Angels Release Joey Lucchesi
The Angels announced they’ve released lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi from his minor league contract. He’d spent the past month at Triple-A Salt Lake.
Lucchesi has been on and off the roster since the end of Spring Training. He was in camp with the Giants on a minor league deal, opting out when San Francisco informed him he wouldn’t make the roster. Lucchesi signed a big league deal with the Halos and was on the Opening Day club. He was designated for assignment a couple weeks into the season.
The 6’5″ southpaw cleared waivers, elected free agency, then returned on a minor league deal. He was called back up in late April and the cycle repeated itself. Lucchesi returned on a second minor league contract after another quick DFA and free agent stint. He has made five MLB appearances this year, allowing six runs on seven hits and six walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi has logged 18 frames with Salt Lake. He carries a 4.50 earned run average with a strong 28% strikeout rate against a manageable 9.9% walk percentage. They’re decent numbers overall, though he issued three walks and gave up two runs in his most recent appearance.
The Angels didn’t specify whether Lucchesi triggered an opt-out in his deal. That seems plausible, as June 1 is a common opt-out date for veterans on minor league contracts. In any case, the team opted not to bring Lucchesi back into an MLB bullpen that already has Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter. Long relievers Mitch Farris and Sam Aldegheri, the latter of whom was recalled today, also throw from the left side.
MLBPA’s Bruce Meyer Comments On League’s First Economic Proposal
Last week provided an early preview of the expected forthcoming offseason lockout. The MLB Players Association made its first collective bargaining proposal to the league on Wednesday. MLB countered with its initial proposal one day later, one that confirmed the longstanding expectation that the league is looking to incorporate a salary cap/floor system in the next CBA.
Readers can find the details of each side’s proposal at the above linked posts. Neither has a chance of being approved by the opposite party. They’re notable only insofar as they provide an insight into each side’s priorities as negotiations get underway. It behooves both to stake out maximalist stances this early in the process.
MLBPA executive director Bruce Meyer held a video chat with reporters (including Alden González of ESPN and Evan Drellich of The Athletic) on Monday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, Meyer was less than enthused with what the league put forward. “I thought they would try harder to make it look good, and they didn’t even do that.”
Meyer reiterated the union’s firm opposition to a salary cap, which he called “a form of institutionalized collusion.” MLB’s proposal included what the league deemed to be a 50-50 revenue split between players and ownership. That reportedly would’ve included a $245.3MM cap and $171.2MM floor. A portion of player salaries would be held in escrow in case the league underperformed revenue expectations to maintain the 50-50 balance. The NHL and NBA have used similar setups.
“Using MLB’s definition of revenue and player share as set forth in their proposal and their presentation to us, player share under their proposal would go down,” Meyer said. “Player share for this season, 2026, is projected to be well over 50%, using, again MLB’s definitions of revenues and what counts against player share.” He claimed that if the league’s proposal had been in place for the 2026 season, players would have made roughly $500MM less than they actually will.
League spokesman Glen Caplin responded to Meyer’s comments via a prepared statement. “Our salary cap-and-floor proposal addresses our fans’ concerns by leveling the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50-50 like the other leagues. Under our proposal, major league players will receive more compensation in year one of the system than in 2026,” Caplin said. That’d ostensibly be due to the need for various teams to raise payroll to meet the salary floor.
The union would presumably dispute that assertion. It also seems notable that Caplin’s statement specified “major league players” while Meyer focused on “player share” more broadly. Meyer said the union anticipates the league will propose cuts to spending on amateur signing bonuses, though he added that MLB has not yet done so. “They projected MLB players’ payroll in ’27, ’28, would be flat,” he noted. “The only way to get to even those numbers would be to drastically reduce or eliminate amateur entry compensation, both domestic and international.”
MLB has traditionally looked to curtail spending on amateur players in previous bargaining agreements. The Players Association doesn’t formally represent them until they enter professional ball. The PA does take amateur players into account, as a player’s initial signing bonus can impact their later professional earnings. A player who signs for a modest bonus as an amateur may be more inclined to lock in earnings on an early-career contract extension, for example. That can have a trickle-down effect on free agency.
There’s nevertheless a tension for the Players Association between balancing the interests of amateur and minor league players — the latter of whom are now under the MLBPA umbrella after unionizing in 2022 — against those of major leaguers. The MLBPA had traditionally been willing to make concessions on tightening amateur spending (e.g. accepting hard caps on international bonus pools in 2016) for more immediate benefits for big leaguers. They started to move away from that under the ’22 agreement — most notably in rejecting the league’s offer to agree to an international amateur draft in exchange for the elimination of the qualifying offer, which adds penalties for teams that sign certain free agents.
