Marlins Release Chris Paddack
The Marlins have released right-hander Chris Paddack, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment last week. It seems the Marlins took a few days to explore trades but couldn’t find a deal to their liking, so he’s been sent out to the open market.
The Fish signed Paddack to a one-year, $4MM deal in the offseason. The club had traded Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers in order to add a number of young players to their system. They then hoped that Paddack could cheaply replace some of the lost rotation innings.
They quickly pulled the plug on that experiment when it didn’t work out. Paddack made seven appearances for Miami, tossing 30 2/3 innings and allowing 7.63 earned runs per nine. They decided to give his rotation spot to prospect Robby Snelling, who had been pitching well in the minors. Paddack has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and keep his money, so the Fish have skipped that formality and simply released him instead.
Though the Marlins couldn’t swing a deal for Paddack, teams are now presumably interested in buying low on him. Miami will remain on the hook for the remainder of Paddack’s salary. Another club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Marlins pay.
The interest will be muted by Paddack’s results. Since a strong rookie year in 2019 where he posted a 3.33 ERA, he has a 5.23 ERA over the seven subsequent seasons. For what it’s worth, this year’s numbers probably overstate how poorly he pitched. His 18.5% strikeout rate and 39.3% ground ball rate were a few ticks worse than average but his 6.8% walk rate was quite strong, a usual strength of his. His .343 batting average on balls in play and 57.3% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His 4.97 FIP and 4.26 SIERA suggested he deserved far better.
It’s maybe not the most exciting thing to look at a pitcher with an ERA over 7.00 and squint for optimism but Paddack is cheap and can at least take on some innings. That could be useful for some club, especially with so many teams dealing with mounting injuries.
Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images
A’s To Promote Henry Bolte
The Athletics are calling up outfield prospect Henry Bolte, as first reported by Terrel Emerson. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but the A’s have a vacancy there, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding 26-man roster move when they formally select Bolte’s contract.
A 2022 second-round pick, Bolte is the hottest-hitting prospect in baseball at the moment. He recently rattled off hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances (video link) and is sitting on a .348/.418/.658 batting line (157 wRC+) with a dozen homers, seven doubles, three triples, 17 steals (in 19 tries), a 9.6% walk rate and a 22% strikeout rate in 177 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s averaging 90.4 mph off the bat to go along with a strong 43% hard-hit rate.
The A’s young outfield has impressed in recent seasons, but both Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler have fallen short of expectations thus far. Soderstrom is hitting .207/.293/.407. Butler is at just .179/.278/.282 on the season. Both players have been plagued by BABIP marks that are about 60 points shy of league average despite quality batted-ball profiles. Soderstrom and Butler are both averaging better than 90 mph off the bat with a hard-hit rate just over 48%. They’re also both walking in at least 11% of their plate appearances. Both stand as candidates for positive regression based on the strength of their contact.
Soderstrom and Butler typically man the outfield corners. However, center fielder Denzel Clarke has been out of action for a few weeks due to a bone bruise in his left foot, which has given Butler some time in center. The A’s have also given former second baseman Zack Gelof some run in center, and he’s hit well in the new role, batting .274/.328/.484 in a small sample of 69 plate appearances. His batted-ball fortune is on the other end of the spectrum, about 50 points higher than league average, at .341. In all likelihood, his slash stats will come down a bit, but Gelof is still enjoying his most productive stretch since 2023.
It’s not fully clear how the outfield mix will be tweaked to accommodate Bolte. He’s played primarily center field. The A’s aren’t calling him up to sit on the bench in a backup role, so it seems like Bolte will handle center field regularly. Soderstrom and Butler could play full-time corner roles, with Gelof perhaps mixing in across all three spots in addition to work at second base and third base. It might be natural to think he could platoon in right field with the lefty-swinging Butler, who’s just a career .221/.262/.378 hitter versus lefties, but the righty-swinging Gelof has been even worse against lefties in his own career: .157/.238/.252.
However it shakes out, Bolte is likely going to play every day. He’s ranked fifth among A’s prospects at MLB.com, seventh at Baseball America and tenth at FanGraphs. Bolte topped the latest Prospect Hot Sheet at Baseball America, where J.J. Cooper noted that he’s still a bit too prone to getting beaten in the zone but has developing power and can absolutely punish in-zone mistakes.
There’s not enough time left in the season for Bolte to accrue a full year of major league service, so even if he sticks from here on out, he’ll be controllable six more years beyond the current season. The May timing of his promotion means he’ll qualify as a Super Two player if he stays up for good, making him eligible for arbitration four times rather than the standard three. Then again, if Bolte hits the ground running, the A’s could always look to render that Super Two trajectory moot by signing him long term, as they’ve done with Soderstrom, Butler, shortstop Jacob Wilson and designated hitter Brent Rooker over the past couple years.
