Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Yankees Likely To Promote Cam Schlittler

By | at

The Yankees are currently planning to add pitching prospect Cam Schlittler to the big league roster on either Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Joel Sherman and Dan Martin of the New York Post.  Multiple transactions will be required in advance since Schlittler isn’t on the 40-man roster, though 40-man space can be easily created by moving Clarke Schmidt to the 60-day injured list.  Schmidt will miss the rest of the season due to an expected Tommy John surgery, which has opened the door for Schlittler to make his Major League debut.

Allan Winans was only just optioned to Triple-A last Sunday and thus his minimum 15-day stay in the minors isn’t yet up, unless another injury arises in the next few days to allow New York to bring Winans back to the Show.  Should a forthcoming create a path back for Winans, the Yankees might change course, which is why Sherman and Martin note that the club hasn’t yet absolutely decided to call Schlittler up.

Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Will Warren comprise the top four pitchers in a rotation that has now taken another big injury hit with the loss of Schmidt, on top of Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery in March.  Luis Gil has missed the entire season due to a lat strain and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break, while Sherman/Martin write that swingman Ryan Yarbrough is expected to be out until August while recovering from an oblique strain.  This means Schlittler might get a bit of an extended audition beyond just a start in New York’s upcoming series with the Mariners, unless Winans is recalled or if the Yankees perhaps acquired another pitcher.

A seventh-round pick for the Yankees in the 2022 draft, Schlittler has a 3.33 ERA over 243 1/3 career pro innings, starting 50 of his 54 games.  This year, he has a 2.38 ERA over 53 innings of Double-A ball this season and a 3.80 ERA in 23 2/3 innings at Triple-A.  Schlittler has an impressive 31.9% strikeout rate over his 76 2/3 total innings this season, as well as an 8.4% walk rate and a 47.8% grounder rate.  The right-hander has consistently done a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, though this does leave him open to some batted-ball variance, such as his .350 BABIP in the minors this season.

Baseball America ranks the 6’6″, 210-pound Schlittler fifth on their list of the Yankees’ minor league prospects, while he sits tenth on MLB Pipeline’s Yankees farm rankings.  Both outlets put a 60-grade on Schlittler’s fastball, which averages around 94mph and can hit as high as 97-98mph, plus BA’s scouting report cites the pitch’s “15 inches of induced vertical break.”  BA’s report is also a big fan of the sweeper Schlittler has been developing, which nicely complements his more standard slider.  This combination of pitches hints that Schlittler could be a very promising reliever if his future as a starter doesn’t work out, but evaluators feel he has a chance to stick as at least a back-end rotation member.

Astros Sign Hector Neris

By | at

2:56PM: Neris’s deal is official and he is active for today’s game, according to Matt Kawahawa of the Houston Chronicle.  Right-hander Jason Alexander has been optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

2:25PM: The Astros are set to sign right-hander Hector Neris to a Major League contract, KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander reports.  The Angels designated Neris for assignment and then released the veteran reliever this week after he cleared waivers, but Neris didn’t have to wait long on the open market for his next deal.

Neris posted a 2.69 ERA over 133 2/3 innings for Houston during the 2022-23 seasons, as well as a 1.50 ERA over six playoff innings during the Astros’ run to the 2022 World Series.  He signed a one-year, $9MM deal with the Cubs during the 2023-24 offseason, and after Chicago released him last August, Neris rejoined the Astros but didn’t really recapture the magic, delivering only a 4.70 ERA in 15 1/3 innings over the remainder of the 2024 campaign.

A pair of minor league contracts with the Braves and Angels saw Neris receive some MLB time with both clubs this season, and Neris has a 7.80 ERA over 15 combined innings with the two teams.  A big 29.4% strikeout rate has been countered by an 11.8% walk rate, and Neris has allowed three home runs over his small sample size of big league activity.

