Cubs Outright Nicky Lopez, Promote Kevin Alcantara
May 26: Lopez has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, per his MLB.com transactions page.
May 23: The Cubs designated infielder Nicky Lopez for assignment, and called up outfielder Kevin Alcantara from Triple-A Iowa in the corresponding move. Alcantara was already on the 40-man roster and the Cubs already have an open spot on their 40-man roster, so Lopez’s DFA leaves Chicago with just 38 spots filled. 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reported earlier today that Alcantara was present in the Cubs’ clubhouse.
After receiving 22 plate appearances in 13 MLB games over the last two seasons, Alcantara is back in the Show for another go, even if his path to playing time again seems limited. The right-handed hitting Alcantara projects to get some at-bats against southpaws, spelling either Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field or Michael Conforto at DH. Moises Ballesteros is currently the left-handed side of the DH timeshare, but since Ballesteros has only three hits in his last 55 plate appearances, he figures to lose playing time and could even be a candidate to be optioned back to Triple-A.
Because Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are both free agents after the season, the expectation has been that Alcantara might have to wait until 2027 to get any extended looks in Chicago’s outfield. He still doesn’t turn 24 until July and he has yet to correct the swing-and-miss issues that have stood out as a red flag in the minor leagues. Granted, Alcantara has looked great when making contact, as evidenced by his 15 homers and his .247/.339/.567 slash line over 180 PA in Iowa this season. He does have 60 strikeouts within those 180 PA, and those holes in his swing may be more glaring against MLB pitching.
Lopez was acquired from the Rockies for cash considerations in late April, but he played in only four games during his month on the Cubs’ active roster. Chicago’s lineup is among the most stable in all of baseball, and Lopez joins Scott Kingery and Dylan Carlson as experienced players who have come and gone from the active roster with only a slight amount of playing time.
Once a regular in the Royals’ infield, Lopez has hit only .228/.298/.281 over 1220 PA with five different big league teams since the start of the 2022 season. He has a wealth of experience as shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman, but is little more than a depth option at this stage of his career.
It is possible another team in need of infield help could claim Lopez off waivers, but should he clear waivers and be outrighted, Lopez can decline that assignment in favor of free agency. Since Lopez has three different stints with the Cubs in 2025 alone, he might well become a free agent but then quickly re-sign with the team on a new minor league contract, since there’s obviously some connection between the two parties.
Padres Interested In Antonio Senzatela
The Padres are known to be looking to bolster what is already a strong relief corps, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela is one of the names on San Diego’s radar. Nightengale also mentions Aroldis Chapman as a Padres target, echoing Dennis Lin of the Athletic’s report from a few days ago about the Padres’ long-standing interest in Chapman.
Senzatela is in the last guaranteed year of a five-year, $50MM extension he signed with Colorado back in October 2021, as the Rockies hold a $14MM club option (with no buyout) on his services for 2027. In this sense Senzatela is basically a rental player for any interested trade suitors, as that club option is unlikely to be exercised regardless of how well the righty pitches over the rest of the 2026 campaign.
Since signing that extension, Senzatela has tossed only 274 1/3 big league innings, as a torn ACL and a Tommy John surgery led to two extended stints on the injured list. Finally fully healthy heading into the 2025 season, Senzatela struggled to a 7.42 ERA over 108 innings and 23 starts before the Rockies moved him to the bullpen in August. The role switch seemed to work immediately, as Senzatela then delivered a 2.86 ERA over his first 22 innings as a reliever.
The improvement has carried over to some extent in 2026, though Senzatela’s sparkling 1.13 ERA carries several red flags. A .195 BABIP is probably the biggest reason why Senzatela’s 3.48 SIERA more than triples his real-world ERA. It isn’t just good luck, however, as Senzatela’s 6.8% walk rate is quite solid and his hard-contact numbers are vastly improved from his career norms. His 22% strikeout is a bit below league average, but also markedly better than the 14.7K% Senzatela posted over his first nine MLB seasons.
