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Hunter Greene Slated To Return To Reds’ Rotation On Wednesday

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After over two months on the injured list, Hunter Greene’s return date to the Reds has now been set.  Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan) that Greene is penciled in as the starter for Wednesday’s game against the Phillies.

Greene emerged as the Reds’ ace with an All-Star season in 2024, and he picked up where he left off by posting a 2.72 ERA, 30.8% strikeout rate, and 5.9% walk rate over his first 11 starts and 59 2/3 innings of the 2025 campaign.  A right groin strain sent Greene to the IL for a 15-day minimum stint in May and he returned in seemingly good form, but another right groin strain has kept the right-hander sidelined since his last start on June 3.

It seemed like Greene was nearing a return in early July before he experienced some more groin soreness, which set things back and delayed the start of his minor league rehab assignment until after the All-Star break.  Greene has pitched four times during his ramp-up work in the minors, and the third of his three Triple-A appearances came on Friday, when he threw 79 pitches over 5 1/3 innings with Triple-A Louisville.  Francona said that Greene is “probably not there yet” in terms of being able to toss 100 pitches in a game, but the fact that he maintained his velocity on Friday was the final sign the Reds needed to explore activating him from the IL.

Needless to say, getting Greene back in the rotation is a huge help for Cincinnati’s playoff hopes.  The Reds’ 14-8 win over the Pirates today moved the club 1.5 games back of the final NL wild card slot, which is held by a Mets team mired in a seven-game losing streak.  While New York’s collapse has opened the door for the Reds, Cincinnati has a tough week ahead, with upcoming series against two red-hot division winners in the Phillies and the Brewers.

Chase Burns had been scheduled to start on Wednesday, but Francona said the Reds have “a lot of things to work through” in determining how the rotation will be altered now that Greene is back.  Either Burns or Nick Martinez will be moved to bullpen duty, and both pitchers could ultimately end up as relievers once Nick Lodolo also returns from a blister problem that sent him to the 15-day IL last week.  This would give the Reds a projected rotation of Greene, Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and deadline pickup Zack Littell once everyone is healthy, and using the excess starting depth to bolster the pen is a nice luxury for the team.

Rays Haven’t Yet Discussed Extension With Junior Caminero

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Junior Caminero’s first full Major League season has been a success, as the former star prospect has hit .258/.297/.523 with 32 home runs over his first 472 plate appearances.  The low walk rate, Caminero’s tendency to chase pitches off the plate, and subpar defensive metrics at third base indicate that he hasn’t gotten everything figured out just yet, but there’s clearly a lot to like about a player who just turned 22 last month.

Despite this early success, the Rays haven’t yet broached the subject of a contract extension with Caminero’s camp, agent Rafa Nieves tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Early-career extensions have been a chief element of the Rays’ team-building strategy over the years, but in Caminero’s case, Nieves feels “the fact that at this point they haven’t knocked on his door, the only reason is that their hands are tied….The [Rays] are not in position to make that commitment with all the question marks surrounding their financial future.  That’s why I think they haven’t made an attempt.  And, honestly, by the time they’re out of those question marks, it might be too late.”

The three major “question marks” cited by Nieves begin with the most obvious issue of the Rays’ temporary stay at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.  Tropicana Field is undergoing repairs with the idea that the Rays’ old ballpark will once again be ready for game action by Opening Day 2026, though since the repair work only officially began in July, it may still be a while before that planned timeline is confirmed.  The club is also expected to be returning to its former stadium under new ownership, as the Rays’ sale to the group led by Patrick Zalupski is on pace to be finalized at some point in September.

Turning to the baseball payroll itself, making a major commitment to Caminero may not be feasible until Wander Franco’s situation has been sorted.  Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic in June, and received a two-year suspended sentence.  With the court case complete, Major League Baseball is expected to weigh in at some point about what type of discipline Franco will face under the MLB/MLBPA joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.  Tampa Bay signed Franco to the largest contract in franchise history (an 11-year, $182MM extension) in November 2021, and $164MM remains on that deal covering the 2026-32 seasons.

Any one of these factors — let alone all three — would be a logical reason for the Rays to hold off on exploring a long-term deal with Caminero.  There is also the fact that the club doesn’t have any real immediate need to negotiate a deal so soon, since Caminero isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2028 and isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2030 season.

