Padres Notes: Adam, Canning, Waldron
The Padres have been without veteran right-hander Jason Adam so far this season as he works his way back from last year’s quadriceps surgery. While that blow to the bullpen has been manageable with elite arms like Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon holding things down, Adam is a big part of the San Diego relief corps after posting a 2.07 ERA with a 3.20 FIP in 256 2/3 innings of work since the start of the 2022 season. Looking more specifically at Adam’s time with the Padres, his numbers are an even more dominant 1.66 ERA and 2.89 FIP.
It’s exciting news, then, for the Padres that Adam is nearing a return. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Adam pitched on back-to-back days over the weekend in his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. Sanders adds that Adam could be activated when he’s first eligible to come off the shelf on April 8, but that it’s also possible that the club will wait until April 9, when they’ll be back in San Diego for a series against the Rockies. Whenever Adam does wind up returning, it’ll be a huge boost to a Padres bullpen that has gotten lackluster performances from Jeremiah Estrada and Wandy Peralta in the early going.
As Adam’s rehab assignment nears its conclusion, right-hander Griffin Canning is getting underway. Sanders notes that Canning allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings of work over the weekend with four strikeouts on 51 pitches. That leaves him with some building up left to do before he’s ready to make the jump back to the majors as a starter, but after signing a $2.5MM deal with San Diego during the offseason the righty seems very likely to be in the Padres’ starting rotation once the righty is ready to go. That’s for good reason, seeing as he turned in a very respectable 3.77 ERA in 16 starts before suffering the achilles injury he’s currently working his way back from. That’s the production of a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, and if he can match those numbers he’ll be a huge asset to a Padres rotation that looks like the team’s biggest weakness entering 2026.
If the Padres are looking for more immediate help in the rotation, however, they might first turn to knuckleballer Matt Waldron. The 29-year-old underwent minor surgery in February and has made two rehab starts to get built up into regular season form after missing some of Spring Training. He’s looked phenomenal in those rehab starts so far, with a 39.1% strikeout rate in seven scoreless innings. Waldron has built up to 61 pitches so far and will be in line for his next rehab start later this week. The righty has a 4.86 ERA for his career in the majors and could be a real option for the club’s rotation either in the event of an injury or continued struggles from the current back-end duo of German Marquez and Walker Buehler after tough starts to the year for both players. JP Sears, Triston McKenzie, and Marco Gonzales are among the other depth options the Padres have at their disposal in the rotation.
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Red Sox Send Patrick Galle To Cardinals As PTBNL In Sonny Gray Trade
The Red Sox announced today (as relayed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, among others) that they’ve sent right-hander Patrick Galle to the Cardinals to complete their trade for veteran righty Sonny Gray from this past offseason. Galle joins right-handers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to make up the complete return for Gray. The Cardinals subsequently announced that Galle has been assigned to Single-A Palm Beach.
Galle, who celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday, joins the Cardinals organization after spending less than a year in the Red Sox organization. A 17th-round pick by the club during last year’s draft, Galle pitched just 11 innings in relief during his two years with the University of Mississippi during college. He’s spent his entire professional career to this point at the Single-A level, and he’s pitched to a 4.91 ERA in 7 1/3 innings of work. He’s posted a strikeout rate of just 11.4% with a 20% walk rate. Those are lackluster numbers to be sure, and at 22 years old it’s an open question if Galle will ever develop enough to make it to the majors. With that being said, the righty hasn’t spent much time in professional ball at this point, and it’s possible that getting into a new organization that has pivoted to have such a strong focus on player development could be just what Galle needs to take a big step forward.
The deal completes a trade for Gray that helped to patch up a Red Sox rotation that was not only losing Lucas Giolito to free agency but had too often proven inconsistent in 2025 outside of staff ace Garrett Crochet. Gray’s numbers with Boston don’t exactly jump off the page through two starts, with a 4.50 ERA and 19% strikeout rate in ten unremarkable innings. The veteran’s track record as a consistent and durable above-average arm suggests that he’ll be a productive asset for the Red Sox this year, however, as long as he remains in good health. Turning to the Cardinals, Clarke has not yet made his organization debut but Fitts has a very impressive 1.74 ERA across two outings from Triple-A Memphis so far this season.
