J.T. Realmuto Leaves Game Due To Lower Back Tightness
The Phillies fell to 8-12 with Saturday night’s 3-1 loss to the Braves, and they had a bit of an injury scare with their starting catcher. J.T. Realmuto left the game during the sixth inning with lower back tightness, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlann March and others. Manager Rob Thomson said that Realmuto originally tweaked his back and left knee during a play at the plate on Friday (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). His knee was fine tonight, but his back issue flared up again. Rafael Marchán eventually pinch-hit for Realmuto in the seventh.
Thomson doesn’t think Realmuto will need to go on the injured list, although he probably won’t play tomorrow. After posting slightly below average offense in 2025, Realmuto’s gotten off to a better start in 2026. Through his first 15 games entering play tonight, he is batting .292/.382/.396 with a 123 wRC+. His power is down slightly, as evidenced by his .104 isolated slugging percentage. Realmuto has compensated by walking at a 9.1% clip, up from 6.4% last year, and cutting his strikeouts from 23.5% to 20.0%. His .361 average on balls on in play indicates some good luck, but nonetheless, the club is happy to have bounce-back production from Realmuto so far.
The veteran catcher has a reputation for durability, especially for the modern game. From 2022-25, Realmuto led the league with 491 games started behind the plate. Cal Raleigh was a distant second with 457 games in that span. Since joining the Phillies in February 2019, Realmuto has only been on the IL three times, with one of those being a one-day stint on the COVID IL in 2021. Given his age, production, and the fact that he’s only just started his new three-year, $45MM deal, it’s hardly a surprise that the club will give Realmuto a chance to rest, if only for a day.
If his back remains a lingering problem, the club would turn to Marchán behind the plate. Originally signed out of Venezuela in 2015, Marchán has now spent over a decade in the Phillies’ system. However, despite having over three years of service time, his big-league resume consists of only 261 plate appearances over 88 games. His career line of .228/.290/.376 (83 wRC+) is reasonable for a backup catcher, though his opportunities beyond that have been limited in part due to Realmuto’s presence.
The two are the only catchers on the club’s 40-man roster at the moment. Meanwhile, only two of the club’s top 30 prospects are catchers according to MLB.com, and neither one has reached Triple-A. If a depth option is needed, the club might explore the waiver wire or a minor trade.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Sign Andrew Velazquez To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed infielder Andrew Velazquez to a minor league deal, according to an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate. The 31-year-old is represented by CAA Sports.
Velazquez had been with the Rangers on a non-roster deal since early December. He got into 16 Spring Training games but batted just .111/.194/.185 in 32 plate appearances. The Rangers released him at the end of March, and Velazquez lingered in free agency until this pact with Arizona. He has not appeared in the majors since 2023 with the Angels and has spent the last two years at the Triple-A level with the Braves and Yankees, respectively.
In 368 PA with the Yankees’ top affiliate in 2025, Velazquez batted .242/.304/.345 with a 74 wRC+. That production was par for the course for Velazquez, whose last meaningful sample as an above-average hitter came in 2021 at Triple-A (119 wRC+ in 306 PA). Since that season, he has shown minimal power at every level including the majors, without making contact or getting on base enough to approach even average offense. He has some fringe value due to his speed, though. In 224 minor league games since the start of 2024, Velazquez has stolen 58 bases.
Defensively, Velazquez has mostly played at shortstop in the majors. In 2022, he was valued at 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 3 Outs Above Average in 906 innings there with the Angels. He regressed the following season in a smaller sample, coming in at -5 DRS and -3 OAA in 233 1/3 innings. He’s been roughly average with the glove outside of those two years. Since 2024, he’s also gotten some minor-league work in the outfield, and the Diamondbacks’ announcement lists him as a utilityman, rather than strictly an infielder.
