The Padres’ Problems Are Mounting
The past couple weeks have not been kind to the Padres. They now have a season-high five-game losing streak after being swept in today's matinee series finale in Philadelphia. It's their third four-plus game skid of the season and second in as many weeks, as they've dropped nine of ten.
Six of those have come at the hands of the Phillies, who have turned their season around after a brutal April and managerial change. Philadelphia obviously deserves credit for that, but San Diego's recent results have magnified the issues that existed even when they were winning games. They won 18 of 25 games in April despite an underperforming lineup and one of the weakest on-paper rotations in the National League. The roster deficiencies have begun to catch up.
San Diego's early-season success means they're still in playoff position. They're 32-29 and right in the thick of the Wild Card race. Two-thirds of the National League is above .500, so a team's placement in the standings can move quickly.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote about the Padres' struggles this morning, observing that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has never shied away from big swings at the deadline. Unless they go into a freefall over the next two months, they'll likely be tied to a number of big names on the trade market. The needs are stacking up.
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Astros Designate César Salazar, Rhylan Thomas For Assignment
The Astros announced a series of moves prior to tonight’s game. They signed first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to a major league deal, selected catcher Collin Price to the major league roster and reinstated outfielder Joey Loperfido from the 10-day injured list. Loperfido has been optioned to Triple-A. In corresponding moves, outfielder Zach Cole has been optioned to Triple-A while catcher César Salazar and outfielder Rhylan Thomas have been designated for assignment. The Wade signing was reported earlier today.
Salazar, 30, has been a depth catcher with the Astros for many years. His defense is well regarded but he doesn’t hit much, with a career .189/.295/.216 line. He burned his final option year in 2025, which led to him being bumped off the roster in March of this year. He cleared waivers and stuck around as a non-roster depth option.
He was added back to the roster in early May when Yainer Diaz suffered an oblique strain. Salazar and Christian Vázquez have been the catching duo for the past month but Salazar has hit .056/.227/.056 in that time.
Salazar will be bumped out for Price, who was a sixth-round pick in 2022. Price reached Triple-A last year and showed some promise. He hit 18 home runs and drew walks at a solid 10% clip, but he also struck out in 30.3% of his plate appearances. He has been better this year, with ten home runs already, a 13.5% walk rate and 25.5% strikeout rate. Even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League, his .235/.360/.476 line translates to a 118 wRC+, indicating he has been 18% better than league average. Defensively, Baseball Prospectus ranks him as a strong framer but subpar blocker.
Since this is the first big league call for Price, he has a full slate of options. Whenever Diaz is able to return from the IL, Price could be easily sent back to the minors. Vázquez is an impending free agent, so perhaps Price could be in line for more playing time next year if he continues putting up good numbers here in 2026.
Thomas, 26, was just claimed off waivers from the Mariners last month. He was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land and hasn’t appeared with the Astros in the big leagues. According to his transactions tracker at MLB.com, he landed on the minor league IL last week. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers so Thomas will most likely be released.
His major league track record consists of three games with the Mariners last year, with Thomas hitting .125/.200/.250 in those. In Triple-A, he had a big .325/.380/.411 line last year, while stealing 35 bases, but has just a .253/.304/.307 line this year.
As for Salazar, he will likely be on waivers in the coming days. Since he already has one outright under his belt, he would have the right to elect free agency if he is passed through outright waivers again.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Phillies Release Bryse Wilson
The Phillies have released veteran right-hander Bryse Wilson, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d been working out of the rotation with Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley.
Wilson, 28, signed a minor league deal back in December. He’s made 10 appearances, nine of them starts, with the IronPigs in 2026. He’s been dinged for a grisly 7.44 earned run average, but his performance hasn’t been as rough as that bloated number would seem. Wilson has average or better rates of strikeouts (22.1%), walks (8.1%) and ground-balls (52.7%). He’s been dogged by a sky-high .393 average on balls in play despite lower-than-average exit velocity and hard-hit numbers from his opponents. Metrics like xFIP (4.13) and FIP (4.30) feel he’s pitched well enough to have an ERA multiple runs lower than its current mark.
