Red Sox Acquire Joe La Sorsa
6:41pm: Boston announced the trade but has yet to reveal the corresponding move.
5:20pm: The Pirates are going to trade left-hander Joe La Sorsa to the Red Sox, reports Ari Alexander of 7News Boston. The Bucs will get cash in return, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. It was reported a few days ago that the southpaw was triggering an upward mobility clause in his minor league deal. Alexander says that La Sorsa will be with the Sox in New York tomorrow as they kick off a series against the Yankees. Boston will need to open a 40-man roster spot for La Sorsa.
La Sorsa, 28, will be appearing in his fourth straight major league season once he gets into a game with the Sox. From 2023 to 2025, he pitched for the Rays, Nationals and Reds, posting a 5.21 earned run average in 57 innings.
He signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in the offseason and has been pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis. He has thrown 26 innings with a 3.46 ERA. His 21.2% strikeout rate is around average while his 5.8% walk rate and 47.9% ground ball rate a few ticks better than par.
The lefty triggered an upward mobility clause in his deal at the end of spring training. The way such clauses work is that the player must be offered to the 29 others teams in the league. If any of them want to give the player a roster spot, the signing team has to either trade him or give him a roster spot themselves. If they all pass, he will stay with the signing team. La Sorsa stayed with the Bucs in late March, suggesting all clubs passed on him at that time. In this case, the Sox have signed up.
Boston has three lefties in the bullpen, though Aroldis Chapman is the closer. That leaves Jovani Morán and Danny Coulombe as the lefty options for situations before the ninth inning. Coulombe spent about three weeks on the injured list due to cervical spasms and has a 6.55 ERA around that IL stint. Morán has a much better 3.19 ERA but has gotten some help from a fortunate .197 batting average on balls in play and 85.2% strand rate. La Sorsa will give the Sox another option in the southpaw relief corps.
The Sox don’t have a lot of flexibility in their current bullpen mix. Of their eight relief arms, only Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert are optionable, but those are two of their two setup arms. La Sorsa himself is optionable but, as mentioned, he is expected to be with the big league club in the Bronx tomorrow. Perhaps Coulombe will be designated for assignment, as that would open up a spot on both the active and 40-man rosters for La Sorsa. Other options for that kind of move would be Tyron Guerrero and Ryan Watson, who both have ERAs north of 5.00 at the moment.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images
Pirates Pursuing Bullpen Upgrades
The Pirates are actively pursuing bullpen help, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. A source tells Rosenthal that just about every club is looking for additions in that department but the Bucs are being more aggressive than most.
It’s an understandable pursuit for Pittsburgh. The club has been rebuilding for many years but is making a more serious run at contention this year. The results so far are fairly encouraging, as they are 33-29 and currently in possession of a Wild Card spot.
That is thanks in part to a resurgent offense, something that MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern covered earlier this week. In the rotation, they have a solid group consisting of Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler. The starting depth is strong enough that Carmen Mlodzinski got bumped out, much to his chagrin.
The relief corps, however, is a relative weak spot. Pittsburgh relievers have a collective 4.32 earned run average, which puts them 19th out of the 30 clubs in the league. Their 23.8% strikeout rate is decent, putting them 11th, but their 11.2% walk rate is better than just seven other clubs and their 39.5% ground ball rate puts them ahead of just six teams.
Dennis Santana was one of the club’s best relievers last year, with a 2.18 ERA. He was probably a bit lucky to have that figure, as he had a .211 batting average on balls in play and 80.7% strand rate. His 3.21 FIP and 3.68 SIERA suggested a bit of regression was coming but his ERA has shot way up to 5.47 this year. Gregory Soto has taken over the closer’s role and has a 2.86 ERA on the year but he has gotten some help from a .194 BABIP and just 3.6% of his fly balls clearing the fence. Evan Sisk and Wilber Dotel have ERAs barely above 1.00. Despite strong underlying numbers, they have gotten some luck and can’t maintain ERAs quite that good. On the other end of the spectrum, Mason Montgomery and Yohan Ramírez have ERAs near 5.00 despite deserving better.
It’s not an awful group but all contenders generally look for bullpen help before the trade deadline. For the Pirates, since they have a strong rotation and a lineup that is performing well, it’s not at all a surprise that the bullpen would be a focus.
