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Padres Activate Jackson Merrill From Concussion IL

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Center fielder Jackson Merrill has been activated from the concussion-related IL, according to an announcement by the Padres. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was optioned to the minors in a corresponding move.

Merrill initially went on the shelf last week after he was struck by a hard tag from Ketel Marte when trying to steal second base. It was his second trip to the injured list of the year after missing a month due a hamstring strain, but this one fortunately ended up only requiring a minimal absence. Merrill is back just one week after being shelved thanks to the nature of the concussion-related IL, which comes with a minimum stay of just seven days to encourage players and clubs to be more proactive with its usage.

When healthy, Merrill has more or less followed up his sensational rookie season with an exact replica. Across 44 games this year, he’s slashed .304/.349/.474 with a wRC+ of 131. He’s striking out a bit more than last year (22.0%) but is also walking more frequently (6.5%) to go with his five homers and ten doubles. Merrill’s return to action should provide a huge boost to a Padres team that has scuffled a bit while relying on Tyler Wade and Bryce Johnson to handle center field in his absence. While they managed to score more than 4.5 runs per game during Merrill’s time away from the club, they dropped three of four in a crucial series against the Dodgers and have lost four of their last six games overall.

That may seem like a fairly minor skid, but in a hotly contested NL playoff picture it was enough to put them half a game out of the final Wild Card spot and five games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. With trade season just around the corner, the next few weeks of play will be crucial for clubs on the bubble of playoff contention like San Diego. Adding Merrill back to the middle of the lineup alongside Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado should go a long way to bolster the offense enough to help it carry a beleaguered pitching staff, to say nothing of what Merrill’s strong glove in center field could do for the Padres’ run prevention after they allowed 30 runs in seven games last week.

Departing the roster to make room for Merrill is Lockridge. The 28-year-old made his big league debut with San Diego last season and has made it into 59 total games, though he’s slashed a lackluster .210/.248/.280 (50 wRC+) to this point in his MLB career. He’s primarily been used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner thanks to his impressive speed, and in that role he’s done quite well with a 10-for-11 record on the basepaths and +3 career Outs Above Average in the outfield. He’ll head back to Triple-A and serve as depth for the Padres’ bench moving forward.

Red Sox Notes: Crawford, Bregman, Second Base

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The Red Sox have been without right-hander Kutter Crawford all year after he began the season on the injured list due to soreness in his knee, and today the righty was dealt a frustrating setback. As noted by Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, manager Alex Cora told reporters yesterday that Crawford has been shut down from throwing. That’s not due to a flare up in his knee, however, but due to a wrist issue that’s cropped up during his rehab. Crawford began experiencing pain in his wrist earlier this month, and while he spent the past few weeks attempting to work his way back in spite of the issue Cora told reporters that the organization became worried that it would create additional arm issues if Crawford continued trying to push through it.

It’s a frustrating setback for Crawford, who pitched through soreness in his knee last year and has now spent over a year impacted by that issue. The right-hander pitched to a 4.23 ERA and 4.31 FIP in 313 innings across the 2023 and ’24 seasons, serving as a solid back-of-the-rotation arm for the Red Sox in that time. It’s fair to wonder if his numbers could’ve been even stronger if he was healthy given his excellent performance in the first half last year, when he pitched to a 3.00 ERA with a 3.77 FIP and a 24.3% strikeout rate in 114 innings. Regardless, he’ll now be sat back down for the foreseeable future until the wrist soreness that had developed dissipates and he can once again resume his attempt to return to the big league mound. Fortunately, the Red Sox have a deep group of starting options that has allowed them to weather the loss of Crawford so far this year.

Turning to the position player side of things, Healey relayed comments Cora told reporters this afternoon that suggested star third baseman Alex Bregman could be returning “sooner rather than later.” Cora did not provide a specific timeline, but he did acknowledge that Bregman probably wouldn’t return this coming week or the week after. Even so, that leaves the door open for the Red Sox to have their third baseman back in the lineup before the All-Star break. Bregman was tentatively expected to miss around two months due to the injury, and has so far been out for just over a month. For the idea of the infielder returning to the lineup to be floated by Cora at this stage suggests he could beat that initial timeline.