Wilson has pitched in parts of eight major league seasons but hasn’t found much big league success outside of a 2023-24 run with the Brewers. He gave Milwaukee 181 1/3 innings of 3.42 ERA ball with a 19% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate across those two seasons, but Wilson has a collective 5.73 ERA in his other six MLB seasons between the Braves, Pirates and White Sox. He’s worked as a starter, a short reliever and a swingman to this point in his big league career and is fully stretched out, so he could latch on with any club that’s looking for some experienced depth.
Blue Jays Select Chad Dallas
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Chad Dallas. Fellow righty Hayden Juenger has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, righty Tanner Andrews has been designated for assignment.
Dallas, 26 later this month, was a fourth-round pick of the Jays in 2021. He put himself on the prospect map with a strong 2023, making 23 starts between High-A and Double-A. He logged 123 1/3 innings, allowing 3.65 earned runs per nine. He struck out 27.9% of batters faced, walked 9.5% of opponents and induced grounders on 44.3% of balls in play.
Going into 2024, Baseball America ranked him the #14 prospect in the system. FanGraphs put him 16th. He could have been in line to make his major league debut that year but his health intervened. He struggled at Triple-A around a few stints on the injured list and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in September. He missed the entire 2025 season. Here in 2026, he has been back on the mound and has logged 36 innings for Triple-A Buffalo with a 4.50 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate.
In the long term, Dallas might end up as a reliever. His best pitch is his slider while he doesn’t have a great weapon against lefties. For now, he’s still stretched out and the Jays need the innings, as their rotation has been decimated by injuries this year. José Berríos, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis are done for the season. Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber and Lazaro Estrada are also on the IL. Jake Bloss is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Prospect Ricky Tiedemann is still in the injury wilderness.
Due to all those absences, the Jays have been rolling with a hollowed-out rotation. Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Patrick Corbin are the three traditional starters. The Jays have also been deploying frequent bullpen games with Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles working as a bulk guy in those. Until recently, they had Cease in the mix as well but his hamstring strain further cut into the group and has necessitated even more depth arms getting into the mix. Austin Voth was called up for an emergency bulk outing last week but was quickly bumped off the roster after.
Left-hander Mason Fluharty is technically starting tonight’s game but Dallas will probably be working bulk innings behind him. Since this is the first time Dallas has been called up to the majors, he has a full slate of options. He will likely be sent back to Buffalo after this. The Jays acquired Simeon Woods Richardson yesterday. He has not yet joined the active roster but could perhaps link up with the team in Toronto tomorrow. The Jays also might get Cease back soon. He is expected to make a rehab start tonight and might only need that one game before being activated next week. They also have Scherzer, Bieber, Estrada and Bloss out on rehab assignments at the moment.
Andrews is a 30-year-old minor league journeyman. He spent time in the farm systems of the Marlins, Giants and Twins before signing a minor league deal with the Jays coming into this year. The Jays added him to the roster when Cease hit the IL. He made two scoreless appearances before being optioned back down to Triple-A Buffalo.
He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays could take five days to explore trade interest, though they could also put him on waivers sooner than that. He posted a 6.02 ERA in the minors from 2023 to 2025 but has a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings this year. That’s thanks to a fortunate .220 batting average on balls in play and 94% strand rate. His 4.26 FIP suggests his results would be less impressive with more neutral luck.
Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images
Royals Select Josh Rojas
The Royals have selected the contract of veteran infielder Josh Rojas from Triple-A Omaha, they announced Wednesday. Fellow infielder Jonathan India, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery back in April, moves to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Righty Stephen Kolek was placed on the family medical emergency list to open a spot on the active roster.
Rojas, 31, has experience in parts of seven big league seasons. He’s picked up more than five years of major league service between the D-backs, Mariners and White Sox. The second baseman/third baseman is a career .241/.317/.353 hitter, but his past few seasons haven’t gone well. Rojas was a productive infielder for Arizona in 2021-22 and had a decent run in Seattle after being traded there in 2023, but he hit just .211/.288/.313 in nearly 700 plate appearances between the M’s and ChiSox from ’24-’25.
