Brewers Select Peter Strzelecki
The Brewers announced that right-hander Peter Strzelecki‘s contract has been selected from Triple-A Nashville. Strzelecki fills the open spot on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, and he’ll take the 26-man spot of right-hander Coleman Crow, who was optioned to Triple-A.
More to come…
Luke Jackson To Opt Out Of Mets Contract
Right-hander Luke Jackson is triggering an opt-out clause in the minor league contract he signed with the Mets in early April, The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports. Depending on the specific terms of the clause, Jackson may be a free agent immediately, or he could become a free agent if the Mets don’t add him to their active roster within the next few days.
Jackson’s time in the farm system has seen the righty post a 0.00 ERA over three innings at high-A St. Lucie, but then an 11.57 ERA over five games and 4 2/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse. Those rough numbers included seven walks against only two strikeouts against Triple-A batters, so it isn’t surprising that New York hasn’t yet felt compelled to call Jackson up to the majors. Even though the Mets are known for churning through relievers, selecting Jackson’s contract would also require a corresponding 40-man roster move.
A veteran of 10 Major League seasons, Jackson spent the majority (272 of his 409 1/3 career innings) with the Braves, posting a 3.97 ERA over his time in Atlanta’s bullpen. His best season was in 2021, when Jackson’s 1.98 ERA over 63 2/3 relief innings made him one of many unsung heroes on the Braves’ World Series championship club.
As one might expect for a grounder specialist, Jackson’s performance has tended to wax and wane in relation to his BABIP. Jackson’s control has always been spotty and his strikeout numbers have fluctuated rather sharply, and evened out at a 23.2% career strikeout rate. The 2025 season saw Jackson post a 4.06 ERA, 17.4K%, 12.8% walk rate, and 51.7% grounder rate over 51 innings with the Rangers, Tigers, and Mariners, as a .253 BABIP helped Jackson overcome his shaky secondary metrics.
If Jackson doesn’t end up with the Mets and instead becomes a free agent, his track record means that he’ll probably land another minors contract relatively quickly. The right-hander has played for six different organizations since July 2024, so Jackson is getting quite used to changing teams.
White Sox Acquire Junior Perez
The White Sox and Athletics have announced a trade, as outfielder Junior Perez is on his way to Chicago in exchange for minor league southpaw Jackson Nove. Perez was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, and further roster move was required since the Sox already had an open spot on their 40-man roster.
More to come…
Mets Place Clay Holmes On 15-Day Injured List Due To Fractured Fibula
TODAY: Holmes was officially placed on the 15-day IL today. Right-hander Joey Gerber was called up in the corresponding move, as the Mets opted to address the bullpen and save the rotation decision for a few days.
MAY 15: Mets right-hander Clay Holmes sustained a fractured right fibula in tonight’s 5-2 loss to the Yankees, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Manager Carlos Mendoza told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and others that Holmes will “be down for a long time.” He has not been placed on the injured list yet, though a move is inevitable given Mendoza’s comments.
Holmes sustained the injury in the top of the 4th inning. Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones hit a liner that deflected off Holmes’ right leg and resulted in an infield single (video courtesy of MLB.com). Holmes was visited by trainers after the play but remained in the game, eventually departing after 4 1/3 innings. He underwent X-rays after the game, which revealed the fracture.
The impending loss of Holmes is a massive blow to the Mets, who are already struggling en route to one of the worst records in baseball at 18-26. Holmes is arguably the Mets’ most important starting pitcher this side of Nolan McLean. Including tonight’s game, in which he allowed four earned runs, Holmes has an excellent 2.39 ERA in 52 2/3 innings this year. Although his strikeout rate is slightly below average, Holmes excels by keeping the ball on the ground. His 56.0% groundball rate puts him in the Top 10 of qualified starters and is on par with last year’s 55.8% figure. Losing that production for any amount of time would be devastating, even more so with Holmes figuring to be out for months rather than weeks.
As a whole, the Mets’ rotation has been middle-of-the-pack in 2026. The group’s 3.93 ERA entering play today ranked 11th in the Majors, while their 14.7% strikeout to walk differential ranked 10th. Meanwhile, the group’s 3.67 expected ERA ranks fifth in the league and suggests the Mets’ starters have been slightly unlucky in that performance. The rotation has also had to weather poor injury luck, as Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation) has been down for two weeks and Justin Hagenman (rib fracture) has been on the injured list since Spring Training.
