Orioles Outright Jayvien Sandridge
Orioles left-hander Jayvien Sandridge has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, the club announced. Sandridge was bumped off the 40-man to clear space for catcher Sam Huff, who had his contract selected earlier this week.
The 27-year-old Sandridge bounced around this offseason. The Yankees designated him for assignment in January. He was traded to the Angels for cash. Sandridge then went through the same process in March, getting DFAed by the Angels and traded to the Orioles, again for cash. No club took a shot on Sandridge this time through the waiver process.
The move to Baltimore was a homecoming for Sandridge. He was drafted by the organization in the 32nd round of the 2018 draft. The lefty only spent two seasons in the Orioles’ system. Sandridge had stints in various levels of the minors with the Reds and Padres before coming to the Yankees. He made his big-league debut for New York last year during the Subway Series. The Mets’ Pete Alonso welcomed Sandridge to the majors with a three-run home run. He was charged with two runs and recorded two outs in his lone appearance.
Sandridge’s MLB outing was a decent representation of his minor league career. He struck out a pair, but also walked two and hit a batter against the Mets. Sandridge has shown solid swing-and-miss stuff in the minors, including a 32.7% strikeout rate across three levels last season. He’s punched out nearly 13 batters per nine innings in three Triple-A campaigns. The problem has been the walks. Sandridge’s 11.5% walk rate in 2025 was the best mark of his career. He’d been above 17% in each of the three previous seasons.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Royals Recall Mason Black
Right-hander Mason Black is set for his Royals debut on Sunday. He’ll be joined by catcher Elias Diaz, who had his contract selected by the club. Right-hander Mitch Spence and infielder Tyler Tolbert were optioned to make room for Black and Diaz, the team announced. Right-hander James McArthur was moved to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot for Diaz.
Kansas City acquired Black from the Giants for right-hander Logan Martin in November. Black had some fanfare when he first came up with San Francisco in 2024, but he failed to provide consistent results. The righty finished his Giants tenure with a 6.47 ERA in 10 games over the past two seasons.
The 26-year-old Black was almost exclusively used as a starter in San Francisco, but he’s moved to a relief role with Kansas City. He has a 3.86 ERA over seven appearances at Triple-A this year. Black locked down the first two saves of his professional career with Omaha. Despite the full-time move to the bullpen, Black has just a 12.5% strikeout rate so far. Often, those numbers improve when starters make the change to relief work, as their stuff usually plays up in shorter outings.
Spence joined the organization in February following a trade from the Athletics. He didn’t break camp with the team, but came up in early April when right-hander Luinder Avila was sent down. Spence was tagged for six earned runs across four innings in mop-up duty against the Yankees on Saturday. He’ll head back to Triple-A after just the one big-league appearance.
Tolbert made the team out of camp, beating out Drew Waters for a roster spot. Michael Massey‘s calf strain in MLB Spring Training helped Tolbert and Nick Loftin earn roster spots. Loftin was sent down when Massey returned. Now, it’s Tolbert’s turn. He appeared in eight games with the Royals, with the majority of his work coming as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. Tolbert managed a hit in five plate appearances.
McArthur missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing elbow surgery. He opened the 2026 campaign on the 15-day IL due to elbow inflammation. His return timeline is uncertain. The righty was a key member of Kansas City’s late-inning group when he last pitched, recording 18 saves in 2024.
Photo courtesy of Scott Sewell, Imagn Images
Yankees Trade Braden Shewmake To Astros
The Yankees have traded infielder Braden Shewmake to the Astros. Minor league right-hander Wilmy Sanchez is heading to New York in the deal. Both teams have announced the swap.
The Astros have also placed Joey Loperfido on the IL. The move was expected after the outfielder left Friday’s game with a quad injury. Right-hander Jayden Murray was recalled to take Loperfido’s spot. The Astros had been rolling with 12 pitchers, but will now be back to a more traditional 13-man staff.
Shewmake could provide some infield depth to a Houston squad missing multiple shortstops. Jeremy Pena is on the IL with a hamstring injury. Nick Allen left with back spasms on Friday. He’s yet to return to the lineup. Shewmake would be an option to get called up if Allen is forced to the IL.
