Lou Trivino Opts Out Of Phillies Deal
Veteran reliever Lou Trivino exercised the May 1 opt-out right in his minor league contract with the Phillies, reports Matt Winkelman. According to the MLB.com transaction tracker, the team then granted Trivino his release.
Trivino pitched well over his month at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 34-year-old righty struck out 20 of 56 batters faced (36%) while issuing four walks. He surrendered 15 hits and 10 runs, though only four of those were earned. Trivino’s sinker and four-seam fastball each sat in the 94-95 mph range and he used three other pitches — cutter, slider and changeup — with regularity.
This was Trivino’s second stint with the Philly organization. He signed a minor league deal last August and was selected onto the MLB roster at the end of the month. He worked nine innings of three-run ball to close the season. Trivino pitched for three different clubs overall and tallied a 3.97 earned run average across 47 2/3 MLB innings a year ago. It was first big league action in three seasons, as he’d missed most of 2023-24 due to Tommy John surgery.
Philadelphia’s bullpen ranks 19th in MLB with a 4.22 ERA. That’s somewhat inflated by a .328 average on balls in play, the second-highest mark (behind Minnesota’s). Philly relievers are 12th in strikeout rate. Chase Shugart and Tanner Banks each have a minor league option remaining, but the Phils opted to keep them on the MLB roster while allowing Trivino to explore other opportunities. The Phillies did select a non-roster reliever yesterday when they called up long man Trevor Richards.
Mariners Notes: Brash, Simpson, Robles, Right Field
The Mariners placed setup man Matt Brash on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 30, before tonight’s series opener against the Royals. He’s dealing with lat inflammation. Seattle recalled lefty Josh Simpson from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.
Brash made an early exit from Wednesday’s game in Minnesota. He threw two pitches before reporting side tightness that led the Mariners to lift him. General manager Justin Hollander told reporters (including Daniel Kramer of MLB.com) that Brash will be shut down for three to five days. He’ll resume throwing early next week and doesn’t seem to be in for a lengthy absence. There’s nothing structurally off.
The seemingly minor injury halts an excellent start to the season for Brash. He has allowed just one unearned run through his first 11 1/3 innings. Although Brash hasn’t had huge swinging strike or ground-ball numbers, he’s second on the team with four holds and has pitched in the highest-leverage situations aside from closer Andrés Muñoz.
Seattle’s bullpen is out to a strong start. Their 3.31 earned run average trails only that of the Rangers and Giants. They’re middle of the pack in strikeouts while ranking ninth in whiff rate. Muñoz has had a couple uncharacteristically poor outings (most notably against the Padres on April 15) but is typically one of the best closers in the game. Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo and offseason trade pickup Jose A. Ferrer have pitched well.
Simpson would be lined up for his team debut if he makes it into a game. Seattle acquired him from the Marlins over the offseason. The 28-year-old has fanned 12 over 9 1/3 innings of one-run ball with Tacoma, albeit with six walks. He posted a 7.34 ERA across 31 appearances as a rookie with Miami last season.
In other M’s news, Victor Robles will join Tacoma to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday (relayed by Adam Jude of The Seattle Times). He has been out since April 7 with a pectoral strain. Robles had a slow start over his first five games after a disappointing 2025 season in which he missed most of the year with a dislocated left shoulder.
Luke Raley and Rob Refsnyder have platooned in right field in Robles’ absence. Raley homered in each of the first three games of the season and went on a brief tear in the middle of April. He’s now mired in a 1-27 slump over his last 12 games. Refsnyder has limped to a .135/.214/.297 start through 17 games. Connor Joe gets the nod tonight against K.C. southpaw Cole Ragans.
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good afternoon, hope all is well!
- Looking forward to another of these, let's get it rolling
Goofy
- What should Dana Brown do at this point? Who should he try to extend? Would love to make Yordan an Astro for life.