Versatility aside, Velazquez is merely a no-risk depth option for Arizona. The club has Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte lined up at shortstop and second base, respectively. They haven’t hit well to start the year, but Perdomo had a breakout season in 2025 and is in the first year of a new contract extension, so he’s not going anywhere. Neither is Marte, who has a track record as one of the best second basemen in the league. Nolan Arenado is 35 and struggling offensively and defensively at third base, but likewise, his track record gives him plenty of leeway. At best, Velazquez will be called up at some point an emergency defensive option if one of the regulars lands on the injured list.
Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images
Nationals Option Paxton Schultz
The Nationals announced that reliever Paxton Schultz has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. A corresponding active roster move has not yet been announced.
Schultz threw 48 pitches in three innings of relief against the Giants yesterday, so the club is likely sending him down to bring up a fresh arm. The 28-year-old has pitched eight innings across five appearances this year. He has recorded seven strikeouts against one walk, but he’s also surrendered two home runs and four earned runs total. His expected stats suggest he’s been lucky to post a 4.50 ERA, although it’s hard to draw conclusions given the small sample size. For what it’s worth, Schultz posted a similar 4.38 ERA in 24 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays last year. His strikeout and walk rates were slightly better than average.
The right-hander was a 14th-round draft pick by the Brewers in 2019. They traded him to the Blue Jays in May 2021, and Schultz spent the next few years climbing the minor-league ladder. Early on, he was mostly used as a starter, but he started making more relief appearances upon reaching Triple-A in 2023. In 51 innings at that level in 2025, Schultz posted a solid 3.31 ERA and allowed less than one home run per nine innings. Having previously led with his four-seamer, he has used his upper-80s cutter 51.5% of the time in 2026, with his four-seamer and changeup acting as complementary pitches.
Schultz’s ceiling is that of a fringe reliever, though he’ll surely get more opportunities with the Nationals this year. The club’s bullpen is arguably the worst in the league. The group has a 6.01 ERA, allowed two home runs per nine, and struck out a league-worst 16.9% of opposing hitters. Ken Waldichuk struggled badly and is now on the 60-day IL facing possible Tommy John surgery. Cole Henry landed on the 15-day IL earlier this week. The club acquired Richard Lovelady from the Mets on Thursday, but the bullpen remains an uninspiring group, with just about everyone struggling with walks, home runs, and overall run prevention. Unsurprisingly, as a result of their pitching woes, the team is off to a 9-12 start in 2026. Given those struggles, there’s no harm in bringing Schultz up later on to eat innings.
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Royals To Select Contract Of Elias Díaz
The Royals are planning to call up catcher Elias Díaz from Triple-A, reports Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The ACES client is not on the 40-man roster, so corresponding moves will be needed.
Díaz, 35, signed a minor-league deal with Kansas City in late February and was invited to big-league Spring Training. While he batted .533/.533/.800 in six games there, he was mostly signed for depth given the presence of Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen. Starting the year at the Royals’ top affiliate, Díaz has so far batted .226/.294/.258 in 34 plate appearances. That’s admittedly a small sample, but it’s still pretty weak production even for the light-hitting veteran.
Instead, Díaz’s promotion could be about giving Perez a chance to rest and reset. Now in his age-36 season, the Royals’ captain has gotten out to a brutal start at the plate. In 81 PA across his first 20 games, Perez has batted just .160/.210/.307, which amounts to a meager 36 wRC+. His walk rate has mostly held constant from 2025, while his 21.0% strikeout rate is only a slight increase. Instead, Perez’s downturn has resulted from a drop in power as well as poor batted-ball luck. He posted a .209 isolated slugging percentage last year, but that has fallen to .147 so far in 2026. Of greater note is that Perez is batting just .161 on balls in play, which would easily be the worst mark of his career.
A look at Perez’s batted ball metrics offer some explanation. His average exit velocity has declined to 89.0 MPH, continuing a year-over-year decline since the 2024 season. Meanwhile, his soft and hard contact percentages have both trended in the wrong direction by about 7%. Obviously, it’s hard to draw conclusions from only 20 games’ worth of data, but the bottom line is that Perez has been a liability in the Royals’ offense to start the year. That led manager Matt Quatraro to give Perez a “mental breather” against the Yankees today by withholding him from the starting lineup (link via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). Perez ultimately did not play in the game, which the Royals lost 13-4.
