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Mets Option Brett Baty

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The Mets optioned Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. As expected, they also optioned catcher Hayden Senger. New York will activate Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez from the 10-day IL before tomorrow’s game in Washington.

McNeil will bounce between second base, the corner outfield, and potentially see some time in center field. He’ll be in the lineup on most days. It would have been difficult to find regular playing time for Baty unless the Mets were willing to commit to McNeil as an everyday center fielder — a tall ask for a player with 16 MLB innings there. Mark Vientos is the everyday third baseman, while Jesse Winker starts at designated hitter against righty pitching.

Baty and Luisangel Acuña have split the second base work in McNeil’s absence. Acuña is a better fit off the bench. He’s a good athlete who can back up around the infield and potentially see some center field work. Acuña has also outhit Baty through the season’s first few weeks. He owns a .283/.356/.377 line in 59 plate appearances. Baty carries a .204/.246/.352 slash over 58 trips.

The lefty-hitting Baty had been getting into a better groove of late. He only collected three hits over his first eight games. He has eight knocks — four of which went for extra bases — over his most recent 27 at-bats. Still, it’s better for Baty to get everyday reps in the minors rather than play two or three times per week off the MLB bench. Assuming he spends at least 20 days in the minors, this will be Baty’s final option year.

Alvarez’s return pushes Luis Torrens to the backup catcher role. Acuña, Torrens, Starling Marte and fifth outfielder José Azocar comprise Carlos Mendoza’s bench.

Rangers Place Kumar Rocker On Injured List

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The Rangers are placing Kumar Rocker on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement, manager Bruce Bochy told the team’s beat (including Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News). Gerson Garabito has been recalled to add an extra bullpen arm for the time being.

Spring Training injuries to Cody Bradford and Jon Gray opened the door for Rocker to begin the season as the fifth starter. The former #3 overall pick had blitzed through the minor leagues late last season. Rocker was utterly dominant following his return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 1.96 ERA with 55 strikeouts over 36 2/3 minor league innings. He held his own over his first three MLB starts, allowing five earned runs with 14 punchouts across 11 2/3 frames.

It has been a completely different story through the first month of this season. Rocker has been hit hard in three of his five outings. None was worse than last night’s start in Sacramento. Rocker failed to make it out of the second inning while giving up five runs in a loss to the A’s. He has surrendered an 8.10 earned run average overall. He’s striking out just 16.8% of opponents. His swinging strike rate — which had sat at a plus 13.3% mark over his three MLB appearances last September — is down to 10.8%. Rocker’s fastball is still sitting above 95 MPH on average, but the stuff clearly hasn’t been sharp.

Bochy didn’t provide a timeline for Rocker’s return. He’ll be out for at least a couple weeks, and it’s possible the Rangers will option him back to Triple-A Round Rock once he’s healthy. Patrick Corbin is in the major league rotation after his late signing delayed his season debut by a couple weeks. Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle are at the top of the staff. Jack Leiter is on the IL because of a blister, but he made it through 4 2/3 scoreless innings during a rehab start on Tuesday. There’s a good chance he’ll be activated for Sunday’s game in San Francisco. He has worked 10 innings of one-run ball over his first two starts.

Pirates Select Matt Gorski

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The Pirates announced the selection of outfielder/first baseman Matt Gorski onto the major league roster. Pittsburgh also recalled righty Mike Burrows. They optioned Jack Suwinski to Triple-A Indianapolis and placed Justin Lawrence on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. Pittsburgh transferred lefty reliever Tim Mayza from the 15-day to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for Gorski. Mayza is facing a weeks-long shutdown with lat and shoulder strains, so the transfer is a formality.

It’s the first major league call for the 27-year-old Gorski. A second-round pick out of Indiana in 2019, he ranked in the middle of Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects for his first couple pro seasons. Evaluators credited Gorski with solid speed and power but questioned his pure hit tool. He posted alarming strikeout rates for a college draftee in the low minors. He nevertheless reached Triple-A by the end of 2023 and has played there for the past two years.

Gorski batted .257/.319/.522 over 113 games a year ago. He connected on 23 homers and stole 15 bases, though he was also caught nine times. Gorski struck out at a near-29% clip, so Pittsburgh decided not to add him to the 40-man and left him exposed to the Rule 5 draft. He went unselected and remained with the Bucs. He received a Spring Training invite and hit .360 with four homers in 27 trips to the plate.

