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John Brebbia Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander John Brebbia elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Braves earlier this week.

Brebbia, 35, is undeniably having a bad season. He has tossed 23 1/3 innings between Detroit and Atlanta, allowing 7.71 earned runs per nine. His 22.6% strikeout rate is close to average but his 10.4% walk rate is a bit high. It’s surely not quite as bad as the ERA would indicate. His .338 batting average on balls in play and 56.8% strand rate are both to the unfortunate side. His 5.76 FIP and 4.21 SIERA aren’t amazing figures but they do suggest that the ERA isn’t a perfect reflection of his work this year.

Regardless, he hasn’t been able to stick on a roster for long. The Tigers signed him to a one-year, $2.75MM deal in the offseason. He wasn’t released until mid-June but he also missed close to a month due to a right triceps strain. Atlanta scooped him up on a minor league deal after Detroit let him go. He was back in the majors in late August but lasted barely a week on Atlanta’s roster.

Players with at least five years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments and keep their salary commitments in place. Brebbia is well over that line and has exercised his right. Since the Tigers released him, they are on the hook for the majority of what remains to be paid out of his salary. Any other club could sign Brebbia and would only have to pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on the roster.

As mentioned, he has not been in good form this year but the track record is decent. He came into this year with 355 big league innings, a 3.80 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. This year’s major league results haven’t been at that level but he showed potential on the farm. Between signing that minor league deal with Atlanta and getting selected to the majors, he tossed 19 Triple-A innings with a 1.89 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate and 3.8% walk rate.

It’s possible there are clubs who can see past this year’s struggles in the majors, though there’s still limited short-term appeal. Though Brebbia is cheap and has a good résumé, the regular season has barely two weeks remaining and he wouldn’t be postseason eligible for any club he signs with now. Perhaps he will latch on somewhere for the next few weeks but it’s also possible he goes into offseason mode a bit early.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

The Opener: Gore, Detmers, Mets

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Gore to return to Nats

The Nationals placed left-hander MacKenzie Gore on the injured list a couple of weeks ago due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Thankfully, he’s coming back after a minimal stint and will start today’s game. Reliever Orlando Ribalta has been optioned as the corresponding move for Gore, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. The Nats aren’t playing for much at this part of the schedule but it’s nice for the club and for Gore that he’s getting back on the mound before the winter kicks in. That will at least provide some assurance that nothing is lingering into the offseason. Gore is a speculative trade candidate this winter since he’s down to two remaining years of club control and the Nats don’t seem close to contending. His health is therefore of interest to other clubs around the league as well.

2. Detmers injured?

Angels lefty Reid Detmers departed yesterday’s game with an apparent injury. Per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, the southpaw said afterwards that he wasn’t in pain but his arm felt “dead” on the outside of his elbow. He’s getting an MRI today. Detmers is having a really good season out of the bullpen. The Halos will have to decide this winter whether to keep him in a relief role or stretch him back out as a starter next year. Perhaps the outcome of this MRI will play a role in that decision.

3. Mets sliding

As of a few weeks ago, it looked like the National League playoff race would be a real snooze. Going into the day on September 3rd, the Mets had the final Wild Card spot. The Reds and the Giants were each five games back. Fast forward to today and the Mets still have that final playoff spot but the situation is far less cozy. They have lost five in a row, which has shrunk their lead over the Reds and Giants to just two games, with the Diamondbacks and Cardinals also in the mix. It doesn’t get easier from here, as the Mets take on Jesús Luzardo and the Phillies today. The subsequent six games are also against tough teams, as the Mets host the Rangers and Padres for three each.

Astros Place Luis Garcia On IL Due To Elbow Discomfort

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The Astros have placed right-hander Luis Garcia on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow discomfort, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Fellow righty Nick Hernandez has been recalled as the corresponding move.

At this point, it’s unclear how severe this elbow issue is, but it’s an ominous development. Garcia just returned from an absence of more than two years related to that elbow. He had undergone Tommy John surgery in 2023. He tried to get back on the mound in 2024 but repeatedly hit setbacks, eventually missing that entire season. Here in 2025, he was on the IL until just over a week ago.

Garcia took the ball on September 1st against the Angels, his first big league game since May of 2023. That start went well, as he allowed three earned runs over six innings. He made a second start against the Blue Jays yesterday but his velocity was noticeably down. He averaged 91.4 miles per hour against the Angels. He was largely in the 93-94 mph range earlier in his career but that drop wasn’t necessarily a flag. Pitchers sometimes return before they are back to 100% strength and Garcia had spoken of his belief that more velocity was to come. Instead, his fastball velo dropped to 90.2 mph against Toronto. In the second inning, he summoned the training staff to the mound and was quickly removed from the game.

