Cardinals Activate Lars Nootbaar
June 5th: Nootbaar has been officially reinstated, with Saggese optioned out as the corresponding move.
June 3rd: 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.
Rangers Designate Sam Haggerty For Assignment
The Rangers announced that infielder Corey Seager and outfielder Wyatt Langford have each been reinstated from the injured list. Infielder/outfielder Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were optioned in corresponding active roster moves. Additionally, the Rangers reinstated infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty from the bereavement/family medical emergency list and designated him for assignment.
More to come.
Tarik Skubal To Begin Rehab Assignment, Could Be Reinstated After One Start
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch provided reporters with some updates on injured players today. Most notably, Hinch says that ace Tarik Skubal will make a rehab appearance on Sunday. That will take place with High-A West Michigan instead of Triple-A due to the weather forecast. If all goes well, he could rejoin the big league club after that. Hinch also said that infielder Trey Sweeney underwent season-ending arthroscopic right shoulder surgery. Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group and Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic were among those to pass along the info.
It’s a remarkable turnaround timeline for Skubal, who just underwent surgery to remove a loose body in his elbow a month ago. A procedure like that would normally come with a timeline about three months, if not more.
Skubal was the first MLB player to have surgery performed with a tool called a NanoNeedle, which some are now calling a SkubalScope. Basically, it’s like other arthroscopes but smaller. The reduced size and smaller incision theoretically leads to less pain and swelling, which hopefully leads to a quicker recovery time.
Based on how things have gone for Skubal, the theory appears to be holding true, at least so far. He began throwing less just over a week after going the procedure. Less than three weeks after going under the knife, he threw a three-inning sim game. If the next steps go smoothly, he could be back with the Tigers less than six weeks from the operation.
Though it’s a great development for Skubal, the impacts are potentially broader than that. Cutting the recovery time in half for a common injury could have all kinds of positive ramifications for the pitchers and the sport. Though of course, it still remains to be seen if all will go according to plan in the next few weeks. It’s also unclear if all pitchers will be this lucky. Blake Snell underwent surgery in the middle of May, using the NanoNeedle, to remove multiple loose bodies from his elbow. The Dodgers quickly put him on the 60-day injured list, so that club expects Snell’s timeline to be at least two months.
Time will tell on whether the medical aspect is a game-changer or not. For now, it’s huge for baseball and the 2026 season. The Tigers were 18-17 and tied with the Guardians atop the American League Central when news of Skubal’s surgery was revealed. Since then, they have gone into a bad slump and fallen to 25-38, with the Angels the only A.L. club with a worse record.
Thanks to widespread struggles among A.L. clubs, the playoff race is still wide open. The Tigers are only 5.5 games back of the Athletics and Rangers, who are tied for the last Wild Card spot with records of 30-32. Getting Skubal back into the rotation so quickly will be a big boost to the Tigers as they try to climb back into the mix.
If Detroit can’t gain ground in that race, then Skubal will be the most talked-about player ahead of the trade deadline. There have already been whispers about Skubal trade possibilities for a long time, since he is an impending free agent and doesn’t seem likely to sign an extension. An offseason trade never made much sense from the team’s perspective since they have been in win-now mode for a few years, though their recent skid has made the possibility seem much more realistic.
Combine all those factors and Skubal should be in the spotlight in the coming weeks and months. Him coming back healthy and pitching like his old self will obviously be important. The club’s record will also be closely watched by fans in Detroit and elsewhere.
Given the magnitude of the decision, the front office will presumably try to delay picking a lane as long as possible. If Detroit gets into playoff position or falls further back, the choice will become easier. If they stay a few games out of a playoff spot, that’s a much tougher call. The Tigers know well that a lot can happen in a short amount of time. In 2024, Detroit was 10 games out of a playoff spot in the middle of August but got red hot to make it in. Last year, the Tigers had a 15.5-game lead on the Guardians in July but saw Cleveland storm back to take the division.
