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Red Sox Outright Blake Sabol

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The Red Sox have sent utility player Blake Sabol outright to Triple-A Worcester, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago.

Sabol, 27, was acquired from the Giants in January. He had been designated for assignment by that club but some international bonus pool space was sent from Boston to San Francisco in order to add Sabol to the Red Sox’ roster. That gave the Sox some extra depth at various positions, with Sabol capable of playing catcher, first base and the outfield.

Boston started the year with Connor Wong and Carlos Narváez as their big league catching duo, with Sabol optioned to Worcester. Wong suffered a finger fracture a week into April. That got Sabol up to the majors for close to a month while Wong recovered. However, they didn’t put him in the lineup often, as he only got into eight games and was only sent to the plate 18 times. He struck out seven times, a 38.9% clip, and produced a line of .125/.167/.188.

Sabol was once a nice Rule 5 pickup of the Giants. Going into 2023, he was technically plucked from the Pirates by the Reds, but Cincinnati flipped him to San Francisco for cash. He went on to appear in 110 games for the Giants that year, slashing .235/.301/.394 for a wRC+ of 91 while splitting his time between catcher and left field.

It seemed like he had a path to being a useful utility player but it hasn’t quite panned out that way. He spent most of last year on optional assignment, having a fine-but-unexceptional season. He slashed .246/.340/.388 for a wRC+ of 96 at the Triple-A level and was only called up for 11 big league games. In his 25 Triple-A games this year, he has a .193/.304/.341 line while striking out in a third of his trips to the plate.

The 29 other clubs passed on the chance to grab Sabol off waivers. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he doesn’t have the right to reject the outright assignment. He’ll stick with the Sox as non-roster depth and try to earn his way back to the majors.

Narváez and Wong are the only two catchers on the 40-man so Boston is probably happy that Sabol is sticking around as non-roster depth. Yasmani Grandal was in Triple-A on a minor league deal but it seems like he might be retiring.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Braves To Designate Scott Blewett For Assignment

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The Braves are shaking up their bullpen after a heartbreaking loss. David O’Brien of The Athletic reports that the club is going to select right-hander Craig Kimbrel and recall left-hander Dylan Dodd. In corresponding moves, right-hander Daysbel Hernández will land on the 15-day injured list while righty Scott Blewett will be designated for assignment. The Kimbrel move was reported earlier today.

Blewett unfortunately lived up to his name today, leading to a deluge of social media jokes at his expense. Atlanta was leading this afternoon’s game against Arizona 9-3 through seven innings. Blewett was put into the game in the eight and allowed one run, making it 9-4. Atlanta got that run back in the bottom of the eighth, making it 10-4. Blewett was sent back out for the ninth with a six-run lead to protect and three outs to get. He struck out the first batter he faced but the next four reached. With the score having narrowed to 10-7, Atlanta went to closer Raisel Iglesias to get the final two outs. Unfortunately, he allowed Arizona to take an 11-10 lead before getting out of the inning. Atlanta couldn’t score in the bottom of the ninth to stay alive.

It was a heartbreaking loss in what has already been a rough stretch for the club. It was their fourth straight L and they are now 3-11 in their past 14 contests. Their overall record is 27-34, putting them behind all the other National League contenders in the standings. Blewett was charged with five earned runs in an inning and a third in today’s dagger.

Blewett, 29, is out of options. That’s led him to bounce around the league. He started the season with the Twins on a minor league deal and was added to that club’s roster for a few days in April before getting designated for assignment. He was then claimed off waivers by the Orioles, though that club also designated him for assignment a few days later. That led him to Atlanta on a cash deal.

He had a pretty decent run prior to today’s unpleasantness. Between those three clubs, he came into today with 24 innings and a 2.25 earned run average. His 22.8% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate were both around league average while his 58.5% ground ball rate was quite strong. The ERA climbed to 3.91 after today’s game but it’s been a solid season overall.

