Elly De La Cruz To Undergo MRI On Right Hamstring
Elly De La Cruz left the Reds’ 6-4 win over the Braves today due to what the club described as right hamstring tightness. The star shortstop cracked a line drive to the gap in right-center field during the fifth inning, yet held up at first base in obvious discomfort, and then left the game after a visit from team trainers.
Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan) that De La Cruz will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury. De La Cruz believes he avoided a serious injury, telling the media via a translator that “when I was making the turn for first, I felt tightness in my hamstring and immediately I decide to stop because I felt like ‘if I keep going, this can get worse.’ ”
The Reds host the Royals for a three-game series that begins on Monday, and then have an off-day on Thursday. If the MRI results don’t show anything serious but De La Cruz is still feeling sore, the Reds could opt to play with a short bench during the Kansas City series in the hopes that four days off would allow De La Cruz to be ready for Friday’s game. Dane Myers‘ status is also a factor since the outfielder has missed the last two games due to illness, so if Myers isn’t feeling better by tomorrow, Cincinnati likely wouldn’t want to play with two players unavailable.
Through 58 games, De La Cruz is on pace for what would be the best yet of his four Major League seasons. De La Cruz had two singles, two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base in his abbreviated outing today, and he is now hitting .280/.346/.509 with 12 homers over 257 plate appearances. Only six qualified hitters in baseball have more than De La Cruz’s 2.5 fWAR, as he has matched his offensive production with improved glovework at shortstop.
Losing De La Cruz for even a 10-day IL stint would be a tough blow to a top-heavy Reds lineup. Outsized contributions from De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and (in smaller sample sizes) Nathaniel Lowe and JJ Bleday have helped cover for underwhelming starts from several other Cincinnati batters, not to mention shaky pitching from an injury-ravaged rotation and bullpen.
Matt McLain would likely take over at shortstop in the event of a De La Cruz injury, and highly-touted prospect Edwin Arroyo is on the 40-man roster and could be called up to provide infield depth. Between McLain’s struggles at the plate and Ke’Bryan Hayes‘ injury absence, the Reds’ recent lineups have seen Stewart and Eugenio Suarez split the third base and DH at-bats, Spencer Steer has been getting more time at second base, and the hot-hitting Lowe has gotten an increase in playing time at first base.
Phillies Notes: Realmuto, Miller
X-rays were negative on J.T. Realmuto‘s left wrist after the catcher was hit by a Yoshinobu Yamamoto fastball in the third inning of today’s 9-1 Phillies loss to the Dodgers. Realmuto remained in the game and was back behind the plate in the bottom of the third, but was replaced by Rafael Marchan before the bottom of the fourth.
After the game, Phils manager Don Mattingly told MLB.com’s Paul Casella and other reporters that Realmuto was “obviously sore, couldn’t really squeeze, wasn’t gonna be able to swing and actually had a little trouble catching, too. So, sore enough to get him out of there.” Despite this lengthy list of issues, Mattingly felt Realmuto was “gonna be okay” given the x-ray results.
The Phillies don’t play on Monday, so Realmuto has an extra day to heal up before the club begins a six-game homestand on Tuesday against the Padres. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Realmuto also sits Tuesday due to any lingering soreness, and the presence of both Marchan and Garrett Stubbs on the active roster gives the Phillies some flexibility in giving Realmuto some more rest without leaving the club short-handed at the catcher’s spot.
Realmuto missed 10 days earlier this season due to a bad back, and the veteran backstop is one of several Philadelphia hitters who has underperformed at the plate. After signing a new three-year, $45MM free agent deal with the Phillies during the offseason, Realmuto has stumbled out of the gates with a .220/.296/.299 slash line and two home runs over 142 plate appearances.
In a longer-term injury concern, Phillies GM Preston Mattingly didn’t have any new news on the status of infield prospect Aidan Miller, who has been sidelined all season due to ongoing back pain. “We’re leaning on medical. [He’s] still just doing his rehab program at this point. It’s not baseball activities, but as we’ve seen over the years, that could change pretty quickly,” Mattingly told The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes and other reporters.
Miller dealt with back problems in the second half of the 2025 season, and played through discomfort over a two-month stretch that saw the infielder promoted to Triple-A for the first time. Miller still hit .264/.392/.433 over 526 combined PA between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, but had to finish the year on the Triple-A injured list after only eight games with Lehigh Valley.
The back soreness resurfaced again in Spring Training, and has put a halt to Miller’s fourth pro season. He has been able to play catch and take some grounders, but that has been the extent of his baseball activity for the better part of three months.
