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Yasmani Grandal Steps Away From Red Sox

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Yasmani Grandal informed the Red Sox’s Triple-A team that he is stepping away from his minor league deal. Grandal did not officially announce his retirement, but it appears he’s leaning that way.

“At the moment, it looks like he’s probably going to walk away and potentially hang them up,” Triple-A manager Chad Tracy told MassLive’s Katie Morrison-O’Day on Tuesday. “We talked (Monday), and I knew he was going to pack up and go…his response was ‘it’s time to be dad.’” The Sox technically placed him on the restricted list, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Francys Romero confirms that Grandal does not intend to return to the Boston organization.

Grandal signed a minor league deal with the Sox in mid-April. He bypassed a contractual opt-out on May 1 and ultimately appeared in 23 games for Worcester. While he posted a decent .256/.372/.397 batting line, the Sox have a more locked-in catching duo than they did at the time he signed. Connor Wong had just broken his finger. Carlos Narváez was playing in front of Blake Sabol. Wong returned on May 2, while Narváez has impressed enough to take over as the primary catcher. Sabol was recently designated for assignment, so Grandal would probably have been the first one up in the event of an injury, but that was his only real path to the big leagues.

If this is the end of his playing days, he’ll walk away as one of the more productive catchers of his generation. Grandal was a two-time All-Star who twice received down-ballot MVP votes. He has spent parts of 13 seasons in the big leagues. A first-round pick by the Reds in 2010, he was dealt to San Diego as a prospect in a blockbuster deal for Mat Latos. Grandal played parts of three seasons with the Padres before he was packaged in another significant trade, moving to the Dodgers alongside then-prospect Zach Eflin for Matt Kemp.

Grandal arguably did his best work in a Dodger uniform. He hit .238/.337/.453 while grading as an elite pitch framer over four seasons. He played one All-Star season with the Brewers before joining the White Sox on a four-year, $73MM free agent deal. The contract didn’t end well, but he posted a career-best .420 on-base percentage over 93 games in 2021. His most recent (and potentially final) MLB work came with the Pirates last season, when he hit .228/.304/.400 across 72 contests as the veteran in a catching group that also included Joey Bart and Henry Davis.

Mariners, Daniel Bard Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Mariners are in agreement with veteran reliever Daniel Bard, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI. The ISE Baseball client will head to the team’s Arizona complex for some work before reporting to Triple-A Tacoma. Bradford adds that the deal contains multiple opt-out dates if Bard isn’t called up to the big league roster.

Bard is a few weeks shy of his 40th birthday. He missed all of last season recovering from surgeries to address a meniscus tear in his left knee and, more concerningly, a flexor tendon tear in his forearm. It seemed the latter injury might end Bard’s career, but he embarked on a comeback effort and threw in front of roughly ten teams last month. The Mariners evidently liked what they saw.

It has been a winding career path. Bard was a quality setup man in Boston for a few seasons until running into significant command woes. He bounced around the minors and even retired for a time to take a non-playing role with the Diamondbacks. Bard announced he was making a comeback in 2020. It improbably kickstarted a second act with the Rockies, with whom he eventually emerged as closer. He combined for 54 saves between 2021-22, working to a 1.79 ERA in the latter season.

Colorado signed Bard to a two-year, $19MM extension shortly before the 2022 trade deadline. That didn’t pan out, as his control issues resurfaced the following year. He managed a 4.56 ERA across 49 1/3 innings while walking more than 21% of opposing hitters. The second season of the deal was wiped out by the aforementioned injuries. Bard is a much less risky flier for the Mariners, who will see how his stuff plays in Tacoma after his tune-up at the complex. His fastball still had good life before the flexor surgery, as he averaged 95 MPH on his sinker in 2023.

MLBPA, Tony Clark Hire Counsel Amid Federal Investigation

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Last week, ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Don Van Natta Jr. reported that the MLB and NFL Players Associations were the subjects of a federal investigation. According to ESPN, the FBI had contacted multiple players involved with the MLBPA regarding OneTeam Partners — a joint venture initially co-founded by the two players unions and a private equity firm that is concerned with issues outside the collective bargaining agreement (e.g. licensing deals for the use of player likenesses).

