Blue Jays Select Josh Fleming, Designate Austin Voth For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Josh Fleming. Right-hander Austin Voth has been designated for assignment as a corresponding move for both the 40-man and active rosters.
The Jays have been cycling through arms at the back of their roster as a response to the Cody Ponce injury and Eric Lauer having the flu. Lazaro Estrada was initially recalled for Ponce. Lauer was supposed to take the ball on Saturday but got pushed to Sunday because of his illness. The Jays did a bullpen game on Saturday, with Estrada covering four innings. Prior to yesterday’s contest, the Jays optioned Estrada and Brendon Little, calling up Voth and Mantiply for some fresh arms. Lauer did his best to work through his illness but only went two innings, with Voth covering 2 2/3 innings in relief.
Today, the Jays start a tough series against the Dodgers. They have Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease slated to start but it’s a tough lineup and the staff has been taxed in recent days. Fleming has been added to potentially cover some length, if need be. Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, he pitched for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He covered 3 2/3 innings, throwing 57 pitches, so he’s relatively stretched out.
He gets back to the majors for the first time in a couple of years. From 2020 to 2024, mostly with the Rays but also with the Pirates, he worked 254 2/3 innings in 25 starts and 55 relief appearances. He allowed 4.77 earned runs per nine. His 14.6% strikeout rate was well below average and he only averaged about 91 miles per hour on his fastball but he had good control of a five-pitch mix. He only walked 7.5% of batters faced and induced grounders on 58.4% of balls in play. He spent 2025 in the minors with the Mariners.
Fleming is out of options, so it may be a short stay on the roster for him. If he is used against the Dodgers, the Jays may want to bump him off for yet another fresh arm. After this series, they have off-days on April 9th and 13th, giving the staff a chance to breathe. They have Patrick Corbin and Trey Yesavage potentially joining the club soon. Corbin just signed a major league deal and was optioned, tossing five innings in his first minor league outing on Saturday. Yesavage is on the injured list and threw 2 2/3 innings in a rehab outing on Friday.
The quick roster churn was how things played out for Voth. He got up to the big leagues for the first time since 2024, having spent last year in Japan. As mentioned, he helped the Jays out by absorbing 2 2/3 innings yesterday, allowing one earned run via three hits and a walk while recording one strikeout.
Unfortunately, the club has to quickly part ways with him. He has at least five years of service time, meaning he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent, so he now heads into DFA limbo. The Jays will trade him or place him on waivers at some point in the next five days. If he clears waivers, he has enough service time to elect free agency. He has a 4.69 ERA in 363 career big league innings and posted a 3.96 ERA in Japan last year.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
White Sox Claim Doug Nikhazy
The White Sox announced that they have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the Guardians and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Cleveland designated him for assignment last week. The White Sox had a 40-man vacancy and don’t need to make a corresponding move.
Nikhazy, 26, has a very limited major league track record thus far. He tossed four innings for the Guards last year, allowing six earned runs via five hits and six walks while striking out five. Cleveland nudged him off the roster a week ago when they added Kolby Allard to their roster.
He does have some intriguing numbers on the farm from previous seasons. From 2022 to 2024, he tossed 328 innings over five relief appearances and 70 starts, allowing 3.90 earned runs per nine frames. His 14.5% walk rate was ghastly but he offset that somewhat by striking out 26.8% of opponents. His results backed up last year, despite the major league debut. He had a 5.02 ERA at Triple-A. He did lower his walk rate to 11.1% but his strikeout rate dropped to 22.5%.
For the White Sox, they just opened a 40-man spot when they gave up on Rule 5 pick Jedixson Páez last week. Since Nikhazy still has options, they can use that open spot to grab him from the wire and send him to the minors. Time will tell if the Sox view Nikhazy as more of a starter or a reliever. It’s also possible they put him back on waivers at some point in the hopes of keeping him as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Mets Place Juan Soto On Injured List
The Mets announced that outfielder Juan Soto has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right calf strain. The move is retroactive to April 4th but the club also announced the typical return timeline as two to three weeks. Infielder Ronny Mauricio has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding move.
Soto departed Friday’s game with what the club called right calf soreness. Soto later told members of the media that he had a minor strain and would go day to day to see how he felt. After a couple of days of monitoring the situation, it seems the club will let him sit out for a while to rest up.
