Cardinals To Activate Lars Nootbaar
The Cardinals will activate Lars Nootbaar from the 60-day injured list for Friday’s series opener against the Reds, manager Oli Marmol told reporters (including Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat). St. Louis will need to make an active roster move. They already have an opening on the 40-man roster after returning Rule 5 pick Matt Pushard to the Marlins.
Nootbaar will make his season debut after a two-month plus absence. He underwent surgery to shave down bones on both heels last October. Nootbaar has appeared in 11 minor league rehab games, hitting .233 with a pair of home runs while gradually building up to Triple-A Memphis.
The injuries seemed to impact the 28-year-old outfielder last season. Nootbaar had a career-worst .234/.325/.361 slash over 583 plate appearances. His 13 home runs were similar to the totals he posted in less playing time over the prior three seasons. Nootbaar’s rate production was down from the .246/.351/.426 line he managed from 2022-24.
If he’d been healthy, Nootbaar may well have been traded over the offseason. He’s down to his final two years of arbitration control. The Cards committed to a retool in dealing a lot of shorter-term pieces. That included Brendan Donovan, who is also in his penultimate arbitration season. The Cardinals would’ve been accepting pennies on the dollar to move Nootbaar, so it made sense for them to hold him as a deadline trade chip.
That calculus may have changed with the team’s surprising start. St. Louis has won 32 of their first 60 games, putting them firmly in a muddled Wild Card picture. They’ve been a league average offense and one of the league’s better defensive teams, helping paper over a pitching staff that still doesn’t miss many bats.
While the position player group has been solid, the Cards have had one of the weaker left field situations in the National League. The lefty-hitting Nathan Church has mostly operated in a platoon with one of José Fermín or Thomas Saggese. Church is out with a minor shoulder strain but expected to begin a rehab stint tomorrow. He has a middling .247/.282/.390 batting line across 156 plate appearances. Saggese and Fermín haven’t been any better. Recent call-ups Bryan Torres and Nelson Velázquez have gotten some work over the past week.
Velázquez and Fermín are out of options and would need to be designated for assignment if taken off the MLB roster. The Cardinals probably wouldn’t have selected Velázquez’s contract on Friday if they anticipated dropping him that quickly. Torres and Saggese each have options — as does Church if the Cardinals don’t want to open an MLB spot once he’s back from injury.
Rob Manfred Discusses Economic Proposals
Rob Manfred spoke with reporters after this week’s quarterly owners meetings. Jorge Castillo of ESPN, Ronald Blum of The Associated Press and Evan Drellich of The Athletic were among those who relayed the commissioner’s comments.
Manfred spoke publicly for the first time since the league and Players Association exchanged initial economic proposals last week. Those were worlds apart, with the most notable development being MLB’s first official proposal for a salary cap since the 1994-95 players strike. The league proposed a $245.3MM cap and $171.2MM floor. That would come with a 50-50 revenue split between players and ownership, which requires holding some of players’ salaries in escrow in case the league underperforms projections.
[Related Podcast: CBA Standoff Begins]
MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer unsurprisingly blasted the proposal on Monday, reiterating the union’s opposition to a cap — which he called “a form of institutionalized collusion.” Manfred didn’t directly respond to Meyer’s comment but took his typical approach, framing it as a competitive balance issue.
“We have tried mightily over several rounds of bargaining to use a competitive balance (luxury) tax to address competitive concerns,” Manfred said. “And sometimes you’ve got to admit you failed.” Manfred didn’t expressly state that a cap was the only solution but implied that drastic changes were necessary.
“We made a proposal on one set of topics. At the outset of negotiations, I went and said myself, ‘We’re open to whatever ideas people have, but we need a realistic framework that addresses the fans’ concerns about competitive balance.’ You just can’t ignore that financial penalties have not gotten it done for us.” The luxury tax has been in place since 2003.
That’s a standard talking point for the league. The union’s initial proposal called for more revenue sharing and a “competitive integrity tax” penalizing teams that spend less than $150MM on payroll. The union favors maintaining the luxury tax setup and proposed raising the base threshold dramatically to $300MM.
Of course, both sides are going to push for competitive balance measures that are in their favor on revenue split. Fixing spending on players would also go towards owners’ goals of escalating franchise values. It’s debatable whether either really cares about competitive balance, though that’s obviously a primary concern for many fans — especially those of smaller-market clubs.
