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Marlins To Select Adam Oller

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The Marlins plan to select Adam Oller’s contract from Triple-A Jacksonville, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. The righty will get the start on Monday, as the Marlins welcome the Diamondbacks for the first game of a three-game set. Oller signed a minor league deal with Miami in July.

Since the Pirates selected Oller in the 20th round of the 2016 draft, he has bounced between several organizations. After three seasons in the Pirates system, he briefly played in independent ball before signing on with the Giants in 2019. The Mets took him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft the following December, and two years later, they selected his contract to the 40-man roster to protect him from the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft. That same offseason, he was traded to the Athletics as part of the package for Chris Bassitt, and it was with Oakland that he finally made his MLB debut. Oller appeared in 19 games for the A’s in 2022, making 14 starts and pitching to a 6.30 ERA and 5.83 SIERA. He made another nine appearances, though only one start, in 2023 before he was designated for assignment. He put up a 10.07 ERA and 6.02 SIERA in 19 2/3 innings of work.

The Mariners claimed Oller off of waivers, and he finished out the 2023 season starting for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He was DFA’d and outrighted at the end of the season, and he elected free agency in November. After that, the right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Guardians, and although he earned an invitation to spring training, he never made his way onto the big league roster. After pitching to a 7.48 ERA and 6.00 FIP over 12 appearances (six starts) for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, Oller was released by the Guardians in July.

Since joining the Marlins organization, the 29-year-old Oller has seen noticeably better results. Across six appearances (three starts) at Triple-A Jacksonville, he has a 2.88 ERA and 3.46 FIP in 25 innings pitched. His 17.3% K-BB% is the highest it’s been at any stop in his professional career since his 2021 season at Double-A.

The Marlins have gone without a No. 5 starter since they designated Kyle Tyler for assignment earlier this month. Thanks to some well-scheduled off days, they have gotten by with just Edward Cabrera, Roddery Muñoz, Valente Bellozo, and Max Meyer since Tyler’s last appearance on August 8. However, they will need another starter on Monday, and it appears Oller is the man for the job. The Marlins’ rotation has been stretched thin by injuries this season, with names like Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Eury Pérez, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Weathers, and Sixto Sánchez all currently on the 60-day IL. Thus, Miami will look to Oller to provide innings as they try to ride out the rest of a thoroughly disappointing season.

Before putting Oller on the mound, the Marlins will need to make room for the right-hander on the 26 and 40-man rosters. One way for Miami to free up a 40-man spot would be to transfer outfielder Dane Myers from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL if the team does not think he will return from his fractured ankle before September 13. Alternatively, the Marlins could DFA a reliever like Brett de Geus or Kent Emanuel.

Reds Place Hunter Greene On 15-Day Injured List

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9:10 pm: After tonight’s game, Reds manager David Bell said Greene’s MRI looked encouraging (per Goldsmith). While he added that it was too soon to offer a timeline for Greene’s return, the skipper seemed optimistic his ace could be back on the mound once his minimum 15-day stint on the IL is up.

7:51 pm: The Reds have placed All-Star starting pitcher Hunter Greene on the 15-day injured list with right elbow soreness, the team announced. The club did not make a corresponding move before tonight’s game against the Royals at Great American Ball Park.

Greene, 25, was utterly dominant in his last start, holding the Cardinals to four hits and one run over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked only one. However, he reportedly felt soreness in his elbow following the outing (per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The pain temporarily went away, but it returned while he was playing catch today. President of baseball operations Nick Krall told Goldsmith that the IL stint is precautionary as of right now, and Greene will need an MRI before the team can decide on any next steps.

The young flamethrower underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in 2018. While his elbow has remained healthy since then, Greene spent several weeks on the IL with a shoulder strain in 2022 and hip soreness in 2023. At long last, it seemed like 2024 would be the year he put everything together. His star potential has long been evident, but he was finally enjoying star-caliber results, with a 2.83 ERA through a career-high 143 1/3 innings pitched. Unfortunately, his excellent season has now been put on hold. It’s unclear how serious the issue might be, but it’s naturally worrisome when a hard-throwing pitcher with a history of UCL problems goes on the IL with elbow pain.

With Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson on the 60-day IL, Cincinnati’s starting depth is already quite thin. Other starters on the 40-man roster include Connor Phillips and Lyon Richardson, but Phillips was sent to the Reds’ training complex in June amid tremendous struggles at Triple-A (10.11 ERA in 14 GS), while Richardson has recently been pitching out of the bullpen at Triple-A amid a difficult season of his own (4.58 ERA in 23 G).

Thus, the Reds will likely need to add a pitcher to the 40-man roster to start in Greene’s place on Monday. They already have an open spot to do so. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com names 23-year-old right-hander Julian Aguiar and 31-year-old right-hander Connor Overton as potential options, but he notes that the team is not planning to promote 22-year-old righty Rhett Lowder, one of the organization’s top prospects, from Double-A.

Angels Place José Soriano On 15-Day IL, Reinstate José Cisnero

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The Angels have reinstated right-hander José Cisnero from the 60-day injured list, the team announced. He will take fellow right-hander José Soriano’s place on the active roster, while Soriano heads to the 15-day IL with right arm fatigue. To make room for Cisnero on the 40-man roster, the Angels transferred Luis Rengifo to the 60-day IL. Rengifo underwent season-ending wrist surgery earlier this month.

Cisnero, 35, signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Los Angeles over the offseason. Unfortunately, his tenure with the Angels got off to a rough start, as he gave up three earned runs in 2/3 of an inning on Opening Day. He went on to put up a 7.07 ERA across 14 appearances over the first month of the season. Then, he landed on the IL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder at the end of April and has been out ever since. However, despite his poor start, the veteran has a track record as a reliable middle reliever. From 2019-23, he made 222 appearances for the Tigers with a 3.84 ERA and a 4.16 SIERA. Thus, the Angels will hope he can provide some stability for the bullpen upon his return. While L.A. ranks fifth in MLB with a 2.69 bullpen ERA since the trade deadline, the underlying metrics (4.40 SIERA, 4.57 xFIP) suggest that is highly unlikely to last. Angels relievers have a 4.13 ERA and 4.25 SIERA on the season, and that’s including the innings Carlos Estévez and Luis García pitched before they were dealt.

Regrettably for the Angels, Cisnero’s return comes just as another arm hits the IL. Soriano, 25, has been a breakout player for L.A. this year. Since joining the rotation on April 10, he has a 3.36 ERA, 3.98 SIERA, and 2.1 FanGraphs WAR over 20 starts. In that time, he leads Angels starters in all three metrics. However, he lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his last outing on Friday. Manager Ron Washington told reporters (including Dan Arritt of the Orange County Register) after the game that he could tell Soriano was tired and lifted him so that “he didn’t hurt himself.”

Thankfully for the Angels, “arm fatigue” does not sound like a particularly serious problem. Indeed, Soriano explained that he’s “not worried about it being a major injury” and said he’s “going to work to come back as soon as [he] can” (per Arritt). That being said, Soriano has already thrown 113 innings this season, far more than he’s ever thrown before in any other year of his professional career. Considering the Angels have no delusions about competing for a postseason spot this year, they would be smart to exercise the utmost caution with Soriano. Nevertheless, Washington made it clear that he expects to have the promising young hurler back in his rotation before the end of the year (per Arritt).

With Soriano making his last start yesterday, the Angels will need to choose a replacement in time for Wednesday’s series finale against the Royals. The most logical choice would seem to be Reid Detmers, who twirled a gem on Friday at Triple-A, giving up one run in eight innings while striking out 11. Detmers, 25, has been pitching at Triple-A since he was optioned in June. His overall results at Salt Lake have been disappointing (6.37 ERA in 12 GS), but he’s already on the 40-man roster and has several years of MLB experience under his belt. Other options on the 40-man roster include Sam Bachman, Davis Daniel, and Kenny Rosenberg. Daniel and Rosenberg were optioned earlier this week, but they could be recalled early if they are replacing the injured Greene.

