D-backs Notes: Lawlar, Burnes, Bullpen, Santana
The Diamondbacks’ acquisition of future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado (alongside their decision not to trade Ketel Marte) pushed longtime top prospect Jordan Lawlar out of the club’s infield mix, at least on paper. That’s led to some questions about his role moving forward, but manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZ Sports) yesterday where the team hopes to play Lawlar going forward: center field. That would displace incumbent center fielder Alek Thomas, who Lovullo suggested would move around the outfield amid injuries to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll.
Of course, that plan to play Lawlar in center field is predicated on him proving himself capable of handling the position this spring. He played three games in center during the Dominican Winter League this offseason, but otherwise has spent his entire professional career on the dirt. His 98th percentile sprint speed in 2025 certainly suggests he has the wheels to handle the position, offering plenty of reason for optimism, but that lack of experience calls into question how effectively he’ll be able to pick up the position on the fly. It wouldn’t be the first time a team converted an infield prospect to center over the course of one Spring Training, as the division rival Padres managed to do just that with Jackson Merrill two years ago. Merrill turned in one of the best defensive seasons in the entire sport as a rookie, and should offer some optimism about Lawlar’s ability to follow suit.
Perhaps the biggest question for Lawlar isn’t whether he’s physically capable of handling center field, but whether he’s capable of staying on the field long enough to prove it. Between Triple-A and the majors, Lawlar has just 113 games played over the past two seasons due to a variety of injuries. Last season, he missed multiple months with a hamstring strain, while a thumb injury cost him most of 2024. In between those injuries, he’s struggled in brief cameos at the big league level but has managed to continue raking at Triple-A, offering some reason for optimism that he’ll figure things out offensively if given consistent playing time. He’ll now get that playing time at the expense of Thomas, who was once a former top propsect himself but has never quite managed to hit well in the majors with a career 74 wRC+ that peaked at 81 last season. Thomas figures to join Jorge Barrosa, Tim Tawa, and perhaps non-roster invitees like Ildemaro Vargas and Ryan Waldschmidt in mixing and matching in the corners while Carroll and Gurriel are out of commission.
Turning to the pitching staff, ace right-hander Corbin Burnes missed much of his first season in Arizona due to Tommy John surgery but figures to contribute after completing his rehab at some point this year. Burnes himself spoke to reporters (video link via MLB.com) about his timeline for return yesterday, and suggested that he’s expecting to return around the All-Star break. Burnes added that he plans to “try and make it [back] sooner,” though considering he went under the knife in June that could be a tall ask given the procedure’s typical recovery timeline. Adding Burnes back to the rotation would obviously be a massive boost. The former Cy Young award winner had a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts last year (albeit with less impressive peripherals) and placed in the top ten in Cy Young voting in each of the past five seasons prior to his injured 2025 campaign.
Burnes will be working towards a return alongside the team’s two highest leverage relievers, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk. It appears his projected timeline falls in the middle of the two relief arms, as described by the players themselves in comments made to AZ Sports. Martinez suggested that he’s anticipating a return in August of this year, though he acknowledged it “could be earlier, could be later” depending on how things go from here. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June, like Burnes did. Puk also went under the knife in June, but he underwent a less-invasive internal brace procedure. The southpaw told reporters he hopes to be back by the end of May, but acknowledged that isn’t necessarily realistic. Still, he expressed confidence that he’ll be back on the mound before the second half, which indicates he could be looking at a return to action at some point in June.
Adding Puk and Martinez back to the relief staff could be majorly impactful for the Diamondbacks given their difficulties in finding high leverage relief help this year. The team figures to run back more or less the same group of relievers they finished last year with, as non-roster invitee Jonathan Loaisiga figures to be the most impactful reliever added to the roster during the offseason. Loaisiga has struggled to stay healthy over the years, and while he has a career 3.54 ERA at the big league level he struggled last year with middling results and worrisome peripherals (including a 5.83 FIP) in 30 appearances for the Yankees.
While Burnes, Puk, and Martinez all figure to spend Spring Training rehabbing their injured elbows, first baseman Carlos Santana figures to be preparing for the World Baseball Classic. Santana was one of many players who was unable to secure insurance to play in the World Baseball Classic, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Diamondbacks decided to give Santana the green light to play in the tournament uninsured. He’ll represent the Dominican Republic alongside teammate Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo, and Hazen indicated that giving Santana the opportunity to bond with his new teammates over the shared experience of representing their home country was a factor in the team’s decision to assume the financial risk of the soon to be 40-year-old veteran getting injured. Santana is slated to make $2MM this year on his one-year deal with Arizona, and Rosenthal notes that, according to club GM Mike Hazen, Santana’s ability to be a clubhouse leader and guide other players on the team was a big part of why he was signed.
Corbin Carroll To Undergo Surgery For Hamate Fracture
Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand yesterday during batting practice, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. He’s slated to undergo surgery today, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. That’ll sideline Carroll for the majority of camp and seems likely to land him on the injured list to begin the 2026 season.
It’s an awful note on which to start camp for the D-backs and their fans. Carroll, the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, is already a two-time All-Star and finished sixth in National League MVP voting last season after hitting .259/.343/.541 with 31 home runs, 32 doubles, 17 triples, 32 stolen bases (in 38 tries), a 10.4% walk rate and a 23.8% strikeout rate in 642 trips to the plate. No player in baseball provided more baserunning value than Carroll in 2025, per FanGraphs’ BsR metric, and he was 39% better than average at the plate by measure of wRC+.
The Diamondbacks haven’t provided a formal timetable for Carroll’s recovery and presumably won’t do so until after his surgery. It’s a relatively common injury though — as both Jackson Holliday and Francisco Lindor can attest — and typically shelves hitters for anywhere from four to eight weeks. Hamate injuries (and hand injuries in general) have a tendency to linger and impact a hitter’s power output, but every injury situation is different. Arizona should provide more details in the days ahead.