Obviously, the Mets’ rotation injuries don’t account for all of the team’s struggles. The offense has a terrible 85 wRC+ and is tied for second-worst in the Majors in that regard. In contrast, the bullpen is tied for fourth-best in the Majors with a 1.8 combined fWAR. As mentioned, the rotation is middle-of-the-pack, and that’s despite poor performances from David Peterson (8.10 ERA in five traditional starts) and Senga (9.00 ERA in five starts pre-injury). Overall, the pitching staff is the Mets’ strong suit amid their offensive struggles, making Holmes’ injury sting even more.
In Holmes’ absence, McLean, Peralta, and Christian Scott are the remaining starters. Peterson has provided bulk innings out of the ‘pen in his last two appearances and should remain in that role. If the Mets are comfortable having two spots for openers or bullpen games, they could use Sean Manaea as another bulk arm alongside Peterson. Manaea, who has been a starter for most of his career, threw between 41 and 74 pitches in all six of his relief appearances this April. He’s been used in short relief in May but could feasibly be stretched out to a larger workload again. If the team prefers a more traditional starter, No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong could be recalled from the minors.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
A’s Acquire Alika Williams, Designate Michael Stefanic
The A’s announced that infielder Alika Williams was acquired in a trade with the Pirates in exchange for minor league righty Kyle Robinson. Infielder Michael Stefanic was designated for assignment to clear space for Williams on the Athletics’ 26-man and 40-man rosters, as the team officially selected Williams’ contract to the active roster.
Selected 37th overall by the Rays in the 2020 draft, Williams came to Pittsburgh in the June 2023 trade that brought Robert Stephenson to Tampa. Williams made his MLB debut in a Pirates uniform later that year, and went onto hit .202/.257/.271 over 208 plate appearances for the Buccos over the 2023-24 seasons. Pittsburgh designated Williams for assignment during the 2024-25 offseason and then outrighted him to Triple-A, where Williams hit an uninspiring .268/.329/.393 over 391 PA for Indianapolis during the 2025 campaign.
This year, Williams has hit .317/.385/.467 over 135 Triple-A plate appearances, representing one of the best offensive stretches of his pro career. Despite this hot bat, the Pirates apparently didn’t want to select Williams’ contract back to the 26-man roster just to be a bench guy, as Konnor Griffin and Brandon Lowe are the starting middle infielders, and Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo are being used at third base.
There’s more of an opportunity for Williams in Sacramento, as both Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy are on the Athletics’ 10-day injured list. Williams could see time at shortstop when Darell Hernaiz isn’t at the position, and some second base at-bats could become available in Jeff McNeil‘s place when a left-hander is on the mound.
Stefanic signed a minor league deal with the A’s last winter, and his contract was selected in the wake of Wilson’s IL placement earlier this week. After all of two games in an Athletics uniform, Stefanic’s tenure with the club may already be over, if he is claimed away on waivers or if he elects free agency over an outright assignment if he clears waivers. Because Stefanic has been outrighted in the past, he now has the ability to reject any future outrights in favor of free agency, though he could opt to stay with the A’s if he feels he’ll get more big league opportunities down the road.
Though Stefanic has hit only .231/.315/.269 over 294 career PA with the Angels, Blue Jays, and Athletics, he had some posted some big numbers at Triple-A in the past. Like Williams, Stefanic also has a wealth of experience at shortstop, second base, and third base, plus Stefanic has a handful of games as a first baseman and at both corner outfield positions.
Robinson is a 22-year-old righty who was an 11th-round pick for the A’s in the 2024 draft. The Texas Tech product pitched at both the high-A and Double-A levels last season, but returned to high-A Lansing this year to post a 3.62 ERA, 16.7% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate across 27 1/3 innings. Robinson has started 27 of his 34 games as a professional, but he’ll need both miss more bats or improve his control to remain as any kind of a viable starter candidate.
