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Royals Promote Jac Caglianone

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 11:40pm CDT

One of baseball’s top hitting prospects is headed to the majors, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Royals are calling up Jac Caglianone.  The Royals have an off-day on Monday, which lines Caglianone up for his big league debut on Tuesday when the Royals start a series in St. Louis against the Cardinals.  There are only 39 players on Kansas City’s 40-man roster, so the club can select Caglianone’s contract on Tuesday and then make just one corresponding transaction to create space on the active roster.

It was less than a year ago that Caglianone was still awaiting his draft call, as the University of Florida product was selected just in the 2024 draft when Kansas City took him sixth overall.  Caglianone joins Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz as 2024 first-rounders that have already made their way to the Show, and Caglianone has (as you might expect) forced the issue by obliterating minor league pitching.  While he had only a .690 OPS in 126 plate appearances at high-A ball in 2024, Caglianone has a combined .323/.391/.600 slash line in 225 combined PA at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this year.

Caglianone just played in his 12th Triple-A game today, so as dominant as the 22-year-old slugger has been, a case can be made that the Royals are being hasty in bringing him up to the majors this early in his pro career.  That said, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted just a few days ago, K.C. might’ve felt a bit of added motivation due to how little the team has gotten from its lineup, particularly in the outfield.

Today’s 1-0 loss to the Tigers marked the Royals’ sixth shutout loss of the season.  Kansas City is tied with the Pirates for the second-lowest run total (194) in baseball, ahead of only the woeful Rockies.  With the Royals ranking at or near the bottom of the league in several other major offensive categories, something had to give, especially since the team’s strong rotation was almost single-handedly keeping K.C. in the AL Central race.

The seeds for Caglianone’s quick promotion were planted when he made his first appearance as an outfielder with Double-A NW Arkansas back in late April.  Both a star first baseman and pitcher during his college days, Caglianone gave up on pitching to solely focus on hitting as a professional, and he has received a regular dose (though not an exclusive position change) of right field work over the last five weeks of minor league action.

With Vinnie Pasquantino playing first base in K.C. and several players getting cycled through the DH spot, putting Caglianone into right field is a logical way on paper for the Royals to both get a star prospect to the majors, and to help solve their longstanding need for outfield help.  Even as the Royals reached the playoffs in 2024, their entire outfield was a major weak link, and Kansas City’s attempts to upgrade the position over the offseason just didn’t really pan out.  Caglianone’s promotion is the latest step in a shake-up that has already seen MJ Melendez optioned to Triple-A in April, and Hunter Renfroe released earlier this week.

The left-handed hitting Caglianone figures to split time between right field, first base, and probably DH on occasion.  Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel will continue to platoon in center field, while Mark Canha, Michael Massey, and Jonathan India will likely share left field duties, with Massey/India also playing at second base and Canha likely getting some time in right field spelling Caglianone against some southpaws.  Broadly speaking, manager Matt Quatraro could be creative with his lineup given how Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia are the only regulars with above-average production, and even Witt’s 121 wRC+ is a sizeable step back from his MVP runner-up season in 2024.

It makes for a pressurized situation for Caglianone in his first taste of MLB action, as K.C. fans have, if anything, felt Caglianone was overdue for a promotion.  Royals GM J.J. Picollo spoke of the situation to Passan earlier this week, saying “The hardest part about this for us is we’re trying to do what’s best for the player.  That’s ultimately what this is.  You want the player to be as prepared as he can when he comes in the major leagues.  It’s not fair to any player, whether it’s Jac Caglianone or whoever, when a team may be scuffling offensively, to try to put it on him and hope he’s going to come save the day.”

