Astros Place Lance McCullers Jr. On Injured List
The Astros placed Lance McCullers Jr. back on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 20. The veteran righty is now dealing with a blister. Reliever Nick Hernandez is up from Triple-A Sugar Land to take the vacated active roster spot.
This is the third IL stint of the season for McCullers. He began the season on the shelf after multiple years of battling elbow and forearm issues. He was knocked back out in June for a couple weeks with a sprained right foot. A blister shouldn’t be a major concern, but it’ll cost him at least another couple weeks.
It’s the latest speed bump in a brutal first season back for McCullers. He has an earned run average approaching 7.00 across 11 starts. He has a league average 23.1% strikeout percentage while walking a career-worst 13% of batters faced. While McCullers had huge ground-ball numbers before the series of injuries, that’s down to a middling 42.3% clip. The 91.5 MPH average velocity on his sinker is well down from the 93-94 MPH range at which he sat in 2022. Each of Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti and Luis Garcia are on minor league rehab assignments. It’s tough to envision McCullers holding his rotation spot much longer even if he returns from the blister after a minimal stint.
Manager Joe Espada also provided a concerning update on third baseman Isaac Paredes, who went on the 10-day IL over the weekend with a right hamstring strain. Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle) that it’s a “pretty significant” strain that will sideline Paredes for an extended stretch. Mauricio Dubón is getting most of the third base playing time, keeping Brice Matthews, Zack Short and Taylor Trammell in the everyday lineup.
Mets Willing To Trade From Infield Depth
The Mets are willing to trade from their major league infield as they look for help elsewhere on the roster, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Obviously, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso aren’t going anywhere. Nor are they likely to trade Jeff McNeil, who is having a strong season as a multi-positional contributor. If a trade comes together, it’d involve one of their four younger big league infielders: Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos or Luisangel Acuña.
Those players have found themselves in trade rumors at least dating back to last offseason. The 25-year-old Baty has long seemed the likeliest to move, as the former top prospect has not become the offensive player that many evaluators envisioned. The lefty hitter owns a .236/.292/.419 batting line across 251 plate appearances this season. While those are the best numbers of his career, they’re essentially league average. Baty has gotten there in rather streaky fashion. He had a terrible April that led the Mets to briefly demote him back to Triple-A once McNeil returned from a season-opening injured list stint. Baty hit well upon being recalled in May, tanked in June, and is back to swinging the bat well of late.
A natural third baseman, Baty has added second base to his defensive repertoire this season. He has graded as a league average second baseman with slightly above-average marks at the hot corner in a small sample. Baty has been a useful player overall, but he still hasn’t established himself as a first-division regular. He won’t reach arbitration eligibility for another year after this one and is under club control through the 2029 season.
Vientos, also 25, seemed to establish himself as a core piece last season. He connected on 27 homers with an excellent .266/.322/.516 slash line in the regular season. Vientos hit .327 and added five more longballs in 13 playoff games. He hasn’t gotten going offensively at any point this year. The righty hitter has slumped to a .221/.275/.352 showing in 265 plate appearances. Vientos’ average exit velocity and hard contact rate aren’t much different than they were last season, but his bat speed is down a tick and his actual power production has plummeted.
That’s particularly concerning for a player who doesn’t have much in his game to fall back upon. Vientos isn’t a great athlete and he’s a well below-average defensive third baseman. He should ideally be at first base, but Alonso’s presence means that won’t happen for at least the rest of this season (and potentially beyond if the Mets re-sign Alonso in free agency again). He’s working primarily as a designated hitter while Jesse Winker is battling back problems. Vientos is controllable for another four seasons, so trading him now would be a sell-low move, but he’s out of minor league options and not providing much value at the moment.
Mauricio, a toolsy switch-hitter with a very aggressive approach, is in his first season back from an ACL tear. He’s hitting .218/.288/.376 with four homers in 31 big league contests. The 6’4″ infielder is working as the primary third baseman with Baty mostly at the keystone. The 24-year-old Mauricio would exhaust his final option year if he spends another three days in Triple-A this season. He’s controllable for at least four more seasons.