Neris’ 3.47 SIERA is perhaps a truer reflection of his performance, which is probably why the Astros opted to guarantee a roster spot to the 36-year-old.  His past history as a known quantity and clubhouse favorite in Houston also undoubtedly played a role, as both parties will see if Neris can regain his old status as an innings-eating bullpen workhorse.  The Astros’ bullpen has been one of the very best in baseball this season, so the team has the luxury of giving Neris an audition to see if he can even further deepen the relief corps.

Dodgers Not Planning To Add Third Base Help Before Deadline

By | at

Max Muncy is expected to be out until roughly the second week of August after sustaining a bone bruise in his left knee on Wednesday.  While losing Muncy for six weeks will leave a significant hole in the Dodgers’ lineup, the club seems content to just stick with internal replacements rather than seek out infield depth at the trade deadline, manager Dave Roberts and GM Brandon Gomes told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).

“Even if [Muncy’s recovery] is way slow, you have a full month of baseball before we hit the playoffs,” Gomes said.  “So we’re giving him that time to get back into a good place and try to set a good foundation, like we try to do with all of our guys, to be prepared for that stretch run.”

The Dodgers have baseball’s best record (56-33) and an eight-game lead over the second-place Padres in the NL West.  With yet another postseason trip already looking like a lock, the Dodgers can afford to play the long game in even their post-deadline plans, on top of the remaining weeks to evaluate things prior to the July 31 trade deadline.

“With the time we have, there’s nothing pressing as far as needing to rush [Muncy] back,” Roberts said.  “I think we’re in a good spot….Knowing the certainty of Max coming back at some point.  I don’t think that will really impact our thinking going into the deadline.”

Of course, this could be gamesmanship on some level for Gomes and Roberts, as it wouldn’t exactly help the Dodgers’ leverage to publicly announce a quest for infield help.  It is also possible that the duo are being completely forthright, yet Los Angeles could still change course before the deadline if Muncy has a setback, or if he isn’t progressing well as July 31 approaches.  Bone bruises are often hard to officially diagnose in terms of a recovery timeline, since the nature of the injury lends itself to lingering discomfort.

The L.A. roster is also deep enough that Muncy’s absence opens up some room for others to get some deserved playing time.  Most prominently, Hyeseong Kim will likely get more time in the lineup, after hitting .360/.406/.506 over his first 96 big league plate appearances.  Kim’s playing time at second base should increase as Tommy Edman is used along with Enrique Hernandez and Miguel Rojas in the third base rotation while Muncy is out.

Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By | at

Right-hander Clarke Schmidt has a tear in his UCL and will probably undergo Tommy John surgery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Joel Sherman of the New York Post).  Schmidt will miss the remainder of the 2025 season and will miss perhaps all of the 2026 season, given the usual 13-15 month recovery timeline for TJ procedures.

It is a worst-case scenario for Schmidt, who went on the 15-day IL yesterday with what was described as forearm tightness.  Schmidt told reporters that he had been dealing with the issue for a month, which perhaps makes his recent performances all the more impressive.  The righty carried a streak of 28 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in June but ran into trouble in his last two starts, when Schmidt allowed seven earned runs over nine combined innings against the Athletics and Blue Jays.  In that latter outing against Toronto on Thursday, Schmidt was pulled after just three innings of work.

Rotator cuff tendonitis kept Schmidt from making his 2025 debut until April 16, but he’ll now wrap up his season with a 3.32 ERA over 78 2/3 innings.  Though his strikeout and walk rates were nothing special, Schmidt did a very good job of limiting hard contact, and benefited from a .232 BABIP.  That batted ball luck is reflected in Schmidt’s 4.24 ERA, but the 29-year-old did well to help stabilize a Yankees rotation that was already dealing with a number of injury issues.

Unfortunately, Schmidt now joins ace Gerrit Cole and reliever Jake Cousins as Yankee pitchers who have undergone a Tommy John procedure this season.  In the bigger picture, this is the second TJ surgery for Schmidt, who also went under the knife in 2017 when he was still a college pitcher at South Carolina.  He also missed a big chunk of the 2021 season due to an elbow strain, and missed about half of last season due to a lat strain.