It’s not a major issue but it’s obviously not ideal for a player of Soto’s caliber to be subtracted from the lineup. He is one of the best hitters on the planet, with a career .282/.417/.531 line and 158 wRC+. His 18.6% walk rate is almost three ticks better than anyone else in the league. From 2018 to the present, Aaron Judge is second on the list with a 16% walk rate.
The timing is also a bit awkward. The Mets moved Soto to left field to begin the season and gave the right field job to prospect Carson Benge. Though Benge is talented, he has a .100/.206/.200 line through 34 plate appearances. Some of that is due to an unlucky .111 batting average on balls in play but he has also struck out in 32.4% of his plate appearances.
If the Mets had any thought of sending Benge down for a reset, that may be harder to do now that Soto is out, so they may be left with a floundering Benge in one corner and a patchwork solution in the other. On top of that, Brett Baty has missed the past few games due to a jammed left thumb while Jorge Polanco has an Achilles issue that is limiting him to designated hitter duty.
None of the issues are majors in a vacuum but the little bits add up to a challenging shuffle. Mark Vientos is covering first with Polanco in the DH spot. Baty could step into the outfield for Soto if his thumb feels better. If not, Jared Young and Tyrone Taylor could pick up some playing time.
As for Mauricio, he probably won’t play much behind the infield of shortstop Francisco Lindor, second baseman Marcus Semien and third baseman Bo Bichette. The Mets have been playing without a traditional backup infielder, comfortable with Bichette as a backup shortstop and guys like Baty and Vientos potential backups elsewhere. With Baty banged up, Mauricio gives them a bit more conventional cover.
Even if he doesn’t play much, it may be a notable transaction for him for other reasons. He came into this season with one option remaining and a service time count of two years and 31 days. Since he hasn’t yet spent 20 days on optional assignment this year, he hasn’t burned that final option. He also still has a path to get to three years of service in 2026, though getting sent back down later in the year could prevent him from getting there. Where he finishes the year could impact his path to arbitration and/or free agency.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images
Cubs To Place Matthew Boyd On Injured List
The Cubs are placing left-hander Matthew Boyd on the 15-day injured list with a left bicep strain, retroactive to April 3rd, reports Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Right-hander Javier Assad will be recalled from the minors and will start tomorrow’s game.
There wasn’t any prior indication that Boyd was hurt, as he took the ball for the first two turns to start the year. The first one didn’t go well, as Boyd allowed six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He bounced back on Wednesday, tossing 5 2/3 against the Angels, striking out ten while allowing just two earned runs. For what it’s worth, his velocity did drop. His fastball averaged 93.3 miles per hour in the first outing but was down to 92.2 in the second.
On its own, it doesn’t appear to be a disastrous development. Sharma adds that Boyd and manager Craig Counsell feel it’s a small issue that will require a minimal IL stint. Regardless, it’s a bit worrisome in the larger context of the club’s rotation. They started the year with Justin Steele still working his way back from last year’s surgery. He is on the 60-day injured list and is therefore out until at least late May. Cade Horton landed on the IL last week due to forearm discomfort. His status is still up in the air but that’s a worrisome diagnosis.
Losing Boyd is another hit for a group that is already snakebit. They do still have Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga in three spots. Assad was optioned to the minors to start the year but will now come back up and slot in behind those three. It’s expected that Colin Rea, who began the season in the bullpen, will probably jump to the rotation as well.
As far as fallback plans go, Assad and Rea are pretty good. Assad has a 3.43 earned average over 331 career innings. He only really got nudged out of the season-opening rotation because he still has options. Rea posted a 3.95 ERA in a swing role last year and the Cubs clearly value his ability to move fairly seamlessly between starting and relieving. They restructured his deal in November to give him a bit of extra cash and keep him around while adding a club option for 2027.
