Dodgers Select Santiago Espinal
The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Santiago Espinal. They opened a 40-man roster spot earlier this month when outfielder Jack Suwinski was outrighted, so no corresponding move is necessary today.
Opening Day is still over a week away. With the Dodgers selecting Espinal’s contract now, it’s possible he had some sort of opt-out in his minor league deal. At any rate, there wasn’t much mystery regarding his status. A couple of weeks ago, manager Dave Roberts said that Espinal was trending towards making the team.
Espinal should provide the club with defensive versatility, while ideally helping against lefty pitching. In his career, Espinal has played all four infield spots as well as the outfield corners. Offensively, his right-handed bat is best deployed as part of a platoon. He has a career .291/.344/.409 line and 107 wRC+ against southpaws, compared to a .245/.300/.316 line and 73 wRC+ against righties.
He’s a few years removed from his best years at the plate, which were with the Blue Jays in 2021 and 2022. He slashed .282/.340/.382 for a 105 wRC+ over those two seasons. Since then, he has a .245/.298/.325 line over three seasons, a period which saw him get flipped to the Reds. That includes a rough .243/.292/.282 line and 58 wRC+ in 2025. The Reds outrighted him off the roster at season’s end and he elected free agency.
Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernández are going to open the season on the injured list. That leaves the second base spot fairly open, with guys like Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas in the mix there. Kim is a lefty hitter but he was better against southpaws in 2025, so perhaps a platoon with Espinal isn’t perfect. In any case, Espinal can add some depth on the bench.
The Dodgers have a relatively old roster, as guys in their mid-30s like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández should have regular roles. If anyone in that group is banged up or just needs a day off, Espinal can move around as needed.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Albert Suárez Has Opt-Out In Deal With Orioles
Right-hander Albert Suárez is in camp with the Orioles on a minor league deal. He can opt out of that pact at the end of spring training if not added to the roster, reports Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. Kostka adds that teams are keeping tabs on Suárez and his status as that opt-out decision approaches.
Suárez, 36, spent 2019 to 2023 putting up good numbers in Japan and Korea. He returned to Major League Baseball in 2024 by signing with the Orioles and went on to have his best big league season to date. He gave the O’s 133 2/3 innings in a swing role, making 24 starts and eight relief appearances. He allowed 3.70 earned runs per nine with a 19.1% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate.
He wasn’t able to repeat that performance last year. He was beset by a subscapularis strain and a mild flexor strain, only making five appearances on the year. He was non-tendered at season’s end and re-signed to a minor league deal. He has a 7.59 ERA in a small sample of four appearances in Grapefruit League play this spring.
It doesn’t appear as though he has a great path to a roster spot with the Orioles right now. They currently have a rotation consisting of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer. They could option Kremer but it feels a bit unlikely since he’s been in the rotation for most of the past five years.
Assuming those six guys are on the roster, that leaves rooms for seven more pitchers, given the roster limit of 13 arms. Ryan Helsley, Keegan Akin, Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia can’t be optioned. Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells have optioned but Kostka describes them as locks for the roster. Kostka also suggests Grant Wolfram is likely to get a spot as well.
That would be seven and would result in Jackson Kowar, who is out of options, getting squeezed out. Kowar has big velocity but hasn’t translated that into strong results yet. He has an 8.21 ERA in 91 big league innings.
It’s possible one spot could be opened if Eflin requires a stint on the injured list, though he seems to be trending towards avoiding the IL. If one spot does open up, Kostka suggests that it could go to Kowar or Suárez, though he also lists José Espada and Yaramil Hiraldo as possibilities. Those latter two guys have options and pretty limited big league experience. If the O’s want to maintain some depth, they could option them while using a spot to either select Suárez or keep Kowar.
With less than a week left in camp, decisions will need to be made soon, unless Eflin’s progress slows down or someone else gets hurt. Depending on how things play out in the coming days, it’s possible both Suárez and Kowar end up available to other clubs, Suárez via his opt-out and Kowar via waivers.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Nationals Option Harry Ford
The Nationals announced today that catcher Harry Ford has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester while fellow backstop Riley Adams has been reassigned to minor league camp. That seems to set the stage for Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas to be the club’s catching tandem at the beginning of the season.