An offseason lockout seems inevitable once the current bargaining agreement expires on December 1. The 2021-22 lockout lasted 99 days and narrowly avoided the cancelation of games. “Of course I do,” Manfred replied when asked if he was worried about a more disastrous work stoppage like the ’94-95 strike. He declined to answer a question about whether the league’s desire for a cap would make an extended lockout worthwhile, saying he wouldn’t “speculate about work stoppages.”
There’s no incentive for Manfred to answer that question. The extent of both sides’ willingness to tolerate a lockout that’d cost them game revenue is a pivotal piece of information that neither will disclose publicly. It behooves both parties to stress their resolve more generally.
The commissioner also touched on a few non-CBA topics. He provided an update on the sale agreement that values the Padres just shy of $4 billion. That’s still pending approval from the other 29 owners. Manfred said that’s “not ready for a vote today” but is likely to come up at some point this summer. He also touched on expansion, noting that’s a topic which will be on the back burner until a new CBA is in place.
Cardinals Return Rule 5 Pick Matt Pushard To Marlins
The Cardinals returned Rule 5 draftee Matt Pushard to the Marlins, relays Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat. St. Louis designated the righty for assignment over the weekend.
Pushard didn’t get much of an opportunity to establish himself. He landed on the injured list almost immediately due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee. That kept him on the shelf for six weeks. The 28-year-old righty pitched pretty well after coming off the injured list, tossing scoreless appearances in each of his first four outings. He labored through 28 pitches in a mop-up appearance against the Cubs on Saturday, however, leading the Cards to swap him out for Hunter Dobbins after the game.
Rule 5 picks can’t be optioned. The Cardinals needed to designate him for assignment and run him through outright waivers. After he cleared, they offered him back to the Marlins for $50K. Miami accepted and will presumably assign him back to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he spent the entire 2025 season.
An undrafted free agent out of the University of Maine in 2022, Pushard has been a pure reliever throughout his minor league career. He worked 62 1/3 innings of 3.61 ERA ball with the Jumbo Shrimp last season, striking out 28.5% of opposing hitters. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft again next offseason if he doesn’t earn a spot on Miami’s 40-man roster before then. Their bullpen has a little above average this season.
Blue Jays Acquire Simeon Woods Richardson From Twins
The Blue Jays announced they’ve acquired right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson from the Twins for cash considerations. Toronto transferred lefty reliever Joe Mantiply from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. Mantiply recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
It’s the second time the Toronto front office has acquired Woods Richardson. The first came as a prospect back in 2019, when the Jays landed him from the Mets as part of the Marcus Stroman deal. Woods Richardson was one of the better pitching prospects in MLB and found himself in another notable deadline trade two years later. Toronto packaged him and then-top prospect Austin Martin to Minnesota in ’21 for José Berríos.
Woods Richardson debuted the following year with one start. He also made one appearance the following season. The former second-round pick held a rotation spot for the better part of the next two years. Woods Richardson was a decent mid-rotation arm, posting a low-4.00s earned run average in consecutive seasons. He combined for a 4.11 ERA with a league average strikeout and walk profile across 245 innings from 2024-25.
That included a strong September last year that added optimism about Woods Richardson’s form going into 2026. Things have gone completely off the rails this year instead. Woods Richardson made two strong starts to open the season. He was knocked around over his next seven appearances, allowing almost 10 earned runs per nine innings. Minnesota pushed him to the bullpen for two scoreless outings. He drew back in as a spot starter on May 28 and was blitzed for five runs in 2 2/3 innings by the White Sox.
Minnesota pulled the plug at that point. Woods Richardson is out of options and can’t be sent to the minors, so the Twins designated him for assignment on Saturday. That gave them five days to see if they could line up a trade before exposing him to waivers. They were able to find a trader partner but only for cash.
Woods Richardson is averaging 92.7 mph on his fastball. That’s down marginally from last year’s 93.2 mark but not a dramatic drop. He has scaled up the usage of his splitter while abandoning his changeup and cutting back on his curveball. Nothing has worked this year, but his splitter and slider were both effective offerings last season.
