Orioles Promote Trey Gibson
May 3: The Orioles officially selected Gibson’s contract for his big-league debut against the Yankees, per a team announcement. Left-hander Nick Raquet was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
May 2: Trey Gibson was added to the Orioles’ taxi squad earlier today, and manager Craig Albernaz confirmed to reporters (including the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka) that the O’s would be officially selecting the right-hander’s contract to the active roster on Sunday. The Orioles have available space on their 40-man roster, so just a 26-man move will be required to add Gibson before he makes his MLB debut in a start against the Yankees. Kostka was the first to report earlier today that Gibson was joining the Orioles this weekend in New York.
Since an illness sent Trevor Rogers to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, a fill-in starter of some kind was needed to take Rogers’ next turn in the rotation. The pitching staff was then further scrambled by a doubleheader against the Astros on Thursday, so the O’s opted to promote Gibson since the right-hander would be on regular rest following his last Triple-A outing on April 26.
Facing Aaron Judge and company is a tough draw for any pitcher, let alone a 23-year-old in his first big league game. Gibson arrives in the Show on the heels of only okay (4.01 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate, 52.1% grounder rate) numbers across 24 2/3 Triple-A innings this season, but most of the damage done against Gibson came in his first two starts. Since that slow start, the righty has posted a 2.55 ERA over his last five outings.
Gibson would probably have been drafted out of high school in 2020 if that year’s pandemic-shortened draft hadn’t been only five rounds long, so he instead went to play college ball at Liberty, but then went undrafted after an undistinguished college career. The Orioles signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2023, and Gibson has since emerged as one of baseball’s better pitching prospects. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel slotted Gibson 46th on his preseason top-100 list, and Baseball America also had the right-hander 72nd on their preseason ranking.
Gibson’s arsenal is at least six pitches deep, with BA assigning at least a 55 grade to four of his offerings. His ability to fully command the majority of these pitches remains a question, yet working with the Orioles’ coaching staff to narrow his pitch mix down to just the cream of the crop might help Gibson’s chances of remaining as a starter in the majors. Gibson has generated a lot of grounders at every level of the minors and also racked up quite a few strikeouts, though a career 3.99 ERA in the minors indicates that Gibson’s deep pitching repertoire hasn’t entirely fooled minor league hitters.
With Rogers, Dean Kremer, and (out for the season) Zach Eflin all on the injured list, Baltimore has already been forced to dive deeper into its pitching depth chart than expected, even if Gibson was probably on track to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 anyway. Brandon Young and Cade Povich remain the favorites for starting duty until at least Rogers is back, but since Kremer will likely miss most or all of May recovering from a quad strain, there could be room for Gibson to impress if he pitches well in this spot start.
Cubs Reinstate Daniel Palencia, Designate Yacksel Rios For Assignment
Cubs right-hander Daniel Palencia has been activated from the 15-day IL, the team announced. The closer missed three weeks with a lat strain. Fellow righty Yacksel Rios was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Palencia initially went down with what was labeled a left oblique strain. Additional testing showed a mild lat strain. He’ll return to the big-league club after just one rehab appearance. Palencia tossed 19 pitches for Triple-A Iowa on Friday.
Before the injury, Palencia had fired five scoreless innings as the unquestioned closer for Chicago. The strong relief work had only resulted in one save, though. Since Palencia went down, the Cubs generated six saves, which went to five different relievers. Caleb Thielbar, Ben Brown, Jacob Webb, Corbin Martin, and Hoby Milner all stepped in to close out games.
Brown and Webb recorded two-inning saves in the first two games of this weekend’s series against the Diamondbacks, part of a patchwork approach with Chicago dealing with several reliever injuries. Even with Palencia back, the Cubs still have Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts, and Thielbar on the IL. Porter Hodge was lost for the season.
The extensive bullpen injuries helped Rios return to the big leagues for the first time since 2023. He got the call along with Charlie Barnes after Martin went to the IL and Vince Velasquez was designated for assignment. The 32-year-old recorded five outs in a blowout loss to the Dodgers in his lone appearance. Rios hadn’t pitched in a week.