With Carroll likely IL-bound, an already uncertain D-backs outfield mix now looks even murkier. Arizona traded Jake McCarthy to the Rockies on the heels of a couple disappointing seasons earlier in the winter. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will open the season on the injured list as he continues rehabbing last season’s torn ACL. Top prospect Jordan Lawlar was already moving from the infield to the outfield this season but now seems certain to begin the season there. Center fielder Alek Thomas is a fine defender, but he’s four seasons into his MLB career now and his bat has yet to catch up to his former top prospect status. Infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander was traded to the Orioles just last week.
Suffice it to say, outfield options on Arizona’s roster are thin, at best. Lawlar and Thomas are likely locked into starting roles by default. First baseman/designated hitter Pavin Smith has some experience in the outfield corners but has graded as a poor defender. The recent signing of Carlos Santana was originally intended to give the lefty-swinging Smith a strong platoon partner at first base, but Santana could play first base with Smith temporarily patrolling an outfield corner.
Outfielder Jorge Barrosa is on the 40-man roster and out of minor league options, but he’s a .148/.170/.239 hitter in 95 big league plate appearances with a league-average track record at the Triple-A level. Infielder/outfielder Tim Tawa belted 31 Triple-A homers in 2024 but hit just .201/.274/.347 in 205 MLB plate appearances this past season; he’s spent a lot more time in the infield during his pro career but does have 1519 innings of outfield experience.
If the D-backs feel particularly aggressive, they could fast-track Ryan Waldschmidt, the No. 31 overall pick in 2024, to the big leagues. The 23-year-old has yet to even suit up in Triple-A but torched opposing pitchers in both High-A and Double-A last season. In a combined 601 plate appearances (split evenly between the two levels), the University of Kentucky product slashed .289/.419/.473 with 18 homers, 27 doubles, four triples, 29 steals (39 attempts), a 16% walk rate and a 17.6% strikeout rate. Baseball America currently ranks Waldschmidt as the game’s No. 48 overall prospect.
It’s also possible, of course, that the D-backs look to bring in some outfield help from outside the organization. As stated, it was already a relatively thin mix — at least in terms of established options — so even scooping up a veteran on a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training might’ve been prudent. Mike Tauchman, Mark Canha and old friend Randal Grichuk are among the more notable unsigned names still lingering on the market. Spring training naturally brings up opportunities to scoop up other veterans as they opt out of minor league deals and/or less-experienced players who find themselves designated for assignment when other clubs make final additions. The D-backs could monitor both markets as they look to bring in some depth in light of Carroll’s injury.
Diamondbacks Sign Carlos Santana
Feb. 10: The Diamondbacks officially announced the Santana deal on Tuesday afternoon. Left-hander Andrew Saalfrank was placed on the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. Saalfrank had shoulder surgery on Monday and is expected to miss the entire 2026 season.
Feb. 3: The Diamondbacks and free agent first baseman Carlos Santana are in agreement on a deal, according to various sources. It is reportedly a one-year, $2MM pact. The Snakes have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move once Santana completes his physical and the deal becomes official.
Santana, 40 in April, made his major league debut back in 2010. While he’s never really been a star player, he has carved out a long career as a reliably strong contributor. He has always had strong strikeout and walk numbers while flashing a bit of pop with strong first base defense to boot. In over 9,000 career plate appearances, he has a 14.4% walk rate, 16.6% strikeout rate, .241/.352/.425 line and 114 wRC+. In almost 13,000 innings at first, he has racked up 48 Defensive Runs Saved and 45 Outs Above Average.
As one would expect, his production has declined as he has pushed closer to his 40th birthday. He still gets rave reviews for his glovework but his offense hasn’t been as robust in recent seasons. Dating back to the start of 2020, he has a combined line of .222/.321/.378 and a 96 wRC+. With the Guardians and Cubs in 2025, his 11% walk rate and 19.2% strikeout rate were still good numbers but down from his career levels. He slashed .219/.308/.325 on the year for a wRC+ of 82.
Despite the trend lines and the poor 2025 season, there are some reasons why Santana could be a good fit for the Arizona roster. A switch-hitter, he has always fared better against left-handed pitching. In 2025, he wasn’t great against pitchers of either handedness, with a .231/.318/.346 line and 89 wRC+ against southpaws. But as recently as 2024, he was able to put up a huge .286/.356/.578 line and 160 wRC+ in that split.
The Diamondbacks had Josh Naylor as their first baseman to begin 2025 but they traded him to the Mariners at the deadline. Coming into this offseason, they had Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear atop the depth chart, but with question marks there.
Locklear, who came over from the Mariners in the Eugenio Suárez trade last summer, hasn’t yet found success against big league pitching. He also might not be ready for Opening Day this year. In a September game against the Red Sox, he was attempting to corral an errant throw from third baseman Jordan Lawlar when he made contact with batter-runner Connor Wong. He suffered a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder and required surgery in October.
As for Smith, he has shown flashes of potential at times but with a heavy platoon split. A left-handed batter, he slashed .270/.348/.547 for a 140 wRC+ in 2024 but with most of that damage coming against righties. Last year, he had big splits again and also faded as the season went along, dealing with injuries in the second half. For the whole year, he hit .265/.361/.456 against righties but just .167/.375/.167 against lefties. He had a combined .261/.371/.446 line in the first half and .227/.261/.318 line in the second half. He spent time on the injured list due to an oblique strain and a quad strain and only played 87 games on the year.
Locklear hits from the right side, so a platoon with Smith is potentially a good arrangement at first. But Locklear is fairly unproven and also has the uncertain health status. Smith appears to be a good bat against righties but without an especially long track record of success. His first base defense also hasn’t received strong marks.
The Diamondbacks didn’t have a strict designated hitter in 2025, with various players rotating through that spot. It’s possible they could rotate Locklear, Smith and Santana based on various situations throughout the season. Santana provides stronger glovework than Smith and with better numbers against lefty pitchers. Locklear still has an option and could be sent to Triple-A but he could earn more playing time, with the DH spot allowing the club to spread some more at-bats around.
There’s also the financial component. Owner Ken Kendrick said in September that the payroll would likely be dialed back relative to 2025. General manager Mike Hazen has tried to downplay the payroll concerns but also recently implied that making a flashy bullpen signing would have closed the door to reuniting with Merrill Kelly.
