Brewers Acquire Joel Kuhnel From Athletics
Today: The Brewers have added Kuhnel to their active roster ahead of tonight’s game against his former team. In a corresponding move, right-hander Craig Yoho was optioned to Triple-A.
June 6: Right-hander Joel Kuhnel is heading to the Brewers for cash considerations. The A’s designated him for assignment on Friday. Both teams have announced the deal. Milwaukee moved Quinn Priester to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot for Kuhnel.
The 31-year-old Kuhnel was one of manager Mark Kotsay‘s top options in the ninth inning early in the season. He picked up four saves in his first seven appearances. Kuhnel remained in the high-leverage mix through May, but struggled to close the month, permitting three earned runs over his final two outings.
The final blow came on Thursday against the Cubs. Kuhnel was called upon to preserve a three-run lead in the ninth inning. He gave up four earned runs on five hits while recording just two outs. Righty Luis Medina was unable to put out Kuhnel’s fire, allowing a pair of hits, including a walk-off single to Pete Crow-Armstrong. The disastrous outing raised Kuhnel’s ERA from 2.88 to 4.21.
Kuhnel has pitched for four teams across parts of six big-league seasons. He spent all of 2025 at Triple-A in the Yankees’ and Phillies’ systems. The veteran righty came to the A’s on a minor league deal in December. He didn’t break camp with the team, but reached the majors after just two minor league outings.
Milwaukee is missing several key pieces in the bullpen. Offseason trade acquisition Angel Zerpa was lost to Tommy John surgery. Lefty DL Hall just went down with a pectoral injury. Veterans Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny have missed the majority of the season. Kuhnel, being a righty, wouldn’t necessarily alleviate those absences, but he could provide value in a lower-leverage role.
Priester is dealing with symptoms related to thoracic outlet syndrome. He has avoided surgery up to this point. The righty recently had his rehab assignment bumped to Rookie ball after a stretch of poor performances. Priester has 19 walks in 13 1/3 innings across seven minor league outings. Manager Pat Murphy recently said Priester could need another month of rehab.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Designate Yariel Rodríguez For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Yariel Rodríguez for assignment, as first reported by Francys Romero. Taking his spot in the major league bullpen is Tommy Nance, returning from a three-week stint on the injured list. This leaves the Blue Jays with an open spot on their 40-man roster.
Rodríguez signed a five-year, $32MM contract with Toronto during the 2023-24 offseason. He started 21 games for the Jays in 2024 before transitioning to a bullpen role the following season. The righty led the team with 73 innings pitched out of the bullpen, finishing with a 3.08 ERA and a 4.27 SIERA. However, he ran into problems in the latter half of the year, with a 4.58 ERA and 5.46 SIERA over his final 20 regular season appearances, plus another three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work in October. This prompted Toronto to remove him from its 40-man roster over the offseason. Due to his poor second half and the $21MM remaining on his contract, he passed through waivers, and the Blue Jays sent him outright to Triple-A Buffalo.
In 11 appearances for the Buffalo Bisons to start the year, Rodríguez pitched to a 2.63 ERA. He struck out 43.1% of his opponents, generated grounders on 47.8% of balls in play, and didn’t allow a home run. Six weeks into the season, he got the call back to Toronto. Since then, however, the 29-year-old has looked a lot less like the arm that dominated Triple-A hitters and a lot more like the pitcher who struggled down the stretch in 2025. In 9 1/3 innings, he gave up 11 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits, seven walks, and a hit-by-pitch. He only struck out six of the 45 batters he faced.
Presumably, Toronto is hoping for a similar situation to last time: Rodríguez and his contract pass through waivers unclaimed, and he stays in the organization. Despite his recent issues, he has flashed promising stuff in NPB, Triple-A, and occasionally in MLB. In a best-case scenario, the Blue Jays finally figure out how to help him thrive in the majors. In a worst-case scenario, he’s endlessly DFA-able bullpen depth.
Nance hit the IL on May 17 with forearm discomfort. Thankfully for Toronto, it seems to have been relatively minor. The 35-year-old has been surprisingly reliable for the Blue Jays over the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.73 ERA and 2.86 SIERA in 52 2/3 innings of mostly lower-leverage work. Injuries have hit Toronto’s rotation harder than its bullpen this season, but there’s no question the team is glad to have Nance back in the fold. His return means the Blue Jays now only have nine pitchers on their big league IL.