The Astros are Shewmake’s fourth organization since the start of 2025. After getting designated for assignment by the White Sox, he was claimed by the Royals. Kansas City DFAed him shortly after, and he was scooped up by the Yankees. Shewmake posted an 82 wRC+ in 72 games with New York’s Triple-A affiliate last season. He hit .250 with a couple of doubles and a stolen base in 10 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.
Sanchez came to Houston as an international free agent in 2022. He steadily worked his way up the system, with generally solid results at each stop. After splitting time as a starter and reliever to begin his pro career, Sanchez transitioned to the bullpen full-time in 2024. He notched a 3.50 ERA across 54 innings between Single-A and High-A. Sanchez pushed his strikeout rate up to 33.9% in his first year as strictly a reliever.
The 2025 campaign was a rough one for Sanchez. He made the jump to Double-A and stumbled to a 6.05 ERA in 46 appearances. After working around some control issues at previous levels, Sanchez’s walk rate spiked to a career-worst 17.5% with Corpus Christi. He’s trimmed that number back to 14.8% through five Double-A outings this year. The results have improved, as Sanchez has allowed just one run over seven innings.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Dodgers Promote Ryan Ward
April 19: Ward’s promotion is now official. The Dodgers announced Freddie Freeman is heading to the paternity list to clear a spot for the rookie. Ward is starting at first base against the Rockies.
April 18: The Dodgers are calling first baseman/outfielder Ryan Ward up to the Major League roster, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports. The corresponding 26-man move isn’t yet known, and Ward was already added to Los Angeles’ 40-man roster back in November.
Ward will be making his big league debut the first time he appears in a game, and his first trip to the Show comes at the relatively old age of 28. In a less-stacked organization, Ward surely would’ve been in the majors much earlier, as he has crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .264/.347/.511 slash line and 94 home runs over 1867 plate appearances in Oklahoma City over the last four seasons.
The fact that Ward has delivered these numbers in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League provides something of an asterisk. Ward also has extreme splits, even in his PCL MVP season of 2025 — the left-handed hitter crushed righties (1.038 OPS in 463 PA) and struggled badly against southpaws (.686 OPS in 189 PA) last season. Defensively, MLB Pipeline’s scouting report notes that Ward has a “lack of range and a below-average arm relegating him to left field or first base.”
Pipeline ranks Ward as only the 19th-best prospect in the Los Angeles farm system, while Baseball America doesn’t include Ward at all within their list of the top 30 Dodgers prospects. This is due in part to the Dodgers’ absurdly deep minor league system, but it again reflects how Ward isn’t considered a premium prospect, particularly at his age.
That said, Ward has done well for himself since being selected as an eighth-round pick in the 2019 draft, and his long journey to the majors is now finally nearing a payoff. Rockies right-handers Ryan Feltner and Michael Lorenzen are scheduled to start the next two games against the Dodgers, so Ward will probably have his MLB debut in the books before the weekend is over.
Teoscar Hernandez fouled a ball off his foot in yesterday’s 7-1 win over the Rockies, so that could potentially be the reason for Ward’s call-up. Alex Call is the only full-time outfielder on the L.A. bench —Hyeseong Kim and Santiago Espinal have some outfield experience but are infielders by trade, and both Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernandez are on the injured list until closer to the end of May. The set nature of the Dodgers’ lineup means that Call has only played in five games this season while spelling Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Kyle Tucker, though optioning Call to the minors doesn’t seem likely since Call is the top backup center field candidate.
Pirates Recall Wilber Dotel For MLB Debut
Right-hander Wilber Dotel will join the Pirates on Sunday, the club announced. Fellow righty Cam Sanders was optioned back to Triple-A. Dotel is among the top pitching prospects in the organization yet to appear in the big leagues. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so an additional move was not required.
The 23-year-old Dotel was off to a rocky start in Indianapolis. He was knocked around for eight earned runs in his first two outings. The righty tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in his most recent appearance, which came last Sunday. Dotel will initially pitch out of the bullpen, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pirates’ relievers had to cover nine innings in a wild 13-inning loss to the Rays on Saturday.