But since he’s out of options and the club is looking to shake things up by adding Kimbrel, a 40-man roster spot was needed, so Blewett heads into DFA limbo. That can last as long as a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, meaning Atlanta could take as long as five days to explore trade interest. Though he’s out of options, he’s still in his pre-arbitration seasons, meaning he’s cheap. As mentioned, he’s been having a good year, today’s results notwithstanding.

As for Hernández, it’s unclear exactly what his injury is but he departed yesterday’s game and appeared to be in discomfort. More information should be revealed when he is officially placed on the injured list.

Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images

Phillies Non-Tender José Rodríguez, Re-Sign Him To Minor League Deal

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5:10 pm: Rodríguez has already agreed to re-sign with Philadelphia on a minor league contract, reports Francys Romero. He’ll be assigned to Low-A for now as he gets back into game shape but will presumably head to Double-A or Triple-A at some point.

4:24pm: Infielder José Rodríguez has been reinstated from the restricted list and non-tendered by the Phillies, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The Phillies had an opening on their 40-man roster and could have optioned Rodríguez to the minors while keeping him on the 40-man. However, Gelb suggests the Phils may want to use that roster spot on a pitcher in the coming days.

Rodríguez was one of four players serving a one-year ban for breaking MLB’s regulations about betting on baseball games. Rodríguez wagered a total of $749 on baseball games while he was playing Double-A ball in the White Sox’ system. Some of his bets included MLB games though he was not on Chicago’s 40-man roster on the time.

Non-tenders are usually reserved for a specific date in the offseason. Any player on a roster in-season was already tendered a contract by his club over the winter or signed as a free agent. However, MLBTR has confirmed that because Rodríguez was on the ineligible list in the offseason, he could not be tendered a contract or non-tendered. That decision had to wait until he was eligible for reinstatement.

Today marks the expiration of the one-year bans on Rodríguez, A’s right-hander Michael Kelly, D-backs lefty Andrew Saalfrank and Padres left-hander Jay Groome. Kelly and Saalfrank were each reinstated by their respective clubs today. Groome and Rodríguez were both non-tendered.

Because Rodríguez is being non-tendered, he won’t have to pass through waivers. He’ll immediately become a free agent. He’s eligible to re-sign with the Phillies on a minor league deal but can also explore opportunities with any team around the league.

Rodríguez has spent most of his career with the White Sox. He was added to that club’s 40-man roster in November of 2022, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. His major league career consists of one game in 2023. He entered as a pinch runner and scored but did not get a plate appearance. He was designated for assignment in April of 2024 and traded to the Phils for cash considerations.

In the minors, he has generally been good for 30-40 steals per year while splitting his time between the three infield spots to the left of first base. He has a batting line of .282/.324/.444 over his minor league career, which translates to a 103 wRC+. He still has one option year remaining.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Cubs Designate Tyson Miller For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated right-hander Tyson Miller for assignment after reinstating him from the 60-day injured list, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. He had been pitching on a rehab assignment of late but it seems the club didn’t want to add him back to the roster. Since he is out of options, he has been sent into DFA limbo. Their 40-man roster count stays at 40.

Miller, now 29, is a bit of a surprising roster cut. The Cubs acquired him from the Mariners in May of last year, after Seattle had designated him for assignment. But he went on to finish out the year well with the Cubs. Between the two clubs, he finished 2024 with a 2.32 earned run average in 62 innings. He struck out 23% of batters faced and only walked 4.7% of opponents.

He hasn’t yet had a chance to build on that here in 2025. He traveled with the Cubs to Japan but didn’t pitch in the major league portion of the Tokyo Series. He then landed on the IL ahead of domestic Opening Day due to a hip impingement. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-May when Moises Ballesteros was added to the roster.

Miller started a rehab assignment a few weeks ago and has tossed 13 Triple-A innings with a 2.77 ERA. However, his 19% strikeout rate and 15.5% walk rate in that sample are both poor numbers. He’s only been averaging 88.6 miles per hour on his fastball during this rehab, a drop from last year’s 89.6 mph, though that’s perhaps understandable for a guy working back from a long absence.