The Bucs assigned Gorski back to Triple-A to begin this year. He’s out to a nice start, connecting on three homers and seven doubles while hitting .300 over 18 games. He has fanned 18 times in 73 plate appearances (23.4%) but done enough for the Pirates to see if he can improve the lineup. The Pirates are hitting .222/.304/.335 on the season. They’re in the bottom 10 in both average and on-base percentage, while only the White Sox and Royals have a lower slugging mark.

Primarily a right fielder, Gorski has experience at all three outfield spots and at first base. Oneil Cruz has center field locked down, while Bryan Reynolds is back in right after spending time at DH because of triceps discomfort. Gorski could take some at-bats from left fielder Tommy Pham, who is hitting .184/.267/.224 without a home run. Lefty-hitting utility infielder Enmanuel Valdez has been playing first base. Gorski could factor in there against lefty pitching.

Meanwhile, Burrows draws into Derek Shelton’s bullpen with Lawrence on the shelf. Pittsburgh claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies early in Spring Training. The righty had pitched well in the early going, working 11 1/3 frames of one-run ball. He struck out 15 and was getting grounders at a strong 52.4% clip. It’s unclear for how long he’ll be out of action.

Alex Stumpf of MLB.com first noted that Gorski was in the clubhouse. Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was first to report that Suwinski would be optioned and Burrows was being recalled.

Looking Ahead To Club Options: AL Central

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MLBTR continues our division by division look at next year’s team/mutual option class with the AL Central. Virtually all of the mutual options will be bought out by one side. Generally, if the team is willing to retain the player at the option price, the player will decline his end in search of a better free agent deal.

Previous installments: player options/opt-outs, NL West, AL West, NL Central

Chicago White Sox

Pérez signed a $5MM free agent deal to serve as the veteran presence in a very young White Sox rotation. Chicago hoped he’d pitch well enough in the first half to net a lottery ticket prospect at the deadline. Pérez was reasonably effective through his first three starts, but he came out of his fourth outing with forearm discomfort. A flexor strain diagnosis immediately sent him to the 60-day injured list. He’s expected to avoid surgery but will miss almost the entire season. A deadline trade is off the table, and he’ll be bought out at season’s end.

As recently as a few months ago, Robert’s $20MM club option looked like excellent value, as did the matching option for 2026. He was a down-ballot MVP performer in 2023, when he hit .264/.315/.542 with 38 homers while playing plus center field defense. The ’24 campaign was a struggle. Robert missed nearly two months early in the season with a hip flexor strain and was unproductive when healthy. He hit .224/.278/.379 with 14 homers in 100 games. Chicago held him into this year rather than sell low in an offseason trade.

That put a lot of pressure on Robert to hit early in the year. An excellent few months could make him one of the top position players available at the deadline. A terrible start might tank what remained of his trade value. The early returns are disastrous: .138/.255/.238 with 30 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances. There’s still time for a turnaround, but Robert may be following in the footsteps of Tim Anderson and Eloy Jiménez — players whose once team-friendly extensions soured to the point that they were traded for meager returns and/or bought out.

Cleveland Guardians

Means underwent UCL surgery last June. That was his second such procedure within the past three years. He’d undergone Tommy John surgery in 2022 and had only just returned before his elbow gave out again. The Guardians took a $1MM flier in free agency. The deal includes a $6MM team option for next season. Means is hoping to return to the mound in August or September. His late-season form will determine whether Cleveland wants to keep him around next year.

If the Guardians exercise the option, Means could unlock up to $2.5MM in performance bonuses. He’d earn $75K apiece at 20, 30, 40 and 50 innings pitched next year. That climbs to $100K each for 60, 70, 80 and 90 frames; $125K at 100, 110, 120 and 130 innings; and $150K apiece for 140 and 150 frames.