As Nieves noted, however, the team’s ideal window to lock up Caminero may have already passed.  Extending him in 2023 (when he made his MLB debut) or during the 2024 season would’ve allowed Tampa Bay to negotiate more of a team-friendly price, before Caminero had done much to prove himself in the majors.  Now that Caminero has already enjoyed some success at the big league level, his asking price has naturally gone up.

Nieves suggests an extension would cost the Rays “probably $150-200MM,” pointing to recent comps of other prominent young stars who signed contracts before amassing one full year of Major League service time.  Obviously an agent is always going to aim high when discussing a client’s earning potential, and the Rays could counter by arguing that Caminero wasn’t quite as much of a sure thing coming up the minor league ranks as those other highly-touted players.  Tampa Bay acquired Caminero from the Guardians for Tobias Myers in November 2021, in a trade that flew under everyone’s radar until Caminero continued his Dominican Summer League dominance into the Rays’ farm system in 2022.

If $150MM is the floor for what Nieves is looking for in a Caminero extension, the clock could already be unofficially ticking on the third baseman’s time in Tampa.  Naturally it remains to be seen how Zalupski could approach spending or how the team’s finances could be changed under new ownership, but for now, the Rays might opt to take advantage of Caminero as a pre-arbitration bargain and then consider trades once arbitration starts boosting his salaries.

Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall Expects Lower Payroll In 2026

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The Diamondbacks went into 2025 with an Opening Day payroll of just under $187MM, representing yet another new high for a club that had already bumped its payroll from roughly $116.1MM in 2023 to $163.3MM in 2024.  Arizona’s attempt to try and capitalize on its surprise NL pennant in 2023 hasn’t worked out, however, as the D’Backs fell short of the playoffs in 2024 and are fighting just to try and salvage a winning record this year.

These struggles led to some selling at the deadline, with such impending free agents as Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Merrill Kelly, Randal Grichuk, Shelby Miller, and Jordan Montgomery all sent elsewhere.  The money saved by getting those players off the books for the final two months of 2025 will impact the 2026 payroll, as team president/CEO Derrick Hall said the D’Backs will “reinvest into the product for next year.  We’re going to have to because we’re still going to have so many guys on the IL.  We’re going to have to do some work on the roster.”

In terms of overall spending, however, Hall told the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro and other reporters that next year’s payroll is expected to be reduced to some degree.  “Do I think we need to have the payroll number where it was this year?  Probably not.  But I think we can have just as good a team as we constructed by reinvesting the money that we have (saved) and then some,” Hall said.

Hall’s statement isn’t surprising since 2025 was viewed as something of an all-in season for the Diamondbacks, with ownership okaying the payroll boost since the entire roster core was in place.  With several notable players slated for free agency this coming winter, a spending cut was pretty much inevitable just because of all the high salaries coming off the team’s books.  In the aftermath of the trade deadline, the Diamondbacks have just under $107MM in guaranteed salaries set for 2026 (hat tip to RosterResource), though that number doesn’t factor in arbitration raises.

It doesn’t help matters that Corbin Burnes (Arizona’s highest-paid player) will miss most or all of the 2026 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.  Between Burnes’ absence and Zac Gallen slated for free agency, the D’Backs will have holes to fill in the rotation, plus they’ll be looking to fix a bullpen that has been a weak link for the better part of two years.  The Diamondbacks’ offense has again been strong in 2025, but the absence of Suarez and Naylor means that next year’s lineup needs a lot more power.

Hall said he expects the D’Backs to still be able to make moves in free agency, and the CEO unsurprisingly didn’t give any specifics about how much GM Mike Hazen may or may not have to spend this offseason.  It is possible the team doesn’t yet know the answer to this question, as Hall noted that attendance over the remainder of the season will impact next year’s payroll.

Hypothetically speaking, even if the Diamondbacks were to reduce payroll to 2024 levels, that still leaves Hazen with quite a bit of spending capacity to address the roster’s many needs.  Trading a player like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (who drew interest prior to the deadline) who is only under guaranteed contract through 2026 is another avenue the front office could pursue to free up more money, if necessary.

With so much invested in long-term contracts, there is no sense that the Diamondbacks are planning a larger selloff or considering a rebuild in any respect.  As disappointing as the last two seasons have been for the Snakes and their fans, there is still enough core talent in place that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the D’Backs return to contention by next year, though Hazen will again need to be creative.

