Cubs Acquire Tyler Ferguson
The Cubs have acquired right-hander Tyler Ferguson from the Athletics, according to announcements from both clubs. The A’s, who designated him for assignment yesterday, receive cash considerations in return. Chicago opened a 40-man roster spot earlier today when righty Corbin Martin was designated for assignment.
More to come.
Latest On Astros’ Rotation
The Astros are planning to reinstate Tatsuya Imai from the injured list to face the Mariners next week, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. As Rome outlines, Imai’s rehab results haven’t been great but the banged-up Houston rotation needs any arms it can get as the club kicks off a stretch of 13 straight games without a day off on Friday.
At this point, it’s hard to know what to make of Imai. He has been pretty dominant in Japan for the past few years but MLB clubs were apparently skeptical of how he would translate to North American ball. While it was thought he could secure a long-term deal with a nine-figure guarantee, he settled for a three-year, $54MM deal with opt-outs after each season. The ideal path forward for Imai would have seen him prove his bona fides against big league pitching before returning to free agency to cash in.
So far, it is not going according to plan. He couldn’t get out of the third inning in his first start. His second outing was good, as he tossed 5 2/3 scoreless frames. But in the third start, he only recorded one out.
He then landed on the IL with the vague diagnosis of arm fatigue. He began a rehab assignment on April 28th. Per Rome, the plan was for just one rehab outing but he allowed five earned runs in two innings while walking three. The Astros decided to give him a second rehab outing, hoping for four or five innings with fewer walks. He got through three innings but walked five.
The control issues are a concerning development, considering that had been an issue in his time in Japan. From 2019 to 2023, he finished each season with a walk rate of at least 11.4%. He did show improvement, dropping that to 9.8% in 2024 and then 7% last year. For reference, MLB average is usually around 8 to 9%. In his three starts for the Astros this year, he walked 25% of the batters he faced.
General manager Dana Brown is quoted in Rome’s piece, saying basically that Imai needs to have more faith in his own arsenal. “A big part of it is just allowing him to free his mind up (and) attack major-league hitters like he used to attack hitters in Japan. Don’t overthink it and just lock in and be yourself,” said Brown. “That’s a big point we’re trying to make to him: just be yourself and have confidence in the stuff because your stuff plays at this level.”
That’s interesting framing considering past comments from Imai. Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball has been playing with a dead ball in recent years, with offense way down. The run-scoring environment was so low that Imai got bored.
“I didn’t always dream of going to MLB,” Imai said in November, as relayed by Yakyu Cosmopolitan. “But over the past two or three years […] I felt like there weren’t many hitters who were even trying to hit a homer off me anymore. A lot of lineups would just foul pitches off and run up my pitch count. I get that’s a valid part of strategy, but if I were a fan, I don’t think that kind of baseball is very fun to watch.”
This is perhaps an oversimplification but it’s possible the dead ball allowed Imai to attack the strike zone more, lowering his walk rates. With the move to MLB, maybe he has become more concerned with nibbling at the edges and has thus lost his feel a bit.
Time will tell if he can get back in good form but the recent numbers aren’t encouraging. The Astros are evidently going to try anyway, a reflection of their snakebit rotation. In addition to Imai hitting the IL for arm fatigue, they have lost Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier to shoulder strains this year. That’s on top of Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter, each of whom is still recovering from surgery performed last year.
Their rotation currently consists of Lance McCullers Jr., Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Cody Bolton and Peter Lambert. McCullers is now a question mark for his next start. He couldn’t get through three innings yesterday, later telling Rome that it was due to issues with the fingernail on the index finger of his throwing hand. He is unsure if he’ll be able to take the ball next time.
The Astros are off today. In Cincinnati this weekend, they are scheduled to have Burrows and Arrighetti for the first two. After that, Bolton or Lambert could start on Sunday and/or Monday. Imai will be in the mix next week, perhaps as soon as Monday. If McCullers can’t take the ball and they want to bring someone else into the mix, their choices may be limited. Both Ryan Weiss and Jason Alexander have been optioned in recent days. A pitcher can’t be recalled after being optioned until 15 days have elapsed, unless someone else is going on the IL.
Kai-Wei Teng and AJ Blubaugh have been pitching some multi-inning stints from the bullpen and could take on some bulk. Colton Gordon was optioned on April 25th, so his 15-day window will soon be up. Miguel Ullola is on the 40-man but is struggling with control in Triple-A and the Astros haven’t called him up this year, despite calling almost every other hand on deck. J.P. France and Brandon Bielak are some non-roster options in Triple-A.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images
Yankees To Recall Spencer Jones
The Yankees are going to call up outfield prospect Spencer Jones, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. That will apparently be the corresponding move for fellow outfielder Jasson Domínguez heading to the injured list.