With an uncertain first base situation and little money to spend, the Snakes were connected to right-handed-hitting first basemen who weren’t likely command high salaries. That included Santana but also Ty France and old friend Paul Goldschmidt. While a reunion with Goldy would have been fun, the Santana deal seems to make it far less likely, if not completely impossible.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that the sides were close to a deal. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that an agreement was in place. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that it would be a one-year deal. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported the $2MM figure. Photos courtesy of David Richard, Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
D-backs’ Andrew Saalfrank Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Will Miss 2026 Season
Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Saalfrank underwent shoulder surgery this morning and will miss the entire 2026 season, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The team has not yet announced the injury or provided further details but should do so in the near future. Presumably, Saalfrank sustained an injury late in his offseason program. Whatever the case, his subtraction from the bullpen is a tough break for a D-backs club that was already facing plenty of questions about its relief corps and has been working to bring some arms into the fold.
Saalfrank, 28, pitched 29 big league innings this past season and notched a pristine 1.24 earned run average in that time. That mark seems ripe for regression, as it was propped up by a .217 average on balls in play and 87% strand rate — neither of which seemed sustainable. Saalfrank fanned only 16.8% of his opponents, although his 12.2% swinging-strike rate suggests there could be more punchouts in the tank.
The left-handed Saalfrank issued walks at a respectable 8.8% clip and induced grounders at a solid 44.7% rate. Even if another sub-2.00 ERA wasn’t going to be in the cards, he still looked the part of a viable middle reliever at least — though Arizona used him in plenty of high-leverage spots last year after losing Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk to season-ending elbow surgeries.
Saalfrank has pitched 40 1/3 innings in the majors across the past three seasons, working to a 1.79 ERA in that time despite worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates of 15.4% and 11.1%, respectively. He works primarily off a sinker that sits just over 89 mph and a curveball that sits just shy of 80 mph.
Saalfrank would likely have more big league innings under his belt were it not for a yearlong ban he received from June 2024 to June 2025, after the league found that he bet on major league games during his time as a prospect in the D-backs’ system from 2020-21. Saalfrank bet a total of $445 and did not place any bets on D-backs games specifically, but his actions still violated the league’s stated policies and resulted in a lengthy punishment.
With Saalfrank out for the season, the D-backs’ options late in games thin even further. They’ll hope for summer returns from Martinez and Puk, but they’re obvious 60-day IL candidates when camp formally opens. Arizona’s top options in the ‘pen right now include Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and trade acquisition Kade Strowd. They’ll be banking on some in-house arms stepping up and claiming key roles, but losing another arm that looked locked into a spot in manager Torey Lovullo’s bullpen could spur the front office to act with greater urgency to bring in another reliever of some note, whether via free agency or trade.
D-backs Notes: Lawlar, Bullpen, Bench
The D-backs have already been getting top prospect Jordan Lawlar some reps in center field, and general manager Mike Hazen confirmed to D-backs host Jody Jackson that Lawlar will see the bulk of his playing time in the outfield rather than on the infield in 2026.
Lawlar, drafted as a shortstop, was pushed to third base early in his big league tenure after Geraldo Perdomo‘s breakout at shortstop. Defensive metrics and a glut of errors quickly made clear that he wasn’t going to be a quality option at the hot corner, and the team seemingly acknowledged that with last month’s acquisition of Nolan Arenado. With Arenado at third base, Perdomo at shortstop and star Ketel Marte entrenched at second base, Arizona’s infield doesn’t look to have much room for the former No. 6 overall pick.
The outfield, however, provides more opportunity. Corbin Carroll is locked into right field, but the other spots are largely up for grabs. Alek Thomas is a solid defender in center but hasn’t hit at all in parts of four major league seasons. Jake McCarthy was traded to the Rockies earlier this winter. Pavin Smith has some outfield experience but will probably see the lion’s share of time at first base with switch-hitting veteran Carlos Santana providing a righty complement to Smith’s left-handed bat. Yesterday’s trade of Blaze Alexander to the Orioles removed another occasional option from the equation; Alexander played seven games in the outfield last season.
Lawlar has only taken 108 plate appearances in the majors, and he’s posted a bleak .165/.241/.237 slash in that time while striking out at a dismal 34.3% clip. However, he’s still just 23 years old (24 in July) and has absolutely torched Triple-A pitching in parts of three seasons: .328/.414/.576 with 18 homers, 25 doubles, seven triples, 24 steals, an 11.9% walk rate and a 22.6% strikeout rate. Based on that production alone, the D-backs are going to do their best to find a spot in the lineup for his bat.
The trade of Alexander opens a clearer path for Lawlar to get at-bats in the outfield, and it also helped fortify Arizona’s bullpen. The Diamondbacks picked up righty Kade Strowd in that deal, who posted a 1.71 ERA in his first 26 1/3 innings of big league work in 2025. The 28-year-old’s 22.9% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate don’t support that level of run prevention, but Hazen told reporters after the trade that the D-backs felt Strowd took a step forward late in the year and is someone who’ll “compete in the bullpen for us right away” in 2026 (link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com).
Strowd indeed seemed to find another gear in the season’s final month. He walked 11 of the first 71 batters he faced in 2025, but over his final nine innings he issued only two free passes to 34 hitters while punching out 15 (44.1%). His swinging-strike rate in that time nearly doubled, from 8.9% to 16.2%. It’s always dangerous to read too much into small samples, but in this instance, that drastic shift coincided with a huge uptick in Strowd’s four-seam fastball usage and a significant downturn in his curveball and sinker usage. Time will tell whether he can sustain those gains in a larger sample, but it’s a understandable that Hazen & Co. are intrigued to see what he can do with more four-seamers, cutters and sliders with fewer sinkers and hooks.
Gilbert notes that the D-backs are still on the lookout for more pitching help, which is only natural — particularly in the bullpen. Arizona has added Strowd and signed Taylor Clarke and Jonathan Loaisiga as free agents (the latter on a minor league deal), but that won’t be enough to make up for the losses of Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, who’ll open the season on the injured list after undergoing elbow surgery last summer.