The Nats have an interesting long-term catching mix. They acquired Ruiz from the Dodgers as part of the 2021 deal sending Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers. He and the club agreed to an extension in 2023, a deal which runs through 2030 and has club options for 2031 and 2032.
But since the start of 2024, he has poor defensive numbers and a .235/.266/.345 batting line. FanGraphs has considered him to be 1.3 wins below replacement level in that span. He was acquired and extended by the previous front office regime. President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo was fired last year as the club’s rebuild failed to proceed as hoped.
Paul Toboni was hired to replace Rizzo. One of the first significant moves of his tenure was to trade reliever Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners, with Ford being the headliner of the return. Ford is one of the top catching prospects in the league. Seattle drafted him 12th overall in 2021 and signed him to a bonus of $4.4MM. With Cal Raleigh locked in as the catcher in Seattle, it made sense for the Mariners to put Ford on the trade block. Presumably, the Nats hope Ford is their primary catcher in the long term.
Ford’s major league track record consists of just eight games so far. He got into 97 Triple-A games last year and put up a .283/.408/.460 line. Even in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, that was 25% better than league average, by measure of wRC+. His defense was once considered questionable but he has made enough progress that he is expected by many evaluators to stick behind the plate for the long term.
Though Ford is still only 23 years old and lacking in experience, the Nats could have considered carrying him on the Opening Day roster due to the Prospect Promotion Incentive. He would have been PPI eligible if the Nats kept him on the active roster for long enough to earn a full year of service time. He could have then earned them an extra draft pick if he won Rookie of the Year or Most Valuable Player in his pre-arbitration seasons.
The Nats didn’t get a long look at him during Spring Training, as Ford joined the Great Britain team in the World Baseball Classic. He has only appeared in seven Grapefruit League contests, with a lackluster .214 /.353/.286 line in those.
For now, it seems the Nats will have Ford getting regular reps in the minors. That will give Ruiz a chance to continue as the regular catcher in the big leagues. Despite his recent struggles, it’s not out of the question for Ruiz to get back on track. He is only 27 years old and was able to be a league average hitter as of a few years ago.
If that doesn’t come to fruition, then it’s possible a time will come where Ford pushes for a regular role, which will get Ruiz bumped into being an overpaid backup. His contract isn’t especially onerous on an annual basis but there’s still quite a ways to go. He will make $5MM this year and next, followed by a salary of $7MM in 2028 and then $9MM in each of the final two years. That means he is still guaranteed $35MM over the next five years. The club options are valued at $12MM and $14MM, with no buyouts.
The timing of Ford’s eventual recall to the majors will impact his future earning power. He currently has 28 days of service time. If he spends about six weeks or more on optional assignment this year, he won’t be able to reach the one-year mark, which will push his path to free agency by a year. It also could impact when he qualifies for arbitration, depending on where the Super Two cutoff lands in future seasons.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Red Sox, Tommy Kahnle Agree To Minor League Deal
March 18th: Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that there are no short-term opt-outs in the Kahnle deal, though is an assignment clause on May 1st and then an opt-out on June 1st.
March 17th: The Red Sox reached agreement with veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Covenant Sports Group client will presumably be in camp as a non-roster invitee. Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News reports that the deal comes with a $1.5MM base salary and $250K in bonuses if he reaches the MLB roster.
Kahnle spent the 2025 season in Detroit on a $7.75MM free agent deal. It didn’t pan out as the Tigers envisioned. The right-hander allowed a 4.43 earned run average while striking out only 18.7% of opponents, easily a career low. The drop in production really came in the second half. Kahnle took a 1.77 ERA and solid 23.3% strikeout rate into July. He was blitzed for nearly eight runs per nine innings while walking more batters than he struck out the rest of the way.
There wasn’t any kind of dramatic drop-off in Kahnle’s stuff — not that hitters weren’t fully aware what was coming either way. Kahnle throws his changeup more than 85% of the time. That’s the highest rate in MLB by a mile. Devin Williams was the only other pitcher to throw a changeup (which is how Statcast buckets his trademark “Airbender”) at least half the time. Williams went to that pitch at a 52% clip.