The players themselves are not the target of the investigation. ESPN wrote that an anonymous complainant filed allegations with the National Labor Relations Board late in 2024 that — among other things — accused MLBPA executive director Tony Clark of “improperly (giving) himself and other executives equity” in OneTeam. It seems that’s the cause for this investigation; the MLBPA has previously denied those allegations. According to ESPN, the NFLPA commissioned its own audit after the NLRB filing and determined that the NFLPA was in compliance with accepted practice.

There aren’t many specifics available. Evan Drellich of The Athletic wrote last night that Clark (as an individual) and the MLBPA have hired separate attorneys. That’s sensible because the allegations in the NLRB complaint, if true, could involve a conflict of interest between Clark and the union.

Clark has been the head of the Players Association since 2013. He has led two rounds of collective bargaining negotiations. He’s currently positioned to do so again in 2026. Last spring, he and deputy director Bruce Meyer weathered an internal push from a segment of the players who wanted to oust them in favor of former minor league advocate Harry Marino.

Tigers Activate Sawyer Gipson-Long

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June 4: The Tigers announced Gipson-Long’s activation today. Righty Dylan Smith was optioned to Triple-A Toledo as the corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, righty Jason Foley was recalled and placed on the major league 60-day IL. Foley underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in May while on optional assignment. Due to this move, he’ll get major league pay and service time while spending the rest of the year on the IL.

Foley came into this year with his service time clock at three years and 33 days. He should finish this season at 3.149, give or take a day. The Tigers can now retain him via arbitration through the 2028 season. However, he’ll be a non-tender candidate at the end of this year due to his health status. He is making $3.15MM this year and shouldn’t be able to push that any higher due to his injury absence.

June 3: The Tigers will activate Sawyer Gipson-Long to start tomorrow’s game against the White Sox, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press). He’ll be reinstated from the 60-day injured list, which will require a 40-man roster spot. The Tigers don’t have an obvious candidate to move to the 60-day IL. They’ll likely designate someone for assignment tomorrow.

Gipson-Long will take an MLB mound for the first time since September 2023. He injured his elbow last spring and required an internal brace UCL surgery. Knowing he’d miss the entire season either way, he also underwent a labrum repair on his left hip over the summer. He’ll make his return a little more than 13 months after the elbow procedure. He has taken the ball five times on a rehab stint going back to May 8. He reached 5 1/3 innings and 53 pitches during his final appearance with Triple-A Toledo last week.

Now 27, Gipson-Long has four MLB starts to his name. Those all came at the end of the 2023 season. He pitched well over 20 innings, working to a 2.70 ERA while striking out nearly 32% of opponents. It came against a soft slate of lineups, but it would have put him in the mix for the fifth or sixth spot on the rotation depth chart last year had he been healthy.

Injuries to Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe have opened that opportunity for now. Detroit has Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Keider Montero operating as their top four at the moment. Veteran righty Alex Cobb recently began a rehab assignment; he’s been out all season with a hip issue.

Marlins Expect To Activate Eury Perez Next Week

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The Marlins plan to welcome Eury Pérez back from the injured list for next week’s series against the Pirates, writes Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. The 6’8″ righty will be making his first MLB appearance since his 2023 rookie season. Pérez underwent Tommy John surgery last April and is now 14 months removed from the procedure. Miami has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move once he’s officially reinstated.

Pérez was the sport’s top pitching prospect when the Marlins called him up in May ’23. He arrived in the majors at age 20 armed with an upper-90s fastball that led a strong four-pitch mix. His advanced command was equally impressive, as most young pitchers who are anywhere close to his height struggle to repeat their mechanics. Most evaluators projected him as a future top-of-the-rotation starter.