Time will tell if this is another minor setback or something more serious. The fact that the Astros have quickly placed him on the IL doesn’t bode well for the short term. Even a minimum stint would extend into the final days of the regular season schedule. An absence of three weeks or more would push into October. It’s entirely possible his season is done, though the club will presumably release more info at some point.

Obviously, a more extreme outcome would be awful. At this point, another major elbow surgery would put his 2026 season in jeopardy. He’s already lost most of the 2023-2025 seasons. Another lengthy surgery rehab would give him a stretch of four years with each season either being totally or partially lost.

Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Garcia tossed 312 2/3 innings with a 3.60 earned run average, 25.4% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate. He also made seven postseason appearances in that span, helping the club win the 2022 World Series. Since then, as mentioned, he has hardly been on the mound.

The absences have cut into his earning power. He first qualified for arbitration going into 2024 and earned $1.875MM that year. After missing that entire campaign, he agreed to the same salary for 2025. Next year would be his final arb year before he’s slated for free agency. Given his very limited workload this year, he should be in line for effectively the same salary again in 2026. That’s barely above the league minimum and a fine price for Houston if they think he can get healthy. Though if he’s slated for another long absence, he would become a clear non-tender candidate.

For the Astros, this adds to their injury pile for the stretch run. They have already lost Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter to season-ending surgeries. Spencer Arrighetti is on the IL due to elbow inflammation and going for a second opinion. In the bullpen, Josh Hader, John Rooney, Kaleb Ort and Bennett Sousa are all on the IL. The position player group is without Isaac Paredes and others.

Despite all those injuries, the Astros are clinging to a narrow division lead. The still sit atop the American League West, but the Mariners are only one game back with the Rangers only 2.5 games behind. The Astros still have a very good shot at making the postseason but every new injury will make it more challenging to hang on.

Their rotation now consists of Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, Jason Alexander and Cristian Javier. They have Lance McCullers Jr. and J.P. France in the bullpen and could put one of them in the rotation, though neither is having a great year. Colton Gordon is on the 40-man roster but was just optioned four days ago. He can’t be recalled until 15 days after that optioning unless directly replacing a player going on the IL. Non-roster options in Triple-A include Miguel Ullola, Ethan Pecko and Jose Fleury.

Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images

Cubs To Move Javier Assad To Bullpen

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The Cubs are going to welcome right-hander Jameson Taillon back from the injured list today, which will bump fellow righty Javier Assad to the bullpen, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Sharma also lists Michael Soroka as someone who could help the bullpen down the stretch, suggesting he’ll likely end up in a relief role when he comes off the injured list.

Assad, 28, was a solid member of the Chicago rotation last year. He made 29 starts, allowing 3.73 earned runs per nine innings. His 19.4% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate were a bit worse than league average but he had a decent 43.6% ground ball rate. He may have benefitted from a high strand rate of 80.3% but his 4.64 FIP and 4.72 SIERA still pointed to him being capable of passable work as a big league starter.

But this year has been challenging. Oblique issues kept him on the injured list until August. He has since made five starts with a 4.62 ERA. His walk rate and grounder rate have improved in that small sample but he has only struck out 13.2% of opponents.

It’s not a drastic drop-off overall but the Cubs don’t feel Assad is one of their five best rotation options. When Taillon returns, he will slot in alongside Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Cade Horton and Colin Rea. Boyd and Horton are both having really strong seasons. Imanaga isn’t pitching as well as last year but has still managed to post a 3.21 ERA. Rea and Taillon are solid back-end options with ERAs of 4.20 and 4.15 respectively.

Assad will therefore end up in the bullpen, likely in long relief. The Cubs already have guys like Aaron Civale and Ben Brown capable of soaking up multiple innings from the bullpen but Assad will give them one more.

As for Soroka, his potential bullpen move is logical and should be more impactful. He had a lot of success in a relief role last year. He started 2024 in the White Sox’ rotation but ended up getting bumped to the bullpen. He finished out the year with 36 relief innings with a 2.75 ERA and 39% strikeout rate. His 13% walk rate was certainly high but that kind of strikeout stuff made him an intriguing leverage relief option this winter.

He came into 2025 still with the hope of being a starter. He signed a one-year, $9MM deal with the Nationals and joined that club’s rotation. He had a decent 4.87 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate with Washington, though notable splits later in games. This year, he has held opponents to a .193/.250/.329 line when going through the order for the first time. That line jumps to .218/.302/.395 the second time through and then there’s a big spike to .319/.467/.574 for the first time through.

