Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier Projected To Return In 5-7 Weeks
In an interview on SportsTalk790 radio today, Astros general manager Dana Brown said right-handers Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are tentatively expected to return to Houston’s rotation by late May or early June. (Hat tip to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart for the link.) The timeline for both pitchers is still fluid, so the GM thinks their returns could “hopefully…be a little sooner.”
The Astros are probably due some good health news, given how the team has been hit hard by injuries in the season’s first month. Houston’s injury list consists of 14 players, and Brown and Javier are two of 10 pitchers on either the 15-day or 60-day IL. The depleted and makeshift rotation is down to Mike Burrows, Lance McCullers Jr., Spencer Arrighetti, and Peter Lambert, whose minor league contract was just selected on Thursday (Lambert then allowed four runs over five innings in Friday’s 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.)
Brown and Javier were each sidelined by Grade 2 shoulder strains. Brown posted an 0.84 ERA over his first two starts before being placed on the 15-day IL on April 2, while Javier joined him a week later after struggling to a 12.54 ERA over his first three starts and 9 1/3 innings. No tentative recovery timelines were given at the time of the IL placements, and neither pitcher has resumed throwing, which is why Dana Brown’s projection was fairly broad.
Assuming no setbacks, Brown and Javier each face the standard build-up process of playing catch, bullpen sessions, live batting practice sessions, and surely at least a couple of minor league rehab games given the length of their IL stints. Even if the best-case scenario is late May, however, that still means the Astros will be scrambling for rotation innings for upwards of another month.
All of the injuries have unsurprisingly led to a rough start to Houston’s season, as the team is now 8-15 after today’s extra-innings 7-5 loss to St. Louis. The Astros are 10 games into a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, and some relief may come for the pitching staff in terms of off-days on April 23 and 27.
AL West Notes: Garcia, Angels, Wisdom
Robert Garcia came out of a relief appearance on Thursday with a sore throwing shoulder, and Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters (including the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant) that Garcia underwent an MRI today to access the damage. The results of the testing isn’t yet known, but while Schumaker believes the situation isn’t too serious, Grant notes that Garcia is likely to need a few more days of rest and recovery even if the MRI comes back clean.
It has been an unusual start to the season for Garcia, who has a 3.38 ERA over eight innings despite recording more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six). Batted-ball luck has played a role, as Garcia has benefited from a .238 BABIP and a 52.4% grounder rate. Despite the shaky performance to date, the Rangers can hardly afford to lose Garcia to the injury bug, given how fellow relievers Chris Martin, Luis Curvelo, and Carter Baumler are already on the 15-day IL.
More from around the AL West…
- Angels manager Kurt Suzuki updated the media (including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group) on the status of several injured pitchers today. Grayson Rodriguez and Ben Joyce are both expected to start facing hitters in a live batting-practice setting within the next few days, while Alek Manoah has been facing hitters at the Angels’ spring facility in Arizona. This trio began the season on the 15-day IL, as Rodriguez has been dealing with shoulder inflammation, Manoah with a finger contusion, and Joyce is in the final stages of his recovery from a May 2025 shoulder surgery. Kirby Yates also began the year on the 15-day IL due to left knee inflammation, but the reliever started a Triple-A rehab assignment on Friday. Yates told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that the rehab assignment will consist of at least a few more games, as Yates is still working on building up his velocity and gaining some weight.
- Catching up on an IL placement from Friday, the Mariners sent Patrick Wisdom to the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 15) due to a left oblique strain. Wisdom just had his minor league contract selected to the 26-man roster on Tuesday and he appeared in that day’s game as a pinch-hitter before getting hurt. The lone appearance marked Wisdom’s first MLB game since 2024, when the infielder was still a member of the Cubs.
Astros Sign Daniel Johnson To Minors Contract
The Astros have signed Daniel Johnson to a minor league deal, according to the outfielder’s MLB.com profile page. Johnson became a free agent earlier this month when he was released from a previous minors contract with the Marlins.
A veteran of four big league seasons, Johnson hit .189/.246/.302 over 57 plate appearances with the Giants and Orioles in 2025. His 31 games marked a new career high, topping Johnson’s 30 appearances for Cleveland in 2021. Johnson only has 67 games on his MLB resume, with a .196/.243/.322 slash line and five home runs to show for 152 plate appearances.