Rays Activate Taylor Walls From IL, Option Carson Williams
The Rays are shuffling their infield mix this morning, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays that shortstop Taylor Walls is being activated from the injured list. Infield prospect Carson Williams is being optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Walls, 29, has been sidelined to this point in the year by a right oblique strain. He suffered the injury in late March and was expected to be sidelined for at least three to four weeks, but he seems to have beaten that timeline by a solid amount given that he’s returning just 18 days after the injury occurred. The infielder doesn’t offer much in the way of offense to the Rays, as a career .195/.286/.298 hitter who slashed just .220/.319/.380 last year. But he’s a consistent threat to steal 15 to 20 bases a year and plays strong defense at shortstop with +17 Defensive Runs Saved last year for his work at shortstop (and +18 DRS overall).
Walls’s return to the lineup ends Williams’s latest stay in the majors. The 22-year-old was the Rays’ first-round pick back in 2021 and made his MLB debut last year. In 39 games at the big league level, Williams has not yet had any success at the plate to speak of with just a .164/.209/.320 slash line across 131 plate appearances. That hasn’t stopped him from being a consensus top-100 prospect entering this year, but his rankings near the bottom of those lists are a far cry from the consensus top-10 status he had entering last year. That reflects real questions about if Williams will be able to hit in the majors after a rough start to his big league career and him hitting a mediocre .213/.318/.447 with a 34.1% strikeout rate even at Triple-A.
Those numbers won’t play in the majors, so it’s hardly a surprise that the Rays have opted to send their prized shortstop prospect back down to the minors in hopes that more time to develop will help him overcome his contact woes. If he can get back on track hitting-wise, the rest of the package is there for an elite shortstop. He’s got real power with 28 homers (48 extra-base hits) between Triple-A and the majors last year. He’s widely regarded as an excellent defender at shortstop who should have no issues sticking at the position. And his speed has allowed him to swipe between 20 and 30 bags every year. Plus defensive shortstops with 30/30 potential aren’t easy to come by, and one need look no further than the peak of someone like Javier Baez to see how productive a player can be even with a subpar hit tool.
For now, though, it’s only become clearer that Williams needs more time to develop at Triple-A. He should remain there for quite some time at this point, barring another injury to the club’s infield mix. Aside from second baseman Richie Palacios, who is already on the big league bench, non-roster veteran Logan Davidson and his career strikeout rate north of 40% in the majors are the closest thing to a next-man-up available in the Rays organization outside of Williams.
The Opener: Rays, Trout, Pitchers’ Duel
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Rays return to the Trop:
Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is set to host its first MLB game since 2024 today. The renovations for the Rays’ current home stadium are now complete, and the club is poised to celebrate with a game against the Cubs later today. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10pm local time, with staff ace Shane McClanahan set to make his second start of the year after returning to the big league mound for the first time since 2023 last week. McClanahan’s opponent will be veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who pitched around plenty of traffic on the basepaths to post 4 2/3 scoreless frames for the Cubs his last time out. As noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, gates will open at 2:10pm local time for today’s game and fans are asked to be in their seats by 3:30pm local time for pregame ceremonies.
2. Trout day-to-day:
Future Hall of Famer Mike Trout has begun the season healthy, which is good news on its own given how often he’s been injured in recent years. Better yet, he’s looking good at the plate with a .212/.435/.424 slash line and a strikeout rate of just 26.1% after punching out more than 30% of the time last year and posting a career-low wRC+ of 120. While Trout seems to be back to something resembling his old self, Angels fans got a big scare yesterday when he left the game after being hit by a pitch on his hand. Fortunately, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (among others) relayed yesterday that x-rays on Trout’s hand came back negative, and that he’s day-to-day after the incident. Trout noted to reporters (including Bollinger) that his hand was swollen after the incident. While it’s fortunate he appears to have avoided a serious injury, he still might be sidelined for a couple of days or so if the swelling persists. If Trout does end up missing time, Bryce Teodosio could get some looks in center field.
3. Pitchers’ duel today in the AL West:
An early meeting between two division rivals will see two of the most impressive pitchers in baseball face off on the mound today. The Mariners are headed to Globe Life Field in Texas for a 7:05pm local time game against the Rangers, and Seattle will be sending star right-hander Logan Gilbert to the mound coming off a 2025 season where he was limited to just 25 starts but turned in a solid 3.44 ERA with a 3.35 FIP. He’ll be facing off against veteran righty Jacob deGrom, who enjoyed his first healthy season in years last season and managed a 2.97 ERA in 172 2/3 innings of work that year. So far, neither deGrom nor Gilbert has gotten the results they’ve wanted in 2026, though they’ve gotten strong peripheral results. Will one or both be able to turn those peripherals into production tonight?