Despite Assad and Rea being decent contingencies, it’s less than ideal for the rotation to lose two guys in a span of a few days. The remaining 40-man guys on optional assignment are relievers. Ben Brown is perhaps an option to make a start or two but he’s in the big league bullpen. Prospect Jaxon Wiggins is in Triple-A but isn’t on the 40-man and is still showing big control issues, with a 13.9% walk rate so far this year. In terms of non-roster guys with big league experience, Vince Velasquez tossed five innings yesterday in a Triple-A start yesterday.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Rule 5 Draft Update: April Edition
In last year’s Rule 5 draft, 13 players were selected in the major league phase, giving them a chance to play for a big league club in 2026. Not all of them broke camp and not all of them are healthy, so we’ll check in on the group from time to time.
For those who need a quick refresher on the parameters, the Rule 5 draft is designed to give major league chances to guys who may be blocked in their current organization. Players become eligible to be taken in the draft after a certain amount of time in the minors but can be protected from selection by being added to the 40-man roster. A player selected in the Rule 5 cannot be optioned to the minors, meaning he has to stay in the big leagues or on the injured list for the entire season. After a full season, the selecting team gets the player’s rights permanently, as long as he was active for at least 90 days. If the player is not active for 90 days, due to a significant injury, the Rule 5 parameters carry over into the next season.
If the selecting team no longer wants to roster the player, he needs to either be traded or placed on waivers. Any acquiring team would take on the same Rule 5 restrictions. If he clears waivers, he is offered back to his original organization. That club can take the player back without carrying him on the 40-man roster.
On An Active Roster
Daniel Susac, Giants C (selected from Athletics by Twins, traded to Giants)
Susac made the Opening Day roster but didn’t get his first start until last night, San Francisco’s seventh game of the season. That debut could hardly have gone much better. Susac went three for three and also drew a walk. His family was in attendance and their celebrations quickly became popular online. He also collected the obligatory post-game shower.
The Giants presumably felt pretty good about Susac’s chances of sticking as a backup to Patrick Bailey. They had the 15th pick in the draft but didn’t want to wait that long. They sent minor leaguer Miguel Caraballo to the Twins so that Minnesota could take him at #4 and then flip him to the Giants.
Susac was the 19th overall pick in the 2022 draft but his minor league performance had been more decent than overwhelming. His defense behind the plate was considered passable. In Triple-A last year, he slashed .275/.349/.483, with that production translating to a 94 wRC+ in the Pacific Coast League. He has performed well since joining his new organization. He hit .350/.386/.550 in spring training and, as mentioned, his big league career is off to a good start in a small sample.
Carter Baumler, Rangers RHP (selected from Orioles by Pirates, traded to Rangers)
Like Susac, Baumler was acquired via trade on Rule 5 day. The Rangers had the 14th pick but sent minor league righty Jaiker Garcia to the Pirates in exchange for Pittsburgh selecting Baumler fifth overall and flipping him to Texas. Baumler didn’t have Susac’s draft pedigree, as he was a fifth-round pick in 2020. However, he had a strong season in 2025, split between High-A and Double-A. He tossed 39 2/3 innings, allowing 2.04 earned runs per nine. His 11.4% walk rate was high but he struck out 29.1% of batters faced.
He earned an Opening Day job with a strong spring, throwing 9 1/3 scoreless innings with ten strikeouts and just two walks. He has thrown 4 2/3 big league innings thus far, with two earned runs allowed. He has five punchouts but has given out six walks and hit one batter. The Rangers don’t have a ton of flexibility in their bullpen at the moment. Robert Garcia and Jacob Latz are the only guys who can be optioned to the minors and Garcia’s not going anywhere. Baumler will presumably need some better control if he is to hang onto his spot.
Ryan Watson, Red Sox RHP (selected from Giants by Athletics, traded to Red Sox)
Once again, we have a team giving up a prospect to effectively move up in the draft. Boston had the 22nd pick but sent infielder Justin Riemer to the Athletics for Watson, after the A’s grabbed him in the #8 spot.
Watson was not really a top prospect. He was a 39th-round pick way back in 2016, before the draft was shortened to 20 rounds. He spent the 2025 season pitching in Triple-A as a 27-year-old and posted a 4.26 ERA. The Sox looked beyond that ERA number, which was posted in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and focused more on his 28.1% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate.
He didn’t have an overwhelming spring performance, tossing 11 1/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs with seven strikeouts. He broke camp with the Sox regardless and has made two big league appearances thus far. He has allowed two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings with three strikeouts but five walks.
