Rays Select Jon Heasley
The Rays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Jon Heasley. Fellow righty Trevor Martin has been optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, infielder Gavin Lux has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
More to come.
MLB Mailbag: Skubal, Nationals, Rays, Tibbs
This week's mailbag gets into the Tigers' decision points on Tarik Skubal, whether the Nationals can be taken seriously, how the Rays could upgrade, the current trade value of James Tibbs III, and more.
Chuck asks:
With the Tigers collapsing in the absence of Tarik Skubal, even with his return relatively imminent, the national media are salivating at the prospect of his escape from Detroit toward the bright lights (and easier access) of, I guess, the media centers of Los Angeles or New York. Assuming the Tigers don't recover to even .500 by late July, my questions are: (1) Is trading Skubal the only reasonable option the Tigers would have? (2) Is there a real scenario in which it would be better to retain Skubal and let him walk, accepting the sandwich pick instead? (3) If a trade is certain, are there actually any teams likely to give up true top-of-system value in return for two-plus months of Skubal, and which teams would those be? For the final question, please focus on your estimation of the best those teams would likely offer, rather than an estimation of what PBO Scott Harris would accept.
After a 10-6 loss Tuesday evening at the hands of the equally lousy Angels, the Tigers stand at 21-34 wth 34% of their season in the books. The Tigers still play in an AL Central where only the Guardians are projected to finish above .500, and in a league where the third Wild Card team is two games under. There seems to be a decent chance that in the AL this year, a .500 finish could net a playoff spot.
The Tigers have won only three of their last 20 games, yet still hold a 16.5% playoff chance. 68 days remain until the trade deadline, during which time the Tigers will play 58 games. The Tigers could reasonably let another third of their season play out before making a decision on Skubal, even if they need to lay some groundwork in July.
Skubal's last start was April 29th, and today marks the fifth start he's missed. In the immediate aftermath of the injury, I wrote in this mailbag that I found it unlikely we'd see Skubal before the August 3rd trade deadline. Then we learned about the NanoNeedle, a new smaller scope used to remove the loose body in Skubal's elbow. This was the first time this tool was used on an MLB player. Skubal threw a simulated game less than three weeks out from surgery, and there's talk of him returning in June. Remarkably, it seems like Skubal could make, say, nine or so big league starts before the deadline barring any setbacks. To answer Chuck's questions:
No, trading Skubal is not the only reasonable option the Tigers have. The 2024 Tigers didn't look like a playoff team on May 27th either (20.1% chance) and they did indeed have a postseason run. Simply holding onto Skubal for one last playoff push is perfectly reasonable if the team's chances hover in the 1-in-5 range or better. I'm sure Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris will take heat for holding onto Skubal if the Tigers do miss the playoffs, but I'd have no problem with it.
I don't think there's a scenario where the compensatory draft pick the Tigers would receive is more valuable than the players they'd get from trading for Skubal, in a vacuum. The Tigers are a revenue sharing recipient that will not pay the competitive balance tax this year, and Skubal will almost certainly get more than $50MM in guaranteed money in free agency. That puts the draft pick after the first round next year. I haven't reverse-engineered the 2027 draft too closely yet, but we can safely put that pick in the #29-33 range.
You know I love mini-studies. So I spot-checked the #30 pick for the 20-year period of 2001-2020, adding a few compensatory picks the following year for #30s who didn't sign (like the Dodgers failing to sign J.T. Ginn and drafting Michael Busch 31st in 2019).
I didn't want to get bogged down in control windows, and cutting this off at 2001 does exclude some very good #30s: Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, as well as David Wells, Jerry Reuss, Travis Fryman, and Brian Jordan. Still, it'd be reasonable to say that the chances the #30 pick amounts to nothing in the Majors might be around two-thirds. Although I will note that if you count Busch, the last few years have provided a relative bounty at this spot, as it also gave us Cole Ragans, Anthony Volpe, and Jordan Westburg.
The Tigers' trade return for Skubal, assuming he returns healthy in June, would come with more certainty and value than a draft pick around #30 would. A multi-player trade package would also diversify Detroit's risk.