The Cubs have five days to trade Rios or put him on waivers. If he makes it through the process without another team grabbing him, he could be outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. Rios was outrighted by the A’s after his last big-league stint, so he could forego the minor league assignment and head to free agency. He averaged a career-best 98.2 mph on his fastball during his one game with the Cubs, which might be enough to attract another team.
Rios has pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons with six different organizations. The righty was a semi-regular member of the Phillies bullpen after debuting in 2017. After getting DFAed by Philadelphia in 2019, he bounced to the Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox, and A’s in subsequent seasons. Rios has never averaged even 97 mph with his heater, so the jump in velocity is interesting, especially given his age. It’s a tiny sample, though.
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Braves Place Ronald Acuna Jr. On IL, Reinstate Spencer Strider
Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is heading to the injured list with a hamstring strain, the team announced. Jose Azocar was selected to the roster as a replacement. Atlanta also reinstated right-hander Spencer Strider from the IL. Righty Hunter Stratton is headed back to Triple-A to clear a spot.
Acuna was removed in the second inning of Saturday’s game against the Rockies after a groundout. He was replaced by Eli White in right field. The Braves had an opening on the 40-man, so no corresponding move was needed to add Azocar.
The 28-year-old Acuna is off to a slow start this season by his lofty standards. He’s slashed .252/.362/.378 across 152 plate appearances. Acuna has just two home runs in 34 games. Atlanta’s offensive production has been just fine, though, as the club leads the league in scoring by 15 runs.
The Braves will likely lean on a mix of White, Azocar, and Mauricio Dubon for additional reps in the outfield. Michael Harris II is back from a minor quad issue, so he’ll lock down center on an everyday basis. That leaves the aforementioned trio and Mike Yastrzemski to cover the corner spots. Yastrzemski has a .642 OPS in his career against lefties, so he’ll probably remain in a platoon role.
Azocar returned to the organization on a minor league deal in December. He initially latched on with Atlanta in May after a brief stint with the Mets last season. Azocar only appeared in two games with the Braves before getting designated for assignment. He went back to New York and spent the rest of the year in the minors, then elected free agency.
The 29-year-old Azocar has spent parts of four seasons in the majors, mostly with the Padres. He debuted for San Diego in 2022 and earned semi-regular work at all three outfield spots. Azocar posted an 81 wRC+ in 216 plate appearances. He was up and down with the big-league club over the next couple of seasons. Azocar hasn’t hit enough to stick for an extended stretch in the majors, but he provides some speed along with competent defense in the outfield.
Strider has been sidelined since Spring Training with an oblique injury. He’ll make his season debut against the Rockies. The righty ramped up to 82 pitches in his final Triple-A outing, so he should be in for close to a normal workload in his return.
Injuries have limited Strider to 25 starts over the past two seasons. He missed nearly all of 2024 with an elbow injury. Strider returned in April of last year, only to go right back on the IL with a hamstring issue. He made 23 starts in 2025, pitching to a 4.45 ERA across 125 1/3 innings.
All eyes will be on the Coors Field radar gun in Strider’s return. His fastball averaged a career-low 95.5 mph last year. The pitch sat at 96.3 mph in his brief 2024 stint. Strider was consistently in the upper-90s with the heater during his elite years in 2022 and 2023. He introduced a curveball to help expand his arsenal, though he used the pitch just 8.9% of the time in 2025.
Stratton will head back to Triple-A after just one appearance with Atlanta. He came up on Friday with Anthony Molina after José Suarez and Joel Payamps were designated for assignment. Stratton lasted longer than Molina, who was sent back down yesterday with Carlos Carrasco returning to the squad.
Atlanta acquired Stratton in a minor trade with the Pirates last summer. He pitched well in 12 appearances with the club, posting a 2.20 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning. Given how frequently the Braves have shuffled pitchers on and off the roster, Stratton will likely get another shot in the majors at some point this year.
Photo courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel, Imagn Images
AL East Notes: Springer, Slaten, Jax, Lux
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer was forced out of Saturday’s game against the Twins after getting hit by a pitch on his left big toe. It’s the same digit Springer fractured in early April on a foul ball. Yesterday’s matchup in Minnesota was Springer’s fourth game back in the lineup.
