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Mets Sticking With Six-Man Rotation

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The Mets are moving to a six-man rotation for the time being, manager Carlos Mendoza tells reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). That’ll keep Jonah Tong in the rotation after tonight’s debut. New York will operate with a seven-man bullpen for the next two games but will get an eighth reliever back when active rosters expand on Monday.

Tong worked five innings against the Marlins tonight. He gave up four runs, only one of which was earned after the Mets made a pair of errors in the fifth inning. Tong punched out six without issuing a walk while allowing six hits. Completing five innings was all he needed to do to pick up his first big league win. The Mets pounded Miami pitching for 19 runs in a blowout victory.

The Mets now have a pair of rookies in their starting staff. Nolan McLean, called up two weeks ago, has begun his big league career with a trio of fantastic starts. He fired eight scoreless innings against Philadelphia last time out and has allowed only two runs through his first 20 1/3 innings. David Peterson has been their best starter all year, while Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea are surely locked into rotation spots. It wouldn’t have made much sense to call Tong up just for a spot start.

Clay Holmes has a 4.38 ERA with a well below-average 15.8% strikeout rate in eight starts since the All-Star Break. He has only completed six innings once during that stretch. The Mets could’ve considered moving him to the bullpen, where he’ll probably end up in October if they hold onto a playoff spot. That’s not the plan for now, and Holmes is lined up to start in Detroit next Wednesday.

The Mets have a scheduled off day on Thursday. If they don’t make any adjustments to their six-man rotation, Tong’s second MLB start will come a week from now at Great American Ball Park. That’s shaping up to be a big series with the Reds representing the closest thing to a challenger in the Wild Card race. New York has pulled five games clear of Cincinnati, who have dropped four in a row at a very inopportune time.

The final month presents an evaluation opportunity for New York’s coaching staff and front office. They could go in a number of directions with a playoff rotation. Peterson is probably the favorite for a Game One start, but McLean and Tong each have a shot to convince the club that they’re worthy of a postseason start despite their inexperience.

Angels Re-Sign Connor Brogdon To Minor League Contract

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The Angels re-signed reliever Connor Brogdon on a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Brogdon, who had elected free agency last week after being designated for assignment, reports to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Los Angeles initially signed Brogdon to a minor league contract over the offseason. He had an ERA approaching 13.00 in Triple-A when the Angels nevertheless called him up in early May. Brogdon held an MLB bullpen spot for the next three months. He allowed 5.30 earned runs per nine over 37 1/3 innings. His strikeout, walk and home run rates were each on the wrong side of league average.

Brogdon looked like a potential leverage piece for the Phillies early in his career. He combined for a 3.36 ERA with solid strikeout and walk numbers in more than 100 innings between 2021-22. His numbers have tanked in the past few years (though he did collect a World Series ring last year after pitching one inning for the Dodgers in April). Brogdon still has a mid-90s fastball, and the Angels clearly still like him as a depth option. He’ll provide non-roster bullpen depth down the stretch.

Rays Re-Sign Logan Driscoll To Minor League Deal

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The Rays re-signed catcher Logan Driscoll to a minor league contract, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. Tampa Bay had released him a couple weeks ago. Driscoll has been battling an ankle injury and hasn’t played all year, and the Rays wanted to take him off the 40-man roster without paying him an MLB salary.

Driscoll, 27, is a former second-round draftee of the Padres. The Rays acquired him in a 2020 trade that sent Emilio Pagán to San Diego. Driscoll has spent six seasons in the system and got a brief major league look last season. He played in 15 games, batting .171 with one home run. The lefty hitter owns a solid .287/.362/.460 slash in 370 plate appearances over two seasons at Triple-A Durham.

Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia are splitting the major league catching reps. They’re now the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. Matt Thaiss, Tres Barrera and Dominic Keegan are all active for Triple-A Durham. Thaiss would probably be the choice if either Feduccia or Fortes suffer an injury before the end of the season. Tampa Bay will need to decide this offseason whether to add Keegan to the 40-man roster or expose him to the Rule 5 draft. The Vanderbilt product is hitting .239/.311/.383 in 52 Triple-A games.

Randy Rodriguez Recommended To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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A breakout season for Giants reliever Randy Rodríguez has come to an unfortunate end. The team announced that multiple doctors have recommended the All-Star righty undergo Tommy John surgery (relayed by Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News). Rodríguez will make his decision this weekend, but it’s tough to see this going any other way.

The procedure will almost certainly cost him the entire 2026 season. Rodríguez had taken over the ninth inning after San Francisco traded Camilo Doval to the Yankees at the deadline. He would’ve been the favorite for the closer role going into next year. The 25-year-old turned in a 1.78 earned run average while striking out more than a third of opponents over 50 appearances. He collected his first four career saves and picked up 13 holds.