Anthony Franco
- Yordan's already signed through 2028 (age 31) at $26MM annually. Incredible hitter but will probably be a full-time DH at that point given the health history. Wouldn't be eager to commit Alonso/Schwarber money on top of that right now
- I doubt they'd kick off a rebuild this summer or next offseason but it's an aging roster and if they're not very good again at the '27 deadline, might be time to think about it with a year and a half of club control over Alvarez and Brown
- Short term there's not much to be done. It's just not a very good team right now given all the injuries and the general lack of depth. Have to hope they play well enough to stay within 5-6 games of a playoff spot once they get healthier
M's Fan
- What is Randy Arozerena worth this offseason? I'd love for the M's to give him the QO, but historically I've felt they're really conservative with QO decisions.
Anthony Franco
- Yeah I think he'll get the QO, though to your point, I also assumed that for Teoscar. Kind of a weird start for Randy because the bat speed's way down and the contact quality is pretty bad but the production is way up thanks to a dip in strikeouts
- Not really sure what to do with that. He feels a little less explosive, which isn't a great sign at 31, but it's tough to ding him too much when he's hitting .289/.381/.439
- If he keeps something like that up all year, I think he'd turn down the QO and get three years and something in the $60-70M range. I'd be hesitant to go beyond two personally but would happily have him back if he accepts the QO
Franco's Fans
- I keep seeing people referring to Sal Stewart as being a RoY favorite in the NL, but to my eyes JJ Wetherholt is exceeding the already high expectations set on him. Kid seems like he is going to be really special for the Cardinals.
Anthony Franco
- Yeah they both look great. The idea of a clear-cut favorite 20% of the way through the season doesn't make much sense to me. The margins are super slim, especially for that particular award
- Would rather have Wetherholt long-term given the defensive value but more faith in Stewart to be an all-around masher in year one
Arizona
- What’s the worry meter read right now? They piled wins against the worst teams in MLB throughout April but there isn’t a starting caliber pitcher on the roster on May first!
Anthony Franco
- They've gotten shelled the last couple times through but I don't think Kelly, Gallen, Nelson, E-Rod, Soroka is a disaster of a rotation. Below-average but workable, have more faith in that than in the bullpen
- Broadly speaking, I thought it was a fine April. Their early season is mostly about not getting buried while they wait on Burnes, Martinez and Puk. Never thought this was a great team necessarily, but hanging around .500 seems about right
Duffy
- What should the Red Sox do about Bello? This year has been…yikes
Anthony Franco
- Yeah he has to go down once Gray and Crochet come back. Wouldn't need to see much from Bennett to convince me that he's better than Bello right now, and there's no real case for Bello above Early and Tolle
- Longer term, I don't know. He's throwing the sinker a lot this year, which isn't great because it's always been a hittable pitch (albeit generally on the ground). Now the secondaries are getting pummeled too but I have a little more faith in the cutter/changeup being viable moving forward
- He's actually missing bats at a career-high rate but he's getting fewer chases and throwing fewer first-pitch strikes. Falling behind early in counts and needing to challenge with a mediocre fastball, not ideal
Idiotic Failson
- Is there a better rotation than the Yankees when they get Rodon and Cole back? Warren is arguably their 5th starter in that case, and it seems he'd be a top 2 option for like half the league.
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Latest On Padres’ Pitching Staff
The Padres have weathered their shaky early-season rotation to conclude April with a strong 19-11 record. Their starting pitching group should improve within the next couple weeks, which could lead to some decisions for the front office.
Griffin Canning seems assured of a rotation spot once he’s back from last summer’s ACL tear. Canning has taken five rehab starts with Triple-A El Paso. He got to five innings and 68 pitches on Tuesday. Pitchers can spend up to 30 days on a minor league rehab assignment. Canning began his rehab work on April 4. He could make one more Triple-A start but should be activated by the beginning of next week.
Lucas Giolito isn’t too far behind. The righty consented to an optional assignment to build up after signing a one-year deal on April 22. That came with the stipulation that he be recalled within 25 days. He’ll be on the MLB roster by the middle of May at the latest. Giolito made his second start with Low-A Lake Elsinore tonight, building to 70 pitches over 4 1/3 frames. He may not need the full 25-day window.