Since this is Schmidt’s second Tommy John surgery, chances are that his rehab process will sit on the longer end of the usual timeframe.  This means Schmidt might only be available for the very end of the 2026 season, and it is probably more likely that he isn’t back until Opening Day 2027.  Schmidt is arbitration-controlled through the 2027 season, so the Yankees might consider a non-tender this winter and then look to re-sign the righty to a two-year deal with most of the salary pushed into 2027 when Schmidt is healthy.

In the shorter term, the Yankees now have to figure out how to address Schmidt’s rotation spot.  Ryan Yarbrough (oblique strain) and Luis Gil (lat strain) should both be back after the All-Star break, with Gil set to make his 2025 debut after his own long-term injury absence.  Between Gil and swingman Yarbrough joining Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Will Warren, that might be enough depth at the big league level for New York to remain comfortable with the rotation, plus Allan Winans and prospect Cam Schlittler are available at Triple-A.

There’s also the upcoming trade deadline as a possible avenue for rotation help, if the club decides some upgrades are necessary.  The Yankees have some time to see how Gil and Yarbrough fare in their recoveries before deciding one way or the other, plus rival teams’ asking prices on any available starters are surely still very high here in early July.  It is possible the front office might have felt compelled to add starting pitching even if Schmidt was still active, yet his loss only makes the rotation more of a need for a struggling Yankees team that is only 6-15 in its last 21 games.

Blue Jays Place Yimi Garcia On 15-Day Injured List

By | at

The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Yimi Garcia has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.  Right-hander Robinson Pina was called up from Triple-A to take Garcia’s spot on the active roster.

Garcia was only just activated from a prior IL stint on Wednesday, as the reliever had missed just under six weeks due to a shoulder impingement.  The righty’s brief return to Toronto’s roster consisted of one appearance and one inning of work that saw Garcia surrender a game-tying two-run homer to Aaron Judge, though Garcia was still the winning pitcher in the Jays’ 11-9 win over the Yankees.

That outing boosted Garcia’s ERA to 3.86 over 21 innings and 22 games.  Garcia has been missing a lot of bats (27.8% strikeout rate), but he has a 13.3% walk rate that would be far and away the highest of his 11 big league seasons.  While Garcia hasn’t necessarily been at his sharpest, he has still been a key high-leverage arm out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, and he’ll now be out again until at least beyond the All-Star break.

The lack of depth at the back of Toronto’s rotation has led the team to lean hard on its bullpen, as the Jays rank eighth in baseball with 337 2/3 relief innings pitched.  The Blue Jays figured to be targeting starting and relief pitching at the deadline already, and their needs in the pen will be exacerbated if there’s now any question about Garcia’s availability in the rest of July.

Mets Interested In Mitch Keller

By | at

The Mets have shown interest in Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  New York joins the Cubs as teams known to be linked to Keller, who placed second on MLBTR’s ranking of the top 40 trade candidates heading into the deadline.

It was just a week ago that the Mets got an up-close look at Keller when he held them to one run over 5 1/3 innings in Pittsburgh’s 9-1 victory over New York on June 27.  That outing was part of a nice five-start stretch for Keller that has seen the righty post a 2.40 ERA over his last 30 innings of work.  For the season as a whole, Keller has a 3.64 ERA over 106 1/3 innings, delivering both quality and reliability over his regular turns in the Pittsburgh rotation.

This durability likely has particular appeal for a Mets pitching staff that has been hit hard by injuries.  Of the five pitchers who have tossed the most innings for New York this season, Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill are on the 15-day injured list, and Griffin Canning recent underwent a season-ending surgery to fix a ruptured Achilles.  Sean Manaea has yet to pitch this season due to an oblique strain and then a loose body found in his throwing elbow, but he is scheduled to make his return from the IL before the All-Star break.

