Tigers Place Kerry Carpenter On 10-Day IL, Select Gage Workman
The Tigers announced that outfielder Kerry Carpenter has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left AC joint sprain. Infielder Gage Workman‘s contract was selected from Triple-A to take Carpenter’s spot on the active roster, and Detroit cleared a 40-man roster spot for Workman by shifting Justin Verlander from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
The IL placement comes a day after Carpenter was removed early from the Tigers’ 5-1 loss to the Royals, as he ran into the wall in the first inning while a pursuing a Bobby Witt Jr. grounder into the right field that ended up going for an inside-the-park home run. Carpenter remained in the game and singled in his only plate appearance, but was removed prior to the bottom of the third.
Carpenter is hitting .216/.299/.451 with six homers over 117 plate appearances, with an 105 wRC+ that is almost entirely fueled by his power. Carpenter is still making a lot of hard contact, but there is suddenly a lot of swing-and-miss in his game — his 34.2% strikeout rate is far above the 24.6K% Carpenter posted over his four previous MLB seasons.
While the production has been inconsistent, Carpenter at least had been answering the bell for a Tigers team that has been racked by injuries. Carpenter is now the the 15th player on Detroit’s IL, joining fellow position players Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, Parker Meadows, and Trey Sweeney.
Wenceel Perez is the likeliest candidate to get most of the right field playing time in Carpenter’s absence, with Jahmai Jones and Zach McKinstry also in the mix. Workman could also get some action on the grass, as he joins the lengthy list of multi-position types the Tigers have turned to as the club tries to fill all of its roster holes.
Workman made his MLB debut last season, posting a .485 OPS over 17 plate appearances (in 12 games) with the Cubs and White Sox. A fourth-round pick for the Tigers in the 2020 draft, Workman was selected by the Cubs in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, but after bouncing around to both Chicago teams, the Sox designated Workman for assignment and subsequently returned him to Detroit last May.
As such, Workman is now lined up to make his first big league appearance in a Tigers uniform. He has been on a roll in Toledo, with a huge .358/.413/.590 slash line to show for his first 150 PA of the 2026 Triple-A season. This breakout aside, Workman’s production in the minors has been more solid than outstanding, and his ability to play several positions can aid Detroit’s depth. Workman has mostly played shortstop and third base, and has also gotten at least some action as a second baseman and in all three outfield slots.
More to come…
Dodgers To Activate Mookie Betts On Monday
Mookie Betts has been out for over a month with a right oblique strain, but he is now on the cusp of returning to the Dodgers. After two rehab games, Betts is returning to Los Angeles today and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list tomorrow, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
Betts only made 32 plate appearances with a 99 wRC+ before landing on the 10-day injured list on April 5. That’s a negligible sample size on its own, though it also mirrors Betts’ diminished offensive output in 2025. In 150 games, he batted .258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+. That still made Betts an above-average hitter, but not to the heights he has set in his career. Betts won the AL MVP award with the Red Sox in 2018 and was at least 31% better than average by wRC+ in every season from 2019-24. It’s hard to criticize a hitter for merely being slightly above average, of course, and Betts’ track record gives the Dodgers plenty of confidence that he can return to normal as he distances himself from this injury.
There is also reason to believe Betts was unlucky last year. For one thing, he batted just .258 on balls in play, well below his career BABIP of .299. While Betts’ 89.1 MPH average exit velocity and 35.8% hard-hit rate were both lower than in 2024, his batting average, slugging percentage, and wOBA were all 9-16 points lower than their expected values.
Betts’ relative lack of offensive pop was offset by his superb defensive work at shortstop, and of course he was still a big contributor to the Dodgers’ second consecutive World Series victory. Even this year, losing Betts for over a month hasn’t slowed Los Angeles down, as the 24-15 Dodgers are again atop the NL West. The duo of Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas have capably filled in at shortstop during Betts’ absence, and Kim in particular has performed well, hitting .301/.366/.411 over 82 PA this season. Kim and Alex Freeland will likely be splitting time at second base once Betts is back st shortstop, with Rojas returning to backup duty.
Dodgers Select Wyatt Mills, Transfer Edwin Díaz To 60-Day Injured List
The Dodgers are planning to select the contract of right-hander Wyatt Mills, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Paul Gervase is being optioned to clear space on the active roster. Closer Edwin Díaz is being transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
Mills has thrown a total of 42 innings in the Majors, all from 2021-22 with the Mariners and Royals. He has a 6.21 ERA in that time, as well as a 19.3% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate. Those results are unspectacular and four years old at this point. Mills missed 2023-24 owing to July 2023 Tommy John surgery, finally returning to pitch for the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in 2025. In 52 innings across 32 appearances (seven starts), Mills had a solid 3.12 ERA but less encouraging peripherals, including a 13.3% walk rate. He has been better in 2026 for the Dodgers’ top affiliate, with a 3.26 ERA and a 2.05 FIP in 19 1/3 innings.
