Mets Sign Xzavion Curry To Minor League Deal
The Mets have added right-hander Xzavion Curry on a minor league agreement, according to his MLB transaction tracker. The veteran appeared briefly with the Marlins last year. He opened this season with Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League.
Curry has pitched in parts of the past four seasons with the Guardians and Marlins. He joined the Rockies’ organization midway through 2025 on a minor league deal, but didn’t reach the majors. Curry stumbled to a 7.97 ERA over eight starts with Triple-A Albuquerque.
Cleveland took Curry in the seventh round of the 2019 draft out of Georgia Tech. The righty missed all of 2019 with injury, then didn’t pitch in 2020 with the minor league season getting canceled. He would finally make his pro debut in 2021. Curry made quick work of the lower levels of the minors and reached the big leagues by 2022. He struggled in two starts that year, but emerged as a reliable member of the bullpen the following season. Curry posted a 4.07 across 95 innings in a swingman role.
Miami nabbed Curry off waivers in August 2024. He pitched well in nine appearances (one start), allowing six earned runs over 18 innings. Curry didn’t break camp with the club last season, but was called up in late March. He gave up a couple of runs over three frames and was sent back to Jacksonville in early April.
Curry’s pitch mix has shifted over his time in the big leagues, but the consistent theme has been a wide arsenal. He’s primarily relied on a four-seamer and two breaking balls. The veteran has also shown a changeup, splitter, and the occasional sweeper. Curry has an underwhelming 8.7% swinging-strike rate for his career. He’s struck out just 15.5% of the big leaguers he’s faced. Curry’s 4.38 career ERA comes with an xFIP and SIERA above 5.00.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Orioles To Give Jackson Holliday Reps At Third Base During Rehab
Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is expected to start at third base for Double-A Chesapeake on Sunday. It’ll be his third professional appearance at the hot corner. Holliday is working his way back from a hamate bone fracture. The 22-year-old has been almost exclusively a second baseman at the big-league level.
“We talked to him, see where his head is at, and he was for it,” manager Craig Albernaz told reporters, including Roch Kubatko of MASN. “I think if you look at our roster, versatility is something that we need.”
Holliday was one of three notable hamate injuries in the spring, along with Francisco Lindor and Corbin Carroll. While Lindor and Carroll were ready for Opening Day, Holliday has struggled to make it back to the majors. He’s had his rehab paused multiple times due to soreness in his surgically repaired hand. Holliday was in the Baysox lineup on Thursday after a two-week absence from minor league action.
It’s been three years since Holliday has appeared at third base. He played there for one game apiece at High-A and Double-A during the 2023 campaign. Holliday has made 188 starts at second base as a big leaguer. He’s made seven starts at shortstop. The defensive metrics have not been kind to Holliday. He posted -10 Defensive Runs Saved as Baltimore’s primary second baseman in 2025. Holliday ranked in the 5th percentile with -8 Outs Above Average. He’s been worth -2 DRS in his limited time at shortstop.
The Orioles haven’t just been missing Holliday in the infield this season. Third baseman Jordan Westburg has yet to suit up after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear during Spring Training. He was recently shut down from baseball activities due to elbow pain, per Kubatko. Albernaz relayed that Westburg has a follow-up appointment on Monday.
Holliday’s injury opened up playing time for Jeremiah Jackson. The 26-year-old got off to a strong start as the primary option at the keystone. Jackson had a .768 OPS at the end of April, punctuated by a grand slam on the final day of the month. He’s just 3-for-23 so far in May, but he’s mostly held his own as an everyday player. Jackson has been worth 4 DRS at second base.
It hasn’t gone so well for Westburg’s replacement. Coby Mayo is hitting .163 with a 29.9% strikeout rate through 33 games. The 24-year-old has the seventh-lowest wRC+ (42) among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. Mayo has posted -3 DRS at third base. He’s now at -7 DRS in 42 big-league games at the position. Weston Wilson and Blaze Alexander have also chipped in at third base, with uninspiring offensive results.
Getting Holliday up to speed at third base would give Albernaz the option to keep Jackson in the lineup. Jackson himself has big-league experience at the hot corner, but Baltimore may prefer to keep his glove at second base. At the very least, it’ll add some lineup flexibility once Holliday is ready to return.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
NL Central Notes: Woodruff, Lockridge, Suarez, Lowder
Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff was back with the club for a series against the Yankees after having fluid removed from his shoulder. He’ll play catch this weekend as he nears a return to the mound, relays Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
Woodruff’s progression is encouraging, considering how he looked in his most recent outing. The veteran was removed after just six batters during an April 30 start against the Diamondbacks. His fastball was down more than 7 mph. Woodruff was soon placed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.