Since Senga could also be back within the week, the Mets could roll with a rotation of Senga, Manaea, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, and Frankie Montas through July to see if this starting five is enough to strength the team’s hopes of capturing the NL East and then a World Series title.  Given all of the question marks within that group, adding a stable arm like Keller would certainly seem like a logical move to keep the rotation strong for the stretch run.

Beyond the prospect cost of a Keller trade, the Mets would face a particular financial penalty if they were to take on most or all of the right-hander’s remaining contract.  Keller is owed the remainder of his $15MM salary for 2025, and is then owed $54.5MM over the course of the 2026-28 seasons.  That would put another hefty commitment on the books for a Mets team whose luxury tax number (roughly $326.8MM, as per RosterResource) is well over the maximum tax penalty tier of $301MM.

Some salary offset could be included in any potential trade between the Mets and Pirates, though that would run counter to the Bucs’ desire to shed some payroll by moving Keller in the first place.  With so much young pitching either already in Pittsburgh’s rotation or on the cusp of the majors, the thinking has been that the Pirates would move at least one or both of Keller and impending free agent Andrew Heaney in order to add some young talent (probably on the offensive side), create more openings for Triple-A call-ups, and to create financial flexibility.

“There seems to be a line of thinking where if they can get that money off the payroll, it can be used to acquire a hitter,” a source tells Hiles, which perhaps hints at a scenario where the Pirates could then pivot to acquire a somewhat pricey bat (likely a veteran).  This would indicate a strategy of both selling and buying at the deadline, with the additions being aimed for either the future or perhaps even the short-term.  Despite their 38-51 record, the Pirates haven’t yet fully committed to a full-on sale at the deadline, as the source says that the club’s 6-0 homestand this week might have created some hope that a later surge is possible.

Broadly, the team has played better since Derek Shelton was fired as manager, and interim skipper Don Kelly has led the team to a 26-25 record.  Still, the Bucs remain solidly in last place in the NL Central, and it would take a major hot streak just to get to .500, let alone in contention.  While Pittsburgh might not be ready to explore trades this early into July, the team remains “one of a few teams expected to sell this trade season,” as Hiles puts it.  It is also fair to assume that the budget-conscious Pirates would always be open moving Keller’s contract regardless of their place in the standings, even in the unlikely scenario that the team does catch fire in the weeks leading up to the deadline.

Diamondbacks Activate Corbin Carroll From 10-Day IL

By | at

Corbin Carroll is returning to the Diamondbacks’ lineup, as the club announced that the outfielder has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  Utilityman Tim Tawa was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Carroll last played on June 18, when he was hit in the left wrist by a pitch from Blue Jays southpaw Justin Bruihl.  The result was a chip fracture and a trip to the IL that officially began on June 21, though thankfully, it appears as though Carroll dodged the bullet of a more serious injury.  Carroll felt good enough to play in an Arizona Complex League game on Thursday and he took part in a live batting practice session yesterday.

Before he was sidelined, Carroll was enjoying a huge season, and a return to the form he showed in winning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2023.  The 149 wRC+ Carroll has posted through 323 plate appearances this season is indeed even higher than his 132 wRC+ in 2023, and a big step up from his relatively disappointing 107 wRC+ last year.  Carroll is hitting .255/.341/.573 with 20 homers and a league-best nine triples this season, also contributing strong baserunning and (in the view of the Outs Above Average metric) plus defensive in right field.

Getting Carroll back so quickly is a huge boost to the Diamondbacks, who remain on the outskirts of the playoff race with a 43-45 record.  Arizona is 4.5 games back of the final NL wild card spot with three other teams sitting between the D’Backs and the Padres, who hold that last wild card berth.  The Snakes will have to make up some serious ground in July to more properly get themselves into the hunt, and to potentially avoid a significant selloff at the deadline.

Dodgers Release Luis Garcia

By | at

The Dodgers have released Luis Garcia, according to the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  Garcia was designated for assignment last week and (upon clearing waivers) had the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, though L.A. streamlined that process by parting ways with the 38-year-old.