There are 102 pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings out of the bullpen this season. Rodríguez is seventh among that group in ERA and eighth in strikeout percentage. He has the fifth-highest gap between his strikeout and walk rates. He’s among the top 30 relievers in swinging strikes. He had emerged as one of the league’s best young relievers.

Elbow injuries have been the only real concern over his first two big league seasons. Rodríguez missed six weeks in the second half of the ’24 campaign to elbow inflammation. He avoided surgery at the time, and his 97-98 MPH fastball and wipeout slider carried him through the first five months of this season. An elbow sprain sent him back to the injured list this week, and it seems the ligament damage is severe enough that he’ll need to go under the knife.

Rodríguez entered this season with 148 days of service time. He picked up a full service year in 2025 and will do the same in ’26, assuming he indeed undergoes surgery and spends the entire season on the injured list. He’ll qualify for arbitration for the first of four times as a Super Two player during the 2026-27 offseason. The Giants will need to carry him on the 40-man roster over the offseason but can place him on the 60-day injured list at the beginning of Spring Training.

The injury is a massive hit to a bullpen that already looked like a weakness going into the offseason. Ryan Walker, who will finish this season in the closer role, has had a strong second half after a rocky start. He’ll be back in high-leverage spots. José Buttó, acquired from the Mets in the Tyler Rogers trade, will be in the setup mix. They’re the only two locks.

Joel Peguero has huge stuff but has made three career appearances. Journeyman lefty Matt Gage has pitched well, yet he’s a 32-year-old without big velocity. Erik Miller, their top left-hander in the season’s first half, has been rehabbing an elbow sprain of his own. The Giants could look at putting Hayden Birdsong back into the bullpen after he struggled to throw strikes as a starter. Even if they do that, they’ll need to add multiple arms from outside the organization during the winter.

Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Anthony Franco

  • Hey everyone, hope you've enjoyed your week! Looking forward to another of these, let's get going

Dave Dombrowski

  • How much has Kyle Schwarber raised his salary now? Does 4/140 keep him in Philly and away from FA? Does the uncertainty regarding Wheeler push me to make a strong offer to Ranger Suarez? And will there be enough left to resign JTR, the real rock of the pitching staff? Do you think that John Middleton will back a payroll approaching $400M?

Anthony Franco

  • Yeah I have to imagine 4/140 would get it done before he hits the market. Still don't see Philly going to 35M annually especially at their luxury tax status, but I do think he's got a shot at five years that could approach that guarantee
  • DH who is soon to be 33 is a profile the market hates but Schwarber's pretty clearly in a different tier from the Santander/Teoscar group. You could point to Alonso's quiet market last year as a counterargument, but Schwarber's walk year is so much better than Alonso's 2024
  • I don't think the Wheeler injury dramatically changes things on Ranger. Never seemed all that likely to me that they'd re-sign him for nine figures, even after trading Abel. I think they're just more likely to be in on an Adrian Houser type who can serve as a fifth starter or long man once Painter is in the rotation

Slick

  • Are the Nationals looking at another five years of rebuilding?  From top to bottom this team appears to be in disarray.

Anthony Franco

  • I'm not as pessimistic on a core with Wood, Abrams, Gore, etc. but based on Steve's forthcoming Front Office post this week, I think he's more in your camp
  • He's about to drop like 2000 words on this topic

Mariners

  • What are your thoughts on the Robles suspension? Fair? Too long? Too short?

Anthony Franco

  • Start at 10, drop to seven seems fine. I feel like Contreras should have been at that level as well though, so I guess you could argue it's inconsistent

Chris

  • More likely to rebound in 2026: Braves or Orioles?

Anthony Franco

  • Tough one. I think I'd take Baltimore. Atlanta's got more high-end talent coming back, especially on the pitching staff, but they're probably going to put a lot on Sale, Schwellenbach and López to stay healthy in a way that concerns me
  • The O's have a lot of heavy lifting to do this offseason, especially in the bullpen, but I think they're a little more well equipped to navigate 162 with in-house depth

JeffyM82

  • Bo Bichette 2025 total hits over/under Bo Bichette total free agent contract (millions).  Where are you putting your money? Bo Currently has 169 hits with 28 games remaining.

Anthony Franco

  • Ha yeah I'll take the hits. I like this one though, reasonable argument either way

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Red Sox To Promote Payton Tolle

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The Red Sox will call up pitching prospect Payton Tolle to make his big league debut tomorrow, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It’ll be a fantastic pitching matchup, as he goes against Paul Skenes in a series opener at Fenway Park. Skenes will coincidentally be matched against a pitcher making his MLB debut for the second straight outing, as the Rockies tabbed McCade Brown as his opponent last weekend.

