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KBO’s Hanwha Eagles Sign Jaime Barria, Release Felix Pena

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May 28: The Guardians announced that Barria’s contract has officially been sold to the Eagles. Hanwha announced over the weekend that they’ve released former MLB righty Felix Pena (h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO). KBO teams are limited to carrying two foreign-born pitchers on their rosters, so the Eagles had to move on from either Pena or Ricardo Sanchez to add Barria. Cutting Pena was the straightforward call, as he has struggled to a 6.27 ERA over nine starts. (Sanchez has a solid 3.35 mark in his nine appearances). Pena spent parts of three seasons with Hanwha, posting a sub-4.00 mark between 2022-23 before this year’s struggles.

May 25: Right-hander Jaime Barria is finalizing a deal with a team in the Korea Baseball Organization, according to MLBTR’s Steve Adams. It’s not yet clear which club Barria is working out a deal with. Barria is currently in the Guardians organization on a minor league deal but it’s common for teams to release players in order to pursue overseas opportunities, often in exchange for cash considerations from the player’s new club. Kim Geun-han of MK Sports (Korean language link) reports today that Barria is poised to sign with the Hanwha Eagles.

Barria, 27, signed with the Angels as an international free agent out of Panama and made his big league debut with the club back in 2018 during his age-21 season. The righty enjoyed a strong rookie campaign with a 3.41 ERA and 4.58 FIP across 26 starts for the Halos that year, although he suffered a sophomore slump the following season as he pitched to a 6.42 ERA in 19 appearances (13 starts) while swinging between the bullpen and rotation during the 2019 campaign. Barria would stay in that swing role for the next two seasons, pitching to roughly average results (106 ERA+) across 89 innings of work during that time.

The 2022 season saw Barria pitch in something closer to a pure relief role, with just one start and five outings where he threw more than fifty pitches. It was perhaps the best season of his career, as he posted an excellent 2.61 ERA that was 54% better than league average by measure of ERA+ to go along with a 4.11 xERA and 4.13 SIERA, all of which were career best figures for the righty. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse for Barria last year as his home run rate spiked, leaving him with a 5.68 ERA and 6.07 FIP in 82 1/3 innings of work across 34 appearances, six of which were starts.

After that difficult 2023 campaign, Barria was outrighted off the Angels roster and elected free agency, leading him to his aforementioned minor league pact with the Guardians. He’s remained in multi-inning relief during his time at Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, and while his 4.81 ERA in 13 appearances is nothing to write home about he’s also shown a surprising proclivity for strikeouts this year, punching out batters at a 28.1% clip across his 24 1/3 innings of work.

It’s possible that uptick in strikeout rate is what caught the attention of a team overseas, and Barria now figures to head to Korea in hopes of re-establishing himself as a potential big league option. KBO teams are only allowed to carry a maximum of two foreign-born pitchers on their rosters, meaning that if Barria’s new team has already reached that limit they’ll have to part ways with another arm to make room for the righty.

Twins Outright Jay Jackson To Triple-A

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TODAY: Jackson has been outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers.  Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via X) reports that Jackson will report to Triple-A, rather than exercising his right to free agency.

MAY 19: The Twins have designated right-hander Jay Jackson for assignment, per a club announcement. Right-hander Caleb Boushley was recalled in the corresponding move.

Jackson, 36, signed a $1.5MM guarantee with the Twins back in February but has struggled badly across 17 appearances with the Twins this season. In 22 1/3 innings of work, Jackson has posted a 6.75 ERA with a 4.49 FIP despite a solid 24% strikeout rate and a decent 8.3% walk rate. Much of the damage against Jackson has come via the long ball, as the veteran has already allowed a whopping four homers this season. While an unbelievably low 47.2% strand rate in conjunction with those solid strikeout and walk rates suggest Jackson may have been a victim of some bad luck (as demonstrated by his 3.49 SIERA and 3.74 xERA), those early season struggles were nonetheless enough for the Twins to make a change.