As mentioned, Miller is out of options. That’s also true for essentially everyone in the Cubs’ bullpen. Of the eight relievers currently on the active roster, Daniel Palencia is the only one who can be optioned to the minors. He has become the club’s closer of late, so he’s not at risk of getting sent down.

Rather than cut anyone currently on the team, the Cubs have decided to cut Miller. He’ll head into DFA limbo, which can last for as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take as long as five days to explore trade interest. Based on the success Miller had last year, it’s possible some other club takes a shot on him, presumably one with a less rigid bullpen construction. He’s still cheap, having not yet qualified for arbitration. Though he’s out of options, he can be controlled for the rest of this season and potentially four more if he sticks somewhere.

Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images

Cubs To Sign Jake Woodford To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs are signing right-hander Jake Woodford to a minor league deal, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. Woodford, a client of Excel Sports Management, is heading to Triple-A Iowa and will start for that club tomorrow night.

Woodford, 28, just opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees a few days ago. Prior to opting out, he had logged 39 2/2 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre over seven starts and three long relief appearances. He allowed 4.54 earned runs per nine with a 21.5% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 42.4% ground ball rate.

That wasn’t enough to get called up to the Yankees. They had suffered injuries to starters Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman but guys like Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough have stepped up to stabilize the group.

The Cubs have their own slate of rotation injuries at the moment. Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad are all on the injured list at the moment. Steele required UCL surgery in April and won’t come back this year. That leaves them with a rotation of Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Cade Horton. Boyd is having a good year but is up to 68 2/3 innings. The last time he hit 79 in a season was in 2019. Rea is a swingman who has been thrust into the rotation by the injuries. Horton is a big prospect but has only five big league appearances thus far.

In terms of depth, Chris Flexen was previously in the Triple-A rotation but is now in the big league bullpen. Jordan Wicks is on the 40-man but has a 4.86 for Iowa this year. The Cubs will likely be looking for starting pitching prior to the deadline but adding Woodford gives them an experienced arm to call upon if their rotation suffers another injury in the coming weeks.

He has had some major league success as a swingman in the past, mostly by keeping the ball on the ground. With the Cardinals in 2021 and 2022, he logged 116 innings with a 3.26 ERA. He only punched out 15.4% of opponents but got opponents to hit the ball into the dirt at a 45.6% clip. His ERA spiked to 6.23 in 2023, which pushed him towards journeyman mode. He posted a 7.97 ERA last year between the White Sox and Pirates. Here in 2025, he signed a minor league deal with the Rockies but opted out at the end of spring. That led to his Yankee deal, which he also opted out of.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Athletics Designate CJ Alexander For Assignment, Reinstate Michael Kelly

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The Athletics announced a series of roster moves today, as relayed by Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. Right-hander Michael Kelly has been reinstated from the restricted list and left-hander T.J. McFarland has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. In corresponding active moves, the A’s have optioned right-handers Elvis Alvarado and Justin Sterner. To open a 40-man spot, infielder/outfielder CJ Alexander has been designated for assignment.

Kelly was one of four players suspended by Major League Baseball for one year after a league investigation revealed that the quartet had placed small-scale bets on Major League Baseball games while playing in the minor leagues back in 2020-22. Kelly’s bets came in October of 2021, when he was pitching at the Triple-A level in the Astros’ system. He made only ten bets for a total of $99.92, with three of those bets coming on games involving the Astros’ big league club during the postseason.

The one-year suspensions have now been served and all four players are eligible for reinstatement today. The Diamondbacks have already reinstated left-hander Andrew Saalfrank. Padres lefty Jay Groome and Phillies infielder José Rodríguez should be reinstated today as well. None of the four bet more than $749 in total, and none were on the 40-man roster at the time their bets were placed.

That’s the key distinction for that quartet receiving one-year bans as opposed to former Padres/Pirates utilityman Tucupita Marcano, who received a lifetime ban (announced in conjunction with these four suspensions). Marcano wagered more than $150K on 387 bets involving MLB games while he was on a big league roster — including 25 bets on Pirates games while he was on Pittsburgh’s major league injured list (rehabbing a season-ending ACL tear).

