Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR’s audience to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.
The 2026 season is humming along. Do you have a question about a hot or cold start in the early going? The upcoming trade deadline? Next winter’s potential labor showdown? If you have a question on those topics or anything else baseball-related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.
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In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- Let’s see what the MLBTR readership has to share in the latest edition of the Weekend Chat. We’ll take a minute for some questions to file in, then get cooking….
Squints
- Can the White Sox actually win the division.?
Mark P
- Despite being 19-21, the ChiSox hold a wild card slot, and are just a game back of Cleveland for first place in the AL Central.Realistically, this won’t keep up. Either the Sox play down to their talent level, or the many (many!) AL teams underachieving right now start to get things together.
But….”realistically,” you see surprise teams emerge almost every season. The AL’s almost league-wide funk has kept pretty much everyone in the race, and maybe the Sox could at least take advantage of their weak division to make things interesting.
Red Wright Hand
- Mets season is pretty much done. Are we the most disappointing team ever?
Mark P
- Is this even the most disappointing Mets team in the last four years?
Mike trout
- Do you really think I will be traded
Mark P
- Nope. The contract is still too large, Arte Moreno refuses to rebuild, and Trout hasn’t shown any appetite for waiving his no-trade protection.
Buster
- I’m sending a full Brinks truck to Skubal this offseason, right?
Mark P
- The Giants are on record as not wanting to give lengthy, expensive contracts to pitchers. So they’re not the team I’d see as the likeliest suitors to give Skubal a record-setting contract, and such a deal is certainly now in question since Skubal will miss such a big chunk of 2026.
Cohen
- Will we decline Robert’s $20million option?
Mark P
- Most definitely
Reds Nation
- Demote McLain, promote Arroyo and Marte and bench Hayes. I believe the Reds are better off with Ashcraft or Johnson closing. Will that fix their problems?
Mark P
- It won’t get the rotation or Suarez any healthier, but sure, getting McLain and Hayes out of the lineup seems like a pretty obvious answer for a team struggling for offense. Not to say that Arroyo or Marte are necessarily game-changers, but it would be hard to do worse than McLain/Hayes.It also doesn’t help that Sal Stewart has drastically cooled down after his hot start, but that’s not unexpected. The key is if Stewart can bounce back and at least be consistent the rest of the way.
Neale
- Do the Red Sox have any chance recovering from their early season woes?
Mark P
- Absolutely. Like I said earlier (and have been saying for a few weeks now), the American League as a whole has been mediocre. The Red Sox are one good week away from being in playoff position.
Blue Jays To Select Yariel Rodriguez’s Contract
The Blue Jays will be selecting the contract of right-hander Yariel Rodriguez from Triple-A Buffalo, according to reporter Francys Romero. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi note that Rodriguez will be added to the roster prior to Monday’s game with the Rays. Toronto has only 39 players on its 40-man roster, so only a 26-man move will need to be made as the corresponding move for Rodriguez’s arrival.
After signing a five-year, $32MM contract with the Jays prior to the 2024 season, Rodriguez debuted in the Show by posting a 4.47 ERA, 23.1% strikeout rate, and 10.9% walk rate over 86 2/3 innings. While Rodriguez technically started all 21 of his games in 2024, he was used as an opener or piggyback starter on several occasions. Rodriguez then made just one “start” as an opener in 2025, and otherwise worked in a relief role while posting a 3.08 ERA, 22.1K%, and 11.4BB% over 73 innings and 66 appearances.
The poor walk rates are the most obvious red flag from Rodriguez’s first two MLB seasons, and his strikeout rates have sat only around league average. His 4.27 SIERA from the 2025 season is a better reflection of his performance than the 3.08 ERA, as Rodriguez benefited from a .228 BABIP and an 81.2% strand rate. On the plus side, the move to the bullpen helped Rodriguez bump his fastball up to 95.7mph (from 93.9mph in 2024), and he did a good job of limiting hard contact, though the righty allowed eight homers in his 73 frames.