Mariners Place J.P. Crawford On 10-Day IL
The Mariners have placed shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day injured list, three days after a hit-by-pitch forced him from the game. They’re calling the injury a right hand contusion. In Crawford’s place, Seattle has recalled infielder Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma.
It’s a poorly timed injury for the Mariners, as Crawford’s recent play has played a big role in Seattle’s climb to the top of the AL West. Dating back to late April, the veteran shortstop has slashed .258/.366/.500 with nine homers, a pair of doubles and a 12.7% walk rate in 142 trips to the plate. He’s done so while handling shortstop duties on a near-daily basis, though Crawford recently volunteered to begin working out at the hot corner and could slide over to third base as a means of opening more shortstop work for top prospect Colt Emerson. Crawford is a free agent at season’s end, whereas Emerson is viewed as the shortstop of the future.
Overall, Crawford is hitting .228/.356/.409 this season. By measure of wRC+, he’s been about 26% better than average — thanks largely to that hearty on-base percentage. His glovework at shortstop no longer grades plus (or even average), which is also partly why he’s been tinkering with a move to third base.
With Crawford sidelined, Emerson figures to handle shortstop for at least the next week. He’s gotten out to a .242/.319/.548 slash with four homers through his first 69 trips to the plate at the major league level. Since Brendan Donovan is on the shelf again — and has been since May 15 due to a groin strain — third base reps will fall primarily to Patrick Wisdom and Bliss for the time being. Bliss has been more of a second baseman in his career, but he’s played 56 innings at the hot corner in Tacoma recently.
It’s an unenviable spot for now, but since Crawford’s injury doesn’t seem too severe, the Mariners can hope they’re not that far from having a healthy Donovan, Crawford and Emerson to man the left side of the infield in some capacity. Donovan could always shift to the outfield corners or second base at some point, too, but the Mariners have gotten good production from Randy Arozarena in left field, Luke Raley in right (against righties anyhow), Cole Young at second base and Dominic Canzone at designated hitter. The exact alignment will be determined by the overall health of the roster, but Seattle has quality hitters at just about every position if they can get everyone on the active roster at the same time.
Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! I'll get going at about 2pm CT, but feel free to submit a question(s) ahead of time if you're so inclined. Looking forward to it!
- Good afternoon! I'll get going in one minute here, just wrapping up a long email on our forthcoming Free Agent Power Rankings.
- Ok!
Little Texas
- could you see the Rangers moving in the outfield walls this winter or try signing more power hitters
Steve Adams
- They've already brought in power hitters on both sides of the plate. Neither Joc Pederson nor Jake Burger has had the impact they hoped. I can see them altering the dimensions at some point, yeah. Seems like they're pretty surprised the new Globe Life plays so pitcher-friendly.
Guy Incognito
- Hi Steve. Do you think the uncertainty of the next CBA and possible work stoppage is going to affect trade deadline targets? I was wondering specifically about guys that have extra years of control beyond 2026. Would a guy with 1 extra year be treated as such if 2027 might get washed out? Would a guy with 2+years be affected because of the possible salary cap?
Steve Adams
- It didn't have a major impact last time around, just like the shortened Covid season didn't have a huge impact on the trade deadline. Teams are motivated to win now, and I expect everyone to operate under the assumption that there'll be a lockout but no games lost. I think fans have a more pessimistic outlook on games being played in '27 than a lot of people who work within the sport, which is kind of the point. The league is trying (and succeeding) to rally fan sentiment/support for the cap with a lot of doom-and-gloom narratives but I don't think nearly as many front office people (I'm sure there are some) see it as a foregone conclusion that games will be lost.
Steve
- Instead of teaching and encouraging pitchers to throw ungodly MPH. Is it a lost cause to teach pitchers how to pitch instead of throw? This, in my mind, cut down TJ surgeries, especially younger and younger kids getting the operation. I site a prime example of Greg Maddox. It takes strategy. Have a great fastball...that's fine, but there are a few pitchers scattered throughout MLB that are good pitchers and not gifted with speed. I was going to point to a guy like Bailey Ober, but I think even he had the surgery. Any thoughts on any of this. Love the chats. Thanks.
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Orioles Place Chris Bassitt On Injured List
The Orioles announced that right-hander Chris Bassitt has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 5th, due to low back discomfort. Fellow righty Trey Gibson has been recalled in his place and will start tonight’s game.
