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The Best Fits For Kyle Tucker

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Each offseason at MLBTR, we take a look at the potential markets for some of the top names in free agency. In 2025-26, there's no better place to start than with the man who held the top spot on our Free Agent Power Rankings all season and again took home the top spot on our annual Top 50 Free Agent rankings: outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Selected by the Astros with the No. 5 overall pick back in 2015, Tucker has been an impact hitter dating back to the 2019 season. He's slashed a combined .276/.361/.514 in that time (141 wRC+) and hasn't had any individual season that's seen him check in "worse" than 21% better than the average hitter. That came in 2019, his first partial season. Since 2021, Tucker has consistently shown enough pop to hit 30-plus homers. He's reached 25 steals three times along the way and continually upped his walk rate while also cutting his strikeout rate -- so much so that Tucker has walked more often than he's fanned over the past two seasons (15.3% to 15.2%).

Some weird, if not downright fluky injuries have hampered his reputation a bit. Tucker was playing at a full-fledged MVP level in 2024 before fouling a ball into his shin in mid-June. The Astros initially called it a contusion and then a bone bruise. Tucker's stay on the IL lingered for months, much to the chagrin of Houston fans who were perplexed by how the stated injury could take so long to mend. Finally, in September, the Astros revealed that Tucker had actually been diagnosed with a fracture somewhere along the way. It was the sort of vague, puzzling and frustrating injury absence that has become a recurring theme within the Astros organization.

A similar sequence played out in 2025, following Tucker's trade to the Cubs. He was a behemoth in the season's first three months, hitting .291/.396/.537 (157 wRC+) with 17 homers in his first 366 trips to the plate. Tucker fell into a deep slump, and after a couple months it was reported that he'd actually suffered a small fracture in his hand back in June. He played through it. Whether that injury was directly responsible or not, Tucker still "struggled" (by his standards) through July and August, batting a combined .232/.363/.345 (109 wRC+). He suffered a calf strain in early September and only made it back for the season's final three games. Tucker homered in the playoffs and generally hit well through 32 plate appearances.

It's not the sort of massive platform year a top free agent would want, but Tucker has been 43% better than average, by measure of wRC+, dating back to 2021. He's historically been an above-average right fielder. Tucker has made four All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards and also has a Gold Glove to his credit. When he's healthy, there's nothing he doesn't do well. He'll also hit the market ahead of his age-29 season.

A deal easily topping $400MM might've been the expectation had Tucker stayed healthy and maintained the production he posted through late June. The question now is more about whether he can reach the $400MM mark or whether he'll .... "only" ... come in with a deal in the mid-300s.

We know some of the teams that are going to be pursuing Tucker, but let's run through his likeliest landing spots, based on roster composition and payroll outlook, and see if there are any viable dark horse candidates to bring him aboard.

Known/Likely Suitors (listed alphabetically)

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays will probably prioritize retaining Bo Bichette first and foremost, not wanting to let a popular homegrown star escape when they have ample long-term payroll space. Executives, agents and pundits alike all expect an active winter from Toronto after the Jays came just two outs from winning their first World Series in more than three decades, however.

It sounds crazy, but the Jays probably have the payroll space to add both players long-term. Obviously, that's not a likely scenario, but it wouldn't be all that dissimilar from the Rangers' half-billion dollar spending spree four years ago, when Texas signed Corey Seager ($325MM), Marcus Semien ($175MM) and Jon Gray ($56MM) all in the same offseason.

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Warren Schaeffer To Return As Rockies’ Manager In 2026

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The Rockies have a new president of baseball operations (Paul DePodesta), but they’ll welcome back the same dugout leader for the 2026 season. The club announced that Warren Schaeffer, who served as interim manager after Bud Black’s firing back in May, will return as the skipper for the 2026 campaign. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports reported the news prior to the team announcement. Saunders adds that it’ll be a multi-year deal for Schaeffer, though it’s unclear exactly how many years he is signed for.