Jose Berrios To Undergo Elbow Surgery
Jose Berrios will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a stress fracture in his right elbow, as Blue Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae and other reporters. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure, and it is possible the surgery could be more complicated since “there is some concern about [Berrios’] ligament,” Mae writes. A recovery timeline (or whether or not Berrios will pitch at all in 2026) therefore won’t be known until the surgery is complete, and a further assessment is made for any ligament damage.
Surgery is perhaps the natural endpoint to what has been an injury-marred nine months for a pitcher once known for his durability. Right elbow inflammation sent Berrios to the 15-day injured list at the end of the 2025 season and kept him from participating in the Blue Jays’ postseason run. As he prepared to pitch for Puerto Rico in this spring’s World Baseball Classic, tests revealed more inflammation and then a stress fracture in Berrios’ right elbow.
Toronto placed Berrios on the 15-day IL to begin the season, and he appeared to be on track before more elbow discomfort arose during his minor league rehab assignment. Berrios had an MRI and a previous visit with Dr. Meister last week, and Schneider told reporters yesterday that surgery was now a possibility, as Berrios could be dealing with loose bodies in his elbow area.
It is possible that Berrios’ 2026 season could be over even if he is “only” dealing with loose bodies and the initial stress fracture, given how the recovery timeline for such procedures can vary greatly. A best-case scenario probably has Berrios making his 2026 debut after the All-Star break, though anywhere from mid-July to mid-August is a realistic window.
If ligament damage is found, the question then becomes how much of Berrios’ 2027 season could be in jeopardy. An internal brace procedure would put the right-hander in line to return by May or June of next season. A full Tommy John surgery would require 13-15 months on the shelf, so any sort of setback within that rehab process could threaten Berrios’ ability to return before the 2027 season is out.
Turning first to contractual matters, Berrios has an opt-out clause in his contract that can be triggered this offseason, allowing him to walk away from the final two years and $48MM remaining on his seven-year, $131MM extension. It already didn’t seem likely that Berrios would exercise that opt-out, and the fact that he’ll now miss most or even all of the 2026 campaign means that he’ll remain with the Jays beyond the season.
In the shorter term, Berrios’ continued absence (even for 2-3 more months) is more bad news for a Toronto rotation that has already been drastically thinned. Shane Bieber is throwing to live batters but has yet to begin a minor league rehab assignment, and Max Scherzer has started throwing in the first steps of his recovery from forearm tendinitis.
These two veterans are probably a month away at best, but that still puts them ahead of several other Blue Jays pitchers. Cody Ponce‘s season has been ended by a torn ACL, depth starter Bowden Francis‘ season is also over due to a Tommy John surgery, and swingman Lazaro Estrada has missed about a month due to a shoulder impingement. Eric Lauer didn’t suffer a traditional injury but was hampered by a bad case of the flu, and he pitched so poorly that the Jays designated Lauer for assignment.
Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease have been the only stable members of the rotation, and Trey Yesavage only recently returned from a shoulder impingement of his own. Patrick Corbin was signed to a one-year, $1MM contract in early April and he has a respectable 3.93 ERA while covering seven starts and 34 1/3 innings. To find a fifth starter, the Jays may have to look outside the organization for at least another Corbin-esque addition, or dig further into their depth chart to either minor league signings (i.e. Josh Fleming) or pitchers with little to no MLB experience.
Rule 5 Draft pick Spencer Miles has pitched well in a relief role, and the Jays may be leaning towards stretching Miles out as a de facto fifth starter, even if Miles might work behind an opener or be used in a piggyback capacity. Miles is pitching today behind opener Mason Fluharty.
On the bullpen front, Adam Macko is in Detroit today as a member of the Jays’ taxi squad, Schneider told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other media that Macko may be activated depending on the status of other relievers who aren’t 100 percent, so Macko could join the 26-man roster tomorrow as a fresh arm. Macko will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in his first game for Toronto.
Yankees Place Max Fried On 10-Day Injured List
TODAY: Rodriguez was called up from Triple-A to take Fried’s spot on the active roster.