MLB Pipeline ranks Dotel as the No. 12 prospect in the organization. He’s behind Seth Hernandez (No. 2), Hunter Barco (No. 4), and Antwone Kelly (No. 8). Barco has already had multiple stints with the big-league club. The 19-year-old Hernandez was the club’s top pick in last year’s draft. Kelly began the year with Dotel in Triple-A, but he’s scuffled to a 9.75 ERA.
Pittsburgh signed Dotel out of the Dominican Republic in 2020. He’s generally delivered solid results from a run prevention perspective, but control has been an issue. Dotel had a walk rate above 11% at every minor league stop heading into 2025. He was able to trim the free passes to an 8.0% rate in 27 starts at Double-A last season. The righty also boosted his strikeout rate to 24.5%, his best mark since 2022 in the Complex league.
Dotel hasn’t made a relief appearance for a couple of seasons. Pittsburgh has a sturdy top four in the rotation with Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, and Braxton Ashcraft. Carmen Mlodzinski was used as a traditional starter in his first three appearances before coming in behind an opener in his last outing. He’s been effective this season, holding down the fifth spot in the rotation while Jared Jones works his way back from elbow surgery. Dotel doesn’t have a clear route to a starting gig at the moment.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Bender of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, via Imagn Images
Nationals To Recall Andrew Alvarez
Left-hander Andrew Alvarez is heading back to the big leagues, first reported by Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. The 26-year-old pitched well in his first opportunity with the Nationals last season. Alvarez is taking the roster spot of right-hander Paxton Schultz, who was sent down on Saturday, the team announced.
The new management in Washington has made a habit of shuffling arms in the bullpen. Once Alvarez gets into the game, he’ll be the fifth reliever to make an appearance who wasn’t on the Opening Day roster. Schultz was coming off one of his most effective outings of the season. The righty tossed three innings of one-run ball in relief of a struggling Zack Littell on Friday. A season-high 48 pitches likely sealed Schultz’s fate.
Alvarez was first promoted in September of last season. He fired five scoreless innings against the Marlins to earn a win in his debut. It was the first of three scoreless outings for Alvarez, who finished with a 2.31 ERA across five starts. The lefty allowed just two earned runs over nine innings in MLB Spring Training, but opened the year at Triple-A. Alvarez has a 4.66 ERA through four games with Rochester.
While the strikeout and walk numbers were underwhelming, Alvarez got ground balls at an excellent 58.2% clip in his 23 1/3 innings with the Nats. He flashed a five-pitch mix, but relied primarily on a low-90s fastball and two breaking balls.
Alvarez last pitched on Tuesday, so he’s on regular rest today. That’s a notable scheduling note considering it’ll be Miles Mikolas handling the bulk of the innings for the Nats. The former Cardinal has been pounded for 20 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings. Washington has taken steps to adjust Mikolas’ workload. In his most recent outing, PJ Poulin opened the game. In the start before that, he tag-teamed with Brad Lord, with both pitchers covering three innings. Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal reports that Poulin will open again today against the Giants.
Mikolas is on a cheap one-year, $2.25MM deal. It’s not out of the question that his rotation spot could devolve into an open competition. Mitchell Parker is already back on the big league roster after beginning the season at Triple-A. He made 30 starts with the club in 2025. Lord made 19 starts in a swingman role last year. Alvarez has been used exclusively as a starter for the past few seasons.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Astros Notes: Harris, Loperfido, Allen, Sousa
Outfielder Dustin Harris is expected to be with the Astros “soon,” manager Joe Espada told reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Harris was nabbed off waivers from the White Sox on Saturday. The 26-year-old appeared in six games with Chicago.
Harris was off to a decent start in a part-time role. He got on base at a hefty .438 clip and chipped in two steals to open the season. The 26-year-old was called up when Austin Hays went to the IL in early April. Harris was squeezed off the roster after the White Sox called up infield prospect Sam Antonacci.
The lefty-swinging Harris was drafted by the Athletics but has spent most of his professional career with the Rangers. The outfielder debuted with the club in 2023. He totaled 50 plate appearances between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Harris hasn’t had an extended chance to flash the power/speed combo he showed in the minors. He put together a 20/25 season between Single-A and High-A in 2021. Harris has swiped 30+ bags in the minors in each of the past three years.