Though changes are coming to Colorado, the club is going for a bit of continuity by keeping Schaeffer around. The Rockies have been free falling lately. 2025 was their seventh straight losing season, fourth straight in last place in the National League West and third straight with at least 101 losses. In that time, they developed a reputation for being loyal and insular to a fault, as well as resistant to adapting to the modernization of the game.

It seems that the historically bad 2025 season, which led to 119 losses, has prompted a shake-up. As mentioned, Black was fired in May. The Rockies and general manager Bill Schmidt parted ways at the end of the season, with DePodesta later hired to take over the front office. Owner Dick Monfort appears to be ceding some of his duties to his son Walker, who is the club’s executive vice president.

Schaeffer is also a new manager, in a sense, but he has been with the Rockies for years. As a player, the Rockies drafted him back in 2007 and he played for them as a minor leaguer through 2012. When his playing career was done, he stuck with the Rockies as he pivoted to coaching. He managed High-A Ashville from 2015 to 2017, then Double-A Hartford in 2018 and 2019. He then got bumped to the manager’s chair at Triple-A Albuquerque. The 2020 season was canceled by the pandemic but Schaeffer held that job through the 2022 campaign.

He then got the bump to the major league coaching staff in 2023, becoming the third base and infield coach for Colorado. He held that job until Black was fired in May of 2025, when Schaeffer became the interim manager. The Rockies went 36-86 the rest of the way, a winning percentage of just .295, but no one really places that at Schaeffer’s feet. The manager doesn’t get to pick the players and the roster has obviously been flawed for a long time.

With the Rockies likely a few years away from contention, in-game decisions and results are probably not the focus right now. It would make sense to prioritize things like player relationships and development. Since the Rockies have a young roster and Schaeffer was climbing through the farm as a coach until a few years ago, he will have relationships with many of the players going back to their early minor league days. Per Saunders, many players complimented Schaeffer for his communication skills and attention to detail as interim manager last year.

Time will tell how aggressive DePodesta will be in making moves to send out current players and/or bring in external options. As he makes those decisions, Schaeffer will stick around as a throughline from the previous era to the new one. It’s the kind of insular move that has led to criticism being pointed at the Rockies in the past, though it’s understandable why they would want the stability of keeping Schaeffer around as they make other changes elsewhere.

For the near term, Schaeffer’s job will be focused on getting the most of young players who are still trying to reach their potential. Eventually, the target will turn towards winning. Time will tell whether Schaeffer will stick around beyond that inflection point, whenever it arrives.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

Josh Hader “Back To Normal” After Season-Ending Shoulder Injury

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The Astros played the final two months of the 2025 season without their star closer. Josh Hader suffered an ill-timed capsule sprain in his throwing shoulder a couple weeks into August. The injury came too late into the season for the front office to respond with an impact trade addition. Hader expressed hope that he could make a long shot return in the playoffs, but the Astros struggled down the stretch and found themselves on the outside looking in during the final weekend.

For many players, a capsule injury requires surgery and a potential year-plus absence. The Astros have maintained they expect Hader to be able to return without going under the knife. General manager Dana Brown said at the GM Meetings that the team was hopeful the six-time All-Star would be ready for Opening Day.

Hader offered similar sentiments this evening, saying he’s in a good spot after completing a throwing program a few weeks ago. “It should be normal. Obviously, intensity gets up (in Spring Training) and we’ll see how that goes and how I’m recovering, bouncing back from that,” the veteran lefty said (link via Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). “But as of now, everything is status quo, back to normal.”

Before the injury, Hader was amidst yet another excellent season. He carried a 2.05 ERA while striking out 37% of opponents across 52 2/3 innings. Hader locked down 28 of 29 save chances and was well on his way to what would have been his sixth straight full season with at least 30 saves. It was a strong rebound effort from a little less consistent first season in Houston. Hader posted a 3.80 ERA, the second-highest mark of his career, across 71 appearances in 2024.