Beyond the 40-man roster, veteran Johnny Cueto is the most intriguing option. The 38-year-old signed a minor league pact with the Angels in July, and he has a 3.09 ERA in four starts with the Salt Lake Bees. However, he had a 5.71 ERA and 4.91 FIP over nine starts at Triple-A in the Rangers organization earlier this year. Meanwhile, he had 6.02 ERA and 4.93 SIERA in the majors for the Marlins last season. In other words, there’s a reason the two-time All-Star and 2014 Cy Young runner-up has been unable to get back to the majors in 2024.

Astros Place Ryan Pressly On 15-Day Injured List

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The Astros placed veteran reliever Ryan Pressly on the 15-day injured list today with a low back strain. In a corresponding move, the team recalled right-hander Seth Martinez from Triple-A Sugar Land. Martinez will be available out of the bullpen for tonight’s game against the White Sox.

Pressly, 35, has been with the Astros since 2018, pitching to a 2.84 ERA with 109 saves in that time. He also has a 2.22 ERA with 14 additional saves in the postseason. Although he lost his job as Houston’s closer when the team signed Josh Hader this past offseason, he remains one of the club’s more reliable high-leverage bullpen arms. Through 49 games in 2024, Pressly has a 3.86 ERA, 3.45 SIERA, and 21 holds. He has worked almost exclusively in the eighth inning.

Astros relievers rank fifth in MLB and second in the AL with a 3.61 ERA on the season. Still, losing Pressly for any amount of time will be a tough blow to weather as the team looks to stay on top of the Mariners in the AL West. The Astros just entered a stretch of 18 games in 18 days, and after their series against the White Sox wraps up this weekend, they will face the Red Sox, Orioles, Phillies, and Royals.

Thankfully for the Astros, manager Joe Espada does not seem especially concerned about the severity of Pressly’s injury. To that point, the skipper explained that Pressly initially tried to pitch through the pain. Yet, considering the righty’s recent struggles (9.00 ERA in his last four appearances), it makes sense that the team decided to give him some time to rest up and heal. Espada described the IL stint as “a little breather,” which certainly suggests Pressly won’t be gone too long (Espada interview clip via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

Martinez, 29, has a 2.92 ERA (but a 4.59 SIERA) in 41 appearances as a low-leverage reliever for the Astros this season. The right-hander made the Opening Day roster out of spring training, and he stuck with the big league club until the trade deadline. He was then optioned to Triple-A as the Astros made room for new acquisitions Yusei Kikuchi and Caleb Ferguson on the active roster. Aside from his low ERA, none of his 2024 numbers jump off the page. Still, he will provide Houston with another capable arm while Pressly is on the mend.

Dodgers Recall Bobby Miller, Activate Ryan Brasier

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The Dodgers added a pair of right-handed pitchers to the active roster today, promoting Bobby Miller from Triple-A Oklahoma City and activating Ryan Brasier from the 60-day injured list. To free up space on the 26-man roster, right-hander Michael Grove and left-hander Justin Wrobleski were optioned to Triple-A. The Dodgers already had an open spot on the 40-man after designating Amed Rosario for assignment on Monday.

Miller, 25, has had a rough go of it in his sophomore season. After pitching to a 3.76 ERA and 3.93 SIERA in his rookie campaign, the righty had mixed results over his first three starts in 2024, putting up a 5.40 ERA and 3.22 SIERA in 11 2/3 innings pitched. He then spent the next two months on the IL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Miller returned to the mound in mid-June but struggled tremendously over his next four outings, giving up 19 earned runs in 17 1/3 innings (9.87 ERA). He struck out only nine, walked 12, and allowed five home runs – and least one in all four starts. His fastball velocity was also significantly slower; his four-seam averaged 99 mph in 2023, 98.3 mph over his first three starts in 2024, and just 96.8 mph in his last four starts before his demotion. Following what was arguably the worst start of his big league career (4 IP, 9 ER against the Phillies on July 9), he was optioned to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club.