Rojas has spent the 2026 season with Kansas City’s top minor league affiliate in Omaha. He’s posted a .246/.309/.433 line in 189 plate appearances — about 13% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+. However, he’s been swinging a hot bat over the past month: .303/.357/.553 with just a 12.9% strikeout rate. Five of Rojas’ six home runs this season have come in his past 20 games.
While Rojas can play second and third base, Kansas City is largely set at the hot corner with Maikel Garcia signed long term. Second base is far less certain. Royals second basemen have been among the worst in baseball this season, combining for a .201/.271/.363 slash. Michael Massey has taken the majority of playing time there, with India and Nick Loftin chipping in a combined 106 plate appearances. Isaac Collins and Tyler Tolbert both have one lone plate appearance as a second baseman for Kansas City.
Rojas, Massey and Loftin will probably share second base work for the time being. Rojas can also spell Garcia if the Royals want to get him a breather. Since Rojas is only about two months shy of reaching six years of service time, he’ll be a free agent at season’s end if he sticks with the Royals the rest of the way.
Lyon Richardson Elects Free Agency
The Reds have successfully sent right-hander Lyon Richardson and left-hander Brandon Leibrandt through waivers unclaimed, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Both pitchers were designated for assignment earlier this week. Leibrandt has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Louisville while Richardson has elected free agency.
Richardson, 26, becomes a free agent for the first time. The Reds took him in the second round of the 2018 draft. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2022, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent the next three seasons getting frequently shuttled between Triple-A and the majors, exhausting his three option years in the process.
The Reds sent him through waivers in January. Since that was his first career outright and he had less than three years of service, he had to accept an assignment to the minors. He was added back to the roster last week as the club was dealing with a number of pitching injuries. He made two appearances before getting bumped back off the roster. Now that he has been outrighted a second time, he has the right to elect free agency and has done so.
As a free agent, he should be limited to minor league offers. He is out of options and all 29 clubs just passed a chance to grab him off waivers. But teams will presumably be interested in adding him as non-roster depth.
As mentioned, he is a former second-round pick. He has shown some intriguing stuff on the farm. A former starter, he has been in a primary relief role since last year. Dating back to the start of 2025, he has logged 62 1/3 Triple-A innings. His 4.48 earned run average isn’t too impressive but his 24.7% strikeout rate is strong and he has induced ground balls on almost half the balls in play he has allowed. His four-seamer and sinker average in the upper-90s and he also features a slider and changeup.
He hasn’t yet been able to translate that into major league results, as he has a 6.67 ERA in 56 2/3 big league innings, but there’s no real risk on a minor league deal. It’s also possible that Richardson simply reunites with the Reds on a new deal, if he doesn’t find anything too enticing elsewhere.
While Richardson has only been a part of one professional organization in his career, Leibrandt is more towards the journeyman end of the spectrum. The 33-year-old has been with the Phillies, Marlins, Cubs, Reds and Yankees over the years, mostly in the minors. He has also spent time with the High Point Rockers in the independent Atlantic League and the CTBC Brothers in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League.
He started this year with the Reds on a minor league deal. He posted a 5.23 ERA over 11 Triple-A starts. He was called up earlier this week to provide a fresh arm during Cincinnati’s aforementioned injury situation. He tossed six innings in an emergency bullpen game when Chase Burns was sick, allowing five earned runs in the process. He was promptly bumped off the roster after that and will now return to his role as a Triple-A depth arm.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
D-backs Expected To Pursue Left-Handed Bats On Trade Market
The D-backs sit three game over .500, leaving them seven and a half games behind the division-leading Dodgers but just a half game back in the NL Wild Card hunt. There’s plenty of time for their outlook to change with the trade deadline two months down the road, but as things stand, Arizona seems likely to operate as a buyer at the deadline. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Snakes are expected to target a left-handed bat to plug into their first base and designated hitter mix. John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports has suggested a similar approach.
It’s not an especially surprising area of focus. No team in baseball has gotten worse production from its first basemen than the Diamondbacks, who’ve seen Ildemaro Vargas, Carlos Santana and José Fernández take the lion’s share of playing time and turn in a collective .234/.264/.338 performance at first base. Vargas has hit well overall but curiously hasn’t done almost any of his damage at first base, hitting just .248/.283/.387 in 146 plate appearances at first base.