Caglianone’s minor league numbers indicate that he is ready for a step up in competition.  MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 22nd-best prospect in baseball prior to the season, ESPN had him 29th, and The Athletic’s Keith Law (60th) and Baseball America (63rd) also had the slugger deeper in their rankings.  The pundits agree that Caglianone is a gifted hitter with huge power and exit-velocity numbers, but the only question is whether or not there’s too much swing-and-miss in his game to handle big league pitching.  Caglianone has done well in posting respectable strikeout rates in the minors this year though his chase rate is still ungainly.

Due to his inclusion in the top-100 lists, Caglianone qualifies as a Prospect Promotion Incentive player.  This means that if he finishes in the top two in AL Rookie of the Year voting, he’d earn a full year of service time despite not being called up until June.  The timing of Caglianone’s call-up means that if he stays in the majors for the remainder of 2025, he’d be on pace to earn Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility down the road.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea — Imagn Images

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Kansas City Royals Newsstand Top Prospect Promotions Transactions Jac Caglianone

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West Notes: Andujar, Sheets, Betts, Bradford, Sborz

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 11:26pm CDT

An oblique injury forced Miguel Andujar into an early exit from the Athletics’ 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays today.  A’s manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reports that Andujar is “most likely” going to be placed on the 10-day injured list, and Andujar will undergo tests on Monday to gauge the severity of the injury.

Now in his second season with the A’s, Andujar has a .296/.328/.402 slash line over 180 plate appearances, or roughly the same production he delivered in 319 PA in 2024.  Splitting his time mostly between left field and third base, Andujar has been a solid player for the Athletics, yet he might now face a lengthy absence given the uncertain nature of oblique-related injuries.  A more severe strain could put Andujar out for months, which would threaten his availability as a trade chip for the July 31 deadline.  Andujar is a free agent after the season, so he is a logical trade candidate for an A’s team that may be moving into seller mode in the wake of a miserable 3-21 stretch over their last 24 games.

More from around both the AL and West divisions…

  • Gavin Sheets also left the Padres’ 6-4 win over the Pirates in the fourth inning after a collision with the left field wall.  That pursuit of Adam Frazier’s home run ball resulted in multiple issues for Sheets, as manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including The Athletic’s Dennis Lin) that Sheets was being treated for a possible concussion, as well as a “head contusion coupled with a sore hip and a little bit of a jammed wrist and thumb.”  It certainly seems like an IL stint might be in the cards for Sheets, and since Jason Heyward is also sidelined with injury, the Padres’ top left field candidates on the big league roster would be rookie Brandon Lockridge and utilityman Tyler Wade.  Sheets signed a minor league deal with San Diego over the offseason and now looks like a coup for the club, as Sheets has delivered 11 homers and a .267/.323/.494 slash line over 192 PA as a left fielder, first baseman, and designated hitter.
  • Mookie Betts has now missed the Dodgers’ last three games due to a left toe fracture and won’t start on Monday either, as manager Dave Roberts told the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett and other reporters.  Betts is still considered day-to-day with the injury and might be back as early as Tuesday, since he was able to do some hitting in the batting cage and was walking in “pretty normal” fashion, as the shortstop told Plunkett and company.
  • Josh Sborz and Cody Bradford have yet to pitch during the 2025 season, but the Rangers pitchers each threw breaking balls for the first time in bullpen sessions over the few days, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News).  Sborz underwent shoulder surgery last November and was projected to miss the first 2-3 months of the season, so his throwing progression puts him on pace for a return on the far end of that timeline.  Bochy said Sborz and Bradford are expected back roughly around the same time, as Bradford recovers from a sprain in his left elbow that arose during Spring Training.  Bradford is slated to throw two more bullpens before aiming for a live batting-practice session during the second week of June.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Notes Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres Texas Rangers Cody Bradford Gavin Sheets Josh Sborz Miguel Andujar Mookie Betts

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MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 9:17pm CDT

Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat

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MLBTR Chats

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Corbin Burnes Leaves Game Due To Elbow Discomfort

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 6:45pm CDT

Corbin Burnes made an early exit from the Diamondbacks’ 3-1 win over the Nationals due to what was described by manager Torey Lovullo as right elbow discomfort.  The right-hander had sailed through 4 2/3 shutout innings before allowing a two-out single to CJ Abrams in the top of the fifth, and a clearly upset Burnes then immediately motioned to the home dugout for a quick consultation with team trainers.