The Cubs acquired him at the deadline even though his velocity had been trending down throughout July. They nonetheless hoped to get a few starts out of him. But he made just one, lasting two innings, before a shoulder strain put him on the shelf. In his recent bullpen sessions, his velo has been back up to the mid-90s. He’s set to go on a rehab assignment this week and could rejoin the big league club soon.

Given last year’s bullpen success, his third-time-through-the-order penalty and recent health concern, a bullpen move makes lot of sense. If he can posts some results similar to last year’s, he could jump into a leverage role. That would help the Cubs going into the stretch run, as they recently lost Daniel Palencia and Ryan Brasier to the IL due to a shoulder strain and groin strain respectively.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel, Imagn Images

Braves Outright Luke Williams

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Infielder/outfielder Luke Williams has been sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. He has the right to elect free agency though the log doesn’t indicate he has done so.

Williams, 29, had spent parts of 2023 and all of 2024 as a versatile depth piece for Atlanta. However, he exhausted his final option season in 2024, which squeezed him to the edge of the roster. He was passed through waivers and outrighted in March of 2025, just before the season began.

He was called back up in early May and spent over three months on the active roster, but without much playing time. He got into 44 games but only stepped to the plate 33 times, mostly being used as a pinch runner or defensive replacement, in addition to some mop-up work on the mound. He stole five bases but slashed just .133/.182/.200 when he did get to hold the bat.

He landed on the injured list in late August due to an oblique strain. Shortly after being reinstated, he was designated for assignment to open a roster spot. He could have elected free agency this week but will seemingly stay with Gwinnett. According to the log, his outright actually occurred on September 6th. Since he hasn’t elected free agency in the intervening  four days, it seems fair to conclude he won’t do so.

If he’s not added back to the roster by the end of the season, he’ll have another chance to elect free agency at that time. He has just a .213/.271/.281 line in his big league career but has a decent Triple-A slash of .257/.339/.418 going back to the start of 2022. He can steal a few bases and has experience at every position on the diamond apart from catcher.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Dodgers Designate Alexis Díaz For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Ben Rortvedt, a move that was previously reported. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Alex Freeland and designated right-hander Alexis Díaz for assignment.

Díaz, 28, was Cincinnati’s closer not too long ago but has fallen on hards times lately. In 2023, he racked up 37 saves for the Reds. He posted a 3.07 earned run average over his 67 1/3 innings. His 12.6% walk rate was too high but he struck out 30.1% of batters faced. He kept it going in 2024 but with some signs of worry. He added another 28 saves with a 3.99 ERA but his strikeout rate dropped all the way to 22.7%.

Despite the trend lines moving the wrong direction, the Reds still tendered him a contract. He had qualified for arbitration for the first time going into 2025, with exactly three years of service. He and the Reds avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $4.5MM salary.

Things have gone from bad to worse this year. He started the season on the injured list due to a hamstring strain. He was reinstated by mid-April but the Reds had Emilio Pagán closing games and didn’t commit to Díaz retaking the ninth inning job. Díaz then allowed eight earned runs in his first six innings with just three strikeouts but five walks, in addition to hitting two batters.

The Reds optioned him to the minors at the start of May. Things didn’t get much better down on the farm. In 13 2/3 innings for Louisville, he had a 22.9% strikeout rate but walked 12 opponents, a 17.1% clip. He hit another two batters and also uncorked two wild pitches. The Reds then traded him to the Dodgers in what was essentially a salary dump deal. The player they got back, right-hander Mike Villani, was a 22-year-old with just two professional innings under his belt at the time.

The Dodgers initially sent Díaz to their Arizona facilities to try to get him back on track. His small sample of major league work since then has been decent enough. In nine innings, he has allowed five earned runs via seven hits, two walks and hitting two batters while striking out nine. But he has also thrown ten Triple-A innings, allowing nine earned runs via seven hits, eight walks and hitting three batters while striking out ten.

It seems that the Dodgers have seen enough and are willing to risk losing Díaz to another club. It will be interesting to see if there’s any interest in a claim. The short-term benefits would be minimal. Now that it’s September, Díaz wouldn’t be postseason eligible with a claiming club. He’s a likely non-tender candidate, given this year’s struggles.