Postgame X-rays did not reveal an additional fracture for Springer, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, which is a bit of positive news for an injury-riddled roster. “It’s not any worse than it was,” manager John Schneider told reporters. The skipper added that the 36-year-old Springer was likely getting Sunday’s game off anyway. Assuming that remains the plan, his next chance to play will be Monday in Tampa Bay.
Springer picked up four hits in his first three games since returning. He pushed his batting average above .200 for the first time all year. Toronto’s extensive health issues have skewed toward the pitching side, but the club is also missing a handful of key bats. Catcher Alejandro Kirk broke his thumb in early April. Outfielder Addison Barger is out with two injured ankles. Nathan Lukes hit the IL last week with a strained hamstring.
Here are a handful of additional items from around the division…
- Red Sox right-hander Justin Slaten will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, relays Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, among others. The reliever has been sidelined for nearly a month with an oblique injury. Slaten posted four scoreless appearances to begin the season before the oblique issue popped up. He picked up two holds as one of the late-inning options ahead of closer Aroldis Chapman. With Slaten’s pending return, Boston could be less inclined to add veteran Tommy Kahnle to the roster, if the decision arises. Kahnle triggered his upward mobility clause on Friday.
- Rays right-hander Griffin Jax is stretching out as a starter. He tossed a season-high 2 2/3 innings on Saturday against the Giants. Jax and four relievers held San Francisco to just a run in the 5-1 victory. “This is an organization that’s had some success doing this in the past with Drew obviously, Littell recently, and even Jeffrey Springs. … So I felt this was the right place to do this because of the success this team has had,” Jax told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. After poor performance cost him a high-leverage role in the bullpen, Jax has now delivered five scoreless frames as a starter. He built up to 45 pitches yesterday.
- Rays infielder Gavin Lux is still experiencing stiffness in his left ankle, relays Topkin. The veteran picked up the injury in early April while rehabbing a shoulder issue. The ankle kept him out of the Triple-A lineup for a couple of weeks. He returned on April 24. Tampa Bay acquired Lux as part of a three-team trade with the Reds and Angels. The extent of his time in a Rays uniform has been limited to seven Spring Training games so far.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Padres To Activate Griffin Canning
The Padres are planning to activate right-hander Griffin Canning on Sunday, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The righty will be making his 2026 and Padres debut in the series finale against the White Sox.
Canning joined the Padres in February on a one-year, $2.5MM guarantee. He underwent surgery last June to repair a ruptured left Achilles, which wiped out the remainder of his season with the Mets. Upon signing with San Diego, it was thought that Canning could be ready for Opening Day, though he ultimately required a rehab assignment at Triple-A. He made his final appearance in that assignment on Tuesday, reaching 68 pitches over five innings. Based on that progression, Canning might be on a pitch limit in his debut before assuming a full starter’s workload next time around.
Although the Achilles injury limited Canning to just 76 1/3 innings with the Mets last year, he showed some improvement over his career numbers. For one thing, he did a better job of keeping the ball in the yard. After surrendering 31 home runs in 171 2/3 innings with the Angels in 2024, or 1.63 per nine innings, Canning cut that to 0.93 HR/9 in 2025. He also showed a marked increase in groundball rate, hitting an above average 50.9% after sitting around average in 2023-24. It wasn’t all positive, as Canning’s 21.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate were both worse than average. Altogether, though, it was enough for the Padres to sign him to a major-league deal as a back-of-the-rotation arm.
Canning’s arrival could potentially lead to changes in the Padres’ rotation. Michael King and the emergent Randy Vásquez have the first two spots locked in, with Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez, and Matt Waldron rounding out the group. The latter three have not been good so far in 2026. While Buehler’s 5.40 ERA is nearly two runs higher than his 3.42 FIP, his lackluster performance in 2024-25 gives little hope for a turnaround. Márquez and Waldron are similarly ineffective options. Márquez is giving up more than two home runs per nine innings, and Waldron has an unsightly 9.88 ERA in three starts.