Harris would seem to be a replacement for Joey Loperfido. The outfielder is expected to land on the IL, per Espada, as relayed by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Loperfido was removed with a quad injury in the sixth inning of Friday’s loss to the Cardinals.
Houston acquired Loperfido from the Blue Jays straight up for Jesus Sanchez in mid-February. He broke camp with the club and has appeared in all but two games so far. Loperfido has spent time at all three outfield spots, with the majority of his work coming in left field. He’s slashing .259/.333/.345 across 66 plate appearances.
Shortstop Nick Allen was also knocked out of that game against St. Louis. Isaac Paredes replaced him due to back spasms (h/t McTaggart). Paredes himself was then removed from the contest with a leg injury. Shay Whitcomb replaced him in the infield. Whitcomb started at third base on Saturday, with Paredes returning to the lineup at DH. Allen was not in the starting nine.
Allen joined the organization following a trade from the Braves in November. The glove-first veteran had made five starts since shortstop Jeremy Pena went down with a hamstring injury last weekend. Allen’s absence would lead to more time at shortstop for Carlos Correa, with Paredes slotting in at third. The Astros are already rolling with that configuration on a semi-regular basis. Paredes has also picked up starts at first and second base.
On the pitching side, left-hander Bennett Sousa is nearing a return. The reliever’s last obstacle in the minors is pitching on consecutive days, which he’s in line to do next week, per Kawahara. Sousa went down with an oblique strain near the end of MLB Spring Training.
After brief stints with the club in 2023 and 2024, Sousa emerged as a key member of the bullpen last season. He delivered a 2.84 ERA across a career-high 50 appearances. The lefty secured seven holds and four saves. Houston entered the 2026 campaign with Bryan King and Steven Okert as the left-handers in the bullpen. Once healthy, Sousa will give them another option from the left side, as will the eventual return of Josh Hader.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
J.T. Realmuto Leaves Game Due To Lower Back Tightness
The Phillies fell to 8-12 with Saturday night’s 3-1 loss to the Braves, and they had a bit of an injury scare with their starting catcher. J.T. Realmuto left the game during the sixth inning with lower back tightness, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlann March and others. Manager Rob Thomson said that Realmuto originally tweaked his back and left knee during a play at the plate on Friday (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). His knee was fine tonight, but his back issue flared up again. Rafael Marchán eventually pinch-hit for Realmuto in the seventh.
Thomson doesn’t think Realmuto will need to go on the injured list, although he probably won’t play tomorrow. After posting slightly below average offense in 2025, Realmuto’s gotten off to a better start in 2026. Through his first 15 games entering play tonight, he is batting .292/.382/.396 with a 123 wRC+. His power is down slightly, as evidenced by his .104 isolated slugging percentage. Realmuto has compensated by walking at a 9.1% clip, up from 6.4% last year, and cutting his strikeouts from 23.5% to 20.0%. His .361 average on balls on in play indicates some good luck, but nonetheless, the club is happy to have bounce-back production from Realmuto so far.
The veteran catcher has a reputation for durability, especially for the modern game. From 2022-25, Realmuto led the league with 491 games started behind the plate. Cal Raleigh was a distant second with 457 games in that span. Since joining the Phillies in February 2019, Realmuto has only been on the IL three times, with one of those being a one-day stint on the COVID IL in 2021. Given his age, production, and the fact that he’s only just started his new three-year, $45MM deal, it’s hardly a surprise that the club will give Realmuto a chance to rest, if only for a day.
If his back remains a lingering problem, the club would turn to Marchán behind the plate. Originally signed out of Venezuela in 2015, Marchán has now spent over a decade in the Phillies’ system. However, despite having over three years of service time, his big-league resume consists of only 261 plate appearances over 88 games. His career line of .228/.290/.376 (83 wRC+) is reasonable for a backup catcher, though his opportunities beyond that have been limited in part due to Realmuto’s presence.