Post-game, Lovullo told reporters (including Arizona Sports) that Burnes will get an MRI tomorrow, and won’t join the Diamondbacks on their upcoming road trip to Atlanta and Cincinnati.  The pitcher himself also described his health situation to the media, saying his elbow started to gradually tighten up during the outing.

“It just got to the point where the tightness was just too much…didn’t feel like we needed to push any farther.  Hopefully we caught it early, hopefully it’s not bad, but we’ll see,” Burnes said.

More details will be known in the aftermath of the MRI, though it seems like Burnes will probably be placed on the 15-day injured list at least as a precaution.  This would be the first arm-related IL stint of Burnes’ durable career, as his two previous IL trips were due to Covid-19 (in 2021) and an oblique strain late in the 2020 season that kept him out of the Brewers’ brief playoff run.

After signing a six-year, $210MM free agent deal with his local team this past offseason, Burnes has mostly looked the part of a frontline ace in posting a 2.66 ERA over 64 1/3 innings.  However, his secondary metrics tell another story, as Burnes entered today’s start with a more modest 3.99 SIERA.  Burnes’ hard-hit ball rate and walk rate are both well below the league average, let alone the strong numbers in both categories that Burnes had posted over his previous seven Major League seasons.  Burnes’ whiff rate remains above the league average but also down from his 2024 total.

The right-hander’s signature cutter has been among the best pitches in baseball over the last few years, but Statcast’s Run Value metric indicates that the cutter has gone from a +17 in 2024 to only a +2 in 2025 since batters have been able to square up on the pitch with far more regularity.  Both Burnes’ cutter (95.3mph to 94.2mph) and his sinker (97mph to 95.6mph) have lost some velocity from last season to this campaign.

Even with these red flags, the bottom-line results have still been there for Burnes, and he has still been the most consistent member of Arizona’s underwhelming rotation.  MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently explored how the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff is again struggling, and undermining the efforts of the team’s powerful lineup.  Today’s win bumped the Snakes up to only a 28-31 record, and they are five games behind the Giants for both third place in the NL West and the final NL wild card slot.

Losing Burnes even for a fairly minimal amount of time would severely hamper the Diamondbacks’ chances of making up that ground, let alone making a late run at the Dodgers at the top of the division.  Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to return from the 15-day IL this coming week after a mid-May placement due to shoulder inflammation, but if Burnes is also sidelined, Ryne Nelson (who was headed to the bullpen due to E-Rod’s return) will likely be reinserted back into the starting five.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Corbin Burnes

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Dodgers Place Luis Garcia On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 5:10pm CDT

The Dodgers have placed right-hander Luis Garcia on the 15-day injured list due to a right adductor strain.  The placement is retroactive to May 29.  Righty Noah Davis was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Now in his 13th Major League season, Garcia has a 4.50 ERA in 26 innings for Los Angeles, along with a below-average 19.8% strikeout rate and an ungainly 12.9% walk rate.  Garcia’s 4.13 SIERA is a bit more favorable since the groundball specialist has been hampered by a .364 BABIP, but he is also allowing a lot of hard contact.

Garcia signed a minor league contract with L.A. in February and locked in $1.5MM in guaranteed salary when that contract was selected in advance of the Dodgers’ early Opening Day in Tokyo.  While his results have been up and down over his lengthy career, Garcia has generally been pretty durable, which probably helped his bid to make the team given the injury woes that have only worsened for the Dodgers’ pitching staff as the season has developed.