The D-backs, Gilbert adds, are also poking around for bench help in the outfield and the infield. Losing Alexander subtracted from that mix, of course, though they acquired six years of Strowd (and a pair of prospects) to offset that loss. At present, backup catcher James McCann is the only true lock for the bench. Infielder/outfielder Tim Tawa offers versatility but didn’t hit at all in his first taste of the majors last year (.201/.274/.347, 225 plate appearances). Switch-hitting outfielder Jorge Barrosa is out of minor league options but is a .148/.170/.239 hitter in 95 MLB plate appearances.
The Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster is extremely pitcher-heavy, with catcher Adrian Del Castillo and 22-year-old infielder Jose Fernandez (who hasn’t played above Double-A) standing as the only other position players on the 40-man roster. It’s only natural that the Snakes will look for some insurance around the infield and outfield, given the thin depth they have at present.
Orioles Acquire Blaze Alexander
The Orioles have acquired infielder Blaze Alexander from the Diamondbacks, according to announcements from both clubs. Right-hander Kade Strowd is going to the Diamondbacks along with a couple of minor leaguers: right-hander Wellington Aracena and infielder José Mejia. The trade is 40-man neutral, as Alexander and Strowd are the only guys with roster spots here.
Alexander, 27 in June, has appeared in the past two big league seasons for the Snakes. He has stepped to the plate 451 times with a .237/.322/.366 line. That’s a bit under league average, translating to a 95 wRC+, and has come with a high strikeout rate of 29.9%. He has shown some versatility by lining up at the three infield positions to the left of first base as well as some time in the outfield.
Though Alexander has been a somewhat useful utility player for Arizona, it was going to be harder for him to hold a roster spot going forward since he has exhausted his final option season. The Diamondbacks have been somewhat proactive in clearing out their fringe roster players this offseason. They traded another out-of-options player last month when they flipped Jake McCarthy to the Rockies.
Arizona has Nolan Arenado at third, Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop and Ketel Marte at second. Without Alexander, they have guys like Tim Tawa and Jordan Lawlar in the mix for multi-positional bench jobs, though John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM says the club will now turn to free agency to replace Alexander with someone else who can play second and/or third base.
The Orioles are seemingly more willing to hold Alexander as a multi-positional bench piece. They project to have Jordan Westburg at third, Gunnar Henderson at short and Jackson Holliday at the keystone. Prior to this deal, their top infield depth options were guys like Jeremiah Jackson and Bryan Ramos. Ramos is a fringe roster guy who was just scooped up in a DFA trade for cash considerations. Jackson has just 48 games of big league experience and still has options.
Alexander presumably jumps to being the club’s top bench option and will likely be used in a platoon capacity. A right-handed batter, he has a .269/.365/.434 line and 125 wRC+ against lefties in his career thus far. Baltimore projects to have a number of lefties getting regular playing time, including Henderson, Holliday, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser and Samuel Basallo. With Alexander’s split and defensive versatility, he should help the O’s shield those guys from tough lefties.
Though he’s out of options, his service clock is just a bit over one year. That means he’s still two years from qualifying for arbitration and could be controlled for five full seasons before reaching free agency, if he continues to hang onto a roster spot.
To make that complementary addition to their position player group, the O’s are parting with a major league arm. Strowd, 28, made his big league debut with the Orioles last year. He tossed 26 1/3 innings over 25 relief appearances, allowing just 1.71 earned runs per nine. He averaged around 96 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker but mostly threw a low-90s cutter while also featuring a curveball and a sweeper.
His 12.4% walk rate was definitely on the high side but his 22.9% strikeout rate was decent and he got grounders on a huge 56.7% of balls in play. There was surely some good luck in that ERA, as his .227 batting average on balls in play allowed and 83.9% strand rate were both to the fortunate side but his 3.40 FIP and 4.02 SIERA suggest he could have managed decent results even with more neutral luck.
The bullpen was a disaster for Arizona in 2025. Their relief groups was supposed to be headlined by A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez but both required major elbow surgeries last year and various other pitchers got hurt as well. The result was that the club’s relievers had a collective 4.82 ERA, ahead of just the Angels, Rockies and Nationals.
However, addressing the bullpen with a big splash wasn’t going to be likely due to the club scaling back payroll. General manager Mike Hazen admitted last month that he was basically deciding between re-signing Merrill Kelly for the rotation or spending that money on a reliever. He opted for Kelly, meaning the club would be going cheap on the bullpen.
Since Strowd just debuted last year, he has only 74 days of big league service time. He is still at least three years away from qualifying for arbitration and also has a couple of options, meaning he doesn’t even need to be guaranteed a permanent big league roster spot. Baltimore made a couple of notable bullpen upgrades this winter by signing Ryan Helsley and acquiring Andrew Kittredge. They seemingly feel they have enough relief depth to part with Strowd for Alexander.
The O’s are also dipping into their farm system a bit. Aracena, 21, was just acquired in July when the O’s flipped Gregory Soto to the Mets. He pitched 92 innings last year, at Single-A and High-A, split between starting and relieving. He had a 2.25 ERA, 30.3% strikeout rate and 46.5% ground ball rate but a huge 13.6% walk rate. Baseball America recently ranked him Baltimore’s #23 prospect. He had triple-digit heat but clearly needs to rein it in a bit more. That lack of control might push him to the bullpen in the future but he hasn’t yet reached Double-A, so his future is still up in the air. Mejia, 20, is even more of a long-term play. He’s younger and has just two games of experience in full-season ball.
Steve Gilbert of MLB.com first reported that Alexander was going to Baltimore for Strowd and a couple of minor leaguers. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic provided the identities of those minor leaguers. Photos courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Allan Henry, Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
Poll: Who Will Sign Zac Gallen?
