Cubs Place Edward Cabrera On 15-Day IL, Recall Jordan Wicks
Right-hander Edward Cabrera is heading to the injured list, the Cubs announced. Cabrera left his most recent start with a blister on his right middle finger. The injury will cost him at least a couple of weeks. Lefty Jordan Wicks was recalled to take Cabrera’s spot on the roster.
Cabrera was pulled after three innings on Wednesday against the Brewers. He allowed four runs, though only one was earned, thanks to errors by Carson Kelly and Pete Crow-Armstrong. It was Cabrera’s eighth consecutive appearance allowing 3+ runs. He’d opened the season with 11 2/3 scoreless frames.
It’s difficult news for a Cubs rotation already missing Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, and Justin Steele. Boyd is expected to return sometime in June, but Horton is done for the year, and Steele is out until after the All-Star break. Chicago has stretched out Ben Brown as a starter after he opened the year in the bullpen. Colin Rea has been in the rotation since early April. Wicks likely steps into the No. 5 spot until Cabrera is ready to come back.
Chicago acquired Cabrera in an offseason trade with the Marlins that sent top prospect Owen Caissie and two other minor leaguers to Miami. The 27-year-old was coming off his best all-around season with the Fish. Cabrera delivered 26 starts with a 3.53 ERA as a full-time member of Miami’s rotation. He cut his walk rate below 10% for the first time as a big leaguer.
Injuries plagued Cabrera for much of his time with the Marlins. He missed time with elbow and shoulder issues in 2022 and 2023. A shoulder impingement sent the righty to the IL multiple times in 2024. Cabrera dealt with a blister to begin 2025 on the same finger giving him trouble right now. The injury only cost him the first two weeks of last season. Cabrera was healthy for the majority of the campaign, tossing a career-high 137 2/3 innings. He did go down with an elbow sprain in September, but made it back on the mound for two outings to close the year.
Wicks has been up and down with the big-league club for the past three seasons. He operated as a starter in his first two years with the team, then moved to the bullpen in 2025. The lefty showed improved velocity as a reliever last season, but posted a 6.28 ERA across 14 1/3 innings. Wicks has been back to starting at Triple-A this year. He’s notched a 4.44 ERA over seven outings.
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Rangers Notes: Gore, Seager, Jung
Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore is expected to start tonight against the Angels, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Texas fans can now breathe a sigh of relief. Gore was removed from his start on Monday with a back injury, but appears good to go for his next turn in the rotation.
Gore seemed to be shaken up after diving for a groundball in the first inning against the Rockies last time out. He managed to finish the frame, but was then relieved by Peyton Gray. Gore was charged with two earned runs on three hits and two walks in his lone inning of work.
The Rangers landed Gore in a blockbuster deal with the Nationals that sent five players back to Washington. The 27-year-old is off to an uneven beginning to his tenure in Texas. Gore piled up 25 strikeouts over his first three starts, recording a pair of wins. The lefty battled control issues from there, handing out 16 free passes over his next 23 2/3 frames. Gore bounced back with eight innings of one-run ball in his outing before the abbreviated appearance on Monday.
Gore was expected to form a three-headed monster at the top of the rotation with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. It hasn’t exactly come to fruition. After a strong April, deGrom has been tagged for 16 earned runs in four May outings. He’s allowed eight home runs in that stretch. Eovaldi has settled in recently, but a brutal start to the campaign still has his numbers lagging behind his tremendous 2025 output.
Here are a couple of other injury items for the Rangers…
- Shortstop Corey Seager will not face live pitching today as originally planned. His balky back didn’t respond properly after a workout on Friday. “We’re trying to figure out the next steps,” manager Skip Schumaker told reporters, including McFarland. Seager hit the injured list earlier this week with lower back inflammation. After missing a series last weekend against the Astros, he was sent to see the Rangers’ back specialist. The 32-year-old Seager is scuffling through his worst offensive season as a big leaguer.
- Third baseman Josh Jung left Saturday’s matchup against the Angels due to left shoulder soreness. He went 0-for-2 before being replaced in the lineup by Michael Helman. Jung told reporters he was “scared more than anything” and “should be alright” moving forward (h/t again to McFarland). The infielder had surgery to repair a torn labrum in that same shoulder heading into the 2022 season. Duran slid over to cover third base when Jung left yesterday. He’s been the regular shortstop since Seager went down. It’ll likely be Duran at third and Helman at short tonight if Jung can’t go.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images
Cardinals Promote Brycen Mautz For Debut
10:15am: The promotion is now official. St. Louis optioned right-hander Matt Svanson to Triple-A to clear a spot for Mautz.