A’s Place Luis Severino On 15-Day IL Due To Oblique Strain

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The Athletics announced that Luis Severino has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.  Left-hander Hogan Harris was called up from Triple-A to take Severino’s spot on the active roster.

The severity of the strain isn’t yet known, but anything more than a Grade 1 strain (the least-serious type) could put the remainder of Severino’s 2025 season in jeopardy.  Since the A’s are out of contention, the team might choose to just shut the right-hander down if he’s going to miss anything beyond six weeks of action, as there would be little point in bringing Severino just to make a token start or two at season’s end.

Severino’s injury adds another layer to what has been an unusual first season for the veteran’s Athletics tenure.  The A’s shocked many in the baseball world last winter with an uncharacteristic spending splurge when they signed Severino a three-year, $67MM free agent contract.  Even if this deal and other relatively larger expenditures from the A’s were as much about avoiding a grievance from the players’ union as much as they were about improving the roster, on paper Severino certainly seemed like a solid addition to the club’s pitching staff.

Instead, Severino has a 4.82 ERA over 136 1/3 innings, as well as very poor strikeout and whiff rates.  While Severino hasn’t missed many bats over his last few seasons, he has allowed far more hard contact this year than he did during his more successful 2024 campaign with the Mets.

The story of Severino’s 2025 season may lie in his home/road splits, as the righty has a 3.17 ERA over 65 1/3 away innings and a garish 6.34 ERA in 71 innings at Sutter Health Park.  Severino has been public about his displeasure with playing in the minor league ballpark, and this reportedly made A’s management eager to trade the righty.  Despite some rumors, no deal was struck prior to the deadline, which isn’t surprising given how the Athletics reportedly weren’t keen on eating much or any of Severino’s salary to accommodate any potential move.

Severino is owed $20MM in 2026, and he has a $22MM player option for the 2027 season.  Given his feelings about Sutter Health Park, an opt-out might seem like a possibility even if his numbers continue to be uninspiring, which perhaps creates an unusual situation for both the player and the team down the road.  Barring a trade for another team’s unwelcome contract, Severino’s opt-out clause and recent performance would make an offseason move tricky, and this oblique strain now adds another wrinkle to the situation.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

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Mark P

  • The Weekend Chat has returned! We’ll take a minute to get some questions build up, and then get into it…

Guards ball

  • Do you think the guardians have a legit shot to still when the Al central considering the hot start we are on since the all star break?

Mark P

  • Detroit’s lead is down to six games over Cleveland, which is still pretty substantial.  It would take a combo of the Guards both staying hot, and the Tigers continuing their so-so play over the last month for the Guardians to have a legitimate chance.

    It would be pretty ironic if, a year after their big late-season surge, the Tigers were caught by another team going on a surprise late run

Rangers Fan

  • I’ve seen conflicting reports on the Rangers CBT situation after the trade deadline additions. The local beat writers are acting as if the Rangers will definitively end the season over the CBT threshold. But other sources, like Spotrac and Cot’s, make it seem like the Rangers can and will end up below the CBT threshold. Obviously, bonuses and incentives complicate things, but if you take the incentives that are “very likely” to hit, it appears the Rangers will stay under with a little room for additional bonuses. Do you have any clarity on this?

Mark P

  • A team’s final luxury tax number isn’t officially known until the league releases numbers in December.  Sites like Cot’s, Spotrac, RosterResource, etc. do a great job in providing projections and estimates, but they’re the first to tell you that they’re working with incomplete information.  Many other factors like roster bonuses or other expenses are known sometimes only to the teams themselves, and those the x-factor numbers audited by the league at year’s end
  • My guess right now would be that Texas is just barely under the line, given how Cot’s/RR/Spotrac all have them slightly under the $241MM tax line.

Read more

Yankees Notes: Slater, Stanton, Williams

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Acquired from the White Sox at the trade deadline, Austin Slater made only two appearances in the pinstripes before he suffered a left hamstring strain.  Slater was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 5, and he’ll unfortunately be missing far more than just the 10-day minimum, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) that Slater will need 4-6 weeks of recovery time.

It’s a tough break for both Slater and the Yankees, as the nine-year veteran was expected to bring some needed right-handed hitting balance to New York’s outfield mix.  Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham both hit from the left side and Jasson Dominguez is a switch-hitter, plus Aaron Judge is still limited to DH duty as he fully recovers from a right flexor strain.  The idea was that Slater would primarily platoon with Dominguez in left field, but that plan will now have to be put on hold until September.