As one might expect, Senzatela’s move to relief pitching has bumped his velocity — after averaging 94.2mph on his fastball prior to 2026, Senzatela is now up to 97.1mph. Moreso than just the velo, Senzatela’s decreased usage of his four-seamer has made the pitch much more effective, as Senzatela has now introduced a cutter to his arsenal. The four-seamer has been thrown 35.2% of the time while the cutter isn’t far behind at 30.8%, and Statcast’s Run Value metric gives the cutter an impressive +6.
These results bode well for Senzatela’s chances of landing a decent contract when he hits free agency this winter, as it looks like the move to the pen has resurrected his career. In the shorter term, it makes him an obvious trade chip on a rebuilding Rockies team that is tied with the Angels for the worst record in baseball (20-34). Barring injury, Colorado will surely be moving Senzatela in advance of the trade deadline.
The wrinkle in regards to the Padres is that San Diego is apparently looking to make a move sooner rather than later. San Diego relievers have already logged 213 2/3 innings, the seventh-highest total of any relief corps in baseball. Though this heavy workload hasn’t stopped the Friars’ bullpen from being one of the best in the game, the front office is looking to be proactive in adding a relief arm or two to help keep everyone fresh for what the Padres hope is an even deeper playoff run.
On the flip side, the fact that the Padres’ desire for bullpen help is more of a want than a true need, they may not be operating with much desperation. That reduces what leverage the Rockies may have as one of the few teams in pure seller mode. While the Rox will definitely be selling and the Padres will (barring a total collapse in the next two months) definitely be buying, most prominent trades don’t take place until much closer to the deadline since clubs usually want to take their time in accessing their needs and gauging the market.
Since the Rockies’ priority should be on amassing talent rather than cutting payroll, Colorado could offer to eat virtually everything remaining on Senzatela’s contract (roughly $8MM of a $12MM 2026 salary) in order to maximize the prospect return. Such an offer could be of particular interest to the Padres, who project to be luxury tax-payors for the second straight season and didn’t spend much this past winter. Of course, the incoming new ownership group led by Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones could be willing to stretch the budget in pursuit of the franchise’s elusive first World Series ring.
It is perhaps worth noting that the Padres and Rockies are very infrequent trade partners who haven’t completed a non-cash considerations type of trade since December 2011. This may have less to do with a division rivalry than the fact that the Rockies generally made less trades as an organization than most other clubs, though president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta has already swung several lower-level deals in less than a year on the job.
IL Transactions: DeLuca, Winn, Coulombe, Baddoo
Here’s the round-up of some players departing and joining the injured list on Sunday…
- The Rays placed outfielder Jonny DeLuca on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 23) due to a right hamstring strain, and called up Victor Mesa Jr. from Triple-A Jacksonville. DeLuca suffered the injury while running the bases in Friday’s 4-2 Rays victory over the Yankees, and he underwent an MRI today to determine the severity of the strain. DeLuca has hit .269/.298/.412 over 125 plate appearances while chipping in at all three outfield positions, though most of his work has come as the right-handed hitting side of a right field platoon with Jake Fraley. Both sides of that platoon are now on the IL since Fraley is recovering from sports hernia surgery, leaving Ryan Vilade, Richie Palacios, and Mesa as the top candidates to pick up the slack in the outfield.
- The Rangers placed right-hander Cole Winn on the 15-day IL due to fatigue in his throwing arm, and called up right-hander Gavin Collyer (this was the only corresponding move since Collyer was already on the 40-man roster). Winn has a 25.8% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate over 19 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen, but a lot of hard contact and an unfavorable .345 BABIP have resulted in a 5.59 ERA that is far higher than his 3.25 SIERA. While Winn’s arm issue doesn’t seem too serious, he missed significant time in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to shoulder and rotator cuff problems.
- The Red Sox activated Danny Coulombe from the 15-day IL prior to today’s game with the Twins, and the left-hander tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Boston’s 6-5 loss. (Left-hander Tyler Samaniego was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.) Coulombe missed a little over three weeks due to back spasms, and his 5.00 ERA over nine innings this season can be largely attributed to one very rough outing against the Yankees on April 23. Beyond that bad game, the southpaw has only allowed two runs over his other 8 1/3 frames of work.