Toronto’s rotation has been decimated by injuries. Berríos and Cody Ponce are done for the year. Shane Bieber remains weeks away from his season debut. Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer are both out of action but on rehab assignments, so they’ll be back soon. Woods Richardson could make a spot start or two in the interim or work out of the bullpen. The Jays are using Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Patrick Corbin as traditional starters and have Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles working mostly in 3-4 inning stints behind an opener.
Woods Richardson is playing for around the league minimum salary. He’ll qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player this winter if he holds his roster spot. He’s under club control for four seasons beyond this one.
Mitch Bannon of The Athletic first reported the trade. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images.
Angels Re-Sign Joey Lucchesi On Minor League Deal
The Angels announced they’ve re-signed reliever Joey Lucchesi to a minor league contract. He’d been released from his previous deal yesterday, presumably after triggering an opt-out clause.
Lucchesi has been on and off the roster since the end of Spring Training. He was in camp with the Giants on a minor league deal, opting out when San Francisco informed him he wouldn’t make the roster. Lucchesi signed a big league deal with the Halos and was on the Opening Day club. He was designated for assignment a couple weeks into the season.
The 6’5″ southpaw cleared waivers, elected free agency, then returned on a minor league deal. He was called back up in late April and the cycle repeated itself. Lucchesi returned on a second minor league contract after another quick DFA and free agent stint. He has made five MLB appearances this year, allowing six runs on seven hits and six walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi has logged 18 frames with Salt Lake. He carries a 4.50 earned run average with a strong 28% strikeout rate against a manageable 9.9% walk percentage. They’re decent numbers overall, though he issued three walks and gave up two runs in his most recent appearance. He’ll re-join Tayler Saucedo and the just optioned Sam Aldegheri as depth options with the Bees. The Halos are carrying Drew Pomeranz, Brent Suter and Mitch Farris in the big league bullpen.
Corbin Burnes Suffers Teres Major Strain, Likely Out Until September
Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes has suffered a teres major strain and will be shut down from his throwing progression. Manager Torey Lovullo says Burnes probably won’t be back until September with this setback. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic was among those to relay the news.
The righty underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year. That procedure normally comes with a recovery period of 14 months or longer, which would have put Burnes in line for a return in August. He was optimistic about beating that, telling reporters in February that he expected he could return around the All-Star break in July. He faced live hitters last week, per Piecoro, but any hope of a July return is now dashed.
It’s an unfortunate development for Burnes and the Diamondbacks, as both parties were hoping he could be a late-season factor. Lovullo didn’t rule him out for the season but he now has an even tighter window to make an impact on the 2026 season.
Arizona will continue with a starting five of Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Michael Soroka, Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson. It hasn’t been a great group overall but has been one of the better rotations in the National League over the past month. All aside from Gallen have pitched well of late, but Soroka is the only one missing bats at an average or better rate. Nelson has also worked around one of the highest home run rates in MLB.
It feels fairly tenuous and there’s very little in terms of rotation depth. Prospects Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and Dylan Ray are all on the 40-man roster and at Triple-A Reno. None of those three have pitched in MLB, and only Drake (who has an ERA above 8.00) is currently healthy. There’s not much to be done right now beyond hoping the rest of the rotation stays healthy. Arizona is four games above .500 and currently holds the NL’s final Wild Card spot. If they can hang in the postseason picture, adding a starter at the deadline feels like a must.
This also all but ensures what already looked like an obvious call for Burnes not to opt out of the remaining four years and $140MM on his six-year free agent deal. There was an outside chance Burnes could’ve considered that if he made a seamless return from the elbow surgery and dominated in the second half — especially with a dismal free agent class after Tarik Skubal. That’s not going to happen anymore. Gallen and Soroka are impending free agents (the latter after his mutual option is bought out), so the D-Backs will need a healthy Burnes in 2027.
Angels Select Shaun Anderson
The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Shaun Anderson. He’ll take the active roster spot of left-hander Sam Aldegheri, who was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after last night’s game. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.
Anderson has been bouncing on and off the Halos’ roster for most of the past two years. Since he is out of options, he needs to be removed from the 40-man roster when the Angels want to swap him out for another pitcher. This is the fifth time he has been selected to the roster since the start of 2025. He gives the bullpen a fresh arm and is usually designated for assignment after a few appearances. Each time, he has cleared waivers, elected free agency and then re-signed.