Hader worked more than one inning in seven appearances this year. He completed two full frames four times, including in what wound up being his last outing of the season on August 8. Hader tossed a season-high 36 pitches in that appearance. That could certainly be coincidental — he twice threw 35 pitches in a game earlier in the year and didn’t get hurt — but the timing at least raises some questions about his workload. Hader didn’t throw more than one inning in any regular season game between 2021-23, seemingly out of concern about suffering an injury before he’d locked in a significant free agent contract.

Once the Astros signed him to a five-year, $95MM deal, Hader reversed course. He said tonight he remains open to pitching multiple innings despite the shoulder issue, though he added he hasn’t heard anything from the team regarding their usage plans. “For sure. They committed to me to be here for multiple years and gave me the opportunity to pitch. That’s all I can ever ask for. And my commitment to them is committing to be there and be available as much as possible,” Hader replied when asked about working more than one inning.

The Astros were forced to press Bryan Abreu into the closer role for the final six weeks of the season. Abreu had a rough patch between August 30 and September 9 when he allowed multiple runs in three out of four games. He was otherwise flawless, tossing scoreless appearances in his remaining 14 outings while securing seven saves. Abreu is one of the best setup arms in MLB and could certainly close if necessary, but the Astros felt the effects of losing Hader on the overall bullpen. Kaleb Ort and Enyel De Los Santos were their top right-handers to handle leverage spots that arose earlier in games. That’s not sufficient for a playoff hopeful.

It doesn’t seem Houston will know if they’re out of the woods with Hader’s shoulder until he fully builds up in March. The early returns are encouraging, though, which is pivotal for a team that’ll again face questions about the bullpen depth. The front office appears to be working under relatively tight payroll constraints from ownership and also needs to solidify the middle of the rotation while ideally adding a left-handed bat.

Athletics Sign Matt Krook To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics have signed left-hander Matt Krook to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas for now but will presumably receive an invite to major league camp.

Krook, 31, also signed a minor league pact with the A’s around this time last year. He was added to the 40-man roster in the middle of May but designated for assignment just over a week later. He was claimed by the Guardians but they kept him on optional assignment for the rest of the year, so he never pitched for that club at the big league level. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster at season’s end. Since he had a previous outright in his career, he had the right to elect free agency and did so, which allowed the A’s to circle back to him on this deal.

The southpaw’s major league track record technically includes three separate big league seasons but is still quite limited and unimpressive. He appeared in four games for the 2023 Yankees, one contest with the Orioles last year and three with the A’s this year. In those eight games, he has allowed 15 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, giving him a 16.20 earned run average in his big league career.

Naturally, his minor league track record is greater in terms of both quantity and quality. Going back to 2023, his first year as a primary reliever, he has thrown 125 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 2.94 ERA. His 16.7% walk rate in that time is way too high but he also punched out 32% of batters faced. That includes 48 innings in 2025 with a 3.19 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate, 15.6% walk rate and 65.1% ground ball rate. His velocity doesn’t even really touch 90 miles per hour but he has good movement on his pitches, allowing him to miss bats and barrels.

The A’s currently have Hogan Harris and Brady Basso as lefty relievers on their 40-man roster. Jared Shuster was outrighted earlier this month and gives the A’s a non-roster option. Krook now joins Shuster in that category. If Krook eventually gets a roster spot, he is out of options but he’s also cheap and controllable since he has less than a year of big league service time.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Cardinals Sign Scott Blewett To Minor League Deal

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The Cardinals announced they’ve signed reliever Scott Blewett to a minor league contract. St. Louis also announced a minor league deal with Sem Robberse, whom they non-tendered last week. Both pitchers will be in big league Spring Training as non-roster invitees, though Robberse won’t pitch after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May.

Blewett, 30 in April, logged a career-high 44 1/3 big league innings this past season. The righty divided that between three clubs: the Twins, Braves and Orioles. That included two stints in Baltimore, as the O’s traded him to Atlanta in April and reacquired him two months later. Blewett combined for a 5.48 ERA across 26 appearances. He missed bats on a decent 12.7% of his pitches but was unable to convert that into many strikeouts. Blewett recorded a below-average 18% strikeout rate while walking 9.3% of opponents.