What makes this so hard for Harris is that he does not face a simple "#30-ish draft pick vs best possible trade package" choice. That's because the #30-ish draft pick scenario means keeping Skubal for the 2026 season, which adds a big boost to the Tigers' playoff odds. Let's say 25% playoff odds can be boosted to 40% with Skubal. How does that and the draft pick compare to the trade deadline package? This equation becomes much easier for Harris if the Tigers' playoff odds plummet toward 10% by late July.
So, a trade is not certain. A trade is realistic, though, so the Tigers need to be prepared for sell, hold, and possibly even buy scenarios. Would a team give up "top-of-system value" to rent 6-WAR type ace starting pitcher for two months of the regular season plus the playoffs? We can search for precedents, though Skubal's surgery was literally unprecedented, so it won't be perfect.
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Blue Jays Acquire Connor Seabold
The Blue Jays announced that they have acquired right-hander Connor Seabold from the Tigers. Detroit, who designated Seabold for assignment a few days ago, gets minor league lefty Juanmi Vasquez in return. Seabold is out of options and will need a spot on the active roster once he joins the team. The Jays opened a 40-man spot by moving José Berríos to the 60-day injured list. Berrios required Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.
Seabold, 30, began the season with the Jays on a minor league deal. He came into the year with a career track record of being a swingman, without much success to his name, sporting a 7.79 earned run average in 119 innings.
Back in March, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet profiled Seabold, noting that the Jays had planned on using Seabold as a multi-inning depth option until he showed some increased velocity at the start of camp. He had averaged around 92 miles per hour in his big league career but was suddenly hitting 96 and averaging 94.1 mph this year. He also changed up his breaking pitches with some encouraging developments.
The Jays kept him mostly in a single-inning relief role in spring. He tossed 6 2/3 innings over six Grapefruit League appearances. Allowing five earned runs gave him an unsightly 6.75 ERA but he struck out 13 of the 33 batters he faced, a huge 39.4% clip.
Despite the extra velocity and strikeouts, the Jays couldn’t find a roster spot for him. Seabold triggered an opt-out in his deal and then quickly landed with the Tigers. He gave them 15 2/3 innings over 11 appearances with a 3.45 ERA. His fastball averaged 93.5 mph, a slight drop from spring training but an increase over his previous big league work. Though the ERA was decent, he only struck out 20.3% of batters faced. He got bumped off the roster when Troy Melton came off the 60-day IL.
For the Jays, they didn’t have a spot for Seabold in March but there’s a lot more breathing room on the roster now. Since the season started, they have lost Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Lazaro Estrada, Max Scherzer, Joe Mantiply and Tommy Nance to the injured list.
It’s unclear whether the Jays plan to use Seabold as a multi-inning option or as more of a traditional reliever. They could use help in both areas. Thanks to the rotation injuries, they currently only have three true starters in Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Patrick Corbin. They’ve been doing a bullpen game every five days with Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles taking on bulk innings. With Cease recently hitting the IL, there’s another hole to fill.
Seabold could perhaps get stretched out but the relief corps also needs help. Thanks to those bullpen games, and the injuries to Nance and Mantiply, the current group has been heavily used. Someone will have to be bumped off when Seabold is added. Chase Lee and Adam Macko have options and could be candidates. Yariel Rodríguez and Austin Voth aren’t optionable but could end up designated for assignment.
More moves are probably coming for the Toronto pitching staff. They have Shane Bieber rehabbing, so he could be in the mix in the next few weeks. Maybe Cease or Scherzer can get healthy in the near future. Perhaps they will call up someone like Chad Dallas for a spot start or two. For now, Seabold will hopefully be useful in bridging the gap.
To get Seabold, the Jays are giving up a bit of long-term depth, though Vasquez isn’t really a top prospect. He’s 22 years old and hasn’t climbed higher than the High-A level. He can get strikeouts but control is an issue. He has 33 High-A innings under his belt between last year and this year with a 6.00 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate but a 15% walk rate. The Tigers will hope he harnesses his stuff a bit better going forward and they have some time to help him out. He won’t be Rule 5 eligible until after the 2027 season.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Royals Designate Bailey Falter For Assignment
The Royals have designated struggling left-hander Bailey Falter for assignment, per a team announcement. He’s out of minor league options, so simply sending him to Triple-A Omaha without a DFA wasn’t possible. Righty Mason Black was recalled from Omaha in a corresponding move.