The O’s signed Bassitt to a one-year, $18.5MM deal in the offseason. They haven’t received much return on that investment yet. Bassitt has made 12 appearances for the club so far this year, posting a 5.27 earned run average in 56 1/3 innings. His ground ball and walk rates are fairly similar to last year but his strikeout rate has almost been cut in half. He punched out 22.6% of batters faced for the Blue Jays in 2025 but is only sitting down 14.2% of opponents for the orange birds.
It’s possible the back issue has been a lingering problem. Low back inflammation sent him to the IL in September of last year. He missed the ALDS but was back on the mound in a relief role for the ALCS and World Series. Lower back tightness caused him to depart his most recent start for the Orioles after just three innings.
Though Bassitt has been struggling, it’s less than ideal for Baltimore’s rotation to be thinned out even further. Zach Eflin required Tommy John surgery in April, knocking him out for the rest of the year. A strained quad put Dean Kremer on the IL in mid-April and he still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment almost two months later. Even if he ramps up soon, he’ll need some time to get back into game shape. Cade Povich hit the IL last month due to elbow inflammation and has an uncertain timeline.
Thus far, there’s nothing to indicate Bassitt will require a lengthy absence but the O’s will have to proceed for a few weeks with four starters on the IL. That leaves them with Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers and Brandon Young in four spots.
As mentioned, Gibson is coming up to start tonight’s game. It’s unclear if this will be a spot start or if he’ll stick around. Gibson has already made three appearances for the O’s this year with a 3.65 ERA but subpar peripherals in that small sample. In his 38 Triple-A innings, he has a 3.55 ERA, an average-ish 22.4% strikeout rate and strong 51.4% ground ball rate but a poor walk rate of 11.2%.
If the O’s send Gibson back down after tonight’s game, they could have an extra reliever for a few days but would eventually need to find a cover for Bassitt’s spot. Albert Suárez is in the big league bullpen in a long relief role and could provide some bulk. Cameron Weston is on the 40-man but was optioned on May 29th. He can’t be recalled until 15 days have elapsed from that move unless directly replacing someone going on the IL. Perhaps a non-roster option like Nestor German or Trace Bright could get some consideration, or maybe the O’s will look to an external option, but sticking with Gibson is also a possibility.
Photo courtesy of David Butler II, Imagn Images
Cubs Claim Eduarniel Núñez
The Cubs have claimed right-hander Eduarniel Núñez off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported the claim prior to the official announcement. The Cubs optioned Núñez to the Arizona Complex League and don’t need to make a corresponding active roster move. Their 40-man roster had two vacancies due to reliever Ty Blach and infielder Nicky Lopez being designated for assignment last month, so Núñez can fill one of those spots.
Núñez, now 27, is a known commodity to the Cubs. They signed him as an international amateur almost a decade ago. By the end of the 2024 season, he didn’t have a roster spot and became a minor league free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Padres and got added to that club’s roster in the summer of 2025. He was sent to the Athletics in the Mason Miller trade but was designated for assignment in May of this year. He went to the O’s in a cash deal but Baltimore designated him for assignment a few weeks later, which has allowed his original club to scoop him back up.
The righty has shown some strikeout potential but with a lot of room for improvement in terms of control. His four-seamer averages in the upper-90s and he also throws a mid-80s slider and curveball. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has thrown 171 innings on the farm with a 3.42 earned run average. He struck out 29.4% of the batters he faced in that time but while also giving out walks at a massive 15.4% pace. He also made ten appearances in the big leagues for the A’s last year and walked 18.3% of opponents.
With the Cubs sending Núñez to their Arizona complex, they presumably have some plan in mind to get him on track, perhaps with some kind of mechanical adjustment. He can remain on optional assignment for the rest of this year and one additional season, so the Cubs could be patient with him. They don’t have short-term pressure on the 40-man as they still have a vacancy after this move. Though whether he can hold his roster spot in the long term will depend on what the team sees in the coming weeks as they get a close-up look at him
Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images
Rays To Select Austin Slater
1:20pm: The Rays have officially announced Slater’s addition to the roster. Heasley was transferred to the 60-day IL as the corresponding 40-man move. To open an active roster spot, infielder Oliver Dunn has been optioned to Triple-A Durham.
9:55am: The Rays will select the contract of outfielder Austin Slater from Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Slater signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay late last month but is now headed to the major league club as the Rays gear up for a slate of left-handed pitchers.