None of San Diego’s current five starters can be optioned. Michael King isn’t going anywhere, and Randy Vásquez has nailed down his spot with an excellent April. Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez, and Matt Waldron are the three pitchers trying to hold rotation spots.
Márquez will take the ball tomorrow to open a weekend series against the White Sox. King and Vásquez round out that set. The Friars have not yet listed probable starters for next week’s road series in San Francisco — which would be Buehler’s and Waldron’s turns if they stay on their current schedule.
Buehler has a 5.40 earned run average through six starts. He’s getting ground-balls but has a modest 7.8% swinging strike rate and has only once gone beyond five innings. Márquez will make his sixth start of the year on Friday. He has two scoreless outings but has allowed four runs in each of his three other appearances while struggling with the home run ball.
The knuckleballer Waldron was blown up by the Angels and Rockies in his first two starts of the season. He had a more competitive though unspectacular outing against the Cubs yesterday, giving up three runs over five innings. The out-of-options righty has only fanned eight of 69 opponents (11.6%) since returning from a brief injured list stint.
Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune floats the possibility of the Friars going to a six-man rotation or using openers/tandem starts on days when King doesn’t pitch. They were off today but play on 10 straight days beginning tomorrow. After an off day on May 11, they’ll play nine consecutive games.
Of course, the drawback with a six-man rotation or tandem starts would be the need to drop to a seven-man bullpen. San Diego optioned David Morgan this evening, per the MLB.com transaction tracker. They didn’t announce a corresponding move and seem likely to activate Yuki Matsui from his season-opening groin strain tomorrow. Jeremiah Estrada began a rehab stint this week as well.
The Padres can option Kyle Hart to clear one active roster spot. Their only other optionable reliever (aside from Mason Miller) is hard-throwing rookie Bradgley Rodriguez, who has a trio of holds and has allowed only three runs across 14 1/3 innings. He’d be tough to send down. They’ve held the out-of-options Ron Marinaccio all season. He has allowed 10 runs over 16 2/3 frames in a low-leverage role.
There’s still no defined timeline on Joe Musgrove or Nick Pivetta. The former has yet to resume throwing off a mound after a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery. Pivetta went down with a flexor strain a couple weeks ago and might be months off.
Vince Velasquez Elects Free Agency
Righty Vince Velasquez elected free agency after being outrighted by the Cubs on Tuesday, according to the MiLB.com transaction tracker. Infielder Scott Kingery was also outrighted and had the right to test the market, but he evidently accepted the assignment. He’s in the lineup tonight with Triple-A Iowa.
Velasquez signed an offseason minor league deal with Chicago. He started three of four appearances with Iowa, allowing eight runs (seven earned) through 17 innings. He struck out 19 opponents while issuing nine walks and hitting a batter.
The Cubs brought Velasquez up for a long relief spot last week. He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless frames in a blowout loss to the Dodgers. That was his first MLB appearance in three years. Velasquez threw 31 pitches and wasn’t going to be available the next day, so the Cubs designated him for assignment. He went unclaimed on waivers.
There’s a decent chance Velasquez returns to the Cubs on a new minor league deal. That’s the most common outcome in these situations, but the 33-year-old could explore opportunities elsewhere if he sees a better path back to the highest level with a different organization.
Angels Re-Sign Shaun Anderson To Minor League Deal
The Angels announced they’ve re-signed righty Shaun Anderson to a minor league contract. He elected free agency on Tuesday after being outrighted off the big league roster.
Anderson and the Angels clearly have a strong relationship. This is the sixth minor league deal upon which they’ve agreed over the last two seasons. The Halos have called him up a few times when they need a long reliever. He’s usually designated for assignment a few days later when they bring up a new fresh arm. Anderson clears waivers, elects free agency, then returns on a new non-roster deal.
The 31-year-old got a little longer run this month. Anderson was on the MLB roster between March 29 and April 26. He made nine appearances and allowed 13 runs (11 earned) over 16 2/3 innings. He punched out 12, issued eight walks, and surrendered a trio of homers. Anderson is up to 28 MLB frames in a Halos uniform with a 7.71 ERA since the start of 2025.