Astros Place Hunter Brown On Injured List With Shoulder Strain
1:40pm: Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relays that, according to manager Joe Espada, Brown felt off during his throwing program on Friday and underwent imaging before returning to Houston to be evaluated by team doctors. It’s possible the Astros will have a clearer picture of Brown’s timeline for return once he’s been more thoroughly examined by the team’s medical staff.
12:44pm: The Astros are placing right-hander Hunter Brown on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain. Right-hander Christian Roa was recalled to the majors to replace Brown on the roster.
Brown, 27, broke out last year to become one of the top pitchers in the entire sport. In 31 starts last year, Brown pitched to a 2.43 ERA and struck out opponents at a 28.3% clip. He earned his first career All-Star nod and finished third behind Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet in the AL Cy Young award race. Through two starts this year, he was arguably even better with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with a 39.5% strikeout rate. After losing Framber Valdez to free agency over the offseason, the Astros entered the year counting on Brown to lead their rotation as they look to make their way back into the postseason picture.
All of that is now on hold for the time being. While it’s unclear just how much time Brown should be expected to miss, even a minimum stint on the shelf constitutes a big blow to the Astros. A longer one could be devastating. Mike Burrows, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr. make up the rest of Houston’s Opening Day rotation. Burrows has significant upside but has struggled so far this year. McCullers looked quite good in his first start of the year last week but pitched to a 6.15 ERA last season and last threw even 60 innings at the big league level back in 2021. Javier offered reasons for optimism after returning from Tommy John surgery last year but has been shelled for six earned runs in each of his first two starts this season. Losing Brown from the top of a rotation that already has so many question marks is going to be hard to stomach.
In the long-term, the Astros figure to turn to a depth option like Spencer Arrighetti, Colton Gordon, or perhaps even prospect Miguel Ullola to fill the void. The good news for Houston is that they’ve shown a remarkable ability to weather the storm of rotation injuries in recent years, getting passable or better production from little-known youngsters and depth pieces. Arrighetti has a bit more name recognition than that after a solid start to his career, and after two scoreless starts at Triple-A to open the season he seems likely to be the Astros’ first choice to replace Brown. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes that the Astros were expected to a move to a six-man rotation this week prior to the news regarding Brown thanks to an upcoming stretch in the schedule where they play 13 consecutive games without a day off. If that’s still the plan, the Astros will need to turn to multiple Triple-A arms to fill out a rotation that now has just four active members.
For now, however, the team is turning to Roa to fill Brown’s roster spot. Brown’s spot in the rotation won’t come up until tomorrow, and so the Astros can afford to give their bullpen some extra depth for the time being as they figure out what direction they want to go in with Brown sidelined. Roa surrendered a run in 1 1/3 innings of work during his first stint with the club earlier this year and has a career 2.08 ERA in four appearances after briefly making his big league debut as a member of the Marlins last year. The righty sports a career 4.52 ERA in 171 2/3 innings of work as a swing man at the Triple-A level, and while he won’t be an impact arm for the Astros he should be capable of eating innings in long or middle relief for the club over the next few days as they figure out their longer-term pitching plan.
Diamondbacks Notes: Santana, Kelly
Carlos Santana left today’s game with right groin discomfort, and manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that Santana will undergo an MRI tomorrow. The injury developed during an at-bat in the second inning, though Santana still managed to hit a single before being replaced by a pinch-runner.
The Diamondbacks have an off-day Monday before embarking on a nine-day, nine-game road trip on Tuesday against the Mets. The MRI will keep Santana from traveling with the club tomorrow, Lovullo said, though the first baseman could join the D’Backs in relatively short order depending on the test results. Even if the MRI is clean, it would seem like Santana will get at least a couple of rest days to make sure he’s entirely healthy.
The groin problem continues Santana’s rocky start to the 2026 campaign. Santana’s single today was just his second hit in 26 plate appearances, as the veteran has a dismal .083/.154/.125 slash line. Arizona signed Santana to a one-year, $2MM free agent deal to handle first base in a platoon with Pavin Smith, but that plan hasn’t really launched since Smith appeared in only two games before elbow inflammation sent him to the 10-day injured list.