It would be a huge boost to the Boston lineup, particularly after the loss of Rafael Devers in a trade with the Giants last weekend. Bregman has a 158 wRC+ through 51 games this year, but his return could also take a lesser hitter out of the lineup. Following Kristian Campbell’s recent demotion to the minor leagues, Cora told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive) that David Hamilton would likely see the lion’s share of reps at the keystone for the time being due to his superlative defense. Hamilton is hitting just .180/.212/.300 (33 wRC+) in 106 plate appearances this year, however, and Bregman’s return could open the door for rookie Marcelo Mayer to shift over to second base and offer a stronger offensive option.

As for Campbell, the youngster told reporters (including Katie Morrison O’Day of MassLive) yesterday that learning first base is his “priority” while he’s at Triple-A, although he acknowledged that he would continue to get reps at second base and in center field as well. Campbell was in the conversation for starts with the big league club and had begun taking grounders there prior to his demotion, so it’s hardly a shock that he would continue those efforts in the minors. Still, the possibility for Campbell to start at first on a regular basis when he returns to the big leagues would seemingly open the door even more widely for Mayer to handle the keystone upon Bregman’s return to action.

Orioles Place Adley Rutschman On 10-Day Injured List

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June 22: Rutschman isn’t expected to return until after the All-Star break, Mansolino told reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASN).

June 21: The Orioles announced this afternoon that catcher Adley Rutschman is being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. Catcher Maverick Handley was recalled to the majors to replace Rutschman on the roster.

The news comes after Rutschman was a late scratch on Friday due to what the Orioles termed at the time as “abdominal tightness.” Manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun) that Rutschman went for an MRI this morning. Evidently, that round of testing revealed a strained oblique for the switch-hitting backstop. A two-time All-Star and decorated hitter currently in the midst of his fourth season in the majors, Rutschman is hitting just .227/.319/.372 with a 100 wRC+ that clocks in as precisely league average.

That could be construed as very concerning given that Rutschman also suffered a down year (104 wRC+) in 2024, but the good news is that Rutschman’s underlying performance (.350 xwOBA) substantially outstrips his actual production (.309 wOBA) so far this season. He’s walking more than last year, sporting the best barrel rate (8.6%) of his career, and his paltry .247 BABIP is certain to increase if given time. More concerning than his offensive numbers is that he’s been rather pedestrian behind the plate defensively this year according to advanced metrics, but defensive metrics are notoriously fickle and it wouldn’t be a shock to see those numbers recover over the long-term either.

Of course, Rutschman will now need to get healthy and return to the field in order to make good on those projected improvements. It’s not yet clear exactly how long Rutschman is expected to miss, though oblique strains can be quite difficult for position players to bounce back from quickly due to the rotational nature of hitting. Even fairly mild strains can often take upwards of a month of recovery, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see Rutschman out of commission until after the All-Star break. In the meantime, it’s clear that the Orioles will lean on a tandem of Gary Sanchez and Handley. Sanchez has made it into just 17 games this year after dealing with injuries of his own, but is slashing a respectable .217/.298/.433 (101 wRC+) with 32 homers in 598 plate appearances dating back to the 2023 campaign. Handley, meanwhile, made his big league debut earlier this year and has hit just .075/.136/.075 in 15 games as a big leaguer.

Handley’s lackluster performance will naturally create some attention on top catching prospect Samuel Basallo, who has long been considered one of the best prospects in the entire game. Mansolino largely shut down the idea that Basallo could be an option to come up any time soon, however. As noted by Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner, Mansolino said that he hopes to see Basallo “absolutely destroy Triple-A in all facets of the game” before joining the big league club, and that he’ll be on the radar for a big league call-up once he “knocks the door down.”

It’s hard to argue that Basallo isn’t already knocking on the door pretty strongly, at least from an offensive perspective. The 20-year-old has an absurd .266/.374/.589 slash line with the club’s Norfolk affiliate this year, good for a 151 wRC+. He’s hit 15 homers in just 46 games while walking at a phenomenal 14.4% clip. With that being said, he’s only caught 15 games this season after dealing with hamstring and elbow issues early in the year that cost him games and limited him to DH even when he was healthy enough to play. Given that reality and Basallo’s shaky grades behind the plate defensively from some scouts, it’s not necessarily a shock that the Orioles would want to see a larger sample of their top prospect’s work behind the dish before promoting him to the majors.

Reds Designate Garrett Hampson For Assignment

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The Reds announced this morning that they have designated infielder Garrett Hampson for assignment. Outfielder Rece Hinds was recalled to the major league roster in a corresponding move. In addition, the Reds have pulled third baseman Jeimer Candelario off of his rehab assignment.