Major League Baseball’s rules regarding gambling stipulate that “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.” Players, umpires, club officials and league officials who place bets of “any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform” are subject to permanent bans. Further details on the investigation and its findings were provided in a league-issued press release last year at the time of these suspensions.

Prior to his suspension, Kelly had managed to log 52 big league innings for the Phillies, Guardians and A’s. Most of that came just before his absence, as he logged 31 1/3 innings with Oakland last year, allowing 2.59 earned runs per nine. His 17.2% strikeout rate last year wasn’t especially strong but he kept his walks down to a 7.8% level. He’ll now get a chance to build upon all those numbers after having served his suspension.

While on the restricted list, Kelly did not count against the club’s 40-man roster tally. Now that he’s back, Alexander has been nudged off. Alexander will head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the A’s could take as many as five days to explore trade interest.

Alexander was claimed off waivers from the Royals in September. Between those two clubs, he has a .160/.160/.160 batting line in a tiny sample of 25 big league plate appearances. His minor league work has naturally been greater in both quantity and quality. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has a .287/.357/.544 batting line and 121 wRC+ in 595 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. He has a bit of defensive versatility, with experience at all four corner spots. He can still be optioned to the minors for the rest of this campaign and one additional season. He could perhaps appeal to clubs who have roster space and want some extra position player depth.

Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard, Imagn Images

Tigers Willing To Play Colt Keith At Third Base

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Tigers infielder Colt Keith has not played third base in the majors but could make his debut there at any time. Prior to yesterday’s game, manager A.J. Hinch said so, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

“We’re curious about how we can maximize this roster,” Hinch said. “I don’t know that it will be something that is primary, or I don’t know that it’s something you’re going to see a lot of, but there are a lot of times during games – as we do use our whole roster – where being able to put him over there could be very advantageous.” When asked if Keith is ready to play third, Hinch said: “I don’t know if he’s ready or not, but if the game leads me that way, I’m going to put him there because of the situations that we’re trying to win games. In a perfect world, he gets a few more reps of practice, but I’m willing to do anything to try to put these guys in a good position.”

Playing third base used to be quite normal for Keith. In 2021, his first professional season, that was his primary position. He logged 347 2/3 innings at the hot corner and 132 at second base. However, he suffered an injury to his right shoulder in June of 2022. He spent the second half of that year on the injured list. Issues with that shoulder flared up in 2023 and 2024, which led to him spending more time on the right side of the infield. He hasn’t played third since late in 2023 in the minors.

He was called up to the majors in 2024 and, as mentioned, hasn’t played third in the big leagues yet. He played second base last year, though the offseason signing of Gleyber Torres has pushed him largely to first base this year. Keith has technically spent more time at second than at first so far in 2025, though a lot of that time at the keystone was when Torres was on the injured list.

He has been doing some drills at third base lately and it seems the Tigers are satisfied enough with his progress that he’s a legitimate option there. Based on Hinch’s framing, it sounds like they are taking a cautious approach. Perhaps they will give Keith occasional looks there at first to see how it goes, with the possibility for more appearances if things go well.

If Keith is able to handle third, it would be a good fit for the club in a lot of ways, as the Tigers have a lot of options for the right side of the infield but are weaker on the left. Keith himself has a solid .244/.332/.390 line and 108 wRC+ this year. Torres is having a great season at the plate, with a .270/.383/.404 line and 131 wRC+. First baseman Spencer Torkelson has a .231/.341/.495 line and 134 wRC+.

The designated hitter spot allows those three to share a lineup but the Tigers would probably like to have Kerry Carpenter in there more often since he’s not a great defender in the outfield and has some recurring injury issues. He has spent a lot of time on the grass this year due to the Keith/Torres/Torkelson trio rotating through the DH spot, as well as a number of outfield injuries. However, Parker Meadows and Wenceel Pérez have both recently returned from lengthy IL stints. Between those two, Carpenter and Riley Greene, the outfield is more crowded than it has been all season.