The 33-year-old Woodruff has dealt with shoulder and lat injuries for the past three years. He missed all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery. Even before the outing against Arizona, Woodruff’s velocity was down slightly from last season. He’s several years removed from averaging mid-90s with the heater.
Despite operating at a lower velocity, Woodruff has been effective. He’s working with three fastballs these days, adding a cutter to his four-seamer and sinker. The veteran is throwing his changeup more than ever. Woodruff delivered a 3.20 ERA with a career-best 32.3% strikeout rate in a dozen starts last year. The strikeouts are down this season, but he has a solid 3.60 ERA through 30 innings.
Here’s more from around the division…
- Brewers outfielder Brandon Lockridge seems to have escaped serious injury after crashing into the wall on Friday against the Yankees. He was carted off the field and needed nine stitches to address a deep cut near his knee. Lockridge was back in the clubhouse on Saturday and hopes to return after close to a minimum stint on the IL, per McCalvy. Manager Pat Murphy was less optimistic, expecting the outfielder to miss at least a month. Blake Perkins was recalled to take Lockridge’s spot on the roster.
- Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez took 50 swings on Thursday as he works his way back from a strained oblique, relays FOX 19’s Charlie Goldsmith. The veteran infielder hasn’t played since April 22. Suarez was off to a difficult start in his second stint with Cincinnati, slashing .231/.300/.363 across 100 plate appearances. After matching a career high with 49 home runs in 2025, he’s left the yard just three times this year.
- Also from Goldsmith, Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder isn’t dealing with any structural damage in his shoulder. He received an injection and could throw a bullpen on Sunday. Lowder left after three innings on Thursday against the Cubs. He hasn’t been placed on the IL yet. Cincinnati got lefty Nick Lodolo back on Friday. He took the spot of right-hander Chase Petty, who is scheduled to start at Triple-A on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Mariners To Reinstate Bryce Miller, Adjust Rotation
Right-hander Bryce Miller will make his Mariners season debut on Wednesday against the Astros, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Miller opened the year on the injured list after straining an oblique in the spring. Divish adds that Seattle will initially go to a six-man rotation, then potentially move to a piggyback situation with Miller and right-hander Luis Castillo.
Injuries have derailed Miller in back-to-back seasons. An elbow issue slowed him for much of 2025. The righty first went on the IL with elbow inflammation in mid-May, but returned after less than three weeks. He made two starts, then went right back on the injured list. Miller came back in August. He remained healthy to close the year and contributed some important innings in the postseason.
Miller made it through just one Spring Training appearance before going down with the oblique injury. His absence opened the door for Emerson Hancock. The former prospect has had chances in the rotation in recent seasons, but they have never amounted to much success. Hancock had a 4.50 ERA or worse in each of his three years as an occasional member of Seattle’s staff.
The 2026 campaign has been a complete reversal for the 26-year-old Hancock. He’s been one of the more surprising breakouts of the young season. Hancock had a mid-2.00s ERA with more than a strikeout per inning heading into Friday’s outing against the White Sox. He allowed five earned runs over six innings in Chicago, but still emerged with his third win. MLBTR’s Steve Adams dug into Hancock’s stellar season in this article for Front Office subscribers.
A decision on Hancock and the rest of the rotation was coming as Miller neared his return. Instead of bumping Hancock or the struggling Castillo, Seattle is keeping everyone in the mix, at least for now. As Divish points out, the club doesn’t have an off day until May 21. Rolling with a six-man rotation will afford the group some extra rest during an arduous stretch of the calendar.
By performance, Castillo deserves to be booted from the group. The righty tossed six scoreless innings against the Yankees in his season debut. Since then, he’s been crushed for 24 earned runs over six outings. Castillo ranks in the fourth percentile for average exit velocity and in the seventh percentile for hard-hit rate. The 33-year-old might be hitting the wall at this stage of his career. Castillo is still due $22.75MM next season, plus $25MM in 2028 if certain thresholds are met, so Seattle is incentivized to find a way for him to add value. The piggyback setup with Miller might help Castillo get back on track.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Giants Place Logan Webb On 15-Day IL, Recall Trevor McDonald
Giants right-hander Logan Webb is heading to the injured list with right knee bursitis, the team announced. Fellow righty Trevor McDonald is coming back up to the big leagues. The Webb move is retroactive to May 6. San Francisco expects the ace to return when he’s first eligible, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports.