Falter, 29, has appeared in five games (two of them starts) for the Royals this season. He’s allowed runs in all five, including multiple runs in four of the five. Those struggles culminated last night in a seven-run drubbing at the hands of the Yankees in a start that saw Falter fail to escape the third inning.
Kansas City acquired Falter from the Pirates last July in a trade sending reliever Evan Sisk and minor league first baseman Callan Moss back to Pittsburgh. Falter didn’t fare well in a dozen post-trade innings last season and clearly hasn’t turned a corner in 2026. His time with the Royals could well wrap up with a gruesome 12.46 ERA in 21 2/3 innings.
Despite the fact that Falter allowed 15 runs in a dozen innings following last year’s trade, the Royals opted to tender him a contract. That resulted in a $3.6MM deal for the current season, which all but guarantees that Falter will pass through waivers unclaimed and accept an outright assignment to Omaha. Rejecting the assignment would mean forfeiting the remainder of that money. If he’s not added back to the roster at any point this season, Falter would have the right to become a free agent at season’s end (as is true of all outrighted players with three-plus years of service who are not added back to the 40-man before the offseason).
Although Falter’s time with the Royals has been nightmarish, the lanky southpaw has had some decent stretches in the majors. He posted a 3.86 ERA in 84 innings for the 2022 Phillies and notched a 4.44 ERA in 54 games (52 starts) between the two Pennsylvania clubs (and, briefly, Kansas City) from 2024-25. From 2022-25, Falter pitched 467 2/3 major league frames and turned in a 4.50 earned run average with a 17.3% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate. That’s certainly not high-end performance, but it’s serviceable.
The Royals will have five days to trade Falter, place him on outright waivers or release him. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so the DFA can take up to a full week for resolution. It’d be a surprise if another club picked up the rest of that salary, so he’ll probably land in Omaha and try to get back on track with the Storm Chasers. The Royals have Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic and Alec Marsh all on the injured list at present, so there’s certainly opportunity in the rotation if Falter can right the ship in the upper minors.
Blue Jays Select Austin Voth
The Blue Jays announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Austin Voth from Triple-A Buffalo. To make room on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, Toronto optioned right-hander Tanner Andrews to Buffalo and transferred catcher Alejandro Kirk from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Kirk has already been out for nearly 60 days since undergoing thumb surgery in early April, so that move is largely a formality. The move to the 60-day doesn’t restart his IL clock, so he’ll still be eligible for activation once he reaches 60 total days on the shelf.
Voth, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Jays in March and has already been summoned to the majors once this season. He allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings during his only appearance with the Jays this season and was then passed through waivers. Voth briefly elected free agency but wound up re-signing on a new minor league contract.
It’s been a fine season for the journeyman Voth in Buffalo. He’s taken the ball eight times (all starts) and logged a 2.90 ERA, a 17.4% strikeout rate, a 6.8% walk rate and a 39.4% ground-ball rate in 31 innings. He was building up a bit early on but has gone five innings multiple times now, including two of his past three starts. That’ll make him an option for a swingman role in the bullpen, a bulk reliever following an opener or a more conventional starter at any point.
Toronto’s rotation has been decimated by injury in 2026, so adding some length to the staff is sensible. The Jays lost José Berríos to Tommy John surgery last week and put Dylan Cease on the 15-day IL over the weekend due to a hamstring strain. Max Scherzer has been out for a month due to tendinitis in his right forearm and inflammation in his ankle. Shane Bieber has yet to pitch this season due to elbow inflammation. Cody Ponce tore his ACL in his first start back on a big league mound after signing a three-year, $30MM deal following a dominant run in the KBO. He’s not likely to pitch again this season. Bowden Francis underwent Tommy John surgery in February.
It could be another short stay on the roster for Voth, but that mounting pile of injuries creates more opportunity for him to stick around than was the cast the last time he was called to the big leagues in early April. He can’t be optioned to the minors, so if the Jays want to free up his roster spot, they’ll need to opt for the DFA route once again.
As for Kirk, he’s still on the mend from a broken left thumb. He underwent surgery and had a screw placed in the thumb to help stabilize the injury back on April 6. He’s not expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment until next week anyhow, per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement a week from today, on June 3.