The Blue Jays made the decision to outright Rodriguez to Triple-A back in December, removing him from the 40-man roster. The Jays probably wouldn’t have been too upset if another club had claimed Rodriguez off waivers and removed the $17MM in remaining salary off Toronto’s books, yet that same salary may have been the reason the Blue Jays felt confident in outrighting Rodriguez just to clear a 40-man slot.
After delivering a 1.50 ERA over six relief innings for Cuba during the World Baseball Classic, Rodriguez has a 2.63 ERA and a whopping 43.1% strikeout rate over 13 2/3 innings for Buffalo this season. These standout numbers are undermined, however, by a 15.5% walk rate, as Rodriguez’s control has become an even bigger concern. This makes Rodriguez an interesting addition to a Jays bullpen that entered Sunday’s action leading the majors in strikeout rate (26.1%) while also tied for the second-lowest walk rate (8.3%) for any relief corps in the sport.
Mason Fluharty hasn’t pitched well and he has two minor league options, though optioning Fluharty to make room for Rodriguez would leave Joe Mantiply as the only left-hander in Toronto’s bullpen. Among the right-handers, Tommy Nance is out of options, and Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles can’t be optioned to the minors without first being offered back to the Giants. (Miles is also pitching so well that the Jays are surely keeping him around.) Unless there is an unknown injury impacting the pitching staff, it will be interesting to see what the corresponding move is when Rodriguez is officially selected.
Reds To Place Rhett Lowder On 15-Day Injured List
The Reds will place right-hander Rhett Lowder on the 15-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game against the Nationals. Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan) that Lowder was headed to the IL prior to today’s 5-0 victory over the Astros, though the Reds opted against making a transaction to add a fresh arm to the bullpen for today’s contest. Cincinnati will use Monday’s off-day to evaluate their rotation plans before officially sidelining Lowder, though waiting until Tuesday means that Lowder’s IL stint can be backdated only until May 9.
Lowder’s last start came on May 7, when he allowed three runs in three innings against the Cubs and was pulled due to what was termed as right shoulder discomfort. An MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, and Francona said Lowder received an injection to help with the discomfort. Lowder will continue to throw for the time being for not off a mound, and Francona indicated that the IL placement is somewhat precautionary.
“Our thought was we’re trying not to put a bandaid on something,” Francona said. “We want this kid to be able to pitch, and pitch for a long time and not get interrupted so, hopefully, a couple weeks down will do him a world of good.”
After posting a 1.17 ERA in his first 30 2/3 big league innings in 2024, Lowder was unable to follow up on that impressive debut due to forearm and oblique injuries that limited him to only 9 1/3 minor league innings in 2025. Returning to action as part of Cincinnati’s Opening Day rotation, Lowder managed a 3.18 ERA over his first six starts before things went south in his last two outings. Lowder’s abbreviated start against the Cubs came five days after the Pirates torched him for eight runs over just 1 1/3 innings.
Some regression was probably due given Lowder’s lackluster Statcast metrics, and his 5.40 ERA is a closer match to his 5.05 SIERA. Lowder has only a 16.3% strikeout rate this season and a 16.7K% for his brief MLB career, as the strong strikeout ability he showed in the minors has yet to carry over to the Show.
With Lowder heading to the IL, the Reds again find themselves down three starting pitchers. Nick Lodolo only just made his season debut on Friday after missing time due to blister issues, Brandon Williamson went on the 60-day IL earlier this week due to shoulder fatigue, and ace Hunter Greene remains out until midseason after undergoing surgery in March to have bone chips removed from his throwing elbow.
Monday’s off-day provides a bit of a reset for the pitching staff, but the likeliest scenario is that Chase Petty will again be called up from Triple-A to fill in for Lowder. Petty made his first appearance of 2026 by filling in for Williamson last Monday, and Petty allowed three runs over 5 2/3 frames in a 5-4 Reds loss to the Nationals.
Giants Notes: Bader, Schmitt, Hentges
4:24PM: Hentges was indeed activated from the 15-day IL today, and San Francisco also called up right-hander Dylan Smith from Triple-A. In corresponding moves, right-hander Ryan Walker and Gregory Santos were optioned to Triple-A. Walker entered the season as perhaps the Giants’ top choice at closer, but his struggles have left the team still looking for any kind of stability in the ninth inning.