It may be hard to pull off a notable deal in the short term, however. The trade deadline is still almost two months away, falling on August 3rd this year. A number of American League teams are struggling but none of them are really buried in the standings since the poor results are so widespread. The Athletics currently have the final Wild Card spot even though they have a 30-31 record. The Angels are in the basement with a 24-39 record but are only seven games back of the A’s. The National League is a bit stronger but, again, very few teams would consider themselves out of it. The Giants and the Rockies are the only N.L. teams more than six games out of a playoff spot.
Even if there are some teams who consider themselves cooked, they may not want to make a trade right now. Clubs in buyer position tend to get more aggressive as the deadline approaches, so a team in seller position might hold and try to drum up frenzied bidding later on in the season.
A great many relievers around the game could be imagined as potential trade candidates, so it’s almost pointless to wonder who the Bucs could be looking at right now. That being said, perhaps the most obvious relief trade candidate at the moment is Antonio Senzatela. He is 31 years old, is playing for a rebuilding Rockies club and is an impending free agent. His deal has a $14MM club option but it’s hard to see that being picked up. He has already been connected to the Padres in a trade rumor.
A starter for most of his career, Senzatela missed most of 2023 and 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and struggled badly in 2025. He got moved to the bullpen last year and finished the season with a 6.65 ERA. This year, he has a 1.30 ERA in 34 2/3 relief innings. His four-seamer velocity has ticked up to 97.3 miles per hour after being at 94.9 mph last year. His 20% strikeout rate isn’t strong but he is only walking 7.7% of batters faced and is inducing grounders at a 43.5% clip.
His .209 BABIP and 89% strand rate are helping him out but his 3.30 FIP and 3.86 SIERA point to him being capable of good results even with neutral luck. He’s also pitching more than two innings per outing, with his 34 2/3 innings coming in 17 appearances. Of course, that’s just one of dozens of relievers who could be on the market in the coming months. Individual and team performances will shake up the field over the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Astros Designate César Salazar, Rhylan Thomas For Assignment
The Astros announced a series of moves prior to tonight’s game. They signed first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to a major league deal, selected catcher Collin Price to the major league roster and reinstated outfielder Joey Loperfido from the 10-day injured list. Loperfido has been optioned to Triple-A. In corresponding moves, outfielder Zach Cole has been optioned to Triple-A while catcher César Salazar and outfielder Rhylan Thomas have been designated for assignment. The Wade signing was reported earlier today.
Salazar, 30, has been a depth catcher with the Astros for many years. His defense is well regarded but he doesn’t hit much, with a career .189/.295/.216 line. He burned his final option year in 2025, which led to him being bumped off the roster in March of this year. He cleared waivers and stuck around as a non-roster depth option.
He was added back to the roster in early May when Yainer Diaz suffered an oblique strain. Salazar and Christian Vázquez have been the catching duo for the past month but Salazar has hit .056/.227/.056 in that time.
Salazar will be bumped out for Price, who was a sixth-round pick in 2022. Price reached Triple-A last year and showed some promise. He hit 18 home runs and drew walks at a solid 10% clip, but he also struck out in 30.3% of his plate appearances. He has been better this year, with ten home runs already, a 13.5% walk rate and 25.5% strikeout rate. Even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League, his .235/.360/.476 line translates to a 118 wRC+, indicating he has been 18% better than league average. Defensively, Baseball Prospectus ranks him as a strong framer but subpar blocker.
Since this is the first big league call for Price, he has a full slate of options. Whenever Diaz is able to return from the IL, Price could be easily sent back to the minors. Vázquez is an impending free agent, so perhaps Price could be in line for more playing time next year if he continues putting up good numbers here in 2026.
Thomas, 26, was just claimed off waivers from the Mariners last month. He was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land and hasn’t appeared with the Astros in the big leagues. According to his transactions tracker at MLB.com, he landed on the minor league IL last week. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers so Thomas will most likely be released.
His major league track record consists of three games with the Mariners last year, with Thomas hitting .125/.200/.250 in those. In Triple-A, he had a big .325/.380/.411 line last year, while stealing 35 bases, but has just a .253/.304/.307 line this year.
