Astros To Activate Luis Garcia From 60-Day IL On Monday
After well over two years on the sidelines, Luis Garcia is finally ready to return to the majors. Astros manager Joe Espada told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that Houston will activate Garcia from the 60-day injured list tomorrow so the right-hander can make the start against the Angels. A corresponding move will need to be made to create space for Garcia on the 40-man roster, but Garcia’s spot on the active roster will be addressed because the roster expands to 28 players on September 1.
Garcia’s last big league game was on May 1, 2023, as a Tommy John surgery ensured that Garcia would be out of action until the latter part of the 2024 season at the absolute earliest. It wasn’t entirely unusual, then, that Garcia didn’t pitch last year due to some renewed elbow soreness while he was pitching on a minor league rehab assignment, yet unfortunately those elbow issues continued into 2025.
It wasn’t until the first week of July that Garcia made his season debut in an outing with the Astros’ rookie ball affiliate. He has now made nine appearances while working his way up the minor league ladder, with four of his last five starts coming with Triple-A Sugar Land. In his last start on August 26, Garcia tossed 75 pitches over six innings while allowing just one run, and he has thrown at least 75 pitches in each of his last three outings.
While on-field results may not matter as much as pitch counts and general comfort and health during rehab assignments, Garcia’s 2.60 ERA over 17 1/3 Triple-A innings provides some evidence that he is ready to roll. What he can provide against MLB hitters after such a lengthy absence is anyone’s guess, yet it’s certainly helpful to the Astros to get a rotation arm back for the stretch run and into October.
Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez are locks as Houston’s top two starters in the regular season and in a hypothetical playoff rotation. While there isn’t a ton of true certainty beyond Brown and Valdez, the Astros would seem to have enough rotation depth to help in their pursuit of the AL West crown and what the team hopes is another deep playoff run.
Cristian Javier has logged four starts since returning from his own Tommy John rehab, and Spencer Arrighetti has done well in his last couple of starts after a broken thumb sent him to the 60-day IL earlier this year. Jason Alexander has pitched well since stepping into the rotation but would ideally work best as a swingman during the playoffs. Rookie Brandon Walter was excellent in nine starts before elbow inflammation sent him to the 60-day IL, and he isn’t eligible for activation until late September. The struggling Lance McCullers Jr. was recently moved to the bullpen, opening up room for Garcia in the rotation mix.
Garcia joins this group in what is now his fifth MLB season. Emerging as a rotation regular in 2021, Garcia finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting en route to posting a 3.48 ERA over 155 1/3 innings for an Astros team that won the AL pennant. Garcia followed up with a strong sophomore season of 157 1/3 frames of 3.72 ERA ball in 2022 to help Houston bring home the World Series. While Garcia has a 5.79 ERA across 23 1/3 career postseason innings, he has had his share of big playoff moments, including 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball in Houston’s clinching game of the 2021 ALCS over the Red Sox.
Phillies Sign Walker Buehler To Minors Contract
5:07PM: The Phillies have announced the signing, with the added detail that Buehler has inked a minor league contract and will report to Triple-A.
4:45PM: The Phillies have signed right-hander Walker Buehler, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports. The deal will become official once Buehler (who is represented by Excel) passes a physical, and Buehler is eligible for inclusion on a playoff roster because he is joining the Phillies before September 1. Gelb reported Philadelphia’s interest in Buehler earlier today.
It was just two days ago that the Red Sox released Buehler, bringing an early end to their partnership after Buehler signed a one-year, $21.05MM free agent deal last winter. Roughly $3.4MM remains on that contract, but the Sox will remain responsible for most of that money, as the Phils will owe Buehler just the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary.
The signing is a flier to see if Buehler can bounce back in Philadelphia after a rough year in Boston. Buehler has struggled to a 5.45 ERA, 16.5% strikeout rate, and 10.8% walk rate over 112 1/3 innings this season, and opposing batters have taken him yard 22 times. The numbers aren’t far removed from Buehler’s regular-season performance over 75 1/3 innings with the Dodgers in 2024, when Buehler was returning to action after missing the entire 2023 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.
That was the second TJ procedure of Buehler’s career, and given how shaky he has looked in the aftermath, it remains to be seen if the righty can ever return to his past All-Star form. However, Buehler showed some flashes of his old self during the Dodgers’ playoff run in 2024, throwing 10 shutout innings over his last three appearance to help Los Angeles capture the championship. Most notably, Buehler even picked up the save to close out the clinching Game Five.