Signed to a minor league contract this past winter, Garcia made the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, and posted a 5.27 ERA over 27 1/3 innings with the club.  The righty’s 4.25 SIERA was more respectable, as Garcia’s sky-high .388 BABIP greatly hampered his grounder-heavy approach.  Bad batted-ball luck notwithstanding, Garcia also hurt himself by allowing a lot of hard contact, and walking batters at a 12.7% rate.  That elevated walk rate was an unwelcome return to the control problems Garcia faced earlier in his career, though he had seemingly harnessed his control by posting a more palatable 7% walk rate from 2021-24.

Garcia missed about a month of the season due to an adductor strain, and made two final appearances for Los Angeles before he was DFA’ed.  The 13-year veteran will now be changing addresses yet again after already pitching for seven different teams at the big league level over his lengthy career.  This long track record figures to get Garcia another look from some team on a minors deal, and the reliever was still posting quality results as recently as the first half of 2024, before the deadline trade that sent Garcia from the Angels to the Red Sox.

If Garcia indeed signs elsewhere, new team would only owe him the MLB minimum salary for any time spent in the majors.  That money would be subtracted from the remainder of Garcia’s $1.5MM salary for the 2025 season, which will be otherwise covered by the Dodgers.

Phillies Interested In Dennis Santana, David Bednar

By | at

It is no secret that the Phillies are looking to bolster their relief corps before the trade deadline, and to that end, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Phils have asked the Pirates about relievers Dennis Santana and David Bednar.  Santana has been of interest to Philadelphia “for quite some time,” Hiles writes, though Bednar’s recent strong play has also gotten him onto the NL East team’s radar.  Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan radio first mentioned the Phillies’ interest in Santana and Bednar last week, and noted that Philadelphia could look to acquire both relievers in a single trade.

MLBTR’s ranking of the top 40 trade deadline candidates features Bednar (3rd) and Santana (9th) both in prominent positions, speaking to both their impressive performances in 2025, the likelihood that the Pirates will indeed be deadline sellers, and the simple fact that basically every contender could use some bullpen help.  The two right-handers are both scheduled to enter free agency after the 2026 season, so that extra year of arbitration control figures to up the Pirates’ asking price for either pitcher.

Santana’s rise from journeyman reliever to bullpen ace has been remarkable, as it was barely over a year ago that the Bucs claimed Santana off waivers from the Yankees in a transaction that drew little notice.  After posting uninspiring numbers with four teams over parts of seven MLB seasons, Santana suddenly blossomed in Pittsburgh, with a 1.99 ERA, 25.16% strikeout rate, and 5.8% walk rate in 81 1/3 innings in a Pirates uniform.  Santana has certainly been aided by a .206 BABIP this season since his 3.52 SIERA is over two runs higher than his 1.46 ERA, but Santana’s underlying metrics (particularly his walk rate and elite hard-contact rate) indicate that his success is no fluke.

Santana has mostly worked in a set-up role but briefly served as Pittsburgh’s closer when Bednar was optioned to Triple-A at the start of April.  Between his struggles in 2024 and his early stumbles this year, Bednar looked miles removed from his past All-Star form, yet his brief stint in the minors got his career back on track. Bednar has a sparkling 1.88 ERA over the 28 2/3 innings since his recall, and his 34.7% strikeout rate is one of the best in baseball.  On the other end of the batted-ball coin, Bednar had achieved this success despite a .343 BABIP, and his 2.27 SIERA is even lower than his full-season 2.73 ERA.

Either Bednar or Santana would be obvious upgrades for a Phillies team that ranks 24th of 30 teams in bullpen ERA (4.41).  Closer Jordan Romano has somewhat righted the ship after some major early-season struggles but isn’t the most reliable of late-inning options, while Jose Alvarado won’t be back from his 80-game PED suspension until August (and of course Alvarado isn’t eligible for postseason play).  Since Philadelphia has one of the sport’s best rotations and the lineup is still as dangerous as ever, a sturdier bullpen may be the final piece the Phillies need to finally break through for the club’s first World Series title since 2008.