The Padres pounded Webb for six earned runs over four innings in his most recent start. The two-time All-Star was forced to depart after the knee injury flared up. “I’ve dealt with it for a little while, but it’s still no excuse,” Webb told reporters, including Henry Schulman of MLB.com. Webb will now get a couple of weeks to recover from the issue.
Webb has been one of the more durable starters in the league since becoming a permanent member of the Giants’ rotation. He’s made at least 32 starts in each of the past four seasons. The righty has paced the National League in innings for three straight years. Webb’s last IL stint was back in 2021, when he missed time with shoulder and back injuries.
The volume has been there for Webb this year, but the production has been underwhelming, even before the rough showing against San Diego. He’s posted a 5.06 ERA across eight starts. Webb’s strikeout rate has ticked down to a below-average 20.2%. A 7.2% walk rate would be a solid outcome for a lot of pitchers, though it’s Webb’s worst mark since the shortened 2020 season. The veteran is still getting groundballs at a massive clip (58.5%). His xFIP and SIERA are right around 3.50, which suggests Webb has pitched better than his results.
McDonald was sent down after his lone start on Monday. He’s right back with the Giants after a few days at Triple-A. McDonald is lined up to make his next appearance against the Dodgers in a series that kicks off on Monday. San Francisco was off on Thursday, so Webb wasn’t scheduled to pitch again this week.
The 25-year-old McDonald has excelled in his brief big-league chances. He tossed three hitless innings in his 2024 debut. The righty delivered a 3.60 ERA over three appearances last season. In his two starts, he held the Dodgers to a run over six innings, then piled up 10 strikeouts against the Rockies. The strong close to the year wasn’t enough to earn McDonald a roster spot out of camp. A 6.94 ERA in Spring Training didn’t help matters. McDonald will now get a couple of starts to make his case to stay in the majors.
Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto, Imagn Images
Dodgers Claim Charlie Barnes
The Dodgers announced the claim of left-hander Charlie Barnes off the Cubs’ waiver wire. Chicago designated Barnes for assignment earlier this week. To create room on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles shifted Tommy Edman to the 60-day injured list.
Barnes had been up and down a couple of times with the Cubs. He’s made one big-league appearance this season, covering the final three innings of a blowout loss against the Phillies in early April. It marked his first MLB outing in five years.
The 30-year-old Barnes didn’t stick long after debuting with the Twins in 2021, but he put together several solid seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization. Barnes delivered 25+ starts of a low to mid-3.00s ERA in three consecutive seasons with the Lotte Giants from 2022 to 2024. The 2025 campaign didn’t go as smoothly, as Barnes made just eight starts. He posted a 5.32 ERA with his worst strikeout rate and highest walk rate during his time in the KBO.
Barnes showed a slightly different arsenal in his return to the majors. He was sinker-first during his stint with the Twins, followed by a changeup and slider. Barnes only threw a handful of four-seamers during his 38 innings in Minnesota. This time around, he led with the heater. Barnes’ fastball averages under 90 mph, but he used it more than 40% of the time in his outing against Philadelphia. He also mixed in the sinker/changeup/slider trio, while debuting a sweeper.
Edman is working his way back from offseason ankle surgery. He faced live pitching for the first time in early April, stepping into the box against teammate Blake Snell during a simulated game. Manager Dave Roberts has maintained that the club doesn’t expect Edman back until the end of May. The move to the 60-day IL doesn’t come as a surprise.
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The Opener: Diaz, Lodolo, Snelling
The Yankees are expected to recall outfielder Spencer Jones. His arrival, along with the presence of Aaron Judge, will make New York the first team with two position players 6’7″ or taller, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Maybe the Knicks should give them a call.
1. Diaz reaches 1K
Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz bounced a double over the wall in the ninth inning against the Red Sox on Thursday. It was the 1,000th hit of the 34-year-old’s career. Diaz became the 20th Cuban-born player to reach the milestone. “I really didn’t think I was going to get to this point,” Diaz told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, through an interpreter. “So just to be in that list of guys, and obviously the Cuban names as well, is such a great honor.” Diaz didn’t become a full-time player until his late 20s, but he’s put together several productive seasons with the Rays. He’s hit at least .281 in each of the past four years and secured a batting title in 2023.
