Diamondbacks Outright Luken Baker
The D-Backs sent first baseman Luken Baker outright to Triple-A Reno, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Arizona had designated him for assignment when they welcomed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back from the injured list on Saturday. This is Baker’s second career outright, meaning he has the right to elect free agency.
Baker was on the major league roster for a little less than two weeks. He was called up on April 7 as a bench bat once the Snakes lost Carlos Santana to an adductor strain. The D-Backs only gave him one start over his 11 days on the active roster. Baker went 1-5 while striking out three times over three games overall.
That marked the fourth straight season with some MLB action for the former second-round draftee. It’s his first MLB work outside of St. Louis. The former Cardinals draftee had spent his career in that organization until he was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers last August. Baker didn’t appear in an MLB game with Los Angeles, who outrighted him off the 40-man roster within a week of claiming him. He joined Arizona on an offseason minor league deal.
The righty hitter owns a .206/.314/.333 batting line across 194 plate appearances at the big league level. Baker mashed a combined 65 home runs in Triple-A between 2023-24. His minor league production backed up last year, as he slashed a league average .223/.335/.441 through 95 games across the two systems.
Baker is out of minor league options, so the D-Backs needed to run him through waivers to take him off the MLB roster. It’d make sense for him to remain in the organization given their lack of established first basemen. Santana is joined by Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear on the injured list. Utilityman Ildemaro Vargas and rookie infielder Jose Fernandez are splitting the first base work.
Edwin Uceta Diagnosed With Subscapularis Strain
Rays reliever Edwin Uceta has been diagnosed with a subscapularis strain in his throwing shoulder, manager Kevin Cash told reporters on Monday afternoon (link via Adam Berry of MLB.com). The righty will be shut down completely for another 2-3 weeks.
Uceta was already down with a shoulder impingement. This is a different injury that arose during his rehab assignment. Uceta had made four minor league appearances and would likely have been activated this week if not for the new injury.
There’s now a decent chance he’ll end up on the 60-day injured list once the team needs a 40-man roster spot. The Rays could backdate any IL transfer to Opening Day even though it’s a different injury. Uceta won’t resume throwing until the first half of May at this point, so it’s difficult to imagine he’ll be ready for MLB action by the beginning of June.
It’s a tough hit to the Tampa Bay bullpen. Uceta has been one of their better relievers over the past two seasons and was slated for a high-leverage role. He turned in a 1.51 ERA across 41 2/3 innings two years ago. Last season’s 3.79 mark wasn’t as impressive, but he struck out almost a third of opposing hitters while tying Garrett Cleavinger for the team lead with 21 holds.
Cleavinger has also been down for the past three weeks with calf tightness. He’s on a rehab assignment and should be back within the next couple days. Tampa Bay placed Mason Englert on the 15-day IL this afternoon. They’ll be without Manuel Rodríguez for the majority of the season and are without middle reliever Steven Wilson for a couple months.
It’s not a coincidence that the relief corps has been a weakness for the first couple weeks of the season. Kevin Kelly, Griffin Jax, Bryan Baker and Hunter Bigge have taken on most of the significant innings. Bigge has the best ERA but with ugly strikeout and walk marks. Jax has similarly bleak underlying numbers and has not gotten good results. Baker has been around average, while Kelly has pitched well outside of one six-run drubbing at the hands of the Twins.
The Rays entered play Monday with a 5.38 bullpen ERA that ranks 26th in MLB. They’re 25th in strikeout/walk rate differential with the league’s third-highest home run rate.
José Buttó Undergoes Procedure For Blood Clot
TODAY: Butto underwent his surgery yesterday, the Giants announced (hat tip to Susan Slusser). The right-hander’s recovery timeline has now been increased to 5-6 months, meaning that Butto’s 2026 season is almost certainly over.
APRIL 4: The Giants announced today that Butto’s recovery timeline is 2-4 months.
APRIL 3: Giants reliever José Buttó has a blood clot in his throwing arm, the team told reporters (via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). He’s undergoing a procedure this evening to remove it.
Buttó landed on the 15-day injured list yesterday. The team initially announced that only as arm fatigue. The clot provides a little more clarity, but there’s no return timeline. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle relays that it appears Buttó had pitched through the issue for a while before the clot was diagnosed earlier today.
Blood clotting can be associated with thoracic outlet syndrome. That was the case for Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, for example. The Giants have not said anything about whether that’s a fear for Buttó. However, skipper Tony Vitello told Slusser there are a few possible procedures that the right-hander might undergo.
