Orioles Sign Tommy Pham To Minor League Contract
The Orioles have signed veteran outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league deal, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez (multiple links). The contract contains an opt-out clause for Pham in early June if he hasn’t already been added to Baltimore’s active roster.
If Pham’s contract is selected and he appears in a game for the O’s, he would become the 24th player (and ninth position player) to suit up for 11 different MLB teams over the course of his career. Historical noteworthiness aside, Pham’s first priority is just to get his 2026 season on track, as he went hitless over 14 plate appearances and nine games for the Mets earlier this season.
Pham went almost the entire offseason without being signed, as he didn’t land his previous minors deal with the Mets until March 26. After working out at extended Spring Training and then playing in four A-ball games, New York selected Pham’s contract on April 12, but his lack of production led to a DFA in late April. Pham then chose to become a free agent after clearing waivers, rather than accepting an outright assignment to the Mets’ Triple-A club.
More to come…
Tarik Skubal Begins Throwing Progression
Tarik Skubal underwent arthroscopic surgery on May 6 to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, but the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner has already started playing catch, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com’s Jason Beck and other reporters. This most basic stage of Skubal’s throwing progression will see the left-hander “continue to play catch daily until we ramp him up to the bullpen [sessions],” Hinch said, though all parties will remain in consultation with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery.
“I was texting back and forth with [Skubal] last night, and he feels super excited about just the general feeling [of throwing],” Hinch said. “It doesn’t feel weird. It doesn’t feel awkward. It’s not guarded. I’ve seen video of it. We’re in touch with him daily about the program, and that sort of freedom, mentally and physically, I think is a great sign. We’ve been in touch with the doctor and making sure that we’re going by the protocol, because it’s a unique set of circumstances of him throwing so soon in which the volume was not impacted.”
The recovery process is still in its early stages, so Hinch said a clearer timetable for Skubal wouldn’t be known until the southpaw starts to ramp up the intensity of his throwing sessions and gets onto a mound. Still, it is certainly promising to see Skubal already feeling well enough to throw so soon after the procedure.
In general, arthroscopic surgeries usually lead to pitchers missing between 2-3 months of action, though much depends on what types of loose bodies (bone chips, cartilage, etc.) need to be removed, as well as other x-factors like the overall state of the individual pitcher’s elbow. Skubal is no stranger to major surgeries, as he underwent a Tommy John procedure in college and a flexor tendon surgery in August 2022 that kept him out of action until July 2023.
In this case, however, Skubal underwent a Nanoscope procedure. As Beck puts it, this method “is less invasive and uses a smaller incision than a typical arthroscopic surgery, was hoped to result in a quicker resumption of activity.” It would like the Nanoscope has indeed allowed Skubal to make some early progress, though it remains to be seen if the left-hander will be able to return to Detroit’s active roster in any shorter order.
The Tigers surely won’t want to rush Skubal in any way, as any sort of setback would elongate his recovery timeline and potentially even put his entire season in jeopardy. Bigger-picture considerations are also naturally in play here, given how Skubal is a free agent this winter. It is already possible that this injury absence could impact Skubal’s attempts to land the largest pitching contract in history, but the southpaw obviously wants to return as soon as safely possible in order to both help the Tigers win in 2026 and to boost his own case for a record-setting payday.
Despite a 20-25 record and a cavalcade of injuries, Detroit is far from out of it given the parity in the American League. If the Tigers can at least tread water until Skubal and other injured players can return, it is still very possible Detroit can secure a wild card berth or even the AL Central crown. However, if the Tigers are firmly out of the playoff race by July, the equation on Skubal’s readiness might change to whether or not the ace is able to display his health for any possible suitors heading into the trade deadline.
The Opener: Schwarber, Schlittler, Tigers
Merrill Kelly went the full nine innings in the Diamondbacks’ 9-1 win over the Rockies yesterday, as the veteran righty limited Colorado to just the one earned run on four hits and zero walks. At 37 years and 213 days of age, Kelly became the fourth-oldest pitcher since 1930 (thanks to the Elias Sports Bureau and MLB.com’s Sarah Langs) to log the first complete game of his MLB career.