Mills’ promotion gives the Dodgers a fresh arm in exchange for Gervase, who threw 50 pitches in three relief innings yesterday against the Braves. Gervase, who was recalled on May 8th, has only made the one appearance in the Majors this year. Mills figures to fill a similar role as a low-leverage, long-relief option. It’s possible he is being selected only for a short run, at which point he’d be designated for assignment and offered up to other teams on waivers. Mills also has one option year remaining if the Dodgers want to shuffle him down without exposing him to waivers.
As for Díaz, his move to the 60-day injured list was expected. The closer landed on the 15-day injured list on April 20 with loose bodies in his right elbow, and he underwent surgery to remove them shortly afterwards. Díaz is not expected to return until the second half of the season, so it’s unsurprising to see him transferred to the 60-day IL now that a 40-man spot is needed. This is the second time Díaz has been on the 60-day IL in his career, the first being in 2023 when he injured the patellar tendon in his right knee during that year’s World Baseball Classic.
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Jerar Encarnacion Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Encarnacion has cleared waivers and elected free agency, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
May 4: The Giants announced that outfielder Jerar Encarnacion has been designated for assignment and fellow outfielder Will Brennan has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Those are the corresponding moves for the recalls of Bryce Eldridge and Jesús Rodríguez, moves that were reported yesterday. The Giants also recalled right-hander Trevor McDonald and placed left-hander Erik Miller on the 15-day injured list with a low back strain, retroactive to May 1st.
Encarnacion signed a minor league deal with the Giants in May of 2024. At that time, he had just come off a massive .366/.439/.989 showing in 26 Mexican League games. That’s a hitter-friendly league but that line was impressive regardless. He then put up a .352/.438/.616 showing in Triple-A and got added to the big league roster in August.
He has been on the 40-man ever since. Due to him being out of options, he has also been on the active roster that whole time, apart from IL stints. He spent a lot of 2025 on the IL, with stints due to a hand fracture, an oblique strain and a hamstring strain.
His numbers against major league hitting haven’t been nearly as impressive as his work in the minors or in Mexico. He has stepped to the plate 210 times as a Giant. His 3.3% walk rate and 27.1% strikeout rate in that time are both poor numbers. His .223/.248/.371 line in the sample leads to a wRC+ of 71, indicating he’s been 29% below league average overall. That includes a dismal .176/.200/.206 line here in 2026.
The San Francisco offense as a whole has been underwhelming. Encarnacion has been just a small part of that but he is the casualty for the club trying to shake things up. Since he’s out of options, he’s been bumped into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Giants could take five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner than that.
Based on how much he’s been struggling, it seems fair to expect him to clear waivers. He has flashed talent in the past but not in the majors. Even the exciting numbers he put up in Mexico and in the minors are two years old at this point. He has a previous career outright and would therefore have the right to elect free agency if he is outrighted again in the coming days.
Turning to the pitching moves, it’s unclear how long Miller will need to be shelved, but the Giants lose one of their more interesting relievers. Miller walks too many batters but has high-90s velocity and can get guys out. His 35.4% strikeout rate and 56% ground ball rate this year are both huge, though he has given free passes to 12.5% of opponents. With Miller out, the Giants are down to Matt Gage and Ryan Borucki as their southpaw relievers.
McDonald is starting tonight’s game and it appears to be a spot start. The Giants had to play a doubleheader on Thursday, with Logan Webb and Adrian Houser starting the two contests. Then Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp and Tyler Mahle started the three subsequent games. No one in that quintet would be available on regular rest tonight. After McDonald starts tonight’s game, it’s possible he gets sent back down to the minors, with a fresh arm coming up to join the bullpen.
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Orioles Claim Christian Roa
The Orioles have claimed right-hander Christian Roa off waivers from the Twins and optioned him to Triple-A, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. With the transaction, Roa takes the 40-man roster spot of Lou Trivino, who was designated for assignment earlier in the day.
The Twins designated Roa for assignment on Wednesday to clear space on their 40-man roster for Yoendrys Gómez. He had been with the Astros prior to being claimed by Minnesota on April 23rd. As the Orioles have now done, the Twins optioned Roa to Triple-A immediately after claiming him, so his seven big league appearances in 2026 have all come with the Astros. Roa has a 5.19 ERA in 8 2/3 innings in those games, walking more hitters than he’s struck out and posting expected numbers that are even higher than his ERA. In total, Roa has only thrown 11 2/3 innings in the Majors between the Marlins and Astros from 2025-26.