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Braves Activate Ha-Seong Kim For Season Debut
The Braves announced this morning that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has been activated from the injured list. He’s been out all season thus far after suffering a torn tendon in his hand when he fell on some ice in the offseason. Atlanta is off today, but Kim will make his 2026 debut in tomorrow’s game. Outfielder Eli White has been placed on the 7-day concussion list in a corresponding move. White made an outstanding catch to rob the Dodgers’ Max Muncy of a bases-clearing double yesterday but crashed face-first into the right field wall upon making the grab (video link).
The 30-year-old Kim is in his first full season with Atlanta. He finished the 2025 season in a Braves uniform after coming over via an August waiver claim out of the Rays organization. Kim hit .253/.316/.368 in 98 plate appearances down the stretch and did enough to convince the club’s front office to reinvest in a one-year, $20MM deal as a free agent this winter. Kim signed that deal in mid-December, reportedly spurning a four-year, $48MM offer from the A’s in order to bet on himself. He suffered the hand injury a month later.
Kim originally jumped from the Korea Baseball Organization to MLB on a four-year, $28MM deal with the Padres, spanning the 2021-24 seasons. He played all over the infield during his time in San Diego but was primarily a shortstop. Kim has plus speed, a strong glove and a roughly league-average bat. He slashed .242/.326/.380 in 540 games as a Padre (101 wRC+).
Kim’s high floor and solid-if-unspectacular performance in the batter’s box might have netted him a long-term deal in his first trip through free agency were it not for a late shoulder injury in 2024 that required surgery. He signed for two years and $29MM with the Rays but had an opt-out after year one. The Rays waived him in August in hopes of saving some cash, and Atlanta obliged, picking up the remaining $2MM or so on last year’s salary. They’d also have been on the hook for his 2026 salary had Kim forgone the opt-out. Instead, he triggered that clause, returned to free agency, and came out ahead with regard to that option. Clearly, based on the reported A’s offer, he had a good bit more earning power. However, if he has a strong five months to close out the year, he should be able to comfortably top that $28MM he left on the table.
Braves shortstops rank 21st in MLB with a .266/.305/.378 batting line and 92 wRC+ on the season. Nearly all that production has come from Jorge Mateo, but his .309/.345/.455 slash comes in spite of a 32.8% strikeout rate and has been propped up by a colossal .441 average on balls in play that he can’t sustain over a larger sample. Mauricio Dubón has slashed a sharp .271/.331/.410, but he’s struggled while playing shortstop and been more productive when he’s in the lineup as an outfielder. That likely comes down to pure happenstance, however.
Kim’s return will cut into the playing time for both Mateo and Dubón — the former in particular. Mateo hasn’t played anywhere on the field besides shortstop this season. Dubón has logged 134 innings in the outfield (64 in left, 70 in center), 205 at short and another six at the hot corner.
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Cubs Outright Corbin Martin
May 11: Martin cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa, per the MiLB.com transaction log. He’s been outrighted before, so he’ll have the right to elect free agency if he chooses.
May 7: The Cubs announced Thursday that righty Corbin Martin has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow right-handed reliever Gavin Hollowell, who has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa.
Martin signed a minor league deal with Chicago back in January. His contract was selected to the major league roster in mid-April, and he’s appeared in seven games with sub-par results. The 2017 second-rounder (Astros) started out nicely, with four shutout innings, but he’s allowed runs in three consecutive appearances and only completed one inning in that time. Over those three outings, Martin has faced 11 batters and yielded four hits (two of them homers) and four walks en route to six earned runs.
Now 30 years old, Martin was a highly regarded prospect, going from Houston to Arizona as part of the 2019 Zack Greinke blockbuster. Injuries have consistently hampered him, however. He’s pitched in parts of five major league seasons between Houston, Arizona, Baltimore and now Chicago, totaling 80 2/3 innings with a 6.81 earned run average. Since being drafted, he’s undergone Tommy John surgery and surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his lat. The first procedure wiped out his entire 2020 season and a good portion of the 2021 campaign. The second cost him all of the 2023 season.
The Cubs will have five days to trade Martin, place him on outright waivers or release him. Outright waivers are a 48-hour process, meaning his DFA will be resolved within the next week.
The Opener: Olson, Workman, Orioles
Kyle Schwarber has entered the chat. The Phillies’ DH has five home runs in his last four games, propelling him to the top of the league leaderboard. Schwarber is now tied with Aaron Judge with 16 home runs. Munetaka Murakami is one back after “only” homering once over the weekend.