MAY 14: The Yankees have placed lefty Max Fried on the 15-day IL due to a bone bruise in his left elbow, the team announced. An exact timetable isn’t clear, but it’ll be more than a minimum stint. Fried will be reevaluated “in a few weeks,” and only then will the Yankees determine when he can resume throwing. His MRI will also be reviewed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in the coming days. For now, the Yankees made no mention of structural damage or anything pertaining to Fried’s ulnar collateral ligament. Fried himself tells reporters that he does not think surgery will be necessary for his current issue (link via Joel Sherman of the New York Post).
Fried exited his most recent start (Wednesday) after just three innings. The Yankees announced at the time that he was dealing with posterior soreness in his left elbow, prompting concern about a potential major injury. The bone bruise isn’t a best-case scenario but certainly isn’t worst-case either.
Losing Fried for any period of time — and this, as mentioned, seems very likely to be more than the minimum — is a major hit for the Yankees. The severity of the blow is lessened, to an extent, by the looming return of Gerrit Cole, but the Yankees’ vision of a Cole-Fried tandem leading the rotation still has not come to fruition since signing Fried to an eight-year, $218MM contract in Dec. 2024. Cole’s elbow blew out during spring training 2025, costing him the entire season. The Yankees have still yet to have both aces on the active roster at the same time. Cole likely has at least one more minor league rehab start to go before he’s ready to return.
Fried, 32, is out to yet another terrific start. He’s given the Yankees 61 2/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA, a 20.8% strikeout rate, a 7.9% walk rate and a 48.8% ground-ball rate so far. His debut campaign in the Bronx produced a 2.86 earned run average over the life of 195 1/3 frames.
It’s exactly the sort of production for which the Yankees were hoping when signing Fried to a contract that still stands as the fourth-largest ever given to a pure pitcher (fifth-largest, if we include two-way star Shohei Ohtani). Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cole and Stephen Strasburg are the only pitchers to ever command a larger guarantee than Fried’s $218MM, whether via extension or free agency.
With Fried headed to the IL alongside Cole (at least in the short term), the Yankees’ rotation includes four locks: Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodon, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. They could plug long relievers Paul Blackburn or Ryan Yarbrough into the rotation for a turn or two, and prospect Elmer Rodriguez has already come up to the majors for his debut this year, so he’s another candidate to pick up some innings. Righty Luis Gil was optioned earlier this season but is on the minor league injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.
Red Sox Place Trevor Story On 10-Day Injured List
The Red Sox are placing Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list prior to tonight’s game with the Braves, MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith reports. Infielder Nick Sogard will be called up to replace Story on the active roster, as Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette first reported earlier today.
As noted by Smith and Chris Cotillo, Story has been dealing with a groin problem for a few weeks, dating back to Boston’s April 24-26 series with the Orioles. Story was given a few off-days in the interim to see if some added rest could fix the problem, but the decision has been made to give the veteran at least 10 days to fully recover.
It’s probably a wise move given Story’s long injury history, and because this IL stint might serve as an unofficial reset to what has been a rough season for the 33-year-old. Story is hitting only .206/.244/.303 over his first 176 plate appearances, translating to a brutal 47 wRC+. Between the lack of offense and subpar metrics (-1 Defensive Runs Saved, -2 Outs Above Average) regarding his work at shortstop, Story has been playing at below replacement level, with -0.4 fWAR to show for his 41 games.
Story had a .585 OPS over his first 232 PA in 2025 and then an .827 OPS in his final 422 PA, so it is certainly possible he can again rebound from another slow start. The Red Sox certainly hope Story can more to offer since he is only in the fifth guaranteed year of a six-year, $140MM free agent deal that has yet to deliver much in the way of results.
Andruw Monasterio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, or Sogard (who is getting his first taste of MLB action this season) could all see some time at shortstop in Story’s absence. The Red Sox could also possibly move Marcelo Mayer from second base over to his original shortstop position, though Mayer has yet to play anywhere but the keystone this season.
Cardinals Designate Jared Shuster For Assignment
The Cardinals announced that left-hander Jared Shuster has been designated for assignment. The move opens up roster space for right-hander Matt Pushard, who is back from the 15-day injured list after recovering from patellar tendinitis in his right knee.