The fact that the Royals are bringing up Díaz despite his own lack of offense could signal a few more days off for Perez. In that scenario, the Royals would turn to Jensen as the starting catcher, with Díaz as the temporary backup. Jensen has a 97 wRC+ in 19 games as a DH and backup catcher to Perez. That’s a step down from the 159 wRC+ he posted last year, although that was also in a small sample of 69 PA. Nonetheless, Jensen has continued to hit for power, and his overall output is roughly average for catchers, so it makes sense to give him more playing time for now.
Meanwhile, Díaz joins the big-league club as a defensive backup. He was valued at -15 Defensive Runs Saved in 2022 for the Rockies, followed by -16 DRS in 2023. He’s mostly turned it around since then. Statcast gave him plus marks for his caught stealing rate, framing, and pop time in 2024, while his blocking graded out in the 61st percentile in 2025. Díaz hits from the right side, while Jensen hits from the left. Díaz has hit about the same against lefties and righties in his career, but he did better against righties in 2025. Jensen also hits righties better, so it’s unlikely the two will be used in a platoon arrangement. More likely is that Jensen starts every day while Díaz acts as a bench option until Perez is back in the lineup.
Corresponding moves for Díaz have not been announced. Outfielder Isaac Collins is currently day to day with a right knee contusion, according to the Royals’ injury report. He went through a full pregame workout yesterday, so he seems likely to avoid the injured list. On the pitching side, Mitch Spence threw 84 pitches in a four-inning relief appearance today. He could be sent down for active roster space, leaving the club with 12 pitchers rather than 13 in the short term. Clearing room on the 40-man roster would require one of the club’s injured players to be transferred to the 60-day IL, or someone else to be designated for assignment.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
Marlins To Activate Kyle Stowers On Sunday
7:00 pm: The club will option infielder Deyvison De Los Santos to Triple-A as the corresponding move for Stowers, according to Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.
2:43 pm: The Marlins are about to get an All-Star back in their lineup, as manager Clayton McCullough told reporters (including Kevin Barral of Fish On First) that Kyle Stowers will be activated from the 10-day injured list before Sunday’s game with the Brewers. MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola wrote earlier today that Stowers is already at loanDepot Park but would probably get one final day of rest and examination before making his 2026 debut tomorrow.
Right hamstring tightness bothered Stowers for most of Spring Training, and he left one of the Marlins’ final Grapefruit League games with a Grade 1 hamstring strain that required a season-opening IL stint. The recovery period was initially estimated at 3-4 weeks, so Stowers will indeed make it back on the higher end of that projected timeline.
Stowers’ rehab assignment at Triple-A Jacksonville lasted five games, with three played in his usual left field position, one game at DH, and one game at first base. This marked Stowers’ pro debut as a first baseman, though he spent a bit of time at the position in college and in summer ball action (the West Coast League and Cape Cod League). McCullough recently indicated that Stowers might get some prep work at first base just in case the Marlins decide to incorporate him into the first base mix at the MLB level, both to help Miami out at a trouble position and to give Stowers some time at a lower-intensity position.
Stowers is the most high-profile of the five position players on Miami’s injured list, though Christopher Morel‘s absence due to an oblique strain has been the major cause of the team’s revolving door at first base. While the Marlins’ roster has been a little short-handed, the team’s offense hasn’t much suffered, as Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez, Liam Hicks, and Connor Norby are all off to hot starts.
Needless to say, getting Stowers back will be a huge boost. Sunday will mark Stowers’ first MLB game since August 15, as his breakout 2025 campaign was cut short by an oblique strain. Stowers’ first full season in Miami saw him hit .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs over 457 plate appearances, and he generated 4.0 fWAR over only 117 games.