Domínguez departed today’s game after crashing into the wall to make a catch. He was examined by the medical staff for a while before being carted off the field. After the game, manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Domínguez will be heading to the injured list and will miss a few weeks. He has tested negative for a concussion thus far but has a low-grade AC sprain in his left shoulder. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com was among those to pass along the update from Boone.
It’s an unfortunate setback for Domínguez. He came into this season without a great path to playing time. The Yanks had an outfield consisting of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. The designated hitter spot was filled by Giancarlo Stanton. Moving Bellinger to first base wasn’t an option with Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt sharing that spot.
Domínguez was called up about two weeks ago when Stanton was sidelined by a calf strain, opening up some at-bats. Rice has also missed the past four games due to a hand contusion. Even though Rice isn’t expected to hit the IL, that also somewhat softened the clog which was blocking Domínguez. Now Domínguez himself will be sidelined and therefore unable to take advantage of the openings. Perhaps there will still be playing time available for him when he gets back but that will depend how long he is out and what happens with the other guys in the interim.
With Domínguez set to join Stanton on the IL, the Yankees will use that as an opportunity to look at Jones, who is a polarizing prospect. The power is undeniable but it also comes with big strikeout concerns. He hit 35 home runs in the minors last year and already has 11 this season, but with massive strikeout numbers. He was punched out in 35.4% of his plate appearances last year, between Double-A and Triple-A. He has reduced that this year, but to a still-high 32.4% clip.
He has still been productive in the minors, even with all those punchouts. He has a .269/.350/.567 line and 135 wRC+ in his Triple-A career, indicating he has been 35% better than league average, despite striking out at a 35.2% clip at the level overall. It’s hard to succeed when striking out that much and he would presumably whiff even more in the majors, where the pitching is notably better than in Triple-A. Last year, no qualified hitter struck out more than Ryan McMahon and his 32.3% pace.
As mentioned, it’s a divisive profile. He was a consensus top 100 prospect going into 2024 but he doesn’t appear on those lists anymore. Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs have him ranked #6 in the system, while The Athletic gave him the #7 spot and ESPN #5. Jones can steal bases and is considered an adequate defender, certainly in the corners and maybe even in center. But really, whether he’s a viable major leaguer or not depends on what he does in the batter’s box.
Jones was just added to the 40-man roster in November, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. This is his first of three option seasons. If he struggles against major league pitching in the next few weeks, he can be sent back down when Stanton or Domínguez come off the IL. If he does find a way to make it work, then perhaps they have some tougher decisions to make.
They are in a position to experiment, as the Yanks are 26-12. Not only is that tied for the best record in baseball, but the rest of the American League is floundering. The Guardians are third in the A.L. with a 20-19 record. Even if Jones strikes out way too much, they will still be in a strong position.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Tencza, Imagn Images
Red Sox Place Roman Anthony On Injured List
4:45pm: The Sox have now officially put Anthony on the IL, retroactive to May 5th, and recalled Gasper. Though Anthony says he has a sprained ligament in his finger, the Sox listed his ailment as a right wrist sprain.
3:40pm: Red Sox manager Chad Tracy announced to reporters that outfielder Roman Anthony will be placed on the 10-day injured list. Utility player Mickey Gasper will be recalled in a corresponding move. Anthony says he has a sprained ligament in his right ring finger but expects to be back after a minimal stint on the IL. Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald was among those to pass along the info. Gasper is still on his way to Fenway, per Christopher Smith of MassLive, which is perhaps why the moves haven’t been officially announced yet.
Anthony departed Monday’s game and the club announced that he was experiencing right wrist discomfort. He hasn’t been in the lineup since then. Tracy said today that the issue hasn’t worsened but the club doesn’t want to keep playing short-handed while they wait for Anthony to heal. Since he hasn’t played in a few days, they should be able to backdate the IL placement to Tuesday. That will mean Anthony could be back in just over a week.
Perhaps it will be a chance for him to hit the reset button. He put up a massive .292/.396/.463 line in his debut last year but has scuffled early in 2026, with a .229/.354/.321 line. He also dealt with some back soreness earlier this season, so it’s possible he hasn’t really been healthy for long enough to get in a groove.