Considering how the bullpen has been a constant target area for a few years now, landing controllable relievers like Santana or Bednar would help the Phillies address the issue beyond just this season.  Last season’s deadline saw the Phillies acquire impending free agent Carlos Estevez to strengthen the pen, yet after Estevez left to sign with the Royals, Philadelphia was somewhat left back at square one.

Bednar is the pricier of the two pitchers, as he is set to earn the remainder of his $5.9MM salary in 2025 before earning a raise in his final arb year.  Santana lost an arbitration hearing to the Pirates in February and thus earned a $1.4MM salary for 2025, making him quite the bargain given his production.  This lower price tag could be one of the reasons why the Phillies (and surely other teams) have particular interest in Santana’s services.  Because the Phillies are projected to be over the highest luxury-tax tier and this is their fourth year as tax-payors, any adds will come at over double the financial cost, given the associated 110% tax rate.

Mets Notes: Butto, Senga, Megill

By | at

The Mets placed right-hander Jose Butto on the 15-day injured list on Friday, with a retroactive placement date of July 1.  Right-hander Chris Devenski was called up from Triple-A to take Butto’s spot on the active roster.  Butto is dealing with an undisclosed illness, and manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including the New York Post’s Mike Puma) that the club expects to activate the righty for the first game back after the All-Star break.

Now in his fourth season in New York, Butto has been used as a full-time reliever for the first time in his MLB career and the bottom-line results have been solid.  He has a 2.47 ERA over 43 2/3 innings and 31 appearances, albeit with a troublesome 11.2% walk rate and a 21.8% strikeout rate that is also below the league average.  Butto’s 4.01 SIERA reflects the sizeable gap between his actual performance and expected performance, though he does have a strong 49.6% grounder rate, and very good chase and whiff rates despite his relative lack of strikeouts.

While Butto’s illness doesn’t appear to be too serious, his absence creates yet another hole in the Mets’ injury-riddled pitching staff.  The Amazins now have 13 different pitchers on their IL, ranging from relatively minor situations like Butto to multiple hurlers who have been out for extended periods of time, or won’t pitch again in 2025.

One of the biggest names on the IL might be nearing a return, as Kodai Senga is slated to pitch for Double-A Binghampton in a rehab outing today.  Senga hasn’t pitched since June 12, when a right hamstring strain cut short a start against the Nationals.  Since it was just a Grade 1 strain, however, the Mets were optimistic that Senga wouldn’t miss too much time, and it is possible Senga might need just the one rehab outing before rejoining the big league rotation.

After injuries sidelined Senga for almost all of the 2024 season, he has returned in good form this year, posting a 1.47 ERA over 13 starts and 73 2/3 innings.  A 4.14 SIERA reveals that Senga isn’t nearly as dominant as his ERA suggests, though his Statcast numbers are generally above average apart a 10.6% walk rate is only in the 17th percentile of all pitchers.  Nonetheless, Senga’s relatively quick return is a huge boost to a Mets rotation that has been short-handed by injuries all season, let alone this second wave of health woes that have hit the staff in the last couple of weeks.

Tylor Megill was one of those most recent absences, as the right-hander hit the 15-day IL in mid-June due to an elbow sprain.  Despite the ominous nature of such injuries, Megill said at the time of the IL placement that he was only dealing with inflammation, and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo wrote yesterday that a recent MRI showed that the inflammation had decreased to the point that Megill can resume throwing.

Since Megill has been shut down for three weeks, he’ll begin with some light work throwing off flat ground today, but the hope is that he won’t take too long to fully ramp up to starting readiness.  Megill has a 3.95 ERA/3.61 SIERA in 68 1/3 innings and 14 starts for New York this season, with an outstanding 29.2% strikeout rate that helps cover for a subpar 10.8% walk rate.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top