The corresponding move for Stowers remains to be seen. Graham Pauley left yesterday’s game due to oblique discomfort and isn’t in today’s starting lineup, but McCullough told Barral and company that Pauley is expected “to be available today for whatever is needed.”
Zack Wheeler On Track For Late April Return
Right-hander Zack Wheeler has been on the mend from thoracic outlet surgery since last September, with an early-season return being the goal for the Phillies. That could happen very soon, as Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Wheeler will make one more rehab start for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils on Sunday. If all goes well, he could rejoin the major league club next weekend for their series against the Braves.
At the time of the surgery, Wheeler’s recovery was expected to take 6-8 months. A return at the short end of that range would have brought him to the opening week of the season and left no time for a full ramp-up. Given that Wheeler has continued to pitch like an ace into his mid-30s, the Phillies were never going to risk bringing him back too early. That said, his recovery was progressing well overall, and manager Rob Thomson indicated last month that the club expected a return not “too far beyond” Opening Day. Evidently, the 35-year-old has shown enough in his rehab stint to rejoin the big-league rotation by the end of April.
Wheeler made 24 starts last year and was in top form the whole way. He posted a 2.71 ERA in 149 2/3 innings with a career-high 33.3% strikeout rate and just a 5.6% walk rate. That performance was good for 4.0 fWAR, which tied him for 11th among big-league starters despite throwing significantly fewer innings than usual. His dominance was interrupted by an IL stint in August for a right upper extremity blood clot, which led to the discovery of venous TOS and his subsequent season-ending surgery. Venous TOS is the less severe form of the injury, with the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly being the best example of returning to form following surgery.
The Phillies are surely hoping Wheeler can do the same. Their rotation has performed unevenly through their first 19 games to the tune of a 5.55 ERA. While Cristopher Sánchez is dominating as usual and Jesús Luzardo and Andrew Painter are outperforming their surface numbers, Taijuan Walker has struggled badly through four starts. He allowed two earned runs in five innings against Arizona last week but has given up at least four earned runs in his other three starts. Most recently, he allowed seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks in just four innings against the Braves.
Though he’s likely to get one more start, Walker could lose his spot to accommodate Wheeler’s return, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. That leaves Walker ticketed for a bullpen role, though he’ll surely get more starts throughout the year in the event of an injury. Walker made 17 relief appearances from 2024-25 with unspectacular results. Given his struggles so far in 2026, he’ll likely be limited to low-leverage spots.
Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
Angels Recall Walbert Ureña, Option Sam Aldegheri
The Angels have announced that they’ve recalled right-hander Walbert Ureña from Triple-A. Lefty Sam Aldegheri is being optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Ureña returns to the big leagues after making two appearances during the club’s season-opening series against the Astros. That was the 22-year-old’s first big-league experience. Though he didn’t allow an earned run in 1 2/3 innings, he surrendered five hits and six unearned runs while also giving up three unintentional walks. He was optioned to Triple-A on March 29 and has since made two starts with a 6.48 ERA. He spent most of 2025 at the Double-A level, where he posted a 4.39 ERA in 27 starts along with an impressive 58.5% groundball rate.
The right-hander was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. He currently ranks as the Halos’ No. 18 prospect according to MLB.com, although his inconsistent command has kept him from becoming a top prospect. Ureña has posted walk rates around 12% in the upper levels of the minors. While his scouting report lauds him for his plus fastball, his secondary pitches haven’t developed to the point where a long-term future as a starter seems possible. Still, he is very young and just debuted this year, so he has plenty of time to prove himself. Whatever his long-term role, Ureña’s success hinges on his ability to keep racking up groundballs while improving his secondary pitches enough to achieve an average strikeout rate.
Aldegheri’s demotion comes after just one appearance for the big-league club this season. He threw 33 pitches in Thursday’s win over the Yankees, striking out two while allowing one run on a solo homer. Since debuting in 2024, the 24-year-old has made a total of eight appearances (five starts) without much success. His 16.2% career strikeout rate puts him right around Ureña’s minor-league numbers, while his 14.2% walk rate is untenable against big-league hitters. Aldegheri had a 3.72 ERA in 23 starts at Double-A last year, but he hasn’t been able to put it together yet at Triple-A or in the majors.