San Francisco acquired Buttó from the Mets as one of three players in the Tyler Rogers deal last summer. Blade Tidwell, another part of the Rogers return, was coincidentally recalled to take his place in the bullpen yesterday. Buttó turned in a 4.50 ERA across 20 innings down the stretch. He surrendered five runs on six hits and four walks over two innings to begin the 2026 season.
Josh Sborz Remains With Rangers After Exercising Upward Mobility Clause
TODAY: Sborz will be staying with the Rangers, as Evan Grant writes that no team claimed the right-hander during the two-day period following the triggering of his upward mobility clause. Sborz has another opt-out date in his contract in mid-June if he isn’t already in the majors.
APRIL 14, 10:51pm: Curvelo exited tonight’s appearance against the A’s with an apparent arm injury after throwing a pitch several feet off the plate. The team has yet to provide any updates but an injured list stint seems highly likely.
10:25pm: The Rangers may have an upcoming roster decision. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that Josh Sborz’s minor league contract contains an assignment clause that goes into effect tomorrow. Texas will need to make him available to every other team. If another club is willing to carry him on the MLB roster, the Rangers would either need to call him up themselves or let him go.
Sborz has spent the past six seasons in the Texas organization. The Rangers non-tendered him at the end of the 2025 campaign after he missed the entire season rehabbing shoulder surgery. They brought him back on a minor league contract over the offseason. Sborz did not break camp but has had a strong first few weeks at Triple-A Round Rock.
The 32-year-old reliever has worked seven innings of one-run ball in the minors. Sborz has recorded eight strikeouts against four walks while hitting a batter. His fastball was in the 94-95 mph range during tonight’s Triple-A appearance, in which he fired a perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts. Sborz has used the heater around half the time while mixing a curveball and slider as his secondary offerings.
Sborz’s performance has been inconsistent throughout his big league career. He has a near-5.00 earned run average over 154 appearances, but he has an above-average 27.7% strikeout rate. Sborz was also a pivotal late-game weapon for Bruce Bochy during the 2023 World Series run, firing 12 innings of one-run ball en route to the only championship in franchise history.
If no other team is willing to carve out a bullpen spot for Sborz, he’ll remain in Triple-A with Texas. That’d be the easiest outcome for the Rangers. If another club expresses interest and they don’t want to lose him, they’d need to create active and 40-man roster space. The former wouldn’t be difficult, as they could option Luis Curvelo back to Triple-A.
The Rangers’ 40-man roster is at capacity. Cody Freeman and Cody Bradford are on the injured list and the only candidates for a move to the 60-day IL, which would keep them out of MLB action until the final week of May.
Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News provided updates on both players over the weekend. Freeman is beginning baseball activities after suffering a lower back injury at the beginning of camp. Bradford, who is working back from elbow surgery, made a Triple-A rehab start a couple weeks ago but encountered some general soreness. The Rangers aren’t especially concerned but have halted his rehab work for an indeterminate period so as not to push him too quickly.
Braves Select Martín Pérez
April 17th: Perez was officially selected back to the roster today.
April 15th: The Braves seem set to bring Martín Pérez right back up to the majors. Manager Walt Weiss told reporters this evening that the veteran southpaw was among the options to start Friday’s series opener against Philadelphia (relayed by Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Mark Bowman of MLB.com suggests it will indeed be Pérez, who is also listed as the team’s probable starter opposite Taijuan Walker on the MLB website.
Atlanta designated him for assignment on Sunday and ran him through outright waivers. Pérez elected free agency but returned on a minor league contract this morning. That might’ve come with an understanding that he’d be quickly called back up. The transactional sequence allowed the Braves to carry a nine-man bullpen for the intervening few games, though it obviously came with the possibility that another team would claim Pérez off waivers.
Pérez has made three appearances in an Atlanta uniform. He has gotten decent results, allowing just five runs across 14 1/3 innings. The 35-year-old southpaw has only struck out six of the 53 batters he faced with a well below-average 7.2% swinging strike percentage.
Bryce Elder is on the mound for tonight’s series finale against Miami. The Braves are off tomorrow. Pérez’s return allows them to give an extra day of rest to their other starters. It’ll be Chris Sale vs. Cristopher Sánchez in a phenomenal pitching duel on Saturday and Grant Holmes opposite rookie Andrew Painter to round out the weekend divisional set. Atlanta hasn’t listed probable starters for next week’s series against the Nationals but would have Reynaldo López and Elder on schedule for the first two games.
The Braves already have two openings on their 40-man roster. They’d only need to make an active roster move involving a pitcher as a corresponding transaction. Dylan Lee and Hayden Harris are their only pitchers with minor league options. They’ll presumably option Harris out after tonight’s game.
