Rangers Designate Sam Haggerty For Assignment
The Rangers announced that infielder Corey Seager and outfielder Wyatt Langford have each been reinstated from the injured list. Infielder/outfielder Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were optioned in corresponding active roster moves. Additionally, the Rangers reinstated infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty from the bereavement/family medical emergency list and designated him for assignment.
More to come.
Tarik Skubal To Begin Rehab Assignment, Could Be Reinstated After One Start
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch provided reporters with some updates on injured players today. Most notably, Hinch says that ace Tarik Skubal will make a rehab appearance on Sunday. That will take place with High-A West Michigan instead of Triple-A due to the weather forecast. If all goes well, he could rejoin the big league club after that. Hinch also said that infielder Trey Sweeney underwent season-ending arthroscopic right shoulder surgery. Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group and Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic were among those to pass along the info.
It’s a remarkable turnaround timeline for Skubal, who just underwent surgery to remove a loose body in his elbow a month ago. A procedure like that would normally come with a timeline about three months, if not more.
Skubal was the first MLB player to have surgery performed with a tool called a NanoNeedle, which some are now calling a SkubalScope. Basically, it’s like other arthroscopes but smaller. The reduced size and smaller incision theoretically leads to less pain and swelling, which hopefully leads to a quicker recovery time.
Based on how things have gone for Skubal, the theory appears to be holding true, at least so far. He began throwing less just over a week after going the procedure. Less than three weeks after going under the knife, he threw a three-inning sim game. If the next steps go smoothly, he could be back with the Tigers less than six weeks from the operation.
Though it’s a great development for Skubal, the impacts are potentially broader than that. Cutting the recovery time in half for a common injury could have all kinds of positive ramifications for the pitchers and the sport. Though of course, it still remains to be seen if all will go according to plan in the next few weeks. It’s also unclear if all pitchers will be this lucky. Blake Snell underwent surgery in the middle of May, using the NanoNeedle, to remove multiple loose bodies from his elbow. The Dodgers quickly put him on the 60-day injured list, so that club expects Snell’s timeline to be at least two months.
Time will tell on whether the medical aspect is a game-changer or not. For now, it’s huge for baseball and the 2026 season. The Tigers were 18-17 and tied with the Guardians atop the American League Central when news of Skubal’s surgery was revealed. Since then, they have gone into a bad slump and fallen to 25-38, with the Angels the only A.L. club with a worse record.
Thanks to widespread struggles among A.L. clubs, the playoff race is still wide open. The Tigers are only 5.5 games back of the Athletics and Rangers, who are tied for the last Wild Card spot with records of 30-32. Getting Skubal back into the rotation so quickly will be a big boost to the Tigers as they try to climb back into the mix.
If Detroit can’t gain ground in that race, then Skubal will be the most talked-about player ahead of the trade deadline. There have already been whispers about Skubal trade possibilities for a long time, since he is an impending free agent and doesn’t seem likely to sign an extension. An offseason trade never made much sense from the team’s perspective since they have been in win-now mode for a few years, though their recent skid has made the possibility seem much more realistic.
Combine all those factors and Skubal should be in the spotlight in the coming weeks and months. Him coming back healthy and pitching like his old self will obviously be important. The club’s record will also be closely watched by fans in Detroit and elsewhere.
Given the magnitude of the decision, the front office will presumably try to delay picking a lane as long as possible. If Detroit gets into playoff position or falls further back, the choice will become easier. If they stay a few games out of a playoff spot, that’s a much tougher call. The Tigers know well that a lot can happen in a short amount of time. In 2024, Detroit was 10 games out of a playoff spot in the middle of August but got red hot to make it in. Last year, the Tigers had a 15.5-game lead on the Guardians in July but saw Cleveland storm back to take the division.
In addition to Skubal, the Tigers have Casey Mize, Justin Verlander, Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson on the IL. Olson is done for the season due to shoulder surgery. Jobe had Tommy John surgery a year ago and could perhaps be a factor in a few months. Verlander is dealing with hip inflammation and Mize a groin strain. Verlander made a five-inning rehab start on Tuesday, so he and Skubal could both be back soon. Mize could be a bit behind them, potentially starting a rehab assignment soon.
The Tigers are currently running a four-man rotation consisting of Framber Valdez, Keider Montero, Jack Flaherty and Troy Melton, with Ty Madden and Enmanuel De Jesus in multi-inning relief roles.
If everyone stays healthy while Skubal, Verlander and Mize get back in the mix, it could lead to some tricky decisions about that group. Flaherty has the highest earned run average of the bunch at 5.31. He hasn’t been helped by a .333 batting average on balls in play and 64.1% strand rate, so his 4.40 FIP and 4.18 SIERA are much more encouraging. Given his veteran status and hefty salary, it might be tough to move him to the bullpen. Montero, Melton, Madden and De Jesus all have options and could be sent to the minors, if that’s what the club decides.
More to come.
Diamondbacks Release Thomas Hatch
The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Thomas Hatch, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. It’s possible he had an opt-out in his deal, as the start of June is a common time for such contract provisions.