Incredibly, Garcia is the 15th pitcher currently on the team’s injured list.  (That number could be viewed as 16, if you consider that Shohei Ohtani is still going through his pitching rehab.)  Some help may be coming soon, as manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com’s Sonja Chen and other media today that relievers Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates could both be activated within the next week.

Getting those two quality bullpen arms back is a nice boost for the team, but needless to say, pitching health is once again a major subplot of the Dodgers’ season.  While the elite L.A. offense has carried the Dodgers back to first place in the NL West, pitching figures to be a deadline need for Los Angeles regardless of how many hurlers have returned from the IL by July 31.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Transactions Luis Garcia

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Dominic Smith Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Yankees

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 4:34pm CDT

Dominic Smith has become a free agent after triggering the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Yankees, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.  Smith wasn’t an Article XX(b) free agent with a built-in June 1 opt-out date in any minor league contract, but his deal still apparently contained some opt-out flexibility if he hadn’t been called up to New York’s active roster.

This is the second time in three months that Smith has opted out of a minors deal with the Yankees, as he also opted out of his initial contract near the end of Spring Training but re-signed with the club just after Opening Day.  Smith has since been playing at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .255/.333/.448 with eight home runs over 189 plate appearances.  Smith has primarily been a left fielder, with a good chunk of playing time at first base and DH and a handful of games in right field.

Despite his decent numbers and his defensive flexibility, it isn’t hard to understand why the Yankees haven’t felt the need to bring Smith to the majors.  Even with Giancarlo Stanton missing the entire season to date, Ben Rice capably stepped into the regular DH role, and Paul Goldschmidt has been excellent at first base.  The outfield picture is also crowded between Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Jasson Dominguez, and Trent Grisham surging into more playing time than expected due to some unexpectedly big production at the plate.  With Stanton slowly working his way back to good health, the situation will only get more crowded in the Bronx barring future injuries, so another new contract might not be in the cards for Smith if he wants a clearer path to Major League playing time.

A former top prospect and near-breakout star during his time with the Mets from 2017-22, Smith’s production has tailed off and he has become something of a journeyman since leaving Queens.  Smith has been a part of six different organizations since January 2023, and has hit .247/.321/.370 over 893 PA with the Nationals, Red Sox, and Reds.

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New York Yankees Transactions Dominic Smith

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Blue Jays Place Daulton Varsho On 10-Day IL, Activate Erik Swanson

By Mark Polishuk | June 1, 2025 at 4:16pm CDT

Prior to today’s 8-4 win over the Athletics, the Blue Jays placed center fielder Daulton Varsho on the 10-day injured list and activated right-hander Erik Swanson from the 60-day IL to make his season debut.  Left-hander Easton Lucas was optioned to Triple-A and second baseman/outfielder Davis Schneider was called up in the corresponding moves.

Varsho is dealing with a left hamstring strain suffered in Saturday’s game, as he came up limping while rounding second base in an attempt to stretch a double into a triple.  Varsho was immediately removed from the game and an IL placement seemed inevitable, though manager John Schneider told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other reporters today that Varsho sustained a relatively less-serious Grade 1 strain.

This still means Varsho will miss at least a couple of weeks of action, and it puts him back on the IL for the second time this season.  Varsho had surgery last September on his right rotator cuff, and spent the first month of the 2025 campaign finishing off his injury rehab and getting his throwing arm back in game-ready shape.  Since making his season debut on April 29, Varsho is hitting .207/.240/.543 with eight home runs over an even 100 plate appearances, displaying his usual recipe of power but not much in the way of average, OBP, or steady contact (Varsho has struck out in 31 of those 100 PA).

Beyond the numbers at the plate, Varsho has also displayed his customary stellar glovework in center field.  The Jays have another quality defender in Myles Straw who can fill in while Varsho is out, and as Matheson notes, the club will probably re-deploy the Straw/Nathan Lukes platoon used in center field during Varsho’s first IL stint.  George Springer, Alan Roden, or Jonatan Clase could also rotate into center field in a pinch, though Schneider said Springer had a minor ankle tweak in today’s game.