On the other hand, there is theoretical upside. Due to spending most of this year in the minors, Díaz can still be controlled for another three years after this one. It also means he won’t be able to command a notable arbitration raise for the 2026 season. If some club out there sees a path to getting him back on track, perhaps they would consider grabbing him now. Tendering him a contract for $4-5MM next year would be akin to signing someone like Ryne Stanek or Jonathan Loáisiga, who signed one-year deals in that range last offseason.

Though if the Dodgers can’t figure him out, that doesn’t leave a lot of hope for other clubs. And he is still owed about $580K this year, which is a decent amount for a struggling reliever who can’t even help in the postseason. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he will almost certainly stick with the Dodgers as non-roster depth. Since he has three years of service, he will have the right to elect free agency. But since he has less than five, he would have to forfeit that remaining money in exercising that right.

Freeland came into the year as one of the club’s top prospects. He got called up in late July as several infielders were dealing with injuries. He slashed just .190/.292/.310 in his first 97 plate appearances and a few infielders have come off the IL in the interim. He’ll make way for the club to carry three catchers, at least for as long as Will Smith is injured. It’s not uncommon for prospects to struggle when first promoted, so Freeland could still be a big part of the club’s future, but he’ll head back to the minors for now.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images

Royals Place Seth Lugo On Injured List

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The Royals announced that they have placed right-hander Seth Lugo on the 15-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Righty Stephen Kolek has been recalled as the corresponding move. Prior to the official announcement, manager Matt Quatraro relayed the moves to reporters, including Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

Lugo was initially slated to start today’s game but the Royals announced yesterday that he would no longer be starting that game due to some low back tightness. Noah Cameron is taking the ball instead. Lugo could have been an option for Saturday’s game but he didn’t feel any improvement while playing catch today, so he’s going on the IL.

It’s an unfortunate and ill-timed loss for the Royals. They are 2.5 games back of a playoff spot with just a few weeks remaining in the season. They are still alive but need a lot to go right in order to catch both the Rangers and Mariners to get into postseason position.

Losing Lugo won’t help as he’s been a key part of the club’s rotation since the start of last year. He and the Royals recently agreed to a new contract extension to keep him from opting out of his deal at season’s end. Though he’s been good this year on the whole, it’s possible the back issue has been bothering him lately. Through his start on August 3rd, he had an earned run average of 3.06 on the year. Over his past five starts, he has allowed 25 earned runs in 22 innings.

Whether the back had anything to do with that recent rough stretch or not, he’ll take some time to try to get right. His IL placement is retroactive to September 1st, so he could be back in just 12 days if he feels better. That could give him a chance to make a few more starts down the stretch, though that will naturally depend upon his progress in the coming weeks.

For now, Kolek will seemingly take his spot, at least for one turn. Acquired as part of the Freddy Fermin trade at the deadline, Kolek has mostly been in the minors since that deal. He made his Royals debut on Saturday, tossing six innings with just one run crossing the plate. He was sent back down after that, as it was just supposed to be a spot start. However, his decent results and Lugo’s injury will get him at least one more. He is eligible to return less than 15 days after being optioned because Lugo is going on the IL.

Kolek had primarily been a reliever in the 2022 to 2024 seasons but has been stretched back out here in 2025. Between the Padres and Royals, he has made 15 starts with a 3.99 ERA. His 16.5% strikeout rate is subpar but his 7.3% walk rate and 51.9% ground ball rate are both strong figures. His Triple-A production is similar under the hood. He has made 11 starts down there with an 18.6% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 54.1% ground ball rate. However, a .400 batting average on balls in play has helped spike his ERA to 6.26 at that level.

Photo courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Images

Dodgers To Select Ben Rortvedt

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The Dodgers are going to select catcher Ben Rortvedt to their roster, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. That’s to give the club another catcher for the next few days as it’s unlikely Will Smith will play this weekend. Ardaya noted earlier that Dalton Rushing will start tonight, so Rortvedt will presumably back him up while Smith rests. Corresponding moves will be required to add Rortvedt to the active and 40-man rosters.

The issue stems from last night, when Smith was struck by a foul ball on his throwing hand, as seen in this video from MLB.com. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Smith is getting a CT scan today which will determine if he needs to go on the injured list. Even if he avoids the IL, he’s going to miss a few days. The Dodgers naturally don’t want to play with Rushing as their only catcher, so they are adding Rortvedt to give them a bit of cover.

Losing Smith for any amount of time is a blow. He has a .296/.405/.497 batting line and 153 wRC+ this year. His glovework isn’t particularly well regarded but he has nonetheless been credited with 4.1 wins above replacement this year by FanGraphs. Naturally, the Dodgers will be hoping he can be back after a few days. At this time of year, anything longer than a day-to-day issue runs the risk of pushing through the end of the regular season.