He had some success in the minors last year. In 60 1/3 innings with the Marlins’ top affiliate, Roa had a 2.83 ERA. His 26.1% strikeout rate was solid, though he also walked 11.4% of hitters and gave up an unsustainably low .224 batting average in balls in play. In terms of stuff, Roa averages in the mid-90s on his four-seamer and sinker, while he uses an upper-80s slider about a third of the time. His age and limited big league track record make him a fringe reliever at this point, albeit one with decent velocity.
Roa has less than a year of service time and comes with two remaining option years. He can be brought up if the Orioles need a fresh arm and then sent back down without needing to be designated for assignment. Roa has been outrighted before, so if he is designated anyway and clears waivers, he would have the option to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
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Phillies Claim Jackson Rutledge
The Phillies have claimed right-hander Jackson Rutledge off waivers from the Nationals, according to a team announcement. Rutledge has been optioned to Triple-A.
The Nationals designated Rutledge for assignment on Tuesday as part of a move to clear space for Max Kranick. In 2025, Rutledge threw 73 1/3 innings with a 5.77 ERA, a subpar 19.7% strikeout rate, and nearly two home runs allowed per nine innings. Under normal circumstances, he never would have lasted the year in the Majors, but the rebuilding Nationals could afford to give him reps. This year, Rutledge allowed seven earned runs on six hits in just 1 1/3 innings in his only appearance on April 13th. The club optioned him to Triple-A afterwards and kept him there until designating him for assignment.
Rutledge was a first-round pick by the Nationals in 2019 and has spent his entire career before today in their system. He has a 6.29 ERA in 103 big league innings from 2023-26. Rutledge’s recent minor league track record isn’t much to speak of either. He made 27 starts at Triple-A in 2024 but had a 6.40 ERA and a 13.7% walk rate. After spending most of last year in the Majors, Rutledge has a 3.38 ERA in 13 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year, albeit with middling peripherals including a mere 1.7% K-BB rate. He relies on his cutter as the primary fastball, also mixing in a splitter and sinker with pretty average velocity.
The Phillies are off to a middling 18-22 start, but their bullpen is a strong suit overall. The group’s 5.3 combined fWAR is tied for fifth in the Majors. Meanwhile, their 4.68 ERA is over a run higher than their 3.66 xERA, signaling positive regression in the future. Orion Kerkering and Chase Shugart both have ERAs under 2.00, while Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, and José Alvarado remain a formidable back-end unit (ugly initial results from Alvarado notwithstanding). Rutledge obviously can’t compete with those arms, but there’s no harm in keeping him in Triple-A as a depth option. He has just over a year of service time and one option remaining, so he can be brought up and shuffled out if the club needs a fresh arm for a day.
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Angels Sign Rob Kaminsky To Minor League Deal
The Angels have signed lefty reliever Rob Kaminsky to a minor league contract, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The deal gives the Halos a no-risk depth option for their bullpen.
Kaminsky began his career in the Cardinals’ system. He was drafted by St. Louis in the first round back in 2013 and was traded to Cleveland two years later in a deal for Brandon Moss. Kaminsky worked his way up to Triple-A with Cleveland in 2019 before electing minor league free agency. He went back to the Cardinals on a non-roster pact during the pandemic season. Kaminsky appeared in five games in the Majors in 2020, allowing one earned run in 4 2/3 innings and recording three strikeouts. Those are his only big league appearances as of now.
Kaminsky spent 2021 in the Phillies’ system, then 2022-24 with the Mariners. He returned to the Cardinals’ system once more in 2025 but only threw four innings across two levels. Apart from that, Kaminsky also pitched in the independent American League in 2024-25 as well as the World Baseball Classic in 2023 and 2026. He doesn’t strike out many hitters, but he has posted groundball rates in the 50-60% range at most levels in the minors. Kaminsky has well-below-average velocity, running a 90.1 MPH four-seamer in 2024. Given that limitation, if Kaminsky eventually returns to the Majors, his ability to induce grounders will be the key to his success.
For the Angels, there is zero risk in bringing Kaminsky into the organization as a depth flier. The club’s bullpen is one of the worst in the Majors with a 5.42 combined ERA. Jordan Romano was the nominal closer before being released and signing with the Rockies on a minors pact. Among the remaining arms, Ryan Zeferjahn is arguably the most valuable. He has a 4.58 ERA in 19 2/3 innings, though his 2.14 xERA and 2.72 FIP suggest he’s due for positive regression. Brent Suter and Sam Bachman both have ERAs under 4.00, as well as groundball rates over 50%. Kaminsky fits into the latter mold as a groundball specialist. It wouldn’t be totally out of the blue to see him called up at some point by the rebuilding Angels.