11:19AM: The 15-24 Giants are currently tied with the Mets for the worst record in the National League. The Giants’ offense and pitching staff have both been below-average to start the year, with the offense being the bigger culprit of the two for the team’s woes. On the whole, San Francisco is batting .241/.284/.357 with an 81 wRC+, the latter tying the Mets for worst in the Majors. On the plus side, Casey Schmitt has a 144 wRC+ through 128 plate appearances, while Luis Arraez is pairing his old-school hitting style with surprisingly strong defense. However, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames are all hitting poorly. Chapman “leads” those three with a 79 wRC+ in 160 plate appearances.
An X-factor in the Giants’ offense is center fielder Harrison Bader. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since April 15 with a left hamstring strain, though Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Bader is likely to come off the IL soon. If so, that would amount to about a month of missed time for the outfielder. Bader only made 55 plate appearances before he went down, but the club is hoping he can show some of his form from last year when he returns. In 501 plate appearances between the Twins and Phillies in 2025, Bader had career-best marks in wRC+ (122), wOBA (.346), and home runs (17).
There were some signs that Bader was lucky to hit so well. He batted .359 on balls in play, which was well above the league average. Bader’s .297 expected wOBA was also well below his actual mark of .346, while his 87.2 MPH average exit velocity ranked in just the 12th percentile in the Majors. There is also the matter that Bader has been a below-average hitter in most seasons, including every season from 2022-24 leading up to his 2025 breakout. In other words, Bader had a career season at the plate in 2025, but no one was expecting him to suddenly become a generational hitter.
The Giants would be happy if Bader was simply an average hitter. Between their starting outfield of Heliot Ramos, Drew Gilbert, and Jung Hoo Lee, only Ramos is even an average hitter. He currently has an even 100 wRC+ through 150 plate appearances, along with an unsustainable .368 average on balls in play. Lee is slightly below-average with a 96 wRC+, and his subpar defense isn’t helping his value either. Gilbert was a first-round draft pick by the Astros in 2022 and has some promise, but he has so far been outmatched in the Majors. The return of Bader wouldn’t be a huge upgrade for the team’s offense, whose fortunes depend on Chapman, Adames, and especially Devers returning to their career norms. That said, swapping in Bader for Gilbert in center would hopefully deepen the lineup with an average hitter, to say nothing of Bader’s exceptional defense.
Amid the struggles of the Giants’ star hitters, one of the bright spots has been the performance of Schmitt. With a 144 wRC+ in 129 plate appearances, Schmitt has been far and away the Giants’ best hitter of 2026. At the same time, he has mostly served as a DH, and those plate appearances may be hard to come by in the wake of Bryce Eldridge‘s recent promotion. That said, Slusser writes that Schmitt has been taking outfield reps during batting practice this week. That builds on prior comments from manager Tony Vitello, who said that Schmitt is athletic enough to handle the corner outfield if the team handles it “intelligently.”
Slusser clarifies that Schmitt is still an emergency option, and there are no immediate plans to play him in the outfield. Still, giving him outfield reps, even in a low-pressure setting, is a smart move on the part of the Giants. As tantalizing as Eldridge’s potential is, the club simply cannot afford to take Schmitt out of the lineup. For what it’s worth, the six-foot, 215-pound Schmitt’s sprint speed is in the 72nd percentile according to Statcast. He also has above-average arm strength. It remains to be seen how he might take to the outfield, but converting Schmitt into a utility player might be the best way to get him regular reps and leverage his defensive strengths.
Turning to the Giants’ pitching staff, Slusser reports that reliever Sam Hentges‘ rehab assignment is ending today. He is likely to be activated soon. The Giants’ bullpen has a decent-enough 3.85 ERA, although their combined 0.1 fWAR places them in the bottom ten relief units in the Majors. It remains to be seen how Hentges will impact that picture. The 6’8″ lefty pitched for Cleveland from 2021-24 and was generally solid in the latter three years. He underwent shoulder surgery in September 2024 and arthroscopic knee surgery in September 2025, but he now appears fully healthy. The keys to Hentges’ success will be generating groundballs, which he has done 53.4% of the time in his career, and recovering his mid-90s four-seam velocity.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images