Interested readers can find more of Meyer’s comments in the linked pieces from ESPN and The Athletic. Jeff Passan of ESPN notes that commissioner Rob Manfred is likely to meet with the media on Wednesday at the end of the quarterly owners meetings. It stands to reason Manfred will restate some of the league’s talking points and provide a response to Meyer’s media session.
It’s worth reiterating that public combativeness on both sides was always to be expected. The 2021-22 lockout featured months of this kind of squabbling. This set of negotiations is likely to be even more contentious. MLB is making its first formal cap push since the 1994-95 players strike; the players’ initial proposal called for a much higher luxury tax threshold and far more revenue sharing that’ll be opposed by bigger-market clubs.
Caplin’s statement added that the league is “ready to listen if the MLBPA wants to counter our proposal at the bargaining table.” Meyer said no talks have currently been scheduled but would be soon, even if to negotiate on areas aside from core economics.
D-Backs’ Cristian Mena To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Diamondbacks right-hander Cristian Mena will undergo shoulder surgery, manager Torey Lovullo announced on Monday (link via Jesse Borek of MLB.com). It’ll likely end his 2026 season before it began.
Mena will go nearly two full years without making an appearance. He first landed on the injured list last June with a teres major strain that shelved him for the remainder of the ’25 season. Mena aggravated the injury over the winter and began this year on the injured list. He tried a throwing program at the end of April but apparently is still battling discomfort.
After exhausting all other options, the 23-year-old heads to surgery. Mena will spend the entire season on the 60-day injured list. Arizona will need to either reinstate him onto the 40-man roster or place him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason.
Mena was a relatively low-profile signee by the White Sox out of the Dominican Republic in 2019. He quickly worked his way up the minors and became one of the organization’s more intriguing pitching prospects. Chicago swapped him to Arizona for outfielder Dominic Fletcher going into the ’24 season. The trade hasn’t really worked for either club. Fletcher was a replacement level performer for two years and is now in the Pittsburgh system on a minor league contract. Mena started one game in 2024 and made three relief appearances last season. He has allowed five runs across 9 2/3 innings as a big leaguer.
Baseball America and FanGraphs respectively ranked Mena 11th and 10th in the Arizona farm system over the offseason. Both outlets credit him with a solid four-pitch mix headlined by his curveball with the potential for league average command. It’s a potential back-end starter profile on talent, but the durability concerns could push him to relief. Mena also missed time in 2024 with a forearm strain and will have thrown a combined 150 minor league and MLB innings between 2024-26.
Pirates Trade Justin Lawrence To Twins
The Twins announced they’ve acquired reliever Justin Lawrence from the Pirates for cash. Pittsburgh designated the right-hander for assignment last week. Minnesota already had an opening on the 40-man roster and doesn’t need to make a corresponding move tonight.
Lawrence is out of minor league options, so the Twins will need to add him to the MLB roster. They’ll need to demote a pitcher once he reports to the team. Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Yoendrys Gómez are Minnesota’s three in-house relievers who can’t be optioned.
It’s the latest dart throw for a patchwork Minnesota bullpen. Twins relievers are 25th in ERA and 29th in strikeout rate (above only the Nationals). They also had one of the highest walk rates in May. That was expected given the personnel, as the Twins have done very little to replace the various relievers they shipped out at last year’s deadline.
Lawrence is a 31-year-old sinkerballer who carries a 5.32 earned run average across 22 innings this season. He has a league average 23.6% strikeout rate against an elevated 11.3% walk percentage. Lawrence sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and has a swing-and-miss breaking ball. He has been held back by below-average command and missed the bulk of the 2025 season due to elbow inflammation.
Minnesota assumes the approximate $800K remaining on Lawrence’s $1.225MM arbitration salary. He’d be under club control for another two seasons if he pitches well enough to hold his roster spot.
Rangers Release Josh Sborz
The Rangers have granted reliever Josh Sborz his release from a minor league contract, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. The righty’s deal contained an unspecified June opt-out date. It’s not clear if Sborz formally opted out or if Texas preemptively released him after determining he wouldn’t make the MLB club.