Mattingly feels Miller will be able to play before the 2026 campaign is over, though the fact that this is now even a question speaks to the uncertainty surrounding Miller’s status. The team seems to be operating with some extra caution given the lingering nature of this back problem, and how the Phillies “want him to be good to go not just this year, but the rest of his career,” as director of player development Luke Murton told Varnes.
Miller entered 2026 as a consensus top prospect in baseball, with The Athletic’s Keith Law and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel each ranking the infielder within the top ten of their preseason rankings. It was seen as just a matter of time before Miller made his Major League debut, with the career shortstop seen as a candidate to supplant Alec Bohm at third base or Bryson Stott at second base given how Trea Turner has the shortstop position covered. This extended injury absence has thrown a wrench into all of these plans, and it may be that Miller will have to wait until 2027 to get his first taste of the majors.
Joe La Sorsa To Exercise Upward Mobility Clause In Pirates Contract
For the second time this year, Joe La Sorsa will trigger an upward mobility clause in his minor league deal with the Pirates. 7 News’ Ari Alexander reports that La Sorsa will exercise the clause tomorrow, and the Pirates will then have to offer the left-hander to the other 29 big league clubs.
If any other team is willing to give La Sorsa a roster spot, the Pirates are required to trade La Sorsa to an interested team, or add them to their own active roster. If none of the 29 teams are interested, La Sorsa will remain in Pittsburgh’s minor league system.
The two sides already went through this process at the end of Spring Training, when La Sorsa exercised his clause and went unclaimed. The Bucs haven’t felt compelled to select La Sorsa’s contract over the last two months, though he has a respectable 3.60 ERA, 5.9% walk rate, and 46.4% grounder rate rate over 25 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis.
La Sorsa has only a 20.8% strikeout rate, which about matches his moderate swing-and-miss ability over his pro career. After breaking into the majors with Tampa Bay in 2023, La Sorsa has a 5.21 ERA, 17.5K%, and 6.3BB% over 57 career innings with the Rays, Nationals, and Reds. The Mets inked La Sorsa to a minors deal last September that didn’t result in any big league playing time, and La Sorsa became a minor league free agent at season’s end before joining the Pirates.
Between closer Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery, and Evan Sisk, Pittsburgh has been getting good results from the left-handed complement of its relief corps. Most teams generally don’t have more than three southpaws in the bullpen, so La Sorsa might not have a path to the Pirates’ roster. That said, the Bucs do have an open spot on the 40-man roster and even on their 26-man, as Cam Sanders was optioned back to Triple-A following a one-game cup of coffee in today’s 9-3 win over the Twins.
Another club with more of a pressing need for left-handed depth could have interest in La Sorsa. He has a minor league option remaining, so he has value for teams looking for bullpen arms that can be shuffled back and forth (up to five times) from Triple-A.
Marlins To Select Zach Brzykcy
The Marlins will select the contract of right-hander Zach Brzykcy prior to tomorrow’s game with the Nationals, Fish On First’s Kevin Barral reports. Miami will have to open a spot on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters for Brzykcy, but 40-man space could be found by moving Andrew Nardi to the 60-day IL, since Nardi will miss for three months due to a stress reaction his left ribcage. Right-hander Josh Ekness could potentially be headed to the 15-day IL, as Ekness was seen on crutches during the Marlins’ team team train ride from New York to Washington today. (Hat tip to reporter Noah Berger and MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola.)
Brzykcy will be making his official Marlins debut the first time he appears in a game, and an appearance in the upcoming series in D.C. would pit the right-hander against his former team. The Nationals signed Brzykcy as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and he posted a 10.05 ERA over 28 2/3 innings with the club during the 2024-25 seasons. The Marlins claimed Brzykcy off waivers last November, and outrighted him off their own 40-man roster in December.
Over 22 1/3 innings with Triple-A Jacksonville, Brzykcy has a 5.24 ERA and 12.1% walk rate, though his 26.3% rate is pretty solid. Strikeout ability and control issues have basically been the story of Brzykcy’s pro career, and he isn’t exactly heading to the Show on a high note — twelve of the 13 earned runs Brzykcy has allowed this season in Jacksonville have come over his last five outings.