Despite their struggles, both Ureña and Aldegheri should get their share of opportunities with the big-league club this year. The Angels’ bullpen ranks as a bottom-10 unit in the league by fWAR (-0.1) through April 17. The group’s 4.46 ERA ranks 18th in the league, and their 4.72 FIP suggests they’ve been somewhat lucky to achieve that performance. Brent Suter and Sam Bachman have done well, and Ryan Zeferjahn has made up for a subpar 4.82 ERA with stronger peripherals, including a 32.5% strikeout rate. The rest of the arms, including veterans Shaun Anderson and Drew Pomeranz, have struggled. Despite their 11-10 start, the Angels are still in a place where they will prioritize opportunities for young players over immediate contention.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images
Phillies Place Jhoan Duran On 15-Day Injured List
4:25 pm: Duran felt something in his side on Wednesday and again today when he got on the mound, reports Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Thomson said that imaging showed a “very mild strain” and that Duran’s absence is “not going to be long,” according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. In the meantime, Keller will get most of the closing opportunities.
1:52 pm: The Phillies announced five roster moves, with the most prominent being Jhoan Duran‘s placement on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 15) due to a left oblique strain. Right-hander Seth Johnson and utilityman Felix Reyes were brought up from Triple-A in other moves, with Reyes’ contract selected to the 40-man roster for the first time. Utilityman Otto Kemp was optioned to Triple-A, and outfielder Pedro Leon was released.
Duran hasn’t pitched since last Saturday, but since the Phillies went 1-4 with an off-day during that stretch, the lack of usage was thought to be due to game situations rather than injury. More details on Duran’s injury and the severity of the strain should surface later today once manager Rob Thomson meets with the media, but unless the closer has the very mildest of strains, Duran is likely looking at at least a month on the shelf.
It’s a big loss for a Phillies team that is off to an underwhelming 8-11 start. While the bullpen as a whole has been shaky, Duran has been a stabilizing force at the back end. The closer has a 1.35 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, and zero walks over 6 2/3 innings, while recording saves in all five of his opportunities.
There’s no obvious candidate to step into the ninth-inning role, so the Phils might explore a committee situation until Duran is healthy. Jose Alvarado has an ugly 10.50 ERA over six innings, though that number is inflated by a huge .450 BABIP and Alvarado has past closing experience. Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering, or Tanner Banks could also get some save chances depending on the in-game situation.
Kemp has gotten only 22 trips to the plate this season, but just two hits in that small sample size has led to a .282 OPS and a ticket back to Lehigh Valley. Taking Kemp’s spot as a multi-positional bench player is Reyes, who will be making his MLB debut as soon as he enters a game.
Reyes was an international signing for the Phillies in 2020, and he isn’t considered a top-30 Philadelphia prospect in the eyes of either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. The 25-year-old didn’t even make his Triple-A debut until he played six games with Lehigh Valley in 2025, but he has burst out of the gates this season by hitting .333/.345/.654 with six home runs over 84 PA. This production comes on the heels of an impressive Double-A season in 2025 that saw Reyes named Eastern League MVP for his work (.335/.365/.572 with 15 homers and 13 steals over 395 PA) in Reading.
It’s probably unlikely that Reyes will hit anything close to that level against MLB pitching, yet the Phillies have nothing to lose by giving a hot hitter a chance in place of the unproductive Kemp. Reyes has experience in both corner outfield and corner infield slots, so the Phils might look to give Reyes some work at third base since Alec Bohm‘s bat has been ice cold.
Leon was claimed off the Orioles’ waiver wire back in November, and his brief time on the 40-man roster didn’t result in any looks on the active roster. Leon was hitting .285/.358/.326 over his first 53 PA at the Triple-A level this season, and while Leon still has a minor league option remaining, the Phillies may have just valued the 40-man slot over whatever they felt Leon could provide to the organization. The 27-year-old returns to the open market in search of another chance to build on his limited MLB resume of seven games and 21 PA with the 2024 Astros.