It’s the latest step in a breakout season for Tolle. Boston signed the 6’6″ southpaw to a $2MM bonus after drafting him in the second round out of TCU last summer. They kept him at their complex in his draft year rather than assigning him to a minor league affiliate. That allowed them to manage his innings going into this year.

The Sox certainly didn’t expect Tolle would be in the big leagues a year later. He began this season in High-A, striking out 38% of opponents over 11 appearances. That earned him a move to Double-A in June. Tolle pitched his way past that level within six weeks, recording a 1.67 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 27 innings. He has been at Triple-A Worcester for all of three weeks.

Tolle hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down at the top minor league level. He has fanned 17 hitters with a pair of walks in his first 15 Triple-A frames. Opponents have swung through 14% of his offerings in his three starts. Tolle’s fastball has sat in the 95-96 MPH range. He also uses a low-90s cutter, a slider, curveball and changeup among a deep arsenal.

Along the way, Tolle has vaulted towards the top of the organization’s prospect rankings. He’s second in the system at Baseball America behind Marcelo Mayer. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had him third among Sox prospects and 71st overall when he updated his Top 100 list shortly before the trade deadline. (Mayer had graduated from the FanGraphs list, where Tolle was behind Franklin Arias and Kyson Witherspoon.) Last week, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranked Tolle as a top 35 overall prospect and had him second after Arias in the system.

While the 22-year-old has certainly impressed evaluators, the aggressive promotion is also related to Boston’s rotation woes. Walker Buehler pitched his way out of the starting five and is locked into a bullpen role for the rest of the season. Richard Fitts appeared to get the first opportunity to replace Buehler, but he came out of Monday’s game with arm discomfort. He’s on the 15-day injured list with arm neuritis. Swingman Cooper Criswell landed on the minor league injured list last week.

The Sox needed to promote a fifth starter. The decision came down to Tolle versus Kyle Harrison. The latter is already on the 40-man roster and seemed to be the favorite for the job. Harrison has still yet to get a look from the Sox since they acquired him as the headliner of the Rafael Devers return. He has a solid 3.65 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts, but he’s walked nearly 12% of opposing hitters with a league average 21.5% strikeout rate. Boston evidently feels Tolle gives them a better shot to win.

Dustin May had been lined up for Friday’s turn through the rotation. He’ll move back a day and take the ball against Johan Oviedo on Saturday. Lucas Giolito will pitch the series finale with Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet on turn for the first two games of next week’s series against the Guardians. Tolle would be lined up for the final game of that set if he gets a second start.

Boston will select his contract tomorrow. They can open a 40-man roster spot by moving Mayer to the 60-day injured list. He underwent season-ending wrist surgery earlier this month. They will need to make an active roster move involving a pitcher. Assuming they don’t want to designate Buehler for assignment, they’ll probably option southpaw Brennan Bernardino back to Triple-A. Teams will be able to carry a 14th pitcher beginning on September 1.

The Red Sox are now committed to carrying Tolle on the 40-man throughout the offseason. That’s the biggest roster consideration, as he would not have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter. Tolle will not reach 45 days on an MLB roster this year. He’ll remain a rookie going into next season, keeping open the possibility of earning the Sox a future draft pick if they carry him for a full service year in 2026. Tolle will certainly meet the prospect criteria to be eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive.

Spencer Turnbull Opts Out Of Cubs Deal

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Spencer Turnbull was released from his minor league contract with the Cubs, as first reflected on the MiLB.com transaction log. Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register reports that the righty triggered an opt-out clause.

Turnbull sets out for a new opportunity a few days before the postseason roster cutoff. He’ll need to sign with a new team, at least on a minor league contract, by September 1 in order to be eligible for the playoffs. Turnbull will be a free agent again at the beginning of the offseason. He’ll presumably look to catch on with a contender seeking pitching depth.

Chicago signed Turnbull shortly after the All-Star Break. He took the ball six times with Triple-A Iowa but was tattooed for 26 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings. He gave up at least five runs in each of his last three times out, including an eight-run appearance in 2 1/3 innings against the A’s affiliate on Wednesday. That obviously wasn’t going to get him on the radar for an MLB call, even for a Cubs team that placed Jameson Taillon back on the injured list yesterday.

Turnbull is making a prorated $1.265MM salary from the Blue Jays. He didn’t sign until early May after not finding a deal to his liking all winter. Toronto only gave him three big league appearances before cutting him loose. His terrible month in Iowa certainly hasn’t raised his stock. Still, Turnbull is only a year removed from pitching to a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings for the Phillies. He shouldn’t have an issue finding another minor league job — either to finish this season or going into next spring.