It’s a similar story at designated hitter. Arizona’s DH spot this season has produced an awful .209/.280/.293 slash — worst in the National League and second-worst in MLB, ahead of only the Royals (.168/.250/.282). Catcher Adrian Del Castillo has a team-leading 90 plate appearances in the DH spot, but Arizona has rotated 11 players through the position this season. No one with more than five plate appearances in the DH slot has hit well in that role. (Vargas is 2-for-5 with a homer in his lone action there.)
Given the bleak performance out of both those lineup spots, one might think the D-backs would be open to bringing in any bat, regardless of handedness. There may be some truth to that, but Arizona is slashing a collective .279/.337/.451 against left-handed pitching this season. By measure of wRC+, they’re second in baseball behind only the Yankees in that regard. On the flip side, they’ve been the worst team in the majors against right-handed pitching. Diamondbacks hitters have combined for a .228/.296/.370 slash against righties, resulting an 86 wRC+ that ranks 30th in the sport. They could clearly use some left-handed punch.
The Diamondbacks could have some in-house help coming. Pavin Smith was just reinstated from the injured list. He’s out to a 1-for-12 start to begin the season after a monthslong absence due to an elbow injury, but from 2024-25 Smith slashed .262/.357/.475 with 17 home runs in 446 plate appearances. The overwhelming majority of his production came against right-handed pitching. Smith is a career .221/.295/.300 hitter in left-on-left matchups but wrecked righties with a .271/.359/.493 line (134 wRC+) in 399 trips to the plate from ’24-’25.
Even if Smith can return to that form, the production at both first base and designated hitter has been so bleak that the Snakes would probably still like to bring in a second bat. They won’t be getting Santana back anytime soon after he moved to the 60-day IL, and he hasn’t hit well this season anyhow. Vargas, too, has cooled after improbably opening the season with hits in 24 consecutive games. Since his streak ended, he’s slashed just .190/.221/.241 in 122 plate appearances. Neither Del Castillo nor switch-hitting, out-of-options outfielder Jorge Barrosa has hit well this season. The Diamondbacks don’t have another left-handed bat on the 40-man roster, so if Smith can’t bounce back, the need will be all the more acute.
It’s still early to tell who might be available. Rosenthal speculates on names like Luis Arraez, Lars Nootbaar, Zach McKinstry, TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston. I’d add Mickey Moniak (Rockies), Trevor Larnach (Twins), Alec Burleson (Cardinals) and Luis Garcia Jr. (Nationals) as possibly available lefty bats who could slot into the mix. It seems unlikely that anyone of note is going to be on the move nearly two months out from the deadline, but given the way things have gone with the D-backs’ first base/DH carousel, they’ll probably be monitoring the market in case anyone becomes truly available well ahead of the deadline.
Astros To Sign LaMonte Wade Jr.
1:58pm: Wade’s deal contains a $1MM base salary, Rome adds.
12:57pm: The Astros are signing veteran first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to a major league contract, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Wade, a Covenant Sports Group client, opted out of a minor league contract with the White Sox last week. Houston’s 40-man roster is full. They’ll need to make a corresponding move to finalize Wade’s contract.
Wade, 32, was a fixture in the Giants’ lineup from 2021 through early 2025. He was a productive, lefty-swinging platoon option at first base and in left field for much of that time, but his bat wilted in 2025 and led the Giants to move on. A quick stop with the Angels didn’t get Wade’s bat back on track, and he had to settle for a minor league deal with the ChiSox in free agency this offseason.
Despite a big spring training (.289/.429/.605, three homers in 49 plate appearances), Wade didn’t make the White Sox’ Opening Day roster. He opted out of his deal near the end of camp, re-signed a few days later, and has had a productive two-month run with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte. Wade has taken 201 plate appearances with the Knights and posted a .250/.420/.441 slash with seven homers, eight doubles, two steals, a gargantuan 22.4% walk rate and a 21.4% strikeout rate.
