Dodgers Acquire Eric Lauer
The Dodgers are acquiring left-hander Eric Lauer from the Blue Jays, The Athletic’s Katie Woo reports. The Blue Jays designated Lauer for assignment last week and there hadn’t been any word on Lauer’s status on the waiver wire. Woo’s initial report indicated that Lauer had signed with Los Angeles (and thus cleared waivers and was either released, or Lauer rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency), but her updated report states that “the process is still being configured,” which could mean the Dodgers and Jays are working out some kind of minor trade.
Because Lauer has more than five years of MLB service time, he had the ability to both reject an outright assignment and still retain the rest of the approximately $3.2MM still owed on his $4.4MM salary. The Dodgers will owe Lauer just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary, and that number will be subtracted from the $3.2MM sum that will be otherwise covered by the Blue Jays. This salary situation should stand regardless of how Lauer is exactly acquired by the Dodgers, unless some extra money is kicked in as part of a trade.
Lauer posted solid numbers as a starter and swingman with the Padres and Brewers from 2018-22, but his career was at a crossroads after a rough 2023 campaign. The left-hander didn’t pitch in the big leagues at all in 2024, as he spent his time in the minors with the Astros and Pirates and also had a stint in the KBO League with the Kia Tigers. Toronto inked Lauer to a minor league contract in the 2024-25 offseason, and he ended up being one of the unsung heroes of the Jays’ run to the American League crown.
Initially called up as a long reliever and bulk pitcher, Lauer was moved into a full-fledged starting role by June before being shifted back into bullpen work in September and throughout the postseason. Lauer posted a 3.18 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate, and 6.1% walk rate across 104 2/3 regular-season innings and then delivered a 3.12 ERA in 8 2/3 playoff frames.
More to come…
AL West Notes: D’Arnaud, Smith, Clarke
Plantar fasciitis in his right foot sent Travis d’Arnaud to the Angels‘ 10-day injured list on May 7, and it will be some time yet before the catcher is back on the field. D’Arnaud is currently using a scooter to get around, and he told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that it will be at least two weeks before he can put any weight on his right foot. Between this recovery time, a ramp-up of baseball activities and a minor league rehab assignment, a mid-June return looks like the absolute best-case scenario for d’Arnaud’s return.
After signing a two-year, $12MM deal with Los Angeles in November 2024, d’Arnaud struggled to a .197/.255/.343 slash line over 231 plate appearances in the first year of the contract. He had a modest .614 OPS over his first 40 PA this season, so between the lack of production and now this extended IL stint, d’Arnaud’s time in Anaheim is looking like a bust for all sides. D’Arnaud’s absence is just one of many issues plaguing the woeful Angels, whose 16-30 record is the worst in the majors.
More from the AL West…
- Josh Smith will spent 7-10 days in hospital being treated for viral meningitis, the Rangers announced in a press release on Friday. As per the release, “the club will determine an appropriate return to play program for Smith once he is able to resume physical activity.” Smith has been on the 10-day injured list since May 4 due to a right glute strain, since he has since been set back by wrist soreness and now this illness. These health concerns add to what has already been a tough year on the field for Smith, as he was hitting only .217/.324/.239 in his first 108 plate appearances.
- Denzel Clarke began a minor league rehab assignment yesterday, with MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos writing that Clarke will play two games at A-level Stockton before likely heading onto the Athletics‘ Triple-A affiliate. Clarke hasn’t played since April 20 due to a bone bruise in his right foot, so it’ll be a full month on the shelf for the outfielders even though he seems to be making good progress. Already one of baseball’s top defensive center fielders in just his second MLB campaign, Clarke’s bat is a long ways behind his glove, as he has hit just .214/.262/.323 over 219 career PA with the Athletics.
Dodgers Place Jack Dreyer On 15-Day Injured List
The Dodgers announced that left-hander Jack Dreyer has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder. Southpaw Charlie Barnes was also optioned to Triple-A, as Los Angeles called up right-handers Paul Gervase and Chayce McDermott to fill the two open spots in their bullpen. No further roster maneuvers were required since Gervase and McDermott are already on the 40-man roster.
After going undrafted in 2021, Dreyer signed a free agent deal with the Dodgers that August and has developed into a valuable member of the club’s bullpen. Dreyer made his MLB debut last season and finished ninth in NL Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 2.95 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate, and 7.8% walk rate over 76 1/3 innings. The southpaw was even sharper in his sophomore year, with a 2.08 ERA, 28.6K%, and 7.1BB% over his first 21 2/3 frames of 2026.
This impressive run will now be interrupted for at least the next 15 days, though manager Dave Roberts believes Dreyer will miss a minimal amount of time. Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters that Dreyer felt the discomfort while warming up yesterday, though imaging showed only inflammation.