1. Schwarber keeps schlugging
Kyle Schwarber is the first player to reach the 20-homer plateau this season, as the slugger went yard twice in the Phillies’ 11-9 win over the Pirates on Friday. Schwarber now has nine home runs in his last eight games, and an absurd .353/.421/1.147 slash line in his last 38 trips to the plate. Though the Phillies are still under .500 at 22-23, the club’s fortunes have been revived by Schwarber’s hot streak and their managerial change, as Philadelphia is now 13-4 under interim skipper Don Mattingly.
2. Schlittler owns the Mets
Cam Schlittler leads all pitchers with 2.5 fWAR, and the Yankees right-hander continued his dominance with another quality start on Friday. After limiting the Mets to one run on two hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings yesterday, Schlittler now has a 1.35 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate, and 4.9% walk rate over an even 60 innings of work this season. Less than 10 months removed from his Major League debut, Schlittler has already become a cornerstone of New York’s rotation, and his importance to the rotation has become even greater with Max Fried sidelined for at least the next month.
3. Schlightly….er, slightly better health news for Tigers
The injury-ravaged Tigers are starting to get some reinforcements. Right-hander Connor Seabold rejoined the bullpen after being activated from the 15-day injured list yesterday, and Casey Mize returns from the 15-day IL today to make the start against the Blue Jays. These pitchers are returning just as Ty Madden had to leave yesterday’s game after being hit in the right forearm by a comeback, though manager A.J. Hinch said initial tests on Madden didn’t reveal any structural damage. Will Vest and Beau Brieske are continuing their rehab assignments, Justin Verlander threw 50 pitches in a live bullpen session on Friday, and (most intriguingly) Tarik Skubal has already begun a throwing progression after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on May 6.
Dodgers To Place Blake Snell On Injured List
TODAY: Snell is expected to undergo surgery, sources tell Maddie Lee. One source estimates that Snell might be able to return by late July or early August, though this projection is still very fluid.
MAY 15: The Dodgers are placing left-hander Blake Snell back on the injured list, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Lefty Charlie Barnes is being recalled in a corresponding move, according to Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times. Snell, whose placement is backdated to May 12th, reportedly has “loose bodies” in his throwing elbow.
Snell was only just activated from the injured list on May 9th, so this unfortunately makes for a quick return. He had missed the first month of the season with left shoulder fatigue. Snell then made two rehab starts at Single-A and one final start at Triple-A, in which he lasted four innings. The Dodgers somewhat surprisingly activated Snell despite previously wanting him to be stretched out to five innings in his rehab stint. In the end, Snell only made one start in the Majors before landing back on the injured list, and it didn’t go particularly well, with Snell allowing five runs (four earned) in three innings on the 9th against the Braves.
According to manager Dave Roberts, Snell felt something “in the back of” his left elbow during a game of catch yesterday (link via Ardaya). That led to the discovery of the loose bodies. Ardaya adds that there is no set plan right now as to whether Snell will require surgery. Notably, Snell underwent arthroscopic surgery in July 2019 to remove loose bodies from the same elbow, and he ended up missing six weeks. While this new injury isn’t a re-aggravation of Snell’s shoulder troubles, the mention of loose bodies in his elbow is equally troubling. A precise timeline will hopefully be known in the next few days, but the expectation is that Snell will return before the end of the season, according to Alden González of MLB.com and others.
The loss of Snell is a big hit to the Dodgers’ rotation. Tyler Glasnow went on the injured list a week ago with lower back spasms. The team had been using a six-man rotation to protect the health of their starters, particularly Shohei Ohtani, who is aiming for a full season as both a pitcher and a hitter for the first time since 2023. With Glasnow and Snell both out of the picture, the rotation is a five-man group consisting of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, and Roki Sasaki. Sasaki has a 5.88 ERA through 33 2/3 innings and is the clear weak spot in the rotation. He might have been demoted if Snell simply took Glasnow’s spot, but with both injured, Sasaki’s spot appears safe for now.
The Dodgers have a few options to replace Snell, but they each come with risks. River Ryan was just activated at Triple-A after missing a month with a hamstring injury. He is only “a slim possibility” to eventually join the big league rotation, according to Roberts (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Left-hander Jackson Ferris is the club’s No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com. He’s only made six starts at Triple-A with a 7.43 ERA, so he’d be over-exposed in the Majors. Among non-prospects, Barnes might be the fallback option. FanGraphs has him as the long man in the Dodgers’ bullpen for now, but Barnes has been a starter for nearly all of his career in MLB and the Korea Baseball Organization. He could take a few turns through the rotation as a temporary stopgap, which would preserve the Dodgers’ six-man rotation.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
Jordan Westburg Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
TODAY: Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias confirmed that Westburg underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday (video from Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun). The goal is to have Westburg return as a full-time infielder “in the early part of 2027,” though Elias acknowledged the timeline is pretty vague at this point.