The impact position players are off the market for the most part at this point, and yesterday the top starter remaining followed suit as Framber Valdez landed with the Tigers on a three-year, $115MM deal. That leaves right-hander Zac Gallen as both the final remaining qualified free agent and the best starting pitcher still available. Gallen’s market has been a bit deflated coming off the weakest season of his career, though with a lifetime 3.58 ERA and 3.65 FIP across 1007 1/3 big league innings there’s no doubt that he could still impact a rotation-needy team if he can get back on track. Which teams would the right-hander be the best fit for, and where will he ultimately land? A few of the most likely options:
Arizona Diamondbacks
For a qualified free agent who lingers on the market, sometimes a homecoming simply makes the most sense. The Diamondbacks are the only team in the majors that wouldn’t forfeit a draft pick in order to bring Gallen into the fold, and that alone makes them a sensible fit. Beyond that, the Arizona pitching staff is in serious need of help. Adding Gallen would be prudent, given the team’s lack of experienced rotation depth and a fifth starter (Michael Soroka) who has had durability concerns. His addition could push some of those depth starters into the mix for a bullpen that lacks impact options with Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk both set to open the season on the injured list. The biggest obstacle for a reunion between Arizona and Gallen is money; ownership hasn’t been shy about their desire to bring down a payroll that has sat in the $190MM range over the past two years, and unless ownership makes an exception for a beloved longtime D-back, the Snakes are more or less at their limit.
Baltimore Orioles
The O’s entered the season with a need to upgrade the rotation. They’ve acquired Shane Baz and re-upped with Zach Eflin, but neither is a surefire front-of-the-rotation arm. That’s also true of Gallen after that shaky 2025 showing, but at his peak he’s been the type of arm Baltimore seeks. Adding Gallen to a rotation including Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Baz, Eflin and Dean Kremer would be a more aggressive approach than the O’s took last winter when signing back-end veterans like Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton to one-year deals. Baltimore’s payroll is still nearly $20MM shy of last year’s Opening Day mark, so there shouldn’t be any major financial hurdles.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have already had a big offseason, headlined by their Alex Bregman signing and a trade for Marlins righty Edward Cabrera. The Cabrera trade has given the Cubs a deep cache of starting pitching options that’s pushed Colin Rea and Javier Assad into depth roles, and even more help figures to be on the way when rehabbing southpaw Justin Steele returns at some point in the first half. Even so, the team’s starting pitching options all have worrisome injury histories. That includes Cabrera, who briefly went on the IL with an elbow issue back in September. Adding a healthy workhorse like Gallen could make plenty of sense to raise the floor, and with talented arms like Steele, Cabrera, and Cade Horton in the mix Gallen might be under less pressure to deliver the ace-level results he’s flashed in the past.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have been clear about their desire to add another starter, and Gallen could be just the sort of high-upside arm the team needs to credibly replace Dylan Cease. It wouldn’t be the first time president of baseball operations A.J. Preller pulled off a major move in the final months before Opening Day. Cease was acquired in March of 2024, while righty Nick Pivetta signed with San Diego last February. The biggest obstacle to Gallen following in their footsteps could be financial, as it’s unclear just how much wiggle room the Padres have left. Perhaps the team working out the details of veteran righty Yu Darvish‘s possible exit from the club could create the budget space necessary to land Gallen.
Other Options
While the aforementioned quartet of clubs are perhaps the most likely destinations for Gallen, they aren’t the only ones. Detroit could have made sense as a Gallen suitor, but their agreement with Valdez surely takes them out of the starting pitching market at this point. The Angels have been connected to the right-hander recently, but they’re viewed as a bit of a long-shot and are by far the least competitive team among this group. Atlanta is known to be shopping for a veteran starter, but it’s unclear if the team has the stomach for the sort of $20MM+ annual salary for which Gallen figures to be searching. The Blue Jays were connected to Valdez shortly before he signed, suggesting a willingness to continue adding to their rotation, but Gallen might not be viewed as impactful enough to justify pushing Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios out of the fifth starter job. The Giants were also connected to Gallen earlier in the winter but have since signed Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle. President of baseball ops Buster Posey downplayed the idea of adding another starter last week, but the San Francisco rotation has both injury and workload concerns behind ace Logan Webb.
Where do MLBTR readers think Gallen will ultimately land? Have your say in the poll below:
Who will sign Zac Gallen?
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Arizona Diamondbacks 24% (3,339)
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Baltimore Orioles 22% (3,053)
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Chicago Cubs 17% (2,315)
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San Diego Padres 9% (1,221)
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Other (Specify In Comments) 7% (990)
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San Francisco Giants 6% (862)
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Atlanta Braves 6% (808)
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Los Angeles Angels 5% (716)
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Toronto Blue Jays 3% (463)
Total votes: 13,767
Latest On D-backs, Zac Gallen
As Zac Gallen continues to twist in the winds of free agency, there’s been growing speculation about a potential reunion with the D-backs. It still seems like a long shot, given Arizona’s desire to scale back payroll after record levels of spending in 2025, but Gallen himself voiced interest when asked about a potential reunion.
“I think people understand what Phoenix means to me,” said Gallen when asked about the possibility of returning (video link via Blake Niemann of FOX 10 Phoenix). “My wife is from here. I’m calling this home base now, so for us to be here would be awesome. It’s been really humbling that [fans] have come up me and would like me to come back — especially because I know how the first half of last year went, we didn’t make the playoffs, things like that. It gives you chills that people still want you to come back and be a part of the organization.”
As Gallen alluded to, the first half of his 2025 season was nightmarish. He tossed consecutive quality starts just twice over his first 22 appearances, pitching to a brutal 5.60 ERA through 127 frames. The right-hander’s strikeout and walk rates were both trending in the wrong direction, and he became more homer-prone than at any point in his career. Gallen served up 23 round-trippers through those first 22 starts — already more than in any full season in his career prior — despite being only two-thirds of the way through the year.
Over the final two months, Gallen turned things around, but not in overly convincing fashion. Gallen’s 3.32 ERA over his final 11 starts/65 innings was a major improvement, but his strikeout rate actually dropped by a couple percentage points. Gallen’s command improved and he dodged hard contact more effectively, but his 4.22 SIERA over his final 11 outings wasn’t materially different than the 4.24 SIERA he posted through his first 22 starts.
Put another way, Gallen was very similar on a rate basis in those first 22 and final 11 starts. However, he had more success stranding runners in the season’s final third (76.5%) than the first two thirds (64%) — in part due to a downturn in home runs allowed. Home run rate and homer-to-flyball ratio tend to be fairly volatile in smaller samples, so between that and some some modest improvements to his command, the final couple months looked like a much larger turnaround than may actually have been the case.
