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Padres Option JP Sears

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The Padres announced they’ve optioned JP Sears to Triple-A El Paso. They recalled reliever Sean Reynolds and will go with a nine-man bullpen in the short term. Sears will spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s brought up to replace a player going on the injured list.

San Diego acquired Sears alongside Mason Miller in last week’s massive deadline deal. The 29-year-old southpaw made his team debut last night. He allowed five runs in as many innings on 10 hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Sears took the loss in a 6-2 defeat. He’d carried a 4.95 earned run average over 22 starts with the A’s. Yesterday pushed his ERA to 5.12 across 116 innings. It’s a bottom 10 mark among pitchers to log at least 100 frames. Sears had the highest home run rate among that group, offsetting his nearly league average 20.3% strikeout rate and solid 6% walk percentage.

This is the first time in two and a half years that Sears heads to the minors. He broke camp with the A’s in 2023 and has been in the majors since then. Sears has also avoided the injured list for that entire time. As a result, he’s tied for fifth in MLB with 87 starts since the beginning of the ’23 season. The durability is the big selling point, as his production (4.62 ERA/4.56 SIERA) over that stretch is that of a fifth or sixth starter.

The demotion shouldn’t have any impact on Sears’ service trajectory. He has already surpassed the three-year mark and will qualify for arbitration next winter. He’s under team control for three seasons beyond this one. While he’ll probably be back up at some point this year, it may require an injury elsewhere in the rotation.

San Diego optioned Randy Vásquez over the weekend. They currently have a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and deadline acquisition Nestor Cortes. Darvish and Cortes will get the ball for the next two outings. San Diego is off Thursday and could turn back to Pivetta and Cease on extra rest for their first two games of the weekend series against the Red Sox.

That’d point to the series finale on August 10 as Michael King’s return date. King threw 61 pitches in what is expected to be his final rehab start on Sunday (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’d be on six days rest for his first MLB appearance since he went on the injured list in late May with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.

Reds, Charlie Barnes Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Reds are in agreement with left-hander Charlie Barnes on a minor league contract, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Barnes has spent the past few seasons with the Lotte Giants in Korea. He was released in May after suffering a shoulder injury that came with a two-month recovery timetable (link via Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News).

Barnes has a bit of big league experience. He made nine appearances with the Twins in 2021, allowing a 5.92 ERA across 38 innings. Minnesota waived him at the end of that season, and Barnes embarked on his new career path in Korea. He spent parts of four seasons with Lotte. The Clemson product was effective for the first three years, surpassing 150 innings with an ERA of 3.62 or better in each.

The 29-year-old had a tougher go this season. Opponents tagged Barnes for 5.32 earned runs per nine across eight starts before Lotte shut him down with the injury. He will presumably report to Triple-A Louisville to serve as rotation or long relief depth and try to earn a late-season look with the big league club.

Royals Sign Jonathan Heasley To Minor League Deal

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The Royals signed right-hander Jonathan Heasley to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old has not pitched in a game since being released by the White Sox at the end of March.

Heasley returns to his original organization. K.C. selected him in the 13th round of the 2018 draft. The Oklahoma State product debuted three years later and pitched with the Royals between 2021-23. He combined for a 5.45 ERA in 36 appearances. Heasley started 21 games in 2022 and moved mostly to the bullpen a year later. Kansas City traded him to Baltimore during the 2023-24 offseason.

With the Orioles, Heasley made four MLB appearances and pitched 10 times in Triple-A. He was released in July after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury while in the minors. Heasley was able to get back on the mound for three appearances with the White Sox during Spring Training. Chicago initially assigned him to their Arizona complex but released him a few days into the regular season.

Heasley owns a 5.89 ERA in 139 big league innings. He has also struggled at the Triple-A level (5.47 ERA across 164 2/3 frames) but is a familiar face for the Royals and can provide long relief depth once he’s ready to report to Triple-A Omaha.

Reds Place Nick Lodolo On Injured List With Blister

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The Reds placed starter Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his left index finger. Reliever Yosver Zulueta is up from Triple-A Louisville to fill the active roster spot.