9:45am: Cardinals left-hander Brycen Mautz will be called up for his MLB debut on Sunday, relays Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He’ll slide into the rotation with St. Louis coming off a doubleheader on Saturday.
It’ll be the second straight day with a big-league debut for the Cardinals, who promoted infielder/outfielder Bryan Torres on Friday. The longtime minor leaguer didn’t get into the first game against the Reds, but started both matchups of Saturday’s twin bill. Torres recorded three hits across the two games.
Mautz has delivered a sub-3.00 ERA across nine starts at Triple-A this season. He’s striking out more than a batter per inning, but his 13.5% walk rate is a career-worst mark. The 24-year-old is not among the upper tier of prospects in the St. Louis system, but he’s generally among the top 20 in the organization. FanGraphs‘ James Fegan ranked Mautz at No. 17 heading into the season, while MLB Pipeline had him at 20th.
The Cardinals selected Mautz in the second round of the 2022 draft out of the University of San Diego. The lefty posted decent results in his first pro season, recording a sub-4.00 ERA at Single-A. He took a step back in High-A the following year, with a 5.18 ERA to go with a 4.86 FIP. Mautz came through with a breakout season in 2025. He cruised to a 2.98 ERA with a career-best 28.6% strikeout rate in 25 starts at Double-A. Mautz was named the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year last season.
This could be a brief stint for Mautz, as the Cardinals don’t have a clear hole in the rotation. The group has remained healthy and generally provided decent results. Veterans Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore, and Andre Pallante haven’t excelled on a per-inning basis, but they’re offering length each time they take the ball. Michael McGreevy is off to a strong start. Kyle Leahy‘s transition to the rotation has gone reasonably well.
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The Opener: Melton, Kurtz, Corbin
Veteran infielder Chris Taylor is not retiring. The 35-year-old has reversed course, instead going on the minor league injured list with a fractured forearm. Taylor split last season between the Dodgers and Angels. He re-upped with the Angels on a minor league deal this year.
1. Melton nearing return
Tigers right-hander Troy Melton could be activated today against the Orioles. The 25-year-old opened the season on the IL with an elbow injury. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported earlier this week that Melton would be in the mix for Sunday’s game. Detroit has a doubleheader today after Saturday’s matchup in Baltimore was rained out. Evan Woodbery of MLive.com pointed out that right-hander Keider Montero has been bumped to Tuesday, which would suggest an alternative option starting today (like Melton). Melton has a 1.54 ERA over four minor league outings. He emerged as an important swingman during last year’s postseason run.
2. Kurtz matches Henderson
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz singled in the first inning on Saturday against the Padres. The base hit pushed his on-base streak to 46 games, tying him with Rickey Henderson for the third-longest single-season run in franchise history. Jimmie Foxx is next on the list at 47 games. Mark McGwire sits atop the franchise leaderboard with a 48-game on-base streak in 1996. After a slow start to the season, Kurtz has put together a tremendous six-week stretch. He’s up to 6th in the league among qualified hitters in wRC+. Kurtz’s .444 OBP is 25 points ahead of the next-closest player.
3. Corbin outduels Skenes
Blue Jays lefty Patrick Corbin delivered six innings of one-run ball against the Pirates on Saturday, earning the win. It was the veteran’s first time completing six innings since August 2025. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. Corbin comfortably outpitched Paul Skenes, who allowed four earned runs over five innings. Skenes has allowed nine earned runs over his past two starts, after he opened May with two scoreless eight-inning outings. George Springer launched a leadoff home run to open the scoring. Toronto chased Skenes in the sixth inning with four consecutive hits. He finished with just two strikeouts, his worst mark since the fateful Opening Day start against the Mets.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han of USA Today, via Imagn Images
The Opener: Cole, Valdez, Guardians
The league’s two highest-scoring offenses will face off this weekend. It’ll be the Braves taking on the … Nationals? Washington surprisingly paces the league in runs so far. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern dove into the Nats’ offense in this piece.