Tampa Bay will need to open a 40-man spot for Slater. Righty Jon Heasley, who was recently diagnosed with a stress reaction in his elbow and placed on the 15-day IL, seems like a potential 60-day IL candidate. Outfielder Jake Fraley underwent a hernia procedure last month that came with a recovery timetable of six to eight weeks and could be a candidate as well, if the team feels his recovery will skew toward the lengthier end of that window.
Slater, 33, has already played with two different teams this season and seven over the past three seasons combined. He’s been hitting well in Durham, going 8-for-23 with five doubles, a homer, five walks and six strikeouts in 28 trips to the plate (.348/.464/.696).
Slater has taken 49 major league plate appearances between the Marlins and Mets this season, and they haven’t gone well. He’s 8-for-43 with only one extra-base hit (a double) and three times as many strikeouts (15) as walks (five). Broadly speaking, his past three seasons in the majors have been a struggle — hence the frequent changes of address. He’s taken 421 plate appearances in the bigs since Opening Day 2024 and slashed just .212/.298/.304.
Even with that lackluster run, however, Slater is still a lifetime .263/.352/.420 hitter in 1067 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. The Rays will face Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early tonight and are slated to face fellow southpaw Payton Tolle tomorrow. The Angels’ rotation is in disarray, so it’s hard to gauge exactly who’ll be starting for them next weekend when the Rays visit Anaheim. They’ll miss lefty Reid Detmers, barring a shuffle of the current order, but the Halos currently have five lefties in the bullpen. That should lead to plenty of chances for Slater to contribute off the bench or perhaps in the starting lineup if the Angels opt for bullpen games with a lefty opener and/or bulk reliever (e.g. Mitch Farris, Sam Aldegheri).
Diamondbacks Sign Max Kepler
June 8th: Per the Associated Press, Kepler’s salary will be a prorated $780K, the league minimum. He can earn an extra $500K in roster bonuses. He would get $100K for spending 35 days on the roster, then $200K at 55 days and 75 days.
June 7th: The Diamondbacks announced a one-year deal with outfielder Max Kepler. The signing won’t yet impact Arizona’s 40-man roster or active roster, as Kepler is still on the restricted list while serving an 80-game PED suspension.
News broke last January about Kepler’s positive test for the PED known as Epitrenbolone, and with Kepler still on the free agent market, his camp and Major League Baseball worked out an agreement for Kepler to serve his 80-game suspension even if he didn’t land a new contract. Since Kepler didn’t sign until now, he has been serving his 80-game suspension as if he was still a member of the Phillies (his former team).
Philadelphia played its 65th game of the season today, so the final 15 games of Kepler’s suspension presumably now adhere to the Diamondbacks’ schedule. This makes June 25 the first day Kepler is eligible to take part in the 2026 season, so he’ll get a couple of weeks of ramp-up time in the minor leagues before making his D’Backs debut.
Financial terms of the signing weren’t revealed, but it can be assumed Kepler will be receiving a pretty small guaranteed salary prorated over the remainder of the 2026 campaign. Even before the suspension, Kepler was likely facing a tough market given his lack of production with the Phillies last year. He hit .216/.300/.391 with 18 home runs over 474 plate appearances, and even those modest numbers now come under the cloud of the PED suspension.
Kepler has provided almost exactly league-average offense over his 11 MLB seasons, as he had a 101 wRC+ from a career slash line of .235/.316/.425 over 1199 PA with the Twins and Phillies. Kepler posted a 122 wRC+ in both 2019 and 2023 and a 109 wRC+ during the shortened 2020 season, but he has otherwise been a subpar hitter in his other eight seasons.
The left-handed hitter has struggled against southpaw pitching for much of his career, limiting Kepler’s effectiveness as a true everyday player. Kepler has expressed some frustration over a platoon role in the past, such as last June when he said “I signed here [in Philadelphia] being told that I was going to be the starting everyday left fielder” after he wasn’t in the lineup for three straight games when the Phils faced left-handed starters.
While naturally more productive against right-handed pitching, Kepler hasn’t really been a righty-masher, as he has hit a respectable but uninspiring .240/.324/.446 over his career with the platoon advantage. Most of Kepler’s success against righties came earlier in his career, as he has batted just .237/.315/.408 in 1436 PA against righties since Opening Day 2022.