The call-up may be more based on the Marlins’ need for a fresh arm, as the club was forced into an unexpected bullpen game today. Scheduled starter Janson Junk was a late scratch due to a shin problem that resulted in a 15-day IL placement, and Miami used seven pitchers and utilityman Javier Sanoja for mop-up duty in a 10-1 loss to the Mets. Just within the last week, the Marlins have lost three starters (Junk, Eury Perez, Robby Snelling) to the injured list, as well as Nardi and perhaps Ekness from the bullpen mix. With the staff stretched so thin, there’s opportunity for Brzykcy to stick around for more than a cup of coffee if he performs well and eats some innings.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- Welcome, weekend chatters! We’ll open the floor just as soon as a few questions enter the queue….
A’s at home
- A’s just can’t get it done at home. What needs to be done to turn it around? They are still in it and still lots of season left to play.
Mark P
- Today’s loss drops the A’s to 11-17 at home, with a much more respectable road record of 17-14. Pitching at that ballpark just seems to be taking more of a toll on the Athletics’ pitchers than it does opponents, and it doesn’t help that the A’s have gotten even thinner in the rotation department due to the injury bug
- The more interesting stat is maybe the fact that the A’s are only middle-of-the-pack when it comes to home offense. Kurtz, Langeliers, and (of all people) Cortes can only do so much to prop up an overall disappointing offense
- In what has become this chat’s catchphrase of the last month, “they’re still in it because the AL as a whole is so weak.” If guys like Soderstrom start hitting and the A’s pitching becomes even half-decent (not even good), a run at a wild card berth or even the AL West crown isn’t out of the question. But in general, the A’s seemed like a team that was still at least a year away, and that might well end up being the case
Hunter
- Murakami gets injured and White Sox pull up Jacob Gonzalez. He was hitting .300 with 18 bombs and 58 rbis in almost 50 games. What’s your current thoughts on the white sox right now
Big Hurt
- Are the White Sox legit playoff contenders?
Mark P
- Gonzalez’s 2026 output is so far beyond his previous numbers that it seems like an outlier, but then again, breakouts happen. It doesn’t seem likely that Gonzalez will do much to make up the Murakami-sized hole in Chicago’s lineup, and losing him for at least a month is a tough break for both the team and for casual fans as a fun story.
- Still too early to say if the Sox can sustain this all the way through September, but it helps that the Royals and Tigers are both flailing right now. I don’t think second place in the AL Central is even out of the question since I don’t trust Minnesota.
Jack
- What do the Pirates do with Carme M? Leave him on the restricted list list or trade him?
Mr. Mlodzinski
- Think I’ll be on the move?
Mark P
- While Mlodzinski isn’t happy with his current situation, I don’t think this is an Eric Lauer situation where there are hard feelings “and” the pitcher isn’t performing. I’m sure a few teams have checked in with the Bucs on trade offers, but if you’re Pittsburgh, Mlodzinski is a valuable depth arm.
Snow the Informer
- If a MLB contract clause states X amount of time on the IL for an “arm injury” voids the opt out, does that include a shoulder injury? Or what if he goes on the IL for a shoulder injury then stays on it because of a lat issue, does that void the opt out? Asking for a friend.
Mark P
- Ha, a friend named Craig?
That’s an interesting question, and I’m sure the actual contract has more official language covering the specifics.
Rangers Fan
- Can Josh Jung keep this up? He’s hitting at an all-star level over the last month.
Mark P
- His advanced metrics hint that some regression is coming, but maybe not much. Jung is making a lot of hard contact and he has drastically reduced his strikeouts, which is a nice recipe for sustained success.Interestingly, Jung seems to be the one batter who has figured out Globe Life Field. He’s crushing the ball at home to the tune of a 1.000 OPS, as opposed to around a .700 OPS on the road.
Dustin
- What do the Mariners do with their starters? They have 6 up and 2 ready in Sloan and Anderson? I know they shouldn’t trade pitching, but, they have so many. Sell
- sell high on Hancock?
Mark P
- Obligatory “you can never have too much pitching” quote
With the M’s in pure win-now mode, a major deadline trade can’t be ruled out. But that’s still two months away, and that’s plenty of time for another injury or two to emerge. Pitching surpluses have a way of solving themselves once someone inevitably gets hurt.
Garrett Crochet To Undergo Tests After “Very Minor” Injury Setback
Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is dealing with lingering soreness in his lat area, and as a result Crochet’s throwing progression has been halted. The left-hander told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters that he is “going to get some imaging on it just to make sure we have the full picture.”
Crochet downplayed the seriousness of the situation, saying “it feels like a very minor setback. It sucks to even call it a setback because it doesn’t feel like it even deserves that title. But I won’t be making the live [batting practice] on Tuesday, which sucks.”
