Astros Designate Ryan Weiss For Assignment
The Astros have designated right-hander Ryan Weiss for assignment, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
More to come…
Blue Jays Activate Alejandro Kirk, Designate Tyler Heineman
To highlight a series of roster moves on Friday, the Blue Jays activated catcher Alejandro Kirk from the 60-day injured list and placed outfielder Dalton Varsho on the 10-day IL with left wrist inflammation, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. The team also designated catcher Tyler Heineman for assignment and recalled outfielder Davis Schneider from Triple-A Buffalo. Right-handed reliever Yariel Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment on June 8, has cleared waivers.
The Blue Jays have gone almost the whole season without Kirk, who underwent surgery on a broken left thumb in early April. The two-time All-Star has played just five games this year, but the silver lining is that the Blue Jays saw Brandon Valenzuela emerge as a capable big leaguer in his absence. Since the Blue Jays recalled him April 4, Valenzuela has slashed .252/.333/.457 (121 wRC+) with seven home runs and 1.5 fWAR over 46 games and 145 plate appearances. The 25-year-old rookie has also drawn mostly excellent marks as a defender. While Valenzuela has thrown out a below-average 20.5 percent of base stealers, he has made up for it in other ways. He ranks in the 100th percentile in framing, according to Statcast, and has been credited with 5 DRS and 7 FRV.
More to come…
Guardians Recall Daniel Espino For MLB Debut
2:01pm: The Guardians have officially announced the move. To make room for Espino, they optioned righty reliever Codi Heuer to Triple-A.
7:34am: The Guardians are expected to recall right-hander Daniel Espino for his MLB debut, reports Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Espino is already on the 40-man roster, so only a 26-man move will be needed.
It’s been a long journey to the big leagues for Espino. The 25-year-old has missed almost all of the past three seasons due to injuries. After not pitching at all in 2023 and 2024, Espino made it back on the mound for one Triple-A appearance last year.
Espino was among the top prospects in Cleveland’s organization after getting selected in the first round of the 2019 draft. MLB Pipeline ranked him at No. 5 in the system heading into the 2020 campaign. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had Espino at seventh that year. The righty, along with Triston McKenzie and James Karinchak, was among the most promising arms in the organization at the time.
With the 2020 minor league season scrapped, Espino didn’t get a full year of pro ball until 2021. He was excellent in 20 starts split between Single-A and High-A. Espino recorded a massive 40.5% strikeout rate with a sub-4.00 ERA across 91 2/3 frames. He made the jump to Double-A and continued to punch out minor leaguers at a ridiculous clip. Espino posted a 51.5% strikeout rate in four starts with Akron.
The injury issues began for Espino in 2022. His campaign was cut short by knee and shoulder concerns. Despite tossing just 18 1/3 innings, Espino entered the 2023 season as the consensus top prospect in the Guardians’ system. He was heralded as one of the best young arms yet to debut in the majors. As he ramped up for the 2023 season, Espino felt renewed shoulder discomfort. The injury ultimately required surgery. Additional procedures on his right arm would cost Espino all of 2024 and most of 2025.
Espino has moved to a bullpen role this season. He’s made 22 appearances at Triple-A, all but one of which have come as a reliever. Espino has posted 18 2/3 innings of a 5.30 ERA with Columbus. He’s maintained strong strikeout numbers, whiffing Triple-A opponents at a 33.3% clip.
The Guardians opened the year with Rule 5 pick Peyton Pallette in a long-relief role. He’s since been returned to the White Sox. Espino hasn’t had an appearance longer than an inning with the Clippers, so he’s unlikely to fill that role. Cleveland’s high-leverage group is rock solid with Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Shawn Armstrong handling the later innings. Espino has the strikeout skills to join the mix, but he’ll likely begin in lower-leverage spots.
Photo courtesy of Samantha Madar of the Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Images
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Padres Designate Bryce Johnson For Assignment
The Padres have designated outfielder Bryce Johnson for assignment, per a team announcement. Xander Bogaerts is being reinstated from the paternity list. The team’s 40-man roster stands at 39 with the move.
