NL Central Notes: Jones, Lodolo, Trevino, Pages
A little over 11 months after undergoing an internal brace surgery, Jared Jones is slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday with the Pirates‘ low-A affiliate in Bradenton. Pirates GM Ben Cherington made the announcement on his weekly radio show, telling MLB.com’s Jason Mackey that Jones has “passed all the physical checks. He pitched in an extended game last week [and] was up to 100 mph. He has the velocity and has been recovering well. Now he has to get back into that routine of being a pitcher and getting outs.”
While Paul Skenes naturally garnered most of the headlines in 2024, Jones also made his big league debut that season and posted a 4.14 ERA over 121 2/3 innings and 22 starts. He hasn’t been able to follow up on that solid rookie campaign due to elbow problems that surfaced late in Spring Training 2025, though Jones was able to avoid a full Tommy John surgery. The shorter timeline usually associated with an internal brace procedure means that Jones is on track to return to Pittsburgh by late May or early June, if all goes well in his rehab. Interestingly, Mackey floated the idea that Jones could be used as a piggyback starter or even as a reliever if the Buccos want to limit his innings in his return from major surgery, as the Pirates’ rotation is strong enough at the moment that Jones isn’t necessarily needed for starting duty right away.
More from the NL Central…
- Nick Lodolo recorded seven strikeouts and allowed only two hits over five scoreless innings and 51 pitches for high-A Dayton in the first start of the Reds southpaw’s latest rehab assignment. Lodolo has yet to pitch in the majors this season due to blister problems that arose during Spring Training, and more blisters cut short his first rehab start with Dayton back on April 2. A few more weeks of recovery may have finally gotten the problem under control, though the extra time away means Lodolo will need another rehab start or two to build up his arm strength. Despite a lack of hitting and the absence of top starters Lodolo and Hunter Greene, the Reds weathered the storm to post an 18-10 record in their first 28 games.
- The Reds also activated catcher Jose Trevino from the 10-day injured list prior to today’s game with the Tigers, and catcher P.J. Higgins was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move. A thoracic spine strain has kept Trevino out of action since April 4. Now in his second season with the Reds, Trevino will resume his duties as a glove-first backup behind starting catcher Tyler Stephenson.
- Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages left Saturday’s game due to left hamstring tightness, but Pages told media (including Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that he is day to day after scans revealed no substantive damage. “Everything’s intact from the hamstring. It’s just more swelling in the area, which is fine. I just got to flush it out and be ready to go,” Pages said. The backstop didn’t play today but believed he could be ready Monday when the Cardinals open a series in Pittsburgh. Though the Cards don’t have an off-day until May 11, they have the catching depth to afford Pages extra rest time if necessary since Ivan Herrera and Yohel Pozo are both on the active roster. Known more for his glove than his bat, Pages has a respectable 101 wRC+ (from a .250/.310/.404 slash line) over his first 59 plate appearances.
Angels Designate Jordan Romano For Assignment, Select Joey Lucchesi
The Angels announced a series of moves before Sunday’s matchup against the Royals, the most notable of which was designating closer Jordan Romano for assignment. The club selected left-hander Joey Lucchesi to take his spot. Right-hander Shaun Anderson was also designated for assignment, and righty Jose Fermin was recalled. On the hitting side, catcher Logan O’Hoppe was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured wrist. Sebastian Rivero was recalled to replace O’Hoppe.
Injuries to Ben Joyce, Robert Stephenson, and Kirby Yates thrust Romano into the closer role to begin the year. He initially excelled as the preferred 9th inning option, picking up four saves over six scoreless appearances to open the campaign. Romano permitted just two baserunners during that stretch, both coming via walk.
The wheels came off from there. Romano had a disastrous series against the Yankees that included five earned runs, two blown saves, and only one out recorded. He briefly recovered in two lower-leverage outings, then blew up for four earned runs in a blowout against the Royals on Saturday. Romano was pulled mid-inning for infielder Adam Frazier.
Romano emerged as one of the top closers in the game with the Blue Jays. He piled up 95 saves from 2021 to 2023, earning a pair of All-Star selections. Elbow injuries ruined his 2024 season, and he’s never been the same since then. Romano had an 8.23 ERA for the Phillies last year. He came to the Angels on a modest one-year, $2MM deal. His time with the team is over after just eight innings.
Lucchesi joined the organization in late March after getting released by the Giants. He ended up breaking camp with the Angels. The veteran lefty allowed a pair of earned runs over three appearances. He walked four and struck out two across 2 1/3 innings. Lucchesi was designated for assignment and elected free agency in early April, but returned to the organization on a minor league deal.