Sewald had a pair of above-average seasons as Seattle’s closer between 2022-23. His production started to trend down after a ’23 deadline deal that sent him to Arizona. Sewald remained generally productive through the Snakes’ surprising World Series run that year. Last season was his worst since his 2021 breakout. He allowed a 4.31 ERA with declining velocity through 39 2/3 innings. The Guardians surprisingly guaranteed him $7MM to deepen an already excellent bullpen. The veteran righty has punched out 13 hitters through 10 1/3 frames, but he has already surrendered three homers while averaging just 90.2 MPH on his fastball.

Detroit Tigers

Detroit added Brebbia on a $2.75MM contract early in Spring Training. It was a roll of the dice on the veteran righty’s intriguing swing-and-miss rates. Brebbia had allowed nearly six earned runs per nine innings last season (mostly with the White Sox), but he punched out nearly 28% of opposing hitters. Things have reversed early in his Detroit tenure. Brebbia has only allowed two runs (one earned) over his first nine innings. His 8.8% swinging strike rate is well below average, though, and he’s given out eight free passes — five walks and three hit batters.

Brebbia is working in low-leverage situations that suggest he’s towards the bottom of the bullpen depth chart. He’ll need to turn around his underlying numbers to pitch his way into more meaningful spots and, eventually, to convince the front office to exercise the option.

Brebbia could push the option price by another $4MM based on his performance this year. It’d climb by $500K at 65 appearances, $1MM apiece at 45 and 50 games finished, and by $2MM for 55 games finished. The maximum escalator value is capped at $4MM, so the appearance threshold would essentially be nullified if Brebbia finishes 55 games and pushes the option value to $8MM based on that criteria alone. He has finished six of eight appearances so far.

Urquidy’s situation is similar to that of Means. The former Astros righty required Tommy John surgery last June. Houston waived him at the end of the season. He reunited with A.J. Hinch in Detroit on a $1MM contract. Urquidy won’t be an option until the final few weeks of the season in a best case scenario. Detroit can gauge his progress to determine whether they want to retain him at a $4MM base value. Urquidy could tack on another $3MM if the Tigers exercise the option: $150K each at four and seven starts next year; $300K apiece for 10, 13, 16 and 19 starts; and $500K each at 22, 25 and 28 starts.

Kansas City Royals

  • Michael Lorenzen, RHP ($12MM mutual option, $1.5M buyout if team declines its end)

Kansas City brought Lorenzen back on a $7MM free agent deal. He’s playing on a $5.5MM salary and would collect a $1.5MM buyout on a $12MM mutual option assuming the Royals decline their end. He grabbed a season-opening rotation spot with both Alec Marsh and Kyle Wright on the shelf. Lorenzen has had a customary start to the season. He carried a 4.57 ERA with a below-average 17.7% strikeout rate into this evening’s appearance against the Rockies. He’s through five scoreless innings against Colorado at the time of this writing.

Perez is making $22MM in the final season of the four-year extension that he signed in March 2021. At the time, it was the largest contract in organizational history. (Bobby Witt Jr. has since shattered that record.) Perez is a franchise stalwart, of course, but it was still surprising to see the Royals guarantee him $82MM for his age 32-35 seasons — especially given the heavy workloads he’d taken throughout his career.

The nine-time All-Star has rewarded the team’s faith. He led the majors with 48 homers and 121 RBI in 2021, though he was already under contract for that season anyhow. He combined for a .261/.307/.447 slash over the first three seasons of the extension. Perez eclipsed 20 home runs in each, and he won the AL Silver Slugger Award behind the dish with a .271/.330/.456 showing during last year’s playoff season.

Perez has started this season more slowly. He entered today’s doubleheader with a .185/.235/.293 line, though he has picked up four doubles over two games against Colorado pitching. If this continues all season, the Royals could face a tough decision, but the safer bet right now is that Kansas City will exercise the option. It’s tough to imagine Perez playing anywhere else.

Minnesota Twins

Minnesota added Bader on a $6.25MM contract amidst a quiet offseason. They’ve preferred to have a capable right-handed hitting fourth outfielder who can reduce Byron Buxton’s workload in center field while complementing their lefty-hitting corner bats. Bader has started 18 of the team’s first 25 games. He’s hitting .230/.319/.393 with a trio of home runs through 69 plate appearances. It’s an early improvement over last year’s .236/.284/.373 showing, but it’s unlikely the Twins would exercise their end of a $10MM option.