Travis Kelce Purchases Minority Stake In Guardians
Longtime Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has purchased a minority stake in his hometown club, the Cleveland Guardians, per a team announcement. It’s not clear how large a stake he purchased. He’s reportedly earned more than $111MM in career salary with the Chiefs, to say nothing of other revenue streams (e.g. endorsements, podcast).
“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce tells ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate — they all made me the man I am today. It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. … There was nothing like Cleveland baseball in the ’90s. That’s just a core memory for me. Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar Jr., the list goes on, and I admire how they just continue to pour into this city and this game.”
The Dolan family still holds the majority stake in the team. The late Larry Dolan purchased the club for a reported $323MM back in 2000. Recent estimates have pegged the Guardians’ present-day franchise value at more than five times that sum.
Larry Dolan passed away at 94 years of age in Feb. 2025. His son, Paul, had succeeded him as the team’s official control person back in 2013 and remains the team’s chairman and chief executive officer. However, in 2022, the Dolan family agreed to sell a 25-30% stake in the team to David Blitzer, the managing partner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Blitzer also has minority stakes in the NFL’s Washington Commanders and in Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake. His 2022 deal with the Dolan family also came with the option to purchase a majority stake of the club in 2028.
Kelce, 37 in October, is an 11-time Pro Bowler with three Super Bowl rings. He ranks third all-time among tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards and is fifth all-time in touchdowns at his position. His stake isn’t likely to be a significant one, though it’s always feasible that he seeks to increase his share at some point down the road. Kelce’s teammate and fellow three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes can now formally be on opposite ends of an American League Central rivalry; Mahomes purchased a minority stake in the Royals back in 2020.
MLBTR Podcast: Gage Jump, Tigers Trade Speculation, And The Twins’ Roster Shuffle
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Athletics promoting Gage Jump (2:15)
- The Tigers dropping in the standings as Tarik Skubal nears free agency (12:00)
- A listener asks what the Tigers could get if they traded Casey Mize or Riley Greene (19:30)
- A listener asks if the struggles of the Tigers have put Scott Harris and A.J. Hinch on the hot seat (25:00)
- The Twins losing Ryan Jeffers to hamate surgery (28:45)
- A listener asks if the Twins should extend Joe Ryan and, if not, what he could get in a trade. Also, does Royce Lewis have any trade value? (37:00)
- The Red Sox looking for more offense while they lose Trevor Story to hernia surgery and move Marcelo Mayer to shortstop (45:55)
- Listeners ask if the Padres can trade Jake Cronenworth or Fernando Tatis Jr. (51:45)
Check out our past episodes!
- Colt Emerson Debuts, Blue Jays’ Rotation Issues, And What To Make Of The Mets And Astros – listen here
- Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes – listen here
- Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images
The Opener: Cubs, Sanchez, Sandlin
After six scoreless innings against the Cardinals on Tuesday, Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison has his ERA down to 1.57. He’s one out short of qualifying for the crown, but that mark would lead the NL. Harrison hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his 10 starts. The lefty has put together three straight scoreless outings.
1. Cubs lose 10th straight
The Pirates scored five runs in the first inning against the Cubs on Tuesday and never looked back. Pittsburgh cruised to a 12-1 win, handing Chicago its 10th consecutive loss. The Cubs alternated wins and losses in the first eight games of the season. Since then, they have alternated results just twice. The up-and-down performance has included two separate 10-game winning streaks and now a 10-game stretch of losses. Wednesday’s defeat dropped Chicago to a tie for fourth place in the NL Central with Pittsburgh. The series is only halfway over, so the Pirates have two more shots to gain ground on the Cubs.
2. Sanchez’s scoreless streak on the line
Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez shut out the Guardians for eight frames in his last outing, pushing his scoreless innings streak to 37 2/3. He’s gone nearly a month without giving up a run. The impressive stretch ranks second in franchise history. Sanchez needs four more zeroes to pass Grover Alexander for the Phillies’ record. He’ll match up against a vulnerable San Diego offense tonight. The Padres have the second-lowest OPS against lefties this season. No club has scored fewer runs when facing southpaws.