Roddery Muñoz, Astros RHP (selected from Reds)
This was a bit of an unusual Rule 5 pick, as Muñoz already had already pitched in the majors in previous seasons. In fact, he had exhausted his three option years from 2023 to 2025. The Reds claimed him off waivers from the Cardinals in November, non-tendered him and then re-signed him to a minor league deal, but then the Astros plucked him away in the Rule 5.
Muñoz had a strong spring, with 16 strikeouts and two walks in 10 innings, though he allowed five earned runs. His two regular season appearances haven’t been as smooth. He does have four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings but has also walked four and thrown two wild pitches. Overall, he has a 6.73 ERA in 96 1/3 career innings.
Peyton Pallette, Guardians RHP (selected from White Sox)
Pallette was a second-round pick in 2022. Initially a starter, he eventually moved to relief with some encouraging results. In 2025, he tossed 64 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 4.06 ERA. His 10.6% walk rate was high but he struck out 32.5% of batters faced.
The Guards brought him into camp and he performed well, firing six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and three walks. He broke camp and has made two big league appearances thus far, tossing 3 2/3 innings with one earned run allowed. He has struck out three with just one walk, but has also hit a batter and thrown a wild pitch.
Spencer Miles, Blue Jays RHP (selected from Giants)
Miles was a very unusual Rule 5 pick. Drafted in 2022, he barely pitched in the subsequent years due to injuries, including Tommy John surgery. He had exactly 14 2/3 innings of minor league ball on his ledger as of the Rule 5 draft. That would have made him a surprising choice to be taken by any club but it was even more unexpected when he was selected by a club expecting to contend.
Regardless, Miles earned a spot with a decent spring. He tossed 9 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs with 11 strikeouts against five walks. His major league debut was great. On Saturday, he was put into a tied game in the 11th inning. Despite starting with a runner on second, he put up a zero and got the win when the Jays walked it off in the bottom of the frame. His next appearance wasn’t as storybook, as he allowed the Rockies to score three times in an inning and a third.
Cade Winquest, Yankees RHP (selected from Cardinals)
It’s pretty rare for the Yankees to make a pick in the Rule 5 draft and actually keep him. Josh Phelps in 2007 was the last time the Yanks kept a healthy Rule 5 guy on their Opening Day roster. Even that one wasn’t typical, as Phelps made his MLB debut way back in 2000 and already had lots of big league experience.
They decided Winquest was worth breaking that pattern. An eighth-round pick from 2022, Winquest was never really a highly-touted prospect but he had a strong 2025 season. Split between High-A and Double-A, he tossed 106 innings with a 3.99 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 48% ground ball rate. He didn’t have a dominant spring. He tossed 10 innings, allowing eight earned runs with eight strikeouts. He walked four opponents, hit one more and threw one wild pitch. He broke camp with the club but still hasn’t made his major league debut.
Currently On Major League Injured List
RJ Petit, Rockies RHP (selected from Tigers)
The Rockies took Petit with the very first pick in the Rule 5 draft but he required Tommy John surgery a couple of weeks ago. He has already been placed on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the entire season. There’s no IL in the offseason, so the Rockies will have to put him back on the 40-man if they plan to carry him into the 2027 season. As mentioned up top, the Rule 5 restrictions would carry over until Petit has been active for 90 days.
Matt Pushard, Cardinals (selected from Marlins)
Pushard landed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week due to right knee patellar tendinitis. His timeline is unclear but there’s nothing to indicate the Cards expect a lengthy absence. Last year, he posted a 3.61 ERA in 62 1/3 Triple-A innings, with a 28.5% strikeout rate, 9% walk rate and 43% ground ball rate. He had a solid spring, tossing 8 2/3 innings with three earned runs allowed, nine strikeouts and two walks. He made one regular season appearance before landing on the IL, allowing three earned runs in one inning of work.
DFA Limbo
Jedixson Páez, RHP (selected by White Sox from Red Sox)
The White Sox took Páez with the second pick in the Rule 5 draft. It was going to be a challenge for him to stick with Chicago as he had never pitched at Triple-A or even at the Double-A level. The White Sox broke camp with him but it wasn’t to be. He made three appearances, allowing six earned runs without striking out a batter. He was designated for assignment earlier this week when the Sox added Lucas Sims to the roster. He is still in DFA limbo but could be back with the Red Sox in the coming days.