The 36-year-old’s professional career began all the way back in 2008, when he was a ninth-round pick by the Cubs. Jackson eventually made his big league debut as a member of the Padres but pitched just 34 2/3 innings in the majors between his 2015 debut and the 2021 season, instead having spent the majority of his career to that point pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He posted excellent results during his time overseas with a 2.16 ERA and a 27.4% strikeout rate, and made his way back to the big leagues in 2021 as a member of the Giants. Jackson managed just 52 2/3 innings of work at the big league level from 2021-23, but posted solid results when on the mound with a 2.73 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 50 appearances.

Those strong previous results in conjunction with his solid peripherals in Minnesota could make Jackson and interesting target for teams in need of relief pitching, though it’s possible no team will want to assume the remainder of his contract with the Twins by claiming him off waivers. Should Jackson clear waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, although he would forfeit his guaranteed salary in doing so.

Replacing Jackson on the Twins’ active roster is Boushley, who will be returning to the majors after a single-game cup of coffee with the Brewers last season. Boushley’s lone MLB appearance went fairly well as he posted a 3.86 ERA while striking out five 2 1/3 innings of work, although he did surrender two walks and a home run during the outing. Boushley found himself outrighted off the 40-man roster in Milwaukee this past offseason and elected free agency before signing with the Twins on a minor league deal back in January. Boushley’s contract was selected by the Twins earlier this month, although he did not make it into an MLB game before being optioned back to the minors. The right-hander has pitched to a decent 4.54 ERA in eight starts at the Triple-A level and figures to offer the Twins a long relief option out of the bullpen going forward.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Exits Game With Apparent Knee Injury

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4:22PM: Speaking with The Athletic’s David O’Brien (X link) and other reporters after the game, Acuna said he will be placed on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, but he feels he might miss only about a month rather than a longer absence.  Acuna compared the feel of the injury to his 2018 ACL sprain rather than his tear three years ago.

2:49PM: Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. exited today’s game against the Pirates in the first inning due to an apparent injury suffered while running the bases, and he limped off the field while gesturing to his left knee. The Braves later termed the issue “left knee soreness.” Of note, the ACL tear that required surgery during the 2021 campaign affected Acuna’s right knee.

The severity of the injury is not yet clear and likely won’t be known in detail until after the game, but it appears likely that Acuna will miss at least some time due to the issue given his history of lower half injuries. In addition to the aforementioned ACL tear in his right leg, Acuna has also suffered a left knee injury before in his career. During his rookie season back in 2018, the phenom suffered a left knee contusion and mild sprain of his left ACL that kept him out of action for one month.

An absence of virtually any length for Acuna would be a major blow to the Braves on the heels of a tough month of May that’s seen them fall to second place in the NL East, seven games back of the surging Phillies for the division crown. That’s particularly true given the offensive funk the club has found itself in this season; Atlanta’s hitters have collectively posted a wRC+ of just 88 in the month of May that leaves the Braves bottom-six among all major league clubs.

Acuna has been in the thick of that slump. It’s been a rather pedestrian start to the season for the 26-year-old, as he’s posted a roughly league average .246/.348/.356 slash line in 221 trips to the plate entering play today. Despite those uninspiring numbers, there’s no denying Acuna’s ability to carry an offense when he’s at his best; the star outfielder is of course just one season removed from a historic 2023 campaign that saw him win the NL MVP award while crushing 40 home runs, swiping 70 stolen bases, and leading the major leagues with a .416 on-base percentage.

Acuna’s offensive malaise in 2024 after a standout 2023 season is shared between much of the Braves’ lineup. Austin Riley has not appeared in a game in two weeks amid an intercostal injury but sported a wRC+ of just 102 when healthy enough to appear in games, and other key pieces such as Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II have posted similarly pedestrian numbers at the plate this season after the club’s incredible 104-win campaign last year.