The two are the only catchers on the club’s 40-man roster at the moment. Meanwhile, only two of the club’s top 30 prospects are catchers according to MLB.com, and neither one has reached Triple-A. If a depth option is needed, the club might explore the waiver wire or a minor trade.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Sign Andrew Velazquez To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed infielder Andrew Velazquez to a minor league deal, according to an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate. The 31-year-old is represented by CAA Sports.
Velazquez had been with the Rangers on a non-roster deal since early December. He got into 16 Spring Training games but batted just .111/.194/.185 in 32 plate appearances. The Rangers released him at the end of March, and Velazquez lingered in free agency until this pact with Arizona. He has not appeared in the majors since 2023 with the Angels and has spent the last two years at the Triple-A level with the Braves and Yankees, respectively.
In 368 PA with the Yankees’ top affiliate in 2025, Velazquez batted .242/.304/.345 with a 74 wRC+. That production was par for the course for Velazquez, whose last meaningful sample as an above-average hitter came in 2021 at Triple-A (119 wRC+ in 306 PA). Since that season, he has shown minimal power at every level including the majors, without making contact or getting on base enough to approach even average offense. He has some fringe value due to his speed, though. In 224 minor league games since the start of 2024, Velazquez has stolen 58 bases.
Defensively, Velazquez has mostly played at shortstop in the majors. In 2022, he was valued at 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 3 Outs Above Average in 906 innings there with the Angels. He regressed the following season in a smaller sample, coming in at -5 DRS and -3 OAA in 233 1/3 innings. He’s been roughly average with the glove outside of those two years. Since 2024, he’s also gotten some minor-league work in the outfield, and the Diamondbacks’ announcement lists him as a utilityman, rather than strictly an infielder.
Versatility aside, Velazquez is merely a no-risk depth option for Arizona. The club has Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte lined up at shortstop and second base, respectively. They haven’t hit well to start the year, but Perdomo had a breakout season in 2025 and is in the first year of a new contract extension, so he’s not going anywhere. Neither is Marte, who has a track record as one of the best second basemen in the league. Nolan Arenado is 35 and struggling offensively and defensively at third base, but likewise, his track record gives him plenty of leeway. At best, Velazquez will be called up at some point an emergency defensive option if one of the regulars lands on the injured list.
Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images
Nationals Option Paxton Schultz
The Nationals announced that reliever Paxton Schultz has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. A corresponding active roster move has not yet been announced.
Schultz threw 48 pitches in three innings of relief against the Giants yesterday, so the club is likely sending him down to bring up a fresh arm. The 28-year-old has pitched eight innings across five appearances this year. He has recorded seven strikeouts against one walk, but he’s also surrendered two home runs and four earned runs total. His expected stats suggest he’s been lucky to post a 4.50 ERA, although it’s hard to draw conclusions given the small sample size. For what it’s worth, Schultz posted a similar 4.38 ERA in 24 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays last year. His strikeout and walk rates were slightly better than average.
The right-hander was a 14th-round draft pick by the Brewers in 2019. They traded him to the Blue Jays in May 2021, and Schultz spent the next few years climbing the minor-league ladder. Early on, he was mostly used as a starter, but he started making more relief appearances upon reaching Triple-A in 2023. In 51 innings at that level in 2025, Schultz posted a solid 3.31 ERA and allowed less than one home run per nine innings. Having previously led with his four-seamer, he has used his upper-80s cutter 51.5% of the time in 2026, with his four-seamer and changeup acting as complementary pitches.
Schultz’s ceiling is that of a fringe reliever, though he’ll surely get more opportunities with the Nationals this year. The club’s bullpen is arguably the worst in the league. The group has a 6.01 ERA, allowed two home runs per nine, and struck out a league-worst 16.9% of opposing hitters. Ken Waldichuk struggled badly and is now on the 60-day IL facing possible Tommy John surgery. Cole Henry landed on the 15-day IL earlier this week. The club acquired Richard Lovelady from the Mets on Thursday, but the bullpen remains an uninspiring group, with just about everyone struggling with walks, home runs, and overall run prevention. Unsurprisingly, as a result of their pitching woes, the team is off to a 9-12 start in 2026. Given those struggles, there’s no harm in bringing Schultz up later on to eat innings.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images