Jose Fernandez was called up from Triple-A to replace Smith, and he has hit .250/.250/.625 with two homers over his first 16 PA at the big league level. Smith isn’t eligible to be activated until April 8 at the earliest, and if Santana is also IL-bound, the D’Backs might toggle first base duties between Fernandez and utilityman Ildemaro Vargas in the interim. Tyler Locklear isn’t an option in the first base picture until at least mid-May, as Locklear is recovering from offseason surgeries on both his left elbow and left shoulder.
In other injury news, Merrill Kelly should be on track to make his 2026 debut during the Diamondbacks’ road trip, though not after completing a second minor league rehab start. Lovullo told Piecoro and company that the team wants to see Kelly get a bit more “buildup” after the righty threw 72 pitches in his first rehab outing.
“I know he feels differently because he wants to go out there and compete….[but] we want to make darn sure, so we don’t take any steps backward,” Lovullo said.
Kelly developed a back problem early in Spring Training, and started the season on the 15-day IL due to what was officially termed as intercostal nerve irritation. Kelly recovered to the point that he was able to pitch in three Cactus League games, but he logged only 6 1/3 total innings, and a 12.79 ERA in that limited sample indicated Kelly wasn’t fully ready.
While health and comfort are the priorities in a rehab assignment over on-field results, Kelly looked pretty good over five scoreless Triple-A innings last Friday. The righty allowed two hits, two walks, and he hit a batter over his five frames and 72 pitches, with velocity in line with his career norms.
Cubs Aiming To Activate Seiya Suzuki On April 10
Seiya Suzuki is three games into a minor league rehab stint with Double-A Knoxville, and his return to the Cubs’ lineup is now on the horizon. As manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian and other reporters today, the plan is for Suzuki to be activated from the 10-day injured list before Friday’s game with the Pirates.
Suzuki will play for Knoxville on Tuesday and Wednesday in order to get a few more reps in before the Cubs make their final decision. The first three rehab games saw Suzuki start twice in right field and once as a DH, and Counsell said the team wants Suzuki ready to contribute both offensively and defensively.
“We’re probably dealing with at-bats as much as anything here,” Counsell said. “He didn’t get a full spring. Multiple weeks off. It’s just making sure he’s ready to go offensively….We want him to play right field, so we’ll activate him when he’s ready to play right field.”
The World Baseball Classic limited Suzuki’s Spring Training work to just two Cactus League games, and a PCL sprain then ended Suzuki’s preseason work altogether. Suzuki suffered the injury while trying to steal second during Japan’s WBC quarter-final game with Venezuela on March 14. The sprain was apparently minor enough that the Cubs gave some consideration to keeping Suzuki off the IL entirely, though Chicago decided to be cautious and give Suzuki more time to ramp up.
2026 is a big year for Suzuki, as it is the final season of the five-year, $85MM free agent contract he signed with Chicago prior to the 2022 season. The deal has proven to be a solid investment, as Suzuki has hit .269/.346/.472 with 87 home runs over his four Major League seasons, translating to a 127 wRC+ and 11.1 fWAR. Suzuki turns 32 in August and his corner outfield glovework has been average at best, so he’ll need more big numbers at the plate in order to land another lucrative contract in free agency (with the Cubs or another team) next winter.
Matt Shaw‘s playing time will be most impacted by Suzuki’s return, as the former top prospect has been seeing a lot of time in right field in Suzuki’s absence. Shaw will continue to be used in a bit of a super-sub capacity around the diamond, and will still get some time on the grass when Suzuki is used as a DH. Moises Ballesteros has been Chicago’s primary DH so far but he has gotten off to a slow start, so the Cubs might option Ballesteros to Triple-A once Suzuki is back on the active roster.
If the Cubs prefer to keep Ballesteros getting looks against MLB pitching, any of Michael Conforto, Dylan Carlson, or Scott Kingery could be designated for assignment as the odd man out for Suzuki. The veteran trio all made the team after signing minor league contracts this past winter, and Conforto has only one hit in 10 plate appearances while Kingery and Carlson have each appeared in just one game apiece. The set nature of the Cubs’ everyday lineup makes it difficult for backups to get much regular playing time, and things will be even more crowded with Suzuki back in action.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- April’s first edition of the Weekend Chat has been launched! We’ll take a minute to let some questions pile up, then get cooking
Sasaki
- What are your thoughts so far on me
Mark P
- A fine pitcher, plenty of talent, and still something of a project given his age and relative newness to the majors. Still plenty of ceiling as a starter, but if nothing else, Sasaki showed that he can certainly thrive as a MLB reliever
Orioles
- Panic!?