Looking at the potential roster impacts of Acuna’s injury, Adam Duvall and Jarred Kelenic are handling the corner outfield spots in Acuna’s absence this afternoon, though it’s possible the club could turn to Forrest Wall or J.P. Martinez to supply additional depth should Acuna require a trip to the injured list. It’s also possible that Acuna’s injury forces the Braves to make a decision regarding Riley’s injury, as the club has effectively been playing a man down for two weeks while he’s been unavailable and the club may not be able to afford the lack of production without Acuna’s bat in the lineup.

Royals Return Rule 5 Pick Matt Sauer To Yankees

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The Yankees announced this afternoon that right-hander Matt Sauer had been returned to the organization by the Royals. The 25-year-old was selected by Kansas City with the second-overall pick in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft but was designated for assignment earlier this week. Evidently, Sauer cleared waivers, meaning the Royals had to offer Sauer back to New York for $50K. The Yankees pulled the trigger on that offer and have assigned him to Triple-A.

Sauer was New York’s second-round pick in the 2017 draft and had spent his career prior to the 2024 season climbing the minor league ladder before ultimately topping out at the Double-A level. The righty was impressive in 14 appearances (13 starts) at the level last year as he pitched to a 3.42 ERA with a 29.5% strikeout rate in 68 1/3 innings of work. That performance was clearly enough for the Royals to take a shot on Sauer, and he impressed in 10 2/3 innings of work during Spring Training with a 2.53 ERA and 13 strikeouts.

That spring performance was enough for the Royals to offer Sauer a spot on their Opening Day roster, and he responded by delivering solid results throughout the month of April with a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings of work. That being said, Sauer’s peripherals left something to be desired as evidenced by his 17% walk rate and 9.4% strikeout rate during that time. Unfortunately, Sauer’s results began to catch up to his peripherals in May as he was lit up to the tune of a 19.80 ERA in five appearances throughout the month, prompting the club’s decision to designate him for assignment.

Were the Royals still the rebuilding club many expected them to be entering the 2024 campaign, it’s possible they would have retained Sauer on the roster for longer in hopes he could right the ship. Unfortunately for the righty, Kansas City has played like anything but a rebuilding club this year with a fantastic 34-19 record that puts them in control of the top AL Wild Card spot and just 1.5 games back of the Guardians for first place in a surprisingly competitive AL Central division. Given the Royals arrival as contenders, the club evidently decided they could not afford to hide Sauer in its final bullpen spot.

That’s great news for the Yankees, who were able to re-acquire Sauer when he went unclaimed on waivers. Now back in the minors with his original club, Sauer figures to continue his development at the Triple-A level and await his next big league opportunity while serving as non-roster depth for New York alongside non-roster veterans such as Phil Bickford and Duane Underwood Jr.

White Sox Claim Sammy Peralta Off Waivers From Mariners

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The White Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed left-hander Sammy Peralta off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A. The White Sox had an open space on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to bring Peralta into the fold.

Peralta, 26, returns to the south side of Chicago just a few weeks after being claimed off waivers from the club by Seattle. An 18th-round pick by the White Sox in the 2019 draft, Peralta ascended the minor league ladder to arrive in the big leagues with the club in 2023. In 16 appearances with the big league White Sox last year, the lefty pitched to a solid 4.05 ERA with a 4.41 FIP in 20 innings of work. While he struck out a decent 20% of batters faced during his time in the big leagues, control was a problem for the lefty as he surrendered free passes to 12.2% of his opponents. In 69 innings of work at the Triple-A level last year, Peralta managed to keep his walks to a minimum but had a problem with the home run ball, resulting in an ugly 5.09 ERA across his 29 appearances at the level that year.

Peralta’s lackluster minor league numbers and worrisome big league peripherals were enough to make him expendable for the White Sox as they sorted through their Opening Day roster crunch, and he was designated for assignment to make room for right-hander Jordan Leasure on the 40-man roster. That led the Mariners to claim him off waivers and stash him at the Triple-A level, but Peralta struggled to a 9.24 ERA in 12 appearances with the club and quickly found himself squeezed out of the organization in favor of righty Eduardo Salazar.