May 15: Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg will undergo elbow surgery and miss the rest of the season, reports Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. Westburg is already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the rest of the campaign.
It’s a disappointing but unsurprising result. Westburg was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament back in February. He and the O’s initially tried for a non-surgical approach, as he was given a platelet-rich plasma injection at that time. Earlier this month, some continued discomfort in his elbow led to him being shut down from throwing. Now it seems the surgical path could no longer be avoided.
Some observers may wonder why he didn’t just undergo surgery in the first place. Generally speaking, surgeries require long recovery timelines, so players and teams usually try to explore the alternatives first. The player often ends up going under the knife in the long run, but there are some cases where the alternate possibilities are effective, allowing the player to return sooner. In this case, perhaps Westburg had a path to helping the Orioles late in 2026 if all went well.
That best-case scenario won’t happen but the O’s likely haven’t lost anything by trying. UCL surgeries for pitchers often take a year or so to recover but position players can come back sooner than that. It’s possible Westburg could return for the start of 2027, which would have been the outcome if he had surgery back in February anyway.
Though the outcome isn’t shocking, it’s likely deflating for Westburg and the Orioles regardless, as injuries have become a big storyline in his career and the team’s season. For Westburg personally, he had a breakout season in 2024, though that was limited to 107 games by a hand fracture which put him on the shelf for over a month. In 2025, he made trips to the IL for a hamstring strain and an ankle sprain, only appearing in 85 games. Now he’s going to miss the entire 2026 campaign. While spending this year on the 60-day IL, Westburg will cross three years of service time and qualify for arbitration. He can be retained through 2029.
For the O’s, Westburg is one of 13 players currently on the IL. That includes five position players. In addition to Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Dylan Beavers, Ryan Mountcastle and Heston Kjerstad are on the shelf.
With no Westburg and no Holliday so far this year, Baltimore has had to go to backup plans on the infield. Gunnar Henderson has been at shortstop and Pete Alonso at first base but Westburg was the planned third baseman and Holliday supposed to be the second baseman. Coby Mayo has been the main guy at the hot corner this year but he has produced a dismal .174/.242/.321 line. Jeremiah Jackson has mostly covered second. His .238/.259/.400 line is better than Mayo’s but still subpar. Blaze Alexander has contributed at both spots but has hit just .244/.299/.289.
With all the injuries, the O’s have started slow, currently sporting a 20-24 record. Their season is still salvageable since so many other teams in the American League are also scuffling. That losing record is good enough for the club to be just a game and a half out of a playoff spot at the moment. They will try to stay in the race in the coming months but Westburg won’t be a part of the solution, so other guys will have to step up. The Orioles could look for infield help ahead of the trade deadline if the incumbent guys aren’t delivering.
Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images
AL Injury Notes: O’Hoppe, Raleigh, Madden
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe left last night’s game against the Dodgers with left wrist irritation, according to a team announcement. O’Hoppe sustained the injury in the top of the fourth inning on a pitch in the dirt from starter Jack Kochanowicz. The pitch ricocheted off O’Hoppe’s left wrist, and he was visited by trainers after the play. O’Hoppe remained in the game through the fifth inning before being replaced by Sebastián Rivero behind the plate.
O’Hoppe just returned tonight from a nearly three week absence due to a left wrist fracture. According to manager Kurt Suzuki (via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com), O’Hoppe was removed from the game as a precaution and did not require post-game X-rays. That bodes well for his wrist health, though it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the Angels to hold O’Hoppe out of the lineup tomorrow anyway. The 26-year-old is LA’s clear top choice behind the plate, with Travis d’Arnaud (currently on the injured list) as his usual backup. Meanwhile, Rivero has a 15 wRC+ in 134 scattered plate appearances from 2021-26, so he would be unplayable as a starter if O’Hoppe went on the IL again.
For his part, O’Hoppe says his left wrist is “just uncomfortable” (link via Michael Huntley of the Orange County Register). “It’s uncomfortable walking around. It’s uncomfortable doing anything but we’ll treat it and keep going,” O’Hoppe said after the game. That may give cause for optimism among Angels fans, though the club will continue to monitor the situation in the coming days.