Baseball fan
- Jays season over?
Mark P
- Let’s start the “the season isn’t even two weeks old” cautionary reminders right now. For Jays fans in particular, don’t forget that the team was middling at best for two full months in 2025 before things started clicking.
Ang T
- Who gets the callup if the Mets have to place Polanco on the IL? I’m guessing Vidal Brujan.
Mister Met
- With early struggles, is there a chance Benge gets demoted to AAA? It’s not like he tore it up there last year and seems to be overmatched (announcer stated swing looks longer and rigid I believe). If yes, what do you do with Soto hurt and unavailable as well?
Mark P
- These situations go hand in hand. If Soto and Polanco both have to hit the IL, Benge isn’t going anywhere since the Mets need the lineup help. New York has two open spots on the 40-man roster so Brujan’s contract could be selected without much fuss, but the Mets might prefer Ronny Mauricio since he has an option remaining (and is obviously already on the 40-man).
- In Polanco’s case, giving him a 10-day IL trip to rest up seems like an ideal situation, as having him just at DH is creating some lineup clogging
Money
- It’s early in the season, any idea what Minnesota needs to improve on to make this season a success?
Mark P
- Snarky answer is “a time machine,” since I think the Twins are in for a rough season. Taj Bradley has looked sharp so far and Josh Bell is on one of his heaters, but that’s more or less it in terms of hot starts. The unfortunate truth is that there’s no single aspect of the team that’s holding the Twins back — it’s every aspect at once
Thoughts on challenge system
- Most fans seem to enjoy the extra layer of strategy, how about you? Do you think we’ll see it expand to 3-5 challenges a game? Players given more than 2 seconds to decide if they want to challenge?
Mark P
- I’m a big fan of the challenge system and how smoothly it’s become part of baseball lore. Dunno if any tweaks need to be incorporated just yet. If anything, I can see it maybe eventually bumped up to three challenges a game, though five seems like too many
White Sox Place Everson Pereira On 10-Day IL, Promote Tanner Murray For MLB Debut
Prior to today’s 3-0 win over the Blue Jays, the White Sox placed outfielder Everson Pereira on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain. The placement is retroactive to April 2. Infielder Tanner Murray was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Murray made his Major League debut as the starting shortstop in today’s contest.
The ankle injury forced Pereira to be removed early from last Wednesday’s game against the Marlins, and a few days of rest didn’t show enough improvement for the outfielder to avoid an IL visit. Acquired from the Rays as part of a four-player trade in November, Pereira was Chicago’s starting right fielder in five of the team’s first six games, and he had a .250/.294/.500 slash line and one homer over his first 17 trips to the plate. There isn’t any indication that the sprain is too serious, and until Pereira is back, the Sox figure to shuffle Derek Hill more regularly into the outfield mix.
It remains to be seen how often Pereira will be part of the starting lineup over the course of the season, though the White Sox can afford to give the 24-year-old some looks as a possible post-hype breakout prospect. Pereira drew some top-100 attention from Baseball America during his time in the Yankees’ farm system, but he hit only .146/.227/.215 over 176 PA with the Yankees and Rays over the 2023-25 seasons.
That November trade with Tampa also brought Murray into the White Sox organization, and the 26-year-old can now officially call himself a big leaguer in his sixth pro season. Murray’s first game was highlighted by an impressive play when the Jays had the bases loaded with two out in the third inning, as Murray got to a tricky Addison Barger grounder up the middle and threw Barger out to end the threat.
A fourth-round draft pick for the Rays in 2020, Murray posted decent numbers in the lower minors but has an uninspiring .242/.304/.409 slash over 622 PA at the Triple-A level, albeit with 20 home runs. Murray has played mostly as a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop in the minors, but he has also gotten time at first base and all three outfield slots. Becoming a super-utility type might help Murray’s efforts in sticking around as a bench player, and he’ll provide the White Sox with some depth in his first stint in the Show.