Kahnle has had success with this approach for years, so it’s not as if hitters suddenly caught onto the pattern at last season’s All-Star Break. They did a better job laying off when he threw it out of the zone, though, leading to a drop in whiffs and a spike in walks down the stretch. The Tigers continued to use Kahnle in reasonably high-leverage spots and pitched him four times in eight playoff games. He gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks across 2 1/3 innings in October.
Although he’s signing just over a week from Opening Day, the 36-year-old Kahnle should be ready for the beginning of the season. He pitched in the World Baseball Classic for Israel, tossing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. The Sox have seven more Spring Training contests before heading to Cincinnati to open the regular season on March 26.
The timing of the signing probably isn’t a coincidence. Kahnle was an Article XX(b) free agent because he finished last season on Detroit’s major league roster. Those players receive automatic opt-out chances five days before Opening Day, May 1 and June 1 if they sign a minor league contract at least 10 days before the start of the regular season. Assuming Kahnle’s deal didn’t become official until today, he won’t meet that criteria. His camp could have negotiated separate opt-out dates into the contract, but there’s a decent chance he’ll open the season at Triple-A Worcester.
Poll: How Will The Marlins Round Out Their Rotation?
While the Marlins enjoyed an encouraging season in 2025 with a 79-83 record that put them on the periphery of playoff race relevance, the club is nonetheless still engaged in a multi-year rebuilding effort. This offseason, that meant trades of controllable rotation pieces in order to bring more young talent into the system. Right-hander Edward Cabrera was dealt to the Cubs for a package headlined by outfielder Owen Caissie, while lefty Ryan Weathers was shipped to the Yankees in return for a package of four prospects. Those departures from the rotation mix would be damaging to any team, but the Marlins are in position to weather the losses thanks to their exceptional pitching depth. Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez both have ace-level ceilings at the front of the rotation. The Marlins believe Max Meyer is ready to take the step into full-time rotation work after parts of three seasons in the majors, and veteran Chris Paddack was brought in via free agency to eat innings.
That leaves four spots in the rotation accounted for. For much of the offseason the assumption had been that lefty Braxton Garrett would reclaim his spot in the rotation after missing out on the 2025 campaign due to injury. Recent reporting from Christina De Nicola of MLB.com suggests that might not be guaranteed, however. De Nicola writes that the Marlins could consider giving Garrett additional time to rehab and build up towards his return to the majors after last year’s Tommy John surgery. That could involve him beginning the year on the injured list, or even simply using his final remaining option year to send him to the minors. Garrett was incredibly impressive for Miami back in 2023, with a 3.66 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts) and a solid 23.7% strikeout rate.
Typically, it would be a shock to see the Marlins not simply go back to the once-effective southpaw for the final spot in their rotation. With that said, however, there are some indications that the club is giving a real consideration to Garrett starting the year in the minors. The lefty did struggle a bit in the seven starts he made during the 2024 campaign when he was healthy enough to take the mound, though some grace must be given considering that those starts came with solid peripherals and in the midst of an injury-marred campaign. On the other hand, De Nicola does note that the Marlins are hoping to have Garrett make changes to his approach this year and move into the strike zone a bit more often.
That’s a change that could take some getting used to for the lefty, and simultaneously changing his philosophy as a pitcher while also rehabbing could be a tall order for one Spring Training. If there are questions about Garrett’s ability to take on that workload, starting the season in the minors could make sense. That’s especially true given that Garrett’s return from Tommy John surgery has some similarities to that of Alcantara, who struggled badly upon his return last year. The Marlins are surely hoping to do a better job positioning Garrett for success when he returns than they did with the former Cy Young award winner, and that the lefty will be able to do a lot better this year than Alcantara’s 5.36 ERA in 31 starts last season.