The bigger factor might be Bader’s semi-regular playing time. He could push the buyout price as high as $3MM based on this season’s plate appearance total. It has a $1.5MM base value and would climb by $200K at 400, 425 and 450 plate appearances, then by $450K at 475 and 500.

Note: Justin Topa’s arbitration contract contains a $2MM club option or a $225K buyout for next season. He’d remain eligible for arbitration if the team declines the option, as he will not have reached six years of service time.

The Giants Should Consider A Rotation Change

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The Giants had a rotation battle throughout Spring Training. Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander were locked into the top three spots. President of baseball operations Buster Posey said in December that the team remained committed to Jordan Hicks as a starter. The final job would go to one of three younger arms: Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong or Landen Roupp.

Harrison seemed like the frontrunner entering camp. If that had been the case, he quickly pitched his way out of it. The lefty allowed eight runs in 6 2/3 spring innings. The Giants optioned him before Opening Day. (He's since made four starts at Triple-A Sacramento, allowing nine earned runs despite recording 21 strikeouts over 15 innings.) It came down to Birdsong and Roupp, with the latter getting the nod. Birdsong broke camp as a long reliever.

The decision came as a surprise. Birdsong started 16 all of his major league appearances last year. He turned in a 4.75 ERA over 72 innings as a rookie. He'd been lights out during Spring Training, firing 12 innings of one-run ball with 18 strikeouts and no walks. Roupp had a good but less impressive camp, giving up five runs with 14 strikeouts and one walk across 12 frames. He also had more experience working out of the bullpen, as he'd started just four of 23 appearances during his debut season last year.

San Francisco probably feels good about their decision to give Roupp a rotation job. The 26-year-old righty carries a 4.09 earned run average with an excellent 31.2% strikeout rate through the first four turns. He has recorded a pair of quality starts and reached seven innings for the first time in his MLB career on Saturday, when he held the Angels to two runs while striking out nine.

While Roupp has earned continued starting looks, the rest of the rotation beyond Webb has struggled. The Giants have raced to a 15-9 record despite their rotation having the seventh-worst ERA in MLB, entering play Wednesday. They should already consider making a change.

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Phillies Notes: Sanchez, Suarez, Johnson

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The Phillies had a bit of an injury scare on Tuesday, as left-hander Cristopher Sánchez departed his start against the Mets after two innings. Sánchez was working with diminished velocity, and the club announced postgame that he’d dealt with forearm soreness.

Despite that ominous initial word, the Phillies downplayed concern on Wednesday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer) that Sánchez felt normal this morning. While the southpaw will hold off on playing catch until Friday, the Phillies don’t plan to send him for imaging. They’ll wait to see how he feels when he resumes throwing in a couple days.

Sánchez made his first All-Star Game and finished 10th in NL Cy Young voting a season ago. He worked 183 1/3 innings of 3.32 ERA ball in his first full season as a starter. He’s pitching just as well this year, allowing 3.42 earned runs per nine over 26 1/3 frames. He’s getting grounders at a typically excellent 55.1% clip while striking out 29.2% of opponents. The start before yesterday was one of his best. He recorded a career-high 12 punchouts across seven innings of three-run against the Giants.

The Phils have had the same five starters all season: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker and Sánchez. Nola has had a rough start, allowing a 6.43 ERA on nearly two home runs per nine while working with diminished velocity. Nola’s fastball tends to pick up life over the course of the season, and he’s obviously going to get a long leash based on his track record. The other four starters have ERA’s comfortably below 4.00.

Ranger Suárez has been out all season after experiencing back stiffness late in Spring Training. He has made a trio of minor league rehab appearances, including five scoreless frames at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. Matt Gelb of The Athletic writes that Suárez is expected to make one more start for the IronPigs on Sunday before returning to the big league rotation next week.

If Sánchez avoids the injured list, the Phils will need to decide between a six-man rotation or bumping someone to the bullpen. Walker, who would have begun the season in long relief if Suárez were healthy, would presumably be the odd man out. The veteran righty is pitching well, though, turning in a 2.29 ERA over 19 2/3 innings through his first four starts. His 19.3% strikeout rate is still a couple points below league average, but he has added a tick of velocity after last year’s dismal season.