1. Olson moves into the top 10
Braves first baseman Matt Olson was in the lineup for the 823rd consecutive game on Sunday. He moved into the top 10 on the all-time leaderboard, breaking a tie with Gus Suhr (h/t Sarah Langs of MLB.com). Olson’s streak dates back to May 2021. If he can keep it going this season, he’ll pass Eddie Yost (829) and Stan Musial (895) to move to eighth place. The 32-year-old Olson is unlikely to chase down Cal Ripken Jr., but he’s been a remarkably consistent presence in the Atlanta lineup. The veteran has posted a 117 wRC+ or better in each of his first four years with the Braves.
2. “Tater” launches first home run
Tigers infielder Gage Workman broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning on Sunday against the Royals with a two-run homer off Nick Mears. It was the first long ball as a big leaguer for the 26-year-old, whose middle name is synonymous with home run. Workman was a fourth-round pick in 2020. Detroit lost him in the Rule 5 draft last year, but he failed to stick for too long with the Cubs and White Sox. Workman has put together some strong campaigns in the minors, including an 18-homer, 30-steal season at Double-A in 2024. He’s getting a chance in the big leagues with Kerry Carpenter on the IL. “He has crushed Triple-A pitching pretty much all season and has earned his right to be on a callup list whenever the opportunity came open,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, including Jason Beck of MLB.com.
3. Orioles struggling against southpaws
Baltimore will welcome the Yankees to Camden Yards for a three-game series. The Orioles will have two shots to beat a left-handed starter for the first time this season. Per Roch Kubatko of MASN, the club is 0-9 with a .569 OPS against southpaws this season. Ryan Weathers will get the ball for New York on Monday. Max Fried is lined up for Wednesday. Baltimore has multiple lefty mashers performing below career norms. Pete Alonso is hitting .195 with two home runs in 45 plate appearances vs. lefties. He has an .828 OPS against them for his career. Taylor Ward had a massive .311 ISO against lefties last season. That number is down to .167 this year. All sample sizes are relatively small right now, and even more so for handedness splits, but it’s been a slow start for the Orioles against lefties.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images
Dodgers To Activate Mookie Betts On Monday
10:55pm: The Dodgers and Espinal renegotiated the 45-day deadline attached to the advanced consent clause in Espinal’s contract, Katie Woo writes. Under the previous clause, the Dodgers could have released Espinal within the first 45 days of his contract and owed the infielder only the prorated portion of Espinal’s $2.5MM guaranteed salary. The reworked clause pushed forward that 45-day deadline, which Woo views as a sign that Espinal will be kept on the active roster, so Kim or Freeland will be optioned upon Betts’ return.
3:34pm: Mookie Betts has been out for over a month with a right oblique strain, but he is now on the cusp of returning to the Dodgers. After two rehab games, Betts is returning to Los Angeles today and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list tomorrow, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
Betts only made 32 plate appearances with a 99 wRC+ before landing on the 10-day injured list on April 5. That’s a negligible sample size on its own, though it also mirrors Betts’ diminished offensive output in 2025. In 150 games, he batted .258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+. That still made Betts an above-average hitter, but not to the heights he has set in his career. Betts won the AL MVP award with the Red Sox in 2018 and was at least 31% better than average by wRC+ in every season from 2019-24. It’s hard to criticize a hitter for merely being slightly above average, of course, and Betts’ track record gives the Dodgers plenty of confidence that he can return to normal as he distances himself from this injury.
There is also reason to believe Betts was unlucky last year. For one thing, he batted just .258 on balls in play, well below his career BABIP of .299. While Betts’ 89.1 MPH average exit velocity and 35.8% hard-hit rate were both lower than in 2024, his batting average, slugging percentage, and wOBA were all 9-16 points lower than their expected values.
Betts’ relative lack of offensive pop was offset by his superb defensive work at shortstop, and of course he was still a big contributor to the Dodgers’ second consecutive World Series victory. Even this year, losing Betts for over a month hasn’t slowed Los Angeles down, as the 24-15 Dodgers are again atop the NL West.
The duo of Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas have capably filled in at shortstop during Betts’ absence, and Kim in particular has performed well, hitting .301/.366/.411 over 82 PA this season. Rojas will return to backup infield duty once Betts is back at shortstop, leaving the Dodgers to decide between Kim, Santiago Espinal and Alex Freeland at second base. Kim and Freeland have minor league options remaining, while Espinal (who has only a .438 OPS over 34 PA) would have to be designated for assignment if removed from the 26-man roster.
AL East Notes: Contreras, Suarez, Barger, Rogers, Cole
X-rays were negative on Willson Contreras‘ right hand after the Red Sox first baseman was hit by a 94mph pitch from Nick Martinez. The bruised hand forced Contreras out of the game after the first inning, and Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters (including the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey) that it isn’t yet known if Contreras will undergo an MRI or more in-depth testing. The Red Sox don’t play on Monday, so Tracy said the team will use the off-day to “kind of reevaluate and see how he feels.”