A couple other injury notes from the Junior Circuit:
- Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is being shut down for a week, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. He will be reevaluated at that point. Divish adds that Raleigh’s most recent MRI came back better than his previous one. Raleigh went on the 10-day injured list on May 14th with a right oblique strain, which he admitted he’d been playing through for two weeks. On its own, the oblique strain puts Raleigh out for more than the minimum stint, and that’s even more certain now that he’s been shut down. Raleigh was out to an uncharacteristically poor start at the plate, with a line of 161/.243/.317 (63 wRC+) through his first 181 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from his 60-home run, 161 wRC+ performance last year, though the oblique injury explains at least some of the downturn. With a longer-than-minimum absence in store for Raleigh, Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda will continue to split time behind the plate for Seattle.
- Tigers right-hander Ty Madden was struck by a comebacker in the second inning of yesterday’s 3-2 victory against the Blue Jays. Yohendrick Piñango lined a 2-2 pitch off Madden’s forearm, which Madden fielded but did not attempt to throw to first. Madden, who was intended to serve as a bulk reliever, left the game without attempting a warm-up pitch. The 26-year-old has effectively been covering the rotation spot of Casey Mize, who is currently on the injured list with an adductor strain but is expected to be activated for Sunday’s start, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Madden missed all of last year with a right shoulder strain and was making just his third appearance in the Majors since returning from that injury. Per Jason Beck of MLB.com, initial tests on Madden revealed no fracture, but he’ll undergo further evaluation regardless. If he needs to miss time, it could be a simple swap of Madden going on the IL and Mize being activated.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
Clay Holmes Has Fractured Fibula, Will Be Out “For A Long Time”
Mets right-hander Clay Holmes sustained a fractured right fibula in tonight’s 5-2 loss to the Yankees, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Manager Carlos Mendoza told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and others that Holmes will “be down for a long time.” He has not been placed on the injured list yet, though a move is inevitable given Mendoza’s comments.
Holmes sustained the injury in the top of the 4th inning. Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones hit a liner that deflected off Holmes’ right leg and resulted in an infield single (video courtesy of MLB.com). Holmes was visited by trainers after the play but remained in the game, eventually departing after 4 1/3 innings. He underwent X-rays after the game, which revealed the fracture.
The impending loss of Holmes is a massive blow to the Mets, who are already struggling en route to one of the worst records in baseball at 18-26. Holmes is arguably the Mets’ most important starting pitcher this side of Nolan McLean. Including tonight’s game, in which he allowed four earned runs, Holmes has an excellent 2.39 ERA in 52 2/3 innings this year. Although his strikeout rate is slightly below average, Holmes excels by keeping the ball on the ground. His 56.0% groundball rate puts him in the Top 10 of qualified starters and is on par with last year’s 55.8% figure. Losing that production for any amount of time would be devastating, even more so with Holmes figuring to be out for months rather than weeks.
As a whole, the Mets’ rotation has been middle-of-the-pack in 2026. The group’s 3.93 ERA entering play today ranked 11th in the Majors, while their 14.7% strikeout to walk differential ranked 10th. Meanwhile, the group’s 3.67 expected ERA ranks fifth in the league and suggests the Mets’ starters have been slightly unlucky in that performance. The rotation has also had to weather poor injury luck, as Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation) has been down for two weeks and Justin Hagenman (rib fracture) has been on the injured list since Spring Training.
Obviously, the Mets’ rotation injuries don’t account for all of the team’s struggles. The offense has a terrible 85 wRC+ and is tied for second-worst in the Majors in that regard. In contrast, the bullpen is tied for fourth-best in the Majors with a 1.8 combined fWAR. As mentioned, the rotation is middle-of-the-pack, and that’s despite poor performances from David Peterson (8.10 ERA in five traditional starts) and Senga (9.00 ERA in five starts pre-injury). Overall, the pitching staff is the Mets’ strong suit amid their offensive struggles, making Holmes’ injury sting even more.
In Holmes’ absence, McLean, Peralta, and Christian Scott are the remaining starters. Peterson has provided bulk innings out of the ‘pen in his last two appearances and should remain in that role. If the Mets are comfortable having two spots for openers or bullpen games, they could use Sean Manaea as another bulk arm alongside Peterson. Manaea, who has been a starter for most of his career, threw between 41 and 74 pitches in all six of his relief appearances this April. He’s been used in short relief in May but could feasibly be stretched out to a larger workload again. If the team prefers a more traditional starter, No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong could be recalled from the minors.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
Mets Outright Andy Ibáñez
TODAY: The Mets have sent Ibáñez outright to Triple-A Syracuse, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates that Ibáñez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and accepted the outright rather than forgo his guaranteed salary.