If the Padres wanted to stick with a traditional five-man rotation, a case could be made for any one of Buehler, Márquez, and Waldron to get cut based on their performance. However, reports from yesterday indicated that the club may consider a six-man rotation. In that scenario, the trio could hold onto their spots for one or two more turns until the recently-signed Lucas Giolito is brought up from his optional assignment.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Brusdar Graterol Begins Rehab Assignment
Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol has been excellent in his career when healthy, but that has unfortunately never been a guarantee for him. The righty went on the injured list five times from 2022-24, most often for shoulder inflammation. That culminated in shoulder surgery in November 2024, and Graterol missed the entire 2025 season as a result. He may finally be making progress toward his return. According to the transactions log at MLB.com, Graterol has begun a rehab assignment at Triple-A.
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed back in February that Graterol would not be ready for the start of the season. The Dodgers aimed to “slow play” him as he worked back from his surgery and placed him on the 15-day injured list on March 23rd to give him more time. The move was somewhat discouraging given that Graterol had previously aimed to return for the second half of 2025 and did not achieve that. When viewed from that lens, his starting a rehab assignment is especially welcome news for both Graterol and the team.
The 27-year-old’s last healthy season came in 2023, and it was easily his most productive. Graterol had a shiny 1.20 ERA in 67 1/3 innings across 68 appearances that year and walked just 4.7% of opposing hitters. His 18.7% strikeout rate was lower than usual for such a hard-throwing pitcher, but Graterol nonetheless dominated by racking up groundballs an astonishing 64.4% of the time. Injuries limited him in 2024, although Graterol returned for 7 1/3 innings at the end of the year and made appeared in three games in that year’s World Series, including two scoreless appearances. Time will tell if Graterol can retain his high velocity and groundball tendencies after such a long layoff.
As was the case when they placed him on the IL, the Dodgers can afford to take it slow with Graterol’s rehab. After having a shaky bullpen for much of 2025, this year’s group is performing better. Dodgers relievers rank 13th in the league with a 3.94 ERA, and their 16.7% K-BB rate ranks second behind only the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Tanner Scott is rebounding nicely with a 2.03 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. Jack Dreyer, Will Klein, and Alex Vesia are also doing well, helping to lengthen a bullpen that is missing Edwin Diaz until the second half. The eventual return of Graterol will add a groundball specialist to the mix for the middle to late innings. Graterol is in his final year of club control and will be a free agent in 2027.
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Tigers Notes: Torres, Verlander, Melton
Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres left tonight’s game with left side tightness, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. He had two singles in his first two plate appearances and was thrown out at home in the first, showing no obvious signs of injury. Although Torres remained in the game through the third inning, he was replaced by Hao-Yu Lee at the keystone in the top of the fourth. Torres is undergoing further evaluation, according to McCosky.
Pulling Torres may turn out to be a cautionary move. Two of Detroit’s infielders – Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez – landed on the injured list in April. The starting infielders have done well at the plate, particularly Kevin McGonigle, but the injuries to McKinstry and Báez still depleted the Tigers’ infield depth. They called up Lee when McKinstry went down, and they also acquired Zack Short as depth yesterday. A Torres IL placement would be a more significant hit than McKinstry or Báez, though, so it makes sense for the club to pull him from the game out of caution. The team will likely announce more in the next few days, pending the outcome of Torres’ evaluations.
On the pitching side, injured right-hander Justin Verlander is set to throw a bullpen session this weekend, according to the team’s injury report. Verlander landed on the 15-day IL on April 4 due to left hip inflammation, with Keider Montero being recalled in his place. The injury was described as minor and the IL placement precautionary, though it was perhaps unsurprising given the injuries Verlander has experienced in his 40s. It’s unclear if he will require a rehab assignment. It’s possible the team will have a clearer timeline pending the outcome of the bullpen session.
As with their infield, Detroit’s rotation depth has been tested recently. Casey Mize had a 2.90 ERA through 31 innings but was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday for a right adductor strain. Jack Flaherty has a 5.90 ERA and has failed to complete five innings in five of his seven starts. Montero has filled in decently, but the lack of depth behind Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez may be a point of concern going forward. A quick return for Verlander would go a long way to improving that, especially if he can repeat his serviceable back-end performance from 2025 with the Giants.