Johnson is both a left-handed hitter and capable of playing all three outfield positions, making him a useful depth addition for the Astros on a couple of fronts. Houston’s active roster is overloaded with right-handed bats, and Joey Loperfido (one of the few lefty swingers) was just placed on the 10-day IL due to a quad strain. Loperfido, Jake Meyers, and Zach Dezenzo are all on the injured list, depleting an Astros outfield core that was already thin coming into the season.
Houston selected Taylor Trammell‘s contract earlier this month in the wake of these outfield injuries, and Dustin Harris was just claimed off waivers from the White Sox yesterday. This duo, Cam Smith, Brice Matthews, and Shay Whitcomb comprise the Astros’ makeshift outfield mix, plus Yordan Alvarez can chip in as a left fielder when he isn’t the designated hitter. Johnson can add some speed and defense at least at Triple-A to back up this group, though his roster flexibility is limited since he is out of minor league options.
Dodgers Promote Ryan Ward
April 19: Ward’s promotion is now official. The Dodgers announced Freddie Freeman is heading to the paternity list to clear a spot for the rookie. Ward is starting at first base against the Rockies.
April 18: The Dodgers are calling first baseman/outfielder Ryan Ward up to the Major League roster, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports. The corresponding 26-man move isn’t yet known, and Ward was already added to Los Angeles’ 40-man roster back in November.
Ward will be making his big league debut the first time he appears in a game, and his first trip to the Show comes at the relatively old age of 28. In a less-stacked organization, Ward surely would’ve been in the majors much earlier, as he has crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .264/.347/.511 slash line and 94 home runs over 1867 plate appearances in Oklahoma City over the last four seasons.
The fact that Ward has delivered these numbers in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League provides something of an asterisk. Ward also has extreme splits, even in his PCL MVP season of 2025 — the left-handed hitter crushed righties (1.038 OPS in 463 PA) and struggled badly against southpaws (.686 OPS in 189 PA) last season. Defensively, MLB Pipeline’s scouting report notes that Ward has a “lack of range and a below-average arm relegating him to left field or first base.”
Pipeline ranks Ward as only the 19th-best prospect in the Los Angeles farm system, while Baseball America doesn’t include Ward at all within their list of the top 30 Dodgers prospects. This is due in part to the Dodgers’ absurdly deep minor league system, but it again reflects how Ward isn’t considered a premium prospect, particularly at his age.
That said, Ward has done well for himself since being selected as an eighth-round pick in the 2019 draft, and his long journey to the majors is now finally nearing a payoff. Rockies right-handers Ryan Feltner and Michael Lorenzen are scheduled to start the next two games against the Dodgers, so Ward will probably have his MLB debut in the books before the weekend is over.
Teoscar Hernandez fouled a ball off his foot in yesterday’s 7-1 win over the Rockies, so that could potentially be the reason for Ward’s call-up. Alex Call is the only full-time outfielder on the L.A. bench —Hyeseong Kim and Santiago Espinal have some outfield experience but are infielders by trade, and both Tommy Edman and Enrique Hernandez are on the injured list until closer to the end of May. The set nature of the Dodgers’ lineup means that Call has only played in five games this season while spelling Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Kyle Tucker, though optioning Call to the minors doesn’t seem likely since Call is the top backup center field candidate.
Marlins To Activate Kyle Stowers On Sunday
7:00 pm: The club will option infielder Deyvison De Los Santos to Triple-A as the corresponding move for Stowers, according to Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.
2:43 pm: The Marlins are about to get an All-Star back in their lineup, as manager Clayton McCullough told reporters (including Kevin Barral of Fish On First) that Kyle Stowers will be activated from the 10-day injured list before Sunday’s game with the Brewers. MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola wrote earlier today that Stowers is already at loanDepot Park but would probably get one final day of rest and examination before making his 2026 debut tomorrow.
Right hamstring tightness bothered Stowers for most of Spring Training, and he left one of the Marlins’ final Grapefruit League games with a Grade 1 hamstring strain that required a season-opening IL stint. The recovery period was initially estimated at 3-4 weeks, so Stowers will indeed make it back on the higher end of that projected timeline.
Stowers’ rehab assignment at Triple-A Jacksonville lasted five games, with three played in his usual left field position, one game at DH, and one game at first base. This marked Stowers’ pro debut as a first baseman, though he spent a bit of time at the position in college and in summer ball action (the West Coast League and Cape Cod League). McCullough recently indicated that Stowers might get some prep work at first base just in case the Marlins decide to incorporate him into the first base mix at the MLB level, both to help Miami out at a trouble position and to give Stowers some time at a lower-intensity position.
