Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

The Opener: Greene, Doubleheader, Dodgers, Diamondbacks

By | at

As the 2025 MLB season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Greene to undergo MRI:

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene departed yesterday’s win over Atlanta after just three scoreless frames due to a groin issue. According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Greene is set to undergo an MRI this morning before Reds brass decide how to proceed. Although both team officials and Greene himself expressed some optimism about the right-hander’s condition, a trip to the injured list is always at least on the table when a player heads for imaging of this nature.

The 25-year-old Greene has dominated to the tune of a 2.36 ERA and 3.07 FIP in eight starts this year, and losing him for any period would be a hit to the team’s standing in a tightly contested NL Central. If Greene were to require time on the shelf, Chase Petty seems like the best fill-in option on the 40-man roster. Veteran southpaw Wade Miley could be an option eventually, but he’s yet to resume his rehab assignment after pausing due groin injury two weeks ago.

2. Doubleheader in Colorado:

Tuesday’s postponed game between the Rockies and Tigers will be made up today alongside the teams’ previously scheduled game at Coors Field. Game 1 will begin at 1:10pm local time, with Game 2 following 30 minutes after the end of Game 2. Only tickets for the regularly scheduled game for today will be valid for today’s doubleheader, as noted by Manny Randhawa of MLB.com, and fans will not be required to exit the ballpark between the two games. Game 1 is set to be started by Detroit righty Casey Mize, who has a sparkling 2.70 ERA through six starts this year, and Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland, who has a 5.70 ERA through seven starts in his ninth year with the club. The Tigers haven’t announced a starter for Game 2, but Colorado will turn to southpaw Tanner Gordon in what will be his season debut and just his ninth MLB appearance. The 27-year-old Gordon has a 4.82 ERA and 22-to-6 K/BB ratio in 28 innings in Triple-A this year.

3. Series Preview: Dodgers @ Diamondbacks

A rumble between two of the NL West’s top teams is set to begin in Arizona today when the Dodgers and ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0.90 ERA in seven starts) take the field against the Diamondbacks and young righty Brandon Pfaadt (3.79 ERA in seven starts). The Dodgers sit atop the NL West with a 25-12 record after winning each of their last four series, while the Diamondbacks have lost six straight series and are struggling to keep their heads above water with a 19-18 record. That’s dropped Arizona six games back of the Dodgers for the NL West lead. They’re 3.5 games back of both the Padres and Giants, who are in a second-place tie.

A big series against the top dogs in the division could be just what Arizona needs to get back into the thick of the division race alongside San Diego and San Francisco. The D-backs will square off against Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki (3.86 ERA in seven starts), Dustin May (4.36 ERA in six starts), and a yet-to-be-announced starter Sunday. They’ll counter that group with Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez (5.92 ERA in seven starts), Corbin Burnes (3.58 ERA in six starts) and Zac Gallen (4.37 ERA in eight starts), respectively.

Poll: When Should The White Sox Trade Luis Robert Jr.?

By | at

The White Sox entered the 2025 season having already moved one of their two most notable trade chips when Garrett Crochet was shipped to Boston in exchange for a four-prospect package led by catcher Kyle Teel. Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is their other asset of note, and he remains in the organization despite talking to multiple clubs about a trade. The Dodgers, Reds, and Giants are all known to have engaged with Chicago about Robert’s services, with L.A. outfielder James Outman and Cincinnati infield prospect Edwin Arroyo among the names known to have been discussed as part of a return package.

Evidently, the White Sox didn’t receive an offer they found compelling enough to move Robert for, seeing as he still remains with the South Siders. Chicago bet on Robert to have a strong enough first half to increase his value ahead of the trade deadline, but the first few weeks of the season made that decision look like a potential mistake. On April 16, Robert was slashing a brutal .143/.234/.214, striking out at a 27.3% clip and hitting for virtually no power. That slow start prompted MLBTR’s Anthony Franco to take a look at Robert in a piece for front office subscribers, in which he noted that Robert was actually walking more often than ever before in his career but that his swing-and-miss profile still needed to be carried by significantly more power than he had shown to that point in the season.