1. Cole, Caballero rejoining Yankees
Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole will make his long-awaited return tonight against the Rays. The six-time All-Star missed all of 2025 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Cole cruised through 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his final rehab outing, striking out six. New York will also get infielder Jose Caballero back in the mix. The versatile veteran will return after a minimum stint on the injured list with a fractured finger. Outfield prospect Spencer Jones will head back to the minors to clear room for Caballero. Jones went 4-for-24 with 12 strikeouts in his first taste of the majors.
2. Valdez gets the call
Pirates prospect Esmerlyn Valdez is expected to be promoted for a series against the Blue Jays. He’ll take the spot of outfielder Billy Cook. Valdez is a consensus top 10 prospect in the organization. The 22-year-old has shown solid power in the minor leagues, including 26 home runs across two levels in 2025. Valdez has already popped 10 homers in 46 games at Triple-A this year. Perhaps more importantly, he’s trimmed his strikeout rate to a reasonable 21.1%. Valdez has mostly played the corner outfield spots with Indianapolis this season. He also has experience at first base. Valdez will be an option at both first and right field with Pittsburgh with Ryan O’Hearn sidelined.
3. Red-hot Guardians sweep sputtering Tigers
Cleveland beat Detroit on Thursday afternoon behind a strong outing from lefty Joey Cantillo. Recent trade acquisition Patrick Bailey launched his first home run with the club. The Guardians took all four games from the Tigers and have now won six straight and nine of 10. With the White Sox falling to the Mariners, Cleveland now has a 3.5-game lead in the AL Central. Detroit has gone in the exact opposite direction. The club has dropped six straight and nine of 10, sinking to last in the division. The Tigers had managed to stay afloat despite injury issues heading into May, with an even .500 record. The team is now 20-31 on the year. Detroit will look to get back on track in Baltimore this weekend.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Oehler of the Poughkeepsie Journal, via Imagn Images
The Opener: Schlittler/Yesavage, Tong, Rays
Shohei Ohtani got back to two-way stardom on Wednesday against the Padres. He drilled a leadoff home run, which was all the support he needed. Ohtani breezed through five shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 0.73.
1. AL East duel delivers
Two of the most promising arms in the AL East faced off on Wednesday, and both came through with excellent outings. Trey Yesavage silenced an imposing Yankees offense over six innings to secure the win. Cam Schlittler matched him through six frames, but flinched in the seventh inning. He allowed the first three batters to reach, then walked in a run on an ABS challenge. Reliever Jake Bird allowed an inherited runner to score. Yesavage and Schlittler each boast sub-2.00 ERAs with hefty strikeout numbers. Their matchups will continue to be appointment viewing.
2. Tong call-up could be coming
Mets right-hander Jonah Tong was scratched from his Triple-A start on Wednesday. The club wanted to have him as an option this weekend against the Marlins, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (h/t Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). The 22-year-old is among the top prospects in the organization. Tong posted strong strikeout numbers in his brief 2025 debut, but struggled with walks and run prevention. It’s been a similar story at Syracuse this year. Tong has a 32.7% strikeout rate to go with a 14.3% walk rate and a 5.68 ERA in nine minor league outings.
3. Rays keep rolling
Elsewhere in the AL East, Tampa Bay won its fourth game in a row with a comeback victory over the Orioles. Baltimore entered the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead, looking to salvage a game from the series. Anthony Nunez got two outs after a leadoff single, but couldn’t escape the frame. Jonathan Aranda came through with a double to tie the game. Richie Palacios followed with an RBI single. Ryan Vilade then stole home to stretch Tampa Bay’s lead. The club has won eight of 10 and now holds a four-game lead in the division. The Rays face off against the Yankees in a critical divisional battle this weekend.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Bo Bichette’s Slow Start
Mets infielder Bo Bichette had zero extra-base hits in May entering this week. He popped a home run and a double on Monday against the Nationals, then followed it up with a two-homer game on Tuesday. Bichette came into the series against Washington with just two long balls this season. He’s more than doubled that mark in two games, while also pushing his OPS above .600 for the first time since May 1.
The move to Queens hasn’t gone as planned for Bichette after the Mets inked him to a hefty three-year, $126MM deal. The veteran had the ninth-lowest wRC+ among qualified hitters before Monday’s big night. He’s slashed .224/.277/.332 through 48 games. Those numbers looked eerily similar to Bichette’s 2024 campaign (.225/.277/.322), a year ruined by multiple injuries. The 28-year-old got back on track in 2025, a well-timed rebound ahead of his first crack at free agency. He’s slipped back into concerning habits this year.