Fortunately for Peralta, the roster crunch in Chicago had lessened over the first two months of the season, and the club was able to add him back to their 40-man roster when the Mariners once again exposed him to the waiver wire. As such, he’s now set to return to his first MLB organization and act as optionable depth for the club capable of pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen alongside Prelander Berroa. Tim Hill, Tanner Banks, and Jared Shuster currently occupy the club’s bullpen as options from the left-hand side.

Report: MLB Teams Planning For Roki Sasaki Posting This Offseason

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Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki had plenty of eyes on him this past offseason when it was reported that he had asked to be posted for major league clubs ahead of his age-22 campaign, and while he ultimately remained with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines for the 2024 campaign, that’s done little to quell speculation about his future in stateside baseball. That speculation may not be entirely unfounded, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reported this morning that MLB clubs are “planning” for the possibility that Sasaki is posted during the 2024-25 offseason. Neither Sasaki nor the Marines have confirmed the youngster’s plans for the future.

Sasaki is generally viewed as the biggest rising star in Japanese baseball today. MLBTR contributor Dai Takegami Podziewski discussed Sasaki back in September amid his return from an oblique issue that had sidelined him for most of the second half, noting his triple-digit velocity was present even in his abbreviated three-inning return to the league’s highest level. That outing contributed to a dominant overall line in NPB play last year, as Sasaki pitched to a 1.78 ERA while striking out a whopping 39.1% of batters faced in 91 innings of work.

As noted by both Podziewski and Janes, durability appears to be the only box left for Sasaki to check in the Pacific League, where he sports a career ERA of 2.03 across 337 1/3 innings of work. Sasaki’s career-high innings total as a professional to this point in his career stands at just 129 1/3, well below the 150-170 inning range that’s standard for front-of-the-rotation arms in Japan. For example, Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 171 innings between all levels of NPB play during his final season in Japan last year, while Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga completed 159 frames. Sasaki is currently on pace to reach that threshold this season, with a 2.18 ERA in 53 1/3 innings of work across eight starts while Janes notes that the righty threw 119 pitches in a start last week without issue.

While Sasaki and the Marines have been fairly tight-lipped about the right-hander’s future plans, Janes notes that people around Sasaki, including teammate and former big leaguer Gregory Polanco, have made it clear the right-hander is excited to make the jump to the majors. Whether that move will come following the 2024 campaign remains to be seen, although it’s worth noting that Janes suggests that some teams are keeping a portion of their international bonus pool available in case Sasaki is posted.

As a player under the age of 25, Sasaki would not be eligible for the typical posting process that Yamamoto and Imanaga both participated in this past offseason, where there are no limitations placed on the contract the player can sign. Instead, Sasaki would be considered an international amateur, who can only be offered a rookie contract in the majors along with a signing bonus that comes out of the signing club’s international bonus pool.

Given the substantial decrease in financial compensation available for both player and team if an NPB player is posted before his 25th birthday, it’s extremely rare for a player to take that avenue; to this point, Shohei Ohtani is the only player to make the jump from NPB to MLB using this method rather than arriving in the majors via the posting system or free agency. For Sasaki to follow in his footsteps, Lotte would have to agree to post the right-hander. Janes notes that one way a player could secure an early posting from his club is by stipulating it in his contract with the team, although it’s not known if Sasaki has such a clause in his deal with the Marines. Indeed, it’s not even known who currently represents Sasaki, although Janes notes that Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe, who serves as Yamamoto’s agent and negotiated his $325MM deal with the Dodgers, is “rumored” to be set to handle his move to the majors.