As Gelb notes, the Phillies are probably viewing Buehler as a bullpen contributor again for the playoffs given how the team already has its postseason rotation set. While losing Zack Wheeler for the season blew a big hole into the Phils’ pitching plans, there’s still plenty of starting options available in Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker. The Phillies were considering a six-man rotation for September when Wheeler was still available, so Buehler could potentially make a start or two just to help ease the innings burden on the other starters, and then slide into a relief role in October.
With a healthy 6.5-game lead over the Mets in the NL East, the Phillies have some breathing room to use September as a bit of a laboratory to figure out their optimal playoff roster. If Buehler’s struggles continue, the Phils could just leave him off a postseason roster entirely, with no cost to the team apart from his minimal salary.
A bigger-picture look at Buehler’s free-agent future should wait until his 2025 season is actually over. Buehler is still just 31 and probably wants to keep trying to re-establish himself as a starter, so he’ll likely sign another one-year deal (worth far less than $21.05MM) with a team in need of rotation help. Should Buehler pitch well as a reliever in Philadelphia, however, it might add an interesting wrinkle to the situation, as exploring a full-time role change would add more interest to Buehler’s market.
Reds To Promote Sal Stewart
The Reds are calling up top infield prospect Sal Stewart, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports. The transaction will presumably be made official prior to Cincinnati’s game with Toronto on Monday, and corresponding moves might not be necessary since rosters are expanding and the Reds have an open spot on the 40-man roster.
Stewart was the 32nd overall pick of the 2022 draft, and he’ll be making his big league debut whenever he first appears in a game. Beyond just the regular pressure of playing in the majors for the first time, Stewart is also joining a Reds team that is desperately trying to stay in the wild card picture. The Reds’ win over the Cardinals today was only Cincinnati’s second victory in its last 10 games, as the Reds have dropped to a 69-68 record and four games behind the Mets for the last NL wild card slot.
If anything, Cincinnati fans would’ve preferred to have seen Stewart in the Show weeks ago, given how the lineup has been struggling and Stewart has been crushing minor league pitching. The infielder has a combined .309/.383/.523 slash line over 494 plate appearances in Double-A (329 PA) and Triple-A (165 PA) this season, which marked the first time Stewart had played above A-level ball. It has been a rapid rise for a player who is just 21 years old, and it is possible he might’ve made it to the majors even sooner if a wrist injury hadn’t limited him to 80 games in 2024.
MLB Pipeline’s midseason update of its top-100 prospects list ranked Stewart 31st in all of baseball, while Baseball America has Stewart 86th on its top 100. Both pundits give Stewart a 60-grade for his hit tool, and both cited the fact that Stewart has nearly as many walks (184) as strikeouts (216) over the course of his 1378 career PA in the minor leagues. Stewart is very skilled at making hard and consistent contact, and he has upside in the power department — with 20 homers in the minors this year, Stewart is already showing signs of developing that pop.
Stewart has mostly played third base during his career, while also seeing some time as a second baseman and playing in his first two pro games as a first baseman while at Triple-A. Evaluators aren’t sure about his defensive future and first base might ultimately end up being his ideal position down the road, but for now, Stewart could help out at multiple spots within the struggling Reds infield.
Cincinnati has stayed in the playoff mix despite getting negative-bWAR production from first base, second base, and third base. Ke’Bryan Hayes was acquired at the trade deadline to at least stabilize third base from a defensive standpoint, but the Reds have stuck with Spencer Steer and Matt McLain at the other two infield spots despite subpar offense. Stewart could easily be given some at-bats at the expense of Steer or McLain, with second base probably being the likelier landing spot since Stewart is still relatively inexperienced as a first baseman.
Due to the late call-up, Stewart will retain his rookie status heading into 2026. He would also therefore qualify under the Prospect Promotion Incentive rules, so he could earn the Reds a bonus draft pick if he remains on the MLB roster for the entire 2026 season.
Phillies Claim Tim Mayza
3:51PM: The Phillies officially announced Mayza’s claim, and Wheeler was placed on the 60-day IL in the corresponding move.
12:32PM: The Phillies have claimed left-hander Tim Mayza off waivers from the Pirates, according to a press release from the Bucs’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis (hat tip to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf). Philadelphia will need to clear a 40-man roster spot before the transaction becomes official, although this can easily be done by transferring Zack Wheeler to the 60-day injured list.
Mayza himself has been on the 60-day IL for much of the season, as the veteran reliever hasn’t pitched in a big league game since April due to a lat strain and a teres major strain. Mayza did start a rehab assignment this month, and pitched in four games (two in A-ball, two in Indianapolis) while working his way up to full readiness.