Even if Gallen can’t rebound to his 2019-24 form (3.29 ERA, 26.6 K%, 7.8 BB%), he’d still improve both the Diamondbacks’ rotation quality and depth. At the moment, the Snakes will go with the re-signed Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and free agent signee Michael Soroka to comprise the staff. Depth options beyond that group include Yilber Diaz, Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt and Cristian Mena — a group with virtually no major league experience. One notable injury would leave the D-backs relying on a carousel of rookies to round out a staff that already has multiple pitchers in need of a rebound (Pfaadt, Rodriguez, Soroka).
John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports suggests that Gallen would prefer to be with a team by the time camp opens next week. That doesn’t leave much time for a deal to come together, whether with the D-backs or another club. The Diamondbacks, Gambadoro adds, are either at or very close to the top threshold of owner Ken Kendrick’s set payroll limits. He speculates that the Snakes could try to bring Gallen back on a two-year deal, the second season being a player option, just as they did late in the 2023-24 offseason when agreeing to their ill-fated deal with lefty Jordan Montgomery. In this instance, they might need a more creative structure and/or some deferred money to make it work.
The Montgomery deal, of course, didn’t pan out. Montgomery required Tommy John surgery midway through the 2024 season after pitching to an ERA north of 6.00. Kendrick publicly lamented the move late that season.
On the one hand, it’s hard to see Kendrick doubling down on that tactic after the Montgomery deal blew up so spectacularly. On the other, Gallen is a wholly different situation. He’s spent nearly his entire big league career in Arizona and is beloved by the fans and those within the organization. That includes Kendrick, who said of Gallen in an appearance on 98.7 shortly after the season ended:
“He’s a special young man who spent nearly seven years as a D-back. He definitely had an up-and-down season — performed better in the later part of the year, certainly, than earlier in the year. I think his actions the other evening… he didn’t want to take his uniform off. He’s loved being a Diamondback. I don’t want to say it’s out of the touch of reality that we’d work out an arrangement to bring him back. He’s been a great D-back. Last I recall, he was the guy who pitched seven or eight innings of no-hit ball in a World Series game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. … He’s the guy you want to root for.”
Certainly, that doesn’t mean that the D-backs will tear up prior budget plans to bring Gallen back into the fold, but the longer he remains unsigned and the closer spring training gets, the more a soft landing at home seems to make sense. Gallen rejected a qualifying offer from the D-backs, so they’re the only team that wouldn’t have to forfeit a draft pick (or picks) in order to sign him (though they’re technically forgoing the compensatory pick they’d secure if he signed elsewhere)
Gallen has also drawn recent interest from the Orioles. At various points of the offseason, each of the Cubs, Angels, Giants and Tigers have reportedly inquired on the veteran righty. Many of those clubs have since added to the rotation, but Gallen still stands as a viable source of innings for any club seeking rotation help. And, for a team that believes it can get Gallen back to his previous heights, the current price point could prove to be a bargain.
David Peralta Announces Retirement
Longtime Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta is formally retiring from baseball. He provided a statement to MLBTR announcing the news:
“I want to formally announce my retirement from baseball. I want to thank God for all of the blessings he has given me, for giving me the best parents and sisters who always supported me. For my wonderful wife and beautiful kids who were always with me and supported me unconditionally. Thank you to the Arizona Diamondbacks organization for making my dreams come true, believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play the best baseball in the world — MLB. I also want to thank all of the other organizations that were a part of my career; Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Thank you to Dave McKay for making me a Gold Glover, and thank you to Jose Amado for making me a Silver Slugger. And of course, thank you to all of the fans were always so special with me.
It was a lot of years of hard work, dedication and discipline, and I can now say with my head up that ‘I did it.’ The Freight Train has reached his final destination — HOME. Thank you baseball!”
Peralta took a winding road to what would prove to be a very productive career. He signed with the Cardinals as a left-handed pitcher out of his native Venezuela in 2004. Control issues and a pair of shoulder surgeries prevented him from getting out of rookie ball. By the time St. Louis released him, he was 21 years old and hadn’t made it to Low-A.
Peralta went into the independent ranks and reinvented himself as a hitter. It was a career-changing transition. He raked against indie ball pitching for two seasons, intriguing the Diamondbacks enough that they purchased his contract midway through the 2013 campaign. He remained on a tear in High-A and made the jump to Double-A the following season. By the middle of June, the Snakes had pushed him all the way to the big leagues. He hit .286/.320/.450 over 88 games and went into the next year as an everyday player.
Peralta’s first full MLB season was arguably the best of a strong career. He slashed .312/.371/.522 while connecting on 26 doubles, 10 triples, and 17 home runs. Peralta worked alongside AJ Pollock and Ender Inciarte in what was quietly one of the best outfields in the league. The D-Backs traded Inciarte the following offseason in the ill-fated Shelby Miller deal, while Peralta battled injuries and was limited to 48 games in 2016.
Peralta rebounded to hit .293 in consecutive seasons after that, helping the D-Backs to a playoff berth in the first of those years. He connected on 30 home runs in 2018, setting career marks in both homers and RBI (87). Peralta was one of four National League outfielders with 30+ homers and ranked sixth among the group with an .868 OPS. He was named a Silver Slugger alongside Christian Yelich and Nick Markakis.
The 2019 season saw Peralta earn the award on the other side of the ball. He led NL left fielders with +9 Defensive Runs Saved en route to a Gold Glove. He turned in a second straight season with an OPS above .800 as well, batting .275/.343/.461 with 29 doubles before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. His production began to trend down after that, although he hit .300 during the shortened 2020 season for the second time of his career.
Arizona signed Peralta to a three-year, $22MM extension in advance of what would have been his walk year in 2020. That kept him in the desert for an extra season and a half, but the team’s underperformance led to him being on the trade block by the ’22 deadline. The Snakes traded him to the Rays in advance of his hitting free agency for the first time.
Peralta finished his career back in the NL West. He signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers in 2023 and spent the final four months of the ’24 season on the Padres roster after signing a minor league deal. Although he was more of a complementary player by that point, he finished his career with a respectable .267/.335/.415 showing over 91 games for San Diego. Getting back to the majors that year also got him to the 10-year service milestone.