More will be known once the test results are in, and if Crochet has indeed avoided any sort of structural issue. Still, even a brief shutdown in his throwing progression will extend what has already been more than a month-long stint on the injured list. Crochet hasn’t pitched since April 25 due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
As Crochet noted, he had been slated to toss a live batting practice session on Tuesday. This planned multi-inning appearance would’ve been Crochet’s second outing against live hitters, following a one-inning simulated session last Tuesday. In the aftermath of that outing, however, Crochet said he felt “just felt a little stretch…in the lat” while throwing, and when the discomfort didn’t subside, the decision was made to shut him down for further examination.
Though Crochet had advanced to facing live hitters, he felt “like I was still a little far off from a rehab start, so it was very, very early in the build-up process.” So even if everything had gone smoothly, Crochet still likely would’ve been sidelined until at least the third week of June, when factoring in time for more BP sessions and probably a couple of minor league rehab starts. It now looks like July 1 may be a more realistic target date for a return, assuming he is able to resume throwing reasonably soon.
After finishing as the runner-up in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2025, Crochet’s second season in Boston has basically been a wash due to this IL stint and the 6.30 ERA he posted over his first six starts. That ungainly ERA was somewhat inflated by one particularly disastrous outing, as Crochet was charged with 10 earned runs over 1 2/3 innings against the Twins on April 13.
There’s still plenty of time for Crochet to get back onto the field and get back to his old form, though timing is paramount given Boston’s disappointing 25-33 record. The Red Sox will have to consider selling at the trade deadline if they can’t get on track, and getting back into contention will be more difficult the longer Crochet is absent. Though Boston’s struggling offense has been the larger problem than the still-solid rotation, obviously the Sox will be much better off with Crochet on the mound.
Dodgers Notes: Hernández, Glasnow, Dreyer, Gervase
Teoscar Hernández formally landed on the 10-day injured list on Friday for a left hamstring strain. On first report, manager Dave Roberts suggested Hernández would miss at least a few weeks of action. The severity and timeline are a bit clearer now, with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic projecting a one-month absence for a Grade 1 strain.
Hernández called the Grade 1 diagnosis the “best-case scenario” and expressed optimism that he could return in a shorter length of time. In contrast, Roberts took a more cautious tone in light of Hernández’s groin injury last year and diminished numbers upon his return. Hernández put up a 155 wRC+ with nine home runs in 33 games before missing two weeks with the groin injury. However, he had an 84 wRC+ in 410 plate appearances after returning.
This time, when speaking to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and others, Roberts was mindful of the risks of returning too quickly. “He wanted to get back and felt he was good, and you look back and he wasn’t,” Roberts said of Hernández last year. “So we’re not going to make that mistake again.” Given Hernández’s age (33) and recent injury history, it makes sense to take it slow with his recovery.
Hernández had been off to a strong start before landing on the IL. In 204 plate appearances, he was batting .276/.348/.436 with a 122 wRC+. Hernández is striking out at a 27.0% clip, a 2.5% increase from last year, but he’s made up for it by nearly doubling his walk rate to 9.3%. While not a career high, Hernández’s average and on-base ability mirror his 3.4-fWAR introductory season to LA in 2024. There’s some regression risk with a .355 average on balls in play, but even then, Hernández remains a capable hitter in his 30s.
Of course, it speaks to the Dodgers’ abundance of star players that Hernández can put up a 122 wRC+ and “only” be the fifth-best qualified hitter on the team. All seven of the club’s qualified hitters are above average by wRC+. Shohei Ohtani leads the group with a 150 wRC+. The “worst” qualified hitter on the team is Kyle Tucker, who is still 6% better than average by wRC+ even in a down year. The Dodgers lead the Majors with a 122 team wRC+, with Hernández being a key contributor, but far from the only one.
The Dodgers’ rotation is a similar picture, with plenty of talented arms to go around. However, compared to the offense, the rotation has been disproportionately impacted by injuries this year. Gavin Stone hasn’t pitched since 2024 due to a labrum and rotator cuff repair in his right shoulder, along with continued inflammation. Depth starters Landon Knack and Bobby Miller are on the 60-day injured list with a right intercostal strain and right shoulder soreness, respectively.
Tyler Glasnow (lower back spasms) and Blake Snell (loose bodies in left elbow) are the high-profile starters currently on the IL. According to the team’s injury tracker at MLB.com, Glasnow is expected to return some time in June. However, to hear Roberts describe it, it appears Glasnow “hasn’t gotten over the hump” to progress beyond playing catch right now (link via Ardaya). On the bright side, there are no new issues with Glasnow’s back.