His first look at MLB hitters reinforced that optimism. Pérez managed a 3.15 earned run average over 19 starts. He punched out nearly 29% of opponents against a serviceable 8.3% walk rate while sitting in the 97-98 MPH range with his fastball. He finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year balloting and would likely have placed higher had the Marlins not optioned him for a month midseason as a check on his innings. The elbow injury arose during the following Spring Training and cost him all of last year.

Pérez returned to game action in late April, beginning a rehab assignment at Low-A Jupiter. He made five abbreviated appearances there before jumping to Triple-A Jacksonville two weeks ago. He made three more starts, building to 82 pitches across 4 1/3 innings tonight. He finished his Triple-A run with a 2.13 ERA and 15 strikeouts across 12 1/3 frames. His fastball averaged 97.8 MPH.

It’s not all positives for the Miami rotation, however. Max Meyer landed on the 15-day IL with a left hip impingement before tonight’s loss to the Rockies. Manager Clayton McCullough told reporters (including Craig Mish of SportsGrid) that the issue has bothered Meyer for a few starts. The former third overall pick has struggled of late, allowing at least four runs in six of his past seven appearances. He had carried a 3.18 ERA with an excellent 33.1% strikeout rate into May but has surrendered more than six earned runs per nine since then. Meyer’s strikeout rate has fallen below 15% in that stretch, during which opponents are hitting .321.

Sandy Alcantara took the ball tonight, while Cal Quantrill will oppose his former team in the series finale against Colorado. Miami is off Thursday. Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers and Alcantara are lined up for their weekend set in Tampa Bay. Pérez could return on Monday or follow Quantrill and take the ball on Tuesday if the Marlins want to give him an extra day of rest after tonight’s rehab appearance.

Giants Release Jake Lamb, Move Bryce Eldridge To Triple-A

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The Giants released veteran first baseman Jake Lamb from his minor league deal on Monday, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. That’s tied to a move for their top prospect, as Bryce Eldridge has been bumped up to Triple-A Sacramento. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the Eldridge move.

Lamb, 34, signed an offseason minor league contract. He hit .240/.352/.353 across 176 plate appearances. He walked at a strong 11.9% clip while striking out a quarter of the time. The lefty-hitting Lamb has accrued over eight years of MLB service and owns a .235/.326/.427 slash line in nearly 2700 big league plate appearances. His most recent MLB experience consisted of 19 games for the Angels in 2023.

Eldridge is a 20-year-old first baseman who was the Giants’ first-round pick out of high school two seasons ago. He made an eight-game cameo in Triple-A at the end of last year, a time when all of the organization’s lower level affiliates had already finished playing. There wasn’t any consideration to an MLB promotion at the time. A call in the coming weeks is much more realistic. After beginning this season on the shelf with a left wrist injury, Eldridge crushed Double-A pitching at a .280/.350/.512 clip in 34 games. He’s now back in Sacramento for a longer run than he got last season — unless the Giants feel compelled to call him to Oracle Park even more quickly.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey left the door open to Eldridge forcing their hand if he hits the ground running in Triple-A. “I think all of these decisions and conversations are fluid,” Posey said (link via Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle). “Things can change. For Bryce, it’s best to get reps, but things change. So we’ll continue to have conversations and watch his progress.”

The Giants have had the worst first base production of any contender. They entered play tonight with .183/.291/.312 line out of the position. They’re last in batting average and slugging while ranking 21st in on-base percentage. Only the Pirates, Marlins and White Sox have received a lower OPS.

That mostly falls on LaMonte Wade Jr., who has a dismal .167/.275/.271 line after posting consecutive seasons with an OBP above .370 in 2023-24. Right-handed platoon partner Casey Schmitt hasn’t provided much either. Wade is day-to-day after being hit on the right hand by a Stephen Kolek pitch last night. Schmitt is starting against San Diego righty Ryan Bergert this evening.

Shane McClanahan Targeting Return Around Late July

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The Rays have a timeline for the return of their ace. President of baseball operations Erik Neander told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this week that Shane McClanahan is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday. Neander added that if things go as planned, McClanahan could begin a minor league rehab assignment by the end of the month and return to the big league club in “late July or early August, fingers crossed.”