Even if Slater had been healthy, Giancarlo Stanton was expected to get some outfield time in the wake of Judge’s injury, as the Yankees weren’t going to keep Stanton’s bat out of the lineup entirely.  Stanton’s return to the grass has come today, as the slugger is penciled in as the Yankees’ starting right fielder for today’s game with the Astros.  With left-hander Framber Valdez on the mound, the Yankees are utilizing most of their right-handed bats in the starting lineup, leaving Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Austin Wells on the bench.

It marks the first time since September 14, 2023 that Stanton has played a position other than designated hitter.  Multiple lower-body injuries limited Stanton’s time in the outfield, and even his move into a seeming full-time DH role came at a physical cost.  Stanton didn’t make his 2025 debut until June 16 as he was dealing with torn tendons in both elbows.

With all of this in mind, Stanton is expected to be used only sparingly in the outfield, since the Yankees naturally want to keep him healthy for the stretch drive.  Stanton has hit .268/.345/.528 with 10 homers over his 142 plate appearances this season, with a 139 wRC+ that would be his highest since the 2020 campaign.

New York needs all the help it can get as the club tries to get its season back on track.  The Yankees are only 19-30 over their last 49 games, dropping from first place in the AL East to just a half-game lead over the surging Guardians for the final AL wild card slot.  Relief pitching is one of the chief culprits for the Yankees’ slide, as the team’s bullpen 4.90 ERA since June 13 ranks 26th of the 30 big league teams.

The acquisitions of Camilo Doval, David Bednar, and Jake Bird at the trade deadline was supposed to stop the bleeding on the relief front, yet Bird has already been optioned to Triple-A and Doval and Bednar have each had some shaky moments in their brief stints as Yankees.  Devin Williams has also continued to struggle, and he picked up the loss by allowing three runs (two earned) during the 10th inning of yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Astros.

After years as a relief ace with the Brewers, Williams now has a 5.73 ERA over 44 innings with New York.  To put it in perspective, Williams allowed only 48 total earned runs in 235 2/3 innings over his six seasons prior to 2025, but he has already been touched for 28 ER in his lone season with the Yankees.

Given these numbers, Kirschner opined that Williams might not even last the season in the Bronx, as the Yankees could opt to just release him in a few weeks once some other relievers (i.e. Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarbrough) return from the IL.  Such a scenario would’ve seemed unthinkable heading into the 2025 season, and many of Williams’ secondary metrics are in line with his career norms.  It seemed like he had gotten on track during a dominant stretch from mid-May until the All-Star break, but Williams has a 10.38 ERA over his last 8 2/3 innings, and has allowed at least one earned run in each of his last five outings.

At the very least, it would seem like Williams can’t be trusted for any more high-leverage work.  (Even last night, he likely wouldn’t have been used in the 10th inning if other pitchers hadn’t been unavailable.)  A more extreme move like a release might hinge on how the rest of the bullpen is performing or if the Yankees feel they have enough depth, but as Kirschner notes, there is already virtually no chance New York would re-sign Williams in free agency this winter.  If the team is going to cut ties anyway and Williams may not even be a candidate for a postseason roster at this point, a release in September might not be out of the question.

Padres Release Mike Brosseau

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The Padres released infielder Mike Brosseau from his minor league contract on Friday, as initially reported by the Mad Friars website.  Brousseau inked his deal with San Diego back in December, but didn’t receive any time on the active roster during his stint in the organization.

With only a .222/.308/.358 slash line over 344 plate appearances with Triple-A El Paso, Brosseau didn’t do much to force the issue for a call-up.  Even with the Padres hurting for bench depth for much of the season, it would seem that Brosseau simply didn’t hit enough to get himself on the team’s radar.  It perhaps didn’t help that Brosseau has played almost exclusively as a third baseman in El Paso, and the Padres naturally had no needs at that position due to Manny Machado’s presence.

Brosseau hit .242/.313/.428 over 647 plate appearances with the Rays and Brewers from 2019-23.  He posted particularly big numbers during the shortened 2020 season for Tampa Bay’s pennant-winning club, and also hit well in 2019 and 2022.  However, Brosseau’s numbers tailed off during the 2023 season, and the Brewers released him midway through the season so Brosseau could sign with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.  That brief stint in Japan was followed up by minor league contracts with the Royals and Mets during the 2024 season, before Brosseau signed on with the Padres this past offseason.