Hampson, 30, signed a big league deal with the Reds last month. He worked with Cincinnati in a bench role and appeared in just nine games across his Reds tenure, going 3-for-18 with a double, a walk, and six strikeouts while splitting time between second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field. That versatility is what’s kept Hampson on big league rosters for parts of eight MLB seasons. A third-round pick by the Rockies back in 2016, he made his big league debut in 2018 and hit well in a brief cup of coffee. It was a strong enough debut to put him on the map as a top-100 prospect headed into the 2019 season, but his offensive numbers did not hold up over a larger sample size. Hampson ultimately hit just .233/.292/.369 from 2019 to 2022 as a member of the Rockies before he was non-tendered during the 2022-23 offseason.

He signed with the Marlins after getting cut loose in Colorado and went on to enjoy the best season of his career in Miami. In 98 games with the club that year, Hampson thrived in a part-time role as he slashed a roughly league average .276/.349/.380 in 252 trips to the plate while playing all around the diamond in his typical utility capacity. That performance was enough to get him a big league deal from the Royals last year, but he’s unfortunately regressed to his previous light-hitting form since leaving Miami. In 140 games for Kansas City, Arizona, and Cincinnati the past two years, he’s hit just .218/.282/.280 and struck out at a 25.8% clip. The Reds will now have one week to either trade Hampson or try to pass him through outright waivers, though he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Hampson’s departure makes room on the roster for Hinds, who made his MLB debut last year. He made a big first impression last year when he crushed five homers in just 24 games, but has hit just .158/.200/.526 (86 wRC+) this year in seven big league games with ten strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. Overall, he’s a career .231/.296/.662 (150 wRC+) hitter despite a massive 36.6% strikeout rate in the majors. Hinds’s huge power numbers could give the Reds a threatening bench bat for their outfield mix going forward if he can rein in his contact issues a bit more going forward.

Cincinnati also announced today that Candelario has been pulled off his rehab assignment. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since late April due to a back injury but had appeared in 15 games for Triple-A Louisville since beginning a rehab assignment on June 5. It’s unclear exactly what caused the Reds  to pull Candelario off his rehab assignment, though it’s worth noting that he was approaching the 20-day limit for rehabbing position players that would’ve forced the club to activate him when reached. Candelario was hitting a brutal .113/.198/.213 across 91 plate appearances before being placed on the shelf.

Orioles Option Yennier Cano

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The Orioles announced this morning that they have optioned right-hander Yennier Cano to Triple-A Norfolk. Right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo was recalled to the majors in a corresponding move.

It’s a somewhat shocking decision given Cano’s history as a key arm in the Baltimore bullpen. Acquired in the Jorge Lopez trade with the Twins at the 2022 trade deadline, Cano struggled across 18 MLB innings during his rookie season with Minnesota and Baltimore but was utterly dominant for the O’s in 2023. He formed a dynamic duo with closer Felix Bautista in the late innings and posted a sterling 2.11 ERA in 72 2/3 innings of work that year. While Cano’s 23.0% strikeout rate that year hardly jumped off the page, he walked just 4.6% of his opponents and generated an excellent 58.0% ground ball rate that season. Cano’s grounder-heavy, command-driven approach that season served as an excellent complement to Bautista’s overpowering stuff and helped to create a dominant bullpen that led Baltimore back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Cano followed up that dominant 2023 campaign with another solid season last year. While his 3.15 ERA and 3.55 FIP were both a far cry from the elite results he posted the year prior, Cano generated an even more impressive 62.9% ground ball rate and watched his strikeout rate tick up to a more robust 26.1%. Those were encouraging developments, but they were offset by the fact that Cano’s walk rate more than doubled as he allowed free passes at a 9.6% clip. That helps to explain why Cano’s results were less impressive last year, but a look at underlying metrics such as xFIP and SIERA suggests that Cano’s actual performance was more or less on par with his excellent 2023 campaign.

That trend of worsening results despite strong peripherals has continued this season. Cano’s 4.73 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work this year speaks for itself as unacceptable production from a high-leverage arm, and he’s posted an even more brutal 7.41 ERA since the calendar flipped to May. With that being said, a look at Cano’s under-the-hood numbers reveals that Cano is looking better than ever in at least some ways. His 27.4% strikeout rate is by far the best of his career, and he’s walking opponents at a 7.1% clip that stands as an improvement over 2024, even if his control isn’t quite as pinpoint as it was back in 2023. While his grounder rate has dropped substantially, down to just 52.8%, it remains above average overall. Cano’s 2.85 xFIP and 2.73 SIERA are actually both career-best figures, suggesting he’s pitching better than ever and largely being held back by a shockingly high .362 BABIP allowed.