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Giants Notes: Bader, Schmitt, Hentges
The 15-24 Giants are currently tied with the Mets for the worst record in the National League. The Giants’ offense and pitching staff have both been below-average to start the year, with the offense being the bigger culprit of the two for the team’s woes. On the whole, San Francisco is batting .241/.284/.357 with an 81 wRC+, the latter tying the Mets for worst in the Majors. On the plus side, Casey Schmitt has a 144 wRC+ through 128 plate appearances, while Luis Arraez is pairing his old-school hitting style with surprisingly strong defense. However, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames are all hitting poorly. Chapman “leads” those three with a 79 wRC+ in 160 plate appearances.
An X-factor in the Giants’ offense is center fielder Harrison Bader. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since April 15 with a left hamstring strain, though Susan Slussler of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Bader is likely to come off the IL soon. If so, that would amount to about a month of missed time for the outfielder. Bader only made 55 plate appearances before he went down, but the club is hoping he can show some of his form from last year when he returns. In 501 plate appearances between the Twins and Phillies in 2025, Bader had career-best marks in wRC+ (122), wOBA (.346), and home runs (17).
There were some signs that Bader was lucky to hit so well. He batted .359 on balls in play, which was well above the league average. Bader’s .297 expected wOBA was also well below his actual mark of .346, while his 87.2 MPH average exit velocity ranked in just the 12th percentile in the Majors. There is also the matter that Bader has been a below-average hitter in most seasons, including every season from 2022-24 leading up to his 2025 breakout. In other words, Bader had a career season at the plate in 2025, but no one was expecting him to suddenly become a generational hitter.
The Giants would be happy if Bader was simply an average hitter. Between their starting outfield of Heliot Ramos, Drew Gilbert, and Jung Hoo Lee, only Ramos is even an average hitter. He currently has an even 100 wRC+ through 150 plate appearances, along with an unsustainable .368 average on balls in play. Lee is slightly below-average with a 96 wRC+, and his subpar defense isn’t helping his value either. Gilbert was a first-round draft pick by the Astros in 2022 and has some promise, but he has so far been outmatched in the Majors. The return of Bader wouldn’t be a huge upgrade for the team’s offense, whose fortunes depend on Chapman, Adames, and especially Devers returning to their career norms. That said, swapping in Bader for Gilbert in center would hopefully deepen the lineup with an average hitter, to say nothing of Bader’s exceptional defense.
Amid the struggles of the Giants’ star hitters, one of the bright spots has been the performance of Schmitt. With a 144 wRC+ in 129 plate appearances, Schmitt has been far and away the Giants’ best hitter of 2026. At the same time, he has mostly served as a DH, and those plate appearances may be hard to come by in the wake of Bryce Eldridge‘s recent promotion. That said, Sussler writes that Schmitt has been taking outfield reps during batting practice this week. That builds on prior comments from manager Tony Vitello, who said that Schmitt is athletic enough to handle the corner outfield if the team handles it “intelligently.”
Sussler clarifies that Schmitt is still an emergency option, and there are no immediate plans to play him in the outfield. Still, giving him outfield reps, even in a low-pressure setting, is a smart move on the part of the Giants. As tantalizing as Eldridge’s potential is, the club simply cannot afford to take Schmitt out of the lineup. For what it’s worth, the six-foot, 215-pound Schmitt’s sprint speed is in the 72nd percentile according to Statcast. He also has above-average arm strength. It remains to be seen how he might take to the outfield, but converting Schmitt into a utility player might be the best way to get him regular reps and leverage his defensive strengths.
Turning to the Giants’ pitching staff, Sussler reports that reliever Sam Hentges‘ rehab assignment is ending today. He is likely to be activated soon. The Giants’ bullpen has a decent-enough 3.85 ERA, although their combined 0.1 fWAR places them in the bottom ten relief units in the Majors. It remains to be seen how Hentges will impact that picture. The 6’8″ lefty pitched for Cleveland from 2021-24 and was generally solid in the latter three years. He underwent shoulder surgery in September 2024 and arthroscopic knee surgery in September 2025, but he now appears fully healthy. The keys to Hentges’ success will be generating groundballs, which he has done 53.4% of the time in his career, and recovering his mid-90s four-seam velocity.