- The Brewers announced that outfielder Akil Baddoo was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. After signing a split contract with Milwaukee during the winter, Baddoo suffered a quad strain near the end of Spring Training and has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL. The outfielder has logged some rehab games in Nashville already and will continue to bide his time until a possible call-up to the Show.
Orioles Designate Albert Suarez For Assignment
The Orioles announced that right-hander Albert Suarez has been designated for assignment. Prior to today’s doubleheader with the Tigers, Baltimore activated left-hander Grant Wolfram from the 15-day IL to use him as the 27th man, and Wolfram will now stay on the 26-man roster in Suarez’s place.
These transactions are becoming routine for Suarez, who has now been DFA’ed three times by the Orioles in under a month. The first designation saw Suarez clear waivers and then elect free agency, as a previous outright on his resume allowed him to decline the Orioles’ outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. However, Suarez quickly re-signed with the O’s on a minor league contract, then was selected back to the active roster, and DFA’ed and outrighted again within the span of five days.
This time, Suarez chose to just accept the outright assignment, and spent a couple of weeks in Norfolk before the Orioles selected his contract again last Tuesday. Unless Suarez is claimed off waivers, it seems probable that Suarez will end up staying with the O’s in some fashion, either via accepting the outright assignment or another free agent trip that results in another fresh minor league deal.
Suarez is out of minor league options, so the O’s have to designate him and expose him to the waiver wire whenever the club wants to shift him off the active roster. Suarez has some leverage in this back-and-forth situation given his ability to reject outright assignments, but it could be that he is content to stick it out in a familiar environment with the knowledge that he’ll probably get another look in the majors pretty soon.
Amidst all this roster shuffling, Suarez has a 2.75 ERA over 19 2/3 big league innings this season, including four shutout frames in Game 2 of today’s doubleheader (a 4-1 Orioles loss). Suarez’s ability to eat innings has made the former swingman and starter into a useful long man for Baltimore, though he has barely more strikeouts (10) than walks (nine) and he benefited greatly from a minuscule .186 BABIP.
White Sox To Select Rikuu Nishida
The White Sox will select the contract of second baseman/outfielder Rikuu Nishida from Triple-A Charlotte prior to Monday’s game with the Twins, according to Ian Eskridge of FutureSox. Nishida isn’t on Chicago’s 40-man roster, so corresponding 26-man and 40-man moves will need to be made before the 25-year-old is officially selected.
Nishida will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game. The 25-year-old Osaka native arrives in the Show without the NPB background of most Japanese players, but he played college ball at Oregon and was an 11th-round draft pick for the White Sox in 2023.
With two more hits today for Charlotte, Nishida is now hitting a blistering .347/.454/.395 over 129 plate appearances, which comprises his only experience at the Triple-A level. Nishida made his Double-A debut in 2024 and then spent the entire 2025 campaign and the start of the 2026 season at Double-A. He got off to a good enough start (.250/.434/.350 in 54 PA) in Birmingham to finally get to the call to Triple-A, and Nishida hit the ground running at the higher level.
Running is a major part of Nishida’s offensive arsenal, as he has 110 steals (out of 140 attempts) during his minor league career. This speed has helped turn a lot of grounders into hits, which partially explains Nishida’s inflated .421 BABIP in Charlotte as more than just a ton of good fortune. Nishida makes a lot of contract and draws a ton of walks, as evidenced by his .410 OBP during his minor league career.
The big flaw in Nishida’s game is a near-total lack of power, as he has two homers and a .340 slugging percentage over 448 games in Chicago’s farm system. This may be why Baseball America and MLB Pipeline don’t list Nishida among the top 30 White Sox prospects, though Chicago’s pretty deep minor league system may also be a factor. Defensively, Nishida has primarily been used as a second baseman and left fielder, though he has a good deal of experience at the other two outfield positions.
The x-factor here is clubhouse impact. As White Sox director of player development Paul Janish tells MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Nishida is “one of the best baseball players that we have in our organization. He is contagious in the best way. The players around him get better, the teams that he is on win. It’s really hard for me to express how much I think of Rikuu as a player.”