Fermin was up and down with the big league club for the majority of 2025. He put together a mid-4.00s ERA with a solid 25.7% strikeout rate across 40 appearances. Fermin has a big fastball, but control has been an issue. The righty posted a hefty 15.1% walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.
Anderson was knocked around for 11 earned runs in nine appearances out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old was similarly ineffective during his time with the club last year. He did not break camp with the team, but was in the majors before the end of March. Lucchesi will likely step into Anderson’s multi-inning role.
O’Hoppe was pulled from Saturday’s contest due to what was initially described as wrist irritation. He took a foul tip off the wrist in the seventh inning, but did stay in to finish the frame. Travis d’Arnaud replaced him in the eighth inning. The veteran d’Arnaud will likely assume the majority of the reps behind the plate, with Rivero backing him up. Rivero appeared in 11 games for the Angels last season. He’s hit .172 in 107 MLB plate appearances.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Select Jesus Valdez
The Diamondbacks have selected infielder Jesus Valdez to the big league roster, per a team announcement. He’s been optioned to Double-A. Valdez will serve as the club’s 27th man for today’s game against the Padres. If he makes it into the game, it will be his big-league debut.
Arizona and San Diego were permitted to add an extra man for the Mexico City series, but it had to be a position player. After initially declining to make an addition to the roster, the Diamondbacks made the move for the second game of the series. An injury to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo led to the decision, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Perdomo went down with an ankle injury yesterday. The issue isn’t expected to require an IL stint, Piecoro relayed in a separate post.
Valdez was signed by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He was dealt to the Pirates the following year for David Freese. The infielder had some offensive success in the lower levels of the minors, but was released by Double-A Altoona after a brief stint in 2021. He latched on with the Diamondbacks on a minor league agreement in 2022.
The 28-year-old Valdez has posted modest numbers in the upper levels of Arizona’s system. He has an identical .706 OPS for his career at Double-A (116 games) and Triple-A (47 games). Valdez has scuffled to a .211/.375/.263 line in seven minor league games this year.
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Cubs Select Yacksel Rios, Designate Vince Velasquez For Assignment
In a series of moves relayed by Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs are expected to select right-hander Yacksel Rios and recall lefty Charlie Barnes. Righty Vince Velasquez will be designated for assignment. Left-hander Riley Martin is heading to the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 24) with elbow inflammation. The team has officially announced the moves.
Velasquez’s minor league contract was only just selected on Friday, and he pitched well in what end up being his only appearance in a Chicago uniform. The right-hander allowed one hit over 2 1/3 shutout innings against the Dodgers in Velasquez’s first MLB outing since the 2023 season, when he was with the Pirates.
Elbow surgery sidelined Velasquez for the entire 2024 campaign, and his 2025 season saw him pitch both in the KBO League with the Lotte Giants and with the Guardians’ Triple-A club. Cleveland designated Velasquez for assignment and outrighted him off its 40-man roster last year, so that past outright means that Velasquez can opt for free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment from the Cubs if he clears waivers.
Velasquez could opt to stick around at Triple-A Iowa if for no other reason than the Cubs’ seemingly endless list of pitching injuries might allow him a relatively quick return to the Show. Chicago has eight relievers and 11 pitchers overall on the 15- or 60-day IL now that Martin has been sidelined.
Martin last pitched on Thursday, when he threw a scoreless inning in the Cubs’ 8-7 win over the Phillies. The rookie southpaw been quite impressive since making his Major League debut in early April, as Martin has a 2.16 ERA, 32.3% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate over his first 8 1/3 innings and eight games as a big leaguer. A .222 BABIP has helped Martin avoid damage from a lot of the hard contact he has surrendered, but his 2.53 SIERA indicates that he has pitched well beyond that good fortune.
With Martin sidelined and Velasquez in DFA limbo, Rios and Barnes join the active roster as a pair of fresh arms for the beleaguered pen. This is Barnes’ second stint on the 26-man since his contract was initially selected earlier this month, and Barnes pitched in one game (allowing three earned runs in three innings) before being optioned to Triple-A.
Rios came to the organization on a minor league deal in January. The righty last appeared in the big leagues with the Athletics in 2023. He’s been in the Mets’ minor league system for the past two seasons. Rios has just over three years of MLB service time to his name. He’s spent parts of six big-league seasons with the Phillies, Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox, and A’s.