Acuña, 23, has been a light-hitting utility player. He’s hitting .240/.293/.286 without a home run in 169 trips to the plate. His .260/.303/.356 slash line in 640 career Triple-A plate appearances isn’t much better. He’s the best defender of this group who has only moved off shortstop in deference to Lindor. Maybe another team feels there’s enough defensive ability that Acuña could be a low-end regular at shortstop. He has an option remaining but — similar to Mauricio — would exhaust it if he spends another two days in Triple-A this year. That probably played into the team’s decision to recall him just before the All-Star Break. He’s only really getting opportunities against left-handed pitching, so his current usage doesn’t give him much opportunity to improve at the plate.
With the possible exception of Baty, each of these players probably has less trade value than they would have had over the winter. There’d nevertheless still be teams interested in all of them, but they’re not likely to headline a deal for an impact player. Sammon writes that the Mets are generally prioritizing bullpen upgrades, and it’d hardly be a surprise if someone from this group intrigued a team like the Pirates (David Bednar, Dennis Santana) or Rockies (Jake Bird) that is shopping relief pitching and in need of short-term offensive help.
Royals Agree To Deals With First-Round Picks Sean Gamble, Josh Hammond
The Royals agreed to deals with first-round selections Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond, reports Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Kansas City also has deals with second-rounders Michael Lombardi and Justin Lamkin, Callis adds.
Gamble was selected with the 23rd overall pick, K.C.’s standard first-round selection. Hammond went 28th with a supplemental selection that the Royals received under the Prospect Promotion Incentive thanks to Bobby Witt Jr. finishing runner-up in last year’s AL MVP voting. Gamble’s bonus is reported as $3.9975MM, though that presumably excludes a $2500 contingency bonus that’ll get him to an even $4MM on signing. That comes in a little above the $3.85MM slot value. Hammond signed for $3.1975MM, slightly below the $3.28MM slot.
A left-handed hitter, Gamble is a Florida prep product who had been committed to Vanderbilt. Most pre-draft scouting reports pegged him as a second-round talent. MLB Pipeline did have Gamble 27th, but each of FanGraphs (60), The Athletic’s Keith Law (48), Baseball America (45) and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (35) were a little lower. Evaluators praise his athleticism and bat speed, but there’s some concern about his pure hitting ability and questions about his defensive fit. While Gamble has mostly played second base in his prep career, most reports acknowledge that he may end up in the outfield.
Hammond, who was a two-way player in high school, drew varying opinions on public scouting reports. McDaniel slotted him as high as 17th, projecting him as a third baseman with potential plus-plus power. While FanGraphs felt he’s a better pitching prospect, Hammond enters pro ball as an infielder. Most other evaluators indeed are higher on him as a position player. His bat speed and defensive ability give him significant upside, but some reports question his pitch recognition and selectivity. Hammond bypasses a commitment to Wake Forest to enter the professional ranks.
Rangers Sign First-Round Pick Gavin Fien
The Rangers announced the signing of four draftees, including first-round pick Gavin Fien. Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports that the 18-year-old infielder received a $4.8MM bonus. That’s a decent amount below the $5.75MM slot value associated with the 12th overall selection.
Fien was a divisive prospect. Before the draft, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and The Athletic’s Keith Law each slotted the right-handed hitter as the #12 player in the class. MLB Pipeline had him 22nd, while both Baseball America (31) and FanGraphs (34) viewed him as more of a fringe first-round talent. Evaluators all agree that the 6’3″ Fien will not stick at shortstop. Most reports project him as a long-term third baseman, though FanGraphs feels there’s a chance he’ll be pushed to the corner outfield.
There’s more of a split camp on Fien’s offensive acumen. While there’s not much doubt about his above-average to plus raw power projection, some scouts have expressed concern about atypical hitting mechanics and a stiffness in his swing. Fien raked on the showcase circuit last summer but disappointed some evaluators with his performance in the high school season this spring. There seems to be a wide range of outcomes on his pure hitting ability, but the more optimistic evaluators feel he could be a power-hitting infielder with a plus or better arm at third base.
The Rangers are clearly on the high end of those evaluations. They signed Fien away from a commitment to the University of Texas. He’s one of three high schoolers whom the Rangers selected in the top 10 rounds. They took infielders Josh Owens (third round) and Jack Wheeler (sixth) and could reallocate some of their cost savings on Fien to one or both of those players.