If Garrett were to start the season in the minors, to whom could the Marlins turn? Perhaps the most obvious choice would be right-hander Janson Junk, who served as a swingman for the Marlins last year and posted a solid 4.17 ERA in 110 innings of work (including 16 starts) with even better peripherals. De Nicola notes that manager Clayton McCullough indicated that the club views Junk as a starter, and the team has worked to stretch him out this spring in order to keep him available as an option to start games. With that said, Junk pitched much better as a reliever (2.78 ERA) than as a starter (4.53 ERA) last season and has struggled a bit during camp this spring. Some of that can be attributed to poor sequencing considering Junk’s lackluster 62.2% strand rate in games he started last year, but his strikeout rate dropping from 22.5% in relief to 15.9% when starting games is surely no coincidence.
One other option could be top prospect Robby Snelling. Snelling would be something of a surprise pick for the Marlins, but the former first-rounder and current top-100 prospect is clearly poised to make his big league debut at some point this year. He turned in a dominant year between Double- and Triple-A last year, including 11 starts of 1.27 ERA baseball at the minors’ highest level. He struck out 30.3% of his opponents between both levels, and while he’s struggled in terms of run prevention (7.56 ERA) this spring his 32.5% strikeout rate during camp has been excellent. The Marlins have rarely allowed their young starters to stick in the majors for an entire wire-to-wire big league season during their rookie year, but if the team prefers to slow-play Garrett and keep Junk in a swing role then they might be best served starting Snelling in the majors and sending him down later in the year if he struggles or the rest of the staff is healthy when Garrett is ready.
How do MLBTR readers think the Marlins will ultimately handle the fifth spot in their rotation? Will they stick with Garrett to open the year even in spite of how things went with Alcantara last year? Will they overlook Junk’s lackluster numbers when starting last year and give him a shot? Or will they turn to top prospect Snelling in spite of his mixed performance during camp? Have your say in the poll below:
Who will open the 2026 season in the Marlins' final rotation spot?
Rays Notes: Melton, Williams, Woodford
The Rays have optioned top prospects Jacob Melton and Carson Williams to Triple-A Durham to begin the season, the team announced. Melton entered the season with two option years remaining. Williams has a full slate of three option years.
Both players made their big league debuts in 2025 — Melton with the Astros. He came to Tampa Bay by way of the three-team trade sending Brandon Lowe and Mason Montgomery to Pittsburgh and Mike Burrows to Houston. A strong showing this spring might’ve put Melton in position to win a spot in the Opening Day lineup, but he struggled to a .161/.212/.387 showing with a dozen strikeouts in 33 plate appearances.
The rocky spring numbers have little to no impact on Melton’s status as a potential major contributor for years to come. He enters the season ranked 70th on Baseball America’s ranking of the game’s top 100 prospects. The 25-year-old is was a second-round pick in 2022 who saw his stock dip with a middling 2024 season but who rebuilt much of the fanfare surrounding him with a terrific minor league run in 2025.
Melton missed nearly two months last year with a high ankle sprain but hit .286/.389/.556 with a huge 14.7% walk rate in Triple-A prior to being called to the majors. Big league pitching proved to be a challenge the Oregon native, as Melton was stymied for a .157/.234/.186 slash in a small sample of 78 major league plate appearances. He still played good defense and went 7-for-9 in stolen base attempts. However, last year’s rough MLB cameo and this spring’s shaky showing suggest that he could use a bit more seasoning in the upper minors.
At some point, Melton should get a look this season. Tampa Bay’s outfield isn’t exactly composed of established stars. Left fielder Chandler Simpson is the fastest player in baseball but has bottom-of-the-scale power and needs to improve his outfield reads if he’s to become even an average defender. Cedric Mullins signed a one-year deal in free agency and will be hoping for a rebound after a dismal 2025 season. Jake Fraley was non-tendered by the Rays and re-signed to a cheap one-year deal. Jonny DeLuca, Ryan Vilade and Justyn-Henry Malloy give the Rays some right-handed complements to that entirely left-handed outfield slate, but none of the three righties is an established contributor himself.
Williams, meanwhile, was sent down despite strong results this spring. He went 6-for-22 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base (albeit with two other unsuccessful attempts). As with Melton, he’s a touted prospect who struggled considerably in his first exposure to MLB pitching last summer. The 2021 first-rounder appeared in 32 games and took 106 plate appearances but batted only .172/.219/.354. He popped five homers but struck out in an alarming 41.5% of his plate appearances.