A three-pitch reliever, Blewett leaned on his 84 MPH slider almost half the time. He sits in the 93-94 MPH range with his fastball and has a mid-80s splitter that he mixes in against left-handed batters. Blewett has yet to reach a year of service time but is out of minor league options, which limits teams’ flexibility if he secures a spot on the 40-man roster. He’ll battle for a middle relief spot in camp amidst an inexperienced St. Louis bullpen. If Kyle Leahy wins a rotation job, the Cards would only have three relievers on the 40-man who have one full year of service. JoJo Romero is likely to be traded this offseason, which would leave Riley O’Brien and Ryan Fernandez as their most experienced relievers.

Robberse has yet to reach the big leagues. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Blue Jays at the 2023 deadline in the Jordan Hicks trade. Robberse cracked the 40-man roster that offseason because the Cardinals didn’t want to lose him in the Rule 5 draft. He spent the ’24 season in Triple-A and was optioned back there to begin this year. Robberse underwent surgery a few weeks into the season.

The Cardinals declined to tender him a contract last week. That dropped him from the 40-man roster and sent him to free agency without exposing him to the waiver wire. Teams frequently use the non-tender deadline to clear the back of the roster, often with the hope of re-signing the player to a minor league contract. (The Reds did the same with Carson Spiers, who is also working back from elbow surgery, this afternoon.) Robberse will aim for a second-half return with Triple-A Memphis and look to pitch his way onto the MLB radar before year’s end.

Poll: How Aggressively Should The Mets Shop Jeff McNeil?

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The Mets took a big swing last night when they shipped franchise stalwart Brandon Nimmo to Arlington in order to install Marcus Semien as their new second baseman. Semien took a big step back with the bat this past year but remains a quality defender who produced a four-win season even as a league average hitter in 2024 thanks to his glove. There’s little doubt that Semien will enter next year poised to get the lion’s share of playing time at second base, but that creates plenty of uncertainty for the rest of the Mets’ infielders (aside from Francisco Lindor, anyway).

For the young infielders the Mets have on the roster, uncertainty is nothing new. Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio both spent time at Triple-A last year, and Mauricio could easily do so again in 2026. Mark Vientos lost playing time over the course of 2025, but the possible departure of Pete Alonso (not to mention Starling Marte) could open up playing time for a big right-handed bat in the first base and DH mix. If Vientos is moving to the other side of the diamond more frequently, that would leave third base wide open for Brett Baty to establish himself without needing to move around the diamond as he did this year. Then there’s also the looming presence of infield prospects like Jett Williams and Jacob Reimer, who will both likely be pushing into the big league mix in 2026.

Given all of that, this trade seems to create the most questions regarding the future of Jeff McNeil. McNeil is owed $15.75MM in the final guaranteed year of his contract. He’s also owed a $2MM buyout if his $15.75MM club option for the 2027 is declined. The Mets have never been afraid to flex their financial might under Steve Cohen’s ownership, but even for his standards, that’s a lot of money to dedicate to a bench player without a position. Marte made more than that last season, but he did wind up starting around half of the Mets’s games after entering the season in a DH platoon with Jesse Winker.

Perhaps McNeil could get to a similar amount of playing time if retained, thanks to his versatility. While he primarily played second base in 2025, McNeil also drew nine starts at DH and 35 in the outfield. He’s spent time at third base as well over the years, and even made cameos at first on occasion. That versatility could allow him to play all over the field in a super utility role, though keeping McNeil for that purpose would surely only serve to further squeeze the team’s young infielders out of the mix in 2026.

That makes an offseason trade seem like the optimal path forward, but there are complications with that plan as well. McNeil’s 111 wRC+ in 122 games this year is nothing to scoff at, but he’s been essentially league average (102 wRC+) at the plate over the last three seasons and no longer rates well anywhere other than second base defensively. Headed into his age-34 season, McNeil’s numbers are more likely to trend downward than tick back up, and teams could be hesitant to part with substantial talent for even a one-year commitment to the veteran at his current price tag.