Meanwhile, the left side of the infield is fairly wide open. Trey Sweeney has been the regular shortstop but he is hitting just .225/.282/.316 for a wRC+ of 70 this year, with subpar defense to boot. At third base, a hodgepodge of players have produced a collective .195/.272/.276 line and 60 wRC+. Only the Twins and Brewers have received less offensive production from the hot corner this year.

Jace Jung was given a chance to take the position earlier this year but he did not succeed. Of late, the club has been trying to cobble together a solution from utility players Zach McKinstry, Javier Báez and Andy Ibáñez. McKinstry and Báez are playing well on the whole but can’t seem to produce much when playing third. That may just be small sample noise, but regardless, the Tigers would surely love it if someone could solidify the position.

If Keith can handle third, it would upgrade the club’s production at that spot while also helping elsewhere. Torres and Torkelson could be the regular’s on the right side. McKinstry or Báez could bounce around as utility guys or perhaps cut into Sweeney’s time at short. The DH spot could open up for Carpenter and the club’s other outfielders.

The Tigers have the best record in baseball at 41-22 but no club is perfect and patching up any hole they can find will naturally help for the stretch run and in the postseason. It could also alter the club’s deadline plans if there’s a notable shift in the next month or so.

Photo courtesy of Jason Parkhurst, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Jarren Duran Rumors, Caglianone And Young Promoted, And Pitching Injuries

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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 Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • If the Diamondbacks can’t climb in the standings, what does their deadline look like? (48:45)
  • As a thought experiment, if the Orioles were willing to listen on Gunnar Henderson, what teams would even have the pieces to pull off a trade? (54:10)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Rangers Re-Sign Tucker Barnhart To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers announced that catcher Tucker Barnhart has been re-signed to a minor league deal. He had just elected free agency yesterday after clearing waivers. He’ll presumably report to Triple-A Round Rock in the coming days.

Though the Rangers just bumped Barnhart off their roster, they are likely happy to have him back in a non-roster capacity. At the big league level, they have Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka splitting the catching duties but they don’t have any other backstops on the 40-man.

Barnhart, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers and came into the year as the top depth option at the position. That got him to the majors when Higashioka suffered a hamstring injury. He didn’t get much playing time, however. In over a month on the roster, he got into eight contests and made 15 plate appearances with a .231/.333/.231 line.

If either Heim or Higashioka heads to the injured list later this year, Barnhart will have a good chance of coming back up to the majors since he has over a decade of big league experience. He’s never been a huge threat at the plate, with a career .241/.318/.351 line and 78 wRC+, but he has received lots of praise for his glovework over the years.

Photo courtesy of David Butler II, Imagn Images

Nick Solak Elects Free Agency

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Infielder/outfielder Nick Solak has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was outrighted by the Pirates yesterday but has the right to reject that assignment since he has a previous career outright.

Solak, 30, will now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. He settled for a minor league deal with the Pirates coming into the year and then got out to a great start. In 32 Triple-A contests, he put up a massive .393/.452/.625 batting line. That was partly due to an unsustainable .422 batting average on balls in play but Solak also hit six home runs while drawing walks at a 9.5% clip and only striking out 13.5% of the time.

That was enough to get him to the big leagues but he didn’t get much playing time in Pittsburgh. In almost three weeks on the roster, he only received 11 plate appearances in four games, recording just one single and no extra-base hits.

The Bucs nudged him off the roster when Nick Gonzales came off the injured list. Solak is out of options and therefore had to be removed from the 40-man entirely. The 29 other clubs all passed on the chance to grab him off waivers, so he’ll presumably be looking for another minor league deal in the coming days.

Broadly speaking, he has generally hit well in the minors but not the majors. He has a .250/.325/.369 line and 91 wRC+ in the big leagues. That includes a hot start when he was first promoted in 2019. Since then, he has a .243/.314/.350 line and 86 wRC+. Dating back to that same 2019 season, he has a .291/.379/.472 line and 118 wRC+ down on the farm.

Defensively, he’s played almost every position on the diamond but he’s not considered a strong fielder. In recent years, he’s mostly been limited to the outfield corners, first base and occasionally appearances at second base.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

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