Glasnow has made 47 starts with the Dodgers since arriving via trade in December 2023. As expected, the results have been excellent. Glasnow has a 3.27 ERA in 264 innings with the team, while his 31.2% strikeout rate is fourth-best among starters with 250 innings or more in that span. Also as expected, he’s missed significant time due to injury. Glasnow has now been on the IL four times with the Dodgers, including a prior stint for lower back tightness in 2024. Today’s update could hint at a longer-than-expected absence for Glasnow, perhaps moving his return closer to the All-Star break than June.
Turning briefly to the bullpen, the Dodgers have activated lefty Jack Dreyer off the 15-day injured list and optioned righty Paul Gervase to Triple-A, according to Ardaya. Dreyer returns after a two-week absence due to left shoulder discomfort. Prior to landing on the IL, Dreyer had a a shiny 2.08 ERA in 21 2/3 innings out of the ‘pen, mostly in low-leverage spots. His 28.6% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate are both improvements over last year, so he’ll likely stick around. As for Gervase, he only got into one game in this most recent call-up, throwing two scoreless innings on May 22nd. Gervase has now been recalled and optioned twice in 2026 and figures to repeat that pattern whenever the Dodgers need a fresh arm.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
White Sox Re-Acquire Peyton Pallette From Guardians
TODAY: Pallette cleared waivers and was offered back to the White Sox, with MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins writing that Chicago has accepted the right-hander back into the fold. The Sox have assigned Pallette to Triple-A Charlotte.
MAY 24: Right-hander Peyton Pallette has been designated for assignment, the Guardians announced. Lefty Logan Allen is rejoining the big-league club to take his spot in the bullpen.
Cleveland picked up Pallette from the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. As part of the standard DFA process, the club has five days to trade him or place him on waivers. If another team makes a move to add Pallette, they’ll take on the Rule 5 requirements. If Pallette passes through waivers, he’ll be offered back to Chicago.
Pallette scuffled to a 5.23 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with the Guardians. He punched out opponents at a decent 22.7% clip, but it came with an untenable 16.5% walk rate. The righty led with a 95 mph four-seamer, accompanied by a pair of breaking balls. He threw the occasional changeup. Pallette’s curveball and slider both performed well, generating decent whiffs and preventing hits. The fastball was an issue. Pallette’s heater ceded a 51.6% hard-hit rate and a .410 wOBA.
The White Sox took Pallette in the second round of the 2022 draft. He posted strong strikeout numbers in each level of the minors, which is what likely drew Cleveland’s interest. Walks were becoming a problem before Pallette moved to his new organization. The righty had a 9.9% walk rate last season at Double-A, and it jumped to 10.9% after he was moved to Triple-A.
Allen has pitched in parts of the last three seasons with the Guardians. He’s worked almost exclusively as a starter in the big leagues, posting a 4.48 ERA in 74 appearances (73 starts). Allen has struggled from a run prevention perspective through eight Triple-A outings this season, but he’s notched a solid 25.4% strikeout rate. He’ll likely step into a long relief role with Cleveland. Allen could also operate as a sixth starter if the club wants to get some extra rest for the rotation. The Guardians are playing their 10th straight game on Sunday during a two-week stretch without an off-day.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
Pirates Place Carmen Mlodzinski On Restricted List
In an unexpected move, the Pirates placed right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski on the team’s restricted list today. Righty Cam Sanders was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Mlodzinski’s spot on the active roster, and Pittsburgh now has an open spot on its 40-man roster.
As a reminder, players aren’t paid for any time spent on the restricted list, nor do they receive any MLB service time. Clubs usually use the restricted list for players who are suspended, or are dealing with a personal issue that keeps them away from the team for an undetermined period of time. Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Mlodzinski is expected to be available on Tuesday, so it will be just a short absence for the righty.
The reasons for the placement were revealed today by Pirates GM Ben Cherington, who told Beazley and other reporters that Mlodzinski “wasn’t ready to” pitch on Sunday. “Going into the weekend, we understood and communicated with Carmen that at some point this weekend we were going to need him to be ready or we’d have to replace him on the team in fairness to the team, so that’s what happened today.”
The issue seems to stem from the Pirates’ decision to remove Mlodzinski from the rotation when Jared Jones made his return from the 60-day injured list on Friday. Jones joins Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, and Bubba Chandler in the starting five, leaving Mlodzinski as the odd man out. As Beazley noted, Mlodzinski was open about his disappointment while speaking with the media on Thursday, and Mlodzinski has been vocal in the past about preferring to work as a starting pitcher.