The Mets are certainly capable of eating some salary to improve a trade return if they so choose, but it’s at least fair to wonder if they would be better off holding onto McNeil for the time being. Perhaps a Spring Training injury could make a team more motivated to add a short-term solution at second base if the Mets are patient, or perhaps an injury on their own roster could create a path to regular playing time for McNeil. If the Mets aren’t able to get a worthwhile return for the veteran’s services, there’s certainly a case to be made for holding him even if it complicates the fit of the club’s young players. It’s also worth noting that youngsters like Acuna are surely on the trade block themselves to some extent. If the Mets swing a big trade for a starting pitcher which sends young talent out the door, they could value McNeil all the more as a depth option.

If you were in the shoes of president of baseball operations David Stearns, how would you proceed with McNeil in the aftermath of the Semien trade? Would you do what you can to work out a trade for him this winter, even eating salary if necessary, or would you hold onto him as depth for Spring Training even if it means cluttering the path to playing time for young players? Have your say in the poll below:

Padres To Hire Steven Souza Jr. As Hitting Coach

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The Padres are hiring Steven Souza Jr. as hitting coach and Randy Knorr as bench coach, reports Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. They’re new additions to the staff under first-year skipper Craig Stammen.

Souza’s hiring comes as a surprise. The 36-year-old has never worked on an MLB staff. He retired as a player in 2022 and spent the ’25 season as a special assistant with the Rays. Souza played parts of eight big league campaigns. The righty-hitting outfielder did his best work in Tampa Bay between 2015-17, including a 30-homer showing in his final season at Tropicana Field. Souza hit 72 round-trippers overall, batting .229/.318/.411 in just under 1900 career plate appearances.

While Souza is best known as a Ray, he began his career in the Washington organization. The Nationals drafted him out of high school in the third round in 2007. Souza reached the big leagues briefly in 2014. Stammen was in the Nats’ bullpen at the time. The following offseason, Washington traded Souza to Tampa Bay as part of the three-team deal (coincidentally also involving San Diego) that sent Wil Myers to the Padres and then-prospect Trea Turner to the Nats.

Souza will team up with Stammen again, this time on the coaching side. He replaces Victor Rodriguez, who left to take the same position with the Astros earlier this month. Souza will lead an offense that ranked just 18th in scoring despite a star-studded lineup. They were top 10 in batting average and on-base percentage and had the sport’s third-lowest strikeout rate, but they finished above only the Pirates and Cardinals in home runs.

Petco Park remains relatively favorable for pitchers. That may have played a bit of a role in the team’s pedestrian offense, but they were 23rd in scoring and 28th in homers on the road. Ryan O’Hearn and Luis Arraez have hit free agency. Although the Padres have expressed some interest in bringing Arraez back, first base stands as the most obvious position where the team could try to add power.

Knorr, 57, also knows Stammen from their time in Washington. He was the bullpen coach when Stammen broke into the majors in 2009. He earned a promotion to bench coach three years later and held that role through the ’15 campaign. Knorr subsequently spent time as an advisor in the front office, on Dave Martinez’s staff as first base coach, as a minor league manager, and in their player development department. He remained in the organization until the end of this past season.

Brian Esposito has been San Diego’s bench coach this year. He interviewed for the managerial position after Mike Shildt stepped down. The Friars obviously went in another direction. Acee writes that Esposito is expected to remain in the organization in a yet to be revealed role. The Padres are expected to retain highly-regarded pitching coaches Ruben Niebla and Ben Fritz (bullpen coach), each of whom is reportedly on a multi-year contract. It’s not yet known if they’ll make further changes to the hitting side.

Cardinals Re-Sign Yohel Pozo To Major League Deal

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6:57pm: St. Louis officially announced that Pozo has been re-signed on a major league contract. It’s a split deal that pays different rates depending on whether the backstop is on the MLB roster or in Triple-A, according to Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat. This pushes their 40-man roster count to 38.