Troy Melton will also factor into the rotation depth. He was placed on the 60-day IL in early March after being slowed in camp by elbow inflammation. According to the team’s announcement, Melton is set to begin a rehab assignment with the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate tomorrow. The righty had a 2.76 ERA in 45 2/3 innings as a swingman last year and will continue to be built up as a starter. He’ll need a longer rehab assignment to build his pitch count, but he could vie for starts in a month or so if all goes well.
Lars Nootbaar To Begin Rehab Assignment Soon
The Cardinals have gotten out to a surprisingly good start, with a 19-13 record entering play today. That’s mostly due to their offense, which ranks sixth in the Majors with a 107 team wRC+. A key contributor to that offense is making progress on his rehab. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar is set to begin a rehab assignment the week of May 10, according to manager Oli Marmol (link via Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat).
Nootbaar has started 2026 on the injured list. He underwent surgery in October to address Haglund’s deformities in both of his heels, which may have kept the rebuilding Cardinals from seriously pursuing a trade. The club likely hoped Nootbaar would be healthy for the start of the year and make himself a trade candidate come July. He did not progress as hoped, though. Nootbaar did not appear in any Spring Training games and instead landed on the 60-day IL on March 25. Assuming a full 20-day rehab assignment, he could return in early June in the best-case scenario.
Nootbaar had a 114 wRC+ or better in every year from 2022-24. Although he missed significant time due to injuries, he was still good enough for 7.4 fWAR in that span. Unfortunately, Nootbaar took a step back in 2025. He reached a career high with 583 plate appearances, but the result was a line of .234/.325/.361 and a 96 wRC+, his first below-average mark in a full season. On defense, Nootbaar spent most of his time in left field and regressed to -4 Outs Above Average, showing diminished range but above-average arm strength. In the perfect world, St. Louis would see Nootbaar resume his regular role after two months on the IL and post above-average offense as he did from 2022-24.
In Nootbaar’s absence, the Cardinals’ outfield has been a mixed bag. The surprise breakout of Jordan Walker accounts for a lot of their production so far. After posting well-below-average numbers in 2024-25, Walker has a staggering 166 wRC+ and nine home runs through 134 plate appearances in 2026. He is also batting an unsustainable .394 on balls in play, so some regression is inevitable. Nathan Church and Victor Scott II occupy left and center field at present. Church has been below-average (91 wRC+), while Scott has been downright dreadful (30 wRC+). Both are young players with options remaining, though Scott is the more likely demotion when Nootbaar returns given his total lack of offense.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Kazuma Okamoto Is Settling In Nicely For The Blue Jays
Kazuma Okamoto signed a four-year, $60MM deal with the Blue Jays this offseason after a long tenure as one of Japan’s top sluggers. Compared to Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai, whose deals with the White Sox and Astros were well below industry expectations, Okamoto’s contract was roughly in line with MLBTR’s four-year, $64MM prediction. Early into his major league career, the third baseman is proving to be a capable hitter.
Okamoto was best known for his power during his tenure with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He hit a total of 247 home runs from 2018-25, including 30 or more in every season from 2018-23. Impressively, Okamoto achieved this while also striking out at rates that would be much better than average by MLB standards. He did not strike out more than 18.8% of the time in every season from 2020-25, and he walked and struck out at even 11.3% rates in 2025.
Some adjustment was expected as Okamoto transitioned to the Majors. Even in that context, he was generally expected to be a solid hitter with better-than-average contact and power, plus serviceable defense at the hot corner. The early returns have been decent. Through his first 128 plate appearances, Okamoto has batted .228/.313/.430 with seven home runs and a 107 wRC+. His 29.7% strikeout rate is higher than the Jays would like, but Okamoto is also walking at a 10.9% clip and outpacing the league-average .320 wOBA by 11 points. Put simply, he could stand to make more contact, but he’s getting on base and doing enough damage on contact to make up for it.