Beyond the offense, Kepler also contributed outstanding right field defense during his prime years as a regular in the Twins lineup. His defensive metrics, however, have dipped as he has battled knee problems in recent years, and the move to the seemingly easier left field position in Philadelphia resulted in +2 Defensive Runs Saved and 0 Outs Above Average over 773 1/3 innings (which represented the first time Kepler had ever played left in his career).
Corbin Carroll obviously has right field covered in Arizona, so Kepler will likely act as a left fielder and DH against right-handed pitching. The Diamondbacks were known to be looking for left-handed hitting help, given that outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jordan Lawlar, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Tommy Troy are all right-handed hitters. By the time Kepler is eligible for reinstatement, Gurriel should be back from the hamstring strain that has sidelined him for last couple of weeks, and Lawlar (currently on a Triple-A rehab assignment) should be back from the broken wrist that has kept him on the IL for over two months.
It should be noted that Kepler’s salary is likely small enough that the D’Backs would feel comfortable releasing Kepler (or designating him for assignment) if he doesn’t produce. This seems like purely a depth move for the Snakes as they continue to try and figure out two-thirds of their outfield picture, and a bit of a flier to see what Kepler might have in the tank in his age-33 season. However Kepler might contribute to Arizona’s postseason chase, he is ineligible to participate in this year’s playoffs, as per the terms of PED suspensions.
Shaun Anderson Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Shaun Anderson has elected free agency after being sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after the Angels designated him for assignment a few days ago.
The most likely outcome from here is that Anderson re-signs with the Angels via a new minor league deal. He and the team have been doing this dance for quite a while. Dating back to the start of the 2025 season, Anderson has been selected to the Angels’ roster five times. In each case, after a short amount of time on the roster, he has been designated for assignment. Then he clears waivers, elects free agency and re-signs.
It’s a nice arrangement for the team, as they effectively get an extra pitcher on the roster. They can call on Anderson whenever they need a fresh arm in the bullpen and discard him for the same reason. Since he is out of options, he has to be bumped off the 40-man when removed from the active roster.
For Anderson, he would presumably prefer a more steady big league job. However, the fact that he keeps clearing waivers indicates no club is willing to give him one. With this arrangement, he at least gets sporadic hits of big league pay and service time.
Anderson has 180 big league innings under his belt with a 6.35 earned run average. 28 of those frames have been with the Angels since the start of last season, with Anderson posting a 7.71 ERA in that time. As mentioned, he will probably re-sign with the Angels soon, but he is technically on the market for the time being.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
Taijuan Walker Opts Out Of Angels Contract
Veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker has been granted his release by the Angels, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that Walker, who signed a minor league deal with the Angels a few weeks ago, had an opt-out in that deal, which he triggered.
Walker, 33, was released by the Phillies earlier this season after being shelled for 25 runs (23 earned) on 36 hits and 11 walks with 17 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. The resulting 9.13 ERA put an end to a disappointing stint with the Phils, who’d signed him to a four-year, $72MM contract ahead of the 2023 season. Walker posted decent numbers in 2023 and 2025 but was clobbered in 2024 and 2026. His time in Philly drew to a close with a 5.12 ERA, a 16.9% strikeout rate, a 9.1% walk rate and a 42.9% ground-ball rate in 402 2/3 innings.
In three starts with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, Walker pitched well. He tallied 11 innings and held opponents to four runs (three earned) on 11 hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. The Halos’ rotation is a mess right now, but apparently they didn’t see enough in those three starts to plug Walker into the staff. They’re currently going with Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, Walbert Ureña and Grayson Rodriguez. Righty Jack Kochanowicz hit the injured list with elbow inflammation this weekend after surrendering seven runs (six earned) in just one-third of an inning against the Dodgers in his most recent start.
Walker will once again explore free agency in search of new opportunities. Even if the Angels prefer other in-house options to step into the fifth spot in the rotation, there are plenty of other clubs around the league whose starting staffs have been ravaged by health troubles. The Blue Jays, Cubs, Tigers, Twins and Marlins are just a few of the teams that have multiple rotation arms on the injured list at the moment.
Rotation depth is always in demand, so Walker should find another opportunity, even if it means taking another minor league deal and trying to earn his way onto a big league roster with continued solid performance in Triple-A. Any team that signs Walker would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the major league roster. The Phillies are on the hook for the rest of his $18MM salary.