It would seem like Mayza is getting pretty close to being ready for an activation, and he’ll get to make his return for a contending team in Philadelphia. There hasn’t been any public word that Mayza had been designated for assignment or placed on outright waivers, though those moves aren’t always publicized, especially during August waiver claim season.
In adding Mayza prior to September 1, the Phillies ensure that Mayza is eligible for selection on a postseason roster. Between Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and Tanner Banks, the Phils already have a good amount of left-handed bullpen depth, though it certainly doesn’t hurt to have another experienced arm on hand. Mayza has pitched in each of the last three postseasons, amassing a 2.08 ERA over 4 1/3 total playoff innings with the Blue Jays and Yankees.
Pittsburgh signed Mayza to a one-year, $1.15MM free agent deal back in February. The contract ended up being a wash for the team due to Mayza’s extended injury absence, though he did post a 2.89 ERA over his 9 1/3 innings in a Bucs uniform. The lefty was a pretty effective bullpen arm for most of his tenure in Toronto, but he struggled badly early in 2024 and was designated for assignment mid-season, with the Yankees putting in a claim. Mayza somewhat righted the ship with a 4.00 ERA over 18 innings for New York, but the Yankees still chose to non-tender him following the season.
With the Pirates well out of contention, the waiver claim will save Pittsburgh the approximately $190K remaining on Mayza’s 2025 salary. Since the Phillies are well over the highest tier of luxury tax penalization, Mayza’s price tag will cost them over $400K in both actual salary and additional tax money, though that isn’t exactly a big expenditure for a free-spending club intent on winning a championship.
Orioles Release Matt Bowman
The Orioles released right-hander Matt Bowman, according to the team’s official transactions page. Bowman was designated for assignment earlier this week, which marked the fourth time this season Baltimore had sent the righty to DFA limbo.
This time, however, the O’s opted to just release Bowman rather than outright him off the 40-man roster. Bowman cleared waivers after his previous three DFAs and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, even though he had the ability to elect free agency after any of those outrights. It could be that the Orioles and Bowman agreed to a release this time just to give Bowman a bit more opportunity to catch on with a contender before August 31 (the postseason roster eligibility deadline), or perhaps the O’s are just ready to part ways with the 34-year-old.
Since Bowman is out of minor league options, his last few seasons have been a flurry of moves on and off rosters, with 59 1/3 total innings and 48 appearances with five different teams since Opening Day 2023. That includes a four-inning stint with the Yankees in 2023, appearances with the Orioles and three other clubs in 2024, and a return to Baltimore in the form of 24 2/3 frames in the majors this year. With only a 6.20 ERA over those 24 2/3 innings, Bowman didn’t do much to help his case to stick in the Orioles’ bullpen.
His 4.10 ERA, 21.8K%, and 5.5% walk rate over 26 1/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk has been better, even if his ERA has been inflated by home runs. Bowman could possibly parlay these solid numbers into another minor league contract elsewhere, and a return to Baltimore’s organization probably can’t be ruled out if Bowman can’t find a deal with a new club.
Pirates Promote Cam Devanney, Place Ronny Simon On 10-Day IL
2:27PM: The Pirates officially announced Devanney’s promotion, with Simon heading to the 10-day IL. Simon suffered a dislocated left shoulder, so in all likelihood his 2025 season is over. Making his MLB debut with the Marlins earlier this year, Simon’s first year in the Show saw him hit .234/.299/.273 over 88 total PA with Miami and Pittsburgh, with the move to the Bucs coming via waiver claim in early June.
11:37AM: Ronny Simon is likely to be placed on the 10-day injured list in the corresponding move for Devanney, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. Simon was removed from yesterday’s game due to a left shoulder injury after an awkward slide into home plate. This means that Devanney could be used more in the outfield than in the infield, depending on what happens with Kiner-Falefa’s situation.
10:26AM: The Pirates are calling up infielder Cam Devanney from Triple-A Indianapolis, according to Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports. The corresponding 26-man roster move isn’t yet known, and Devanney is already on the Bucs’ 40-man roster.
Devanney will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game, though this isn’t his first time in the Show. The Royals selected his contract from Triple-A in July but didn’t use Devanney in a game during his week-long stint on the active roster, though some of that stint was taken up by the All-Star break. Before the second half of the season could begin, Kansas City traded Devanney to Pittsburgh in the one-for-one swap that brought Adam Frazier back to the Royals.