McClanahan hasn’t pitched in a regular season game since 2023. He was amidst a second straight All-Star season and carried a 3.29 ERA over 115 innings. That’s when he came off the mound in early August with forearm tightness. McClanahan was headed for Tommy John surgery two weeks later. The late-season timing of the injury meant he was almost immediately ruled out for the entire ’24 campaign as well.

Tampa Bay was hopeful of getting McClanahan back at the beginning of this year. He looked sharp over three starts in Spring Training. That was halted when he suffered a nerve injury in his triceps midway through camp. His timeline had been uncertain until now. The Rays will hope for a smooth progression from here that’d allow McClanahan to make it back within the next couple months.

The target coincidentally aligns with the July 31 trade deadline. The Rays almost certainly aren’t going to move McClanahan, but his return could make the front office more comfortable dealing a different starter. Impending free agent Zack Littell is the most obvious trade candidate, but the Rays are generally open to listening to offers on anyone. They’ll presumably get calls on each of Ryan Pepiot, Drew Rasmussen, Taj Bradley and Shane Baz as well.

In other Rays injury news, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times writes that outfielder Jonny DeLuca will be shut down from all baseball activities for another three weeks. DeLuca has been out since early April with a shoulder strain. He suffered a setback last week and is evidently going to miss quite some time.

Yankees Place Luke Weaver On Injured List

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June 3: Weaver is now officially on the IL, per a club announcement. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco has also been designated for assignment. It was reported yesterday that he had been placed on waivers. To replace those two, righty Fernando Cruz has been reinstated from the IL and righty Yerry De Los Santos has been recalled. The club also reinstated infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the IL with fellow infielder Jorbit Vivas optioned down to the minors.

June 2: The Yankees expect to place closer Luke Weaver on the 15-day injured list, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Weaver injured his hamstring while warming up during Sunday’s game. Passan notes that the team has yet to finalize a timetable but suggests it may be a four-to-six week absence.

Weaver has been one of baseball’s best relievers since landing in the Bronx. He turned in a 2.89 ERA while ranking third in MLB with 84 relief innings last year. Weaver punched out more than 31% of opponents. He recorded 22 holds and supplanted Clay Holmes as Aaron Boone’s closer in September. Weaver saved four more games while adding 15 1/3 frames of three-run ball in the postseason.

The offseason Devin Williams trade was supposed to push Weaver back into the setup role he’d held for the bulk of 2024. That arrangement lasted for around a month. Williams allowed three or more runs in three of his first 10 appearances. The Yankees pulled him from the ninth inning by the end of April, hoping that a setup role would allow him to find his footing in his new home.

Weaver drew back in as closer and has gone 8-9 in save chances. Despite a six-point drop in his strikeout rate, Weaver has been as effective as he was last season. He has only surrendered three runs in 25 2/3 frames. Boone will presumably provide an update on the team’s plans for the ninth inning when he meets with the New York beat before tomorrow’s series opener against the Guardians.

Williams has been far better of late, reeling off scoreless appearances in 10 of his last 11 outings. He’s striking out almost 40% of opponents in that time. Giving him the ninth inning is the most straightforward option. If the Yankees don’t want to do that, perhaps if they’re set on returning the role to Weaver once he’s healthy, then Mark Leiter Jr. or Fernando Cruz would be the other options. Cruz is expected back from shoulder inflammation tomorrow.

If Weaver does wind up requiring a 4-6 week recovery, the Yankees would get him back around the All-Star Break. They’d have a couple weeks to evaluate how their bullpen looks leading up to the trade deadline. Weaver is on track for free agency at the end of the season. He should have plenty of time to return and cement his status among the top two or three relievers in the class. He’ll probably be limited to a three-year deal as he enters his age-32 season, but he should command a strong annual value if he comes back without issue.

Ryan Bergert Expected To Join Padres Rotation

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Ryan Bergert is tabbed as the Padres probable starter for tonight’s matchup against the Giants. San Diego will recall the 25-year-old righty from Triple-A El Paso today. Bergert will go opposite Landen Roupp in his first major league start.

