Padres Promote Lucas Giolito
TODAY: Giolito has been officially called up from Double-A San Antonio to start today’s game with the Mariners. Right-hander Alek Jacob was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
MAY 13: A Padres team that’s been piecing together its rotation over the course of the season thus far is on the verge of getting some much-needed starting pitching help. Lucas Giolito is expected to make his team debut this weekend, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 31-year-old Giolito went unsigned all winter and eventually inked a one-year deal with the Friars last month. It contains just a $3MM base salary but an additional $5MM worth of incentives. Giolito has made four minor league starts as he ramps up after missing spring training. The results have been a bit shaky overall, though some early rust is to be expected. He’s tossed 17 innings with a 4.76 ERA, 19.5% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. Giolito’s most recent start was his best; he went six innings and allowed one run on three hits and no walks against the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate.
While Giolito’s debut is a welcome boost to the San Diego staff, it’ll also force the Padres into a decision. The Friars’ pitching staff lacks flexibility in the way of optionable arms. None of the five starters currently on the roster can be optioned. Moving a starter to the ‘pen isn’t all that easy, either. The only San Diego relievers with minor league options are Mason Miller (spoiler: he’s not going anywhere), Jeremiah Estrada and Bradgley Rodriguez. Estrada missed some time with an elbow injury but has a 3.97 ERA in 11 1/3 innings since being activated. He’s also been one of the team’s top relievers dating back to 2024. Rodriguez has a sparkling 1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 frames.
The likeliest scenario would see righty Matt Waldron bumped from the roster. The 29-year-old knuckleballer opened the season on the injured list and has been hit hard since his return. In five appearances (three starts) he’s pitched 21 1/3 innings and been tagged for 22 runs (9.28 ERA) on 32 hits and seven walks. He’s set down 18 of his 103 opponents (17.5%) on strikes. Waldron has a better track record, having pitched 188 innings with a below-average but far more palatable 4.79 ERA in 2023-24.
Manager Craig Stammen called it “early” to talk about a potential DFA of Waldron when asked by Acee. Waldron himself seemed to acknowledge the writing on the wall, however, telling the Union-Tribune: “Safe to say my ERA and my numbers aren’t too attractive right now. And I have no options, so I mean, yeah, that’s where I’ll leave it. I’m smart enough (to know).”
The Padres would surely prefer to preserve as much depth as possible, and Waldron looked to be getting on track in his two starts prior to last night’s six-run, 2 2/3-inning clunker. Between his April 29 and May 5 starts, he pitched 10 innings and held the Cubs and Giants to a combined four runs on eight hits and a walk with eight punchouts.
That said, the Padres aren’t going to jettison Griffin Canning after two starts. Walker Buehler‘s 5.20 ERA isn’t pretty, but his rate stats are solid enough to give him a more appealing 3.64 FIP and 4.05 SIERA. Michael King and breakout righty Randy Vásquez are clearly locked into spots. Relievers Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio can’t be optioned but have all pitched well. It’s always possible an injury arises that kicks the decision down the road a bit, but as things stand, Waldron looks like the odd man out.
Angels Reinstate Grayson Rodriguez From 10-Day Injured List
MAY 17: The Angels officially activated Rodriguez, and optioned right-hander Alek Manoah to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
MAY 16: The Angels announced Grayson Rodriguez as their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game with the Dodgers, meaning that Anaheim will officially activate the right-hander from the 15-day injured list tomorrow. A bout of shoulder inflammation and “dead arm” soreness during Spring Training resulted in Rodriguez opening the season on the IL, and delaying both his 2026 debut and his Angels debut.
Beyond those milestones, tomorrow will also mark Rodriguez’s first appearance in a Major League game since July 31, 2024. Rodriguez had a 3.86 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, and 7.3% walk rate over 116 2/3 innings for the Orioles that season (his second MLB campaign) before discomfort in his right lat/teres area brought his year to an early end. He then didn’t pitch a single inning in the majors or minors in 2025 due to a lat strain and multiple instances of elbow soreness, with the final result being an elbow debridement surgery last August.
Injuries notwithstanding, it was still surprising when the Orioles traded Rodriguez to the Angels last November in a one-for-one swap for Taylor Ward. While Ward has been a valuable bat for Baltimore, he is a free agent this winter, whereas Rodriguez is a former top prospect who is controlled through 2029. There’s plenty of upside for the Halos if Rodriguez can get healthy, though it obviously isn’t a great sign that his tenure in Orange County immediately began with an IL stint.