It’s not just the Angels and Anderson who have this kind of arrangement. Carlos Carrasco has been doing a similar thing in Atlanta, ditto Albert Suárez in Baltimore. While those players would probably prefer more stable MLB gigs, the fact that they keep clearing waivers indicates no one is willing to give them that kind of job. In this setup, at least they get sporadic hits of major league pay and service time. The teams, meanwhile, effectively get a 41st man on their 40-man rosters.
Last night, Grayson Rodriguez started for the Angels and only lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight earned runs in the process. Aldegheri came in and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless frames to finish the game, throwing 89 pitches. Since Aldegheri wasn’t going to be available for the next few days, the Angels have added Anderson so that they won’t be short-handed in the bullpen.
Anderson has a 6.35 earned run average in 180 career innings, dating back to his 2019 debut with the Giants. Since the start of 2025, when his run with the Angels began, he has a 7.71 ERA in 28 innings. He’s been throwing four to five innings in his recent minor league appearances, so he gives the club an option for long relief if they need one again in the near future.
As for d’Arnaud, he landed on the 10-day IL on May 7th due to right foot plantar fasciitis. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he’s ineligible to be reinstated until early July. His current status isn’t clear but the Angels evidently don’t expect him back for at least another month.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
The Pirates Finally Have an Offense
No team scored less often in 2025 than the Pirates. Of course, that wasn’t anything new. Since Pittsburgh’s playoff drought began in 2016, only one team, the Marlins, has scored fewer runs. The 2016 season was the last time the Bucs ranked among the top half of NL teams in scoring, while 2018 was the last time they finished a season with an OPS above the NL average. In recent years, the easiest way to sound like a broken record in Pirates circles was to ask when the team was going to give their talented young pitchers the kind of run support they deserved.
Through 61 games in 2026, it’s starting to sound like Ben Cherington and Co. have finally taken that broken vinyl off the player. The Pirates rank among the league’s top eight in all three triple-slash categories (BA, OBP, & SLG), as well as walks, wOBA, xwOBA, OPS, and wRC+. They also lead the majors in stolen base success rate, while their 61 steals rank third. Most importantly, all of that hitting, walking, and running is helping them drive runs across the plate. Pittsburgh is averaging 5.1 runs per contest, fifth in MLB.
The team’s top producers have been a nice combination of homegrown heroes and shiny new toys. Bryan Reynolds, the longest-tenured Pirate, leads the team with a .403 on-base percentage; among qualified outfielders, only Mike Trout and James Wood have reached base at a higher rate. Acquired in the 2018 Andrew McCutchen trade, Reynolds broke out as a star in 2019 and ’21, his first two full seasons. However, his next few years were more good than great, and his 2025 campaign was genuinely disappointing; he saw his wRC+ dip below league average, while his .157 isolated power (ISO) was the lowest of his career. He hardly resembled the middle-of-the-order bat who convinced a famously stingy organization to open the purse strings and sign him to the largest contract in franchise history (at the time) a few years back. Through the first two months of 2026, Reynolds looks like that kind of player again. His power numbers are still down, but he’s compensating with discipline. He walked 57 times in 2025, 57 times in 2024, 53 times in 2023, and 56 times in 2022. This year, the switch-hitter has already drawn 44 free passes, and Pittsburgh has 101 games left to play. Add in his four hit-by-pitches, and he’s on pace to stroll to first base nearly 130 times in 2026; his previous career-high is 83. All told, the offensive production is right up there with that of his best years: an .835 OPS and a 138 wRC+.
While Reynolds is bringing the walks, another resurgent veteran is bringing the power. Brandon Lowe, acquired in a three-team trade this winter, leads the club in home runs, extra-base hits, and wRC+. His 15 long balls are tied for fourth in the National League. If he keeps hitting them at this rate, he’ll be the Pirates’ first 40-homer hitter since Willie Stargell in 1973, and it isn’t unrealistic to think he can pull that off. Lowe has always had big power, but frequent injuries have held him back; he hit 31 home runs in 134 games last year and 39 in 149 games in 2021. The fact that PNC Park isn’t very homer-friendly hasn’t hurt him either. Instead, it’s helped him hit 12 doubles, putting him on pace for a new career-high in total bases and extra-base hits.