Luke Williams Elects Free Agency
Utilityman Luke Williams elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Braves, relays Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He cleared waivers and has multiple career outright assignments, allowing him to return to the market.
There’s a decent chance that’s just a formality and a precursor to a new minor league contract with Atlanta. Williams has bounced on and off the Braves’ roster for the past three-plus seasons. He received a brief call over the weekend while Michael Harris II was on paternity leave. Williams is out of minor league options and was surely aware he’d be the cut once Harris returned to the team.
The call-up gave Williams a few days of major league pay. He appeared in two games, once as a defense substitute and one as a pinch-hitter. He drew a walk against Kolby Allard in his only plate appearance. Williams has taken 350 trips to the plate in the big leagues. He’s a .212/.272/.280 hitter, though he has stolen 25 bases.
Gerrit Cole To Begin Rehab Assignment
Gerrit Cole is taking a significant step in his return from Tommy John surgery. The two-time ERA champ will kick off a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset on Friday, skipper Aaron Boone tells reporters (including Jorge Castillo of ESPN).
It’s not quite Cole’s first game action. He was able to get on a mound for a pair of brief starts at the end of Spring Training. Cole has spent the past couple weeks throwing bullpen and live batting practice sessions. Friday’s start will be his first regular season game since 2024. His elbow gave out the following spring, and he went under the knife in March ’25.
Minor league rehab assignments for pitchers generally last up to 30 days. The league frequently grants extensions in 10-day increments for those coming back from Tommy John procedures. Cole is probably still a month-plus away from big league readiness.
Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers and Luis Gil comprise the season-opening rotation. The top three have pitched very well in their first four turns. Weathers has been inconsistent and has only once worked beyond five innings, but he’s getting a lot of strikeouts behind the plus stuff that made him an offseason trade target. Gil was the odd man out to begin the season when the Yankees had enough days off to get by with four starters. He has given up four home runs over his first nine innings.
Carlos Rodón has yet to begin a rehab assignment but may return before Cole does. Rodón, recovering from a postseason procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow, is throwing live batting practice sessions. The rotation would run at least six deep if everyone’s healthy. There are a few weeks for injuries and/or performance to change that picture before Cole and Rodón are back in the Bronx.
Cole will join shortstop Anthony Volpe at Somerset. The infielder began a rehab stint there on Tuesday. Volpe took two at-bats (both strikeouts against the also rehabbing Zack Wheeler) and played five innings at shortstop in his first game. They gave him a rest day tonight. Volpe is rehabbing from October shoulder surgery and can spend up to 20 days on a rehab stint.
José Caballero has gotten everyday shortstop work with Volpe out of action. Although Caballero hit a walk-off two-run double to beat the Angels tonight, he’s batting .169/.222/.288 on the season overall. He’ll slide into a utility role once Volpe is activated. Backup catcher J.C. Escarra is their only player on the bench with minor league options, meaning someone is likely to be designated for assignment once Volpe returns. Minor league signee Randal Grichuk has started the season 1-16 in a short side platoon role as the final player on the bench.
Nick Pivetta Facing Extended Absence With Flexor Strain
The Padres will be without Nick Pivetta for quite some time. Manager Craig Stammen told reporters on Wednesday that San Diego’s Opening Day starter has been diagnosed with a flexor strain (link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). The righty is being shut down for an indeterminate period.
Stammen said the absence will be measured in “weeks and maybe months.” The manager and pitcher each expressed confidence that Pivetta will be able to return this season. That suggests they’re hopeful he’ll avoid any surgical procedures.
Pivetta was also diagnosed with a flexor strain while a member of the Red Sox in April 2024. That was a mild strain and he recovered quickly, returning to action a month later. This one will seemingly result in a longer absence. Those are the only two non-viral injured list stints of Pivetta’s big league career. Durability has traditionally been a strength.
Matt Waldron will be activated from the injured list on Friday or Saturday to replace Pivetta in the rotation. It’s an alarmingly thin group behind Michael King. Righty Randy Vásquez is now up to #2 on the depth chart, followed by Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez. They’re already without Yu Darvish for the season and have uncertain timelines for Pivetta and Joe Musgrove.
Griffin Canning should be back a couple weeks from now to take one rotation spot. Any of Buehler, Waldron or Márquez could be pushed from the group once Canning is healthy. Waldron made one MLB start last season and had a 6.48 ERA over 21 appearances in Triple-A. Buehler and Márquez were reclamation free agent additions. They’ve each had one good start and two clunkers in the first three turns through the rotation.
Depending on the injury’s severity, this could also have an impact on the upcoming free agent class. Pivetta can opt out of the remaining two years and $32MM on his contract. That’d be an easy call if he’s healthy and pitching anywhere close to last season’s level.