Lodolo left last night’s start at Wrigley Field in the second inning. He has dealt with blister issues in the past, including one on his index finger that cost him a couple weeks last season. Manager Terry Francona indicated the history played a role in the team’s decision to put him on the shelf (ESPN link). There’s no indication he’ll be out beyond the minimum stint.

Aside from a three-day stay on the paternity list, this is Lodolo’s first absence of the season. The 27-year-old southpaw has a 3.05 ERA across 23 starts. He has recorded a solid 23.6% strikeout rate against a tidy 4.6% walk percentage while logging a career-high 129 2/3 innings. This has easily been the best season for the former seventh overall pick. Lodolo has pitched at a top-of-the-rotation level of late, turning in a sub-2.00 ERA while striking out 27% of opponents over his past nine starts.

Cincinnati will need to skip at least two of Lodolo’s turns through the rotation. They’re not going to replace his recent production but are well equipped to withstand a brief absence. The Zack Littell trade was going to push Nick Martinez to the bullpen. The veteran swingman can stick in the rotation for another turn. Hunter Greene could be back after that, but he’ll need at least one more rehab start with Louisville this week. Greene has been out since the beginning of June with a groin strain.

Cubs Place Michael Soroka On IL With Shoulder Strain

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Aug. 5: The Cubs formally placed Soroka on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and recalled righty Nate Pearson from Triple-A Iowa. The team still has not provided an expected timetable for Soroka’s return, though the diagnosis of a strain (as opposed to “just” inflammation) isn’t especially encouraging.

Aug. 4: Michael Soroka’s debut with the Cubs could hardly have gone worse. The righty only made it through two innings before departing the game with shoulder discomfort. Manager Craig Counsell said postgame that Soroka is headed to the 15-day injured list; the severity of the injury and recovery timeline aren’t clear (relayed by Maddie Lee of The Chicago Sun-Times and ESPN’s Jesse Rogers).

The Cubs acquired Soroka from the Nationals on Wednesday. They sent rookie ball infielder Ronny Cruz and Triple-A outfielder Christian Franklin to Washington in return. Soroka had made his final start for the Nats the night before the trade. That kept him from making his first appearance with Chicago until tonight. Soroka fanned three while allowing a run in his two innings of work against the Reds. Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo also left in the second inning with an injury — a blister on his throwing hand, in his case.

Shoulder discomfort seems a more significant concern than a blister. Soroka’s fastball was sitting in the 90-91 range. His season average is 93.6 MPH. Soroka’s velocity has plummeted coming out of the All-Star Break. His four-seamer was above 93 MPH in all but one start in the season’s first half. It was down to 91.7 in his first appearance of the second half, then to roughly 91 flat over his final two appearances in a Washington uniform.

Soroka said tonight (via Rogers) that he underwent an MRI before the trade which confirmed he was healthy. He indicated he felt the discomfort tonight when he tried to reach back for a little extra velocity. Soroka has logged his heaviest workload in six years. The Canadian right-hander reached 174 2/3 innings over 29 starts as a rookie with Atlanta in 2019.

Consecutive Achilles tears essentially robbed him of the next three-plus seasons. Soroka also missed time with shoulder injuries in both 2023 and ’24. He spent a good portion of last year with the White Sox in the bullpen, only starting nine of 25 appearances. He reached 79 2/3 MLB innings last season and is up to 83 1/3 frames this year. Tonight was his 17th start, his most since his excellent rookie season.

The Cubs assumed roughly $2.9MM on Soroka’s $9MM salary in the trade. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end. Jameson Taillon isn’t far off his return from a calf strain, but he’s expected to require at least one more rehab start with Triple-A Iowa. In the interim, they’ll probably go with a rotation of Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Cade Horton, Colin Rea and Ben Brown. The Soroka acquisition was meant to push Brown to the bullpen; he tossed four innings of one-run ball tonight in relief.

Twins Have Expressed Interest In Ryan Pressly

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The Cubs released veteran reliever Ryan Pressly over the weekend. Chicago had designated the two-time All-Star for assignment on deadline day after acquiring Taylor Rogers. The 36-year-old is now free to explore other opportunities, which could include a return to either of his previous teams.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that the Twins have reached out to Pressly’s camp to express interest. Meanwhile, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote on Sunday that the Astros were thinking about trying to re-sign the righty. It’s unclear if the Astros have spoken with Pressly or were simply weighing the idea internally. In either case, there’s no guarantee the 13-year big leaguer continues pitching. Hayes writes that Pressly is considering his options, including retirement.