The Florida product spent the majority of last season at Triple-A Salt Lake. He worked out of the rotation and allowed just over six earned runs per nine through 24 appearances. He’ll probably stay stretched out as a starter with the Bees.
Braves To Activate Spencer Strider On Sunday
The Braves will reinstate Spencer Strider from the 15-day injured list on Sunday, manager Walt Weiss told reporters before tonight’s walk-off win over Detroit (link via Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He’ll make his season debut in the close of a weekend set at Coors Field.
Strider has missed the first month of the season after straining his oblique during Spring Training. He has taken the ball three times on a rehab stint, building to five innings and 82 pitches at Triple-A Gwinnett. Strider’s stuff has looked sharp, as he’s averaging 95.5 mph on his fastball and sitting at 84 with the slider. It’s not the upper-90s heat he brandished before undergoing elbow surgery in April 2024, but it’s a match for last year’s velocity.
Atlanta’s rotation has excelled despite the spring injuries to Strider, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach and Joey Wentz — to say nothing of AJ Smith-Shawver’s 2025 UCL surgery. Bryce Elder has solidified his hold on a rotation spot. Grant Holmes and Martín Pérez have worked around middling strikeout and walk numbers to manage good results. The Braves have also gotten looks at rookies Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie. They’re positioned well enough to push Reynaldo López to the bullpen for the time being.
Ritchie held a hot Nationals lineup to two runs over seven innings in his debut last week. He fought his command a bit tonight but managed 5 2/3 frames of three-run ball against Detroit. Weiss said postgame he expects Ritchie to take another turn through the rotation (relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com). That’ll come early next week at T-Mobile Park, a nice moment for the Seattle native.
That could allow the Braves to use Pérez out of the bullpen. Elder goes tomorrow afternoon as they try to sweep the Tigers. Although the Braves haven’t announced plans for the first two games of the Colorado series, they’d have Holmes and Chris Sale lined up on extra rest after Monday’s off day.
Strider is just one of a handful of key players nearing their returns from injury. Weiss said this evening that closer Raisel Iglesias is not expected to require a rehab assignment (via Bowman). He could return directly to the MLB bullpen when first eligible on Tuesday after a minor bout of shoulder inflammation. That’ll move Robert Suarez back into a setup role.
Sean Murphy has been on a rehab stint since April 14. Those can last up to 20 days for position players, so he’ll be back by Monday at the latest barring a setback. Ha-Seong Kim opened his own 20-day rehab window tonight with an appearance at Double-A Columbus. He played five innings at shortstop and collected a single in two at-bats.
Mauricio Dubón has done a nice job as a fill-in shortstop in Kim’s absence. Dubón has carved out a strong career as a utility player and should move back into a multi-position role in the middle of May. The Braves don’t tend to play matchups very often, yet they’ll presumably ease Kim back into action. Dubón could also take some work in left field, where Mike Yastrzemski is one of the few Atlanta players who hasn’t gotten out to a strong start.
Royals’ Ryan Bergert, Ben Kudrna Undergo Elbow Surgeries
The Royals lost a pair of depth starters to elbow surgeries. The team announced that right-hander Ryan Bergert underwent UCL reconstruction (Tommy John surgery). Prospect Ben Kudrna had an operation to repair an olecranon stress fracture.
Kansas City didn’t provide return timelines, though both pitchers are surely done for the season. Bergert will miss at least a calendar year and probably won’t be back until the second half of 2027 given the usual 14-16 month timeline for Tommy John procedures. It’s unclear if Kudrna will be ready for the start of the ’27 campaign.
The Royals acquired Bergert and another back-end starter, Stephen Kolek, from San Diego at last year’s deadline for catcher Freddy Fermin. Bergert took the ball eight times after the trade, allowing a 4.43 ERA through 40 2/3 innings. He combined for 19 appearances between the two teams, pitching to a 3.66 mark while striking out 22.6% of opponents over 76 1/3 frames.