Unfortunately, Miller hasn’t looked much sharper at Triple-A. In three starts after being sent down, he gave up nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits, with matching 18.3% strikeout and walk rates. He has not regained any of his missing fastball velocity either; his four-seam averaged 96.5 mph in his latest Triple-A outing on August 9. That being said, the Dodgers might simply have run out of other options for the starting rotation. Earlier this week, the team announced that top prospect River Ryan would undergo Tommy John surgery and ace Tyler Glasnow would hit the 15-day IL with elbow tendinitis. Wrobleski started on Friday, and Landon Knack was optioned after pitching four innings in relief on Tuesday. Miller is the only other healthy starter on the 40-man roster.

Wrobleski collected the win against the Cardinals yesterday, but the 24-year-old didn’t exactly look sharp. He gave up four runs on three homers in five innings of work, striking out three and walking two. The southpaw has a 4.68 ERA and 5.14 SIERA in 25 big league innings this year, to go with a 5.23 ERA and 5.03 FIP in four starts at Triple-A Oklahoma.

Thus, Miller will take the ball in today’s Players’ Weekend contest against the Cardinals. Barring a particularly poor performance, he could remain in the rotation until Glasnow is ready to return. The All-Star right-hander likely won’t miss much time, with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reporting that Glasnow “feels fine” and did not even want to go on the IL in the first place. His IL placement is retroactive to August 13, so he will be eligible to come back to the team on August 28.

Meanwhile, Brasier will return to pitch out of the Dodgers bullpen for the first time since April. He has been out for nearly four months nursing a right calf strain. Although his early-season performance was uninspiring (4.63 ERA in 12 games), the 36-year-old was dominant for the Dodgers after they acquired him last season (0.70 ERA in 79 games), and the team will hope he can contribute in the late innings down the stretch. Despite his mediocre ERA, he pitched to a 3.21 SIERA in April, almost identical to his 3.29 SIERA with L.A. in 2023. On top of that, he looked sharp against minor league competition during his Triple-A rehab stint, tossing eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and only one walk. What’s more, his average velocity was up on both his four-seam and sinker compared to his radar gun readings in April.

Grove, 27, has a 5.18 ERA in 33 appearances for the Dodgers this year. However, his 3.20 SIERA is much more promising, and he will head to Triple-A to wait in the wings as additional bullpen depth. Despite his unsightly ERA, he has looked like a solid multi-inning reliever when he’s taken the mound for the Dodgers this year. Yet, considering his mixed results – including a poor outing yesterday – and his optionability, it comes as little surprise that the Dodgers chose to send Grove down to make room for Brasier in the bullpen.

White Sox Claim Enyel De Los Santos Off Of Waivers From Yankees

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The White Sox have claimed right-handed pitcher Enyel De Los Santos off of waivers from the Yankees, the team announced. The club also recalled right-hander Gus Varland from Triple-A Charlotte and placed fellow right-hander Steven Wilson on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain. In addition, the White Sox transferred righty Mike Clevinger to the 60-day IL. The veteran underwent season-ending neck surgery in July. Transferring Clevinger to the 60-day IL frees up a space for De Los Santos on the 40-man. However, the White Sox will need to make an additional transaction in order to add him to the 26-man roster.

De Los Santos, 28, started the 2024 season with the Padres, who acquired him over the winter in exchange for Scott Barlow. Across 44 games for San Diego, De Los Santos pitched to a mediocre 4.46 ERA, giving up 21 runs (20 earned) on 39 hits over 40 1/3 innings. His underlying numbers were a little more promising (3.22 SIERA, 3.91 xFIP), and he was solid for the Guardians from 2022-23, putting up a 3.18 ERA and 3.57 SIERA over 120 appearances. Nonetheless, the Padres ran out of room for him after acquiring several new relievers at the trade deadline, so they flipped him to the Yankees alongside pitching prospect Thomas Balboni Jr. in exchange for minor league outfielder Brandon Lockridge.