Yusei Kikuchi is still sidelined at least through May due to shoulder inflammation, but with Rodriguez now approaching his return, the Angels’ rotation is a step closer to its first-choice state. Jose Soriano is enjoying a fantastic season, and Rodriguez will join Reid Detmers, Walbert Urena, and Jack Kochanowicz as the rest of the starting five.
The outlook isn’t quite as good for another Angels pitcher attempting to return after a long layoff. According to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Ben Joyce‘s rehab assignment has been slowed due to some discomfort in his surgically-repaired right shoulder. An MRI came back clean, however, so it doesn’t appear as if Joyce is dealing with anything but normal soreness.
“We got a little flare-up….It’s just part of the process after a shoulder surgery,” Joyce said. “Just kind of has ups and downs. But we were pretty positive about the results. Nothing structurally wrong, it’s just working through a little soreness right now.”
It was almost exactly a year ago that Joyce underwent the shoulder procedure that ended his 2025 campaign after five appearances. Joyce began this season on the 15-day IL but will probably be moved to the 60-day IL the next time Los Angeles needs a 40-man roster spot, as he is already approaching 60 days on the sidelines.
Pirates Place Ryan O’Hearn On 10-Day Injured List
The Pirates announced that first baseman/right fielder Ryan O’Hearn has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right quad strain. Outfielder Jake Mangum was activated from the 10-day IL in the corresponding move, and Mangum will take O’Hearn’s spot on the 26-man roster.
O’Hearn’s injury occurred in yesterday’s 6-0 Pirates loss to the Phillies. While playing first base in the top of the second inning, O’Hearn made a bit of an awkward move to avoid batter Alec Bohm on the baseline while chasing a pop-up in foul territory. O’Hearn completed the play, but then “every time I tried to do more than a walk or a slow jog, it just felt like my leg was grabbing on me,” as he told Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other reporters. Jared Triolo replaced O’Hearn at first base prior to the top of the fourth inning.
An MRI was arranged for O’Hearn yesterday, and the tests revealed a strain serious enough to require an immediate placement on the IL. The Pirates don’t play on Monday, so while the team could perhaps have given O’Hearn a couple of days to rest before making a decision, the club has opted to start the clock on the IL stint right away.
The injury is a tough setback for both O’Hearn and the Pirates as a whole, as the veteran has been tremendous in his first season in Pittsburgh. O’Hearn signed a two-year free agent contract worth $29MM in guaranteed money, and he has thus far more than lived up to his end of the deal by hitting .289/.368/.459 with seven home runs in 182 plate appearances. O’Hearn has a 132 wRC+, which would be a career best for the 32-year-old if he managed to keep it up over the full season.
O’Hearn has primarily played right field for the Buccos, though he has often been shifted over to first base late in games. Now that Mangum is back from a minimal 10-day IL stint due to a hamstring strain, he should help fill the void in right field. Triolo, Nick Yorke, and Billy Cook could all get some time in right field while O’Hearn is out, with that same trio also candidates for part-time first base duty. Down at Triple-A, Jhostynxon Garcia is still waiting on his first MLB call-up since joining the Pirates last winter, but “the Password” hasn’t been hitting well.
Cubs Select Ty Blach
The Cubs have selected the contract of left-hander Ty Blach from Triple-A Iowa. In the corresponding moves for the 26-man and 40-man rosters, right-hander Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Hunter Harvey was shifted from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Blach joins the big league roster a month after signing a minor league deal with Chicago, and posting a 5.23 ERA over 20 2/3 innings in Iowa. While the numbers didn’t stand out, Blach’s month in the minors basically served as an unofficial spring camp for the 35-year-old, as he didn’t have any actual Spring Training work this year due to his late signing date.
A veteran of seven MLB seasons from 2016-24, Blach has a 5.42 ERA over 520 career innings with the Giants, Orioles, and Rockies as a starter, swingman, and in more of a traditional relief role. Tommy John surgery sidelined Blach for the 2020-21 seasons, and he returned to post a 6.13 ERA over 64 appearances with the Rockies from 2022-24. Last year, Blach had a 3.54 ERA over 56 innings in the Rangers’ farm system but never received a call to the Show.
Blach’s low velocity and strikeout totals make him a bit of an outlier to modern front offices, though he has solid control and has been able to keep the ball on the ground. The Cubs may be most interested in Blach’s ability to toss multiple innings, given how the team’s rotation and bullpen have both been hit hard by injuries this season.