While it doesn’t appear as though Springer’s ankle issue is too serious, Toronto can hardly afford another outfield injury with Varsho and Anthony Santander already sidelined.  Given the thin outfield, Davis Schneider is likely to primarily be used in left field during his latest stint in the majors.  Second baseman Andres Gimenez is also expected back from his own IL stint in a few days’ time, and the resulting shuffle in the infield could see the hot-hitting Addison Barger moved into corner outfield duty.

Turning to the mound, Swanson ended up as the winning pitcher today, despite looking a little shaky (1 ER on a wild pitch, and a hit batter) in his lone inning of work.  A median nerve entrapment sidelined Swanson during Spring Training, and he ended up being moved to the 60-day IL in early May when some forearm soreness delayed the start of a planned minor league rehab assignment.

Overall, Swanson has been quite solid in his two-plus seasons in Toronto, as he was outstanding in 2023 and then recaptured that form in the second half of the 2024 campaign.  However, the first half of 2024 was marred by injuries, as well as some off-the-field trauma when Swanson’s four-year-old son was hospitalized after being hit by a car in February of that year.  (Fortunately, young Toby was released from hospital within two weeks.)

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Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Daulton Varsho Davis Schneider Easton Lucas Erik Swanson

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Yankees Select Carlos Carrasco; Jake Woodford Triggers Opt Out

By Nick Deeds | June 1, 2025 at 3:29pm CDT

3:29PM: Right-hander Yerry De los Santos was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move for Carrasco, the Yankees announced.

12:56PM: Right-hander Jake Woodford has opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees and become a free agent, according to a report from MLBTR’s Steve Adams. In addition, Jack Curry of YES Network reports that the Yankees are selecting the contract of right-hander Carlos Carrasco from Triple-A Scranton and that he’ll be active ahead of tonight’s game against the Dodgers. A corresponding 40-man move won’t be necessary as the Yankees have multiple spots available, but room will need to be made for Carrasco on the active roster.

The 28-year-old Woodford was a first-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2015 who made his major league debut during the shortened 2020 campaign. That rookie campaign didn’t go especially well as he posted a 5.57 ERA in a multi-inning relief role, but he did enjoy stronger seasons in 2021 and ’22. Across those two years, Woodford pitched to a 3.26 ERA (121 ERA+) with a 3.93 FIP in 116 frames. He struck out just 15.4% of opponents faced during that time against a 7.5% walk rate, though he made up for his lack of strikeout stuff and pinpoint command in part thanks to a strong 45.8% groundball rate. His lack of strikeouts caught up to him after that, however, as he posted a lackluster 6.23 ERA with a 6.61 FIP over 47 2/3 innings of work in 2023 before being non-tendered by the Cardinals that November.

Since then, Woodford has been bouncing around the league as a journeyman. The 2024 season saw him split time between the White Sox and the Pirates, for whom he pitched to a 7.97 ERA overall across 35 innings of work with a 4.94 FIP while in the majors. At the Triple-A level, the right-hander posted a solid enough 3.93 ERA across 94 innings. His results weren’t enough for him to keep a roster spot with the Pirates over the offseason, but after he was designated for assignment he elected free agency and found a minor league deal with the Rockies during the winter. Woodford was granted his release by the Rockies prior to Opening Day when he didn’t break camp with the club and then latched on with the Yankees, for whom he’s posted a 4.54 ERA in 39 2/3 innings of Triple-A work.