If Sasaki were to be posted this winter, he would join a 2024-25 free agent class that figures to be exceptionally deep in starting pitching talent with Walker Buehler, Max Fried, and Corbin Burnes among the front-of-the-rotation talents expected to be available. Previously reported rumblings among executives seems to indicate that the general expectation within the game is that Sasaki is most likely to sign with the Dodgers, though that appears to be nothing more than speculation at this point. After all, teams would enjoy a much more even financial playing field in bidding for his services this winter than one would typically associate with a free agent of his caliber thanks to the aforementioned spending restrictions regarding players posted before the age of 25. The Dodgers are joined by the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Rangers among teams that have reportedly already begun to scout Sasaki’s NPB starts this season.

Diamondbacks Designate Matt Bowman For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced this afternoon that right-hander Matt Bowman has been designated for assignment. Left-hander Blake Walston was recalled to the big league roster to replace Bowman on the club’s active roster.

Bowman, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday on Friday, joined the Diamondbacks earlier this month when he was acquired in cash deal with the Twins. At the time of the deal, Bowman had been squeezed off of Minnesota’s 40-man roster despite a solid showing in five appearances, where he posted a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings of work. Unfortunately, the wheels have come off for Bowman across his four appearances with Arizona, as he’s been shelled for six runs on eight hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings of work that have ballooned his ERA to 5.02 on the year.

A 13th-round pick by the Mets in the 2012 draft, Bowman had considerable success with the Cardinals in the first two seasons of his big league career from 2016 to ’17. In a combined 126 1/3 innings of work, Bowman posted a solid 3.70 ERA (112 ERA+) with a stronger 3.47 FIP. That seemingly portended a successful career near the back of big league bullpens, but things didn’t work out that way as Bowman struggled to well below average results with St. Louis the following season, prompting the club to part ways with him.

He pitched for the Reds in 2019 to an impressive 129 ERA+ in 32 innings of work but a series of elbow injuries, including one that required Tommy John surgery, wiped out Bowman’s 2020-22 campaigns. The veteran resurfaced with the Yankees last year but was torched for a 9.00 ERA and 6.51 FIP in four innings of work before returning to the minor leagues. Arizona will now have one week to trade Bowman or attempt to pass him through waivers. The right-hander has been outrighted previously during his big league career and as a result can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency should he so choose.

Replacing Bowman on the club’s 40-man roster is Walston, who is slated to take the ball for today’s start against the Marlins. It’ll be the first big league start and just the second MLB appearance of Walston’s young career. Arizona’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft, the 23-year-old climbed his way through up the minor league ladder to make his big league debut earlier this year, when he struck out five in 3 2/3 innings of work against the Dodgers while allowing two runs on three hits and four walks. That admirable effort against one of the league’s most intimidating offenses has earned Walston another opportunity in the majors thanks in part to the injuries facing the Dbacks rotation. Marquee offseason signing Eduardo Rodriguez has yet to throw a pitch for the club this year due to a strained lat and he’s been joined on the 60-day injured list by veteran righty Merrill Kelly, who is battling a shoulder strain.

Red Sox Sign Brad Keller

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11:50AM: The Red Sox have officially announced Keller’s signing and optioned Kelly in the corresponding move.

10:12AM: The Red Sox are nearing a deal with right-hander Brad Keller, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. The deal is pending a physical and the club hopes to make it official before today’s game against the Brewers, which is scheduled to begin at 1:35pm local time. Cotillo adds that right-hander Zack Kelly has been optioned to the minors to make room for Keller on the active roster. Boston’s 40-man roster currently stands at 39, so no corresponding 40-man move will be necessary to add Keller.

Keller, 28, signed with the White Sox on a minor league deal back in March and made five appearances with the club, including two starts, before being designated for assignment last week. Keller subsequently elected free agency and returned to the open market with a 4.86 ERA in 16 2/3 innings of work with Chicago under his belt. That performance may be better than what Keller earned, as he struck out just 17.1% of batters faced while walking 7.9% and allowing a whopping 29.4% of his fly balls to leave the yard for home runs. Those iffy peripherals left him with a 6.55 FIP and a 5.16 xERA, although a 4.02 SIERA and 4.09 xFIP both suggest Keller’s ERA was actually higher than what should have been expected based on his underlying performance.