Harvey is one of the eight pitchers currently on the Cubs’ IL, and now the fifth member of that group to join the 60-day IL. The reliever made just four appearances before triceps inflammation sent him to the 15-day IL, and Harvey revealed last week that an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his triceps area. Because his 15-day stint officially began on April 9, Harvey’s 60-day window corresponds to that same date, so June 8 is the earliest Harvey can be activated.
Tigers Activate Will Vest, Place Ty Madden On 15-Day IL
The Tigers announced that right-hander Will Vest has been activated from the 15-day injured list. Vest will take the spot of Ty Madden, who is headed to the 15-day IL himself due to a right forearm contusion. Madden’s placement is retroactive to May 16.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch hinted yesterday that Vest would likely be returning today, and the reliever is now officially back after missing about three weeks due to forearm inflammation. Tests didn’t reveal any structural problems with Vest’s forearm, so the right-hander was able to proceed normally once the soreness subsided.
Vest has been a reliable arm out of the Tigers’ bullpen for the previous three seasons, and his overall solid secondary numbers indicate that his ungainly 6.17 ERA over 11 2/3 innings in 2026 can mostly be chalked up to bad fortune. Vest’s 11.5% walk rate is much higher than usual, but his 25% strikeout rate is in line with career norms and his 3.23 SIERA is almost three runs lower than his actual ERA. The righty’s ability to generate grounders has risen considerably over the last couple of years, as Vest went from a 48.5% grounder rate in 2024 to 58.2% in 2025 and then up to 66.7% in the early going of the 2026 campaign.
Just as Vest returns, however, the injury-riddled Tigers’ pitching staff loses another arm in Madden, who was hit in the forearm by a Yohendrick Pinango line drive during Friday’s game. Hinch told Chris McCosky of the Detroit News and other reporters that Madden’s IL placement was more due to a roster and scheduling crunch than any concern over a longer-term injury.
Since Madden “can’t make his next start or even the bulk role” on Wednesday, Hinch said, the decision was made to put the righty on what the skipper feels will be a minimal 15-day absence. “We gave ourselves as much time as we could. But with Will coming back, it became a decision point,” Hinch said.
Madden missed all of 2025 recovering from a rotator cuff strain, but he has looked sharp in his return to action this season. The right-hander has a 2.38 ERA, 27.9K%, and 4.7BB% across 11 1/3 innings, working as a bulk pitcher behind an opener in his three outings.
Brewers Promote Robert Gasser, Designate Peter Strzelecki
The Brewers announced that left-hander Robert Gasser has been called up from Triple-A, and will start today’s game against the Twins. Gasser was already on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, but to create a 26-man spot, the Brewers designated right-hander Peter Strzelecki for assignment.
Strzelecki signed a minor league contract with the Brew Crew this past winter, and has a 4.12 ERA, 47.3% grounder rate, 24.7K%, and 4.9BB% over 19 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville. This work earned him a selection to the Brewers’ roster just yesterday, but he was only up for a cup of coffee before being DFA’ed. Since Strzelecki wasn’t used in Saturday’s game, his last official MLB appearance remains August 12, 2024, when the right-hander pitched for the Guardians.
A veteran of 77 games and 83 2/3 big league innings with the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Guardians from 2022-24, Strzelecki spent 2025 in the minors with the Pirates and Rays before returning to the Brewers (his original team) this winter. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Strzelecki can refuse that assignment in favor of free agency since he has a past outright in his career.
Coleman Crow was called up from Triple-A to make a spot start in Friday’s game, and now Gasser will also make his 2026 debut in a spot appearance today. The Brewers have been digging into their depth chart for some rotation help with Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester both on the IL, and even with these injury concerns, Milwaukee has just kept on winning due to its excellent pitching development system.
Gasser was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, and he drew some top-100 prospect attention prior to his big league debut in 2024. His 2.67 ERA over 33 2/3 innings is impressive, though his secondary metrics over his brief MLB career have left a lot to be desired. Gasser missed most of the 2024-25 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, so his chief goal for 2026 may simply be to log some innings and rebuild his arm back up to the point that he can resume a full starter’s workload by 2027.
Reds Announce Five Roster Moves
The Reds made five moves prior to today’s game with the Guardians, including the placement of catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list. Trevino is dealing with a left hamstring injury, and he’ll be replaced on the active roster by catcher P.J. Higgins, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville. To create room for Higgins on the 40-man roster, Cincinnati designated outfielder Rece Hinds for assignment. In two other moves to get a fresh arm into the bullpen, the Reds called up right-hander Jose Franco from Triple-A, and optioned righty Luis Mey.