Sborz pitched parts of four MLB seasons with Texas between 2021-24. While he had a mostly nondescript 4.86 earned run average across 150 regular season innings, he carved out a place in team history in October ’23. Sborz worked 12 frames of one-run ball over 10 appearances during the Rangers title run. He was one of Bruce Bochy’s top setup arms and fired 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the save in the World Series clinching Game 5 at Chase Field.
Shoulder problems have mostly hampered him since that triumphant moment. Sborz was limited to 16 2/3 innings in 2024. He missed all of last season working back from a debridement procedure, as he encountered a setback during a brief minor league rehab attempt. Texas opted not to tender him an arbitration contract but was able to retain him via minor league deal.
The 32-year-old has been healthy this year but hasn’t pitched well enough to earn a roster spot. Sborz allowed 13 runs across 14 1/3 innings at Triple-A Round Rock. He fanned 17 of 65 opponents (26.1%) but issued nine walks and gave up six home runs. He spent a month working on his mechanics outside of game action before being reassigned to Double-A a couple weeks ago. Texas bumped him back to Round Rock on May 27. He allowed hits to five of 10 batters faced in two innings before the release.
It’d be surprising if Sborz secures a major league deal given his recent form. He’ll presumably look for a new landing spot on a minor league contract in an effort to get on track. Sborz’s 93.4 mph average fastball speed in Triple-A this year is down a couple ticks from his peak.
Rockies Select TJ Shook
The Rockies announced they’ve selected right-hander TJ Shook onto the big league roster. He’ll replace Zach Agnos in the bullpen, as the latter has been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado transferred lefty reliever Welinton Herrera from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster vacancy.
Herrera just landed on the injured list over the weekend with elbow inflammation. Skipper Warren Schaeffer tells Jack Janes of MLB.com that the 22-year-old southpaw has been diagnosed with a torn UCL. That’ll end his season and likely require surgery, though the manager indicated there’s no current timeline on an operation.
Shook’s first big league call comes a few days after his 28th birthday. The 6’4″ righty pitched three seasons at the University of South Carolina. He signed with the Brewers in 2020 after going unselected in that year’s shortened five-round draft. Shook worked as a starter up to the Double-A level. He was traded to the Mets in 2024 for reliever Tyler Jay and moved to the bullpen in the New York system.
The Rockies added Shook last winter in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. He didn’t allow an earned run over 4 1/3 innings this spring and has pitched well with Albuquerque. Shook carries a 2.86 ERA while striking out more than a quarter of opponents across 28 1/3 Triple-A innings. He’s attacking the strike zone and getting a lot of weak contact despite the difficult pitching environment.
Shook has never gotten much prospect attention, as one would probably expect from his transactional history. He’s averaging 92.7 mph with his sinker, below-average velocity for an MLB reliever. Shook has a six-pitch mix but has mostly used the sinker, a cutter, and a changeup. He’s coming off five straight scoreless appearances in Triple-A. Agnos has been bombed for seven runs in each of his past two outings, making it unsurprising the Rockies are sending him out for the time being.
Herrera signed with the Rox as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. Baseball America ranked him the #10 prospect in the system coming into 2026, praising his plus fastball-slider combination. He’s a pure reliever who was just called up for his MLB debut on Memorial Day. He worked three scoreless appearances to begin his big league career.
Although he’ll be paid the MLB minimum salary (a prorated $780K) for the rest of the season, it’s obviously a brutal development for Herrera as he tried to carve out a spot in the big league bullpen. The Rockies will need to put him back on the 40-man roster at the beginning of the offseason, assuming they don’t want to expose him to waivers. They could drop him at the non-tender deadline and try to bring him back on a minor league deal. Colorado is still rebuilding and may just elect to keep him on the 40-man all winter, then place him on the 60-day injured list at the beginning of Spring Training.
2026-27 Club Options: NL West
MLBTR wraps up our division by division look at the upcoming team/mutual option decisions with the NL West.
Previous: AL East, AL Central, AL West, NL East, NL Central
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF: $14MM club option ($5MM buyout)
This is the final guaranteed season of Gurriel’s three-year, $42MM free agent contract. The veteran outfielder bypassed an opt-out last winter, which gave the Diamondbacks a $14MM club option or $5MM buyout for the 2027 season. The latter looks more likely.
Gurriel had a solid 2024 season. His numbers took a slight step back last year before he tore the ACL in his right knee trying to avoid an outfield collision in early September. He underwent surgery and began this season on the injured list. Gurriel made a quicker than expected recovery to return to the roster by mid-April. He hasn’t looked in full form, however. He managed just one home run while hitting .228/.284/.304 in 102 plate appearances.