Williams has mashed his way through the lower and middle levels of the minors, but he’s been a below-average hitter in Triple-A and in his tiny major league sample. He hit .213/.318/.447 with a 34% strikeout rate in Durham last year. Strikeouts are always going to be an issue for the 22-year-old, but he has above-average speed, plus power and a plus glove at shortstop. Williams typically draws plenty of walks, so the hope will be that he can be something of a three-true-outcome slugger who happens to play a plus shortstop as well. That’d make him an easy regular and lock him in as a fixture with the Rays, but there’s still some work to be done.
For now, it seems likely that Taylor Walls will open the season at shortstop. Trade acquisition Ben Williamson is expected to get some looks there as well (in addition to time at third base and second base).
One other recent cut for the Rays was veteran righty Jake Woodford, who was a non-roster invitee but was reassigned to minor league camp two days back. The 29-year-old right-hander had a nice showing, tossing 7 1/3 innings and holding opponents to a run on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts and a nice 45% ground-ball rate.
MLBTR has learned that Woodford has an upward mobility clause in his contract on Friday. Effectively, that clause will make him available to all 29 other clubs. If another team is willing to put Woodford on its 40-man roster, the Rays have to either select him to their own 40-man roster or let him go to the club that’s willing to do so. Since Woodford is out of minor league options, he’d need a team willing to carry him on the major league roster to step up.
The No. 39 overall pick back in the 2015 draft, Woodford has pitched in parts of six major league seasons between the Cardinals, White Sox, Pirates and D-backs. He has a career 5.10 ERA with a very low 14.9% strikeout rate but strong walk and ground-ball rates (7.6% and 45%, respectively).
Woodford has pitched both out of the bullpen and out of a rotation. He’s totaled at least 21 major league innings each season dating back to 2020. The right-hander logged a 6.44 ERA in 36 innings with Arizona in 2025 and spent the rest of the season in Triple-A with the Yankees and Cubs, combining for a 4.55 earned run average in 61 1/3 innings there. A club that’s incurred some injuries in the rotation this spring and is looking to bring in some length for the bullpen could take a look once that clause triggers on Friday.
José Berríos Diagnosed With Stress Fracture In Elbow
Blue Jays righty José Berríos has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow and will not be ready for Opening Day, manager John Schneider announced to the team’s beat (via Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet). Berríos is somewhat remarkably pain- and symptom-free. The current hope is that after a bit of down time, he’ll be able to pitch through the issue. It’s not clear exactly how long that’ll be, but for now he’ll take a few days off from throwing altogether.
Berríos had been pitching throughout the spring and only learned of a possible issue in his elbow when he was taking his physical prior to joining Puerto Rico’s team for the World Baseball Classic. An MRI conducted as part of that exam revealed inflammation in his elbow, which caught Berríos by surprise, as he said that he had not experienced any discomfort. Still, the inflammation scuttled his hopes of pitching for Puerto Rico and prompted the Jays to schedule a visit with Dr. Keith Meister to further evaluate the veteran righty’s elbow.
Entering the fifth season of a seven-year, $131MM contract, Berríos had been hoping for a rebound effort. He’s coming off one of his weaker seasons but was still plenty serviceable last year. In 166 innings, he posted a 4.17 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The right-hander’s 93 mph average four-seamer was a career-low, and his 92.2 mph average sinker was the second-lowest of his career. That walk rate, while solid, was the second-highest of his career in a full season and a notable step up from the 6.7% he’d logged from 2017-24.
A trip to the injured list is a rarity for Berríos. He’s been a starter every year of his major league career — one of the most durable and consistent of the past decade. Dating back to 2018, he leads Major League Baseball in both games started (234) and innings pitched (1367 2/3). Berríos started a full slate of 12 games during the shortened 2020 season and has started 30 or more games in each other season dating back to 2018.
The Jays still owe Berríos $66MM over the next three seasons. He can opt out of the final two years of his contract following the 2026 campaign, but based on last year’s relative down performance, that looked like a long shot even before news of this elbow issue popped up.