There’s no one Reynolds or Lowe has driven in more often than Oneil Cruz, who leads the Pirates in runs scored and RBI. Cruz is a flawed player. He’s struck out in more than one-third of his trips to the plate, and he drives too many balls straight into the ground. The thing is, those flaws are almost trivial when the 6-foot-7 Cruz is making the most of his ridiculous strength and speed. His 119-mph double from April 16 remains the hardest batted ball any player has hit this year – and that’s still nearly 4 mph slower than Cruz’s personal best (which is also the Statcast-era record). In 2026, Cruz has taken advantage of having the third-fastest average swing speed and the highest hard-hit rate in baseball to smack 14 home runs, just seven back of his career high. He is also tied for third in MLB with 19 stolen bases in 22 attempts. That makes him the only player on pace for a 30-30 season.
In many ways, Spencer Horwitz is the anti-Cruz. The 5-foot-10 first baseman doesn’t run well, swing fast, or hit the ball hard. Yet, only 10 qualified hitters have a lower swing-and-miss rate, and only four have a higher walk-to-strikeout ratio. Thanks to his high-contact approach, Horwitz ranks third on the Pirates with an .843 OPS and a 137 wRC+. And while he doesn’t have as long a track record as many of his teammates, he owns a shockingly impressive 146 wRC+ since last year’s All-Star break. Only five qualified NL batters are ahead of him in that time: Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber, Brice Turang, and Corbin Carroll. The catch is that the Pirates have done everything in their power to shield the lefty-batting Horwitz from same-handed pitching. Nearly 87% of his plate appearances over the last two years have come against right-handers, and he owns a career .561 OPS and 66 wRC+ without the platoon advantage. Nonetheless, he has proven incredibly valuable, even with his limitations. It seems like the Pirates knew exactly what they were doing when they acquired him in (essentially) another three-team trade two offseasons ago.
Speaking of righty mashers, Ryan O’Hearn returned from a brief stint on the injured list over the weekend, and he celebrated with a home run off a right-hander in his first at-bat back. The two-year, $29MM deal O’Hearn signed over the winter represented the largest guarantee the franchise has ever given to a free agent hitter. While a contract like that wouldn’t count as a big swing for most teams, it was for the Pirates. So far, it’s looking like they picked the right player to take that swing on. With eight home runs in 46 games, O’Hearn is tracking to surpass 20 for the first time. His .845 OPS and 136 wRC+ would also be his best marks in both categories since his 44-game rookie season in 2018. The Pirates haven’t protected O’Hearn from southpaws the same way they have for Horwitz, so they must be hoping he’ll improve on his .669 OPS and 84 wRC+ against lefty pitching. Even if he doesn’t, his numbers against righties make it easy to overlook his same-handed shortcomings.
The Pirates’ platoon issues go beyond any individual player. Their offense has been relentless against right-handed pitching, but unfortunately, they still have to face left-handers about 30% of the time. With lefties on the mound, the Pirates have a middling .690 OPS and 94 wRC+. Reynolds is doing just fine, and the lefty-batting Cruz has reverse platoon splits, but Lowe, Horwitz, and O’Hearn have struggled to do much damage. That’s compounded by the fact that none of the right-handed hitters in the lineup have stepped up to mash southpaws. Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, another offseason signing, is showing his 35 years at the plate, while third baseman Nick Gonzales has had most of his success against righties. The good news for the Pirates is that they have at least one righty bat they can count on a whole lot more from.
Konnor Griffin was widely considered the top prospect in baseball entering the season. No one understood the hype better than the Pirates themselves, who agreed to a $140MM extension with their star rookie just a few days into his MLB career. Through 208 PA, Griffin has a modest .729 OPS and 104 wRC+, with roughly even platoon splits. However, he was still finding ways to be a major contributor to Pittsburgh’s offense before he hit the IL over the weekend. (He has a flexor tendon strain, and he isn’t expected to miss much time.) The lightning-fast 20-year-old is 14-for-15 in stolen bases, and he leads the majors in the FanGraphs baserunning metric, BsR. Thus, despite his pedestrian performance at the plate, he has already scored 30 runs in 51 games. If he taps into more of his potential, he can help protect against regression from some of his teammates, and Pittsburgh’s platoon splits should start to even out.
The Pirates haven’t had an offensive core like this in a long time. Lowe, Reynolds, Horwitz, and O’Hearn all rank among the top 20 qualified NL batters in wRC+. In the last decade, only one Pittsburgh hitter – Reynolds in 2021 – has finished a season with a wRC+ high enough to crack the NL’s top 20. Meanwhile, Cruz is on pace to score more runs than any Pirates hitter since Brian Giles in 2001, and he’s hoping to join Barry Bonds as just the second player to go 30-30 in franchise history. Then there’s Griffin, who has the tools to be the organization’s biggest position player star since McCutchen.