2. Lodolo to make season debut
Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo is set to start on Friday against the Astros. The 28-year-old opened the season on the injured list due to a blister. Finger-related injuries have been a persistent problem for Lodolo. He missed time in 2024 with a blister. He had two stints on the IL last season, first for a blister, then for a finger sprain. Lodolo was excellent in three rehab outings, posting a 1.50 ERA with a 38.6% strikeout rate. The lefty was a key contributor in Cincinnati’s rotation last season. He delivered a career-high 156 2/3 innings of a 3.33 ERA. His strikeouts ticked down, but he also trimmed the walk rate to an elite 4.8%.
3. Snelling reaches the big leagues
Top prospect Robby Snelling will make his big-league debut tonight against the Nationals. The young lefty put together a stellar 2025 campaign, capped off by a dominant stretch at Triple-A. Snelling has continued to pitch well at the highest minor league level this year, piling up 44 strikeouts in 29 innings. It seems unfair that Jacksonville opponents have had to deal with Snelling, Thomas White, and Braxton Garrett. The 22-year-old gets a surprisingly tough draw in his first career start. Washington ranks fifth in OPS and fourth in wRC+ against southpaws this year. The club is fourth in scoring.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
The Opener: Cubs, Rays, Reynolds
Reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes flirted with history again on Wednesday. The big righty was perfect through 4 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks, until he couldn’t make the play on a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. roller up the third base line. Nolan Arenado followed with a clean single, then Skenes retired the next 10 hitters.
1. Cubs walk it off again
A Michael Busch bases-loaded walk pushed across the winning run for the Cubs in the 10th inning last night. It was their third straight walk-off victory in an important NL Central battle against the Reds. Chicago has won seven in a row. Cincinnati is now last in the division after dropping the first three games of the series. The Reds’ 20-17 record would pace the AL Central, but it’s not enough to get out of the basement on the NL side. With a win on Thursday ahead of a nine-game road trip, the Cubs can go more than a month without losing at Wrigley Field.
2. Rays getting national spotlight
Tampa Bay shut out the Blue Jays on Wednesday behind a strong outing from Shane McClanahan. Ian Seymour slammed the door for his first career save. The Rays have now held opponents to three runs or less in 13 consecutive games, a new franchise record (per MLB). The streak will be on the line against the Red Sox on Thursday evening, with the nation watching. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPN, marking the Rays’ first regular-season game on the network since 2021 (h/t Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). “It’s kind of like the ‘first time, long time’ caller on a talk radio station,” broadcaster Karl Ravech said. “It’s the first time, long time for the Rays on a national game for us.”
3. Reynolds joins elite company
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds singled in the third inning of Wednesday’s matchup against Arizona, giving him 1,000 hits in his career. The 31-year-old is now the fifth Pittsburgh player to record 1,000 hits, 200 doubles, and 140 home runs (h/t Jason Mackey of MLB.com). Pirates legends Roberto Clemente, Andrew McCutchen, Dave Parker, and Willie Stargell round out the group. Reynolds has been a remarkably steady presence in the Pittsburgh lineup since becoming a full-time player in 2021. He’s reached 145 games and 600 plate appearances in five straight years. Before a lackluster 2025, Reynolds had been at least 10% better than league average at the plate during that stretch.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Power Outage
The Padres are 36 games into their season. Outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is still searching for his first home run. The 27-year-old has yet to leave the yard despite hitting the ball harder than just about everyone. Tatis was slugging .305 heading into Wednesday, nearly 200 points below his career mark. He has six extra-base hits in 148 plate appearances.
Tatis isn’t going to get shut out in the home run column all season. He’s recorded 12 barrels, which should’ve translated to around a half-dozen homers, based on the rate those batted-ball events tend to leave the yard. Luis Rengifo has the second-most barrels without a home run at six. Last season, Jose Tena had the most barrels without a home run, also with six. If he continues to barrel the ball at a 12.5% clip, Tatis will get on the board before long.