The 32-year-old Rios has a 6.32 career ERA and a checkered injury history. He was off to an uninspiring start to the Triple-A season, posting a 5.06 ERA across seven appearances with Iowa. Rios missed most of 2025 due to health issues. He delivered a solid minor league campaign in 2024, recording a 3.30 ERA with a strikeout per inning for Triple-A Syracuse.
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Jack Flaherty’s Difficult Start
The Tigers brought back Jack Flaherty on a two-year, $35 million deal heading into last season after a resurgent 2024 campaign. The veteran righty wasn’t as effective in his second year with the club, but he maintained strong strikeout numbers while matching Tarik Skubal for the team lead in starts. Flaherty’s underlying metrics suggested a bounce-back effort was on the table for 2026, but the results have been concerning so far.
Flaherty was battered for six earned runs over two innings on Saturday against the Reds. He came into the outing having allowed just one home run this year, but Cincinnati took him deep three times. The clunker pushed Flaherty’s ERA to 5.33 across 25 1/3 innings. His xFIP (5.94) and SIERA (5.48) are even higher than that mark. The lone positive from the Kansas City game was Flaherty’s two walks. It was the first time this year he’d issued fewer than three free passes, though getting yanked after two frames probably helped.
The clear concern for Flaherty is the control. He hasn’t been in the zone often enough to be effective. The 30-year-old right-hander has piled up 22 walks through six starts. He moved past A’s righty Luis Severino for the league lead this weekend. Severino’s 21 walks have come in six more innings. Flaherty has posted career-worst numbers in zone rate (43%), strike rate (56%), and swinging-strike rate (9.2%).
The new ABS challenge system has led to walk rates ticking up around the league, but that doesn’t seem to be the reason for Flaherty’s struggles. His 16.9% called strike rate is right in line with his career norm. Detroit leads the league in correct challenge rate at 84%. The club ranks first in Statcast’s Overturns vs. Expected metric, which tabulates net ABS results by a team using a comparison to similar pitches. Opponents have won 42% of challenges against the Tigers, which is the 12th-lowest mark. Maybe an approach change by Flaherty to adjust to the new system has led to the increase in walks, though his pitch mix and locations look relatively normal.
After stumbling through a 2023 campaign split between the Cardinals and Orioles, Flaherty revived his career with the Tigers in 2024. He delivered a sub-3.00 ERA with a career-best 32% strikeout rate over 18 starts. After bringing in Flaherty on a modest one-year, $14 million agreement, the Tigers were able to cash in at the trade deadline, sending him to the Dodgers for a pair of prospects. Neither Thayron Liranzo nor Trey Sweeney has emerged as an impact contributor for Detroit, but it was still a good bit of business at the time. Flaherty grabbed a World Series ring with the Dodgers, then came back to the Tigers in the offseason.
Flaherty had the opportunity to opt out of his Detroit deal after 2025. He chose to remain with the club for $10MM this season, plus another $10MM earned by making 15 starts last year. It was an unsurprising move, as Flaherty was coming off a middling campaign and was unlikely to make much more on the open market.
Detroit made one of the biggest starting pitcher additions over the winter, adding Framber Valdez on a three-year, $115MM pact. The club is paying Skubal a record $32MM via arbitration. Justin Verlander‘s one-year, $13MM contract won’t break the bank, but it’s another investment on the pitching side that contributed to the club’s $217MM payroll (per RosterResource). With Jackson Jobe, Reese Olson, and Troy Melton on the 60-day IL, the Tigers’ pitching depth has thinned out. Verlander has yet to pitch this year as he deals with a hip injury.
The rotation has been a strength outside of Flaherty. Skubal’s contributions remain Cy Young-caliber. Valdez has been a steady presence. Casey Mize actually paces the group with a 2.51 ERA. The former No. 1 overall pick is off to one of the best starts of his career. Keider Montero has filled in admirably for the injured Verlander. Getting Flaherty back on track would give the Tigers one of the more formidable rotations in the American League as the club looks to make it three straight trips to the postseason.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images
Athletics Designate Andy Ibanez For Assignment, Reinstate Brent Rooker
Outfielder Brent Rooker is back with the Athletics after missing a little over two weeks with an oblique strain. The club has designated infielder Andy Ibanez for assignment to clear a roster spot for Rooker, per a team announcement. Rooker is batting fourth as the DH today against the Rangers.