This may conclude Johnson’s second stint with San Diego, which first signed the former Giant to a minor league contract ahead of the 2024 season. He got into 47 games that year and hit just .206/.286/.238 (57 wRC+) with no home runs in 73 trips to the plate. Johnson opened 2025 in the Pirates organization, but the Padres brought him back in a mid-April trade for catcher Brett Sullivan. The move worked out better than expected for the Padres, as the switch-hitting Johnson easily posted career-best numbers. Across 55 games and 84 trips to the plate, he slashed .342/.383/.434. Although he only hit one homer, Johnson managed a 135 wRC+.
More to come.
Rockies To Promote Sean Sullivan For MLB Debut
The Rockies are set to promote pitching prospect Sean Sullivan, according to Kevin Henry of the Denver Gazette. Sullivan will start tonight against the Athletics and make his major league debut in the process. The lefty is not on Colorado’s 40-man roster, which is currently full. Thus, a corresponding move will be needed in order to select Sullivan’s contract.
Sullivan, 23, was the Rockies’ second-round draft pick in the 2023 draft. He currently ranks as the organization’s No. 11 prospect, according to MLB.com. Sullivan fared well in 20 starts between Single-A and Double-A last year, posting a 2.94 ERA in 104 innings with a 24.9% strikeout rate. He’s been less fortunate in 2026, with a 5.60 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A.
The 6’4″ Sullivan is a bit of an oddity in terms of his raw stuff. He throws a four-seamer 41.0% of the time, but the pitch only averages 89.0 MPH. Sullivan mixes in an upper-70s slider 29.9% of the time, plus a changeup and cutter at 14-15% each. The changeup is Sullivan’s best pitch, while scouting reports rate his fastball and slider as slightly below-average. Despite the low velocity, Sullivan generally thrives by leveraging pinpoint control and a deceptive, low three-quarters arm slot (video courtesy of MLB.com). He walked just 6.0% of hitters in the minors last year and has walked 7.7% of hitters at Triple-A in 2026.
Sullivan will now have a chance to prove himself in the big leagues as a control and deception guy. Tonight’s game is at Las Vegas Ballpark, the hitter-friendly home of the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate. If he sticks around for multiple starts, Sullivan could then try his luck at high altitude, with the Rockies hosting the Red Sox at Coors Field from June 22-24.
Rockies starters have performed poorly in 2026, as is seemingly the case every year. The rotation’s 5.94 ERA is dead last in the Majors and 26% worse than average even accounting for the games at Coors. No Rockies starter has thrown enough innings to qualify, with Tomoyuki Sugano just barely missing the cut at 68 1/3 innings. Sugano’s 4.08 ERA is palatable but well shy of his 7.39 xERA, which shows he’s been extremely lucky. Michael Lorenzen and Kyle Freeland are the only others to throw at least 50 innings. Both have ERAs over 7.50.
Given those underwhelming performances and injuries to other starts, there’s little harm in calling up Sullivan. Chase Dollander, one of the team’s more promising arms, has been out with a right elbow sprain for over a month and is not expected to return soon. Tanner Gordon made two starts at the end of May before landing on the 15-day injured list with a right hip impingement retroactive to June 2nd. He’s expected to throw a bullpen soon. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool currently has the club at a four-man rotation of Lorenzen, Ryan Feltner, Freeland, and Sugano, so Sullivan can serve as the fifth starter until Gordon returns.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Astros Interested In Outfield, Bullpen Upgrades
The Astros are currently 31-39 and in fourth place in the AL West, but the mediocre state of the American League has them only four games out of a Wild Card spot. Earlier this week, general manager Dana Brown pushed back hard on the idea of trading Jeremy Peña or Yordan Alvarez. Brown shared more details about the Astros’ deadline strategy with Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, saying the team will be looking to upgrade their outfield and bullpen.
“If we could find some offensive outfield help at the Deadline, that would be great,” Brown said to McTaggart. “If we could find some bullpen help, that would be great. Those are two big things.” The GM went on to say that the rotation will stabilize when Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and other injured starters return, so that won’t be as much of a focus as the outfield and rotation.
Nearly every club wants to add to their bullpen, but Dana Brown’s comments on outfield additions are more notable. Houston’s 102 team wRC+ is middle of the pack, but their outfielders are a Bottom-5 unit with just an 86 wRC+. Of their outfielders, only Cam Smith has made enough plate appearances to qualify, and he is 9% below average by wRC+, although his stellar defense makes him valuable overall.