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Orioles Designate Lou Trivino For Assignment, Recall Jose Espada
The Orioles have designated right-hander Lou Trivino for assignment, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Right-hander Jose Espada is being recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding active roster move. With this news, the club’s 40-man roster is at 39 players.
Trivino had only signed a major league deal with Baltimore six days ago. He appeared in two games with radically different results. On May 4th against the Yankees, Trivino got lit up for six earned runs on four hits and three walks while recording just two outs. He was much better yesterday against the Athletics, striking out three hitters in 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Trivino’s designation suggests that the club was only looking for a short-term solution in the bullpen, or that they were not confident in his abilities after the May 4th blow-up. In any case, the move allows Baltimore to swap out Trivino for a fresh arm in Espada.
Trivino has well over seven years of service time and has been designated for assignment in the past. If he clears waivers, he is likely to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. That would continue Trivino’s journeyman pattern from 2025. He pitched for the Athletics and Yankees from 2018-22, but he did not appear in the Majors from 2023-24 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Trivino split last year between the Giants, Dodgers, and Phillies, posting a decent 3.97 ERA with middling peripherals. The Phillies re-signed Trivino to a minor league pact in February, and he opted out on May 1. He had pitched well with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, which led the Orioles to give Trivino a major league deal. If and when he clears waivers, Trivino figures to land another opportunity on a minors deal.
The Orioles’ bullpen has been a mixed bag this year. Their 4.56 ERA puts the group in the bottom ten in the Majors, although their 3.87 xERA paints a slightly more favorable picture. Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano both have ERAs below 1.50, while Grant Wolfram has a shiny 0.98 FIP and may be due for positive regression on his 4.85 ERA. The group is generally devoid of difference-makers, though, and the addition of Espada won’t change that. The 29-year-old has only thrown five innings in the Majors from 2023-26. In 12 2/3 innings at Triple-A in 2026, Espada has a 5.68 ERA and is walking more hitters than he’s striking out. He has two options remaining and can be sent down when the Orioles need a fresh arm.
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Yankees Reinstate Carlos Rodón From Injured List
The Yankees have announced that they have activated Carlos Rodón off the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Kervin Castro was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Rodón will start today’s game against the Brewers.
Rodón underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow in October and opened this season on the injured list to finish his recovery. He made his first rehab start near the end of April and was projected for two more before making his return to the Majors. That has now come to pass. Rodón built up to 6 1/3 innings in his most recent appearance with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, so he is at more or less full strength. He now steps into New York’s rotation in a mid-rotation role behind Max Fried and Cam Schlittler.
The 2025 season was Rodón’s third with the Yankees. It was easily his best with the club, as he pitched to a 3.09 ERA over 195 1/3 innings with 203 strikeouts. Rodón also increased his groundball rate by about 10% and cut back on home runs, allowing just over one per nine innings after surrendering 31 homers the year before. Altogether, Rodón’s contributions were worth 3.2 fWAR and re-established his reputation among Yankees fans following injuries and underperformance in 2023-24.
Rodón won’t be expected to pitch at his 2025 levels right away, nor is that a grave need for the Yankees. Despite the absences of Rodón and Gerrit Cole, New York’s rotation has been the best in the league. The group’s 3.01 ERA leads the Majors, as does their combined 5.2 fWAR. Fried and Schlittler have both been excellent, with Schlittler’s 1.35 ERA leading the pack among qualified starters. Will Warren is striking out more hitters and issuing fewer walks than last year. Ryan Weathers has also done well as a complementary piece. It’s only a quarter of the way into the season, but those four are all performing as expected or within reasonable projections. The return of Rodón figures to make the group even stronger.
Former Rookie of the Year Luis Gil was recently optioned to Triple-A after struggling in four starts. He was later shut down with shoulder inflammation, so he won’t be returning any time soon. Paul Blackburn got a spot start in the meantime, though he will stick to his familiar long relief role going forward. The open rotation spot allows Rodón to step in without demoting another starter for now. Cole is still a few rehab starts from returning, so the next rotation move will probably come at that point, barring an injury.
Meanwhile, Castro is heading back to Triple-A after making an appearance on Friday in the series opener. In two innings, he allowed one earned run on two hits and struck out two hitters. Though unremarkable on its own, it was a personal milestone for Castro, as it marked his first appearance in the Majors since 2022 with the Cubs. He spent 2023 in the Tigers’ system but only made 10 appearances, and he missed all of 2024 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Castro’s demotion returns the Yankees’ bullpen from nine players to eight. As for Castro himself, he’ll stick around at Triple-A and could get another call when needed.
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