Mozeliak Planning To Meet With Arenado Regarding No-Trade Preferences
With the trade deadline 10 days away, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said he plans to meet with Nolan Arenado in the coming week (relayed by John Denton of MLB.com). That’ll be an exploratory discussion to see if the 10-time Gold Glove winner has changed his mind at all regarding a potential trade. Arenado has full no-trade rights and famously invoked that clause to kill an offseason deal that would have sent him to Houston.
Arenado reportedly wanted more time to evaluate the Astros’ direction after they’d traded Kyle Tucker. Offseason reporting suggested he was only interested in approving a deal to five clubs: the Yankees, Padres, Dodgers, Red Sox and potentially Astros once he had a better feel for their competitive outlook. Aside from Houston, none of those teams seemed to show much interest. They moved on to signing Christian Walker when Arenado didn’t immediately accept a deal.
The Red Sox, Dodgers and Padres all have established third basemen. (Max Muncy is currently on the injured list for L.A., but he’s expected back in August and the Dodgers don’t intend to trade for third base help.) While Houston did just lose Isaac Paredes to a hamstring strain, they’re within a few million dollars of the luxury tax threshold and are highly unlikely to trade for Arenado. The Yankees absolutely need a third baseman, yet Jon Heyman of The New York Post wrote earlier this month that New York’s front office is concerned about Arenado’s declining offensive output in his mid-30s. That aligns with reporting from various Yankees beat writers dating back to the offseason which downplayed the team’s interest.
If Arenado’s trade preferences are unchanged, it’s very difficult to see a deal coming together. That’d probably remain the case even if he were willing to broaden his list of destinations. His bat has declined in three consecutive seasons. Arenado took a .241/.299/.381 slash line into tonight’s game — his worst numbers in a full season since his 2013 rookie year. He is playing on a $32MM salary, $5MM of which is covered by the Rockies. He’ll make $27MM next year (again with $5MM paid by Colorado) and $15MM in 2027. In this season and next, $6MM is deferred. It’s still a significant sum for a player who looks like a league average hitter at this point, even if he remains a quality defender.
Mozeliak acknowledged that as things currently stand, he “would envision (Arenado) being a part of this in the future.” That reflects the challenges of aligning on a deal, though the front office head added that “if something were to pop up, I would definitely discuss it with him.” In any case, the Cardinals appear increasingly likely to deal some veteran pieces. They’re trying to find a taker for struggling starting pitcher Erick Fedde. Reporting last week indicated they were fielding interest on impending free agent relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz.
That was before they got swept by the Diamondbacks in their first series out of the All-Star Break. The NL Central looks to be a two-horse race between the Cubs and Brewers. The Cards have dropped four games behind the Padres for the final Wild Card spot with the Reds and Giants in between them. They’ve gone 4-10 this month (pending the result of tonight’s game in Colorado). After outperforming expectations for much of the season, they’re hitting a skid right as the time comes for the front office to pick a direction.
Mozeliak acknowledged the downward trend, especially the recent sweep, in sounding more amenable to selling. “Clearly the weekend was not what we wanted to see, and now we’ve got to understand what the future looks like,” he told reporters (link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “Where we are in the standings definitely affects our decision-making moving forward at the deadline. Playing those three games and losing all three is not helpful. (We) wanted to come out of the break having a positive start to it. We didn’t. As we reflect on what’s best for the organization, there is the longer view in terms of: Are there decisions that we can make that will better situate the franchise in 2026 and beyond?”
The team still has a bit of runway to pull back into the race. They should expect to win the series against the Rockies, and a sweep isn’t outlandish. They’ll then have a direct matchup with one of their top competitors, as they host the Padres for four games to close out the week. They’ll welcome the Marlins to Busch Stadium for the final three games before the deadline.
Guardians Listening To Offers On Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith
The Guardians are listening to offers on their relievers, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. That includes a willingness to discuss their star back-end duo of Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith, Heyman adds, though he unsurprisingly notes that the asking price is high enough that a trade of either pitcher remains a long shot.
Teams are generally willing to field offers on almost every player. That’s particularly true for small-market clubs that are constantly trying to balance the short term and the future. It’s only sensible the Guards would hear other teams out on Clase and Smith. Teams are willing to pay a premium for relievers at the deadline. That’d be all the more true for late-game arms who are cheaply controllable for multiple seasons.