Though most of his 2025 has been spent at the hot corner, Brosseau has plenty of experience at a first and second baseman, plus he has played as a shortstop and at both corner infield slots in the past.  Teams could have interest in adding Brosseau for the remainder of the 2025 campaign either as a depth option, or just to fill out any Triple-A roster vacancy left open by prospect trades at the deadline.

Brewers Place Logan Henderson On 15-Day IL Due To Flexor Strain

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Prior to yesterday’s 3-2 win over the Mets, the Brewers placed right-hander Logan Henderson on the 15-day injured list with what was initially termed as elbow inflammation.  Manager Pat Murphy revealed to reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) postgame that an MRI indicated Henderson is dealing with a right flexor strain.  A rehab timeline isn’t yet known, but it is at least a good sign that the rookie pitcher has avoided structural damage.

Henderson had been scheduled to start today’s game, but Tobias Myers will now take the ball for his first start since May 17.  Milwaukee called Myers up from Triple-A Nashville in the corresponding move for Henderson’s IL placement.  Reliever Shelby Miller (acquired from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline) was also activated from the 15-day IL, with right-hander Easton McGee optioned to Triple-A on Thursday to open up roster space in advance of Miller’s reinstatement.

It was just a week ago that Henderson was himself recalled from Triple-A as an injury replacement, taking over Jacob Misiorowski’s rotation spot after Misiorowski was sidelined by a left tibia contusion.  Since that injury wasn’t considered to be too serious, it is possible Misiorowski could be activated from the 15-day IL when first eligible on August 15.  Since the Brew Crew have an off-day on Thursday, Myers might just be needed for one turn in the rotation if all goes well with Misiorowski’s recovery.

Milwaukee’s rotation was crushed by injuries in the first few weeks of the season, which opened the door for Henderson to make his Major League debut on April 20.  He was optioned back to Nashville after that outing, called back for three more starts in May, then sent down again until his return to the big leagues last week.

It is a testament to the Brewers’ pitching depth that Henderson has been a spare part, even though he has a 1.78 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, and an 8.1% walk rate over his first 25 1/3 innings in the Show.  His 3.12 SIERA is only slightly less impressive, and Henderson has benefited from the big outlier of a 96.2% strand rate, and a favorable .255 BABIP.  This batted-ball luck is noteworthy since Henderson has only a 22.8% grounder rate, but opposing batters are only making hard contact 33.2% of the time against the righty’s offerings.

Between these numbers in the majors and a 3.59 ERA over 77 2/3 Triple-A frames, there has been a lot to like about Henderson’s 2025 season.  A fourth-round pick for the Brewers in the 2021 draft, Henderson has lined himself up nicely to be a big part of the club’s rotation plans going forward, probably as soon as 2026.  Brandon Woodruff and Jose Quintana are both expected to become free agents this winter once their mutual options are declined, leaving a couple of holes to be filled on the pitching staff.

This assumes, of course, that Henderson is able to recover properly from this flexor strain.  Even a relatively minor strain will certainly result in more than 15 days on the IL, just out of natural precaution about arm-related injuries.  It is probably safe to rule Henderson out for the remainder of August, and his availability for the rest of the regular season (and the playoffs) could potentially be in jeopardy.  As noted by McCalvy, Henderson’s injury history includes a surgery to fix a fractured elbow, which limited him to 13 2/3 innings during the 2022 minor league season.

Active MLB Players Who Have Received A Qualifying Offer

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Five days after the World Series ends each year, teams have the option to issue a one-year qualifying offer to any player who was not traded during the season.  For the 2025-2026 offseason, the qualifying offer was set at $22.025MM.  After receiving a QO, the player has 15 days to decide whether to accept or reject this offer.  Those who accept are signed players, while those who decline require a new team to forfeit at least one draft pick to sign them.  A team losing a qualified free agent to another team prior to the amateur draft gains a draft pick.

Under the current collective bargaining agreement, any player who has previously been issued a qualifying offer is ineligible to receive another one.  With that in mind, here’s the list of active MLB players who have received a qualifying offer in the past, with a few allowances for those who signed minor league deals this year.