Berríos finds himself in something of an odd spot with the Jays, though perhaps this injury will help sort things out organically. Toronto signed Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and Cody Ponce in free agency this offseason. Rookie Trey Yesavage is also locked into a rotation spot after a dominant late-season debut and postseason run. The Blue Jays have Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Cease, Yesavage, Ponce, Scherzer, Berríos and Eric Lauer on the roster, giving them eight viable starting pitchers for five spots.
Bieber is opening the season on the injured list due to some forearm fatigue. Berríos will join him there for an undetermined period of time. If neither misses much time, the Jays could soon have some tough decisions to make with regard to eight veteran starting pitchers — assuming the other six remain healthy. Lauer has voiced a desire to pitch out of the rotation — he’s a free agent next winter, after all — but said he’ll pitch in whatever role he’s asked. There’s been some trade speculation surrounding him, but with two starters already on the shelf, Toronto may not be keen on further thinning the staff.
Williamson, Lowder, Burns Make Reds’ Roster
The Reds will open the season with six starters on the major league roster, manager Terry Francona announced (via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). With Hunter Greene out until midseason, Cincinnati had three rotation locks: Opening Day starter Andrew Abbott, fellow lefty Nick Lodolo and veteran right-hander Brady Singer. Lefty Brandon Williamson and righties Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder have all secured roster spots as well. The Reds won’t use a straight six-man rotation but will deploy the Burns/Lowder/Williamson trio in a to-be-determined capacity.
Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19 writes that the Reds have labeled the setup as a “condensed” six-man rotation. Abbott, Lodolo and Singer will start the first three games. A decision has yet to be made on which of Burns, Lowder and Williamson will start games four and five for the Reds. Whichever isn’t given a start will be available in long relief or tandem/piggyback fashion for the other two. Abbott will be back on the bump for Cincinnati’s sixth game of the season.
“You’ll see (Williamson) either potentially come in after Burns, or maybe even start a game and have Lowder do it (out of the bullpen),” Francona said (via Goldsmith). “I don’t think we feel the need to say it ahead of time as far as strategy goes. That’s kind of where we’re sitting. You’ll see (Williamson) pitch one of those two days (Game 4 or 5 of the season).”
Williamson, 28 next month, entered camp as a particular long shot to make the club. He’d pitched only 30 2/3 innings over the past two seasons combined — none in 2025. He missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery that was performed late in the 2024 campaign.
A former second-round pick by the Mariners, Williamson came to the Reds in the 2022 Eugenio Suárez/Jesse Winker trade. He’s pitched 131 1/3 big league innings with a 4.39 ERA to date but was a fairly well-regarded prospect with a solid minor league track record. Now healthy, Williamson has opened eyes in camp. He’s pitched 11 innings and held opponents to just two runs on only six hits and a pair of walks with 13 strikeouts (1.64 ERA, 31 K%, 4.8 BB%). He has a career 92.8 mph on his four-seamer but has been sitting 94.1 mph this spring (obviously not working as deep into games as he would in a regular season setting).
Burns and Lowder — particularly the former — seemed like much stronger rotation bets. Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, debuted last summer less than a year after being selected out of Wake Forest. The 6’3″ flamethrower obliterated minor league opposition, notching a 1.77 ERA, 36.8% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate in his first 13 pro starts before being summoned to the big leagues. Burns’ 4.57 ERA in 43 1/3 MLB frames last year, but much of the damage against him came early on. Burns was shredded for seven runs in just one-third of an inning against Boston in his second career start. He bounced back with a 3.32 ERA, 37.3% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate over his final 38 major league innings.
Lowder was the No. 7 overall pick just a year prior to Burns. Like Burns, he’s a Wake Forest product who made his MLB debut just a year after being drafted, in 2024. Lowder turned in a powerhouse 1.17 ERA in his first six MLB starts but did so with an underwhelming 17.2% strikeout rate and hefty 10.9% walk rate. His minor league work was terrific, however.
Both Burns and Lowder have had nice springs overall, though the Reds recently slowed Burns down a bit after he reported some range-of-motion issues to the club. Both promising young righties are viewed as critical long-term pieces in the rotation. It’s not entirely clear how this six-man setup will be resolved long-term. Francona told Goldsmith it’s a very short-term setup that probably won’t even last into late April. All three of Burns, Lowder and Williamson have multiple minor league option years remaining.