The decision wouldn’t be about money, at least not for the remainder of this season. Pressly is guaranteed his $14MM salary whether or not he signs elsewhere. The Astros are covering $5.5MM as part of the offseason trade that sent him to Chicago. The Cubs are on the hook for the other $8.5MM. If Pressly were to sign, his new team would pay the prorated portion of the $760K league minimum for his time in the majors — which would come off the Cubs’ books. There could be a long-term financial consideration in the sense that playing the final two months could elevate his stock before a return trip to free agency in the offseason. That’d only be relevant if he continues his career in 2026.

Before this season, Pressly had divided his MLB career between Minnesota and Houston. He pitched with the Twins between 2013-18, moving to Houston at the ’18 deadline. Pressly had been a productive reliever in the Twin Cities, but his career really took off with the Astros. He made both All-Star appearances and got his first closing opportunity in Houston. He made the postseason all seven years with the Astros, winning a ring in 2022. Pressly recorded 14 saves with a 2.78 ERA in 47 career playoff appearances.

If he were to return to one of his former clubs, one would imagine the Astros are the more desirable landing spot. They’re three games up in the AL West race and have a good shot to make the playoffs. Minnesota is eight games below .500 and decimated the bullpen at the deadline. They’re playing out the string and looking for relievers who can backfill the innings they traded away. Pressly is also a Texas native whose wife is from the Houston area — which was a consideration for the reliever in deciding whether to waive his no-trade clause to leave the Astros in the first place.

That said, a return to the Astros would presumably require pitching in lower-leverage spots. Pressly reportedly wasn’t thrilled with the Astros bumping him from the ninth inning to sign Josh Hader during the 2023-24 offseason. He didn’t force his way out of Houston — that was a team decision motivated by a desire to cut payroll — but GM Dana Brown acknowledged in January that the relationship between him and Pressly changed after the Hader signing. The Twins, who now have a bullpen comprising almost entirely journeymen and depth pickups, could promise him late-inning work. It’s also possible Pressly has fielded calls from other teams that haven’t been reported.

Pressly’s stint with the Cubs was a disappointment. He turned in a 4.35 ERA with a career-low 15% strikeout rate. He lost his hold on the closer role by the middle of April. Pressly remained an effective reliever as recently as last year, pitching to a 3.49 ERA over 56 2/3 frames with Houston.

Cubs Release Chris Flexen

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The Cubs released righty Chris Flexen, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Chicago had designated him for assignment last week. MLBTR has learned that Flexen declined an outright assignment, leading to the release. As a player with five-plus years of service time, Flexen will collect the remaining portion of his $1.5MM salary.

Flexen signed an offseason minor league deal and was called up at the end of April. That initially worked brilliantly. The 31-year-old fired 28 innings of 0.65 ERA ball over his first two months. Flexen’s 13.5% strikeout rate and pre-2025 track record suggested he was in line for significant regression. That arrived in July, when opponents blasted six home runs and tagged him for 15 runs (13 earned) through 15 2/3 innings. He allowed multiple runs in each of his final four appearances.

The Cubs pulled the plug last week. Flexen concluded his organizational tenure with a 3.06 earned run average over 43 2/3 innings. Estimators like SIERA, FIP and xERA all felt his true level was closer to allowing five earned runs per nine — essentially a match for the 4.95 ERA he posted over 160 innings for the White Sox a year ago.

Flexen has the ability to log multiple innings out of the bullpen or build back out as rotation depth. That’ll at least get him interest on a minor league contract, and it’s not out of the question that he finds a big league deal. A signing team would only pay him the prorated portion of the $760K league minimum for the final couple months. That’d be subtracted from the Cubs’ commitments.

Dodgers Place Tommy Edman On Injured List

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The Dodgers placed Tommy Edman on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain. As expected, Max Muncy was reinstated from his own IL stint in the corresponding move.