The Yankees quickly soured on De Los Santos, however, designating him for assignment earlier this week. Funnily enough, the final straw for De Los Santos in the Bronx might have been his outing against the White Sox on Monday, when he gave up seven earned runs to his future team in 1 2/3 innings of work.

At this point in the season, the White Sox are simply looking for live arms to help them get to the finish line. They rank last in the AL with a 5.03 bullpen ERA, and their relief corps has been even worse as of late, pitching to a 6.17 ERA since the All-Star break. De Los Santos should be more than capable of providing the White Sox with innings over the final weeks of the season, and he could prove to be quite a smart pickup for Chris Getz and Co. if he rediscovers his 2022-23 form. He will be eligible for arbitration in 2025 and ’26, should the White Sox choose to keep him around.

The White Sox claimed Varland, 27, off of waivers from the Dodgers earlier this month. Neither his Triple-A numbers nor his MLB stats are particularly inspiring, but he can serve as additional bullpen depth for Chicago. Varland has a career 5.81 ERA and 5.45 SIERA across 26 1/3 innings with the Brewers and Dodgers over the past two years. Meanwhile, he has a 7.47 ERA and 5.00 FIP in 37 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season.

Wilson, 29, joined the White Sox this offseason as part of the trade that sent Dylan Cease to the Padres. Although he put up solid numbers during his two seasons in San Diego (3.48 ERA, 4.20 SIERA in 106 IP), he has had a difficult year in Chicago. Not only is this his second stint on the injured list with back troubles, but he has a 5.71 ERA and 5.38 SIERA in 40 appearances. According to Win Probability Added (WPA) and FanGraphs WAR, he has been one of the ten least valuable relievers in the AL this season.

Astros To Promote Shay Whitcomb

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The Astros are planning to select Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston. He has played all over the diamond for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys this season, seeing the bulk of his time at second base, third base, and shortstop. However, his best path to playing time with the Astros will be as a first baseman and occasional corner outfielder and DH. The team will need to make a corresponding move to free up space for Whitcomb on the 40-man roster.

Whitcomb, now 25, joined the Astros organization as the final pick in the shortened 2020 draft. Exclusively a shortstop during his time at UC San Diego, he has also played plenty of second and third base at every level in the minors. In 2024, he began seeing more playing time at first base and the outfield corners, presumably because second base (Jose Altuve), third base (Alex Bregman), and shortstop (Jeremy Peña) are all currently blocked at the big league level. While Whitcomb’s glove might be more valuable at second, third, or short, he has performed well enough at Triple-A this year (25 HR, 26 SB, 122 wRC+) that it’s worth seeing if he can team up with Jon Singleton to make a productive first base platoon. Singleton has played 77 games at first base for the Astros this year, and while he has a 113 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, he is all but unplayable against southpaws (32 wRC+ in 71 PA). The righty-batting Whitcomb has relatively neutral platoon splits at Sugar Land this year, with an .890 OPS against righties and a .979 OPS against lefties.

Earlier this month, Astros GM Dana Brown suggested the team would call up either Zach Dezenzo or Whitcomb to help out at first base. Just two days later, Denzenzo made his MLB debut. While Dezenzo, 24, is a more highly regarded prospect than Whitcomb, the former has had a rough go of it so far with Houston, going just 5-for-25 with a .591 OPS and 64 wRC+. Yet, although Whitcomb’s promotion comes on the heels of Dezenzo’s struggles, manager Joe Espada could still find playing time for both, considering how badly the Astros could use a productive right-handed bat at first and in the outfield.

The Opener: Soler, Greene, Leone

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Here are a few things we’ll be watching around Major League Baseball today:

1. Another Braves outfielder exits with hamstring trouble:

On the same day that Braves center fielder Michael Harris II returned from a two-month stay on the IL with a hamstring strain, left fielder Jorge Soler exited due to hamstring soreness after running out a ground ball in the top of the fourth.