In addition to Skubal, the Tigers have Casey Mize, Justin Verlander, Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson on the IL. Olson is done for the season due to shoulder surgery. Jobe had Tommy John surgery a year ago and could perhaps be a factor in a few months. Verlander is dealing with hip inflammation and Mize a groin strain. Verlander made a five-inning rehab start on Tuesday, so he and Skubal could both be back soon. Mize could be a bit behind them, potentially starting a rehab assignment soon.
The Tigers are currently running a four-man rotation consisting of Framber Valdez, Keider Montero, Jack Flaherty and Troy Melton, with Ty Madden and Enmanuel De Jesus in multi-inning relief roles.
If everyone stays healthy while Skubal, Verlander and Mize get back in the mix, it could lead to some tricky decisions about that group. Flaherty has the highest earned run average of the bunch at 5.31. He hasn’t been helped by a .333 batting average on balls in play and 64.1% strand rate, so his 4.40 FIP and 4.18 SIERA are much more encouraging. Given his veteran status and hefty salary, it might be tough to move him to the bullpen. Montero, Melton, Madden and De Jesus all have options and could be sent to the minors, if that’s what the club decides.
More to come.
Red Sox Option Brayan Bello To Triple-A
June 5th: The Sox have officially selected La Sorsa, optioned Bello and transferred Crochet to the 60-day IL.
June 4th: The Red Sox are optioning right-hander Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester, reports Dan Roche of WBZ. Boston will add recently acquired lefty reliever Joe La Sorsa to the active roster for tomorrow’s series opener in The Bronx.
Bello was knocked around again this afternoon, giving up eight runs over five innings to take the loss against the Orioles. He’s now sitting on a 6.34 earned run average over 61 frames on the season. He’s striking hitters out at a career-low 15.6% rate. Bello has a career-worst average exit velocity allowed while giving up a lofty 1.48 home runs per nine innings.
The primary issue is that Bello has had no answers for left-handed batters. They carried a .323/.384/.554 line with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 147 plate appearances into today’s start. He hasn’t been good against right-handed hitters either, but the numbers against lefties are completely untenable. That was also an issue for Bello early in his career.
Boston has tried to work around that by using a left-handed opener in front of Bello on four occasions. He has pitched very well in those outings, but the opener (Jovani Morán or Tyler Samaniego) has allowed at least one run in each. The Sox have gone 1-3 in those games despite Bello having a combined 0.71 ERA across 25 1/3 innings.
The 27-year-old righty was asked about the stark difference between his performance as a bulk arm versus starts. He was clearly unhappy with the question.
“First of all, just stop talking about bullpen and starting games,” he said in Spanish via the team’s interpreter (link via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic). “I’ve always been a starter, and when I’ve been successful as a starter, no one asks your question (about) whether I have to be in the bullpen or starting games. So, just starting from there, just stop that talk, because I’m just having a bad season. That’s it. It’s not whether I’m a starter or I’m a reliever. It’s just, having a bad season. I know that I can turn it around.”
Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente, a native Spanish speaker on the Boston beat, directly translated Bello’s comments a little more firmly:
“First of all, just stop talking about this bullpen-starter crap because when I’m pitching well as a starter, nobody talks about it. Now that I’m having a bad season as a starter, everybody wants to talk crap about it. The first thing is that we should stop talking about it and focus on the good things. Yes, I’m having a bad season as a starter, but I believe things are going to get better.”
In any case, the Sox probably would’ve proceeded with the demotion based on Bello’s performance alone. He’s in the third season of a $55MM extension signed in Spring Training 2024. Bello posted a 4.49 ERA that year and had a career season in 2025. He turned in a 3.35 mark across 166 2/3 innings, albeit with a drop in strikeouts that has only heightened this year. Bello is playing on a $6MM salary and guaranteed $44.5MM from 2027-29 (including a buyout on a 2030 club option).
Pitchers must spend at least 15 days on an optional assignment unless they’re recalled to replace an injured player. Boston can carry an extra reliever until his next scheduled start on Tuesday. Rookie southpaw Jake Bennett, who made his first two career starts earlier in the season, seems the likeliest candidate to come up. He owns a 1.60 ERA with plus strikeout and walk marks in Triple-A.