Cardinals To Select Cesar Prieto

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The Cardinals are calling up César Prieto, reports Francys Romero. They’ll select his contract onto the 40-man roster tomorrow. St. Louis has a pair of openings on the 40-man, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding active roster transaction.

Prieto, a left-handed hitting infielder, gets his first big league opportunity at age 26. He didn’t begin his affiliated career until he was 22 years old. He’s a Cuba native who played four seasons in that nation’s top league before defecting while on an Olympic trip in 2021. He signed a $650K bonus with the Orioles and began his U.S. career with their High-A affiliate a year later.

The O’s traded Prieto to St. Louis as part of a three-player return for Jack Flaherty at the 2023 trade deadline. His prospect stock dropped between 2023-24 as he posted unspectacular numbers at Triple-A. Prieto has performed well in his third season at the top minor league level. He’s batting .295/.359/.448 with nine homers and 11 steals across 449 plate appearances.

Prieto’s calling card is his plus contact ability. He hasn’t struck out in more than 15.2% of his plate appearances at any minor league stop. He has fanned just 13.4% of the time this season. Prieto has a very aggressive offensive approach and often expands the strike zone. He’s not going to take many walks or hit for much power, but the bat-to-ball skills should allow him to hit for average. Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of FanGraphs ranked him the #25 prospect in the St. Louis system last month, projecting him as a utility infielder.

The Cardinals have used him at second base, third base and shortstop in the minors. Scouting reports suggest he’s a fringe defender who doesn’t have a huge arm. He probably fits best at the keystone but could see action throughout the infield. He would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Cards didn’t add him to the 40-man roster. It appears they were planning to select his contract during the winter, so they’ll bring him up a bit ahead of time for his first exposure to big league pitching.

St. Louis is using Thomas Saggese, Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman from right to left on the infield. Winn has played through a sore left knee for much of the second half. He acknowledged earlier this week that he’d probably benefit from rest but said he wanted to remain in the lineup in hope of a long shot playoff berth (relayed by Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat). The Cardinals are 6.5 games back of the Mets with three teams to surpass in the Wild Card race. It’s not yet known if they’ll shut Winn down or simply swap Prieto in for one of Garrett Hampson or José Fermín on the bench.

A’s Release Luis Urias

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The Athletics released infielder Luis Urías, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’d been designated for assignment on Monday. Urías has sufficient service time to refuse a minor league assignment while collecting what remains of his $1.1MM salary, so a release was inevitable. The A’s preferred to give playing time to controllable infielders Zack Gelof, Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris for the stretch run.

The 28-year-old Urías can now set out in search of a new opportunity. He’d need to sign somewhere by September 1, at least on a minor league deal, to be eligible for a postseason roster. Urías will be a free agent at the beginning of the offseason in either case, so he’ll presumably only draw interest from a contender that wants to strengthen its infield depth.

Urías got out to a decent start to the season. He hit four homers with a .245/.345/.490 showing through the end of April. He has an underwhelming .227/.309/.307 slash in 271 plate appearances since the beginning of May. Urías has sliced his strikeout rate to a career-low 13.6% clip, but he hasn’t been much more productive overall than he was between 2023-24. He rarely makes hard contact and hasn’t hit for much power since combining for 39 homers with the Brewers from 2021-22.

Defensive metrics grade Urías around league average at both second and third base. He’s a righty hitter who has generally been better against left-handed pitching, as one would expect. That hasn’t been the case this season, as he’s hitting .183 with one homer in 68 plate appearances with the platoon advantage. If he catches on with another team before year’s end, his signing club would pay him the prorated $760K league minimum.

Buddy Kennedy Elects Free Agency

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Infielder Buddy Kennedy elected free agency after being outrighted by the Dodgers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week when Kiké Hernández returned from injury.

Los Angeles claimed Kennedy off waivers from Toronto two weeks ago. That coincided with an IL placement for Max Muncy. He joined Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim and Hernández on the shelf. Kennedy provided an extra infielder alongside Miguel Rojas and rookie Alex Freeland between second and third base. He went 1-17 over seven games.

A former fifth-round pick of the Diamondbacks, Kennedy has played sporadically in parts of four big league seasons. He’s a .178/.271/.274 hitter in 181 career plate appearances. The 26-year-old has split time in Triple-A this year between the Philadelphia and Toronto systems. He has turned in a solid .268/.372/.408 showing in 77 combined games.

Kennedy will look for a minor league deal elsewhere. He’d need to be in another organization by September 1 to be eligible for a postseason roster. He’d be a long shot to get a playoff roster spot either way, of course, but it stands to reason a signing team would prefer that flexibility if they’re adding him as upper minors infield depth.

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