Rangers Select Cal Quantrill, Gavin Collyer
The Rangers are calling up swingman Cal Quantrill and reliever Gavin Collyer, reports Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Texas will place righty relievers Chris Martin and Luis Curvelo on the 15-day injured list. In corresponding 40-man roster moves, Texas designated Marc Church for assignment and transferred Cody Bradford to the 60-day injured list.
Martin and Curvelo both made early exits from last night’s loss to the A’s. The former is dealing with a shoulder impingement, while the latter has a biceps strain. That’s actually a relief in Curvelo’s case, as his injury initially looked serious. He’ll miss at least a couple weeks, but there’s apparently nothing amiss structurally with his elbow.
Quantrill will be available as a long man out of Skip Schumaker’s bullpen. The veteran righty finished last season in the Texas organization and re-signed on an offseason minor league deal. He didn’t win a job out of camp and has taken three turns through the rotation in Triple-A. Quantrill has surrendered eight runs over 14 innings but has recorded 13 strikeouts against only four walks.
The Stanford product made 26 big league starts a year ago. Quantrill spent the majority of the season with the Marlins and took the ball twice for the Braves. He allowed 6.04 earned runs per nine across 117 2/3 innings. Quantrill has generally struggled since an excellent two-year stretch with Cleveland between 2021-22.
Collyer, 25 next month, gets his first call to the big leagues. The 6’1″ righty was a 12th-round pick in 2019 who signed for well above slot value out of high school. Control issues pushed him to the bullpen within a couple seasons. The strike-throwing remains a concern, but he has intriguing stuff. He punched out 30% of opponents with a massive 16% walk rate en route to a 4.40 ERA between the top two minor league levels a year ago.
Texas re-signed Collyer as a minor league free agent over the offseason. He has been out to an excellent start with Triple-A Round Rock, striking out 11 across 6 2/3 innings. Collyer has also been around the strike zone in that small sample and only issued two walks. Even if that level of command probably isn’t sustainable, he’ll bring a power arm out of the middle innings. Collyer is averaging around 98 mph on his heater and has both a slider and cutter in his arsenal.
Collyer has shown enough to jump Church on the depth chart. He has a similar profile as a 25-year-old righty with big stuff and well below-average control. Church has made brief MLB appearances over the past couple seasons, tossing 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He has spent most of the last two years on the minor league injured list. He has battled oblique and elbow issues, as well as a teres major injury in his shoulder.
Church has struggled over his first few appearances with Round Rock. He has given up four runs on nine hits and four walks across 4 2/3 innings. The fastball is in the 96 mph range, but the Rangers evidently felt more comfortable bringing Collyer up in the short term. They’ll have five days to trade Church or place him on waivers.
Bradford is working back from last year’s UCL surgery. He went on a rehab assignment in early April but hit a snag when he experienced some soreness after that outing. While the Rangers have downplayed any long-term concern, there’s no timetable for the resumption of the rehab stint. The 60-day window backdates to Opening Day, meaning Bradford won’t be able to pitch in the majors until late May at the earliest.
Dylan Carlson Elects Free Agency
April 15: The transaction log has been updated to indicate that Carlson elected free agency.
April 14: The Cubs sent outfielder Dylan Carlson outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Chicago designated him for assignment over the weekend when Seiya Suzuki returned from a season-opening injured list stint. Carlson has the right to elect free agency, though the log doesn’t specify whether he’ll do so or report to the affiliate.
Carlson signed a minor league contract in January. He broke camp alongside two other non-roster invitees, Michael Conforto and Scott Kingery. Suzuki’s activation needed to push one of those three off the roster. Conforto offers a lefty bat on a heavily right-handed bench. Kingery hasn’t started a game all season but provides a little more defensive versatility and speed in a pinch-running role than Carlson offers.
The 27-year-old Carlson started one game in left field. Between that and a pinch-hitting appearance, he went 0-4 with a couple strikeouts. Carlson has now appeared at the MLB level in seven straight seasons and has accrued more than five years of service time. A former top prospect, Carlson had a couple league average seasons with the Cardinals early in his career. His bat regressed as he got into his mid-20s, and he owns a .204/.280/.303 line across four teams going back to the start of the 2024 season.
If Carlson accepts the outright, he’ll join Kevin Alcántara, Chas McCormick and Justin Dean as outfielders with MLB experience in Iowa. Alcántara and Dean hold spots on the 40-man roster. The MLB starting outfield is settled with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Suzuki left to right and Moisés Ballesteros taking the bulk of the designated hitter work.