Contreras is off to a flying start in his first season in Boston, hitting .259/.380/.467 with eight homers through 166 plate appearances. The veteran first baseman has been one of the few bright spots in an underachieving Red Sox lineup, so the offense will be further hampered if Contreras has to spend any time on the injured list.
More from around the AL East…
- In other Red Sox news, Tracy said the teams plans to start Ranger Suarez on Thursday against the Phillies, Suarez’s former team. Suarez hasn’t pitched since a hamstring strain forced him out of his last start on May 3, but it appears as though the left-hander has avoided the injured list. After something of a dicey start to the season, Suarez has a sparking 1.17 ERA over his last five starts and 30 2/3 innings.
- Just one game after being activated from the Blue Jays‘ 10-day injured list, Addison Barger was scratched from today’s lineup and will undergo an MRI on his right elbow, Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet and other media. The elbow issue may have arisen from Barger’s tremendous throw from right field that nabbed Jorge Soler at the plate in Saturday’s game. That contest was just Barger’s ninth game of the season, as an ankle sprain sidelined the outfielder/third baseman for over a month.
- Trevor Rogers won’t come off the 15-day IL when first eligible tomorrow, but the left-hander believes he could be back Tuesday or Wednesday during the rest of the Orioles’ series with the Yankees. Rogers was placed on the IL while dealing with a rough case of the flu, and he told MLB.com’s Jake Rill that he doesn’t believe he’ll need a rehab start after throwing a “simulated bullpen” session on Saturday. In another Baltimore injury update, Heston Kjerstad started a minor rehab league assignment this weekend. The outfielder has yet to play this season due to a hamstring strain suffered in Spring Training.
- Gerrit Cole allowed two earned runs on four hits and a walk over five innings in today’s rehab start with Double-A Somerset. Cole recorded eight strikeouts over the 77-pitch outing, which was the fifth start of Cole’s rehab assignment. Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes that Cole is expected to make one or two more rehab starts before being activated from the Yankees’ injured list, which would make it a little over 14 month since Cole underwent a Tommy John surgery in March 2025.
Jacob Wilson Leaves Game Due To Shoulder Sprain
Shortstop Jacob Wilson suffered a left shoulder sprain during the Athletics’ 2-1 loss to the Orioles today, as Wilson dove to cut off a Gunnar Henderson infield single just as the ball reached the outfield. Wilson was in immediate discomfort and had to quickly hand the ball to second baseman Jeff McNeil, before Wilson left the game following a visit from team trainers.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com’s Ian Quillen and other media after the game that “we’ll have more imaging tomorrow and have further details on the timeline for” Wilson, and Quillen noted that Wilson was seen in the clubhouse wearing a sling on his left arm. It seems inevitable that Wilson will hit at least the 10-day injured list, and the shortstop’s season could potentially be in jeopardy depending the severity of the sprain.
After hitting .311/.355/.444 with 13 homers in 523 plate appearances and finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2025, Wilson received a seven-year, $70MM extension that cemented him as part of the Athletics’ core as they approach their move to Las Vegas. In the wake of that extension, Wilson’s numbers have dropped to .292/.311/.398 with three home runs in his first 168 PA of the 2026 season.
Both seasons have seen Wilson make about as much contact as any hitter in baseball, though the quality of that contact is quite low, and Wilson also rarely walks. His 3.0% walk rate in 2026 is even lower than his 2025 mark, and he is also striking out more, though his 12K% is still elite. On a more positive front, Wilson’s defensive play has greatly improved — he has -2 Defensive Runs Saved and +4 Outs Above Average, in a big step up from his -10 DRS and -3 OAA in 2025.
This development could be for naught, however, if Wilson is now facing an extended stint on the injured list. Wilson has started all but one of the Athletics’ games at shortstop, with Darell Hernaiz (who replaced Wilson in today’s game) the only other player who has seen any time at the position this season. Hernaiz may be just about the default choice as the shortstop since Max Muncy is also on the IL.
Infielder Michael Stefanic is at Triple-A and has some big league experience, though the A’s would have to add Stefanic to the 40-man roster. Some Athletics fans may be clamoring for the call-up of star prospect Leo De Vries, but that seems unlikely given how De Vries is still just 19 and has 53 games of Double-A ball (and zero Triple-A appearances) on his resume.
In the parity-filled American League, the Athletics’ 21-19 record gives them the AL’s third-best record and top spot in the AL West. Expected to rely on their powerful offense moreso than their shaky pitching, the Athletics’ lineup has been more okay than dominant, as huge performances from Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, and the surprising Carlos Cortes have papered over a lot of uninspiring starts from other A’s batters. While Wilson’s numbers weren’t spectacular, Hernaiz represents a marked offensive downgrade at shortstop.