3. Sandlin gets the ball
White Sox right-hander David Sandlin is expected to draw the start on Wednesday against the Twins. The prospect was stellar in the minors this year, allowing just one earned run over 16 1/3 innings split between High-A and Triple-A. Sandlin posted a massive 35.1% strikeout rate over six starts. The righty joined the organization in a February trade from the Red Sox. The deal was mostly an opportunity for Boston to offload Jordan Hicks‘ contract, but it netted Chicago an intriguing arm. Sandlin draws a Minnesota offense that has performed well lately. The Twins rank ninth in OPS and 10th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching in May. Sandlin will be opposed by fellow prospect Connor Prielipp.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
The Fall And Rise Of Jordan Walker
The Cardinals thought they had a future star on their hands during outfielder Jordan Walker‘s first couple of years in the organization. Drafted 21st overall out of high school in 2020, the former third baseman tore through the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels with a combined .310/.388/.525 line through 2022.
Widely considered one of the game’s five best prospects entering 2023, Walker cracked the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster as a 20-year-old and avoided Triple-A time. That may have been too aggressive on the Cardinals’ part, as Walker’s career has not gone smoothly. However, now in his fourth season in St. Louis, signs are pointing to Walker finally living up to the hype at age 24.
With Nolan Arenado entrenched as the Cardinals’ third baseman three years ago, they shifted Walker to right field. He got the lion’s share of playing time there during the initial few weeks of his rookie campaign and turned heads during a career-opening 12-game hitting streak. Although Walker batted a respectable .279/.329/.412 with two home runs in his first 20 games in the bigs, it was discouraging that he drew just three walks against 20 strikeouts. With Walker also struggling to adjust to a different position, the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A Memphis for the first time in late April.
Walker mustered a subpar .239/.349/.398 line in 135 plate appearances during what amounted to a 29-game trip to Memphis, but his walk, strikeout and ground-ball rates all trended in the right direction. The Cardinals saw enough progress to summon the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder back to the majors at the beginning of June. He held his own from then on and finished a 117-game, 465-plate appearance first season in St. Louis with a strong .277/.346/.455 line (116 wRC+), 16 homers, and walk (8.0%) and strikeout (22.4%) rates that hovered around league average. He drew negative marks in right (minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-7 Outs Above Average, minus-6 Fielding Run Value), but that didn’t come as a surprise for a young player transitioning to a new spot.
The Cardinals and Walker likely went into his second season with the expectation they would never again send him to the minors for performance-based reasons. It didn’t work out that way. Walker’s offensive production plummeted in 2024, during which the Cardinals optioned him twice, and didn’t recover last year. He played in exactly 162 major league games from 2024-25 and hit a dreadful .211/.270/.324 with 11 homers, a 30.7% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate over 574 plate appearances. Among 291 hitters who amassed at least 550 trips to the plate during that two-year span, Walker ranked last in fWAR (minus-1.9) and seventh from the bottom in wRC+ (68). He didn’t make up for it in the field, where he continued to receive poor grades (minus-15 DRS, minus-12 FRV, minus-8 OAA).
Last September, a few weeks before a miserable year for Walker and the Cardinals ended, hitting coach Brant Brown and manager Oliver Marmol asked for more from the former prized prospect. Brown said Walker would “have to devote more focus on preparation.” Meanwhile, Marmol called for “a sense of urgency” from Walker, though he made sure to note, “I’m nowhere close to giving up on Jordan Walker.”
John Mozeliak, who drafted Walker, stepped down as the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations after last season. Former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom then assumed the reins in St. Louis. Bloom has been a member of the Cardinals’ front office since 2024, meaning he witnessed Walker’s severe two-year slump firsthand. But Bloom, like Marmol, was not ready to wave the white flag on Walker coming into this season.
When Bill Ladson of MLB.com asked Bloom about Walker’s woes in March, the executive answered: “We all know that ultimately this is a results business, but we get to the results by having a great process. Jordan’s process this offseason is as good as I’ve seen since I’ve been in this organization.”
Bloom added he had “a lot of optimism” about Walker turning his career around, though it looked like more of the same in spring training. Walker took 47 trips to the plate in 14 exhibition games and batted a meek .205/.255/.273 with one homer, 16 strikeouts and three walks. He nonetheless entered 2026 as the Cardinals’ starting right fielder. If you were expecting another rough season from Walker, odds are you had plenty of company. But roughly a third of the way through, Walker has been a revelation. His performance has been a key factor in a surprising 29-23 start for the Cardinals, who hold a wild-card spot as June nears. FanGraphs gave the Cardinals a measly 8.5% chance to make the playoffs before the season began in late March. Now at 27.6%, those odds have more than tripled two months later.