One could justifiably write this past month off as him shaking off rust. Gurriel didn’t get any game action during Spring Training. His minor league rehab assignment consisted of exactly two games in Double-A. If Arizona’s outfield were in better shape, they’d probably have given him a few weeks on a rehab stint to get more accustomed to game speed.
All that said, Gurriel’s pre-injury performance probably wouldn’t have merited the extra $9MM to exercise the option. He also went back down last week with a left hamstring strain that’ll again interrupt his attempt to get into a rhythm.
- Carlos Santana, 1B: Mutual option
The details on Santana’s mutual option were never publicly reported. It’s probably a moot point, as mutual options are typically included simply to defer a portion of the guarantee to the end of the season via the payment of a buyout. Signed to platoon with Pavin Smith at first base, Santana has been limited to eight games by an adductor strain and was transferred to the 60-day injured list this afternoon.
- Michael Soroka, RHP: $10MM mutual option ($1MM buyout)
Arizona added Soroka on a $7.5MM free agent deal. He’s playing on a $6.5MM salary and will collect a $1MM buyout at season’s end. Soroka has already added another $500K in incentives by making 10+ starts and could get up to $2MM in bonuses if he reaches 25 starts.
Soroka has been a surprisingly key piece of Torey Lovullo’s rotation. He carries a 3.25 ERA with a 23.5% strikeout rate against a tidy 5.5% walk percentage over 61 innings. Durability is an ever present question with the Canadian-born righty, who hasn’t reached 100 frames in a season since 2019. If Soroka can hold anything close to this level over the full schedule, his side will easily pass on the option. He should command at least two years and would have a case for three if he stays healthy, as he’s one of the youngest pitchers (29 in August) in what looks like a bad free agent class.
Colorado Rockies
- Michael Lorenzen, RHP: $9MM club option ($250K buyout)
Lorenzen’s $8MM free agent deal pays him a $7.75MM salary and at least a $250K buyout on next year’s $9MM team option. The Rockies made a few late-offseason rotation pickups, mostly low-ceiling veterans with deeper arsenals whom they hoped would raise the floor. Tomoyuki Sugano has worked out well enough, but Lorenzen and Jose Quintana have not.
The 34-year-old righty has been blitzed for a 7.22 earned run average across 57 1/3 innings. He has gotten destroyed at Coors Field and hasn’t performed especially well on the road either. Lorenzen’s strikeout rate has dropped from nearly league average to a career-worst 15.4% mark, and he’s only completed six innings one time — a seven-inning start at Citi Field on April 24. This will be an easy buyout if Lorenzen sticks on the roster all season.
- Antonio Senzatela, RHP: $14MM club option (no buyout)
Senzatela is in the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $50.5MM extension signed in October 2021. It was one of the first moves under former GM Bill Schmidt, whose front office continued Colorado’s habit of remaining too committed to their internal development successes. It looked like an unforced error at the time and started disastrously, as Senzatela was injured and/or ineffective from 2022-25.
Colorado moved the righty to the bullpen late in the ’25 season. Senzatela has remained in relief and is thriving this year, seemingly opening a second act as a quality bullpen arm. He has fired 33 innings of 1.36 ERA ball while averaging a career-best 97.1 mph on his four-seam fastball. He’s now using a low-90s cutter — which he picked up last August — as his best secondary offering. Opponents are hitting .143 in 43 plate appearances that end with that pitch.
Senztaela’s 21% strikeout rate and 11.1% swinging strike mark are both easily career highs. They’re still middling for a reliever, but Senzatela has better stuff to go with his longstanding plus control. He’s capable of working multiple innings in leverage spots and has picked up his first three saves. He’s unlikely to close games for a contender, but he has certainly pitched well enough to make himself a deadline trade candidate.
The Paul DePodesta-led front office figures to cash Senzatela in for a couple mid-level prospects this summer. The $14MM option price still seems rich for a reliever without huge strikeout stuff, but Senzatela could command two years at a lower annual range in free agency going into his age-32 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- None.
San Diego Padres
- Miguel Andujar, DH: Mutual option ($2.5MM buyout)
The Padres make heavy use of the mutual option, as they’re seemingly always walking a tight rope in trying to add around the margins without taking on short-term commitments. Andujar will be paid a $2.5MM buyout after playing this season on a $1.5MM salary. He’s having an alright but hardly exceptional season, batting .259/.292/.441 with five homers as San Diego’s primary designated hitter.