May 12: The Mets announced Tuesday that infielder Andy Ibáñez has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to top prospect A.J. Ewing, whose previously reported selection to the major league roster is now official.
New York claimed the 33-year-old Ibáñez off waivers from the A’s late last month. He appeared in only three games as a Met, going 0-for-6 with a pair of sacrifice flies in eight trips to the plate. Between brief stints with the Athletics and Mets, Ibáñez has taken 26 plate appearances this season and gone 2-for-23 with a walk, three strikeouts and that pair of sac flies.
It’s an obviously poor start to the season, though Ibáñez has a longer track record in the big leagues, specifically against left-handed pitching. He’s a career .250/.301/.383 hitter in 1246 plate appearances as a big leaguer but has solid .272/.316/.437 slash (108 wRC+) in 572 career plate appearances versus southpaws. During his time in Detroit, Ibáñez was a go-to option for skipper A.J. Hinch. From 2023-24, Hinch plugged Ibáñez into 272 plate appearances versus left-handers and was rewarded with a .278/.331/.480 batting line.
Ibáñez’s production against lefties dipped to about league average last year, however, prompting Detroit to non-tender him. He signed with the Dodgers in free agency, but L.A. was clearly hoping to ink him on a reasonable one-year deal then pass him through waivers to stash as depth in the upper minors. The A’s threw a wrench into that gambit by claiming him in February, just two weeks after he signed with the Dodgers in the first place.
On the defensive side of things, Ibáñez is both versatile and effective. He’s drawn above-average grades for his work at second base, third base and first base in his big league career. He’s also made brief cameos at shortstop (eight innings) and in the outfield corners (171 innings). No team is going to install him as a semi-regular option at shortstop, but he can handle the position in a pinch and can bounce just about anywhere else on the diamond. Ibáñez isn’t a burner on the basepaths, but his sprint speed sits in the 55th percentile of big leaguers, per Statcast, so he could be a late pinch-running option for a plodding slugger if need be.
Ibáñez is earning $1.2MM this season. Any team that claims him or acquires him in a trade would be on the hook for the remaining $897K of that sum (though the Mets could include some cash in a deal in the seemingly unlikely event that another club is willing to offer up a lower-tier prospect). Ibáñez is out of minor league options, so he’d need to go right onto a new club’s major league roster. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would mean forfeiting the rest of his guaranteed salary. As such, he’d likely accept an assignment to Triple-A and stay on hand as a depth option for the Mets.
Blue Jays Notes: Berríos, Kirk, Barger
Among the many Blue Jays starters currently on the injured list, José Berríos‘ health situation might be the most perplexing at the moment. Berríos suffered a stress fracture in his throwing elbow during intake physicals for the World Baseball Classic, and that injury flared up again during a minor league rehab stint. Although an update was expected yesterday on Berríos’ condition, there was no clear answer on the current severity of the stress fracture.
If anything, the picture is even murkier now. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet relays comments from manager John Schneider, who says that “surgery is on the table” for Berríos. Schneider doesn’t believe there is any ligament damage, but there may be “loose bodies” in Berríos’ elbow in addition to the stress fracture, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The latter injury comes with a range of outcomes for recovery. The Braves’ Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in the spring. Schwellenbach is on the 60-day injured list and hasn’t thrown yet, while Waldrep avoided the 60-day IL. In the last month, Tarik Skubal and Edwin Díaz have also undergone surgery for loose bodies, and they’re expected to miss two to three months.
It’s difficult to predict a timeline for Berríos from that range of outcomes. Given his long layoff and the lingering stress fracture, the Jays will understandably proceed with caution. At the moment, that leaves a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, and Patrick Corbin. That obviously won’t hold up long-term, and it’s further complicated by the Jays’ hectic schedule in the next two weeks. The team does not have an off day until June 1st, with 17 games between now and then, including tonight. Schneider has said the club will use a spot starter tomorrow, leaving three additional turns through the rotation that need to be covered by a spot starter or bullpen games.