This is already the second IL stint of the year for Trevino, who missed about three weeks in April due to a thoracic spine sprain. Trevino hasn’t contributed much when he has been able to play, delivering only a .143/.172/.179 slash line over 30 plate appearances. Though Trevino is far better known for his strong defense than his subpar hitting over his career, the combined lack of production from Trevino, Higgins, and starter Tyler Stephenson have resulted in a -0.1 bWAR from the Reds’ catching position this season.
Higgins had his minor league contract selected to the 26-man roster when Trevino was first sidelined in April, and Higgins posted a .450 OPS over 12 plate appearances while appearing in five games. Upon Trevino’s return, the Reds designated Higgins for assignment and then outrighted him to Triple-A, with Higgins opting to stay in the organization rather than reject the outright in favor of free agency.
That decision has now rather quickly led to another stint in the majors for Higgins, even if he’ll likely be DFA’ed against once Trevino is healthy. Higgins has signed minor league deals with the Reds in each of the last three offseasons, and his five games in April marked his first taste of MLB action since 2022, when he appeared in 74 games with the Cubs.
A second-round pick for the Reds in the 2019 draft, Hinds hit .261/.333/.717 with five homers in 51 plate appearances after making his MLB debut in 2024. Those early fireworks didn’t carry over, however, as Hinds hit only .118/.150/.250 over 80 PA (with 39 strikeouts) during the 2025-26 seasons.
The near-total lack of production at the big league level has now made Hinds expendable in Cincinnati’s view, though manager Terry Francona is still a supporter. “Maybe for his sake, I really hope he gets an opportunity he didn’t get here,” Francona told Charlie Goldsmith and other reporters today. “I love the kid. There are obviously tools there. Sometimes, things have a way of working out for guys.”
To Francona’s point about Hinds’ tools, Hinds has been crushing Triple-A pitching for the last two seasons, he has elite speed, and he has the ability to play all three outfield positions. Though Hinds’ Triple-A strikeout rate is still at 27.9%, he has greatly increased his walk total in Louisville. It seems quite possible that another team might be intrigued enough to claim Hinds off the waiver wire, but if he does clear waivers, he doesn’t have the ability to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A.
Blue Jays Place Tommy Nance On 15-Day IL, Recall Adam Macko
The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Tommy Nance has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to discomfort in his right forearm. Left-hander Adam Macko was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move, and Macko is already on Toronto’s 40-man roster.
Nance threw an inning of relief work in the Jays’ 2-1 win over the Tigers yesterday, so it would seem as if his injury only surfaced in the aftermath of that outing. That said, Macko was part of the Blue Jays’ taxi squad yesterday, and manager John Schneider hinted that Macko could be officially added to the roster depending on the state of some unnamed relievers who were less than 100 percent. It could be that Nance was one of those pitchers, though teams generally proceed with caution with any sort of forearm-related issues.
Over 21 innings this season, Nance has a 3.86 ERA and a significantly better 2.81 SIERA, as his real-world ERA hasn’t reflected his 29.4% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. Now in his third season with Toronto, Nance has a 3.13 ERA, 25K%, and 7.9BB% over 74 2/3 bullpen frames, with this solid production earning him a few looks in higher-leverage roles.
Nance now becomes the eighth pitcher on the Blue Jays’ injured list, though the rotation has been hit harder than the pen as the Jays continue to try and get through this swarm of health issues. Losing Nance is another blow to the relief corps, but it now opens the door for Macko to get his first taste of Major League action.
The 25-year-old southpaw was a seventh-round pick for the Mariners in the 2019 draft, and he came to Toronto along with Erik Swanson in the November 2022 trade that sent Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle. MLB Pipeline ranks Macko as the 21st-best prospect in the Blue Jays’ farm system, while Baseball America has him 25th.
A starter for most of his minor league career, Macko got some looks at a multi-inning reliever in 2025 and he has pitched exclusively out of the pen at Triple-A Buffalo this year. The door may not be entirely closed on Macko’s future as a starter, but working as a long reliever or bulk pitcher may be a nod to Macko’s injury history, which includes a meniscus surgery last year. Macko has a four-pitch arsenal that lacks a true plus pitch, with Pipeline and BA differing on whether his curveball or his slider is his best offering.
Red Sox Place Trevor Story On 10-Day Injured List
TODAY: Story told the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey and other reporters that he has been dealing with lower-body discomfort since partway through Spring Training, and “it just kind of got to the point where we’ve got to call timeout here. Obviously, I haven’t been able to really move like myself.” Story is meeting with doctors to discuss his next step, and surgery is a consideration, which would keep him out for roughly 6-10 weeks.