The current lineup includes Joey Loperfido in left field, Taylor Trammell in center, and Smith in right. Loperfido is striking out 29.2% of the time in a small sample. Trammell has a 98 wRC+ in 76 plate appearances but is running a .452 average on balls in play that will eventually come back to earth. LaMonte Wade Jr., who’s currently on the 10-day injured list, had a 119 wRC+ in 2024 but struggled so badly last year that the Giants designated him for assignment. Wade will be out until the second half per the team’s injury report, and he won’t be a difference maker when he returns.
With so many fringe contenders and few obvious sellers, it’s difficult to tell which outfielders will be available to Houston via trade. In addition, the Astros have a weak farm system with only two Top-100 prospects according to MLB.com. That could limit them to looking at rentals and complimentary pieces in the outfield.
At present, the Tigers, Red Sox, Royals, and Angels are the four teams behind the Astros in the Wild Card standings. The Tigers and Red Sox’ outfielders all have several years of control left and would require a substantial return, so they’re not likely to move. Perhaps the Angels could make Jo Adell available with just a year and a half of control remaining. Adell is hitting below-average this year but has a 146 wRC+ against lefties, so he could complement Loperfido and Trammell, both of whom hit from the left side. In any case, some kind of outfield upgrade is needed if the Astros want to secure a Wild Card spot.
The same goes for upgrading the bullpen. At this point in the season, Houston’s relievers have a 4.82 ERA that ranks seventh-worst in the Majors. Enyel De Los Santos, Bryan King, and Steven Okert have ERAs between 2.51 and 3.07, but the latter two are outperforming their SIERAs by at least a full run and are candidates for regression. AJ Blubaugh and Bryan Abreu are struggling mightily. The recent return of closer Josh Hader helps a lot, but the ‘pen needs more than one or two dominant arms to be an effective unit overall.
As with potential outfield upgrades, the club may not have the prospect capital to pull off a deal for a top-tier reliever. That said, it might be easier to package several mid-level prospects together to acquire bullpen pieces. Fifteen of the club’s Top-30 prospects on MLB.com are right-handed pitchers, so perhaps Houston could look to trade from that depth in exchange for more established bullpen arms.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
Guardians Receiving Trade Interest In Young Catchers
The August 3rd trade deadline is over a month and a half away, and the Guardians sit just half a game back of the upstart White Sox in the AL Central. Although impactful trades are very unlikely at this stage, teams are nonetheless starting their due diligence on opposing players to prepare for deadline season. Some are interested in Cleveland’s young catchers, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports the team has fielded calls on Bo Naylor, Cooper Ingle, and Kody Huff.
All three players are currently at Triple-A. Naylor is the only one with big league experience, having appeared in 346 games for Cleveland since debuting in 2022. He’s batted .199/.279/.372 with an 82 wRC+ in that time. Ingle is the team’s No. 3 prospect and a Top-100 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. He’s doing exceedingly well at Triple-A this year, with a 161 wRC+ in 179 plate appearances. Huff has the least pedigree of the three, but he’s also hitting well. Ingle and Huff are not on Cleveland’s 40-man roster.
Rosenthal doesn’t specify the extent of the talks, though they’re more than likely just early check-ins from opposing clubs. The Guardians are in a precarious spot as far as their major league catchers go. Naylor got most of the starts in the early going, but he only put up a 22 wRC+ before being optioned down on May 9th. Austin Hedges and Patrick Bailey are the current tandem behind the plate. The former’s 98 wRC+ is well above his career norms, while the latter’s .154/.207/.238 output would be unplayable at any other position. Both Hedges and Bailey are lauded for their defense, but neither is a strong option on offense.
Overall, Guardians catchers are batting .210/.265/.326 with a 65 wRC+. That mark is fifth-worst in the Majors and well below the 89 wRC+ put up by catchers around the league. With the AL Central being a weak division, the club is likely thinking about ways to upgrade the roster and pull ahead of the rest of the group. Given their Bottom-5 payroll, internal upgrades might be the most efficient way to achieve that.