Stowers is the most high-profile of the five position players on Miami’s injured list, though Christopher Morel‘s absence due to an oblique strain has been the major cause of the team’s revolving door at first base. While the Marlins’ roster has been a little short-handed, the team’s offense hasn’t much suffered, as Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez, Liam Hicks, and Connor Norby are all off to hot starts.
Needless to say, getting Stowers back will be a huge boost. Sunday will mark Stowers’ first MLB game since August 15, as his breakout 2025 campaign was cut short by an oblique strain. Stowers’ first full season in Miami saw him hit .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs over 457 plate appearances, and he generated 4.0 fWAR over only 117 games.
The corresponding move for Stowers remains to be seen. Graham Pauley left yesterday’s game due to oblique discomfort and isn’t in today’s starting lineup, but McCullough told Barral and company that Pauley is expected “to be available today for whatever is needed.”
Phillies Place Jhoan Duran On 15-Day Injured List
4:25 pm: Duran felt something in his side on Wednesday and again today when he got on the mound, reports Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Thomson said that imaging showed a “very mild strain” and that Duran’s absence is “not going to be long,” according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. In the meantime, Keller will get most of the closing opportunities.
1:52 pm: The Phillies announced five roster moves, with the most prominent being Jhoan Duran‘s placement on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 15) due to a left oblique strain. Right-hander Seth Johnson and utilityman Felix Reyes were brought up from Triple-A in other moves, with Reyes’ contract selected to the 40-man roster for the first time. Utilityman Otto Kemp was optioned to Triple-A, and outfielder Pedro Leon was released.
Duran hasn’t pitched since last Saturday, but since the Phillies went 1-4 with an off-day during that stretch, the lack of usage was thought to be due to game situations rather than injury. More details on Duran’s injury and the severity of the strain should surface later today once manager Rob Thomson meets with the media, but unless the closer has the very mildest of strains, Duran is likely looking at at least a month on the shelf.
It’s a big loss for a Phillies team that is off to an underwhelming 8-11 start. While the bullpen as a whole has been shaky, Duran has been a stabilizing force at the back end. The closer has a 1.35 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, and zero walks over 6 2/3 innings, while recording saves in all five of his opportunities.
There’s no obvious candidate to step into the ninth-inning role, so the Phils might explore a committee situation until Duran is healthy. Jose Alvarado has an ugly 10.50 ERA over six innings, though that number is inflated by a huge .450 BABIP and Alvarado has past closing experience. Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering, or Tanner Banks could also get some save chances depending on the in-game situation.
Kemp has gotten only 22 trips to the plate this season, but just two hits in that small sample size has led to a .282 OPS and a ticket back to Lehigh Valley. Taking Kemp’s spot as a multi-positional bench player is Reyes, who will be making his MLB debut as soon as he enters a game.
Reyes was an international signing for the Phillies in 2020, and he isn’t considered a top-30 Philadelphia prospect in the eyes of either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. The 25-year-old didn’t even make his Triple-A debut until he played six games with Lehigh Valley in 2025, but he has burst out of the gates this season by hitting .333/.345/.654 with six home runs over 84 PA. This production comes on the heels of an impressive Double-A season in 2025 that saw Reyes named Eastern League MVP for his work (.335/.365/.572 with 15 homers and 13 steals over 395 PA) in Reading.
It’s probably unlikely that Reyes will hit anything close to that level against MLB pitching, yet the Phillies have nothing to lose by giving a hot hitter a chance in place of the unproductive Kemp. Reyes has experience in both corner outfield and corner infield slots, so the Phils might look to give Reyes some work at third base since Alec Bohm‘s bat has been ice cold.
Leon was claimed off the Orioles’ waiver wire back in November, and his brief time on the 40-man roster didn’t result in any looks on the active roster. Leon was hitting .285/.358/.326 over his first 53 PA at the Triple-A level this season, and while Leon still has a minor league option remaining, the Phillies may have just valued the 40-man slot over whatever they felt Leon could provide to the organization. The 27-year-old returns to the open market in search of another chance to build on his limited MLB resume of seven games and 21 PA with the 2024 Astros.
Diamondbacks Reinstate Lourdes Gurriel Jr., DFA Luken Baker
After suffering a torn right ACL on September 1, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is ready for his return to the majors, as the Diamondbacks officially reinstated the outfielder from the 10-day injured list. To make room for Gurriel on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, first baseman Luken Baker was designated for assignment.