The Red Sox still need to create a 40-man roster spot to select La Sorsa’s contract. Garrett Crochet could move to the 60-day injured list, assuming he won’t be back from his low-grade lat strain within the next three weeks. A transfer would backdate to his initial April 26 placement.
Front Office Subscriber Chat With Anthony Franco
MLBTR’s Anthony Franco is holding a live chat, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Aaron Judge Diagnosed With Rib Stress Fracture, Will Be Reevaluated In 4-6 Weeks
June 5: Judge has been officially placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 2nd, with Jones recalled as the corresponding move. Jack Curry of the YES Network first reported the Jones move earlier today.
June 4: The Yankees will be without the game’s most feared slugger for a couple months. New York announced that Aaron Judge has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in the first rib on his right side. He’ll go for follow-up imaging in four to six weeks to gauge his healing and rehab process.
New York announced that Judge is expected back at some point before the end of the season. It’ll almost certainly not be until August at the earliest. He’ll be placed on the 10-day injured list before tomorrow’s series opener with the Red Sox and seems likely to wind up on the 60-day IL at some point.
Judge sat out this week’s series against the Guardians. The Yankees announced he was going for testing on a ribcage injury despite feeling the pain mostly in his right shoulder. Fans had some concern when the team sent Judge to a doctor who specializes in treating thoracic outlet syndrome this afternoon. It seems that was to rule out the nerve condition.
Thoracic outlet syndrome would have been the nightmare outcome. A rib fracture seems unlikely to be a career-altering injury. While it’s not a worst case scenario, it’s clearly not good news. It’ll take until around the All-Star Break for the team to even check into the rib’s healing. He’d need to build up baseball activities and live batting practice sessions from there. An absence of this length is also going to require a rehab assignment to get accustomed to game speed.
Judge has felt an increasing amount of discomfort while hitting over the past few weeks. There was no single play this season that caused the injury. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com notes that Judge actually suffered a stress fracture of the same rib and a partially collapsed lung on a diving catch attempt back in 2019. That wasn’t diagnosed until the following March. The pandemic then shut down the sport for a few months, so that injury didn’t cost him any game time.
This injury has clearly weighed on Judge’s performance. He hit .243/.368/.437 with five home runs in May. That’d be a good few weeks for most hitters but was Judge’s lowest OPS in a month since April 2024. He had an OPS north of 1.000 this April, slugging 12 homers through the season’s first five weeks.
The Yankees are also without Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez. Utility players José Caballero and Max Schuemann have started the last three games in right field. They’ll probably bring Spencer Jones back up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre now that a Judge IL stay is confirmed. Domínguez is taking batting practice and could begin a rehab assignment this week. Stanton told Jon Heyman of The New York Post that he’s hoping to be back from a calf strain in about two weeks.
New York led MLB in scoring in May even without a herculean month from the three-time MVP. Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger are having fantastic seasons. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has picked things up after a bad start. Paul Goldschmidt, back in the everyday lineup thanks to the Stanton and Domínguez injuries, is having a resurgent year. The bottom third of the order has been an issue, especially Austin Wells behind the plate, but this should still be an above-average lineup.
It’s clearly not going to be as potent without Judge as the anchor though. It’s unlikely this will dramatically change their deadline trajectory, as Domínguez should be back before too long to hold an outfield spot until Judge returns. It could certainly impact a tight division race, with New York holding a half-game advantage over Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Logan Porter Elects Free Agency
1:25pm: Porter has chosen to elect free agency, MLBTR has learned.
11:49am: The Giants announced Friday that catcher Logan Porter cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Sacramento. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week. San Francisco also recalled righty Carson Seymour from Triple-A and optioned righty Wilkin Ramos in his place.
Porter appeared in one game with the Giants this season and was hitless in his lone trip to the plate. He tallied nine plate appearances across five games with San Francisco last season and also saw a bit of big league action with the 2024 Royals. Porter has played 17 games in the majors and posted a .184/.326/.289 slash in 47 trips to the batter’s box.
Though he hasn’t provided any offense in his tiny major league sample, the 30-year-old Porter has a decent track record in the minors. He’s a .244/.359/.389 hitter in parts of five Triple-A seasons. He doesn’t hit for much power, but Porter has drawn a walk in a hefty 14.4% of the 1237 plate appearances he’s tallied at the top minor league level.