- Griffin Canning, RHP: Mutual option ($1.5MM buyout)
Canning is pitching on a $1MM salary and will collect a $1.5MM buyout at year’s end. He returned from last year’s Achilles rupture at the beginning of May. Opponents have tagged him for a 7.16 ERA in his first six starts, only one of which has lasted six innings. His stuff looks the same as it did a year ago, but he’s struggling to throw strikes and has already given up six home runs across 27 2/3 frames.
- Lucas Giolito, RHP: $8MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout)
San Diego finally brought an end to Giolito’s lengthy free agent stay with a $3MM contract in mid-April. He’s making a $1.5MM salary and will earn a matching buyout on an $8MM mutual option. Giolito spent a month in the minors building into game shape and hasn’t looked good in his three MLB starts. He has had at least as many walks as strikeouts in each, and a fastball that averaged 93 mph last season in Boston is sitting 90-91 this year. There’s nothing to suggest Giolito isn’t currently healthy, but it’s not encouraging that he’s working with this kind of stuff after finishing last season on the injured list with flexor irritation.
- Kyle Hart, LHP: $2.5MM club option ($200K buyout)
Hart struggled last year in his first season back in MLB after a strong ’24 campaign in Korea. The Padres nevertheless brought him back for a $1MM salary and at least a $200K buyout on a $2.5MM club option for 2027. Although the 6’5″ lefty didn’t need to show a whole lot to make that a real consideration, this year hasn’t gone smoothly.
San Diego moved Hart to relief. He has worked 16 2/3 innings over 12 big league appearances, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits. Hart has walked six, hit two batters, and recorded 10 strikeouts. The Padres optioned him to Triple-A a month ago, and the minor league results have been even worse. Even with the Pacific Coast League caveats, there’s not much reason for optimism about Hart meriting an offseason 40-man roster spot barring a second half turnaround.
- Germán Márquez, RHP: Mutual option ($750K buyout)
Márquez will take home a $750K buyout after this year’s $1MM salary. This will be another easy one for the team to decline, as the former Colorado righty has given up a 5.76 ERA through 29 2/3 innings. He has missed the past month with nerve irritation in his forearm.
San Francisco Giants
- Rowan Wick, RHP: $800K club option ($100K buyout)
San Francisco signed Wick to a big league deal during Spring Training. The move was always geared toward 2027, as the 33-year-old reliever underwent Tommy John surgery last year and will spend all of this season on the injured list. They’ll evaluate his rehab progress before making the decision on the option.
Wick hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2022 but is coming off a fantastic season in Japan (0.84 ERA across 42 2/3 innings). That the Giants were willing to pay him the MLB minimum salary this year to get him on the roster suggests they’re leaning toward exercising the option as long as his early recovery is smooth.
The Struggling Middle Tier Of Free Agent Starters
It's no secret the upcoming free agent class is one of the weakest in recent memory. Aside from Tarik Skubal, who should do very well despite the bone chips surgery that cost him a couple months in his walk year, there's a lack of impact talent. Most of the focus has been on the lackluster hitting group, but there haven't been many impending free agent starters staking a claim to a significant contract either.
Freddy Peralta has been the clear #2 arm in the class. He's having a solid but not exceptional first year with the Mets, struggling to complete six innings while posting a career-low 24% strikeout rate. Peralta still seems on track for the second-largest contract, in large part because none of the prime-aged pitchers have made a strong push to unseat him.
Among impending free agent starters, the top performers through the season's first two months are all on the older side. Kevin Gausman (age 36 in 2027), Michael King (32), and Nick Martinez (36) have been the top performers. 34-year-old Clay Holmes was among that group until a Spencer Jones comebacker broke his right fibula. All those pitchers are trending toward significant annual salaries, but only King has much of a chance at topping three years. Holmes' injury and Martinez's subpar strikeout rate could keep them each at two.
[Related: Which Impending Free Agents Are Actually Improving Their Stock?]
There has been a fairly defined cutoff for the market's willingness to go long term on pitchers. In the past decade, only four free agent starters 32 or older have commanded four or more years: Jacob deGrom, Blake Snell, Hyun Jin Ryu and Nick Pivetta. The Pivetta deal was three-year money spread out over four for luxury tax purposes. Four years at that age has essentially been reserved for aces.