This team isn’t without its problems. The Pirates would make the playoffs if the season ended today, but it doesn’t. They have to show they can keep this up for another four months. To do that, they need their veterans to stay hot, their young guys to take the next step, and Endy Rodríguez to finally prove he can be the answer behind the plate. Yet, as early as it still is in the season, there’s something about this version of the Pirates that truly feels different. For the first time in a long time, the Pirates have an offense.
Images courtesy of Charles LeClaire and Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.
Reds Release Josh Staumont
The Reds have released right-hander Josh Staumont, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. It’s possible his minor league deal had a June 1st opt-out, since that’s a common date for such provisions.
Staumont, 32, was once a second-round pick of the Royals and had some success with that club. From 2019 to 2021, he tossed 110 2/3 innings for Kansas City, allowing 2.93 earned runs per nine. His 11.4% walk rate in that time was high but he struck out 26.7% of batters faced.
His results back up in 2022 and 2023, as he posted a 6.09 ERA over those two campaigns. His 25.3% strikeout rate was still strong but his control problems got worse, as he walked 15.8% of opponents. There was some bad luck in there, as his .329 batting average on balls in play and 62.8% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His 4.56 SIERA suggested he deserved better but still indicated he wasn’t as good as in the previous seasons. He required thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July of 2023.
He was non-tendered ahead of the 2024 season and signed with the Twins. He gave Minnesota 24 1/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA, but in this case, he was lucky for that number to be so low. His 17.6% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate were both subpar. His .246 BABIP and zero home runs allowed were helping him out tremendously, which is why his SIERA was 5.06. His four-seamer averaged 94.3 miles per hour, more than two ticks below where he was in 2021. The Twins released him in August.
He signed a minor league deal with the Reds for 2025 but was placed on the full-season injured list in March due to an undisclosed ailment. The Reds then re-signed him for 2026. He started the season back on the minor league IL but was able to start a rehab assignment in May. He logged seven innings between the Complex League and High-A, allowing one earned run. He struck out 11 of the 31 batters he faced, a 35.5% clip. He walked three opponents, a 9.7% clip, though he also hit two batters.
Staumont is little more than a lottery ticket at this point but perhaps someone will pick him up. His numbers this year are a very small sample at the lower levels of the minors but he was punching guys out at an encouraging rate. Given his track record, perhaps he can find another minor league deal as he continues trying to put his injuries behind him.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images
Yunior Marté Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Yunior Marté, who was designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this week, has cleared waivers. He has informed the club he will exercise his right to elect free agency. Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard passed along the update.
Marté, 31, signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in the offseason. He just got a very brief look in the majors. He was selected to the roster on Friday and appeared in that night’s game, allowing four earned runs in a third of an inning. He was designated for assignment on Monday.
Though Marté’s performance didn’t help, the quick hook was likely related to the club’s roster situation. Both Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson hit the injured list in quick succession recently. Chase Burns had a start pushed back due to illness, forcing the club to improvise a bullpen game. As the Reds have tried to dance around those situations, Marté, Lyon Richardson and Brandon Leibrandt all got added to the roster but then designated for assignment after one appearance.
Prior to getting called up, Marté was with Triple-A Louisville. In 19 1/3 innings for that club, he allowed 5.12 earned runs per nine. That’s obviously not a good number but there was some more intrigue under the hood, as his .377 batting average on balls in play and 66% strand rate were both unfortunate numbers. His 12.6% walk rate was too high but he was striking out 27.4% of batters faced and inducing grounders on 50% of balls in play.
In situations like this, it’s common for the player to return to his previous club on a new deal. Perhaps Marté will re-sign with the Reds in the coming days but he’ll have a chance to explore other opportunities. He has a 5.94 ERA in 113 2/3 major league innings with the Giants, Phillies and now Reds. He spent last year in Japan, posting a 1.95 ERA for the Chunichi Dragons, though with a lot of help from a .213 BABIP. His four-seamer and sinker average in the upper-90s. His main secondary pitch is a mid-80s slider.
Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV, Imagn Images