Returned To Original Organization
Griff McGarry, RHP (returned to Phillies by Nationals)
McGarry was once a notable prospect for the Phillies but some control problems lowered his stock to the point where he was left exposed in the Rule 5. The Nationals took a chance on him but the wildness remained. He faced 27 batters in spring training and walked five of them, an 18.5% clip that’s about double league average. He also hit one more guy, meaning he gave a free pass to first to 22.2% of the opponents he faced in spring. He didn’t break camp, cleared waivers and was returned to the Phils a bit before Opening Day.
Zach McCambley, RHP (returned to Marlins by Phillies)
McCambley posted a 2.90 ERA in the minors last year, striking out 33.1% of batters faced, giving out walks at an 8.8% clip and inducing grounders on 42% of balls in play. The Phils brought him into camp and he only allowed one earned run in 7 1/3 innings, but he gave out six walks while only striking out four. He cleared waivers and was returned to the Marlins before Opening Day.
Alexander Alberto, RHP (returned to Rays by White Sox)
Like the White Sox’ other pick, Alberto was a long-shot due to a lack of upper-level experience. Both he and Páez had never pitched higher than the High-A level. Alberto tossed 6 2/3 spring innings for the Sox, allowing eight earned runs while striking out seven and walking four. He was put on waivers in mid-March, well before Opening Day, and was given back to the Rays.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Sign Patrick Corbin
The Blue Jays announced that they have signed left-hander Patrick Corbin to a one-year deal and optioned him to Low-A Dunedin. It’s worth $1MM, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. There are also incentives worth $1MM, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Jays had 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move. Corbin has enough service time where he can’t be optioned without his consent, so he has presumably agreed to be sent down to get built up.
The signing is a response to the injury woes that have befallen the Toronto rotation in recent weeks. Shane Bieber is being built up slowly due to some offseason forearm fatigue. Trey Yesavage was slowed by a shoulder impingement. José Berríos was diagnosed with some elbow inflammation late in camp.
Those three started the season on the injured list, which left the Jays with a season-opening rotation of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer. Unfortunately, Ponce sprained the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in his first start. His timeline isn’t exactly clear but he seems to be slated for a lengthy absence.
Though Corbin missed spring training, he may be able to help the Jays relatively soon. Per Nicholson-Smith, he has been working out while unsigned and has gotten himself up to 80 pitches. He has agreed to head to Dunedin but it’s possible he may not need a full spring-style ramp-up of six weeks or so.
Corbin is a few years removed from his peak but is coming off a solid season with the Rangers. He made 30 starts and one relief appearance, logging 155 1/3 innings with a 4.40 earned run average. His 19.8% strikeout rate and 39.6% ground ball rate were both a couple of ticks below average but his 7.7% walk rate was a bit better than par.
At some point in the near future, Corbin could give the Jays a veteran back-end guy or could perhaps work as a long reliever. His role will presumably depend on how things develop with the other arms in the mix. Yesavage is making a rehab appearance in Dunedin tonight and doesn’t seem to be too far off. Berríos and Bieber are both throwing and could be back in the mix a bit later.
That could lead to some awkward decisions for the Jays, with perhaps Corbin or Lauer eventually getting pushed to the bullpen, but that’s a scenario they would presumably welcome at this point. They are planning a bullpen game started by Mason Fluharty tomorrow. Lauer was originally scheduled to take the ball for that game but he was pushed to Sunday by an illness. They then face the Dodgers for three, with Scherzer, Gausman and Cease likely to start those.
They may be able to breathe a bit easier after that, with off-days on both April 9th and 13th. But they then play nine straight followed by an off-day and then 13 straight, meaning they play 22 times in 23 days from April 14th to May 6th. Getting through that with a four-man rotation would put a strain on the staff so perhaps they could get Corbin and/or Yesavage into the mix by then.
Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
Jordan Lawlar To Miss Six To Eight Weeks With Broken Wrist
Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar has a right wrist fracture, manager Torey Lovullo tells reporters, including Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. He will miss six to eight weeks. The Diamondbacks have placed him on the 10-day injured list. Catcher Adrian Del Castillo was reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. Arizona also made a move on the pitching side. They selected the contract of right-hander Taylor Rashi and designated fellow righty Joe Ross for assignment. Prior to the official announcement, Piecoro noted that Rashi had the locker previously occupied by Ross.