The Dodgers gave Ibanez a one-year, $1.2MM deal in January. They tried to get him through waivers in February, but the A’s swooped in and claimed him. It was a reasonable move considering Ibanez’s solid production as a platoon bat in recent years with the Tigers. The veteran struggled in his brief time with the club, though. Ibanez hit just .118 in 11 games. He spent time at every infield position except shortstop.
After a couple of seasons with the Rangers, Ibanez came to the Tigers via waiver claim heading into 2023. He earned semi-regular work for the first time as a big leaguer, delivering a 103 wRC+ across 383 plate appearances. Ibanez’s numbers tailed off the following season, though not against lefties. The righty swinger posted a .802 OPS vs. southpaws in 2024. Detroit leaned harder into the platoon approach last year, limiting Ibanez to just 52 at-bats against righties. He slashed a respectable .258/.311/.403 in 124 ABs against lefties.
The A’s got the memo about Ibanez’s splits. It just didn’t work out for them in a tiny sample. The infielder went 2-for-16 against lefties. Ibanez was 0-for-1 with a walk in his scant chances against righties. The club was able to take advantage of the veteran’s defensive versatility, as he drew starts at first, second, and third base. Ibanez has been a plus defender by Defensive Runs Saved at all four infield spots for his career.
With Ibanez DFAed, the A’s will have five days to trade him or put him on waivers. He could be attractive to a team hunting for infield depth, though the price tag is a bit higher than a typical waiver claim. If he makes it through waivers, the A’s could look to stash him in the minors, if he permits it. Ibanez has been outrighted in his career, so he has the right to reject a minor league assignment and opt for free agency.
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Orioles Designate Albert Suarez For Assignment
The Orioles have designated right-hander Albert Suarez for assignment, the team announced. Closer Ryan Helsley has been reinstated from the bereavement list to take Suarez’s roster spot.
Suarez tossed a season-high 59 pitches in mop-up duty behind an ineffective Trevor Rogers on Saturday. He permitted four runs, but all of them were unearned thanks to errors by Adley Rutschman and Jeremiah Jackson. Suarez has provided reliable swingman work for the club over the past three seasons. Baltimore is likely hoping to sneak him through waivers and retain him as Triple-A depth. The club’s 40-man roster is down to 38 players following the move.
Baltimore brought Suarez back on a minor league deal in the winter. With Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt added to the rotation, plus a healthy Tyler Wells penciled in for long relief work, Suarez didn’t have a clear path to the big-league roster. A 7.59 ERA in MLB Spring Training didn’t help matters. An injury to Zach Eflin shortly into the regular season gave Suarez an opportunity before he could even make a minor league appearance.
The 36-year-old righty picked up a three-inning save in his return to the big leagues. Suarez has delivered a 3.46 ERA across 13 innings this year. He has nearly as many walks (5) as strikeouts (6), but has been able to skirt damage thanks to a .179 batting average on balls in play. Suarez doesn’t possess elite stuff, and his underlying metrics have typically lagged behind his actual production, but he’s posted a 3.58 ERA over 158 1/3 innings in Baltimore since debuting with the team in 2024.
The Orioles now have five days to trade Suarez or place him on outright waivers. If he makes it through waivers, he could head back to Triple-A Norfolk. Suarez has been outrighted in the past, so he could choose to forego the minor league assignment and test free agency.
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Austin Slater Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
April 26: Slater has cleared waivers and elected free agency, per Mish.
April 23rd: The Marlins made the Slater and Ruiz moves official today.
April 22nd: The Marlins are designating veteran outfielder Austin Slater for assignment, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid. Esteury Ruiz has played four Triple-A games on a minor league rehab stint and will be activated for Friday’s series opener in San Francisco. Miami’s 40-man roster count will drop to 39.
Slater signed a $1MM free agent contract at the end of Spring Training. He had been in camp on a minor league deal with Detroit but didn’t crack their roster. The Fish wanted a righty-hitting platoon outfielder with Ruiz shelved by an oblique strain and starting left fielder Kyle Stowers down with a hamstring strain. Stowers returned over the weekend, and Ruiz’s forthcoming return pushes Slater off the roster.
It wasn’t a great showing for the 33-year-old Slater. He played in 12 games and collected just four hits, all of them singles. He took four walks but struck out nine times in 28 plate appearances. Slater has pinch hit a few times but hasn’t been in Clayton McCullough’s starting lineup since April 12. Heriberto Hernández gets some work as a righty-hitting left fielder. Utilityman Javier Sanoja can also play out there.
Ruiz, an offseason trade pickup from the Dodgers, adds a speed element off the bench. He hasn’t hit much in the big leagues but raked in Triple-A last year. Ruiz stole 67 bases for the A’s back in 2023, his only full season at the MLB level.