Gervase and McDermott will add two fresh arms to the L.A. bullpen, and McDermott was actually in the team’s clubhouse yesterday in advance of a possible move. Formerly a notable prospect in the Orioles’ farm system, McDermott has a 12.79 ERA over 12 2/3 career big league innings, and he is now lined up for his first MLB action of 2026 in a new environment. Baltimore designated McDermott for assignment in April, then traded him to Los Angeles for minor league right-hander Axel Perez.
Blake Snell To Undergo Surgery To Remove Loose Bodies In Elbow
TODAY: Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery on Tuesday, and Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes that ElAttache may be able to use the “NanoNeedle” device, depending on the state of Snell’s elbow. The NanoNeedle is a relatively new device used for loose-body procedures that allows the elbow debris to be removed in a less invasive way, which theoretically could result in a shorter recovery timeline, even if that means Snell might miss closer to two months instead of three or more.
MAY 16: 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
Padres Promote Lucas Giolito
TODAY: Giolito has been officially called up from Double-A San Antonio to start today’s game with the Mariners. Right-hander Alek Jacob was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
MAY 13: A Padres team that’s been piecing together its rotation over the course of the season thus far is on the verge of getting some much-needed starting pitching help. Lucas Giolito is expected to make his team debut this weekend, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 31-year-old Giolito went unsigned all winter and eventually inked a one-year deal with the Friars last month. It contains just a $3MM base salary but an additional $5MM worth of incentives. Giolito has made four minor league starts as he ramps up after missing spring training. The results have been a bit shaky overall, though some early rust is to be expected. He’s tossed 17 innings with a 4.76 ERA, 19.5% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. Giolito’s most recent start was his best; he went six innings and allowed one run on three hits and no walks against the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate.
While Giolito’s debut is a welcome boost to the San Diego staff, it’ll also force the Padres into a decision. The Friars’ pitching staff lacks flexibility in the way of optionable arms. None of the five starters currently on the roster can be optioned. Moving a starter to the ‘pen isn’t all that easy, either. The only San Diego relievers with minor league options are Mason Miller (spoiler: he’s not going anywhere), Jeremiah Estrada and Bradgley Rodriguez. Estrada missed some time with an elbow injury but has a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings since being activated. He’s also been one of the team’s top relievers dating back to 2024. Rodriguez has a sparkling 1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 frames.
The likeliest scenario would see righty Matt Waldron bumped from the roster. The 29-year-old knuckleballer opened the season on the injured list and has been hit hard since his return. In five appearances (three starts) he’s pitched 21 1/3 innings and been tagged for 22 runs (9.28 ERA) on 32 hits and seven walks. He’s set down 18 of his 103 opponents (17.5%) on strikes. Waldron has a better track record, having pitched 188 innings with a below-average but far more palatable 4.79 ERA in 2023-24.
Manager Craig Stammen called it “early” to talk about a potential DFA of Waldron when asked by Acee. Waldron himself seemed to acknowledge the writing on the wall, however, telling the Union-Tribune: “Safe to say my ERA and my numbers aren’t too attractive right now. And I have no options, so I mean, yeah, that’s where I’ll leave it. I’m smart enough (to know).”
The Padres would surely prefer to preserve as much depth as possible, and Waldron looked to be getting on track in his two starts prior to last night’s six-run, 2 2/3-inning clunker. Between his April 29 and May 5 starts, he pitched 10 innings and held the Cubs and Giants to a combined four runs on eight hits and a walk with eight punchouts.
That said, the Padres aren’t going to jettison Griffin Canning after two starts. Walker Buehler‘s 5.20 ERA isn’t pretty, but his rate stats are solid enough to give him a more appealing 3.64 FIP and 4.05 SIERA. Michael King and breakout righty Randy Vásquez are clearly locked into spots. Relievers Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio can’t be optioned but have all pitched well. It’s always possible an injury arises that kicks the decision down the road a bit, but as things stand, Waldron looks like the odd man out.
Angels Reinstate Grayson Rodriguez From 10-Day Injured List
MAY 17: The Angels officially activated Rodriguez, and optioned right-hander Alek Manoah to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
MAY 16: The Angels announced Grayson Rodriguez as their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game with the Dodgers, meaning that Anaheim will officially activate the right-hander from the 15-day injured list tomorrow. A bout of shoulder inflammation and “dead arm” soreness during Spring Training resulted in Rodriguez opening the season on the IL, and delaying both his 2026 debut and his Angels debut.