Wade won’t walk in nearly one quarter of his big league plate appearances, but he’s one of the more disciplined players in the league. Even in last year’s down season, he drew a free pass 11.2% of the time he stepped to the plate. From 2023-24, Wade walked at a 15% clip, trailing only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Kyle Schwarber. Wade’s best years in San Francisco (2021-24) saw him produce a .248/.352/.415 line in 1552 plate appearances. The Astros would happily take anything close to that level of output.
Wade has a fairly limited skill set on the whole. He excels at working counts and drawing walks. He can hit right-handed pitching but struggles against lefties and isn’t an asset either on the bases or with the glove. He’s generally graded as a passable first baseman and a below-average corner outfielder.
Houston’s first base and DH spots are largely set with Christian Walker and Yordan Alvarez. Wade could spell either on occasion and could DH on days when Alvarez plays in the outfield, but he’s obviously not going to take regular reps at either position with those veteran sluggers healthy. Left field has been a revolving door for the ‘Stros this season, however. Zach Dezenzo leads the Astros with 45 plate appearances as the team’s left fielder. They’ve also used Alvarez, Taylor Trammell, Brice Matthews and others in a rotating cast of characters at the position.
Wade gives the Astros another option in left field and, more broadly, a left-handed bat with a track record of producing against (right-handed) major league pitching. Alvarez is the only established lefty bat the Astros have. Trammell has decent numbers at the moment (.286/.344/.375), but that’s primarily smoke and mirrors. He’s sitting on a .471 average on balls in play and striking out in an untenable 35.5% of his plate appearances — right in line with his career 35.3% mark. He can’t sustain that production with those underlying trends. Backup catcher Cesar Salazar and just-recalled outfielder Zach Cole — who’s even more strikeout-prone than Trammell — are the only other lefties on Houston’s roster at the moment.
Diamondbacks Option Brandon Pfaadt To Get Stretched Out As Starter
The Diamondbacks are optioning right-hander Brandon Pfaadt to Triple-A Reno, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The plan is for him to get stretched back out as a starter after he was moved to the bullpen a couple of months ago. The Snakes will also place right-hander Taylor Clarke on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. Righty Kade Strowd and lefty Philip Abner will be recalled as corresponding moves.
Pfaadt once looked to be establishing himself as a core rotation piece in Arizona. He came up in 2023 and gave the Snakes 96 innings. His 5.72 earned run average wasn’t strong but he turned things on at the right time. He posted a 3.27 ERA over five postseason starts, helping the Diamondbacks go as far as the World Series that year.
In 2024, his first full major league season, he put up a 4.71 ERA in 32 starts. There was some optimism that he deserved even better. His .315 batting average on balls in play and 64.5% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His 24.3% strikeout rate, 5.5% walk rate and 41.5% ground ball rate were all good numbers. His 3.61 FIP and 3.65 SIERA suggested he would have been even better with more neutral luck from the baseball gods.
The Diamondbacks presumably felt his best days were ahead. In March of 2025, they signed him to a five-year extension covering the 2026 through 2030 seasons. That guaranteed him $45MM and came with a club option for 2031.
His 2025 season wasn’t quite as good the year prior. His 5.25 ERA was about half a run worse than 2024 and his 19.2% strikeout rate was a drop of more than five points. He began 2026 still with a rotation spot, alongside Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodríguez, Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka, as Merrill Kelly was on the IL. It’s possible the Snakes planned on bumping Soroka or Nelson to the bullpen once Kelly was healthy. However, Pfaadt posted a 5.94 ERA in his first three starts while Soroka and Nelson fared better. That led to Pfaadt moving to the bullpen instead.
His first relief appearance was effectively a starter’s workload, as he logged 6 1/3 innings. Of his next four appearances, two of them were for three innings and another was for 2 1/3. He’s been leaned on less in recent weeks, as his five most recent appearances have been less than two innings. On the whole, he has a 5.91 ERA since moving to the bullpen.
Pfaadt’s profile is a little odd, as his luck refuses to even out. In almost 500 career innings, he has a .313 BABIP and 66.2% strand rate. For reference, league average BABIP is usually about .290, with strand rate usually about 72%. Perhaps that’s because he pounds the strike zone, with a 5.8% walk rate in his career, allowing hitters to go into swing mode. He hasn’t been able to counteract that with strikeouts lately, only punching out 19% of opponents since the start of 2025. The result is that he keeps underperforming his underlying metrics. He has a career ERA of 5.19 but a 4.00 SIERA. His SIERA has been more than a run lower than his ERA in each season of his career.