As hectic as their rotation seems, the Jays’ offense got some positive injury updates today. Alejandro Kirk is progressing in his rehab and has responded well to catching, per Nicholson-Smith. According to MLB.com’s injury report, Kirk will catch injured starter Shane Bieber‘s next bullpen session. That bodes well for the health of Kirk’s left thumb, which fractured on April 3rd on a foul tip and necessitated surgery a few days later. At the time, he was projected for a six-week recovery timeline. It remains to be seen how Kirk will fare against live pitching, but for now, the signs point to him being back within or not too far beyond that time frame.
In Kirk’s absence, Toronto’s offense has been a bottom 10 unit in the Majors. Entering play today, the team ranks 23rd with a 93 wRC+. Kazuma Okamoto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are hitting 15-20% better than average by wRC+. However, Andrés Giménez, Davis Schneider, and George Springer are all hitting at least 11% below average. Meanwhile, Kirk has a 110 career wRC+ and an 11.5% career strikeout rate. His eventual return will add a tough out to the lineup and lengthen the group overall. If the Blue Jays elect to keep Brandon Valenzuela on as Kirk’s backup catcher, that could also benefit the offense by limiting playing time for the weak-hitting Tyler Heineman.
Nicholson-Smith also provides an update on Addison Barger. Schneider feels that Barger is “doing better” and will ideally be hitting and throwing by next week. If all goes well, Barger could be back “pretty soon” after that. This current IL placement is Barger’s second of the year, as he previously missed a month due to an ankle sprain. He played one game before injuring his elbow on May 11th and landing back on the IL.
The Jays may understandably be concerned after that succession of injuries, though it’s perhaps a good sign that Barger can be back pretty soon after hitting and throwing drills. Barger has only had 28 plate appearances this year, but he had a 107 wRC+ in 502 plate appearances last year. His underlying metrics suggest that performance is sustainable. Barger’s average exit velocity and hard-hit rate were in the 86th and 91st percentiles, respectively. Assuming he stays healthy this time, Barger would add depth to Toronto’s lineup, albeit not as impactfully as Kirk.
Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images
Padres Place Matt Waldron On 15-Day Injured List, Recall Alek Jacob
The Padres are placing right-hander Matt Waldron on the 15-day injured list, per a team announcement. Righty Alek Jacob is being recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Some kind of move involving Waldron has seemed likely for a while now. The Padres have been doing a bit of musical chairs in their rotation this year, working around various injuries. Waldron himself began the season on the injured list while recovering from a hemorrhoid procedure. By the time he was ready to come off the IL in mid-April, the Friars had lost Nick Pivetta to the IL, where he joined Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning.
Shortly after Pivetta’s injury, the Padres signed Lucas Giolito. He agreed to be optioned to the minors for a few tune-up starts. At that time, the San Diego rotation consisted of Waldron, Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez. Canning came off the IL in early May, but then Márquez went on the shelf at the same time.
It was reported earlier this week that Giolito would be coming up to the big leagues this weekend, meaning someone would have to give way. Waldron seemed like the logical guy to bump out, since he posted a 9.28 earned run average through his first five appearances this year. The fact that he pitched two mop-up innings out of the bullpen yesterday only further signaled that he had been bumped out of the rotation.
Waldron’s placement on the injured list spares him from being designated for assignment for the moment. That said, Waldron himself acknowledged his performance and out-of-options status earlier this week. “Safe to say my ERA and my numbers aren’t too attractive right now,” he said a few days ago. “And I have no options, so I mean, yeah, that’s where I’ll leave it. I’m smart enough (to know).” The Friars kept him in the rotation for about a month, but as mentioned, Waldron pitched a couple of relief innings yesterday. With Giolito set to be activated soon, it’s entirely possible that Waldron’s IL placement has only stalled the inevitable, and he might still be off the roster in some form when he returns from the IL.
As for Jacob, he returns to the Majors as an extra arm in the Padres’ bullpen until Giolito is activated. Jacob, 28, has a 3.91 ERA in 53 big league innings from 2023-26. He threw 33 1/3 innings in the Majors last year, and the resulting 5.13 ERA and 15.0% strikeout rate were unimpressive. Jacob hasn’t had much success at Triple-A either. He’s thrown 98 2/3 innings at that level since the start of 2024 with a 5.20 ERA. Jacob has just over one year of service time and one option remaining, so he can be optioned when Giolito debuts in the next couple of days.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images