Bichette’s approach has never been geared toward power. He makes hard contact, but sprays the ball to all fields and prioritizes line drives over fly balls. Even when Bichette was regularly reaching 20 home runs, he was doing it with a ground ball rate near 50% and a pulled air rate in the low teens. It’s an elite batting average profile, and league-leading hit collection is the main reason Bichette has been worth at least 3.5 wins (per Baseball Reference) in four of the previous five seasons.
The batted ball distribution this season is concerning, even for Bichette. His groundball rate is up to a career-high 51.2%. He’s pulling the ball in the air just 6.9% of the time, nearly half of his career norm (12%). Bichette is hitting line drives on just 23.1% of batted balls, which is below league average. Even in his difficult 2024 season, he hit line drives at a more than 30% clip.
Bichette has also taken a step back in terms of contact quality. He’s posted a 43.8% hard-hit rate, a 5% decline from 2025. He’s barreling the ball at a 5.6% rate, more than 3% below his career average. The only year Bichette has had a barrel rate below league average was 2024, when he stumbled to a 4.5% mark. Bichette still ranks in the 64th percentile for hard-hit rate. He’s in the 80th percentile for xBA at .280. For his profile to work, though, he’ll likely need to be closer to the league leaders in those categories. Bichette was in the 98th percentile with a .298 xBA in 2025. He finished second in the AL batting title race, behind only Aaron Judge.
The expectations of a significant contract, plus joining a new team, can weigh on a player. There’s also the New York factor. But if Bichette is pressing, the plate discipline doesn’t show it. He’s striking out just 16.3% of the time. His chase rate (38.1%) is up a bit from last season, but it’s more or less in line with his career mark of 36.8%. Bichette’s 7.3% swinging-strike rate is a career low. He’s making contact on pitches outside of the zone more than ever, which could explain some of the decline in contact quality. He might be better off swinging and missing a bit more often.
The most surprising aspect of Bichette’s stat line is the defense. The Mets signed him to play third base after he graded out as one of the worst shortstops in the league during his final year in Toronto. Injuries to Francisco Lindor and Ronny Mauricio forced Bichette back to shortstop, and he’s played fine there. He’s been neutral in terms of both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average at the position. Bichette’s recorded -1 DRS and +1 OAA at third base. Unremarkable numbers with the glove are a huge improvement for Bichette, and likely part of the reason he’s performed at replacement level (-0.1 bRef WAR) despite the poor offensive contributions.
Like most hitters, Bichette has had tough months at the plate, even during strong seasons. He had a .687 OPS in June last year. His groundball rate jumped over 52% during that stretch. Bichette then turned around and hit .357 with 12 doubles and 18 RBI in July. There’s plenty of time for him to get back on track at the plate. And getting passable defense at multiple spots is a big win for the Mets, even if it’s not worth $42MM a year.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
The Opener: Marte, Thornton, Dodgers/Padres
The Mets and Nationals are having one of the weirder series of the year. New York scored 10 runs in the 12th inning on Monday. Washington erased a 5-0 deficit on Tuesday by hanging nine runs (six earned) on Nolan McLean, including an inside-the-park grand slam by James Wood. And the four-game set is only half over.
1. Marte wins it for D-Backs
The Diamondbacks scored in the first inning on Tuesday against the Giants. They were then shut out for seven innings. The bats came alive in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Arizona scoring four times, capped off by a Ketel Marte walk-off home run. It was the first walk-off homer in the veteran’s 12-year career. Marte hasn’t boosted his OPS above .700 since mid-April, but his underlying metrics are strong. The second baseman ranks in the 88th percentile for xBA and in the 73rd percentile for xSLG. “Usually at this stage in the season, I have really good numbers,” Marte said (h/t Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). “But (manager Torey Lovullo) always tells me you’re making good contact, don’t be so hard on yourself.”
2. Thornton to make debut
Mets pitching prospect Zach Thornton is expected to debut against the Nationals on Wednesday. The lefty is a borderline top 10 prospect in New York’s system. He’s put together a solid minor league season, posting a 3.16 in seven starts between Double-A and Triple-A. Thornton will step into the rotation spot vacated by Clay Holmes. The veteran righty may avoid surgery for his fractured fibula, but he’s still facing an extended absence. Thornton will have some runway here to stick with the big-league club if he performs well.