Robert has answered that call. He clobbered a home run in Boston just three days later, and since then he’s hit an impressive .241/.371/.483 with four homers, two doubles, and an even better 17.1% walk rate. The 27-year-old’s overall slash line remains below average (86 wRC+) on the year, but a season-long 13.2% barrel rate, 14.3% walk rate, and .331 xwOBA all demonstrate that things are clearly moving in the right direction for the White Sox and their mercurial star. That’s not to say everything is going well, however; Robert’s strikeout rate has crept back up above 30% (31.4%), his in-zone contact rate is down relative to the last two years, and he’s making the most soft contact (27.0%) of his career.

The question for the White Sox now becomes how quickly they should look to get a deal done. If Robert’s recent stretch of success proves to be sustainable, it would make plenty of sense for the club to wait until closer to the trade deadline to move him. At that point, his overall season numbers would likely be back above average and teams may be willing to give up more for him. On the other hand, if the organization does not view Robert’s recent power surge and improved patience at the plate as particularly sustainable or they’re concerned about his recent uptick in strikeouts, perhaps there’s an argument to deal him now while he’s performing at an impactful level. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported over the weekend that if Robert’s recent hot streak continues, the club hopes to move him by Memorial Day.

Moving a piece with as much star power as Robert before the calendar even flips to June would be a bold move, but certainly not an unheard of one. After all, it was just last year that the Marlins moved Luis Arraez to the Padres in early May. Few executives in the game are as aggressive as San Diego’s A.J. Preller, but that doesn’t mean a deal is impossible. Perhaps the Giants are intrigued enough by their hot start to be more willing to pay for Robert than they were in the offseason, or recent injuries suffered by Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez convince the Dodgers to swing a deal. The Reds have fallen below .500 after briefly fighting their way into a playoff spot last week in large part because of lackluster production from their outfield, which has an 88 wRC+ tied with Cleveland for the seventh-worst figure in the majors.

All three of those teams with past known interest in Robert have reasons to be more aggressive on him now than they were previously, and that ignores other teams that could have interest. The Rangers recently lost center fielder Leody Taveras on waivers and are looking for ways to snap the team out of an offensive funk, though they’d probably balk at taking on the remaining portion of his $15MM salary. The Mets have found plenty of early season success but can surely do better than Tyrone Taylor as an everyday center fielder. Atlanta and Kansas City are both trying to compete this year but have endured the two least-productive outfield mixes in the sport to this point in the year. If even one of those teams is willing to meet Chicago’s asking price, it’s fair to argue that risking injury or another cold streak isn’t worth the potential reward of a July bidding war. After all, the White Sox saw up close what can happen if you wait too long to trade a player last year, when they got only a token return for Eloy Jimenez, who eventually had his club option declined by the Orioles last winter and ended up in the Rays organization on a minor league deal.

How do MLBTR readers think the White Sox should proceed with Robert? Should they try and make a deal as soon as possible, or wait in hopes that an extended hot streak raises his value? Have your say in the poll below:

When should the White Sox trade Luis Robert Jr.?
The White Sox should trade Robert now if someone meets their asking price, but not be afraid to wait until the deadline if offers disappoint. 45.70% (1,640 votes)
The White Sox should begin marketing Robert aggressively in hopes of trading him as soon as possible. 30.90% (1,109 votes)
The White Sox should hold onto Robert until the deadline and only move him now if a team is willing to overpay. 23.40% (840 votes)
Total Votes: 3,589

The Opener: Morton, Bregman, Tigers, Rockies

By | at

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Morton gets another chance in the rotation:

The Orioles moved right-hander Charlie Morton to the bullpen last week after he struggled badly in the first month of the season. The 41-year-old has still walked (six) more batters than he’s struck out (five) and allowed a 6.43 ERA in seven innings of work as a reliever, however. It’s hardly an impressive performance, but the Orioles are nonetheless turning to Morton in the rotation once again today as he’s slated to start against the Twins and righty Simeon Woods Richardson (4.03 ERA in six appearances) at 6:40pm local time in Minnesota. With right-hander Zach Eflin seemingly poised to return to the Orioles’ rotation in the near future, it’s possible today’s start could be Morton’s final opportunity to make a good impression in a rotation role for some time.