Regardless of the results from Keller’s time with the White Sox, he’ll now get another opportunity to re-establish himself at the big league level in Boston. Keller was once a promising mid-rotation arm with the Royals, as he posted a 3.50 ERA and 3.90 FIP across his first 360 1/3 innings of work in the majors between 2018 and 2020. Since then, however, his results have declined drastically. His final three seasons in Kansas City saw him post a 5.14 ERA with a 4.79 FIP before he was ultimately sidelined partway through the 2023 campaign by a shoulder issue before undergoing surgery to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome back in October. TOS is a particularly difficult injury for players to come back from, and players such as Stephen Strasburg and Chris Archer have seen their careers negatively impacted by the issue in recent years.

Keller will hope to buck that trend with the Red Sox, joining a pitching staff that appears poised to lose right-hander Garrett Whitlock to elbow surgery after already losing righty Lucas Giolito to that same procedure earlier in the year. The club is currently relying on a starting rotation of Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell, and Nick Pivetta. While it’s possible that Keller could slot somewhere into that mix, a more likely scenario would be Keller joining veteran righty Chase Anderson as a potential multi-inning relief and spot starter option in the club’s bullpen mix.

Making way for Keller on the club’s active roster is Kelly, who is in his third season as an up-and-down reliever for the Red Sox. The right-hander has generally pitched to solid results when in the majors for the club, with a career 3.18 ERA across 39 2/3 innings of work. Kelly has been particularly effective this season, with a strong 2.16 ERA in 16 2/3 frames despite a 19.4% strikeout rate and a massive 13.9% walk rate that have left him with a lackluster 4.99 FIP. Now back in the minors, Kelly figures to act as optionable depth for the club going forward alongside Josh Winckowski and Naoyuki Uwasawa.

Rangers Designate Shaun Anderson For Assignment

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The Rangers announced this morning that they’ve designated right-hander Shaun Anderson for assignment. In a corresponding move, right-hander Gerson Garabito had his contract selected from the minors. Garabito is scheduled to start today’s game against the Twins, which would be his major league debut.

Anderson was selected to the club’s roster earlier this month after signing on a minor league deal back in April. A third-round pick by the Red Sox in the 2016 draft, Anderson made his big league debut with San Francisco in 2019 and pitched to mediocre results in a swing role, with a 5.44 ERA and 4.77 FIP in 96 innings of work across 28 appearances (16 starts). Major league innings have been hard to come by for the righty since then, as he made just 35 big league appearances across five organizations between 2020 and 2022. The results left something to be desired, as well; he pitched to a 6.85 ERA with a 5.57 FIP in that time.

The righty’s struggles at the big league level led him to try his luck overseas during the 2023 campaign, and he signed with the Korea Baseball Organization’s KIA Tigers. Anderson pitched as a starter with the club and found some success overseas, with a 3.76 ERA in his 14 appearances. He returned to stateside ball late in the campaign on a minor league deal with the Phillies, but his improved results in Korea did not carry over as he surrendered 28 runs (including 11 homers) in 11 starts for the club’s Triple-A affiliate down the stretch.

That didn’t stop the Rangers from signing Anderson to a minor league deal back in April, however, and he was selected to the roster earlier this month. Anderson ultimately made just two appearances in a Rangers uniform before being DFA’d. In 3 1/3 innings of work, he allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three in a performance that was good for a 5.40 ERA and 2.23 FIP. The Rangers will now have seven days to trade Anderson or attempt to pass him through waivers. As a player who has already been outrighted previously in his career, Anderson would have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency should he clear waivers.

Replacing Anderson on the club’s roster is Garabito, a 28-year-old righty who made his pro debut with the Royals back in 2013. Garabito worked his way through the minor leagues across seven seasons in the Royals system before electing minor league free agency and joining the Giants, for whom he pitched to a 4.71 ERA in 11 appearances at the Triple-A level during 2021 season. Garabito subsequently left affiliated ball to pitch in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic over the next three seasons, racking up a 2.86 ERA in 69 1/3 innings of work during that time.