Since his 42-homer season in 2021, Tatis has been more of a mid-20s guy in the power department. He has exactly 25 dingers in his two full campaigns during that stretch. Injuries and an 80-game PED suspension sidelined Tatis for all of 2022. A stress fracture in his leg cost him two months in 2024, but he still hit 21 home runs in 102 games. Even as Tatis’ combination of power and speed has trended toward the latter, he’s still been an extremely productive offensive force. The outfielder has had a wRC+ above 130 in each of the past two seasons.
Tatis has slashed .250/.320/.305 through 34 games. He’s been 20% worse than league average at the plate by wRC+. And that’s with a .337 BABIP, his highest since his rookie season. So, what’s gone wrong for the superstar?
Suboptimal directional contact
The easiest way to turn loud contact into a parade of singles is to use the whole field. Tatis had been almost exactly league average in terms of directional contact for his career. His pulled, up the middle, and opposite field contact rates have seldom skewed more than 5% off of the league norm. Tatis has upended that trend this season. He’s pulling the ball just 20.8% of the time (per Statcast), well below the league average of 37.4% and nowhere near his career mark of 37.7%. Tatis is going up the middle at a massive 46.9% clip, nearly 10% higher than league average. He’s using the opposite field on 32.3% of his batted balls, a nearly 7% jump from his previous career high (25.4% in 2024).
Using the whole field isn’t inherently bad, particularly when you rank in the 99th percentile in hard-hit rate. Tatis has a solid .280 expected batting average, which ranks in the 82nd percentile. It’s just not the ideal path toward turning hard hits into damage.
Decline in fly balls
Tatis isn’t just spraying the ball more than ever. He’s also hitting it on the ground at a career-high 52.1% rate. Tatis has typically leaned slightly higher than average on grounders, but his lifetime mark was only a couple of percentage points above the league average of 44.2%. Tatis still provided plenty of power with a 49.0% groundball rate in 2025, which was a career-high at the time. He posted a sub-20% line drive rate for the first time as a big leaguer, but his fly ball rate remained intact last season.
The jump in groundballs has come at the expense of fly balls this year. Tatis’ line drive rate is up to 28.1%, the best of his career. He’s trimmed his pop-up rate to 3.1%. But Tatis is lifting the ball at just a 16.7% clip, a 9% drop from his career average, and well below the leaguewide mark of 24.1%. He’s also pulling the ball in the air at a career-low 5.2% rate. It’s the eighth-lowest mark among qualified hitters. The bottom 10 in pulled air rate is littered with no-power speedsters like Victor Scott II, Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum, and Luisangel Acuna. It’s not the kind of group you want to be in, particularly as a high-impact offensive contributor.
Bump in strikeouts
Tatis entered the league with a swing-and-miss issue. He had a strikeout rate near 30% with a concerning 67.1% contact rate as a rookie. Even during the massive 2021 season, when he finished third in NL MVP voting, Tatis struck out at a bloated 28.0% rate. He had the fifth-lowest contact rate among qualified hitters. While the power has ticked down in recent seasons, Tatis has also made more contact. He was in the low-20s for strikeout rate in 2023 and 2024. The 2025 campaign saw him punch out at just a 18.7% clip.
The strikeout rate has jumped back up to 25.0% in 2026. Tatis’ called strike + swinging strike rate is at 26.9%, his highest since 2021. His whiff rate is above 30% for the first time in three seasons. These numbers are in line with the first three seasons of Tatis’ career, but he was a premier power bat in those years.
Now what?
The Padres handed Tatis a 14-year, $340MM extension heading into the 2021 season. It gets more expensive the longer it goes. Tatis will be making $36MM a year from 2029 through 2032. He’s generally been worth the money up to this point, lost 2022 season aside. Tatis has been a 5+ WAR player (per Baseball Reference) in 2021, 2023, and 2025. He has two Gold Gloves for his splendid work in right field, and he’s chipped in some additional defensive value by playing second base this year. It’d be nice if he hit more like a corner outfielder than a second baseman.
Tatis appears to be himself from a physical perspective. His bat speed remains elite at 74.6 mph, and his fast swing rate is higher than ever (51.1%). His stance is a bit more closed, and he’s standing slightly further back from the plate, but he hasn’t made any massive changes with his setup. Tatis’ intercept point is much closer to the plate than normal, which explains the change in contact direction. His sprint speed is right in line with the past couple of years. He’s not broken. He’s just been the worst parts of his previous selves in 2026.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images