2. Bregman searching for No. 200:

Over the weekend, a hitter who has the option to re-enter free agency this offseason slugged the 200th homer of his career when Cody Bellinger sent a pitch from Rays righty Taj Bradley into the seats. The milestone achievement was a rare bright spot in the 2025 season for Bellinger, who has struggled to a .205/.281/.389 slash line in his first 33 games in a Yankees uniform. With Bellinger now having reached career homer No. 200, another hitter in the AL East with an opt-out opportunity this winter sits on the cusp of that same milestone: Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman hit his 199th homer late last week amid what’s been a brilliant first campaign with Boston that’s seen him hit .315/.393/.580. Will he get his milestone homer against Tyler Mahle (1.19 ERA in seven starts) and the Rangers this evening?

3. Top prospects face off in Colorado:

A pair of rookie hurlers and recent first-round picks are scheduled to face off tonight when the Tigers and Jackson Jobe face Chase Dollander and the Rockies at Coors Field in a game scheduled for 6:40pm local time. Jobe, 22, was selected third overall by Detroit in 2021 and made his big league debut with two scoreless relief appearances last year. This season, he’s in the Tigers’ rotation with mixed results to this point. Jobe’s 3.38 ERA is impressive, but it’s belied by a subpar 17.6% strikeout rate against an elevated 13.7% walk rate which have contributed to a lackluster 4.96 FIP.

Dollander, the No. 9 overall pick in 2023, has faced struggles of his own in his first taste of big league action. He’s fresh off a nice start against the Braves (one run, two hits, three walks, four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings) and will look to build some momentum on the back of that performance. While Dollander is striking out a solid 22.3% of opponents with a much more manageable 8.9% walk rate, he’s also surrendered a whopping eight home runs in just 25 innings this year. Six of those homers were surrendered on the road, so his trouble with the long ball can’t even be attributed to the difficulties of pitching at Coors.

Both Jobe and Dollander were top-10 picks, and both entered the season ranked among Baseball America’s top-10 prospects in the entire sport. That type of showdown is obviously quite rare, making tonight’s performance a fun one to watch — especially for fans who like to keep a close eye on the game’s next wave of young talent.

Poll: Should The Cubs Call Up Cade Horton?

By | at

When Justin Steele went under the knife for UCL revision surgery last month, ending his 2025 season early, the pressure of carrying the load at the front of the Cubs’ rotation went from being shared between two All-Star southpaws to falling entirely on the shoulders of Shota Imanaga. Imanaga’s first eight starts of the year have generally gone quite well, as he’s pitched to a 2.82 ERA despite his peripherals regressing significantly (4.52 FIP, 4.69 SIERA) relative to last year’s dominant rookie campaign.

Unfortunately, his own season was at least temporarily derailed yesterday when Chicago placed him on the injured list due to a strained left hamstring. Fortunately, the Cubs and Imanaga appear to view the strain as a fairly mild one. Manager Craig Counsell suggested during his postgame interview yesterday (h/t Marquee Sports Network) that the outcome was “pretty good news” and that it was at least possible that Imanaga wouldn’t take much longer than a minimum stay on the shelf to recover. Even so, another starter will be needed to join Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown, and Colin Rea in the rotation.

Perhaps the Cubs need look no further than the hurler at Triple-A who was already on the same schedule as Imanaga prior to the injury. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton, selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, has been nothing short of dominant so far this year. A consensus top-50 prospect in the sport, Horton has made six starts for the club’s Iowa affiliate this year and has posted a sparkling 1.24 ERA in that time with a strikeout rate of 30.6%. It’s the sort of dominance that will naturally lead to fans calling for a big league debut, and those calls have only grown louder in the aftermath of Imanaga’s injury. It’s hard to argue any pitcher currently on the big league roster has a higher ceiling than Horton, who sports a mid-90s fastball that touches 98 and a plus slider as part of a strong four-pitch mix.