That didn’t stop the Orioles from sending Cano to the minors in hopes of getting his results back on track, however. Shocking as the decision may be based on his excellent peripherals, it’s worth noting that Baltimore’s bullpen has precious few relief arms who can be optioned to the minors at all. Aside from Cano and Bautista, the only reliever on the Orioles’ roster with options remaining is Keegan Akin, who has a 2.70 ERA this season and is one of just two southpaws in the Baltimore bullpen. That reality might have made Cano’s leash with the Orioles shorter than it would be on a team with more flexibility built into their bullpen mix. Gregory Soto, Bryan Baker, and Seranthony Dominguez figure to handle the work of setting up for Bautista while Cano is in the minors.

As for Hiraldo, the right-hander got his start in professional ball with the Diamondbacks but departed affiliated ball for a few years following the 2021 season. He returned with the Orioles this year on a minor league pact and has put up brilliant numbers at every step of the way in the minors, with a 2.77 ERA, 1.65 FIP, and 32.7% strikeout rate across 26 MiLB innings this year. The 29-year-old has made just one appearance in the big leagues where he threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the Orioles earlier this year.

Yankees Place Ryan Yarbrough On 15-Day Injured List

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The Yankees placed left-hander Ryan Yarbrough on the 15-day injured list this morning due to a right oblique strain. Left-hander Jayvien Sandridge was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Sandridge would be making his MLB debut if he were to get into a game with the Yankees. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports that New York will recall right-hander Allan Winans to start tomorrow’s game against the Reds. Manager Aaron Boone later confirmed Winans’s impending start to reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) and noted that Yarbrough’s oblique strain is a low-grade one.

Yarbrough, 33, is in the midst of his eighth big league season. After signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays this offseason, the veteran did not make the club’s roster out of Spring Training and opted out before signing with the Yankees on a major league deal shortly before Opening Day. The lefty has been an essential arm for New York this year amid injuries throughout the starting rotation. He’s pitched to a 3.90 ERA in 55 1/3 innings of work split between eight starts and eight relief appearances. Since joining the rotation in early May, Yarbrough has posted a 3.83 ERA across 40 innings, with most of the damage against him coming as part of an early June start against the Red Sox where he was rocked for eight runs in four innings.

He’s allowed no more than two runs in his other seven starts, however, and generally been a very reliable back-of-the-rotation arm for the Yankees this year. That makes this a loss that’s particularly difficult for the club the stomach. Max Fried, Clarke Schmidt, and Carlos Rodon have managed to form an impressive front three in the rotation even with Gerrit Cole out of commission this year. Unfortunately, there’s been little certainty behind that group. Will Warren has excellent peripherals through 15 starts but an ugly 4.83 ERA. After a lackluster performances from Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco early in the year, Yarbrough helped to provide some stability to bring up the rear of the rotation.

They’ll need to look elsewhere for now, however, and it seems Winans will be the first player to get a crack at the opportunity. He’s yet to pitch in the majors for the Yankees since being claimed off from the Braves back in January and has a 7.20 ERA in eight career starts at the big league level. Despite those shaky results, he’s been utterly dominant at Triple-A this year with a 0.90 ERA in 50 innings of work. That was enough to earn him a big league call-up, and it’s not impossible to imagine him sticking in the rotation for at least a few starts if he performs well. Stroman is currently rehabbing in the minors, with a 4.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings across two outings at Double-A, but will likely need to be built up more before he returns to the majors.

For now, Yarbrough’s roster spot will go to Sandridge. The 26-year-old lefty has put up somewhat middling numbers at the minor league level throughout his career but has looked utterly dominant in seven Triple-A innings this year. In that abbreviated sample, he’s allowed just one run (1.29 ERA) while striking out 46.4% of his opponents. Whether Sandridge is just on a hot streak or has unlocked a new level of play, the Yankees clearly felt it was worth giving themselves the option to see what he can do at the big league level while they have a roster spot to spare.