MAY 16, 2:50PM: The Sox officially promoted Sogard and placed Story on the 10-day IL, with Story’s injury termed as a sports hernia. The placement is retroactive to May 15.
11:55AM: The Red Sox are placing Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list prior to tonight’s game with the Braves, MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith reports. Infielder Nick Sogard will be called up to replace Story on the active roster, as Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette first reported earlier today.
As noted by Smith and Chris Cotillo, Story has been dealing with a groin problem for a few weeks, dating back to Boston’s April 24-26 series with the Orioles. Story was given a few off-days in the interim to see if some added rest could fix the problem, but the decision has been made to give the veteran at least 10 days to fully recover.
It’s probably a wise move given Story’s long injury history, and because this IL stint might serve as an unofficial reset to what has been a rough season for the 33-year-old. Story is hitting only .206/.244/.303 over his first 176 plate appearances, translating to a brutal 47 wRC+. Between the lack of offense and subpar metrics (-1 Defensive Runs Saved, -2 Outs Above Average) regarding his work at shortstop, Story has been playing at below replacement level, with -0.4 fWAR to show for his 41 games.
Story had a .585 OPS over his first 232 PA in 2025 and then an .827 OPS in his final 422 PA, so it is certainly possible he can again rebound from another slow start. The Red Sox certainly hope Story has more to offer since he is only in the fifth guaranteed year of a six-year, $140MM free agent deal that has yet to deliver much in the way of results.
Andruw Monasterio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, or Sogard (who is getting his first taste of MLB action this season) could all see some time at shortstop in Story’s absence. The Red Sox could also possibly move Marcelo Mayer from second base over to his original shortstop position, though Mayer has yet to play anywhere but the keystone this season.
Rays Place Jake Fraley On 10-Day IL, Recall Carson Williams
The Rays announced a trio of moves this morning, including the news that outfielder Jake Fraley has been placed (retroactive to May 16) on the 10-day injured list due to a hernia. Shortstop Carson Williams was called up from Triple-A Durham to take Fraley’s spot on the 26-man roster. Tampa also noted that right-hander Aaron Brooks has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.
Fraley was scratched from yesterday’s lineup, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported yesterday that the outfielder was headed for an IL stint (and that Williams was the likely replacement). It isn’t known yet how long Fraley could be out of action, though Topkin floated a six-week estimate depending on the severity of the hernia.
The Rays claimed Fraley off the Braves’ waiver wire last November, then cut him loose at the non-tender deadline only to quickly re-sign the outfielder to a one-year, $3MM contract a week later. The left-handed hitting Fraley has been used almost exclusively in platoon duty in right field, though he has yet to get going at the plate, hitting .232/.300/.390 over 90 plate appearances.
Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade have each been used as the right-handed hitting complement within the right field platoon. Tampa Bay could give more playing time to either outfielder while Fraley is sidelined, or stick to a platoon structure by using Richie Palacios (a lefty bat) in right field rather than his usual second base spot. Topkin believes the latter scenario is more likely, as evidenced by the call-up of Williams to add to the Rays’ infield depth.
Heralded as one of baseball’s top prospects at the time of his MLB debut last season, Williams is still a fixture on top-100 rankings except further down the lists heading into the 2026 campaign. Between 32 games in 2025 and seven games this season, Williams has hit only .164/.209/.320 over 131 PA against big league pitching. His numbers at Triple-A have also not stood out — Williams has hit .216/.318/.433 with 28 homers over 607 PA for Durham.
Williams has struck out in 203 of those 607 trips to the plate in Triple-A, while also whiffing 53 times in his 131 PA in the Show. While Williams is still over a month shy of his 23rd birthday, the alarming amount of swing-and-miss in his game may have already dropped his stock as a potential Rays building block. Defensively, Williams has primarily played shortstop but he has logged a handful of games as a second and third baseman, so he could get some action at the keystone if Palacios is indeed ticketed for more time in right field.
Brooks was signed to a minor league contract in April, and he was selected to the Rays’ roster last weekend for what ended up being a brief tenure with the club. The righty’s one appearance resulted in an 81.00 ERA over a third of an inning of work, as Brooks allowed a walkoff grand slam to Daulton Varsho in Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays.
Tampa Bay designated Brooks for assignment two days ago, and now that Brooks has cleared waivers, the ball is in his court about his future with the club. Because Brooks has been outrighted in the past, he can reject this latest outright assignment in favor of free agency.