It seemed possible that Woodford’s time to return to the majors had come when the Yankees were forced to use seven pitchers in last night’s blowout loss to the Dodgers, but the righty triggered his opt out clause and will now return to free agency after the Yankees decided to turn to Carrasco instead. It will be the 38-year-old’s second stint with the Yankees this season. The right-hander made the Opening Day roster after a number of injuries left the Yanks with questions in their rotation, but Carrasco is far removed from his days as a mid-rotation arm in Cleveland at this point and surrendered a 5.91 ERA and 5.30 FIP across 32 innings of work with the Bronx earlier this year. Despite those lackluster numbers, Carrasco is a good bet to offer volume at a time where the Yankees bullpen is sure to be gassed, and he’s been universally hailed over his 16 seasons in the majors as a fantastic clubhouse presence.

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New York Yankees Transactions Carlos Carrasco Jake Woodford Yerry De Los Santos

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Phillies Moving Taijuan Walker To Short Relief

By Nick Deeds | June 1, 2025 at 2:41pm CDT

For the second time in as many months, the Phillies are pulling right-hander Taijuan Walker from their starting rotation. Paul Casella of MLB.com reported this morning that Walker’s being moved to the bullpen permanently in a move that will clear the way for right-hander Mick Abel to be promoted to the majors and fill in for Aaron Nola in the starting rotation. Matt Gelb of The Athletic added further context to that reporting, noting that Walker is specifically moving to a one-inning, setup role in order to help bolster the club’s late-inning mix. Meanwhile, Gelb notes that Abel will get at least two starts for the Phillies before Nola’s return, which the club currently expects to occur near the middle of June.

It’s a big change for Walker, who has just ten career relief appearances and has served exclusively as a long relief arm in those outings. Gelb notes that Walker has never pitched on back-to-back days before in his career, an adjustment that will surely take some getting used to for the right-hander. Still, it’s understandable for Philadelphia to want to try him in this new role given the state of their pitching staff. Abel is knocking on the door of the majors as a potential rotation option with top prospect Andrew Painter potentially not all that far behind, and the Phillies’ rotation is already full when healthy. Without much of a path to a long-term rotation role in the cards for Walker anyway, it makes sense for the club to try him in a new role.

Given that the Phillies recently lost Jose Alvarado to a PED suspension, saw Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez depart in free agency over the winter, and have watched Jordan Romano struggle badly this year after being signed to serve as the club’s closer, there’s perhaps no greater need on the roster than that for a high leverage relief arm to join Matt Strahm in supporting Romano. Walker will now be tasked with doing just that, and Gelb notes that he seemed intrigued by the idea after his last start.

“If I have one inning to blow it out, whatever it is, I feel like my stuff would play up just a little bit more,” Walker said last week, as relayed by Gelb. “Knowing that I got one inning, just let it eat.”

Walker’s departure from the rotation makes room for Abel to join the mix, at least temporarily. The right-hander made his big league debut earlier this season in a spot start and was extremely impressive, tossing six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against zero walks. The Phillies were clearly intrigued by that dazzling performance, and now he’ll get to make at least a couple additional starts. Abel is set to join the club to start Thursday’s game against the Blue Jays, and Gelb notes that after that he’ll be in line to start against the Cubs next week. Those offenses are far more impressive than the Pirates lineup Abel dominated in his big league debut, so these next pair of outings will be a major test for the 23-year-old right-hander.

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Philadelphia Phillies Aaron Nola Mick Abel Taijuan Walker

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Rangers Place Nathan Eovaldi On Injured List, DFA Tucker Barnhart

By Nick Deeds | June 1, 2025 at 11:31am CDT

The Rangers are placing right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list, according to a report from Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Right-hander Codi Heuer is being selected to the big league roster to replace Eovaldi on the pitching staff, while catcher Tucker Barnhart was designated for assignment to make room for Heuer on the 40-man roster. It’s not yet clear who will replace Barnhart on the active roster.