It’s yet another unfortunate chapter in the Lawlar story. The youngster has been one of Arizona’s top prospects for years but hasn’t been able to cement himself in the big leagues. He has often been blocked by more established players. When an opening would appear, Lawlar would himself be hurt or would struggle. He finished 2025 with a .165/.241/.237 line in 108 big league appearances.
The club grew impatient with his infield defense and moved him to the outfield for 2026. He earned an Opening Day spot and was hitting well. He hit his first major league home run last night, pushing his season-long batting line to .333/.400/.556 by the end of the game. Unfortunately, he was hit on his wrist by a pitch in the seventh inning. He stayed in the game to run the bases but was replaced defensively in the top of the eighth. Now Lawlar is slated for another notable absence, once again delaying his path to becoming an established big leaguer.
For the Snakes, their outfield takes a hit. They still have Corbin Carroll in right and Alek Thomas in center but Lawlar’s injury means they will have to figure out what to do in left. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Pavin Smith could be part of the solution down the road but both are currently on the IL. Del Castillo is unlikely to help, as his outfield experience consists of two Triple-A innings back in 2023. He was likely only called up because the Diamondbacks have no one else to turn to. Every position player on the 40-man roster is either on the active roster or injured list.
For now, they will likely use some combination of Jorge Barrosa, Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas. Piecoro says they decided against calling up prospect Ryan Waldschmidt because that would require a 40-man spot and Gurriel is expected back soon.
Turning to the pitching staff, the Diamondbacks signed Ross to a minor league deal in the offseason. The veteran swingman cracked the Opening Day roster but has been lit up so far. He has allowed eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, giving him an unsightly 19.64 earned run average. That’s obviously a small sample size but Ross also issued four walks compared to just two strikeouts.
Arizona was crushed last night, losing 17-2 to Atlanta. Ross did what he could to spare the staff, tossing two innings, but he threw 52 pitches in the process and likely wasn’t going to be available for a few days. He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so Arizona could spend as long as five days exploring trade interest. If Ross clears waivers, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.
Rashi, 30, got to make his major league debut with the Diamondbacks last year. He posted a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings. His 11.1% walk rate was high but he struck out 30.6% of batters faced and induced grounders on 42.9% of balls in play. He was non-tendered at the end of the season but then was re-signed via a minor league deal. He began the season at Triple-A Reno and made one scoreless appearance of an inning and two thirds.
Photo courtesy of Arianna Grainey, Imagn Images
Braves Acquire Víctor Mederos
The Angels have traded right-hander Víctor Mederos to the Braves in exchange for international bonus pool space, according to announcements from both clubs. The righty was designated for assignment a few days ago when the Angels added Shaun Anderson to their roster. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR says the pool space changing hands is $250K. By rule, pool space can only be traded in $250K increments. Atlanta transferred righty AJ Smith-Shawver to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Mederos was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Mederos, 25 in June, has a small and unimpressive major league track record to this point. He has tossed 25 1/3 innings over the previous three seasons with an 8.53 earned run average. Atlanta is presumably more interested in his minor league work. Last year, he made 16 starts at the Triple-A level, posting a 3.39 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He got some help from a 78.4% strand rate and only struck out 18.6% of batters faced but he features mid-90s velocity and a five-pitch mix.
The Halos nudged him off the roster but found enough interest on the trade block to net some international pool space in return. Atlanta gave up that pool space because they could use some extra pitching depth. In the past few weeks, they have lost Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and Spencer Strider to injuries.
They currently have a rotation featuring Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez. Sale has a lengthy injury history and is now 37 years old. López only made one start last year due to shoulder surgery. Holmes was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament last year and is healthy now but it wouldn’t be a shock for that injury to flare up again. Elder had a 5.30 ERA last year. Pérez is a soft-tossing veteran.
Atlanta does have Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie in Triple-A but those two are fairly lacking in experience. Ritchie still hasn’t cracked the majors. Fuentes has made it to the show but has allowed 21 earned runs in 17 innings. Mederos will give them some extra Triple-A depth and could be called up to the big leagues at some point, if needed.