Ideally, Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks can figure out a path towards better results. The Snakes will need some depth in the short term. The club was hoping to get Corbin Burnes back from his Tommy John surgery rehab around the All-Star break but he just suffered a teres major strain and will likely be out until September. Cristian Mena just underwent shoulder surgery and won’t be a factor for a while. Gallen, Kelly and Nelson all have ERAs around 5.00 at the moment. Soroka and Rodríguez are pitching well but Soroka has a notable injury history while Rodríguez is outperforming some poor peripherals. Dylan Ray, Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake are on the 40-man roster but Ray and Drake are struggling in the minors. Bratt has good numbers this year but just landed on the minor league injured list. The club could look to add at the deadline but it will be hard to make notable acquisitions for a few more weeks.
As mentioned, Pfaadt signed a five-year deal and this is only the first year of the deal, so he’s a notable part of their long-term picture as well. Gallen and Soroka are impending free agents, so there are two rotation holes open next year. Burnes should be back in the mix but will be a question mark after hardly pitching in 2025 and 2026.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
Orioles Acquire Kyle Nicolas
Right-hander Kyle Nicolas has been traded from the Reds to the Orioles, per announcements from both clubs. The Reds, who designated him for assignment a few days ago, receive cash considerations in return. Baltimore has optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. To open a 40-man roster spot, right-hander Eduarniel Núñez has been designated for assignment.
It’s the second trade for Nicolas this year. Back in March, the Pirates traded him to the Reds in exchange for infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan. The trade hasn’t worked out for either side thus far. Callihan has spent most of this year in Triple-A and has put up a .223/.305/.346 line at that level.
Nicholas has also been primarily in the minors this year. He logged 7 1/3 major league innings for the Reds but with seven earned runs allowed. His 15 2/3 Triple-A innings have resulted in an uninspiring 5.17 earned run average. His 24.4% strikeout rate at that level was decent but he gave out walks at a massive 20.7% pace.
The Orioles are presumably looking past his rough 2026 numbers. In the past, his stats have been more intriguing, though still with notable control issues. A former starting pitching prospect, he has been a primary reliever in recent years. Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he threw 46 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.11 ERA. His 14.1% walk rate was way too high but he struck out 30.7% of opponents. He also threw 92 2/3 big league innings over that two-year span with a 4.27 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate.
Nicolas is in his final option season but the O’s can keep him in the minors for now. If they can help him rein in his stuff, perhaps they can get him back on track. It’s also possible that he ends up losing his roster spot. The Orioles are one of the most aggressive clubs when it comes to cycling players through the edge of their roster. Since the season has started, they have acquired Jayvien Sandridge, Lou Trivino, Christian Roa and Núñez in small trades, free agent signings or waiver claims. Each guy was then designated for assignment not long after.
In most of those cases, the goal is to get the player through waivers and be kept as depth without using a roster spot. If Nicolas is eventually passed through waivers in the future, he would not have the right to elect free agency since he does not have a previous career outright nor three years of service time.
Turning to Núñez, he provides a template for what might be ahead for Nicolas. Núñez was designated for assignment by the Athletics in mid-May. The O’s sent out cash considerations to get him, sent him to Norfolk and have now bumped him off the roster three weeks later.
His big league track record is still quite limited. He made ten appearances for the A’s last year and posted a 7.11 ERA in those. In the minors, he has shown some similar tendencies to Nicolas, with strikeout stuff but also poor control. From 2023 to 2025, he tossed 153 1/3 innings in the minors with a 2.99 ERA. He struck out 30.4% of batters but gave out free passes at a big 14.7% clip. The walks have gotten worse this year, with Núñez at 20.2% through 17 2/3 innings.
He now heads back into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the O’s could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, but they could also put Núñez on waivers sooner than that. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick around as non-roster depth. He doesn’t have three years of service nor a previous career outright and therefore wouldn’t have the right to elect free agency.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images