The Cardinals’ offense has gotten significant contributions from stud rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt, DH/catcher Iván Herrera and first baseman Alec Burleson, but Walker has easily been their greatest threat. Across 51 games and 218 plate appearances, Walker has slashed .297/.367/.585 with improved strikeout and walk percentages of 25.7 and 9.2, respectively. He sits fourth in the majors in wRC+ (168), seventh in ISO (.287), tied for seventh in HRs (15) and tied for 14th in fWAR (2.2). Same-handed pitchers were especially tough on the righty-swinging Walker from 2024-25, but he has put up a matching 168 wRC+ against them and lefties this year. While inconsistency was another glaring problem for Walker in previous years, there have been no drawn-out slumps so far. The season is 62 days old, and Walker’s OPS has been .900-plus for 57 of them.
Diving deeper, this looks more like a true breakout than a fluke. Over his first three seasons, Walker paired a 47.9% ground-ball rate with a 37.5% fly ball percentage. That prevented him from tapping into his power potential and taking advantage of his elite bat speed. He is now hitting grounders at a 39.3% clip and fly balls 44.3% of the time. That bodes well for someone whose bat speed ranks in the 100th percentile. He boasted 99th percentile bat speed last year, but that was one of the few red marks on a Baseball Savant page that featured far too much blue. It is draped in red this year, as Walker is also close to the top of the league in expected batting average (81st percentile), expected weighted on-base average (90th) and expected slugging percentage (93rd). Those are just a few Statcast categories that support his offensive explosion.
If you’re looking for a potential cause of negative regression, it is easy to point to Walker’s .344 batting average on balls in play. He’s a fast runner whose sprint speed falls into the 92nd percentile, but fewer than 10 players typically sustain that high of a BABIP in a given season. Even if that comes down, it may not be a drastic fall for a player who came into 2026 with an above-average lifetime BABIP of .310 (the league mean is .286). Less BABIP luck would damage Walker’s .412 wOBA, which is fifth-best in the game, but his .383 xwOBA isn’t indicative of someone whose numbers are going to careen off a cliff.
Turning to the defensive side, Walker has started 49 of the Cardinals’ 52 games in right field. The reviews have been mixed, which is a step up from the across-the-board negatives he earned in prior seasons. Walker has been worth 6 DRS, which is tied for sixth among outfielders. His 99th percentile arm strength was on full display when he threw out the Brewers’ Christian Yelich on a play at the plate on Memorial Day. That was one of Walker’s league-high five outfield assists. Despite the positive developments, OAA and FRV (minus-2 apiece) remain bearish on his work in the grass.
While Walker’s defensive metrics vary, there is no debating that he has been among the fiercest sluggers in the game two months into 2026. As the six-year anniversary of the 2020 draft approaches, it looks as if Walker has finally blossomed into a cornerstone player for the Cardinals. He is due to make his first of three potential trips through arbitration over the winter, but Walker may soon emerge as a priority extension candidate for Bloom if he continues terrorizing opposing pitchers.
Royals Outright Elias Díaz
The Royals sent veteran catcher Elias Díaz outright to Triple-A Omaha, according to the MLB.com transaction log. It’s unclear if he’ll report or elect free agency.
Díaz was designated for assignment last week when K.C. recalled speedy outfielder Tyler Tolbert. Kansas City had carried three catchers for the previous five weeks. Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen have each logged a lot of designated hitter work. Díaz gave skipper Matt Quatraro a little more flexibility for rest days. Jensen and Perez have alternated starts between catcher and DH over the past four games.
The 35-year-old Díaz picked up seven starts among his 10 games during his five weeks on the MLB roster. He popped a couple home runs and doubles apiece in 23 plate appearances. Díaz has been a below-average hitter throughout his career and hadn’t hit much in a tiny sample with Omaha before his call-up. He batted .204/.270/.337 across 283 plate appearances for the Padres a year ago.
Díaz has a plus arm and routinely throws out base stealers at a strong rate. He graded poorly as a receiving catcher early in his career but has tightened those numbers up in recent seasons. If he reports to Omaha, he’ll rejoin Luke Maile as non-roster depth catchers whom the Royals could call upon if one of Perez or Jensen is banged up.