By contrast, there have been 10 free agent contracts of at least four years for 31-year-old starters in that time. Teams have treated that as a meaningful cutoff, leaving the door open for a pitcher in that age range to emerge as the second- or third-best arm in the class.
MLBTR's early April free agent power rankings offer a snapshot of which players we thought had the best chance to push Peralta for the #2 arm available. Let's check in on every 31 and under starter who either made our initial Power Ranking or the honorable mentions. For all but one, the first two months of the season have been bleak.
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White Sox Place Munetaka Murakami On Injured List
TODAY: Murakawmi has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will miss 4-6 weeks, Venable told SoxMachine’s James Fegan and other reporters. Chicago officially placed Murakami on the 10-day IL today, and selected infielder Jacob Gonzalez (as reported yesterday) to take his spot on the active roster.
MAY 29: The White Sox’s dramatic win tonight over the Tigers didn’t come without a cost. Munetaka Murakami left the game with right hamstring tightness. Manager Will Venable said postgame that while the team was still awaiting testing results, the rookie slugger could miss a couple weeks (relayed by Scott Merkin of MLB.com).
Murakami tweaked his hamstring in the third inning. He hustled to beat out a potential double play ball and favored his leg after getting through the bag. Venable said postgame they believe there’s a strain and will know more about the severity after tomorrow’s imaging. Miguel Vargas kicked over to first base to finish the game. Colson Montgomery slid from shortstop to third base, while Luisangel Acuña handled short.
It halts a phenomenal start to Murakami’s big league career. He easily leads rookies with 20 home runs, tying him with Yordan Alvarez for second in MLB behind Kyle Schwarber. The strikeout concerns that were oft-mentioned haven’t stopped him from being one of baseball’s most feared sluggers. Murakami is hitting .240/.378/.560 over his first 246 plate appearances.
Vargas hit a two-run, walk-off shot against Drew Anderson with two outs in the tenth inning. That pushed the Sox to a season-high three games above .500. They’re only three games back of the Guardians in the AL Central and currently occupy the second Wild Card spot.
The Sox will reportedly bring up infield prospect Jacob Gonzalez tomorrow as the corresponding move. Vargas seems likely to handle everyday first base duties for a few weeks. Gonzalez and Montgomery would get the majority of the playing time on the left side of the infield. Acuña can pick up occasional middle infield work, while second baseman Chase Meidroth is also able to slide to the other side of the bag.
White Sox Select Jacob Gonzalez
TODAY: The Sox officially announced the selection of Gonzalez’s contract to the active roster. In the corresponding moves, Murakami was placed on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain, and Leasure was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
MAY 29: The White Sox will select Jacob Gonzalez onto the MLB roster, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. James Fegan of Sox Machine reported this evening that Gonzalez would likely get the call if Munetaka Murakami went on the injured list. Manager Will Venable told reporters postgame that Murakami would likely be down for a couple weeks with a right hamstring issue.
Chicago will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Reliever Jordan Leasure, who just went on the 15-day injured list today with a flexor strain, is a candidate for a move to the 60-day IL. The righty said Friday that he’ll be shut down entirely for four weeks after pitching through some discomfort for more than a month (via Fegan). Leasure indicated there’s a lot of inflammation but nothing structurally amiss with his elbow.
Chicago selected Gonzalez with the #15 pick in the 2023 draft. The Ole Miss product posted below-average offensive numbers over his first couple minor league seasons. He has completely turned that around in 2026, slugging 18 home runs over 54 games with Triple-A Charlotte. That’s already more than the 17 longballs he hit over his first two and a half seasons in the minors.
Gonzalez, who’ll make his MLB debut on his 24th birthday if he’s in the lineup tomorrow, leads all Triple-A players and is third in affiliated ball in home runs. He’s hitting .308/.414/.646 across 234 plate appearances, the second-best OPS among minor leaguers with 200+ trips. The power has come with a slight uptick in swing and miss, as he’s fanning at a career-high 20.5% rate. That’s obviously a tradeoff worth making for this kind of impact.
A 90 mph average exit velocity and 42% hard contact rate don’t quite align with Gonzalez’s monster production. Those would be above-average marks at the MLB level but aren’t top of the scale. Gonzalez had been viewed as more of an OBP-focused hitter entering the season, so even average power would be a major step forward.
Gonzalez was drafted as a shortstop and has continued to play there more than any other position. He has experience at all four infield spots and will likely play alongside Colson Montgomery on the left side of the dirt. Miguel Vargas can move to first base while Murakami is out of action.