As for Smith-Shawver, his transfer to the 60-day IL was inevitable. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He could return at some point in 2026 but presumably not until after the All-Star break.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Hui, Imagn Images
Twins Acquire Garrett Acton
The Marlins announced that they have traded right-hander Garrett Acton to the Twins for minor league righty Logan Whitaker. Acton was designated for assignment by Miami a few days ago when they acquired infielder Leo Jiménez. Minnesota transferred righty David Festa to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding 40-man roster move.
Acton, 28 in June, has a very limited major league track record. He made six appearances for the Athletics in 2023 and then one more with the Rays last year, with Tommy John surgery wiping out his 2024. He has allowed eight earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. In the offseason, he went to the Rockies and then Marlins via waivers.
The Twins are surely more focused on his minor league track record, where he has shown intriguing strikeout stuff, though home run troubles have led to lot of runs crossing the plate. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has thrown 160 minor league innings, mostly at the Triple-A level. In that time, he has a 4.56 earned run average. His 10% walk rate was a bit high but he managed to strike out 29.5% of batters faced.
Acton still has a pair of options, meaning the Twins can send him to the minors for some extra bullpen depth or add him immediately to the active roster. In either case, he may shuttle between the majors and minors throughout the season whenever the Twins need to freshen up the relief corps.
For the Marlins, they just claimed Acton off waivers two months ago. They are presumably happy with that sequence of events, which has netted them Whitaker. Minnesota took Whitaker with a 19th-round pick in 2024. Last year, he tossed 38 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. His 2.11 ERA in 2025 looks good but he only punched out a pedestrian 21% of batters faced. His 6.4% walk rate and 44.5% ground ball rate were a bit better than average. He seemed to get some help from a 78.9% strand rate. He doesn’t really show up on prospect lists but, as mentioned, Miami should be pleased to get a lottery ticket prospect for a guy they just grabbed from the waiver wire two months ago.
As for Festa, he was injured in February and began the season on the 15-day injured list. The Twins listed his injury as a triceps strain and shoulder impingement. His current timeline is unclear but this transaction indicates the Twins don’t expect him back before late May, which would be 60 days from his initial IL placement.
That doesn’t necessarily indicate bad news about his recovery. Even if he were declared healthy today, since he missed all of spring training, he would effectively have to start ramping up from scratch. The Twins should provide more details about his status in the future.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Tigers Release Phil Bickford, Colin Poche
The Tigers have released right-hander Phil Bickford and left-hander Colin Poche, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com. Both pitchers signed minor league deals with Detroit this offseason. They will now head back to the open market to search for their next opportunities.
Bickford, 30, was invited to big league camp but wasn’t able to pitch in any official spring action. He was diagnosed with a triceps strain in late February. He was reassigned to minor league camp a few days later. His current health status is not known.
He has 189 innings of big league experience under his belt, split between the Brewers, Dodgers, Mets and Yankees. Overall, he has allowed 4.62 earned runs per nine frames with a 26.1% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate.
His last big league appearance was in 2024. He spent 2025 in Triple-A, signing minor league deals with the Cubs and Phillies. Between those two organizations, he had a 3.52 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate in 46 Triple-A innings. That wasn’t enough to get him to the big leagues last year. He did get a camp invite with the Tigers a few months ago but the injury scuttle any chance of him making the team.
Poche, 32, has a better overall track record but has fallen on hard times lately. At the end of 2023, he had 171 career innings pitched with a 3.58 ERA. His 9.3% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 28.2% of batters faced. In 2024, his strikeout rate fell to 21.6%. His ERA didn’t suffer greatly, as he finished that year with a 3.86 mark, but the Rays non-tendered him.
He signed a minor league deal with the Nationals for 2025 and made the Opening Day roster but was designated for assignment on May 1st after 13 appearances. He had allowed 11 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings while giving out walks to 12 of the 46 batters he faced, an awful 26.1% clip. He spent most of the rest of the year with the Mets at the Triple-A level, where he walked 17.3% of opponents.
The Tigers gave Poche a minor league deal but didn’t invite him to big league camp. His transaction tracker at MLB.com says he was placed on the Triple-A Toledo injured list last week, without specifying the issue.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images