All that’s to say that Cleveland has both a surplus of catching depth as well as a need for more offense at the big league level. Ingle, in particular, has the prospect pedigree and upper minors track record to warrant a promotion at some point. He’d need to establish himself against major league pitching, but Hedges and Bailey’s weak hitting is reason enough for Ingle to get a shot.
Naylor and Huff would find themselves lower on the depth chart in that scenario. While Naylor holds some value as a young player (he’s only 26) who’s controllable for there years beyond this one, he simply hasn’t established himself offensively in the Majors. Naylor had a 123 wRC+ in 230 plate appearances in 2023, but he has just a 74 wRC+ in 893 PA from 2024-26. He’s also a lesser option on defense compared to Hedges and Bailey, with Naylor declining to 1 Defensive Run Saved in 2025 following an 11 DRS season the year prior.
All told, it’s notable that Naylor has been relegated to Triple-A for the last month and change, with the Guards accepting the lack of offense from Hedges and Bailey. As for Huff, he’s improved greatly on offense, with a 144 wRC+ at Triple-A this year compared to a 71 wRC+ in 2025. That said, he is not considered a top prospect and profiles as a depth piece at best. Theoretically, that could leave Huff and Naylor as the most expendable out of the three catchers mentioned by Rosenthal.
Rosenthal clarifies that the Guardians might not be in a rush to deal from their catching depth. The free agent market is projected to be weak, with none of the catchers being younger than 30 in 2027. In that context, Cleveland might consider holding on to their depth and sorting out the logjam during the offseason when demand will still be favorable. Hedges is a free agent after this season, while Bailey is under control through 2029. Assuming Hedges leaves, that could open a spot for Ingle on the big league roster, with Naylor and Huff sticking at Triple-A if they don’t end up being traded.
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Brewers Pause Quinn Priester’s Rehab Assignment
The Brewers are once again pausing the rehab assignment of Quinn Priester, reports Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Priester struggled on Monday in a start in the Arizona Complex League, walking five hitters in 2 2/3 innings while surrendering three earned runs. He also uncorked three wild pitches. Rosiak clarifies that Priester was “without physical complaint,” so the pause isn’t the result of a new injury.
It’s nonetheless another unfortunate note in Priester’s season, which he’s spent on the injured list for neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. Priester struggled when he first attempted to rehab at Triple-A and was pulled from that assignment early last month. He resumed pitching on May 16th, but control continues to be an issue. Priester has walked 16 batters in 11 innings across his last five appearances. The last two of those were in the Complex League, where Priester was re-assigned on May 30th.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy reflected on Priester’s rehab after the Monday outing. “It doesn’t bode well to be ready to pitch in the major leagues,” said Murphy. “I think he’s still a ways away, but I think it’s trending in the right direction in that he felt really good, didn’t feel any pain at all.” Murphy added that the team hasn’t considered surgery for Priester and will instead give him more time to recover the feeling in his fingers.
At this point, the timeline for Priester’s return to the Majors is unclear. The Brewers will understandably proceed with caution given the stops and starts in Priester’s rehab. He still needs to get the walks under control, not to mention build up to a full starter’s workload. Per Rosiak, Priester was set to throw five innings and 70-75 pitches in his next appearance after Monday. He maxed out at 3 1/3 innings on June 2nd and is yet to go twice through the batting order in his rehab appearances. At this rate, Priester likely won’t be back until the second half of the season.
Milwaukee’s rotation has fared well overall despite Priester’s absence. The group’s 3.50 ERA is fifth-best in the Majors, and their 27.2% strikeout rate is tops among all clubs (Phillies starters are second at 24.3%). Much of the credit, especially for the strikeouts, goes to Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison atop the rotation. The back half of the rotation hasn’t fared as well. Brandon Sproat has a 5.70 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts), while Robert Gasser made one strong start on June 3rd and three mixed to bad ones otherwise. Shane Drohan has allowed five earned runs in 10 1/3 innings across two starts since converting from the bullpen.
Brandon Woodruff and Logan Henderson were both solid before going on the injured list earlier in the season. Woodruff is expected back this month and Henderson in early July, per the team’s injury report at MLB.com. Priester had a 3.32 ERA in 157 1/3 innings last year and can lengthen the rotation once he’s fully healthy. The Brewers have ridden their strong top of the rotation and above-average offense to a 41-25 record thus far, four games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images