As for Salazar, he will likely be on waivers in the coming days. Since he already has one outright under his belt, he would have the right to elect free agency if he is passed through outright waivers again.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Select Chad Dallas
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Chad Dallas. Fellow righty Hayden Juenger has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, righty Tanner Andrews has been designated for assignment.
Dallas, 26 later this month, was a fourth-round pick of the Jays in 2021. He put himself on the prospect map with a strong 2023, making 23 starts between High-A and Double-A. He logged 123 1/3 innings, allowing 3.65 earned runs per nine. He struck out 27.9% of batters faced, walked 9.5% of opponents and induced grounders on 44.3% of balls in play.
Going into 2024, Baseball America ranked him the #14 prospect in the system. FanGraphs put him 16th. He could have been in line to make his major league debut that year but his health intervened. He struggled at Triple-A around a few stints on the injured list and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in September. He missed the entire 2025 season. Here in 2026, he has been back on the mound and has logged 36 innings for Triple-A Buffalo with a 4.50 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate.
In the long term, Dallas might end up as a reliever. His best pitch is his slider while he doesn’t have a great weapon against lefties. For now, he’s still stretched out and the Jays need the innings, as their rotation has been decimated by injuries this year. José Berríos, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis are done for the season. Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber and Lazaro Estrada are also on the IL. Jake Bloss is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Prospect Ricky Tiedemann is still in the injury wilderness.
Due to all those absences, the Jays have been rolling with a hollowed-out rotation. Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Patrick Corbin are the three traditional starters. The Jays have also been deploying frequent bullpen games with Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles working as a bulk guy in those. Until recently, they had Cease in the mix as well but his hamstring strain further cut into the group and has necessitated even more depth arms getting into the mix. Austin Voth was called up for an emergency bulk outing last week but was quickly bumped off the roster after.
Left-hander Mason Fluharty is technically starting tonight’s game but Dallas will probably be working bulk innings behind him. Since this is the first time Dallas has been called up to the majors, he has a full slate of options. He will likely be sent back to Buffalo after this. The Jays acquired Simeon Woods Richardson yesterday. He has not yet joined the active roster but could perhaps link up with the team in Toronto tomorrow. The Jays also might get Cease back soon. He is expected to make a rehab start tonight and might only need that one game before being activated next week. They also have Scherzer, Bieber, Estrada and Bloss out on rehab assignments at the moment.
Andrews is a 30-year-old minor league journeyman. He spent time in the farm systems of the Marlins, Giants and Twins before signing a minor league deal with the Jays coming into this year. The Jays added him to the roster when Cease hit the IL. He made two scoreless appearances before being optioned back down to Triple-A Buffalo.
He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays could take five days to explore trade interest, though they could also put him on waivers sooner than that. He posted a 6.02 ERA in the minors from 2023 to 2025 but has a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings this year. That’s thanks to a fortunate .220 batting average on balls in play and 94% strand rate. His 4.26 FIP suggests his results would be less impressive with more neutral luck.
Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images
Lyon Richardson Elects Free Agency
The Reds have successfully sent right-hander Lyon Richardson and left-hander Brandon Leibrandt through waivers unclaimed, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Both pitchers were designated for assignment earlier this week. Leibrandt has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Louisville while Richardson has elected free agency.
Richardson, 26, becomes a free agent for the first time. The Reds took him in the second round of the 2018 draft. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2022, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent the next three seasons getting frequently shuttled between Triple-A and the majors, exhausting his three option years in the process.
The Reds sent him through waivers in January. Since that was his first career outright and he had less than three years of service, he had to accept an assignment to the minors. He was added back to the roster last week as the club was dealing with a number of pitching injuries. He made two appearances before getting bumped back off the roster. Now that he has been outrighted a second time, he has the right to elect free agency and has done so.
As a free agent, he should be limited to minor league offers. He is out of options and all 29 clubs just passed a chance to grab him off waivers. But teams will presumably be interested in adding him as non-roster depth.
As mentioned, he is a former second-round pick. He has shown some intriguing stuff on the farm. A former starter, he has been in a primary relief role since last year. Dating back to the start of 2025, he has logged 62 1/3 Triple-A innings. His 4.48 earned run average isn’t too impressive but his 24.7% strikeout rate is strong and he has induced ground balls on almost half the balls in play he has allowed. His four-seamer and sinker average in the upper-90s and he also features a slider and changeup.