Francona also confirmed that reliever Connor Phillips and outfielder Will Benson have made the roster. Both have a minor league option remaining that, at least for now, won’t be used. The 24-year-old Phillips has had a rough spring, allowing seven runs in seven innings with an 18.8% walk rate, but he posted a 2.88 ERA while punching out nearly one-third of his opponents in 25 major league innings last year.
Benson has absolutely raked this spring, popping four homers and a double with as many walks as strikeouts (seven apiece) in 40 plate appearances. The 27-year-old is hitting .250/.400/.656 in 13 games. There’s no clear path to regular playing time with TJ Friedl, Noelvi Marte, JJ Bleday and Dane Myers also on the roster, but he’ll mix in as an occasional starter versus right-handed pitching and a lefty bat off the bench.
MLBTR Podcast: Banged-Up Reds And Braves, Kevin McGonigle, And Spring Breakouts
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The 2026 World Baseball Classic (0:40)
- The Reds’ Hunter Greene requiring elbow surgery (7:50)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Why are the Braves not calling the Red Sox about Jarren Duran? (14:50)
- Why have the Braves not addressed their injured rotation? Why not sign Lucas Giolito to a minor league deal? Does the club have an issue with how they treat their pitchers since they seem to have so many injuries? (20:50)
- Will Kevin McGonigle break camp with the Tigers and how would that impact the rest of the roster? (34:20)
- Who are some surprising performers in spring training who could impact the 2026 season? (46:05)
Check out our past episodes!
- Jesús Luzardo’s Extension, Atlanta’s Depth, And Zack Littell – listen here
- Max Scherzer, The Red Sox’ Lineup, Spring Extension Candidates, And More! – listen here
- Twins And Orioles’ Injuries, The Guardians And Angels’ Quiet Offseasons, And Chris Sale’s Extension – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
The Opener: Crawford, Cole, White Sox
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Crawford visiting Meister:
Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford has been struggling with soreness in his shoulder lately, and yesterday the Mariners revealed (as relayed by Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times) that he was set to visit with Dr. Keith Meister “to make sure [they’re] on the right track.” Any visit with a surgeon is going to be cause for concern among fans, but Mariners brass seemed to downplay the severity of the situation and added they expected to have an update on Crawford today. The shortstop is headed into the final year of his extension with Seattle and rebounded from a tough 2024 last year to hit a respectable .265/.352/.370 while playing 157 games at shortstop. If Crawford was to begin the season on the injured list, it would be an immediate test of the Mariners’ infield depth. Top prospect Colt Emerson is approaching the big leagues, but Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss are already on the 40-man roster, whereas Emerson would need to have his contract selected. For a short-term absence, plugging Rivas in at shortstop seems likelier.
2. Cole returns to the mound:
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is poised to make his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery when the Red Sox visit Steinbrenner Field later today. The game is scheduled for 1:05pm local time in Florida and will pit Cole against Red Sox youngster Connelly Early, who made a big first impression in the majors last year with a 2.33 ERA in four starts. Cole is obviously one of the most talented pitchers in baseball when healthy and won a Cy Young Award back in 2023. However, he’s made just 17 starts since then due to elbow issues. Now headed into his age-35 season, it’s fair to wonder exactly what the longtime ace will look like once he returns to the mound.
3. Alberto waiver resolution:
The White Sox put Rule 5 pick Alexander Alberto on waivers this week, and that process should be resolved today. The Sox will have to offer him back to the Rays if he goes unclaimed, but any other team could pluck Alberto from the waiver wire before then if they’re willing to adhere to Rule 5 draft restrictions. The 24-year-old has yet to even throw a pitch in Double-A but impressed last year with a 2.59 ERA in 48 2/3 innings of work. It was understandable for a rebuilding club like the White Sox to roll the dice on him, but if he was unable to make the club’s bullpen out of camp (thanks in large part to a 10.80 ERA in 6 2/3 spring innings), it’s unclear if there will be another team willing to taking a shot on the towering 6’8″ righty.