Nishida’s skillset on and off the field makes for an intriguing new addition to a Pale Hose team that has already exceeded expectations with a 26-26 record. It remains to be seen if the Sox can actually contend even in a weak American League, yet it certainly seems like the club has made leaps and bounds in the rebuild process.
Since the Sox are already overloaded with left-handed hitting outfielders, the lefty-swinging Nishida will probably be used in some sort of platoon situation with Chase Meidroth (another low-power source) at second base. Meidroth has been markedly better against lefties than righties in his career, whereas Nishida has started crushing right-handed pitching in 2026. Chicago ranks 11th among all teams in OBP and 14th in stolen bases, so Nishida should help the White Sox improve those already respectable numbers.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- Greetings! We’ll open up the Weekend Chat in a minute or two, once we get some tasty questions rolling in….
B
- What do you think the Phillies do in terms of trades soon or before the deadline they are turning it around but what do they still need? Third base? Right field? Garcia and bohm haven’t been good.
Mark P
- Bullpen will again be a target area, and rotation depth is a need. Nola just isn’t pitching well at all and Painter is inconsistent, leaving the Phils with just three reliable starters.But, you’re correct that 3B/RF will both also be on the radar. Bohm and Garcia are simply running out of time to get their seasons turned around. The Phillies could also use bench depth in general, and someone they obtain for a part-time role could well work their way into more of a regular job at 3B/RF depending on what’s available out there on the market.
Undecided CT
- Somebody just officially announced on his instagram he is actually retiring. I’ve never seen someone change their mind twice on retirement in two days.
Mark P
- Annnnnd, the chat is immediately halted for a couple of minutes since I needed to update our Chris Taylor retirement post.Reading between the lines, I wonder if Taylor decided that he just didn’t feel like going through the grind of the rehab process after fracturing his forearm. It’s understandable how a major injury like that might be the final push to get a veteran player on the fence over into retirement. And hey, can’t blame Taylor for taking some time and a few second thoughts about ending a career path that has dominated most of his life.
Doofus
- How much would the Red Sox have to give up for Yordan Alvarez?
Mark P
- Alvarez is signed through 2028, so unless the Astros decide to entirely blow things up and rebuild, he isn’t being traded. While it is increasingly looking like the Astros may be deadline sellers, Alvarez doesn’t seem likely to be moved.It would require a huge offer of top prospects and MLB-ready young players for the BoSox to pry Alvarez away. Franklin Arias, at least one of Tolle or Early, etc.
Scott Harris
- Of course I’ve failed to build a sufficient offense but can some of my teams shortcomings be attributed time injury?
Mark P
- There are currently 14 players on Detroit’s IL, so yeah, “some” is understating things. One can certainly take issue with how the Tigers chose to build their roster, but there aren’t many teams that can get by with so many key injuries
Guest
- Is it possible the Cards are for real?
Mark P
- “For real” in the sense that they can make the playoffs…..probably not, since their pitching (both the rotation and pen) still doesn’t seem like it’ll hold up over the long haul.”For real” in the sense that they’re looking like a solid team? Absolutely. The Cardinals don’t need to reach the postseason for 2026 to be a nice step in the right direction. Even a .500 record is a big success for a step most expected to be terrible.
Scott
- Who loses there job if the cubs dont make the playoffs, Hoyer or Counsell? Thanks
Mark P
- Hoyer just signed a new extension last summer, whereas Counsell is signed through 2028. Counsell is earning more than $8MM per season, so that would be over $16MM that Cubs ownership would have to eat in the event of a managerial change.This is another situation where the injuries have to be acknowledge, since it isn’t Counsell’s fault that the Cubs’ list of pitching injuries is well into the double figures.
Dave
- Can the Giants find a trade for Chapman? I know he has a no trade clause but moving him is a key for both Schmitt and Eldridge.
Mark P
- I believe June 15 is the first day teams are allowed to trade players they signed to a free agent deal the previous offseason. So that means San Francisco has a few more weeks to gauge their situation before opening the door to Luis Arraez offers. It is far, far more likely that an impending free agent like Arraez is dealt before guys like Chapman on long-term contracts.
