimbrel has a 4.18 ERA in 28 innings, with opposing hitters putting up an .806 OPS against him.
At best, low-leverage relief is what the Rays can expect from Kimbrel when he gets back. Tampa’s starters rank third in the Majors with a 3.11 ERA, but their bullpen ranks 25th with a 4.74 mark. Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly have both been excellent, especially Baker in the closer role. In contrast, Jesse Scholtens is underperforming his 4.99 expected ERA by two runs, and he’s now on the injured list himself. The other qualified relievers have a 4.67 ERA or higher. Lengthy track record aside, Kimbrel probably has a short leash when he returns from injury, as the Rays won’t risk worsening their bullpen long-term with only a slim lead over the Yankees in the AL East.
In the meantime, Booser and Martin are back in the Majors as fresh arms. Booser was optioned before Opening Day and hasn’t appeared in the Majors this season, though he has a sharp 1.80 ERA in 20 innings at Triple-A. That mark comes with a 6.3% walk rate, so the Rays might be counting on improved control from Booser in the big league bullpen, at least over his 13.3% walk rate last year with the White Sox. The same can be said of Martin, who’s allowed eight walks in 15 innings at Triple-A this year but has generally limited free passes in the minors.
Wantz loses his roster spot after a single game with the Rays. He allowed five earned runs on 54 pitches in 1 2/3 innings yesterday’s 14-3 loss to the Angels. Wantz was only selected the day before, though he was out of options and needed to be designated to be taken off the roster. Wantz has been outrighted before and can technically reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers. However, he’s only thrown three innings in the Majors since the start of 2024, so it’s possible Wantz remains in the organization and waits for a call-up to re-establish himself.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Sabau, Imagn Images
The Opener: Montgomery, Tatis, Miles
The Orioles won 6-5 against the Blue Jays yesterday on a stunning five-run ninth inning comeback. Taylor Ward made a small bit of history in the game, drawing his 51st walk of the season in the home half of the first. He’s the first in Orioles franchise history to walk 51 times in the first 58 games of the season. With a .404 on-base percentage, Ward continues to be an on-base machine this year.
1. Montgomery’s homer pace
White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery hit career home run No. 35 in yesterday’s 7-1 victory over the Tigers. The contest was Montgomery’s 128th career game, making him the fastest in South Side history to reach 35 home runs. José Abreu was the previous record holder, hitting 35 home runs in 133 games in his 2014 rookie season. As for Montgomery, the second-year shortstop continues to show impressive power with a .252 isolated slugging percentage.
2. Tatis finally goes yard
After a 55-game homerless streak to start 2026, Fernando Tatis Jr. finally went yard with a 451-foot blast against Foster Griffin of the Nationals. Tatis has been mired in the worst offensive season of his career, with his drop in power being the most notable change. Tatis has improved on a dreadful April with a 119 wRC+ in May, so perhaps getting over the mental hurdle of hitting his first home run will help him return to the Tatis of old.
3. Miles to start for Blue Jays today
Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays will give Spencer Miles a traditional start today against the Orioles, in lieu of using an opener. Miles, a fourth-round draft pick by the Giants in 2022, is impressing with a 2.16 ERA in his first 15 big league appearances. Only one appearance, a three-inning, 38-pitch extended opener job on May 10th, counted as a start. Miles has averaged over four innings in three bulk relief appearances since then, so he should be good to go for 70-75 pitches today.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images