Defensively, Porter is sound. He’s nabbed a respectable 22% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him in the minors, including an outstanding 33% (17 of 51) dating back to 2025. Baseball Prospectus credits him with plus framing skills but slightly below average blocking ability. It’s a solid defensive skill set all around, and when coupled with his penchant for drawing free passes, Porter’s defensive acumen makes him a fine option to stick around as a third catcher on the depth chart or a big league backup.
Porter has been outrighted in the past, so he has the option to elect free agency now that he’s been outrighted again. He briefly elected free agency last summer after the Giants outrighted him, though he quickly reupped on a new minor league contract.
Fantasy Baseball Subscriber Chat With Nicklaus Gaut
Nicklaus Gaut will be talking fantasy baseball with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers today at 1 PM Central time. Get your question in early or participate in the live event at the link below!
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Red Sox Exploring Trade Market For Right-Handed Bats
Yesterday’s loss dropped the Red Sox to nine games under .500 — last place in the American League East. There’s a host of reasons for the team’s struggles to date, but a punchless offense is near the top of the list. Despite being in the division cellar and fourth from the bottom overall in the American League, Boston doesn’t appear to be entertaining the idea of a summer sell-off yet. To the contrary, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Sox have been searching the trade market for a right-handed bat and have even signaled a willingness to take on some salary.
As noted, the Red Sox’ offense has been one of the worst in the sport. They’re last in the American League with 243 runs scored and sit 28th in all of MLB in that regard. Boston’s team-wide .248 batting average actually ranks sixth in baseball, but Sox hitters rank 14th in on-base percentage (.319) and 24th in slugging percentage (.380). Their 46 home runs are the second-fewest in the game, and their 8% walk rate is fifth from the bottom.
That the Sox are apparently focusing their search on a right-handed bat is both notable and, at first glance anyhow, a bit counterintuitive. They’ve been far better against left-handed pitching (.271/.339/.401) than against righties (.240/.312/.373). However, their production against left-handed pitching has been rather top-heavy. Willson Contreras has been one of the best hitters in baseball when it comes to southpaw mashing. Ceddanne Rafaela has been terrific as well. The Sox’ best hitter against lefties, improbably, has been lefty-swinging Wilyer Abreu.
Most of the remaining hitters beyond that trio have struggled. Right-handed bats like Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have all been well below average against lefties. Andruw Monasterio has been about average. Carlos Narvaez has hit them well in a small sample of 23 plate appearances; fellow catcher Connor Wong has provided no value in the same sample (.150/.227/.150). Even among their most productive bats versus lefties, both Abreu (.475) and Rafaela (.469) have achieved their success thanks largely to sky-high BABIPs they won’t sustain. Rafaela has fanned in 35% of his plate appearances against lefties. Contreras is the only player on the roster who has provided clearly above-average production that looks sustainable.
There aren’t typically many players available this time of the year, and that’s even truer in 2026 than most years, given how tightly packed the American League standings are. The game’s likeliest seller, the Rockies, doesn’t have much in the way of productive righty bats that figure to be available. Catcher Hunter Goodman is their only righty with above-average production right now, but his 34% strikeout rate (46.5% versus lefties) is a red flag. Plus, he’s controllable for three years beyond the current season.
There are still some names who could potentially be available in the early stages of the summer. The Angels are in the AL cellar again but have enjoyed unexpectedly strong production from former Yankees top prospect Oswald Peraza. Outfielder Jo Adell isn’t hitting righties at all but is torching left-handed opponents. The Angels, however, rarely make conventional sell-side trades despite the fact that it’s been more than a decade since they were genuine contenders.
The Giants, Royals and Tigers are tied for the game’s third-worst record. Detroit, in particular, entered the season expecting to contend. They’re not likely to be ready to wave any white flags, particularly with Tarik Skubal inching closer to a return and with wins in each of their past three games.