Clase is playing on a $4.5MM salary and will make $6MM next year. Cleveland has a pair of club options covering the 2027-28 seasons. Those respectively came with $10MM base salaries, though Clase has since escalated their value to $11.5MM annually by twice winning the American League Reliever of the Year award and by surpassing 200 appearances over the past three-plus seasons. He’d also receive a $1MM assignment bonus if he’s traded.
That’s well below market value for a pitcher of Clase’s caliber. He’s a much better pitcher than Tanner Scott, who signed for four years and a little over $60MM in net present value as last winter’s top free agent reliever. Clase is controllable for his age 27-30 seasons. There’s a chance he’d get into nine figures if he were a free agent.
Clase was MLB’s best reliever in 2024. He surrendered just five earned runs in 74 1/3 innings and went 47-50 in save opportunities. He had an ugly postseason performance but that came in a total of eight innings. Clase is putting together another excellent regular season this year. He has fired 44 innings of 2.86 ERA ball while going 21-25 in save chances. His 23.4% strikeout rate is essentially league average, but he has never been a huge strikeout artist. Clase excels with plus command and movement on his 99 MPH cutter, which hitters very rarely square up.
[Related: Cleveland Guardians Deadline Outlook]
Smith, 26, had a breakout rookie season to emerge as Cleveland’s top setup man. He turned in a 1.91 ERA with a near-36% strikeout rate through 75 1/3 innings a year ago. Smith’s ERA has backed up to a less impressive (though still strong) 3.07 mark across 41 frames this season. He’s striking out 35% of opponents behind a gaudy 15.1% swinging strike rate. The 6’5″ righty has a 96 MPH heater and a plus splitter. Smith is still a season and a half from reaching arbitration and is under club control for four and a half seasons.
There’s virtually no chance the Guardians would trade both relievers. If they were to move Clase, it’d be largely driven by the belief that Smith would be an elite closer in his own right. It’s even tougher to see them pulling the trigger on a Smith deal when he’ll play for barely above the league minimum for the next year and a half. The Guardians have a few lower-profile relievers (e.g. Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski) who could also draw some attention. They’d certainly listen on veteran righty and impending free agent Paul Sewald, but he just landed on the injured list with a shoulder strain that could keep him out beyond the deadline.
An openness to discussing Clase and Smith doesn’t signify that Cleveland is a guaranteed seller. They’re 4.5 games back of the American League’s last Wild Card spot. They have one of the easiest second-half schedules of any team, including four series against clubs with losing records (A’s, Orioles, Royals and Rockies) up to the deadline. There’s a path to getting back in the race and hoping that an excellent back of the bullpen can return them to the ALCS and beyond.
Grayson Rodriguez Dealing With Renewed Elbow Soreness
Grayson Rodriguez has sustained another setback. Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Danielle Allentuck of The Baltimore Banner) that the right-hander is dealing with more elbow soreness. Rodriguez, who had progressed to throwing bullpen sessions, is being scaled back until he heads for further evaluation next week.
Rodriguez and Zach Eflin were supposed to be the 1-2 pairing at the top of Baltimore’s rotation. Injuries have wrecked both pitchers’ seasons. Rodriguez has been kept off the mound entirely. He was diagnosed with elbow inflammation during Spring Training. When he tried to resume throwing in April, he suffered a lat strain that shut him down for weeks. That was his third such lat/shoulder strain in the past four seasons. Now, it’s the elbow that’s bothering him again.
Allentuck writes that Rodriguez had slightly adjusted his mechanics during his most recent throwing sessions. He raised his arm angle in an effort to take the pressure off the shoulder. It’s not known if that had any effect on his elbow. Regardless, it’s yet another setback for a talented pitcher whose arm continues to give him problems. The O’s will have more information in the coming days.
It’s approaching a full calendar year since Rodriguez’s last MLB appearance. He made his final start of last season on July 31. Lat discomfort cost him the final two months. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to get any major league work this season. Even if this most recent issue turns out to be minor, it’s going to delay his rehab. There are two and a half months remaining and Rodriguez doesn’t seem close to beginning a minor league assignment. The Orioles aren’t likely to be playing meaningful games in September. The former first-round pick and top prospect is under club control for four seasons beyond this one.