The change of scenery has led to a downturn in Devanney’s offense, as his .256/.327/.361 slash line over 147 plate appearances with Indianapolis is well below the .272/.366/.565 slash he had with Triple-A Omaha this season prior to the trade. While Devanney hasn’t exactly kicked down the door and forced a promotion, the Pirates may soon have a vacancy in the infield if Isiah Kiner-Falefa is claimed off outright waivers. Rival teams will have to acquire IKF before September 1 to include him on a postseason roster, so Devanney’s call-up could be a hint that Pittsburgh is expecting a claim soon.
Devanney could perhaps replicate Kiner-Falefa in terms of versatility. Devanney has played mostly shortstop during his career but has a lot of experience at second and third base, plus a handful of appearances as a first baseman and left fielder. This season’s numbers in Omaha were the high point of a generally productive run in Triple-A for the infielder, who has slashed .264/.349/.469 with 53 homers over 1404 with the top affiliates of the Pirates, Royals, and Brewers. A 15th-round pick for the Brew Crew in the 2019 draft, Devanney was dealt to the Royals as part of the 2023-24 offseason trade that sent Taylor Clarke from K.C. to Milwaukee.
Royals Sign Spencer Turnbull To Minors Contract
The Royals announced that right-hander Spencer Turnbull has been signed to a minor league contract. Turnbull had been in the Cubs organization on another minors deal until two days ago, when he triggered an opt-out clause to obtain a release.
It has been an unusual season in many ways for Turnbull, who pitched well for the Phillies in 2024 before a lat strain cut short his year. Heading into free agency last winter, he didn’t find an acceptable contract until well after Opening Day, when Turnbull signed with the Blue Jays to a prorated deal worth $1,265,306 (or just $1MM in remaining money). He finally made his 2025 debut in June but struggled to a 7.11 ERA over three outings and 6 1/3 innings with Toronto before being released.
The minors deal with the Cubs didn’t result in any more MLB playing time, as Turnbull’s struggles continued with a 9.49 ERA over 24 2/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa. Overall, Turnbull has a 7.96 ERA over 46 1/3 total minor league innings in 2025, with a lackluster 10.5% walk rate and 18.8% strikeout rate adding to his struggles.
Kansas City would owe Turnbull just the prorated portion of a Major League minimum salary for any time spent on the big league roster, with the Jays covering the remainder of what Turnbull is owed in 2025. In that sense, there’s really no risk for the Royals in seeing if Turnbull can still turn things around late in the season, and perhaps become an option for the club’s pitching staff down the stretch.
Turnbull could potentially act as rotation depth for a team with multiple starters on the IL, though Cole Ragans may be able to make a return to the Royals some time in September. Or, Turnbull could bolster the staff in another way by acting as a swingman or multi-inning reliever, akin to his role in Philadelphia in 2024. This hinges on Turnbull finding his old form in at least the minors, of course, but every bit of pitching depth is helpful for a Royals team still battling for a wild card berth.
Mets Designate Jose Castillo For Assignment
The Mets announced that left-hander Jose Castillo has been designated for assignment. Right-hander Chris Devenski was called up from Triple-A Syracuse in the corresponding move. The transaction brings Devenski’s fresh arm into the bullpen, as Castillo tossed 47 pitches over a two-inning relief outing in Friday’s 19-9 rout of the Marlins.
Castillo is out of minor league options, and thus this is the fourth time this season he has been DFA’d since has to first clear waivers before being sent to Triple-A. The first designation came in May when Castillo was still a member of the Diamondbacks, and the Mets then brought the southpaw into the organization via trade. In Castillo’s previous two DFAs with New York, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Syracuse. It stands to reason that the same will happen here, though Castillo has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he wants to explore the open market.
Despite the roster churn, Castillo has pitched quite well during his time in Queens, posting a 2.35 ERA, 53.3% grounder rate, 25.7% strikeout rate, and 8.1% walk rate over 15 1/3 innings with the Mets. This represents Castillo’s best stretch in the majors since his 2018 rookie season, when he broke into the Show with a 3.29 ERA over 38 1/3 relief innings with the Padres.
However, Castillo tossed just two MLB innings between the 2019-24 seasons, due to a variety of injuries that included a Tommy John surgery. His bottom-line numbers for New York provide some proof that the 29-year-old can still be effective against big league hitters, even if the Mets see him as an expendable arm.
Nationals Place MacKenzie Gore On 15-Day Injured List
12:13PM: Gore downplayed the seriousness of his injury when speaking with MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters, saying that he feels he can pitch again this season. An MRI showed “nothing crazy” in Gore’s shoulder, according to the lefty.
11:49AM: The Nationals announced that left-hander MacKenzie Gore has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 27) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Right-hander Mason Thompson was called up from Triple-A to take Gore’s spot on the active roster.