For the time being, this move alleviates the outfield logjam that has been an issue for the Sox. With Anthony on the shelf, they can now use the three outfield positions and the designated hitter slot to give regular playing time to each of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida.
The Sox have only sent Yoshida to the plate 69 times this season, about half of the other guys, despite the fact that he’s hitting .310/.420/.379 while Duran has a .190/.255/.325 line. Some of that is luck, as Yoshida has a high .360 batting average on balls in play while Duran’s BABIP is .235. For reference, league average is usually around .290. Still, there’s an argument for riding the hot hand when the team is struggling to score runs. That will be more possible now, though it could be a temporary situation if Anthony is back as quick as hoped.
Gasper has outfield experience but will provide more general depth, as he also has spent time at catcher and the three non-shortstop infield positions. Bench infielders Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio each have some outfield experience and could be called upon if necessary.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
Phillies Claim Grant Holman
The Phillies announced that they have claimed right-hander Grant Holman off waivers from the Tigers and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Detroit designated him for assignment a few days ago. The Phils had a couple of 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.
Holman, 26 this month, has been riding the waiver wire quite a bit in recent months. He pitched for the Athletics in 2024 and 2025 but that club designated him for assignment in February. He was claimed by the Diamondbacks and has since gone to the Dodgers, Tigers and now Phillies on subsequent claims. He’s been kept on optional assignment this year, having not pitched in the big leagues since last season.
The major league track record isn’t particularly impressive. Holman tossed 38 2/3 innings for the A’s in the two previous seasons, allowing 4.66 earned runs per nine. His 18.8% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate have been subpar. His 43.9% ground ball rate has been above average by a couple of ticks.
His minor league numbers have been stronger. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has thrown 62 innings on the farm with an ERA of 0.87. That is at least a bit misleading, as his .218 batting average on balls in play and 88.3% strand rate in that sample have been very fortunate. His 10.6% walk rate is on the high side but he paired that with a 28.1% strikeout rate and solid ground ball numbers as well. He’s mostly a fastball-splitter guy, throwing those two pitches roughly 85% of the time, with his slider taking up the rest of his usage.
For the Phils, as mentioned, they had a couple of free roster spots. They designated Dylan Moore for assignment a few days ago and traded Trevor Richards to the White Sox. Since Holman still has options, they’ve used one of those two open spots to grab him and stash him in the minors as some extra bullpen depth. If he sticks on the roster, he could be called upon whenever they need a fresh arm in the big league level.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
A’s Designate Austin Wynns For Assignment
1:30pm: The Athletics have now formally announced these moves.
12:58pm: The A’s will designate catcher Austin Wynns for assignment today when Shea Langeliers returns from the paternity list, reports Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Langeliers and the recently reacquired Jonah Heim will split catching duties for the time being.
Wynns has been with the Athletics since last June, when they picked him up in a cash swap following a DFA by the Reds. The 35-year-old has appeared in 36 games with the A’s and taken 110 plate appearances while slashing .167/.204/.304. It’s a far cry from the outlier .400/.442/.700 line he delivered in 43 plate appearances with Cincinnati, though Wynns was never going to sustain the .520 average on balls in play that propped up his Reds output.
In parts of eight major league seasons between the Orioles, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Reds and A’s, Wynns has come to the plate 826 times and recorded a .231/.276/.347 batting line with 19 home runs. The journeyman backup doesn’t have particularly strong framing grades in his career, but Statcast considers his blocking skills average and he’s nabbed an excellent 30.2% of runners who’ve attempted to steal on him in his career.
Wynns’ poor performance at the plate will send him to the waiver wire in all likelihood, though it’s possible another club swings a cash swap to plug him in as a short-term backup. Wynns has more than five years of big league service time, so even if he clears waivers, he can reject an outright assignment, elect free agency and retain the remainder of this year’s $1.1MM guarantee. Even when Wynns has cleared waivers in the past, he’s found another big league opportunity fairly quickly. Clubs clearly value his experience, his defensive chops and his work with pitchers — hence his five-plus years of major league service between six clubs despite perennially subpar offensive output.
Matthew Boyd To Miss About Six Weeks Following Meniscus Surgery
May 7: Boyd has now undergone his surgery, and Counsell told the team’s beat that it proved to be a relatively minor meniscus repair (via Marquee’s Taylor McGregor). They’re hopeful the left-hander can return in around six weeks.