The Giants probably aren’t ready to punt on the season just yet and don’t have great options available to market anyhow. Casey Schmitt is in the midst of a breakout but is controllable through 2029. Heliot Ramos is also controlled through ’29 and is having something of a down season. It’d be amusing to see the Red Sox and Giants line up on a second trade involving a notable veteran signed to a weighty long-term deal just one year after the Rafael Devers trade, but neither Matt Chapman nor Willy Adames seems likely to be a fit — even if the Sox are open to taking on some cash. Neither veteran is producing anywhere close to his typical levels, and both have full no-trade clauses. Chapman is owed $100MM over four years beyond the current season, while Adames is owed $140MM from 2027-31.
The Royals’ offense has similarly been one of the worst in baseball. They’re not moving Bobby Witt Jr., of course, and the only other right-handed bat that’s provided any real offense this year is outfielder Lane Thomas. He’s a free-agent signing on a one-year deal and thus can’t be traded without his consent for another 10 days (after June 15). He’s hit poorly against righties but thrived against lefties, which is par for the course for the 30-year-old veteran.
Given the lack of obvious sellers, the Red Sox might be better served trying to line up on a prototypical “baseball trade” between two contenders dealing from positions of strength. Both the Pirates and Padres are known to be looking for bullpen help already, for instance. Boston ranks second in the majors with a 3.03 ERA from its relief corps. There’s obvious risk in trading from that group, but there will be more bullpen arms available later this summer than there will right-handed bats, so the Sox could always look to replenish the ‘pen later on if they feel it’s necessary.
Boston’s payroll at the moment is just under $200MM, but they’re carrying enough luxury-tax obligations to put them right on the cusp of the second penalty tier. A trade that adds any salary of note would push them firmly into the second tier, though the penalty at that point is only a slight hike in tax rate. They’d have about $20MM of AAV they could add to the books before incurring an additional rate hike and seeing their top pick in next year’s draft dropped by 10 spots. That’s the penalty at which more teams tend to balk. Of course, if the Sox were to deal from their bullpen, it’s possible they’d be shipping out some major league salary, which would alter the math.
June trades of any significance are rare in modern baseball, but we’ve seen a handful in recent years. It’s not likely that the Sox pull off a second June swap of note for a second straight year, but the fact that they’re even angling to do so is a notable indication of how they view themselves and their playoff hopes at the moment.
Diamondbacks Release Thomas Hatch
The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Thomas Hatch, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. It’s possible he had an opt-out in his deal, as the start of June is a common time for such contract provisions.
Hatch, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Snakes in the offseason. He has been with the Triple-A Reno Aces and performing decently, considering that club plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. In 11 starts, he has logged 51 2/3 innings, allowing 4.01 earned runs per nine. Only three qualified pitchers in the PCL have a better ERA than that right now.
His 16% strikeout rate isn’t terribly strong but he has been filling up the strike zone, only giving out walks to just 4.7% of batters faced. He has induced grounders on 46% of balls in play. His four-seamer and sinker are averaging around 93 miles per hour as he also mixes in a cutter, slider and changeup. In his big league career, he has thrown 103 innings over five different seasons with a 5.24 ERA.
The Snakes aren’t exactly overflowing with rotation depth at the moment. They have Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez, Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka in the big league rotation. Corbin Burnes was working his way back from Tommy John surgery but recently suffered a setback and probably won’t be able to rejoin the team until September. Cristian Mena underwent shoulder surgery this month. Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray are on the 40-man roster but both recently landed on the minor league injured list. Kohl Drake is also on the 40-man but has a 7.80 ERA in Triple-A this year. Brandon Pfaadt had been in a bullpen role in the majors but just got optioned to get stretched out. He has an ERA near 6.00 this year, so it’s unclear what the Snakes can expect from him going forward.
Put that all together and it suggests Hatch probably opted out of his deal, since the Snakes probably wouldn’t have given up the depth for no reason, though they don’t really have a spot in the big league rotation. Perhaps they will look to re-sign Hatch to a new minor league deal, one with fresh opt-outs, to preserve that depth. But Hatch will have a chance to survey the market to see if there are other opportunities out there. Teams like the Twins, Royals and Blue Jays, who have employed Hatch before, have big injury concerns in their starting pitching ranks and could be interested in a reunion.
Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images