One pitcher who is definitely making that role change: Seth Johnson. Dombrowski told reporters (including The Philly Inquirer’s Scott Lauber) that the righty is moving to the bullpen in Triple-A. Johnson has been a starting pitcher through his five seasons in the minors. He also started his lone major league appearance, a 2 1/3 inning start last September. Philadelphia acquired Johnson from the Orioles in last summer’s deadline deal that sent Gregory Soto to Baltimore.

A former top 40 draft choice, Johnson ranks as the #6 prospect in the Phils’ system at Baseball America. His fastball is averaging north of 95 MPH in Triple-A. That could tick up in shorter stints, while Johnson draws praise for his cutter and curveball. His subpar command always pointed to a possible bullpen future that has now come to pass. Jonson carries a 3.98 ERA over 20 1/3 innings in Lehigh Valley this year. He has punched out 27% of opponents while issuing walks nearly 15% of the time.

White Sox Re-Sign Omar Narvaez To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox brought Omar Narváez back on a minor league contract. The deal was announced by their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, where the veteran catcher has been assigned.

Narváez had elected free agency on Monday after being outrighted off Chicago’s major league roster. He’d spent a week in the big leagues after the Korey Lee injury, appearing in four games as the backup behind Matt Thaiss. He went 2-7 with a couple walks. The Sox called up well-regarded prospect Edgar Quero on Thursday, pushing Narváez out in the process.

It’s common for players to re-sign on a fresh minor league deal after rejecting an outright assignment. Narváez seemed like a candidate to look elsewhere, as the Sox don’t have a great path to playing time behind the plate. Quero should get regular playing time, while Thaiss is out of options and cannot be sent down without going on waivers. Top prospect Kyle Teel is the starter in Charlotte, leaving Narváez to work as his backup in the minors.

Narváez is clearly comfortable with the situation. He spent the first three years of his big league career with the Sox between 2016-18. He developed into a solid #1 catcher for the Mariners and Brewers thereafter, though his production has tanked over the past few seasons. He owns a .201/.278/.286 slash line since the start of 2022.

Grayson Rodriguez Diagnosed With Mild Lat Strain

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Orioles manager Brandon Hyde provided an update on Grayson Rodriguez before tonight’s loss to the Nationals. The right-hander was diagnosed with a mild strain in his right lat, relays Jake Rill of MLB.com. The O’s hope he can resume a throwing program within a few weeks.

The team announced last week that Rodriguez was going for a second opinion after experiencing shoulder soreness. He’d begun the season on the injured list because of elbow inflammation. The shoulder discomfort arose during his rehab process. It’s not an entirely new development, however. Rodriguez sustained a lat strain while he was a prospect midway through the 2022 season. Shoulder discomfort sidelined him early last year, while lat soreness ended his season in August.

It’ll now be at least a few weeks before Rodriguez is able to throw again. He’ll presumably be starting from scratch at that point, so he’s almost certainly going to be out into June at the earliest. It’s not the worst-case situation, but it’s another hit to a floundering Baltimore rotation. Rodriguez is arguably the O’s best starter. He posted a 3.86 ERA while striking out 26.5% of opponents across 20 starts last season.

Baltimore’s rotation carried an MLB-worst 6.22 earned run average into play Wednesday. Tomoyuki Sugano, who has been their most effective healthy starter, managed seven innings of three-run ball tonight. That’ll help the rotation’s rate stats, but the O’s were unable to capitalize on his solid outing in an eventual 4-3 loss. They’ve dropped three in a row to fall to 9-14.

Cade Povich goes against MacKenzie Gore tomorrow as they try to avoid a sweep. They’ll likely turn to rookie Brandon Young to open a weekend set against Detroit on Friday. Charlie Morton and Dean Kremer — both of whom have been hit hard — would be on schedule to finish the series. The O’s have been without Opening Day starter Zach Eflin for two weeks because of a low-grade lat strain of his own. Hyde said that Eflin will progress to bullpen sessions later this week (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun).

Tim Mayza Shut Down For Six Weeks

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The Pirates are shutting down lefty reliever Tim Mayza for six weeks, director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk informs reporters (including Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Alex Stumpf of MLB.com). The southpaw went on the 15-day injured list over the weekend with a lat strain. Stumpf notes that he’s also dealing with a teres major injury.