Braves Place Chris Sale On 15-Day IL With Ribcage Fracture

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The Braves announced this afternoon that they’ve placed southpaw Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list with what the club has termed a fractured left ribcage. The club recalled left-hander Austin Cox in a corresponding move. As noted by David O’Brien of The Athletic, Sale was injured on Wednesday night when he made a diving play to stop a grounder off the bat of Juan Soto.

It’s a brutal blow for Atlanta to be dealt, particularly following a banner week that saw them sweep the then-division leading Mets and get within five games of an NL Wild Card spot. They’ve won seven of their last ten games, but if they’re going to keep that momentum going in a bid to get back over .500 and more firmly return to playoff contention they’ll now need to do so without Sale for the time being. The reigning NL Cy Young award winner, Sale has built on his brilliant 2024 season with a 2025 campaign that’s been nearly as good. Across 15 starts this year, the 36-year-old has pitched to a brilliant 2.52 ERA with a 2.65 FIP across 89 1/3 innings of work.

He’s struck out a phenomenal 30.8% of his opponents while walking just 7.0%. Those excellent peripherals have left him with a 2.96 SIERA, making him one of just seven qualified starters in baseball this year with a figure under three. Only Logan Webb and Paul Skenes are having better seasons by measure of ERA, and Sale is doing all of that despite terrible batted ball luck: his .329 BABIP allowed is the fourth-highest figure among qualified starters in the majors this year. It’s been another banner year for the southpaw, who has looked rejuvenated in Atlanta after injury-marred seasons with the Red Sox from 2019 to 2023.

Unfortunately, that resurgence is now put on hold by another significant injury. Sale’s timetable for a return to action is not yet known at this point, but it’s worth noting that a stress fracture in Sale’s right ribs cost him the first half of the 2022 season. After being sidelined in mid-March by the injury, Sale did not return to the mound until early July. A similar timeline would put the remainder of the southpaw’s 2025 campaign in danger, but it’s important to note that it’s unclear if Sale’s current rib cage fracture is as severe as the rib issue he dealt with in 2022.

However long the ace’s absence ultimately ends up being, it leaves Atlanta with a rotation mix that’s stretched very thin. The team is already without Reynaldo Lopez for the foreseeable future after he underwent shoulder surgery earlier this year, and AJ Smith-Shawver is done for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider will attempt to hold things down at the front of the rotation in Sale’s absence, while Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder will look to handle mid-rotation duties. Rookie Didier Fuentes currently holds the fifth starter job after making a spot start against the Marlins yesterday, but another starer like Hurston Waldrep, Davis Daniel, or even Ian Anderson could also be called upon to help round out the rotation mix.

Scott Miller Passes Away

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Longtime baseball writer Scott Miller passed away recently, as relayed by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Miller spent more than 30 years covering Major League Baseball full time, starting in 1994 when he began work as the Twins beat reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He later wrote for CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, and the New York Times as a national writer and served as an analyst on MLB Network Radio. Miller also published two books about baseball: Ninety Percent Mental, which was co-authored by former All-Star and 13-year MLB veteran Bob Tewksbury and published in 2018, as well as Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will which published just last month.

MLB released a statement this afternoon following news of Miller’s passing:

“Tonight we remember Scott Miller – a true gentleman, a class act, and an expert of his craft who loved our National Pastime. We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and his readers throughout the game.”

Doug Goodnough published an article about Miller for Hillsdale College, the pair’s alma mater, back in February. The article provides an account of Miller’s life, career, and love for the game of baseball that includes quotes from Miller himself. Countless fellow baseball writers from around the game — including Nightengale, Ian Browne, and Mike DiGiovanna — offered their remembrances. MLBTR joins them and the rest of the baseball world in sending condolences to Miller’s family, friends, and loved ones.

Padres Designate Jason Heyward For Assignment

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The Padres announced this afternoon that they’ve designated outfielder Jason Heyward for assignment. The move makes room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Bryan Hoeing, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list. Righty Sean Reynolds was optioned to make room for Hoeing on the active roster.

Heyward, 35, is a veteran of 16 MLB seasons who has enjoyed a decorated career since being selected 14th overall by the Braves in the 2007 draft. A well-regarded talent in the draft who rose to become the sport’s consensus #1 prospect prior to his big league debut in 2010, he turned in a brilliant inaugural campaign that year and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Buster Posey. He went on to hit .268/.353/.431 with Atlanta and St. Louis across his first six years in the majors before he reached free agency.