Given the timing of the IL placement, it is fair to wonder if the Nationals will just shut Gore down for the remainder of 2025, since Washington has nothing to play for in the final weeks of a lost season. This would be the third time in Gore’s four MLB seasons that an injury has kept him from finishing a season, as his 2022 rookie season was cut short by elbow inflammation and the Nats chose to shut Gore down in September 2023 due to blisters on his left hand.
More will be known about Gore’s situation when Nats interim manager Miguel Cairo meets with reporters later, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that Gore has been trying to pitch through discomfort for a while, given how his production has cratered since the All-Star break. The southpaw has a 7.54 ERA over his last eight starts and 37 innings, which came on the heels of a 3.02 ERA in his first 110 1/3 innings.
That first-half performance earned Gore his first career All-Star nod, and seemingly cemented him as a building block within what seems like a somewhat stalled rebuild in Washington. Despite interest from multiple teams at the trade deadline, the Nats refused to move Gore, viewing him as a cornerstone player who is controlled through the 2027 season.
Today’s injury news might lessen any regrets teams had about not acquiring Gore, even if his two years of arbitration control give him value beyond just the 2025 campaign. If this is indeed it for Gore this season, he’ll finish with a 4.15 ERA over 147 1/3 innings, with a very strong 27.7% strikeout rate but a subpar 8.7% walk rate.
Brewers Reinstate Jackson Chourio From 10-Day Injured List, Designate Oliver Dunn
The Brewers made a quartet of transactions prior to today’s game with the Blue Jays, including the headline news that Jackson Chourio has been activated from the 10-day injured list. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was optioned to Triple-A to create room for Chourio on the 26-man roster. Milwaukee also activated Robert Gasser from the 60-day IL and optioned the southpaw to Triple-A, and to create room for Gasser on the 40-man roster, infielder Oliver Dunn was designated for assignment.
Chourio last played on July 29, when he strained his right hamstring while running the bases after a triple. The injury cut short what had been a scorching stretch for Chourio, who had a 1.065 OPS over the 93 plate appearances prior to his IL stint. That hot streak brought Chourio’s season-long slash line up to .276/.311/.474 over 472 PA — almost identical to the numbers he posted in 573 PA during his 2024 season. The outfielder has also hit 17 homers and stolen 18 bases, approaching his 2024 totals of 21 home runs and 22 steals.
It is a testament to Milwaukee’s depth that the Brewers haven’t missed a beat in Chourio’s absence, as the club has gone 20-9 without a key piece of their starting outfield. The Brew Crew now have the good problem of too many outfield options for too few spots, as Blake Perkins will be shuffled into fourth outfielder duty with Chourio and occasionally Sal Frelick taking over as the primary center fielders. Isaac Collins has established himself as a regular left fielder, leaving Chourio and Frelick in center and right in some capacity, and Perkins providing excellent glovework off the bench.
This surplus bodes well for the Brewers’ chances of making a World Series run, and Gasser might also factor into late-season plans. The former top prospect posted a 2.57 ERA over his first 28 MLB innings (and five starts) in 2024 before a Tommy John surgery quickly ended Gasser’s rookie campaign. He has already pitched in nine minor league games as part of his recovery process, including five outings with Triple-A Nashville.
The reinstatement from the 60-day IL relates to the end of Gasser’s allotted 30-day rehab window, and he’ll continue to get ramped up in Nashville while waiting for a probable call-up in September. Though Gasser has worked as a starter almost exclusively throughout his career, it seems likelier that the Brewers would use him as a reliever if he is included on a postseason roster. His stuff could play up well in a bullpen role and make him a secret weapon for Milwaukee’s relief corps for the playoffs, though it would be a pressurized environment for a 26-year-old has little big league experience, and is just coming back from a major surgery.
Dunn had his own 2024 rookie season ended early by a 60-day IL stint due to a back injury. Seen as a potential contender to win regular work as the Brewers’ third baseman heading into 2025, Dunn hasn’t hit much in his limited time in the majors, batting .206/.261/.290 over 145 plate appearances. Milwaukee optioned Dunn to Triple-A back in April, and now today’s DFA might end the infielder’s time in the organization altogether.
Teams interested in adding infield depth could consider a waiver claim, plus Dunn has a minor league option year remaining, which bolsters his roster flexibility. He brings some defensive versatility as a regular second and third baseman, plus some time as a shortstop and left fielder. The bat is Dunn’s big question mark, as he has hit only .205/.311/.338 in 459 career PA at the Triple-A level along with his uninspiring small sample size of big league at-bats.