Bergert began this season on optional assignment to Triple-A Omaha. He made an early exit from his third start of the year and went on the minor league injured list on April 10.
Kudrna was a second-round pick out of a Kansas high school in 2021. He has been inconsistent in his minor league career but made it to Triple-A at the end of last season. Baseball America ranked him the #13 prospect in a below-average K.C. farm system over the winter. Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs placed him 12th in the organization last week. Both outlets praise his changeup and slider, though BA raised questions about fluctuations in his fastball velocity. Some evaluators projected him for a bullpen move before the injury.
The Royals added Kudrna to their 40-man roster over the offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He and Bergert are each on the minor league injured list for the time being. The Royals could carry either player on the MLB 60-day IL once they need space on the 40-man. Doing so would require paying them the prorated $780K league minimum salary through the end of the season. Kudrna could be an offseason non-tender candidate if the Royals want extra roster flexibility over the winter.
Orioles Place Trevor Rogers On Injured List With Illness
The Orioles announced this evening that starter Trevor Rogers is headed to the 15-day injured list. He’s dealing with an undisclosed illness. The placement is retroactive to April 26, so Rogers is first eligible to return on May 11. Reliever Cameron Foster, who was optioned on Saturday, is back up from Triple-A Norfolk to take his spot on the pitching staff.
Baltimore also announced that long reliever Albert Suárez cleared outright waivers and elected free agency after being designated for assignment over the weekend. However, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner was among those to report that Suárez is expected to re-sign on a new minor league contract. The righty is out of options, so the O’s needed to run him through waivers to get him back to Triple-A.
Rogers deservedly earned the nod as Baltimore’s Opening Day starter after his dominant second half in 2025. He fired seven scoreless innings to beat Minnesota in the debut. Rogers followed up with consecutive quality starts against Texas and the White Sox. His most recent three appearances have been rockier, as he has failed to advance into the sixth inning and taken the loss all three times out.
That has pushed Rogers’ earned run average to 4.75 across 30 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate is down a few points relative to last season, though he’s getting more chases off the plate and still has a strong 12.1% swinging strike percentage. He’ll probably be back around when first eligible but will lose at least two starts to the illness.
Rogers joins Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer on the injured list. Eflin underwent UCL surgery and is out for the season. Kremer will be down for a while due to a quad strain. Those injuries already pushed Brandon Young into the rotation. They’ll need another starter this weekend, as they don’t have an off day until May 14.
Baltimore was off on Monday. Shane Baz pitched last night in a win over the Astros. Their game today was rained out but will be made up with a doubleheader tomorrow. Chris Bassitt and Young will start those games. Rogers’ turn would have come up on Friday for the series opener against Will Warren and the Yankees.
Monday’s off day means Kyle Bradish would be on regular rest if the Orioles wanted to run him instead, but they’ll probably keep him on schedule for Saturday. Cade Povich is the only depth starter on the 40-man roster and would be on five days rest for Friday. Prospect Trey Gibson would be on regular rest if the O’s wanted to go in that direction. They have a couple vacancies on the 40-man after waiving Sam Huff and Suárez in recent days, so they could accommodate Gibson without issue.
The Reds’ Confusing April
The Reds are out to an early lead in the NL Central. Their 19-10 record is tied with San Diego's for third-best in the Senior Circuit, narrowly behind the Braves and Dodgers. They're on track for their best record in a month since June 2023.
It doesn't necessarily come as a surprise that the Reds have been competitive. They were a playoff team a year ago, and the division is one of the more wide open in MLB. Yet the way they've gotten to this start is more perplexing. Their two best starters haven't thrown a pitch. The back of their rotation has been knocked around. Their bullpen is walking more hitters than any other in MLB. They've had arguably the NL's least productive catching tandem and outfield.
How have they overcome all of that? The lineup has been carried by two players: one established star and a rookie who already looks like an impact slugger. Let's dig in beyond the scorching starts from Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart to gauge what the front office might prioritize when they start sketching out deadline plans 6-8 weeks from now.
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