3. Dodgers beat Miller on career-first play
Flame-throwing closer Mason Miller came on in a tie game against the Dodgers on Tuesday night. He walked Max Muncy, who was pinch-run for by Alex Call. An over-eager Call made a move to second base before Miller went to the plate, and should’ve been picked off. Instead, Miller threw the ball away, allowing Call to advance to third. Andy Pages came through with a sac fly to give Los Angeles the lead. Will Klein closed it out to put the Dodgers back on top in the NL West. The errant pickoff throw was the first error of Miller’s career (h/t AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). It resulted in his first loss as a Padre.
Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images
The Opener: Ginn, Emerson, Crews
Seattle is going with a tag-team approach for Tuesday’s matchup against the White Sox. Right-hander Luis Castillo is expected to piggyback fellow righty Bryce Miller. The club initially went with a six-man rotation when Miller returned, but will move Castillo to a bulk relief role, at least for now.
1. Ginn loses no-no, then the game
Athletics right-hander J.T. Ginn took a brutal loss on Monday night. He tossed eight no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts. After getting shut out for eight frames, the A’s opened the scoring with a tally in the top of the ninth inning. Ginn gave up a leadoff single to Adam Frazier in the bottom of the inning to break up the no-hitter. Zach Neto then ended the game with a walk-off home run. “You just keep your head up and keep moving forward,” Ginn told reporters (h/t Martin Gallegos of MLB.com). “It’s just the nature of the game that we play.” The 26-year-old righty has emerged as a reliable member of the A’s rotation. He’s delivered three straight quality starts to lower his ERA below 3.00. Ginn has gone 8+ innings in two of his last three appearances.
2. Emerson on the board
Mariners infielder Colt Emerson was called up on Sunday and immediately inserted into the starting lineup. The promotion happened so suddenly that his family wasn’t in attendance for his debut. Emerson went 0-for-3 in his first game. With more time to make the trip, Emerson’s parents and more than a dozen friends and relatives were in the stands on Monday against the White Sox. The 20-year-old snuck a line drive over the right field wall in the eighth inning for his first big-league hit. Emerson became the 11th player in Seattle history to homer for their first career knock (h/t Daniel Kramer of MLB.com). The last player to do it was Jarred Kelenic in 2021. Kelenic was in right field for Chicago, watching Emerson’s three-run blast soar over his head.
3. Crews headed back to the big leagues
Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews is expected to be recalled on Tuesday. The former No. 2 overall pick was somewhat surprisingly sent to Triple-A to open the season. Crews has rebounded from a slow start at Rochester with a strong May. The 24-year-old has hit .291 with nine extra-base hits in 14 games this month. Crews will get another shot to stick in the big leagues after a disappointing beginning to his career. The top prospect has a 78 wRC+ across parts of two seasons. He’s slashed .211/.282/.352 across 454 plate appearances. Crews has racked up 29 steals in 116 games, so the speed element has been there. He’ll just need to find a way to get on base more consistently.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
Mets To Designate Austin Slater For Assignment
The Mets are expected to designate outfielder Austin Slater for assignment, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The veteran latched on with New York in late April after getting DFAed by the Marlins. The team has yet to announce the move.
Slater took the spot of another well-traveled outfielder, joining the club when Tommy Pham was designated for assignment. The Mets were Slater’s third team in a little over a month. He opted out of a minor league deal with the Tigers before signing with the Marlins. After a dozen games in Miami, the outfielder lasted just nine games in New York.
A platoon bat for much of his career, Slater has just four plate appearances against right-handed pitching this season. He picked up two hits in those chances. The veteran scuffled against lefties, posting a .444 OPS with a bloated 33.3% strikeout rate.
Slater’s skillset is somewhat duplicative of Tyrone Taylor‘s contributions, and he doesn’t offer the same defensive ability. With A.J. Ewing emerging as an everyday option in the outfield, the Mets didn’t need two right-handed bench outfielders. Slater will now head back through the DFA process. If the Mets don’t find a trade partner, and no club claims him, the veteran can forego a minor league assignment and choose free agency. That’s how he landed with the Mets after departing the Marlins.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images