Bergert has been up once before. He was promoted in late April and tossed four scoreless innings in four lower-leverage situations. He’ll take on a more significant role this time around. As Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes, Bergert seems positioned to get a look as the fifth starter. Michael King has been out for a couple weeks with a shoulder issue. The Padres recalled Kyle Hart to take the first start in what would have been King’s spot. Hart gave up five runs through 4 2/3 innings against Miami and was promptly optioned back to Triple-A.

Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Stephen Kolek and Randy Vásquez occupy the top four rotation spots. The Padres are four days into a stretch of 14 consecutive game days. They’re off next Thursday but will again play 14 straight after that. That doesn’t allow them to comfortably work around the fifth rotation spot with bullpen days. Hart and Matt Waldron have each been optioned within the past couple days. They can’t be recalled for a couple weeks barring an injury. The Padres wouldn’t have sent them down if they were planning on either being their short-term fifth starter regardless.

King has an uncertain return timeline. The Padres said last week that he’s dealing with a pinched nerve. They’ve stressed that there’s nothing structurally wrong but indicated they don’t know how quickly the nerve irritation will subside. Yu Darvish has been out all season with elbow inflammation. He was pulled off a rehab assignment after experiencing soreness last month. According to the MLB.com injury tracker, he has been throwing side sessions but he’ll presumably need at least one or two rehab starts once he’s ready to resume game action.

Bergert, a sixth-round pick out of West Virginia in 2021, ranked as San Diego’s #21 prospect at Baseball America over the winter. BA credited him with three average to slightly above-average pitches and decent control. He’s working mostly behind a 94 MPH fastball and mid-80s slider in Triple-A. He may need to lean a little more heavily on his changeup to handle left-handed hitters at the MLB level.

The approach has worked well enough for him in El Paso. Bergert has posted a 3.75 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate over nine starts. He’s unlikely to work through a lineup three times very often, however. Bergert hasn’t topped five innings in any start this year. He’s mostly pitching 3-4 inning stints. Bergert tossed four scoreless with four strikeouts during his most recent appearance last Wednesday.

Reds To Add Joe La Sorsa To 40-Man Roster

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The Reds intend to select lefty reliever Joe La Sorsa onto their 40-man roster, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. He’ll remain with Triple-A Louisville, as the team will immediately option him back to the minors. Cincinnati has an open 40-man spot after last week’s Alexis Díaz trade, so there’s no need for a corresponding move.

La Sorsa triggered an upward mobility clause in his minor league deal over the weekend. That required the Reds to gauge interest from other teams in selecting his contract. If any other team were willing to do so, Cincinnati would either have to carry him on their own 40-man roster or let him join another team. They took the former approach to keep him in the organization, but he still has two minor league option years and can remain in Louisville through the end of next season if he holds his 40-man spot for that long.

The 27-year-old La Sorsa made 41 MLB appearances with the Rays and Nationals between 2023-24. He owns a cumulative 4.47 earned run average across 50 1/3 innings. La Sorsa’s sinker has sat in the 87-88 MPH range during his big league tenure. The lack of velocity has contributed to a below-average 19.2% strikeout rate. His velocity is up across the board this year in Triple-A. His sinker is sitting closer to 92 MPH, while he has pushed his sweeping slider from the mid-70s to north of 78 MPH on average. He’s running his four-seamer up to 94 MPH, though he has continued to lean on the sinker as his main pitch.

The uptick in stuff intrigued the Reds and presumably at least one other team. It hasn’t resulted in improved results, though. La Sorsa owns a 3.92 ERA with matching 16.1% strikeout and walk rates across 20 2/3 frames for Louisville. He’s getting whiffs on only 7.1% his offerings, which is two percentage points lower than last year’s Triple-A swinging strike rate. La Sorsa had managed a 2.25 ERA with much better command over 56 innings in the Nats’ system last season. The Reds will give him some more time to try to establish the command of his bigger stuff.

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