Eovaldi has been utterly dominant in his age-35 campaign, with a 1.56 ERA through 12 starts this year. His last start on May 27 was abbreviated due to fatigue in his right triceps, and his departure from that game was initially labeled as precautionary. Losing him for any amount of time is a brutal blow to an already struggling Rangers club, but the good news is that manager Chris Young told reporters (including McFarland) that this IL stint is still largely out of precaution; Eovaldi isn’t dealing with any structural damage, but the team is just hoping to get the veteran additional time to heal up. His IL stint can be backdated to May 28, meaning that Eovaldi could return as soon as June 12 against the Twins. Eovaldi’s spot in the rotation is expected to be taken by Kumar Rocker, who Young suggested will come off the injured list on Wednesday.

In the short-term, Eovaldi’s spot on the roster will go to Heuer. The right-hander turns 29 next month, but hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021. He excelled with the White Sox out of the bullpen during his rookie season in 2020 and then was included alongside Nick Madrigal in the trade that sent Craig Kimbrel from the Cubs to the White Sox at the 2021 trade deadline. At the time of the deal, Heuer looked like a future high-leverage arm and posted a solid 3.14 ERA in 28 2/3 innings of work down the stretch for the Cubs.

Unfortunately, Heuer underwent Tommy John surgery in Spring Training of 2022. He missed that entire season, and then missed all of the 2023 season as well when he suffered an elbow fracture while rehabbing from that surgery. The devastating sequence of injuries led the Cubs to non-tender Heuer following the 2023 season. He signed a minor league contract with the Rangers prior to the 2024 season and has remained in the organization ever since. He finally made it back to a professional mound earlier this year and has pitched quite well at Triple-A, with a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings of work to go with a 26.3% strikeout rate. Heuer will now have an opportunity to re-establish himself as a potential late-inning arm in the majors for a Rangers club that could use additional help in the bullpen with top setup man Chris Martin on the shelf.

As for Barnhart, the journeyman catcher is in his 12th season as a big leaguer. After winning two Gold Glove awards in his seven seasons as the primary catcher for the Reds from 2015 to 2021, Barnhart signed with Detroit for the 2022 season and appeared in 94 games but has bounced around the league as a part-time player ever since. After stints with the Cubs and Diamondbacks in 2023 and ’24, Barnhart was serving as a third catcher for the Rangers this year while Kyle Higashioka was getting more regular reps at DH. He made it into just eight games with the club in total, however, and now the Rangers will have one week to either trade Barnhart or attempt to pass him through waivers. If Barnhart clears waivers, he’ll have more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

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Texas Rangers Transactions Codi Heuer Kumar Rocker Nathan Eovaldi Tucker Barnhart

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Royals Promote Jac Caglianone

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Evan Phillips To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

AJ Smith-Shawver Diagnosed With Torn UCL

Reds Trade Alexis Díaz To Dodgers

Rockies Sign Orlando Arcia

Ronel Blanco To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Joc Pederson Suffers Right Hand Fracture

Red Sox Promote Marcelo Mayer; Alex Bregman To IL With “Significant” Quad Strain

Royals Designate Hunter Renfroe For Assignment

Braves Expected To Activate Ronald Acuna On Friday

Mariners Activate George Kirby For Season Debut

Jean Segura Retires

Report: “No Chance” Paul Skenes Will Be Traded This Year

Pirates’ Jared Jones, Enmanuel Valdez Undergo Season-Ending Surgeries

Hayden Wesneski To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Dodgers Release Chris Taylor

Jose Alvarado Issued 80-Game PED Suspension

Orioles Fire Manager Brandon Hyde

Royals Promote Jac Caglianone

West Notes: Andujar, Sheets, Betts, Bradford, Sborz

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Corbin Burnes Leaves Game Due To Elbow Discomfort

Dodgers Place Luis Garcia On 15-Day Injured List

Dominic Smith Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Yankees

Blue Jays Place Daulton Varsho On 10-Day IL, Activate Erik Swanson

Yankees Select Carlos Carrasco; Jake Woodford Triggers Opt Out

Phillies Moving Taijuan Walker To Short Relief

Rangers Place Nathan Eovaldi On Injured List, DFA Tucker Barnhart

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