Mlodzinski said Thursday that he is “still communicating with the organization and the people in my corner, whether that’s my family or my agency, about what is next,” but Cherington said today that the right-hander hadn’t requested a trade. The Pirates control Mlodzinski through the 2029 season, as the right-hander won’t reach arbitration eligibility until the coming offseason.
Over 55 innings this season, Mlodzinski has posted a 3.76 ERA in 11 games — nine proper starts and two bulk-pitcher outings working behind an opener. Mlodzinski’s 8.4% walk rate is around league average but he isn’t missing many bats and he is allowing a ton of hard contact. The right-hander’s 50.9% hard-hit ball rate sits only in the second percentile of all pitchers. Still, Mlodzinski’s SIERA is only 4.21, as he has done a good job of limiting the damage of all that hard contact by allowing only three home runs.
A case can be made that Mlodzinski could’ve or should’ve retained a rotation spot over Bubba Chandler, as Chandler has struggled badly with his control while posting a 4.85 ERA across 52 innings. Since Mlodzinski has more experience as a swingman or long reliever, however, the Pirates opted to use that flexibility by moving him into a relief role, with the knowledge that Mlodzinski would likely have an easier time than Chandler in shifting back to a starting gig down the road.
It is understandable why Mlodzinski isn’t happy with the move, but his impending return on Tuesday probably means there aren’t too many hard feelings. Without much leverage in trade demands, Mlodzinski may simply have to move forward as a reliever for the time being, though obviously any number of circumstances (injuries, more struggles from Chandler, etc.) could open up a rotation spot in the future. Having a de facto sixth starter on the roster is also a good way for the Pirates to help keep the entire rotation fresh for what the team hopes will be a push towards a playoff spot.
Cardinals Designate Matt Pushard, Recall Hunter Dobbins
The Cardinals are designating reliever Matt Pushard for assignment, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Pushard was a Rule 5 pick and will need to be offered back to the Marlins if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Hunter Dobbins is being recalled from Triple-A in Pushard’s place. The team’s 40-man roster is now at 39.
Pushard, 28, made his big league debut on March 29th, allowing three earned runs on 31 pitches. He then spent a month and a half on the injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis. Since being activated on May 16th, Pushard has made five more appearances, allowing a single earned run in six innings. That brings Pushard’s total output with the Cardinals to a 5.14 ERA in seven innings, plus six strikeouts against four walks.
It’s hard to analyze that small of a sample, but Pushard’s raw stuff may nonetheless be intriguing to other clubs. He uses a mid-90s four-seamer 45.0% of the time, and Pushard’s upper-80s slider and low-80s cutter give him decent secondary options. The Cardinals are in third place in the NL Central with a 30-26 record and have a 22.7% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. Their bullpen is a clear area for improvement, as Cardinals relievers have combined for -0.1 fWAR and a 4.26 ERA.
In the end, Pushard may have been too much of an unknown to keep on the roster, especially if St. Louis adds to the bullpen as the season goes on. Now that he’s designated, Pushard will be offered up to other clubs on the waiver wire. If he is claimed, he would need to remain on that club’s active roster or big league IL through the end of the season. At any point, Pushard can be offered back to the Marlins for a $50k fee. If the Marlins decline, he could be outrighted to the minors instead.
Meanwhile, Dobbins returns to the Majors after spending a month at Triple-A on optional assignment. He arrived in St. Louis alongside Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita via trade in December, with Willson Contreras heading to Boston. Dobbins missed the first month of the season recovering from last year’s season-ending ACL tear. He made one start for the Cardinals on April 30th before being optioned, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. If he sticks in the Majors, Dobbins can be controlled via arbitration through the 2031 season.
As with their bullpen, the Cardinals’ rotation is a Bottom-10 unit this year. The group has a 4.17 ERA, and their 4.90 expected ERA suggests a bit of luck in that output. Cardinals starters have struck out just 19.3% of opposing hitters, ranking fourth-worst in the league in that regard. Michael McGreevy‘s 2.98 ERA comes with a 5.63 expected figure. Dustin May, Andre Pallante, and Matthew Liberatore have been serviceable at best. Dobbins won’t be a game-changer by any means, but he had a 3.94 xERA in 13 appearances (11 starts) last year with Boston and holds long-term promise. Per Jones, Dobbins is available out of the ‘pen today in a bulk role and figures to join the rotation if he doesn’t get used.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Le, Imagn Images