Beyond those milestones, tomorrow will also mark Rodriguez’s first appearance in a Major League game since July 31, 2024. Rodriguez had a 3.86 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, and 7.3% walk rate over 116 2/3 innings for the Orioles that season (his second MLB campaign) before discomfort in his right lat/teres area brought his year to an early end. He then didn’t pitch a single inning in the majors or minors in 2025 due to a lat strain and multiple instances of elbow soreness, with the final result being an elbow debridement surgery last August.
Injuries notwithstanding, it was still surprising when the Orioles traded Rodriguez to the Angels last November in a one-for-one swap for Taylor Ward. While Ward has been a valuable bat for Baltimore, he is a free agent this winter, whereas Rodriguez is a former top prospect who is controlled through 2029. There’s plenty of upside for the Halos if Rodriguez can get healthy, though it obviously isn’t a great sign that his tenure in Orange County immediately began with an IL stint.
Yusei Kikuchi is still sidelined at least through May due to shoulder inflammation, but with Rodriguez now approaching his return, the Angels’ rotation is a step closer to its first-choice state. Jose Soriano is enjoying a fantastic season, and Rodriguez will join Reid Detmers, Walbert Urena, and Jack Kochanowicz as the rest of the starting five.
The outlook isn’t quite as good for another Angels pitcher attempting to return after a long layoff. According to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Ben Joyce‘s rehab assignment has been slowed due to some discomfort in his surgically-repaired right shoulder. An MRI came back clean, however, so it doesn’t appear as if Joyce is dealing with anything but normal soreness.
“We got a little flare-up….It’s just part of the process after a shoulder surgery,” Joyce said. “Just kind of has ups and downs. But we were pretty positive about the results. Nothing structurally wrong, it’s just working through a little soreness right now.”
It was almost exactly a year ago that Joyce underwent the shoulder procedure that ended his 2025 campaign after five appearances. Joyce began this season on the 15-day IL but will probably be moved to the 60-day IL the next time Los Angeles needs a 40-man roster spot, as he is already approaching 60 days on the sidelines.
Pirates Place Ryan O’Hearn On 10-Day Injured List
The Pirates announced that first baseman/right fielder Ryan O’Hearn has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right quad strain. Outfielder Jake Mangum was activated from the 10-day IL in the corresponding move, and Mangum will take O’Hearn’s spot on the 26-man roster.
O’Hearn’s injury occurred in yesterday’s 6-0 Pirates loss to the Phillies. While playing first base in the top of the second inning, O’Hearn made a bit of an awkward move to avoid batter Alec Bohm on the baseline while chasing a pop-up in foul territory. O’Hearn completed the play, but then “every time I tried to do more than a walk or a slow jog, it just felt like my leg was grabbing on me,” as he told Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other reporters. Jared Triolo replaced O’Hearn at first base prior to the top of the fourth inning.
An MRI was arranged for O’Hearn yesterday, and the tests revealed a strain serious enough to require an immediate placement on the IL. The Pirates don’t play on Monday, so while the team could perhaps have given O’Hearn a couple of days to rest before making a decision, the club has opted to start the clock on the IL stint right away.
The injury is a tough setback for both O’Hearn and the Pirates as a whole, as the veteran has been tremendous in his first season in Pittsburgh. O’Hearn signed a two-year free agent contract worth $29MM in guaranteed money, and he has thus far more than lived up to his end of the deal by hitting .289/.368/.459 with seven home runs in 182 plate appearances. O’Hearn has a 132 wRC+, which would be a career best for the 32-year-old if he managed to keep it up over the full season.
O’Hearn has primarily played right field for the Buccos, though he has often been shifted over to first base late in games. Now that Mangum is back from a minimal 10-day IL stint due to a hamstring strain, he should help fill the void in right field. Triolo, Nick Yorke, and Billy Cook could all get some time in right field while O’Hearn is out, with that same trio also candidates for part-time first base duty. Down at Triple-A, Jhostynxon Garcia is still waiting on his first MLB call-up since joining the Pirates last winter, but “the Password” hasn’t been hitting well.
Cubs Select Ty Blach
The Cubs have selected the contract of left-hander Ty Blach from Triple-A Iowa. In the corresponding moves for the 26-man and 40-man rosters, right-hander Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Hunter Harvey was shifted from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Blach joins the big league roster a month after signing a minor league deal with Chicago, and posting a 5.23 ERA over 20 2/3 innings in Iowa. While the numbers didn’t stand out, Blach’s month in the minors basically served as an unofficial spring camp for the 35-year-old, as he didn’t have any actual Spring Training work this year due to his late signing date.