May 6: Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd is going to undergo surgery to address an injury to the meniscus in his left knee. His current timetable is unknown. Manager Craig Counsell provided the update to reporters, including Jesse Rogers of ESPN. After Counsell spoke, the Cubs officially placed him on the 15-day injured list. Right-hander Trent Thornton was selected to take Boyd’s spot on the roster. Left-hander Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Thornton. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that Thornton would be coming up prior to the official announcement.
The Boyd injury comes out of nowhere. He started for the Cubs on Sunday and tossed six innings of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Apparently, Boyd first noticed the injury while getting up and down to play with his kids, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. That led to an MRI, which showed an issue with his meniscus. His timeline won’t be known until after the procedure takes place, per Mooney, but it will be longer than a minimum stint on the IL.
For however long Boyd is ultimately out, it will be a blow to the Cubs. They have already lost Cade Horton to Tommy John surgery, so he’s done for the year. Justin Steele is trying to come back from his own elbow surgery but a flexor strain recently pushed his timeline and he’s probably out beyond the All-Star break now.
The Cubs started the year with Horton, Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga in five spots. Boyd missed time earlier due to a bicep strain. Due to that ailment and Horton’s surgery, Colin Rea moved from the bullpen to the rotation and Javier Assad was called up from the minors. When Boyd returned from the bicep issue, Assad was bumped to the bullpen.
Boyd’s spot in the rotation is due up on Friday. Perhaps Assad will get another rotation gig but he’s not currently stretched out. His last start was April 19th, when he went 5 2/3. He then pitched one inning on April 23rd and 2 1/3 on April 25th, followed by a big gap. He tossed an inning and a third last night, his first game action in ten days.
Doug Nikhazy is on optional assignment and could be another option but he lasted only 2 2/3 innings in each of his two most recent Triple-A starts. Guys like Ty Blach, Connor Noland, Paul Campbell and Will Sanders have been starting in Triple-A but aren’t on the 40-man and no one in that trio has an ERA below 6.00.
For now, Thornton gives them an extra arm in the bullpen. The Cubs signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason. He has made four Triple-A appearances, logging 5 2/3 innings with a 3.18 earned run average, 20% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate.
He is coming off a pretty decent three-year run in the big leagues. From 2023 to 2025, mostly with the Mariners, he tossed 146 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 40.1% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, he tore his left Achilles last summer, ended his season prematurely. That led Seattle to non-tender him, which allowed the Cubs to scoop him up on a minor league pact.
Ideally, he’ll get back on track and be a useful piece of the Chicago bullpen. If it doesn’t work out, Thornton has at least five years of big league service time, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.
Barnes, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and was added to the roster about two weeks into the season. He made one big league appearance, tossing three innings of relief on April 13th, allowing three earned runs. In Triple-A this year, he has tossed 21 2/3 innings with a 3.74 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate.
He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to field trade interest, though they could also put him on waivers sooner than that. He spent 2022 to 2025 pitching in South Korea, posting a 3.58 ERA for the Lotte Giants. Since he still has options, perhaps that will entice some clubs in need of pitching depth, but the Cubs are one such club and they’re bumping him off the roster.
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Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves
The Marlins announced a quartet of roster moves this morning. Infielder Graham Pauley and lefty Dax Fulton were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Right-hander Stephen Jones‘ contract was selected from Double-A, and outfielder Heriberto Hernandez has been recalled as well. Miami had an opening for Jones on the 40-man roster after this week’s DFA of veteran righty Chris Paddack. However, with top prospect Robby Snelling confirmed to be Friday’s starter and needing a 40-man spot, the Fish will now need to make a 40-man roster move between today’s game and tomorrow’s game in order to get Snelling onto the roster.
It’s the first time in nearly a year that Pauley has been sent to the minors. He’s taken the majority of Miami’s reps at third base this season but has struggled immensely, batting just .173/.225/.293 in 81 turns at the plate. Pauley didn’t offer much with the bat last year, either, but his .224/.311/.366 slash (184 plate appearances) was miles better than what he’s posted so far in 2026. Pauley is actually chasing fewer pitches off the plate and making contact on a higher percentage of his swings, but because he’s swinging less often in general and thus taking more called strikes, his walk and strikeout rate have both trended in the wrong direction.
A brief reset for the 25-year-old Pauley could do him some good. He turned in a strong .263/.342/.511 batting line (127 wRC+) in 37 games with the Marlins’ Jacksonville affiliate in 2025, walking at a quality 9% clip against a tiny 11.6% strikeout rate. Given that Pauley plays an above-average third base, Miami would surely take even average offense out of his bat.