He hasn’t yet been able to translate that into major league results, as he has a 6.67 ERA in 56 2/3 big league innings, but there’s no real risk on a minor league deal. It’s also possible that Richardson simply reunites with the Reds on a new deal, if he doesn’t find anything too enticing elsewhere.
While Richardson has only been a part of one professional organization in his career, Leibrandt is more towards the journeyman end of the spectrum. The 33-year-old has been with the Phillies, Marlins, Cubs, Reds and Yankees over the years, mostly in the minors. He has also spent time with the High Point Rockers in the independent Atlantic League and the CTBC Brothers in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League.
He started this year with the Reds on a minor league deal. He posted a 5.23 ERA over 11 Triple-A starts. He was called up earlier this week to provide a fresh arm during Cincinnati’s aforementioned injury situation. He tossed six innings in an emergency bullpen game when Chase Burns was sick, allowing five earned runs in the process. He was promptly bumped off the roster after that and will now return to his role as a Triple-A depth arm.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Option Brandon Pfaadt To Get Stretched Out As Starter
The Diamondbacks are optioning right-hander Brandon Pfaadt to Triple-A Reno, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The plan is for him to get stretched back out as a starter after he was moved to the bullpen a couple of months ago. The Snakes will also place right-hander Taylor Clarke on the bereavement/family medical emergency list. Righty Kade Strowd and lefty Philip Abner will be recalled as corresponding moves.
Pfaadt once looked to be establishing himself as a core rotation piece in Arizona. He came up in 2023 and gave the Snakes 96 innings. His 5.72 earned run average wasn’t strong but he turned things on at the right time. He posted a 3.27 ERA over five postseason starts, helping the Diamondbacks go as far as the World Series that year.
In 2024, his first full major league season, he put up a 4.71 ERA in 32 starts. There was some optimism that he deserved even better. His .315 batting average on balls in play and 64.5% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His 24.3% strikeout rate, 5.5% walk rate and 41.5% ground ball rate were all good numbers. His 3.61 FIP and 3.65 SIERA suggested he would have been even better with more neutral luck from the baseball gods.
The Diamondbacks presumably felt his best days were ahead. In March of 2025, they signed him to a five-year extension covering the 2026 through 2030 seasons. That guaranteed him $45MM and came with a club option for 2031.
His 2025 season wasn’t quite as good the year prior. His 5.25 ERA was about half a run worse than 2024 and his 19.2% strikeout rate was a drop of more than five points. He began 2026 still with a rotation spot, alongside Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodríguez, Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka, as Merrill Kelly was on the IL. It’s possible the Snakes planned on bumping Soroka or Nelson to the bullpen once Kelly was healthy. However, Pfaadt posted a 5.94 ERA in his first three starts while Soroka and Nelson fared better. That led to Pfaadt moving to the bullpen instead.
His first relief appearance was effectively a starter’s workload, as he logged 6 1/3 innings. Of his next four appearances, two of them were for three innings and another was for 2 1/3. He’s been leaned on less in recent weeks, as his five most recent appearances have been less than two innings. On the whole, he has a 5.91 ERA since moving to the bullpen.
Pfaadt’s profile is a little odd, as his luck refuses to even out. In almost 500 career innings, he has a .313 BABIP and 66.2% strand rate. For reference, league average BABIP is usually about .290, with strand rate usually about 72%. Perhaps that’s because he pounds the strike zone, with a 5.8% walk rate in his career, allowing hitters to go into swing mode. He hasn’t been able to counteract that with strikeouts lately, only punching out 19% of opponents since the start of 2025. The result is that he keeps underperforming his underlying metrics. He has a career ERA of 5.19 but a 4.00 SIERA. His SIERA has been more than a run lower than his ERA in each season of his career.