His teams made the postseason each year from 2022-24. Peralta went 4-for-13 with a homer off Jack Flaherty in a five-game NLDS loss to the Dodgers in what would be his final major league action. He didn’t sign for the 2025 season, although he made a brief comeback in the Venezuelan Winter League this year.
The left-handed hitter finishes his career with a .278/.335/.448 batting line. He hit 125 home runs and topped 500 runs scored and RBI apiece. Peralta tallied 1166 hits and twice led the National League in triples. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each credited him with roughly 17 wins above replacement, while B-Ref calculates his career earnings north of $40MM.
Peralta is one of the most successful indie ball signees ever, and he’s among the better players in Arizona’s 28-year team history. He trails only Luis Gonzalez, Paul Goldschmidt and Ketel Marte in games and hits in a D-Backs uniform, while he ranks among the top 10 in homers, RBI, and WAR among position players. Congratulations to Peralta on a fine career and all the best in his post-playing days.
Image courtesy of Imagn Images.
Players Who Could Move To The 60-Day IL Once Spring Training Begins
Most of the clubs in the league currently have a full 40-man roster, which means that just about every transaction requires a corresponding move. Some extra roster flexibility is on the way, however. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the World Series but comes back when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Most clubs have a slightly earlier report date this year due to the World Baseball Classic. Last year, the Cubs and Dodgers had earlier report dates because they were had an earlier Opening Day than everyone else as part of the Tokyo Series. Gavin Stone was the first player to land on the 60-day IL in 2025, landing there on February 11th. According to MLB.com, every club has a report date from February 10th to 13th this year.
It’s worth pointing out that the 60 days don’t start being counted until Opening Day. Although a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL quite soon, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until late May or beyond. A team also must have a full 40-man roster in order to move a player to the 60-day IL.
There are still plenty of free agents still out there, including big names like Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, and more. Perhaps the extra roster flexibility will spur some deals to come together. It could also increase the ability of some clubs to make waiver claims or small trades for players who have been designated for assignment. If a team wants to pass a player through waivers, perhaps they will try to do so in the near future before the extra roster flexibility opens up.
Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time or who have uncertain recovery timelines from 2025 injuries.
Angels: Anthony Rendon, Ben Joyce
Rendon’s situation is unique. He underwent hip surgery a year ago and missed the entire 2025 season. He is still on the roster and signed through 2026. He and the club have agreed to a salary-deferment plan and he is not expected to be in spring training with the club. His recovery timeline is unclear, but general manager Perry Minasian said earlier this month that Rendon would be “rehabbing at home,” per Alden González of ESPN. If they were going to release him, they likely would have done so by now, so he seems destined for the injured list.
Joyce underwent shoulder surgery in May and missed the remainder of the 2025 season. His current status is unclear. In August, he told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he didn’t know if he would be ready for spring training. He would only land on the 60-day IL if the Halos don’t expect him back before the end of May.
Astros: Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter
All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025. Wesneski was first, with his surgery taking place on May 23rd. Blanco followed shortly thereafter in early June. They will likely be targeting returns in the second half. Walter’s procedure was in September, meaning he will likely miss the entire season. All three should be on the 60-day IL as soon as Houston needs roster spots for other transactions.
Athletics: Zack Gelof
Gelof underwent surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder in September, with the expectation of him potentially being healthy for spring training. At the end of December, general manager David Forst told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com that Gelof would be “a little bit behind” in spring. He would only land on the 60-day IL if the A’s think he’ll be out through late May.
Blue Jays: Jake Bloss
Bloss underwent surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow in May. He was on optional assignment at the time and stayed in the minors for the rest of the season. Going into 2026, the Jays could keep him in the minors but they could also call him up and place him on the major league IL. Doing so would open up a roster spot but would also mean giving Bloss big league pay and service time.
Braves: Ha-Seong Kim, AJ Smith-Shawver, Danny Young, Joe Jiménez
Kim recently fell on some ice and injured his hand. He underwent surgery last week, and the expected recovery time is four to five months. The shorter end of that window only goes to mid-May, so perhaps Atlanta will hold off on making a decision until they watch his recovery, especially since they have other guys with clearer injury timelines.
Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery in June, so he shouldn’t be back until the second half and is therefore a lock for the 60-day IL once Atlanta needs a spot. Young underwent the same procedure in May, so he should also be bound for the IL.
Jimenez is more of a question mark. He missed the 2025 season due to left knee surgery. He required a “cleanup” procedure on that knee towards the end of the season. His timeline isn’t currently clear.
Brewers: None.
Cardinals: None.
Cubs: Justin Steele
Steele will probably be a bit of a borderline case. He underwent UCL surgery in April but it wasn’t a full Tommy John surgery. The Cubs described it as a “revision repair”. Steele had undergone Tommy John in 2017 as a minor leaguer.
Since Steele’s more recent procedure was a bit less serious than a full Tommy John, the club gave an estimated return timeline of about one year, putting him in line to potentially return fairly early in 2026. Given his importance to the Cubs, they would only put him on the 60-day IL if his timeline changes and he’s certain to be out through late May.
Diamondbacks: Corbin Burnes, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez, Blake Walston, Tyler Locklear
The Snakes were hit hard by the injury bug in 2025. Burnes, Walston and Martínez all underwent Tommy John surgery. Burnes and Martínez had their procedures in June, so they should be targeting second-half returns and be easy calls for the 60-day IL. Walston would be a bit more borderline because his surgery was around Opening Day in late March last year. Puk had the slightly less significant internal brace procedure in June, so he could also be a borderline case.
Turning to the position players, Gurriel tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September. He required surgery which came with a return timeline of nine to ten months, so he should be out until around the All-Star break.
Locklear should be back sooner. He underwent surgery in October to address a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder. The hope at the time of that procedure was that he would be game ready to go on a rehab assignment around Opening Day and would therefore miss only about the first month. He would therefore only hit the 60-day IL if he doesn’t meet that timeline for some reason.