With Pauley looking to get back on track in Jacksonville, the Fish will likely turn third base over to utilityman Javier Sanoja, although fellow infielders Leo Jimenez and Christopher Morel could potentially mix in as well. Morel was signed to be the primary first baseman and is a poor defender at third base, but he does have experience there. Connor Norby — who also has experience at third base — has been the primary option at first base, but the Marlins could at least consider sliding him back across the diamond on occasion. Broadly speaking, manager Clayton McCullough will have plenty of scenarios to consider, though none of them stands out as ideal.
Jones, 28, will make his big league debut the first time he gets into a game. He’s a former Rockies draftee who spent the 2025 season in the Padres system and signed a minor league deal with the Marlins over the winter. Jones has opened the 2026 season with 16 2/3 innings and a 3.24 ERA. He’s surrendered six earned runs on 10 hits and a problematic 13 walks, tacking on 19 punchouts in the process. Jones’ 25.7% strikeout rate isn’t supported by his well below-average 8.5% swinging-strike rate, however, and his colossal 17.6% walk rate presents an obvious red flag. He’ll get an opportunity to show he can hack it in the majors, but he’ll need to both improve his ability to miss bats and, more importantly, scale back on those walks if he’s to have any staying power.
Cubs Designate Corbin Martin For Assignment
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.
Royals Notes: Ragans, Rotation, Estévez
The Royals got a bit of injury scare yesterday with Cole Ragans departing his start. He’ll continue to be evaluated but the Royals appear to be hopeful that the move was precautionary and that Ragans won’t need to go on the injured list.
Ragans threw 58 pitches over three innings before departing last night. After the game, he told Anne Rogers of MLB.com that he felt soreness and tightness in the bottom of his triceps and elbow. That sounds a bit ominous, especially for a guy with two prior Tommy John surgeries, but Ragans feels this is different. “I’ve been through the elbow stuff,” he said. “I know it’s not what I’ve been through before.” Manager Matt Quatraro told broadcaster Joel Goldberg that he was being cautious with the removal and that he’s hopeful Ragans can make his next start.
The southpaw isn’t out to his best start, with a 4.84 earned run average and 15.2% walk rate so far this year. Regardless, the Royals don’t want to lose him, knowing what he’s capable of. In 2024, he finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting after posting a 3.14 ERA over 32 starts.
If Ragans does ultimately end up on the IL, the Royals are in a decent spot to cover for him, with Stephen Kolek currently on the outside of the rotation looking in. Kolek started the year on the IL himself due to an oblique strain. He came off the IL a couple of days ago and made a spot start when Noah Cameron was experiencing some back tightness. Kolek had a strong start, getting the win against the Guardians after throwing six innings of three-run ball. But since Cameron is expected to make his next start, Kolek was optioned to Triple-A.
A pitcher who is optioned normally has to wait 15 days before being recalled but an exception is made when someone is placed on the IL. If Ragans or Cameron were put on the shelf, Kolek could be promptly recalled.
Kolek has a 4.03 career ERA and just posted a 2.76 ERA on his rehab assignment before that spot start. He would be in the rotation for a lot of teams but is currently blocked by Ragans, Cameron, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic. Other depth options on the roster including Mason Black and Mitch Spence but the Royals recently lost Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna to season-ending surgeries.
There’s also a notable injury situation to watch relating to the Kansas City bullpen. Reliever Carlos Estévez exited a rehab game yesterday due to shoulder discomfort. That’s a bit of a worrisome development since that’s a new injury. He landed on the IL a little over a month ago due to a left foot contusion suffered when he was hit by a comebacker.
Even before getting hit by that comebacker, his velocity was down and his early-season results were poor. His fastball averaged around 97 miles per hour for most of his career. He was closer to 96 last year. He was below 90 mph in spring training and posted a 7.20 ERA. In his lone regular season outing, he was at 91 mph and allowed six earned runs in a third of an inning.
Perhaps this shoulder discomfort provides an explanation for the diminished stuff but time will tell what sort of remedy will be required. With Estévez out, Lucas Erceg has been the closer. He has racked up ten saves but not in smooth fashion, having walked 17.7% of batters faced. Among pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched this year, only Connor Phillips of the Reds has a higher walk rate than that. Ideally, Estévez would come back and bump Erceg back to a setup role but it doesn’t seem like that will happen anytime soon.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images