According to David O’Brien of The Athletic, manager Brian Snitker described the injury as “tightness” rather than a more worrisome strain, while Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that Snitker “didn’t sound too concerned.” However, Soler’s own post-game comments seemed a little more ominous. When asked if he was worried about a stint on the IL, the outfielder told reporters, “To be honest, I don’t know” (per Toscano). Ultimately, no one will know the severity of Soler’s injury until he gets an MRI, which he is set to undergo today (per Toscano). That said, the Braves wouldn’t be sending him for a scan if they didn’t have any concerns. After all, it was only a few days ago that Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. downplayed the severity of an injury, only for an MRI to reveal a left elbow sprain and land him on the 10-day IL.

Soler has four home runs, 11 RBI, and a .978 OPS in 13 games since joining the Braves ahead of the trade deadline. His hot hitting has been reminiscent of the last time he came to Atlanta in a midseason trade; he hit 14 home runs with an .882 OPS down the stretch in 2021, before helping the Braves to a World Series title and winning World Series MVP honors.

2. Riley Greene to begin rehab assignment:

In more hamstring-related injury news, Tigers All-Star outfielder Riley Greene will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo today. He is working his way back from a hamstring strain he suffered in late July (per the Tigers, via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). The Tigers are hoping to have him back before the end of the month (per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News).

The 23-year-old enjoyed a tremendous first half with Detroit, slashing .272/.364/.503 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI through the All-Star break. He’ll look to pick up where he left off over the final weeks of the season. Meanwhile, the Tigers will be pleased to have their star hitter back in the lineup, even as they continue to slip further out of contention in the AL Wild Card race. They have gone 7-10 since Greene last took the field.

3. Dominic Leone exits with elbow soreness:

White Sox reliever Dominic Leone exited yesterday’s game with right elbow soreness, the team told reporters (including James Fegan of Sox Machine). He is set to undergo further testing today, after which the team will presumably provide an update on his status. As Fegan points out, Leone has already missed significant time with elbow trouble this season. Previously, he missed the end of the 2022 campaign with inflammation in his pitching elbow. The 32-year-old journeyman has a 6.63 ERA and 5.09 SIERA in 19 innings of work in 2024.

The Opener: Harris, Judge, LLWS

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Here are three things to keep an eye on around baseball today:

1. Braves to reinstate Michael Harris II:

Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Mark Bowman of MLB.com) that Michael Harris II will be activated from the 60-day injured list today. He will join the Braves in San Francisco as they attempt to secure a series victory over the Giants. The center fielder has been out since mid-June with a hamstring strain.

Harris tore things up at Triple-A over six rehab games, batting .435 with a 1.065 OPS. The Braves will hope he stays hot in the majors; before his injury, he was hitting just .250 with a disappointing .653 OPS in 67 games. Atlanta will need to make an additional transaction or two to clear space for Harris on the 26 and 40-man rosters. Bowman implies the Braves could DFA Adam Duvall as a corresponding move. Duvall is in the midst of a dreadful season (.178/.240/.315, -1.1 FanGraphs WAR), and as Bowman points out, the righty-batting Duvall did not get the start last night even with a left-handed pitcher on the mound.

2. Aaron Judge going for home run No. 300:

Yankees outfielder and AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge has been sitting on 299 career home runs since Sunday, when he took Rangers southpaw Andrew Chafin deep for his MLB-leading 42nd homer of the season. With his next long ball, Judge will become the 162nd player in MLB history to join the 300-homer club. He will also, almost surely, become the fastest player to hit 300 home runs. That honor currently belongs to Ralph Kiner, who hit his 300th home run in his 1,087th career game. Judge has played just 954 games since his debut in 2016. In other words, Judge will become the fastest player to reach the 300-homer mark whether he hits his next bomb today, next week, or next month. However, he’ll have a pretty good shot tonight, as the Yankees play their final game of the season against the hapless White Sox. White Sox pitchers have given up the third-most home runs in MLB this season (157).