Ideally, Pfaadt and the Diamondbacks can figure out a path towards better results. The Snakes will need some depth in the short term. The club was hoping to get Corbin Burnes back from his Tommy John surgery rehab around the All-Star break but he just suffered a teres major strain and will likely be out until September. Cristian Mena just underwent shoulder surgery and won’t be a factor for a while. Gallen, Kelly and Nelson all have ERAs around 5.00 at the moment. Soroka and Rodríguez are pitching well but Soroka has a notable injury history while Rodríguez is outperforming some poor peripherals. Dylan Ray, Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake are on the 40-man roster but Ray and Drake are struggling in the minors. Bratt has good numbers this year but just landed on the minor league injured list. The club could look to add at the deadline but it will be hard to make notable acquisitions for a few more weeks.
As mentioned, Pfaadt signed a five-year deal and this is only the first year of the deal, so he’s a notable part of their long-term picture as well. Gallen and Soroka are impending free agents, so there are two rotation holes open next year. Burnes should be back in the mix but will be a question mark after hardly pitching in 2025 and 2026.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
Orioles Acquire Kyle Nicolas
Right-hander Kyle Nicolas has been traded from the Reds to the Orioles, per announcements from both clubs. The Reds, who designated him for assignment a few days ago, receive cash considerations in return. Baltimore has optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. To open a 40-man roster spot, right-hander Eduarniel Núñez has been designated for assignment.
It’s the second trade for Nicolas this year. Back in March, the Pirates traded him to the Reds in exchange for infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan. The trade hasn’t worked out for either side thus far. Callihan has spent most of this year in Triple-A and has put up a .223/.305/.346 line at that level.
Nicholas has also been primarily in the minors this year. He logged 7 1/3 major league innings for the Reds but with seven earned runs allowed. His 15 2/3 Triple-A innings have resulted in an uninspiring 5.17 earned run average. His 24.4% strikeout rate at that level was decent but he gave out walks at a massive 20.7% pace.
The Orioles are presumably looking past his rough 2026 numbers. In the past, his stats have been more intriguing, though still with notable control issues. A former starting pitching prospect, he has been a primary reliever in recent years. Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he threw 46 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.11 ERA. His 14.1% walk rate was way too high but he struck out 30.7% of opponents. He also threw 92 2/3 big league innings over that two-year span with a 4.27 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate.
Nicolas is in his final option season but the O’s can keep him in the minors for now. If they can help him rein in his stuff, perhaps they can get him back on track. It’s also possible that he ends up losing his roster spot. The Orioles are one of the most aggressive clubs when it comes to cycling players through the edge of their roster. Since the season has started, they have acquired Jayvien Sandridge, Lou Trivino, Christian Roa and Núñez in small trades, free agent signings or waiver claims. Each guy was then designated for assignment not long after.
In most of those cases, the goal is to get the player through waivers and be kept as depth without using a roster spot. If Nicolas is eventually passed through waivers in the future, he would not have the right to elect free agency since he does not have a previous career outright nor three years of service time.
Turning to Núñez, he provides a template for what might be ahead for Nicolas. Núñez was designated for assignment by the Athletics in mid-May. The O’s sent out cash considerations to get him, sent him to Norfolk and have now bumped him off the roster three weeks later.
His big league track record is still quite limited. He made ten appearances for the A’s last year and posted a 7.11 ERA in those. In the minors, he has shown some similar tendencies to Nicolas, with strikeout stuff but also poor control. From 2023 to 2025, he tossed 153 1/3 innings in the minors with a 2.99 ERA. He struck out 30.4% of batters but gave out free passes at a big 14.7% clip. The walks have gotten worse this year, with Núñez at 20.2% through 17 2/3 innings.
He now heads back into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the O’s could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, but they could also put Núñez on waivers sooner than that. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick around as non-roster depth. He doesn’t have three years of service nor a previous career outright and therefore wouldn’t have the right to elect free agency.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: The CBA Standoff Begins
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The MLBPA’s opening CBA proposal (1:50)
- MLB’s proposal, which pushes for a hard cap/floor system (10:10)
- Is it surprising that the owners are aligned when they have different priorities? (20:35)
- Will competitive balance picks come up later in the negotiations? (28:55)
- Competitive balance proposals often come from limiting player agency (31:45)
- Many fans dislike Rob Manfred but are aligned with him on wanting a cap (36:35)
- How should the MLBPA think about the public relations battle? (40:00)
- Is the player-fan relationship different in the age of the internet? (47:10)
- Can any optimism be taken from the fact that both sides addressed the economic imbalances of the game? (51:00)
- We don’t know what Manfred thinks about his legacy (55:05)
- The looming expiration of many broadcast deals after 2028 (56:15)
- Is the character of the ownership group is different than previous eras? (1:04:55)
Check out our past episodes!