Garabito returned to stateside ball when he landed with the Rangers on a minor league deal prior to the 2024 season and has impressed in seven appearances split between the Double- and Triple-A levels with a 2.05 ERA in 30 2/3 innings of work with an enticing 30.8% strikeout rate. The Rangers evidently have seen enough for Garabito to offer him his first shot at big league action, which figures to come against Minnesota later today amid a slew of injuries to the Rangers rotation that have left key pieces such as Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray sidelined.

Red Sox Notes: Jansen, O’Neill, Mata

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Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen frequently found his name in the rumor mill all throughout the winter as the club reportedly fielded offers on the veteran in the run-up to Spring Training. No deal ultimately materialized, but that doesn’t mean the team has shifted gears. As relayed by Bob Nightengale of USA Today this morning, the Red Sox still “plan” to trade Jansen before the trade deadline with Nightengale adding that the club isn’t interested in bringing him back for the 2025 campaign.

It’s not necessarily a surprise that the Red Sox would still have interest in dealing Jansen given their efforts to shop him this winter. Boston is currently at .500 with a 26-26 record that places them ten games out in the AL East, making the club passing the Yankees and Orioles for a division title appear unlikely at best. The club’s odds at a Wild Card spot are somewhat better, as they sit just 2.5 games back of the Twins for the third spot, but Boston has shown a willingness to deal rental pieces even while on the fringes of playoff contention in recent years such as when they traded away catcher Christian Vazquez at the 2022 trade deadline despite a 52-52 record.

As for Jansen, the 36-year-old has posted a solid season for the Red Sox to this point with a 3.24 ERA and a 2.59 FIP with eight saves in nine chances across 17 appearances. On the other hand, Jansen’s 13.9% walk rate is surely concerning to potential buyers even in spite of the righty offsetting it with a strong 29.2% strikeout rate. Those control issues combined with Jansen’s hefty $16MM salary this season could make the veteran righty a less attractive piece to clubs in need of relief help than other alternatives who would be unlikely to boast Jansen’s track record but could come with better peripherals and less of a financial burden.

Speculatively speaking, outfielder Tyler O’Neill could be another piece the Red Sox make available in the event they sell this summer given his status as a pending free agent. O’Neill got off to a scorching start in April with nine home runs in 21 games but has crashed back to Earth in the month of May, hitting just .151/.244/.301 over his last 82 trips to the plate. O’Neill added some context to his recent struggles following an incident during yesterday’s game where his knee collided with the Green Monster in left field, causing him to leave the game due to soreness.

O’Neill told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) after the game that his knee had already been bothering him prior to last night’s incident and that it has “probably” affected his swing, although he remains day-to-day and it’s unclear if he’ll require a trip to the injured list. Rob Refsnyder and Garrett Cooper could be among the players to take over O’Neill’s spot in the lineup should he miss time due to the issue.

Also dealing with injury issues is right-hander Bryan Mata, who is out of options but has yet to make his big league debut due to a hamstring string that’s kept him from playing this season. The righty recently began a rehab assignment in the minor leagues, but that assignment hit a snag on Thursday when he began to experience some soreness in his lat. As noted by MassLive’s Christopher Smith, the Red Sox initially believed the soreness to be in his shoulder and his lat but Mata has since clarified that he’s only feeling an issue in his lat.

Smith notes that manager Alex Cora indicated to reporters on Friday that Mata is “likely” to be pulled from his rehab assignment, a move that kick the club’s decision on Mata’s future further down the road. Mata can only be on a rehab assignment for 30 days before the Red Sox must either recall the righty to the big league roster or designate him for assignment, but that clock will reset if he’s pulled from his rehab assignment and begins another one at a later date. Mata has made just twelve appearances across all levels of the minors since the end of the 2022 season but looked excellent across three levels of the minors that year, pitching to a 2.49 ERA in 83 innings of work.

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