1:48pm: The Cardinals and catcher Yohel Pozo are in the final stages of agreeing to a new deal for the 2026 season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Pozo was non-tendered by St. Louis on Friday.

Pozo, 28, logged 67 games with the Cardinals in 2025 and tallied 188 plate appearances — both career-high marks at the MLB level. He hit just .231/.262/.375 in that time, however — well shy of league-average (even relative to other catchers, where offense is lighter than that of the average position). Pozo delivered a handful of clutch pinch-hits, endearing himself to many in the Cardinals fanbase. He’s now a .248/.278/.376 hitter with six home runs in 245 MLB plate appearances.

Pozo hit well with the Cardinals’ top minor league affiliate in Memphis, albeit in a sample of just five games. He’s a career .321/.343/.525 hitter in Triple-A, with a significant portion of his time spent in an extraordinarily hitter-friendly Las Vegas setting (with the Athletics’ Triple-A club). Pozo draws decent grades for his framing and has regularly posted strong caught-stealing rates in the minor leagues.

While Pozo isn’t going to jump to the top of the depth chart anytime soon, he’ll give the Cards some additional depth along with Jimmy Crooks, Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages. Pozo has a full slate of minor league options, so he can be shuttled freely between St. Louis and Memphis without first needing to be exposed to waivers.

Royals Hire Mike McFerran As Assistant Pitching Coach

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The Royals have hired Mike McFerran as an assistant pitching coach, the club announced. The 32-year-old comes over from the Athletics organization, where he’d spent the past two seasons working with minor league pitchers.

McFerran has never previously worked on an MLB staff. His two-year stint with the A’s was his first in a professional organization. McFerran had previously worked in the college ranks. He was at Division III Skidmore College between 2017-20 before spending three years at Wake Forest, where he oversaw their pitching lab. Nine Wake Forest pitchers were drafted over that stretch. Ryan Cusick (2021) and Rhett Lowder (2023) were first-rounders in their respective draft years, while Sean Sullivan went at the top of the second round in 2023.

Brian Sweeney is headed into his fourth season as Kansas City’s lead pitching coach. They needed a new assistant after Zach Bove stepped down to take the top pitching coach job with the White Sox. McFerran joins Sweeney and bullpen coach Mitch Stetter on the pitching side for fourth-year manager Matt Quatraro.

Reds Re-Sign Carson Spiers To Minor League Deal

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The Reds announced they’ve re-signed righty Carson Spiers to a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp. Spiers will not be able to pitch in Spring Training anyhow, as he’s working back from July elbow surgery that’ll cost him most of the ’26 season.

Spiers was one of three players, along with Will Banfield and Roddery Muñoz, whom the Reds dropped from the roster at last week’s non-tender deadline. Spiers had technically been designated for assignment a few days earlier as Cincinnati created space to add three Rule 5 eligible prospects to the 40-man roster. They waited until the non-tender deadline to resolve the DFA, which meant they didn’t need to expose him to waivers. That’s a common tactic for teams to try to re-sign those players to minor league deals, keeping them in the organization without requiring a 40-man spot.

The 28-year-old Spiers has pitched in each of the past three big league seasons. He’s a depth arm who has started 14 of 29 career outings. Spiers carries a 5.69 earned run average across 117 innings. His 19.3% strikeout percentage and 9.4% swinging strike rate are each middling and he’s had a difficult time keeping the ball in the park. Most of Spiers’ big league experience came in 2024, as shoulder and elbow injuries cost him almost all of last season.

While Spiers has yet to find much in the way of MLB success, he owns a decent 4.08 ERA in almost 400 minor league innings. He has fanned nearly a quarter of opponents against an 8.9% walk rate. Spiers sits around 92 MPH with his four-seam and sinker while using three more pitches (sweeper, cutter and changeup) with regularity. He’ll remain with the organization that initially signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and attempt to pitch his way back onto the roster once he has put the elbow injury behind him.

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