The outfielder’s elite defense in right field, solid hitting (118 wRC+), and the fact that he was entering free agency ahead of his age-26 campaign all made him one of the top free agents on the market. He eventually signed with the Cubs on an eight-year deal that went down as a bit of an albatross. While Heyward won a pair of Gold Gloves and a World Series championship during his time in Chicago, he hit just .245/.323/.377 (88 wRC+) across seven seasons with the Cubs and was ultimately designated for assignment prior to the final year of his contract.

For many players, getting DFA’d at the end of a large contract represents the end of the line. That wasn’t the case for Heyward, however, as he managed to bounce back with the Dodgers in 2023 and slash .269/.340/.473 (120 wRC+) across 124 games as their regular right fielder. He re-signed in Los Angeles for the 2024 season and turned in a roughly league average performance but was squeezed off the roster in the second half by trade deadline acquisitions. That led to a brief stint with the Astros where he hit .218/.283/.473 (104 wRC+) before returning to free agency and signing with the Padres.

Heyward’s production has fallen off some in his age-35 season, however. The outfielder has been limited to just 34 games by injury but even when healthy enough to play has hit a paltry .176/.223/.271 in 95 plate appearances. That’s difficult production to swallow from left field, especially for a player whose once-elite defense has grown shaky with age. With Gavin Sheets having settled into left field fairly nicely this season (122 wRC+) and the approach of trade season offering a new opportunity to add reinforcements, the Padres clearly felt that they had better uses for Heyward’s 40-man roster spot. The veteran was on the injured list due to knee inflammation at the time of his DFA, but the Padres will nonetheless have one week to either trade Heyward or place him on release waivers. As an injured player, Heyward cannot be outrighted to the minor leagues.

Heyward’s departure from the roster makes room for the return of Hoeing. The right-hander has spent most of his career with the Marlins but was traded to San Diego as part of the Tanner Scott trade last summer. 2024 was a banner year for the righty, as he posted a 2.18 ERA and 3.32 FIP across 53 2/3 relief innings, including a microscopic 1.52 ERA across 23 2/3 frames as a Padre. He was a surefire bet to be part of San Diego’s late-inning mix this year before right shoulder issues left the start of his season delayed. Now that he’s back in the mix, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him start getting high leverage opportunities with the Friars moving forward.

Mets Sign Pablo Reyes To Minor League Deal

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The Mets are signing infielder Pablo Reyes to a minor league deal, according to a report from MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Reyes recently elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Yankees when Giancarlo Stanton returned from the injured list earlier this week. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Reyes, 31, is a veteran of parts of seven MLB seasons at this point. It’s the second consecutive season where Reyes has been part of the Mets organization. He began the 2024 campaign with the Red Sox but was traded to New York in May of last year. He briefly joined the roster as a depth option and made a single appearance as a pinch runner where he recorded a run scored before being designated for assignment and outrighted to the minors.

Outside of his brief stint in Queens last year, Reyes has appeared in the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, and Pirates organizations over the years. He made his MLB debut in Pittsburgh back in 2018 and hit an impressive .293/.349/.483 across 18 games in that first cup of coffee, but was unable to replicate those results in 2019. He missed the entire 2020 season due to a PED suspension and departed the organization not long afterwards. Reyes signed with the Brewers on a minor league deal prior to the 2021 season and was passable but below average at the plate in 56 games for the club across two seasons, hitting .258/.330/.344 (84 wRC+) during his time in Milwaukee.

Reyes joined the Red Sox prior to the 2023 season and enjoyed by far his strongest season in the majors with Boston. Across 64 games as a platoon partner for David Hamilton on the middle infield, Reyes hit a respectable .287/.339/.377 with a wRC+ of 93 while striking out at a career-low 11.4% clip. Unfortunately, that strong performance increasingly appears to have been a flash in the pan as he’s hit just .187/.237/.220 (26 wRC+) with a 29.6% strikeout rate in 98 plate appearances between the Red Sox and Yankees the last two seasons.

While Reyes is hardly a good bet to offer value with the bat, he’s a versatile defender with plenty of speed. That’s enough to make him an interesting bench option for plenty of MLB clubs, and it’s at least conceivable an injury or two could make him a viable consideration for the Mets. Nick Madrigal and Mark Vientos are already on the shelf for New York as things stand, with youngsters Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio currently on the MLB bench. If the Mets decide either young player could benefit from regular at-bats at Triple-A or another injury occurs, Reyes would compete with other non-roster players like Donovan Walton and David Villar to be the next man up.

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