Rushing will try to make up some of the slack. He has only hit .190/.256/.293 in his first 129 big league plate appearances but in sporadic playing time while backing up Smith. He has far better minor league numbers and it’s possible he could get into a better groove with more reps. Though if Smith is back in a few days, that may be a moot point.

Rortvedt, 27, seemed to establish himself as a legit big league catcher with the Rays last year. He got into 112 games and slashed .228/.317/.303 in 328 plate appearances. His 87 wRC+ indicates he was 13% below the league average hitter, but backstops are usually about 10% below par, so that’s decent enough for a backup. Given his solid defensive grades, he was credited with 1.4 fWAR last year.

Unfortunately, he didn’t carry that over into 2025. Through late May, he had a .095/.186/.111 slash line. He was designated for assignment and no club claimed him off waivers. A couple of months later, the Dodgers picked up him as part of a three-team trade with the Rays and Reds. The Dodgers subtracted some catching depth in that deal by sending Hunter Feduccia to Tampa but got back prospect Adam Serwinowski and reliever Paul Gervase.

Rortvedt effectively replaced Feduccia as the Dodgers’ #3 catcher. He hasn’t been having a good season in the minors either, with a combined .205/.299/.333 line and 66 wRC+ between the Triple-A clubs of the Rays and Dodgers, but he’s a competent defender who’s been in the big leagues for a few years. If the Dodgers want to cut him from the roster later, he is out of options.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

White Sox Designate Bryse Wilson For Assignment

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The White Sox announced that right-hander Jonathan Cannon and left-hander Tyler Gilbert have been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Left-hander Bryan Hudson has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a lower back strain and righty Bryse Wilson has been designated for assignment as the corresponding moves.

Wilson, 27, signed with the Sox this winter. He was outrighted by the Brewers and elected free agency, which led to a one-year deal with the Sox worth $1.05MM. He worked in a swing role for the first few months of the season but didn’t have great results, so he was passed through waivers in June. Since he has less than five years of service time, he would have had to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in electing free agency again, so he accepted the assignment.

The Sox recently added him back to the roster to replace Aaron Civale, who was lost off waivers to the Cubs. Wilson made one more appearance for the Sox in recent days but is now bumped off the roster yet again.

On the whole, Wilson has a 6.65 earned run average in the majors this year. His 12.5% strikeout rate is well below league average and his own previous rate from earlier in his career. His minor league work has been decent. He has thrown 39 2/3 innings for the Knights with a 3.86 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate and 56.1% ground ball rate.

He has come somewhat close to that level of performance in the majors before. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 297 innings in the big leagues with a 4.24 ERA, 17.5% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate.

Though his minor league numbers have been decent this year, he is out of options, which could make it hard for clubs to claim him. If he goes unclaimed on waivers again, he will likely accept a second time, in order to continue collecting what remains of this year’s salary. He would be eligible to elect free agency at season’s end if he’s not on the 40-man.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Mets Claim Wander Suero

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The Mets have claimed right-hander Wander Suero off waivers from the Braves, according to announcements from both clubs. Atlanta had designated him for assignment earlier this week. The Mets had an open spot on the 40-man roster, though it is now full.

Suero, 33, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason. That club selected him to their roster in July but he has mostly been kept on optional assignment since then. He has only thrown 6 1/3 innings in the big leagues this year, allowing eight earned runs on four walks and ten hits while striking out seven.

His work in the minors this year has been greater in quality and quantity. He has thrown 46 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 1.35 earned run average. His 31.2% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate are both strong figures. He has likely benefited from an 81.3% strand rate but his 2.63 FIP suggests he would still be putting up good numbers with more neutral sequencing luck.

The major league work this year has obviously not been good but in a very tiny sample. He has some past major league success, though he’s a few years removed from it now. Over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he gave the Nationals 95 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. But since then, he has a 7.11 ERA in 57 innings.

For the Mets, it’s a sensible claim. They have a number of pitchers on the injured list. They have had an open 40-man spot since José Castillo was designated for assignment last week. In the post-deadline part of the calendar, it’s more difficult to add talent. Suero has a major league track record and is pitching well in the minors this year.

He can still be optioned to the minors for the remainder of this season but it’s also possible he gets bumped off the 40-man soon. The Mets are reportedly going to promote prospect Brandon Sproat to start Sunday’s game, so they will need to open a 40-man spot for him in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

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