D’Backs manager Torey Lovullo hinted yesterday that Gurriel could be in Arizona’s lineup as soon as this weekend, completing what has been a remarkably quick comeback from such a serious knee surgery. Gurriel was projected to miss 9-10 months given the usual timeframe for ACL tears, yet he made such solid progress in Spring Training and in just two games of a minor league rehab assignment that the D’Backs felt comfortable in bringing him back after a little over seven and a half months.
Depending on how Gurriel’s knee holds up, he might end up getting fairly regular duty in his old left field position pretty soon, without the need for steady DH duty. Pretty much no matter where Gurriel plays, it was easy to project Baker as the odd man out of a roster crunch, as Baker has appeared in only three games (with five plate appearances) since his minor league contract was selected on April 7.
Arizona signed Baker to that minors deal in December, and possibly with an eye towards platooning Baker and Pavin Smith at the position. Carlos Santana was signed later in the season to fill that role, yet the first base situation was thrown into total flux shortly after Opening Day. Smith played in two games before being placed on the IL due to a balky elbow that has now required surgery, and Santana has also been out since April 6 due to an adductor strain.
Baker’s contract was selected in the wake of Santana’s injury, yet Baker didn’t get much opportunity due to the unexpectedly strong play of Jose Fernandez and utilityman Ildemaro Vargas in handling the first base duties. The D’Backs seem content to leave the position (and a share of the DH workload) to that duo, leaving Baker now exposed to the waiver wire.
If Baker clears waivers, he has the right to decline an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno in favor of free agency, since Baker has a previous outright in his career (last August, when Baker was in the Dodgers organization). The first baseman could opt to just move on given how Arizona’s first base picture has remained crowded, or another team might look to claim Baker just as the Dodgers did last August when the Cardinals parted ways with the 29-year-old.
Baker spent his first three MLB seasons in St. Louis, hitting .206/.317/.338 with four home runs over 189 PA. While his power hasn’t translated much against big league pitching and Baker is defensively limited as a first base-only player, he has posted good numbers at Triple-A, and could be viewed as at least a depth option.
Astros Claim Dustin Harris, Designate J.P. France For Assignment
The Astros announced that outfielder Dustin Harris was claimed off waivers from the White Sox. To create space for Harris on Houston’s 40-man roster, right-hander J.P. France was designated for assignment, as reported by The Athletic’s Chandler Rome shortly before the team’s official announcement.
Houston has 10 pitchers on the injured list, so it is a little surprising to see the team part ways with France when he has a minor league option remaining. Lack of pitching depth aside, however, France didn’t do much to hang onto his spot by posting an 8.10 ERA over 6 2/3 innings and three appearances for the Astros this season. The Astros also already designated France and subsequently outrighted him off the 40-man roster back in February, before selecting his contract again on April 10 when Cristian Javier went on the IL with a grade 2 shoulder strain.
Because of that past outright, France has the ability to elect free agency if he clears waivers again. Given how he wasn’t claimed last time around and he hasn’t done much to improve his stock since Opening Day, France may well clear waivers and then decide on either testing the open market or accepting another outright to Triple-A. Given how the Astros are in such dire need of pitching, France might feel comfortable biding his time in the minors until Houston gives him another look.
France has spent his entire career in the Astros organization, beginning as a 14th-round pick in the 2018 draft. He broke into the majors with a solid 3.83 ERA over 136 1/3 innings and 24 games (23 of them starts) in 2023, but has since delivered a 7.00 ERA over only 36 big league frames, as shoulder problems sidelined France for the bulk of the 2024-25 seasons.
Beyond all of Houston’s pitching injuries, the loss of Jake Meyers (oblique strain) and Zach Dezenzo (right elbow sprain) also depleted what was already a thin outfield picture. Harris can provide some depth given his experience at all three outfield positions, and his left-handed bat adds some balance to a very right-handed Astros roster. However, fellow outfielders Joey Loperfido and Taylor Trammell are two of the three other lefty swingers on the 26-man, leaving Harris a bit of an imperfect fit in terms of platoon work.
Harris has played in each of the last three MLB seasons, hitting .224/.318/.414 with two homers over 66 plate appearances and 27 games for the Rangers and White Sox. After being outrighted off the Texas roster in November, Harris elected free agency and signed with the Sox on a minor league deal. Chicago selected Harris to the 26-man on April 7 and he got into six games for the team before being DFA’ed earlier this week.