Updated 11-10-25

Willy Adames
Pete Alonso
Tyler Anderson
Chris Bassitt
Cody Bellinger
Bo Bichette
Xander Bogaerts
Alex Bregman
Corbin Burnes
Nick Castellanos
Dylan Cease
Matt Chapman
Alex Cobb
Gerrit Cole
Michael Conforto
Willson Contreras
Patrick Corbin
Carlos Correa
Jacob deGrom
Edwin Diaz
Nathan Eovaldi
Freddie Freeman
Max Fried
Zac Gallen
Kevin Gausman
Sonny Gray
Trent Grisham
Josh Hader
Bryce Harper
Teoscar Hernandez
Jason Heyward
Raisel Iglesias
Shota Imanaga
Kenley Jansen
Aaron Judge
Dallas Keuchel
Craig Kimbrel
Michael King
DJ LeMahieu
Sean Manaea
Nick Martinez
Brandon Nimmo
Aaron Nola
Shohei Ohtani
Marcell Ozuna
Joc Pederson
Martin Perez
Nick Pivetta
Robbie Ray
J.T. Realmuto
Anthony Rendon
David Robertson
Carlos Rodon
Eduardo Rodriguez
Carlos Santana
Anthony Santander
Max Scherzer
Kyle Schwarber
Corey Seager
Marcus Semien
Luis Severino
Blake Snell
Juan Soto
Dansby Swanson
George Springer
Trevor Story
Marcus Stroman
Ranger Suarez
Noah Syndergaard
Chris Taylor
Gleyber Torres
Kyle Tucker
Justin Turner
Trea Turner
Framber Valdez
Justin Verlander
Christian Walker
Zack Wheeler
Brandon Woodruff

Patrick Sandoval, Liam Hendriks Doubtful To Return In 2025

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August 4: Hendriks spoke to members of the media today, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive and Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. The righty expressed confidence that he will be back this year and that it was “a slip of the tongue” when Cora said otherwise. Hendriks also clarified that he was diagnosed with a hernia but the diagnosis was changed to an abdominal strain.

August 3: The 2025 season may be over for two members of the Red Sox pitching staff and 60-day injured list.  In speaking with the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey and other reporters today, Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora both indicated that left-hander Patrick Sandoval and right-hander Liam Hendriks aren’t likely to pitch this year.

Sandoval underwent an internal brace procedure on his left UCL last July, so the southpaw was guaranteed to need at least a full year of recovery time.  Because brace procedures generally require 12-13 months of rehab rather than the 13-15 month timelines associated with full Tommy John procedures, there was some thought that Sandoval could potentially make it back before the end of the 2025 campaign.

However, Cora indicated last week that Sandoval’s throwing progression had been scaled back from bullpen sessions to just games of catch.  The setback has now seemingly elongated Sandoval’s timeline to the point that he almost surely won’t be fully ramped up (after bullpens, simulated games, minor league rehab games, etc.) to be ready before the end of September.

The Angels chose to non-tender Sandoval last winter, and the Red Sox signed him to a two-year, $18.25MM free agent deal.  Just $5.5MM of that salary was owed for 2025, as the idea was that Sandoval would be missing at least the first four months of the season anyway.  While this outcome isn’t unexpected, it is surely a disappointment to Sandoval that his UCL injury has continued to leave him on the sidelines.

Hendriks can sympathize, as the closer’s battle with cancer and then a Tommy John surgery limited him to five MLB innings in 2023 and then cost him the entirety of the 2024 season.  Similar to Sandoval, Hendriks’ hopes of a late-season return were dashed by some continued arm soreness, and then his return in 2025 was delayed by elbow inflammation during Spring Training.  Upon finally returning to the mound and making his official Red Sox debut, Hendriks posted a 6.59 ERA over 14 games and 13 2/3 innings before hip inflammation sent him back to the IL in late May.

Hendriks signed a two-year, $10MM deal with the Red Sox in February 2024 that, like Sandoval’s contract, was backloaded.  He earned $2MM while rehabbing in 2024 and then is earning $6MM this year, plus there is a $2MM buyout of a $12MM mutual option for the 2026 season.  The Sox are a lock to decline their end of the option given Hendriks’ continued injury owes, and the former three-time All-Star will probably have to settle for a minor league deal in free agency this coming offseason.

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