Miami has five days to trade Slater or place him on waivers. He has sufficient service time to decline an outright assignment and seems likely to be released.
Sam Huff Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
April 26: Huff is back with Baltimore on a minor league deal, per his MLB transactions tracker. Roch Kubatko of MASN first reported the possibility of Huff returning to the organization.
April 25: Huff has cleared waivers and elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment, per Jake Rill of MLB.com.
April 21: The Orioles announced Tuesday that catcher Sam Huff has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to catcher Adley Rutschman, who’s returning from a brief stay on the 10-day injured list due to a minor ankle injury.
Huff was just selected to the big league roster last week. He appeared in three games with Baltimore, going 2-for-9 with a double, an RBI and five strikeouts in nine plate appearances. With Rutschman back from the injured list, however, the O’s can turn catching duties back over to their Opening Day tandem of Rutschman and prospect Samuel Basallo.
Huff, 28, signed a minor league deal with the O’s in January. The former Rangers top prospect has now played in parts of six big league seasons and slashed a respectable .246/.299/.427 with a dozen homers in 281 trips to the batter’s box. That’s roughly league-average offense, by measure of wRC+, and more than 10% better than the standard catcher. However, Huff’s output has come in spite of a colossal 36.3% strikeout rate. He’s needed a .354 average on balls in play just to get to league-average with the bat. As such, he’s highly unlikely to sustain his current pace.
On the defensive side of things, Huff has solid framing grades in his limited major league work. He’s struggled with blocking balls in the dirt and controlling the run game. The former seventh-round pick has just an 18.5% caught-stealing rate in his career and has been charged with eight passed balls in 527 innings behind the dish.
Baltimore will have five days to trade Huff or place him on outright waivers. (The latter seems likelier.) Waivers would be another 48-hour process, so the outcome of today’s DFA will be known within a week. If he clears waivers, Huff could be assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk, where he hit .156/.250/.168 in 36 plate appearances before being summoned to the big leagues. However, since he’s previously been outrighted in the past, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.
AL West Injury Notes: Imai, O’Hoppe, Montgomery
Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai landed on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with what the team called right arm fatigue, but he is progressing well in his rehab. Imai is set to throw a bullpen session tomorrow and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment as early as Tuesday, according to manager Joe Espada (via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Although the exact nature of his arm fatigue isn’t clear, the team is surely hoping he’ll be back sooner rather than later.
Imai signed a three-year, $54MM deal with the club over the offseason, which fell below industry expectations for the former Japanese star. He has had a rough beginning, allowing seven earned runs and 11 unintentional walks in just 8 2/3 innings over three starts. That’s a very small sample, of course, and there is still plenty of time for Imai to establish himself as a big-league starter. For the Astros, the big picture concern is the fact that so many of their starting pitchers are injured right now. Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are both out with Grade 2 right shoulder strains and won’t return for another 4-6 weeks. The struggling pitching staff, which has a 5.97 ERA overall, is the main reason the club is out to a 10-18 start in 2026.
A couple other injury notes from the AL West:
- Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe was removed from today’s game due to left wrist irritation, the team announced. O’Hoppe took a foul ball off his wrist and finished the inning after being visited by the trainer. Travis d’Arnaud took over behind the plate in the eighth. O’Hoppe is now in his third season as the club’s starting catcher, though he has not been a productive hitter since 2024, when he posted a 102 wRC+ in 522 plate appearances. He declined in 2025, posting a mere 72 wRC+, and has been about the same to start 2026. It is unclear whether O’Hoppe will miss any time. Given the wrist irritation is in his receiving hand, the club might opt to play it safe for the next few days to avoid compromising his defense. He and d’Arnaud are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, so any absence might motivate the team to scour the waiver wire for a depth option.
- Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery threw a bullpen session today and will have at least one more before progressing to face live hitters, according to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Based on that, he seems to be on track in his recovery from March 2025. Montgomery signed a one-year, major-league deal with the Rangers in February, with the expectation that he would start the year on the 60-day injured list before returning later in the season. His last season as an effective starter was in 2023, when he was worth 4.2 fWAR in 32 starts between the Cardinals and the World-Series winning Rangers. Now 33 and coming off an extended absence, he won’t be expected to replicate that upon his return. In the best case for Montgomery, he could slot in as a back-end arm if Jacob deGrom or Nathan Eovaldi gets injured or one of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter underperforms.
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