Hatch, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Snakes in the offseason. He has been with the Triple-A Reno Aces and performing decently, considering that club plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. In 11 starts, he has logged 51 2/3 innings, allowing 4.01 earned runs per nine. Only three qualified pitchers in the PCL have a better ERA than that right now.
His 16% strikeout rate isn’t terribly strong but he has been filling up the strike zone, only giving out walks to just 4.7% of batters faced. He has induced grounders on 46% of balls in play. His four-seamer and sinker are averaging around 93 miles per hour as he also mixes in a cutter, slider and changeup. In his big league career, he has thrown 103 innings over five different seasons with a 5.24 ERA.
The Snakes aren’t exactly overflowing with rotation depth at the moment. They have Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez, Ryne Nelson, Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka in the big league rotation. Corbin Burnes was working his way back from Tommy John surgery but recently suffered a setback and probably won’t be able to rejoin the team until September. Cristian Mena underwent shoulder surgery this month. Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray are on the 40-man roster but both recently landed on the minor league injured list. Kohl Drake is also on the 40-man but has a 7.80 ERA in Triple-A this year. Brandon Pfaadt had been in a bullpen role in the majors but just got optioned to get stretched out. He has an ERA near 6.00 this year, so it’s unclear what the Snakes can expect from him going forward.
Put that all together and it suggests Hatch probably opted out of his deal, since the Snakes probably wouldn’t have given up the depth for no reason, though they don’t really have a spot in the big league rotation. Perhaps they will look to re-sign Hatch to a new minor league deal, one with fresh opt-outs, to preserve that depth. But Hatch will have a chance to survey the market to see if there are other opportunities out there. Teams like the Twins, Royals and Blue Jays, who have employed Hatch before, have big injury concerns in their starting pitching ranks and could be interested in a reunion.
Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images
Twins Playing Royce Lewis At First Base, Second Base In Minors
The Twins optioned infielder Royce Lewis to Triple-A a couple of weeks ago. Since then, he has hit eight home runs and slashed .367/.446/.939. He has also started expanding his defensive versatility. He played first base yesterday and was at second base the day before.
Late last month, it was fair to wonder if Lewis’s time with the Twins was coming to an end. He has shown huge talent at times but has struggled to stay healthy. Last year, he got into a career-high 106 games but hit just .237/.283/.388. Here in 2026, he put up a .163/.261/.279 line while striking out 31.1% of the time.
When the Twins decided to send him down to the minors, they moved shortstop Brooks Lee to cover third base, which had been Lewis’s primary position. Shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper is killing it in Triple-A, so it looked like the left side of the infield was set for the long term. Lewis has already qualified for arbitration, making $2.85MM this season. Given his struggles and the roster picture, it looked like he was trending towards a non-tender.
But as mentioned, his bat has immediately picked up since being sent down to Saint Paul. In addition to the home runs, he has only struck out at a 19.6% pace since the demotion. It’s obviously easier to put up good numbers against Triple-A pitching but the Twins are well aware that Lewis can hit in the majors. In 2022 and 2023, Lewis was limited by injuries to just 280 plate appearances but put up a monster .307/.364/.549 line in those.
Defensively, Lewis has mostly been at the hot corner. The Twins toyed with moving him to second base in 2024 but he logged just eight innings at the position at that time. He didn’t play the position again until this week’s game with the Saints. Yesterday was his first professional game as a first baseman.
If he can handle the new spots competently, and his resurgence at the plate holds, then he has a path back to the big leagues. Luke Keaschall is getting most of the playing time at the keystone and is controlled for many years to come but he is hitting just .245/.321/.316 so far this year. He had a dreadful March/April, got hot in May, but has cooled off again in June. Obviously, the current month is a very small sample, so Keaschall’s season-long performance is still trending up after a cool start. But he does have options if the Twins ever decide he needs a reset.
First base is far more open. Most of this year’s time at that spot has gone to Kody Clemens, Josh Bell and Victor Caratini. Ever since Ryan Jeffers suffered a hamate fracture in mid-May, Caratini has been the primary catcher. Bell is hitting just .227/.289/.345 on the year, so there’s an argument for reducing his playing time. He is also an impending free agent, so he’s not a part of the long-term picture.
Clemens is having a good year at the plate but can be moved elsewhere. The Twins have been using him in all three outfield spots this year. Matt Wallner getting optioned to the minors opened some time in the corners, though Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin are doing well in those spots. Clemens’ ability to cover center field, and Bell spending more time at first, has opened the designated hitter spot for Byron Buxton. A hip issue caused Buxton to miss some time recently but the Twins obviously want his bat in the lineup, so having that flexibility is huge for them.
Add it all up and the future for Lewis in Minnesota looks a bit more possible. Presumably, the Twins would like him to play a few more games at first base and get comfortable there, but there is a path for him to return and carve out a role in the big leagues again. If they don’t want to wait on that process, perhaps he could retake the third base job and push Lee back to short. Culpepper hasn’t been called up yet and the Twins have a Tristan Gray, Ryan Kreidler, Orlando Arcia rotation covering short for now. Regardless of the position, if Lewis comes up and performs well over the next few months, he can be retained via arbitration for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images
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.
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