- If Arraez is dealt, Schmitt then plays second base, and Eldridge now has a regular spot at either 1B or DH.
Chaim Bloom
- Will I have to ruin the farm system to buy at the deadline if we continue winning?
Mark P
- Bloom’s not going to shift course from this long-planned rebuild just to suddenly trade key prospects for short-term upgrades. If St. Louis is still in the running at the deadline, I can see the Cards making a few modest adds (likely for pitching) but nothing earth-shaking
Charlie Moore Passes Away
Longtime Brewers catcher and outfielder Charlie Moore passed away on Saturday at age 72, as per a media release from the team. Moore spent 14 of his 15 Major League seasons in a Milwaukee uniform, spending only his 15th and final season with the Blue Jays in 1987.
Beginning his big league career in 1973, Moore spent his first few seasons backing up Darrell Porter at the catcher position while also getting a good chunk of playing time as a corner outfielder. Porter was traded to the Royals after the 1976 campaign, which opened up more time behind the plate for Moore over the next five seasons. The Brewers then moved Moore into more or less an everyday right field role from 1982-84 before he returned to regular catching duty in his final three seasons.
It was something of an unusual career arc for a catcher, yet Moore was a good athlete who held his own defensively as a right fielder. Reggie Jackson learned this the hard way during Game 5 of the 1982 ALCS, when Moore threw out Jackson at third base when the superstar was trying to go from first to third on a Fred Lynn single. Jackson’s Angels held a 3-2 lead at that point in the do-or-die Game 5, and Moore’s big play was a key moment as Milwaukee went on to a 4-3 victory.
The 1982 squad is still the only Brewers team to reach the World Series, falling just short to the Cardinals in a seven-game Fall Classic. Moore was a huge part of Milwaukee’s playoff run, hitting .385/.429/.462 over 44 plate appearances during that postseason.
Moore finished his career with 36 homers and a .261/.319/.355 slash line over 4483 PA and 1334 career games. He also had 51 career stolen bases, with two of them coming on October 1, 1980 when Moore also hit for the cycle. That huge all-around day made Moore the first player in modern baseball history to both hit for a cycle and steal two bases in the same game. In another historical note for Moore, the last of Henry Aaron‘s MLB record 2297 RBIs was recorded when Aaron singled to drive in Moore from third base on the final day of the 1976 season.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Moore’s family, friends, and many fans.
Nationals Place Jake Irvin On 15-Day Injured List
Prior to today’s game with the Braves, the Nationals announced that right-hander Jake Irvin had been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a strain in his throwing shoulder. Left-hander PJ Poulin was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
An IL stint seemed inevitable when Irvin left Saturday’s game after five innings and 80 pitches, despite the fact that Irvin still hasn’t allowed a hit against the powerful Atlanta lineup. An MRI revealed the strain but nothing more serious, and manager Blake Butera told MLB.com’s Rick Farlow and other reporters that Irvin may miss just the minimum 15 days. Irvin described the diagnosis as the “best news that we could have heard….[I’ll] just attack it with treatment and strengthening and just trying to do whatever we can to get this thing to heal up as quick as possible.”
It’s a sign of Irvin’s bad luck this season that the injury occurred during what was shaping up as the best outing of an otherwise rough 2026. Irvin has a 5.23 ERA over 11 starts and 51 2/3 innings, but a 3.79 SIERA is perhaps more reflective of his work. The righty is allowing a lot of hard contact and his 9.6% walk rate is below average, but Irvin is striking out batters at a solid 25.4% rate — easily the best K% of his four MLB seasons.
Washington’s rotation hasn’t been very effective on the whole but they have been durable. Beyond the starting five of Irvin, Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Zack Littell, and Miles Mikolas, the only other pitchers to make “starts” this season were Poulin and Richard Lovelady, who combined for eight appearances as an opener.
Since the Nats have an off-day on Thursday, Irvin’s spot in the rotation doesn’t need to be addressed until June 2. The club could obviously have a fill-in starter interrupt the usual rotation order if the other starters are given an extra rest day, or a bullpen day could be scheduled if an actual starter isn’t used to take Irvin’s place.