A veteran of seven MLB seasons from 2016-24, Blach has a 5.42 ERA over 520 career innings with the Giants, Orioles, and Rockies as a starter, swingman, and in more of a traditional relief role. Tommy John surgery sidelined Blach for the 2020-21 seasons, and he returned to post a 6.13 ERA over 64 appearances with the Rockies from 2022-24. Last year, Blach had a 3.54 ERA over 56 innings in the Rangers’ farm system but never received a call to the Show.
Blach’s low velocity and strikeout totals make him a bit of an outlier to modern front offices, though he has solid control and has been able to keep the ball on the ground. The Cubs may be most interested in Blach’s ability to toss multiple innings, given how the team’s rotation and bullpen have both been hit hard by injuries this season.
Harvey is one of the eight pitchers currently on the Cubs’ IL, and now the fifth member of that group to join the 60-day IL. The reliever made just four appearances before triceps inflammation sent him to the 15-day IL, and Harvey revealed last week that an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his triceps area. Because his 15-day stint officially began on April 9, Harvey’s 60-day window corresponds to that same date, so June 8 is the earliest Harvey can be activated.
Tigers Activate Will Vest, Place Ty Madden On 15-Day IL
The Tigers announced that right-hander Will Vest has been activated from the 15-day injured list. Vest will take the spot of Ty Madden, who is headed to the 15-day IL himself due to a right forearm contusion. Madden’s placement is retroactive to May 16.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch hinted yesterday that Vest would likely be returning today, and the reliever is now officially back after missing about three weeks due to forearm inflammation. Tests didn’t reveal any structural problems with Vest’s forearm, so the right-hander was able to proceed normally once the soreness subsided.
Vest has been a reliable arm out of the Tigers’ bullpen for the previous three seasons, and his overall solid secondary numbers indicate that his ungainly 6.17 ERA over 11 2/3 innings in 2026 can mostly be chalked up to bad fortune. Vest’s 11.5% walk rate is much higher than usual, but his 25% strikeout rate is in line with career norms and his 3.23 SIERA is almost three runs lower than his actual ERA. The righty’s ability to generate grounders has risen considerably over the last couple of years, as Vest went from a 48.5% grounder rate in 2024 to 58.2% in 2025 and then up to 66.7% in the early going of the 2026 campaign.
Just as Vest returns, however, the injury-riddled Tigers’ pitching staff loses another arm in Madden, who was hit in the forearm by a Yohendrick Pinango line drive during Friday’s game. Hinch told Chris McCosky of the Detroit News and other reporters that Madden’s IL placement was more due to a roster and scheduling crunch than any concern over a longer-term injury.
Since Madden “can’t make his next start or even the bulk role” on Wednesday, Hinch said, the decision was made to put the righty on what the skipper feels will be a minimal 15-day absence. “We gave ourselves as much time as we could. But with Will coming back, it became a decision point,” Hinch said.
Madden missed all of 2025 recovering from a rotator cuff strain, but he has looked sharp in his return to action this season. The right-hander has a 2.38 ERA, 27.9K%, and 4.7BB% across 11 1/3 innings, working as a bulk pitcher behind an opener in his three outings.
Brewers Promote Robert Gasser, Designate Peter Strzelecki
The Brewers announced that left-hander Robert Gasser has been called up from Triple-A, and will start today’s game against the Twins. Gasser was already on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, but to create a 26-man spot, the Brewers designated right-hander Peter Strzelecki for assignment.
Strzelecki signed a minor league contract with the Brew Crew this past winter, and has a 4.12 ERA, 47.3% grounder rate, 24.7K%, and 4.9BB% over 19 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville. This work earned him a selection to the Brewers’ roster just yesterday, but he was only up for a cup of coffee before being DFA’ed. Since Strzelecki wasn’t used in Saturday’s game, his last official MLB appearance remains August 12, 2024, when the right-hander pitched for the Guardians.
A veteran of 77 games and 83 2/3 big league innings with the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Guardians from 2022-24, Strzelecki spent 2025 in the minors with the Pirates and Rays before returning to the Brewers (his original team) this winter. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Strzelecki can refuse that assignment in favor of free agency since he has a past outright in his career.
Coleman Crow was called up from Triple-A to make a spot start in Friday’s game, and now Gasser will also make his 2026 debut in a spot appearance today. The Brewers have been digging into their depth chart for some rotation help with Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester both on the IL, and even with these injury concerns, Milwaukee has just kept on winning due to its excellent pitching development system.
Gasser was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, and he drew some top-100 prospect attention prior to his big league debut in 2024. His 2.67 ERA over 33 2/3 innings is impressive, though his secondary metrics over his brief MLB career have left a lot to be desired. Gasser missed most of the 2024-25 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, so his chief goal for 2026 may simply be to log some innings and rebuild his arm back up to the point that he can resume a full starter’s workload by 2027.