Diamondbacks Reinstate Lourdes Gurriel Jr., DFA Luken Baker
After suffering a torn right ACL on September 1, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is ready for his return to the majors, as the Diamondbacks officially reinstated the outfielder from the 10-day injured list. To make room for Gurriel on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, first baseman Luken Baker was designated for assignment.
D’Backs manager Torey Lovullo hinted yesterday that Gurriel could be in Arizona’s lineup as soon as this weekend, completing what has been a remarkably quick comeback from such a serious knee surgery. Gurriel was projected to miss 9-10 months given the usual timeframe for ACL tears, yet he made such solid progress in Spring Training and in just two games of a minor league rehab assignment that the D’Backs felt comfortable in bringing him back after a little over seven and a half months.
Depending on how Gurriel’s knee holds up, he might end up getting fairly regular duty in his old left field position pretty soon, without the need for steady DH duty. Pretty much no matter where Gurriel plays, it was easy to project Baker as the odd man out of a roster crunch, as Baker has appeared in only three games (with five plate appearances) since his minor league contract was selected on April 7.
Arizona signed Baker to that minors deal in December, and possibly with an eye towards platooning Baker and Pavin Smith at the position. Carlos Santana was signed later in the season to fill that role, yet the first base situation was thrown into total flux shortly after Opening Day. Smith played in two games before being placed on the IL due to a balky elbow that has now required surgery, and Santana has also been out since April 6 due to an adductor strain.
Baker’s contract was selected in the wake of Santana’s injury, yet Baker didn’t get much opportunity due to the unexpectedly strong play of Jose Fernandez and utilityman Ildemaro Vargas in handling the first base duties. The D’Backs seem content to leave the position (and a share of the DH workload) to that duo, leaving Baker now exposed to the waiver wire.
If Baker clears waivers, he has the right to decline an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno in favor of free agency, since Baker has a previous outright in his career (last August, when Baker was in the Dodgers organization). The first baseman could opt to just move on given how Arizona’s first base picture has remained crowded, or another team might look to claim Baker just as the Dodgers did last August when the Cardinals parted ways with the 29-year-old.
Baker spent his first three MLB seasons in St. Louis, hitting .206/.317/.338 with four home runs over 189 PA. While his power hasn’t translated much against big league pitching and Baker is defensively limited as a first base-only player, he has posted good numbers at Triple-A, and could be viewed as at least a depth option.
José Buttó Undergoes Procedure For Blood Clot
TODAY: Butto underwent his surgery yesterday, the Giants announced (hat tip to Susan Slusser). The right-hander’s recovery timeline has now been increased to 5-6 months, meaning that Butto’s 2026 season is almost certainly over.
APRIL 4: The Giants announced today that Butto’s recovery timeline is 2-4 months.
APRIL 3: Giants reliever José Buttó has a blood clot in his throwing arm, the team told reporters (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). He’s undergoing a procedure this evening to remove it.
Buttó landed on the 15-day injured list yesterday. The team initially announced that only as arm fatigue. The clot provides a little more clarity, but there’s no return timeline. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle relays that it appears Buttó had pitched through the issue for a while before the clot was diagnosed earlier today.
Blood clotting can be associated with thoracic outlet syndrome. That was the case for Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, for example. The Giants have not said anything about whether that’s a fear for Buttó. However, skipper Tony Vitello told Slusser there are a few possible procedures that the right-hander might undergo.
San Francisco acquired Buttó from the Mets as one of three players in the Tyler Rogers deal last summer. Blade Tidwell, another part of the Rogers return, was coincidentally recalled to take his place in the bullpen yesterday. Buttó turned in a 4.50 ERA across 20 innings down the stretch. He surrendered five runs on six hits and four walks over two innings to begin the 2026 season.