3. Little League World Series starts today:

The Little League World Series kicks off this afternoon in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Ten teams from around the United States and another ten from around the world will compete to be crowned LLWS champions. The tournament, which airs on ESPN, runs through August 25. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Tigers will take the field in Williamsport for the Little League Classic on August 18.

The Opener: Caminero, Matthews, Chisholm, Marte

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Here are three things to watch for around baseball this Tuesday:

1. Rays to recall Junior Caminero:

The Rays plan to promote top prospect Junior Caminero before tonight’s game against the Astros. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report the news.

Caminero, 21, is a consensus top-five prospect in the game. He made his MLB debut last September, going 8-for-34 with a .631 OPS in a seven-game cup of coffee. The promising young infielder returned to the minor leagues in 2024, and he has settled in quite nicely during his first stint at Triple-A. He has 13 home runs, an .828 OPS, and a 109 wRC+ in 53 games. What’s more, he has not skipped a beat since returning from his most recent stint on the IL due to quad trouble. The righty batter is hitting .304 with an .857 OPS and a 114 wRC+ in his last 19 games. That’s not overwhelming production, especially coming out of Triple-A, but Caminero has been playing well enough that it’s not hard to see why the Rays decided to give him another shot in the bigs.

Caminero will likely spend most of his time at third base and DH, and Tampa Bay will hope he can provide a boost to a struggling lineup. The Rays have lost six of their last 10 games, and their offense ranks 27th in the majors in runs scored since the trade deadline, averaging just 3.33 runs per contest.

2. Zebby Matthews to debut for Twins:

In more prospect news, the Twins plan to select one of their top pitching prospects to make his MLB debut tonight: Zebby Matthews will get the start against the Royals (per ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Matthews, 24, will join fellow rookies Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa in the Twins’ rotation. Minnesota’s starting rotation was supposed to be one of the team’s biggest strengths entering the season, but injuries to Anthony DeSclafani, Chris Paddack, and, most recently, Joe Ryan – plus a poor performance from former top prospect Louie Varland – have forced the Twins to rely more heavily on their rookies than they expected to.

Matthews started the season at High-A and made his way up to Triple-A by mid-July. He’s sporting a 2.60 ERA in 97 innings and has demonstrated excellent strikeout skills and phenomenal control at every step along the way (30.5% strikeout rate, 1.8% walk rate). Minnesota might have preferred to give him a little more time at Triple-A – he has a 5.68 ERA over his first four starts with the St. Paul Saints – but Ryan’s injury forced the team’s hand. The Twins will need to make a corresponding move to open up a spot for Matthews on the 40-man roster.

3. MRIs scheduled for Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ketel Marte:

Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited yesterday’s contest with a left elbow injury after diving awkwardly into home plate (per Greg Joyce of the New York Post). X-rays were negative, and Chisholm told reporters he wasn’t “super concerned” about the injury, but he will undergo an MRI today just in case (per Joyce). Chisholm has been a key player for New York over the past couple of weeks, batting .316 with a 1.062 OPS in 14 games. He has hit seven home runs and scored 13 times for the Bronx Bombers, and the Yankees have gone 9-5 since he joined the team.

Over in the NL, another star infielder will go for an MRI. Ketel Marte aggravated a prior injury in his left ankle last night and exited the game in the second inning (per Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports). Marte sat out on Monday due to his ankle, but he and the team presumed he would be ready to return after a day off. The D-backs have not provided much more information about the potential severity, but manager Torey Lovullo suggested today’s MRI was a precautionary measure (per Weiner). Marte is a dark-horse NL MVP candidate this season, so needless to say, he has been critical to Arizona’s success. He is batting .298 with 30 home runs, a .930 OPS, and a 152 wRC+. His 5.4 FanGraphs WAR ranks third in the National League.

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