Okamoto is also quieting concerns about his struggles against high-velocity pitching. As noted by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, Okamoto was inconsistent against fastballs thrown at 94 MPH or higher in Japan. That has not been the case in 2026. Per Statcast, Okamoto is batting .303/.361/.636 against four-seamers 94 MPH and above, with a .428 wOBA in those plate appearances. For comparison, the league output against 94 MPH+ four-seamers is .233/.333/.398 with a .330 wOBA.
That Okamoto is adapting so well to high-velocity pitching is great news for Toronto. The 29-year-old was their main offensive addition in a winter that saw Bo Bichette leave for the Mets and Kyle Tucker spurn the club’s $350MM offer for a short-term pact with the Dodgers. The net result was swapping Bichette for Okamoto, creating some downside risk for what was a Top-5 offense in the Majors in 2025. So far this year, the Jays’ offense is a Bottom-10 unit with a 92 wRC+. That is no fault of Okamoto, as he and Ernie Clement (108 wRC+) are the team’s only above-average hitters other than Guerrero. When you also consider that Okamoto has held his own on defense, he looks like a perfectly fine all-around player.
With Murakami dominating at the plate for the White Sox, Okamoto’s output may feel underwhelming by comparison. That said, he doesn’t need to be an otherworldly hitter to live up to his deal, even with his track record from NPB. By most estimates, Okamoto’s $15MM average annual salary is equivalent to 1.5-2 WAR – i.e., a decent regular rather than an All-Star. So far, he is hitting for power and providing serviceable defense, as he was expected to. There is room to grow, namely by cutting back on strikeouts and hitting non-four seam fastballs, against which Okamoto is hitting just .069/.182/.069. Overall, given the size of his contract and who he is replacing in the lineup, Okamoto has been about as valuable as could be expected.
Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images
Eloy Jiménez Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Jiménez has cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
April 29: The Blue Jays have reinstated outfielder/designated hitter George Springer from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, designated hitter Eloy Jiménez has been designated for assignment. Hazel Mae of Sportsnet was first to report the moves.
It’s the inverse of a transaction from a couple of weeks ago. Springer fractured a bone in his left big toe when he fouled a ball off of his foot. On April 12th, he was placed on the IL, with Jiménez selected to take his place on the roster. Now that Springer is healthy enough to return, Jiménez has been bumped off.
In the meantime, Jiménez wasn’t able to do much to secure a longer look. He didn’t play the field, continuing a recent trend of his. He only played eight innings in the outfield in 2024 and none in 2025. As a bat-only player, he needs to hit to provide value, but he wasn’t able to do much of that. His .290 batting average looks nice but he didn’t produce an extra-base hit, leading to a .290/.343/.290 slash line and 82 wRC+, indicating he was 18% worse than league average at the plate overall.
That’s a small sample size of 35 plate appearances but continues a trend that began a few years ago. Though Jiménez was potent slugger for much of the 2019 to 2023 window, he hasn’t been in good form since. In 2024, he hit just six home runs in 98 games, leading to a .238/.289/.336 line and 78 wRC+. He didn’t play in the majors last year, spending the season in the minors, where he hit a combined .247/.326/.347 between the Triple-A teams of the Rays and the Jays.
There was a bit of optimism among some Jays fans when Jiménez put up a decent .286/.333/.524 line in spring training this year, followed by a .257/.372/.371 line in 11 Triple-A games. But as mentioned, his big league numbers were uninspiring. With Springer now back and likely to be in the DH spot most of the time, there wasn’t going to be much use for Jiménez.
Jiménez now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays could take as long as five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner if they so choose. Given his recent track record, it’s likely he will clear waivers. As a veteran with at least five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and instead elect free agency. It’s possible the Jays will skip that step and just release him.
For the Jays, their hope is that greater health can steady the ship for them. They are out to a shaky 13-16 start as they have been battling a large number of injuries. They just got Trey Yesavage back in the mix yesterday and now Springer has rejoined the roster as well. José Berríos and Addison Barger could be next, with guys like Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk ideally returning to the club in the not-too-distant future as well.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images