Baltimore provided a more encouraging update on Kyle Bradish. The 28-year-old righty will throw a two-inning practice session tomorrow and will then begin a rehab stint (relayed by MLB.com’s Jake Rill). Bradish underwent Tommy John surgery 13 months ago. Pitchers ordinarily can spend up to 30 days on a rehab assignment. That can be extended by as much as 30 days for those coming back from Tommy John surgery. If all goes well, Bradish should be in line to return to the MLB club around the beginning of September. Even if the O’s season is all but over at that point, he’d be able to take a few turns through the rotation in preparation for a hopefully typical offseason.
Dodgers Outright Nick Nastrini
The Dodgers sent Nick Nastrini outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Los Angeles claimed him off waivers from the Marlins last week. Since the Dodgers never announced that Nastrini was designated for assignment, this creates an opening on their 40-man roster.
A UCLA product, Nastrini was L.A.’s fourth-round pick in 2021. The Dodgers dealt him to the White Sox for Lance Lynn at the ’23 trade deadline. Chicago promoted the 6’3″ righty last season. Nastrini made nine big league appearances (eight of them starts) but struggled to a 7.07 ERA across 35 2/3 innings. He recorded 28 strikeouts while issuing 36 walks.
Nastrini has had well below-average control throughout his pro career. The White Sox largely moved him to the bullpen in Triple-A this year. That didn’t improve his results. Chicago lost Nastrini on waivers to the Marlins a couple weeks back. He made one appearance in the Miami system, walking four batters in two innings. Nastrini has yet to make an appearance since the Dodgers re-claimed him. He spent a week at their Arizona complex and is now headed to OKC.
After getting him through waivers, the Dodgers can take another shot at trying to get Nastrini on track. His walk rates point to a likely bullpen future. Nastrini’s velocity has also been down this season. His fastball has sat in the 91-92 MPH range after averaging nearly 94 in his big league work last year.
Astros Agree To Deal With First-Rounder Xavier Neyens
The Astros reached agreement with first-round pick Xavier Neyens last night, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Washington high schooler receives a $4.1225MM bonus that matches the slot value for the 21st selection. Neyens had been committed to Oregon State.
Neyens ranked between 17th and 26th on pre-draft rankings from Baseball America, Keith Law of The Athletic, MLB Pipeline and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. He’s a 6’4″ infielder who projects as a third baseman. Evaluators credit Neyens with some of the best raw power in the class. He’s a patient hitter but faces questions about his elevated swing-and-miss rates. McDaniel wrote that Neyens has some similarities to Joey Gallo at the same age.
The Astros were confident in his ability to develop enough as a pure hitter to build their draft around him. Houston had one of the smaller bonus pools of any team, checking in at roughly $7.18MM. They can go up to 5% beyond that without facing additional penalties. Houston paid the luxury tax last year and signed Christian Walker, who had rejected a qualifying offer. They forfeited their second and fifth draft choices as a result. They gave up their second-round pick and the compensatory selection they’d received for Alex Bregman’s departure.
Neyens is one of two prep hitters whom the Astros selected within the top 10 rounds. They used their seventh-round pick on Jase Mitchell, a high school catcher from Delaware.
Rays Agree To Deal With First-Round Pick Daniel Pierce
The Rays reached a deal with first-round pick Daniel Pierce, reports Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. He receives a $4.3131MM signing bonus that is exactly $1MM below the slot value of the 14th overall selection.
Pierce is a slick-fielding prep infielder from Georgia. Pre-draft scouting reports from Baseball America, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, Keith Law of The Athletic and MLB Pipeline all pegged the University of Georgia commit as a mid-first round talent. That’s right where Pierce was selected, although his bonus is closer to the slot value of the 20th selection.
Scouts consider Pierce to be a no-doubt shortstop with a chance to be an excellent defender. BA credited him with plus marks for his speed, arm strength and glove. Law puts an even louder plus-plus grade on both Pierce’s speed and arm strength. There’s more debate about how much he’ll produce offensively. Pierce had an improved senior season and has a solid batting eye, but scouting reports project him with fringe-average grades for both his hitting ability and power.
Cutting a slight underslot deal should allow the Rays to go above the slot values for a few later high school draftees. Tampa Bay went to the prep ranks with both of their second-round selections (Cooper Flemming and Dean Moss) and their third-round pick, Taitn Gray.