NL West Notes: Susac, Bailey, Freeland, Dollander, Ryan
Daniel Susac went 2-for-5 in the Giants‘ 10-5 win over the Nationals yesterday, as the catcher is now hitting an absurd .524/.545/.714 over the first 22 plate appearances of his Major League career. Susac was a Rule 5 Draft pick initially from the Athletics organization before he was taken by the Twins and then immediately dealt to the Giants.
A big Spring Training performance clinched Susac’s roster spot and a role as Patrick Bailey‘s backup, yet Susac’s dream start is earning him more playing time, with starts in three of San Francisco’s last five games. On Thursday, Giants manager Tony Vitello told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and other reporters that the team intends on “involving [Susac] as much as possible, see if we get into an every other day situation, or whatever it might be.”
Bailey has never shown much at the plate over his four MLB seasons, but he is off to a particularly ugly start by hitting only .128/.180/.128 in 50 PA. While Bailey’s elite defense has been reason enough to earn him starting catcher duties in the past, the Giants’ offense has struggled so much (Friday notwithstanding) that the club has nothing to lose by riding the hot hand in Susac.
More from around the NL West…
- Kyle Freeland‘s MRI on his inflamed left shoulder didn’t reveal any structural damage, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders and other reporters. Freeland was retroactively played on the 15-day injured list on April 13, and the good diagnosis means that the veteran southpaw likely won’t miss too much time. The injury interrupted Freeland’s strong start to the season, as he had a 2.30 ERA over his first three outings.
- Chase Dollander is another Rockies pitcher getting good early results, as the former third overall pick has a 3.32 ERA, 28.7% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate over 19 innings. Dollander has yet to start any of his five appearances, however, and Schaeffer told Saunders and company that Dollander will continue pitching behind an opener for the time being. The manager’s logic is simple: Dollander is “having a lot of success” as a bulk pitcher. “He’s settled into a routine, and routines are very different from being in the bullpen and starting. Obviously, we want him to be a starter, long-term. But right now we don’t want to mess with the routine,” Schaeffer said.
- The Dodgers‘ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City placed River Ryan on the seven-day injured list yesterday, and Jack Harris of the California Post indicated that the placement is likely due to a hamstring injury. Ryan posted a 1.33 ERA over his first 20 1/3 MLB innings in 2024, but a Tommy John surgery in August of that year sidelined the right-hander for the entirety of the 2025 campaign. Returning to action with Oklahoma City this year, Ryan’s excellent peripherals and a .450 BABIP over seven innings of work indicate that he has pitched much better than his 5.14 ERA would imply. The IL stint will delay his eventual return to Los Angeles in what will probably be a bullpen role, as there isn’t room for Ryan even in a six-man Dodgers rotation if everyone is healthy.
Cubs Select Corbin Martin’s Contract
11:39PM: The Cubs officially announced Martin’s selection and Horton’s move to the 60-day IL.
11:04AM: The Cubs will select the contract of right-hander Corbin Martin prior to today’s game with the Mets, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney reports. Cade Horton (who underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday) will be moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man roster spot for Martin, and the Cubs already had an open spot on their active roster after Daniel Palencia was placed on the 15-day IL yesterday.
Horton and Palencia are two of a whopping 10 pitchers on Chicago’s injured list, leaving the Cubs scrambling for extra arms. The situation has given Martin a path back to the majors after the righty signed a minor league deal back in January.
Martin is himself no stranger to injuries, as he missed the entirety of the 2020 season due to a TJ surgery and all of 2023 recovering from a lat tendon surgery. In the wake of the latter procedure, Martin spent all of 2024 in the minors before making his return to the Show to post a 6.00 ERA over 18 innings with the Orioles last season.
Over parts of four MLB seasons, Martin has a 6.54 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate, and 12.8% walk rate across 75 2/3 innings with the Astros, Diamondbacks, and Orioles. Since his lat surgery, Martin has worked almost exclusively as a relief pitcher, but the role change hasn’t helped alleviate the control problems that have plagued Martin for much of his career.
Martin is out of minor league options, so Chicago would have to designate the righty for assignment and expose him to waivers before trying to send him back down to Triple-A via an outright. Given how the Cubs are hurting for pitching, Martin probably won’t be DFA’ed any time soon if he can provide decent results and eat a few innings out of the pen.