A six-week shutdown means Mayza very likely won’t be back until after the All-Star Break. He won’t be cleared to resume throwing until June at the earliest. He’d need multiple bullpen and batting practice sessions before heading on a minor league rehab assignment. A transfer to the 60-day IL is all but assured.

Mayza signed a one-year, $1.15MM free agent deal in February. He’d had a decent run with the Yankees after being released by the Blue Jays. Mayza had been tagged for an 8.03 earned run average across 35 appearances with Toronto. He allowed an even four earned runs per nine through 18 innings in the Bronx, striking out 12 against three walks. The Yanks non-tendered him anyhow, but the solid finish got him a roster spot in Pittsburgh. Mayza looked good in the early going, striking out eight amidst 9 1/3 frames of three-run ball.

The Bucs still have three left-handers in their bullpen. Ryan Borucki and Caleb Ferguson are working in the middle innings, while Joey Wentz can pitch as the long man. Borucki has allowed four earned runs through 10 innings. Ferguson has worked 11 innings of two-run ball. Wentz has surrendered three earned over 12 2/3 frames.

Rangers Select Nick Ahmed, Place Corey Seager On Injured List

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The Rangers announced that they’ve placed Corey Seager on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Texas selected Nick Ahmed onto the roster in his place. They designated left-hander Walter Pennington for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.

Seager pulled up as he ran out a ground-ball during yesterday’s win in Sacramento. He immediately subbed out of the game. Josh Smith, who had started in center field, came in to play shortstop. Leody Taveras drew into center field off the bench. Any kind of hamstring strain usually results in an IL placement, but the Rangers seem optimistic that they’ve avoided the worst. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com notes that Seager is expected back right around 10 days from now.

The five-time All-Star has started 20 of 23 games at shortstop. Smith has started twice, while the since-optioned Jonathan Ornelas made one appearance. Seager has joined Smith and Wyatt Langford as the most productive hitters in an otherwise struggling lineup. He’s hitting .286/.345/.468 with four homers through 84 plate appearances.

Smith made his first major league start in center field last night. He could move back to the infield on a regular basis while Seager is out. That’d push Taveras back into everyday center field work. The switch-hitting outfielder is off to a .197/.210/.246 start and has yet to hit a home run through 62 plate appearances. If the Rangers want to keep Smith in center, they’d turn to the veteran Ahmed as their starting shortstop.

This will be the 12th big league season for Ahmed, a two-time Gold Glove winner who has spent the majority of his career with the Diamondbacks. Arizona released him late in the ’23 campaign. He divided last season between the Giants, Dodgers and Padres and combined for a .229/.267/.295 batting line across 228 plate appearances. The 35-year-old signed an offseason minor league deal with Texas. He had a big spring, batting .324 with a trio of homers over 15 games.

It wasn’t enough to break camp. Ahmed was granted his release before Opening Day but returned to the organization on a new minor league contract last week. He’d been working out at their Arizona complex rather than playing in Triple-A. Spring Training numbers aside, the Rangers won’t expect much from Ahmed offensively. He should remain a plus on defense. Statcast credited him with nine Outs Above Average across 554 1/3 innings last season.

The roster shuffling squeezes out Pennington, who made 15 relief appearances for Texas last year. The 27-year-old made his big league debut with the Royals last July. Kansas City dealt him to Texas for Michael Lorenzen at the deadline. Pennington carried a 2.26 ERA through 37 Triple-A appearances at the time. He worked 17 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen after the trade. While he only allowed six earned runs, he issued 11 walks against 16 strikeouts.

Pennington made four appearances this spring, allowing three runs on eight hits with two walks and strikeouts apiece. Texas initially optioned him to Triple-A but reassigned him to the complex before Opening Day. There hasn’t been any indication of an injury, but Pennington hasn’t made any regular season appearances in the minors.

Texas will have five days to trade Pennington or place him on waivers. Assuming he hasn’t suffered any kind of undisclosed injury, they could attempt to outright him to the minors. (Injured players cannot be outrighted, so they’re almost always released after a DFA.) Last year’s strong numbers in Triple-A could get him some attention on the waiver wire. Pennington has two minor league option years remaining.

Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News relayed the moves before the club announcement.

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