It was a little over a month ago that Shuster was first DFA’ed by the Cards, and the southpaw was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. Shuster chose to accept that assignment rather than opt for free agency, so he’ll face that decision again if he again clears waivers this time around.
Because Shuster is out of minor league options, he’ll have to be designated for assignment whenever the Cardinals or another team wants to send him down to Triple-A or create space on a 26-man roster. Given this state of perpetual roster limbo, Shuster might prefer to somewhat reduce the tumult by just staying with St. Louis, so he’d at least have the familiarity of remaining in the same organization. That said, if Shuster feels his big league opportunities will be limited with the Cards, he could choose to test the market this time around.
It also isn’t out of the question that Shuster is claimed off waivers, given how teams are perpetually in need of left-handed pitching depth. The Athletics claimed Shuster away from the White Sox last August, when Shuster was DFA’ed for the first time in his career. Shuster has a 2.35 ERA over the small sample of 7 2/3 innings for St. Louis this season, plus an 8.38 ERA over 9 2/3 frames for Triple-A Memphis — ironically, his peripheral numbers in the Show are unimpressive while his metrics in Triple-A have been pretty solid, though both represent small sample sizes.
Selected 25th overall by Atlanta in the 2020 draft, Shuster has only a 5.12 ERA, 15% strikeout rate, and 10.1% walk rate to show for 149 1/3 MLB innings with the Braves, White Sox, and Cardinals. Shuster’s brief time in the Athletics’ organization ended without any big league action, and he signed with St. Louis on a minor league deal during the offseason.
Orioles Sign Tommy Pham To Minor League Contract
The Orioles have signed veteran outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league deal, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez (multiple links). The contract contains an opt-out clause for Pham in early June if he hasn’t already been added to Baltimore’s active roster. Pham is represented by Republik Sports.
If Pham’s contract is selected and he appears in a game for the O’s, he would become the 24th player (and ninth position player) to suit up for 11 different MLB teams over the course of his career. Historical noteworthiness aside, Pham’s first priority is just to get his 2026 season on track, as he went hitless over 14 plate appearances and nine games for the Mets earlier this season.
Pham went almost the entire offseason without being signed, as he didn’t land his previous minors deal with the Mets until March 26. After working out at extended Spring Training and then playing in four A-ball games, New York selected Pham’s contract on April 12, but his lack of production led to a DFA in late April. Pham then chose to become a free agent after clearing waivers, rather than accepting an outright assignment to the Mets’ Triple-A club.
While reading too much into his 14 PA this season is unfair, Pham has hit only .240/.321/.382 over 2730 PA since Opening Day 2020, which translates to a 96 wRC+. His only full seasons of above-average offense in that stretch were 2021 (103 wRC+) and 2023 (109 wRC+), and his splits against left-handed pitching are nothing special.
The frequent changes of uniform could be one reason for this inconsistent performance, and Pham has had a habit of streaky play over his entire career. The 2025 season saw Pham actually stay with one team for the entire season, and he hit .245/.330/.370 over 449 PA for the Pirates.
What Pham still has in the tank at age 38 remains to be seen, but there’s no risk for the Orioles in taking a flier on a minor league signing. Making New York’s roster guaranteed a $2.25MM salary for Pham in 2026, so the O’s would owe him only the prorated portion of the roughly $1.65MM remaining for any time Pham spends on Baltimore’s 26-man roster (with the Mets on the hook for the rest).
Taylor Ward and Tyler O’Neill are the Orioles’ primary corner outfielders, and like Pham, both are right-handed hitters. This means that Pham’s paths to his usual positions are pretty much blocked, though O’Neill is struggling badly at the plate, and Pham could be a depth option for the O’s in a broader sense given their other injury woes.
Ryan Mountcastle is on the 60-day IL and Jordan Westburg is gone for the season, leaving Baltimore short two right-handed bats. In the outfield, Dylan Beavers and Heston Kjerstad (both left-handed hitters) are on the IL though Kjerstad is making progress on a minor league rehab assignment. The O’s would prefer to keep Samuel Basallo as the regular designated hitter whenever he isn’t spelling Adley Rutschman behind the plate, but since Basallo is a lefty hitter, Pham might be viewed as a possible fill-in DH if the Orioles are facing a left-handed opponent.