Edman missed a couple weeks in May with ankle inflammation. He aggravated the injury while rounding first base on a single during yesterday’s win over Tampa Bay. Edman was immediately lifted for a pinch-runner, and manager Dave Roberts said postgame that it’d require an injured list stint. The switch-hitting Edman had a monster April, hitting eight home runs in the season’s first month. He hasn’t hit much since then, batting .214/.273/.323 in 210 plate appearances going back to May 1.

The Dodgers will lose one of their most valuable defensive players. Edman plays above-average to plus defense virtually everywhere on the diamond. He has played mostly second base but also taken a decent amount of innings in center field and at third base. The Dodgers also recently lost Hyeseong Kim to an IL stint. That presumably leaves second base to rookie infielder Alex Freeland, though it’s veteran utilityman Miguel Rojas who gets the nod there tonight after Freeland started four consecutive games at the hot corner.

Muncy will step back into an everyday role at third base. He’s back a month after suffering a bone bruise in his left knee. That’s a remarkably quick turnaround. Not only did the injury initially look gruesome, Muncy announced a six-week timetable even after imaging revealed he’d avoided ligament damage. Muncy was on a tear before the injury. After hitting .194 over the season’s first month, he raked at a .282/.410/.546 clip with 12 home runs from the start of May until the injury. He’s hitting fifth tonight against the Cardinals, who are turning to Sonny Gray in the series opener.

Cardinals Claim Anthony Veneziano From Marlins

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The Cardinals claimed reliever Anthony Veneziano off waivers from the Marlins, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Miami had designated him for assignment last week when they promoted outfielder Jakob Marsee.

Veneziano is a 6’5″ lefty who has made 38 MLB appearances over the past three years. He has a combined 3.93 earned run average through 36 2/3 innings, striking out 20.6% of opponents against an 8.8% walk rate. He leans mostly on a mid-80s slider while averaging around 94 MPH on his fastball. Veneziano has managed serviceable big league production, but he has given up eight runs with an underwhelming 12:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 Triple-A appearances this year.

St. Louis traded Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz and Phil Maton at the deadline. They lost John King to an oblique strain last week. JoJo Romero is the only southpaw in Oli Marmol’s bullpen. He is now the team’s best reliever and probably going to get a decent amount of work in the ninth inning. Romero picked up the save, his first of the season, on Saturday in the team’s only win since the Helsley trade. Veneziano won’t jump right into the big league bullpen, but he’s the only other healthy lefty reliever on the 40-man roster.

Dodgers Claim Luken Baker, Designate Jack Little

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The Dodgers announced they’ve claimed first baseman Luken Baker off waivers from the Cardinals. According to the MLB.com transaction log, he’s been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Los Angeles designated reliever Jack Little for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot. St. Louis had not previously announced that Baker was dropped from the 40-man roster but evidently tried to run him through waivers.

It’s a bit surprising that the Cards went that route. They had four open spots on the 40-man roster, so it’s not as if they were pressed for space. (Their count remains at 36 after they claimed lefty reliever Anthony Veneziano from Miami.) They nevertheless decided to move on from Baker, a 28-year-old first baseman who is in his fifth Triple-A season.

A former second-round pick out of TCU, Baker ranked toward the back of the Cards’ top 30 prospects for a few seasons on the strength of his raw power. He has connected on 136 home runs in his minor league career, 96 of which have come at the Triple-A level. Baker owns a .249/.344/.507 batting line in more than 1600 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s down to a meager .196/.309/.397 slash in 65 games this year, so the Cards determined he wasn’t getting another MLB opportunity. Baker has had sporadic big league appearances, hitting .206 with four homers in just under 200 plate appearances between 2023-25.

Before this claim, the Dodgers did not have a single healthy position player who was on optional assignment. Baker at least provides a healthy bat whom they can call upon if necessary without making a future 40-man roster transaction. He’s in his last minor league option year.

Little, 27, is a 6’4″ righty who made his big league debut last month. He has had two very brief stints on the MLB roster, combining to toss three innings of two-run ball. The Stanford product owns a 4.64 ERA with slightly worse than average strikeout (21.1%) and walk (10.3%) rates across 36 appearances with OKC. Little had gotten out to a strong start to the Triple-A campaign, but he has surrendered 17 earned runs in 19 innings dating back to the beginning of June. The Dodgers will put him on waivers this week.

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