Dodgers: Brock Stewart
Stewart underwent shoulder debridement surgery in September. His timeline for 2026 isn’t especially clear. He will likely start the season on the IL but it’s unclear if he’ll be out long enough to warrant landing on the 60-day version.
Giants: Randy Rodríguez, Jason Foley
Rodríguez underwent Tommy John surgery in September, so he’s a lock for the 60-day IL and might even miss the entire 2026 campaign. Foley’s status is a bit more murky. He underwent shoulder surgery in May while with the Tigers. Detroit non-tendered him at season’s end, which allowed the Giants to sign him. He is expected back at some point mid-season. The Giants may want to get more clarity on his progress during camp before deciding on a move to the IL.
Guardians: Andrew Walters, David Fry
Neither of these guys is a lock for the 60-day IL. Walters had surgery to repair his right lat tendon in June with a recovery estimate of eight to ten months. Fry underwent surgery in October due to a deviated septum and a fractured nose suffered when a Tarik Skubal pitch hit him in the face. His timeline is unclear. It’s possible one or both could be healthy by Opening Day, so relevant updates may be forthcoming when camps open.
Mariners: Logan Evans
Evans required UCL surgery just last week and will miss the entire 2026 season. He was on optional assignment at the end of 2025, so the Mariners could keep him in the minors. Calling him up and putting him on the big league 60-day IL would open up a 40-man spot but would also involve Evans receiving big league pay and service time for the year.
Marlins: Ronny Henriquez
Henriquez underwent internal brace surgery in December and will miss the entire 2026 season, so he’s a lock for the 60-day IL.
Mets: Tylor Megill, Reed Garrett, Dedniel Núñez
All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2025 and are likely to miss the entire 2026 season, making them locks for the 60-day IL. Núñez went under the knife in July, followed by Megill in September and Garrett in October.
Nationals: Trevor Williams, DJ Herz
Williams underwent internal brace surgery in July. That’s a slightly less serious variation of Tommy John but still usually requires about a year of recovery. Herz underwent a full Tommy John procedure in April. Since that surgery usually requires 14 months or longer to come back, both pitchers are likely out until around the All-Star break and therefore bound for the 60-day IL once the Nats need some roster spots.
Orioles: Félix Bautista
Bautista underwent shoulder surgery in August, and the club announced his recovery timeline as 12 months. He’s a lock for the 60-day IL and may miss the entire season if his recovery doesn’t go smoothly.
Padres: Yu Darvish, Jhony Brito, Jason Adam
Darvish underwent UCL surgery in November and will miss the entire 2026 season. Instead of going on the IL, he may just retire, but it seems there are some contractual complications to be ironed out since he is signed through 2028.
Brito and Adam could be borderline cases. Brito underwent internal brace surgery in May of last year. Some pitchers can return from that procedure in about a year. Adam ruptured a tendon in his left quad in early September. In November, he seemed to acknowledge that he wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day. As of now, a trip to the 60-day IL seems unlikely unless he suffers a setback.
Pirates: Jared Jones
Jones required UCL surgery on May 21st of last year. The Bucs announced an expected return timeline of 10 to 12 months. The shorter end of that window would allow Jones to return fairly early in 2026. If it looks like he’ll be on the longer end of that time frame, he could wind up on the 60-day IL.
Phillies: Zack Wheeler
Wheeler underwent surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in September, with a timeline of six to eight months. As of now, it seems unlikely Wheeler would require a trip to the 60-day IL, but it depends on how his ramp-up goes. He’s also approaching his 36th birthday, and the Phils could slow-play his recovery.
Rangers: Cody Bradford
Bradford required internal brace surgery in late June of last year. He recently said he’s targeting a return in May. That’s a pretty aggressive timeline, but perhaps the Rangers will delay moving him to the 60-day IL until that plan is strictly ruled out.
Rays: Manuel Rodríguez
Rodriguez underwent flexor tendon surgery in July of last year and is targeting a return in June of this year, so he should be a lock for the 60-day IL.
Reds: Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar
Both of these pitchers required Tommy John surgeries late in 2024, Williamson in September and Aguiar in October. They each missed the entire 2025 season. Presumably, they are recovered by now and could be healthy going into 2026, but there haven’t been any recent public updates.
Red Sox: Tanner Houck, Triston Casas
Houck is the most clear-cut case for Boston. He had Tommy John surgery in August of 2025 and will miss most or perhaps all of the 2026 season. Casas is more borderline. He’s still recovering from a ruptured left patellar tendon suffered in May of last year. It doesn’t seem like he will be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline apart from that is murky.
Rockies: Jeff Criswell, Kris Bryant
Criswell required Tommy John surgery in early March of last year. With the normal 14-month recovery timeline, he could be back in May. Anything slightly longer than that would make him a candidate for the 60-day IL. Bryant’s timeline is very difficult to discern. He has hardly played in recent years due to various injuries and is now dealing with chronic symptoms related to lumbar degenerative disc disease. Updates will likely be provided once camp opens.
Royals: Alec Marsh
Marsh missed 2025 due to shoulder problems and is slated to miss 2026 as well after undergoing labrum surgery in November.
Tigers: Jackson Jobe
Jobe required Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He will miss most or perhaps even all of the 2026 season.
Twins: None.
White Sox: Ky Bush, Drew Thorpe, Prelander Berroa
These three hurlers all required Tommy John surgery about a year ago, Bush in February, followed by Berroa and Thorpe in March. Given the normal 14-month recovery period, any of them could return early in 2026, but they could also end up on the 60-day IL if the timeline pushes slightly beyond that.
Yankees: Clarke Schmidt, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Anthony Volpe
Schmidt is the only lock of this group. He required UCL surgery in July of last year and should miss the first half of the 2026 season. Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March of last year. His target is expected to be late May/early June, so he has a decent chance to hit the 60-day. However, given his importance to the club, the Yankees probably won’t put him there until it’s certain he won’t be back by the middle of May.
Rodón had surgery in October to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He’s expected to be back with the big league club in late April or early May, so he would only hit the 60-day IL if his timeline is pushed. Volpe required shoulder surgery in October. He’s not expected to be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline beyond that doesn’t seem concrete.
Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images