- Gage Jump, Tigers Trade Speculation, And The Twins’ Roster Shuffle – listen here
- Colt Emerson Debuts, Blue Jays’ Rotation Issues, And What To Make Of The Mets And Astros – listen here
- Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images
Corbin Burnes Suffers Teres Major Strain, Likely Out Until September
Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes has suffered a teres major strain and will be shut down from his throwing progression. Manager Torey Lovullo says Burnes probably won’t be back until September with this setback. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic was among those to relay the news.
The righty underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year. That procedure normally comes with a recovery period of 14 months or longer, which would have put Burnes in line for a return in August. He was optimistic about beating that, telling reporters in February that he expected he could return around the All-Star break in July. He faced live hitters last week, per Piecoro, but any hope of a July return is now dashed.
It’s an unfortunate development for Burnes and the Diamondbacks, as both parties were hoping he could be a late-season factor. Lovullo didn’t rule him out for the season but he now has an even tighter window to make an impact on the 2026 season.
Arizona will continue with a starting five of Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Michael Soroka, Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson. It hasn’t been a great group overall but has been one of the better rotations in the National League over the past month. All aside from Gallen have pitched well of late, but Soroka is the only one missing bats at an average or better rate. Nelson has also worked around one of the highest home run rates in MLB.
It feels fairly tenuous and there’s very little in terms of rotation depth. Prospects Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and Dylan Ray are all on the 40-man roster and at Triple-A Reno. None of those three have pitched in MLB, and only Drake (who has an ERA above 8.00) is currently healthy. There’s not much to be done right now beyond hoping the rest of the rotation stays healthy. Arizona is four games above .500 and currently holds the NL’s final Wild Card spot. If they can hang in the postseason picture, adding a starter at the deadline feels like a must.
This also all but ensures what already looked like an obvious call for Burnes not to opt out of the remaining four years and $140MM on his six-year free agent deal. There was an outside chance Burnes could’ve considered that if he made a seamless return from the elbow surgery and dominated in the second half — especially with a dismal free agent class after Tarik Skubal. That’s not going to happen anymore. Gallen and Soroka are impending free agents (the latter after his mutual option is bought out), so the D-Backs will need a healthy Burnes in 2027.
Angels Select Shaun Anderson
The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Shaun Anderson. He’ll take the active roster spot of left-hander Sam Aldegheri, who was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake after last night’s game. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.
Anderson has been bouncing on and off the Halos’ roster for most of the past two years. Since he is out of options, he needs to be removed from the 40-man roster when the Angels want to swap him out for another pitcher. This is the fifth time he has been selected to the roster since the start of 2025. He gives the bullpen a fresh arm and is usually designated for assignment after a few appearances. Each time, he has cleared waivers, elected free agency and then re-signed.
It’s not just the Angels and Anderson who have this kind of arrangement. Carlos Carrasco has been doing a similar thing in Atlanta, ditto Albert Suárez in Baltimore. While those players would probably prefer more stable MLB gigs, the fact that they keep clearing waivers indicates no one is willing to give them that kind of job. In this setup, at least they get sporadic hits of major league pay and service time. The teams, meanwhile, effectively get a 41st man on their 40-man rosters.
Last night, Grayson Rodriguez started for the Angels and only lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight earned runs in the process. Aldegheri came in and pitched 5 1/3 scoreless frames to finish the game, throwing 89 pitches. Since Aldegheri wasn’t going to be available for the next few days, the Angels have added Anderson so that they won’t be short-handed in the bullpen.
Anderson has a 6.35 earned run average in 180 career innings, dating back to his 2019 debut with the Giants. Since the start of 2025, when his run with the Angels began, he has a 7.71 ERA in 28 innings. He’s been throwing four to five innings in his recent minor league appearances, so he gives the club an option for long relief if they need one again in the near future.
As for d’Arnaud, he landed on the 10-day IL on May 7th due to right foot plantar fasciitis. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he’s ineligible to be reinstated until early July. His current status isn’t clear but the Angels evidently don’t expect him back for at least another month.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images