Tigers Designate Connor Seabold For Assignment, Activate Troy Melton
The Tigers announced that right-hander Connor Seabold has been designated for assignment. The move opens up space on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters for the return of righty Troy Melton, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list to start Game 2 of today’s doubleheader against the Orioles. Prior to Game 1, Detroit also placed left-hander Brant Hurter on the 15-day IL (retroactive to May 23) due to lumbar spine inflammation, and right-hander Ricky Vanasco was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Seabold signed a split deal with the Tigers just before the start of the season, and soon after the righty was released from a previous minor league contract with the Blue Jays. While Seabold broke camp with his new club, a big chunk of his time in Motown has been spent on the injured list, as he missed a little under three weeks recovering from ankle inflammation.
When healthy, Seabold has been pretty effective coming out of the pen, with a 3.45 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 15 2/3 innings. While other Tigers relievers have minor league options and Seabold doesn’t, he may have just been the victim of a roster crunch, as a 40-man spot was needed for Melton’s return.
Detroit now faces the possibility that Seabold is claimed away on waivers, or elects free agency if he clears waivers and is then outrighted (Seabold has been outrighted in the past, giving him the ability to decline future outright assignments). Seabold has a 7.28 ERA across his 134 2/3 career innings in the Show, but teams in need of immediate relief help may be swayed by his recent performance, or a slight uptick in velocity to 93.5mph from his previous 92.5mph career average.
After developing elbow inflammation during Spring Training, Melton is finally set to make his 2026 debut. The Tigers initially planned to use Melton as a reliever or swingman this season, but due to multiple injuries within the rotation, Melton will now step right into starting duty. The righty made his MLB debut in 2025 and posted a 2.76 ERA, 20K%, and 8.3BB% over his first 45 2/3 innings as a big leaguer, starting four of his 16 regular-season games.
Just as one pitcher gets healthy, however, Detroit’s seemingly nonstop parade of pitching injuries continues with Hurter’s IL placement. Hurter has a 2.84 ERA over 25 1/3 relief innings this season, despite very modest strikeout (17.8%) and walk (11.9%) rates. The groundball specialist is generating grounders at a 60.3% clip, and Hurter is getting a lot of benefit from a tiny .203 BABIP.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Slater, Blach, Brooks
Catching up on some players recently designated for assignment…
- The Mets outrighted outfielder Austin Slater to Triple-A Syracuse, as per Slater’s MLB.com profile page. There isn’t yet any word on whether or not Slater will accept the assignment, as Slater has the ability to elect free agency rather than report to Triple-A and remain in the Mets organization. Since he has more than five years of MLB service time, Slater can become a free agent while still keeping the $1MM he is guaranteed in 2026, as per the terms of the contract he signed with the Marlins just before the season began. Over 49 combined PA with Miami and New York, Slater has hit only .209/.286/.233 with just one extra-base hit.
- Ty Blach cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Cubs‘ Triple-A Iowa affiliate, according to the left-hander’s MLB.com profile page. Chicago selected Blach’s contract to the active roster last weekend but DFA’ed him two days later, after Blach tossed three shutout innings of relief work in the Cubs’ 9-3 loss to the Brewers on Monday. That cup of coffee represented Blach’s first bit of MLB work since 2024, and he now has the option of rejecting the outright assignment in favor of free agency or returning to Iowa. Given the ongoing injury woes on the Cubs’ pitching staff, Blach might prefer to stay put, as another call to the majors might come sooner rather than later.
- Aaron Brooks pitched for Triple-A Durham yesterday, indicating that the right-hander accepted his outright assignment to the Rays‘ top affiliate. Brooks was outrighted last Sunday and he had the ability to elect free agency, but it looks like the righty has opted to stay in Tampa’s organization. Like Blach, Brooks was also making his first MLB appearance since 2024 in his own one-game cameo back in the Show, though Brooks’ lone outing was much rockier. He was charged with three earned runs in one-third of an inning of work in the Rays’ 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays on May 13.