For his part, Counsell told reporters (including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun Times) that Horton is “an option” to replace Imanaga in the rotation. With that being said, Counsell also noted that veteran right-hander Chris Flexen remains stretched out after recently having his contract selected from Triple-A ahead of a uniform opt-out opportunity in his contract on May 1. Flexen threw 54 pitches in three scoreless relief innings last week and sported a 1.16 ERA with a 22.3% strikeout rate in 23 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A before his contract was selected. A veteran of eight MLB seasons who also briefly pitched for the KBO League’s Doosan Bears, Flexen has generally been a roughly average swingman since he returned from South Korea with a 4.56 ERA (90 ERA+) in 582 2/3 innings of work.

His numbers fell off substantially over the past two years, but it’s hard to deny that he’s looked impressive since joining Chicago on a minor league deal. Still, there’s no question that Horton is the more talented pitcher with much higher upside. Horton seems likely to have a very successful career with the Cubs in the coming years, but there are other considerations that could tip the scale towards Flexen. The Cubs’ bullpen, which ranks bottom ten in the majors with a 4.37 ERA, has already been stretched somewhat by short starts from Rea and Brown this year. Horton would add another hurler who can’t be expected to pitch deep into games to the rotation mix, seeing as he’s maxed out at just 78 pitches this year. Flexen, meanwhile, has maxed out at 95 pitches and pitched into the sixth inning in three of his four full-length starts with Iowa.

Horton’s injury woes over the years, from Tommy John surgery in college to a subscapularis strain that cost him most of his 2024 season, have left the Cubs in a position where they’ll need to carefully manage the talented right-hander’s innings this year. For a team with postseason aspirations, it’s fair to wonder if calling him up in early May is the right call when his electric arm may be needed come October. On the other hand, however, it’s worth noting that Horton did not throw a single pitch after May 29 last year. Health for a pitcher is never guaranteed, so it’s possible the Cubs would be best off simply calling up Horton now while he’s pitching well and figuring out how to manage his innings later by either shutting him down at some point this year or moving him to the bullpen.

How do MLBTR readers think the Cubs should handle the vacancy in their rotation while Imanaga is out of commission? Should they turn to the high-upside prospect knocking on the door of the big leagues while he’s healthy and pitching well, or instead opt to use Flexen in order to manage Horton’s innings and preserve the bullpen? Have your say in the poll below:

Who Should Fill In For Shota Imanaga?
Cade Horton 70.18% (2,342 votes)
Chris Flexen 23.04% (769 votes)
someone else 6.77% (226 votes)
Total Votes: 3,337

The Opener: Merrill, Hernandez, MLBTR Chat

By | at

As the 2025 season continues, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day today:

1. Merrill to return:

The Padres have been without star center fielder Jackson Merrill for the past month, but as noted by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the 2024 Rookie of the Year runner-up traveled to meet the team in New York yesterday and is expected to be in the lineup today against righty Clarke Schmidt. Merrill was white hot in the season’s first ten games, slashing .378/.415/.676 in 41 plate appearances. The 23-11 Padres have been relying on bench pieces Brandon Lockridge and Tyler Wade in center field during Merrill’s absence. The latter has hit quite well, whereas the former has struggled considerably. A corresponding 26-man roster move will be necessary to bring Merrill back into the fold.

2. Hernandez to undergo MRI:

Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez departed yesterday’s win over the Marlins due to what the club termed “tightness” in his left hamstring. Hernandez will undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the issue, as noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. It won’t be known whether Hernandez will require a trip to the injured list until after the results come back, but Ardaya did note that manager Dave Roberts called the injury “a little concerning.” Hernandez enjoyed a banner year with the Dodgers last season and has improved on those numbers in 2025, hitting .305/.323/.586 with nine doubles and nine homers in 32 games. If he does require a trip to the injured list, James Outman and Esteury Ruiz are candidates to join the outfield mix alongside Michael Conforto and Andy Pages.

3. MLBTR chat today:

All of the league’s teams have now played at least 20% of their schedule, but there’s still plenty of baseball left to go and nearly three months remaining until the trade deadline on July 31. Whether you’re looking ahead to the deadline or still trying to sort between the contenders and pretenders, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Poll: What Should The Red Sox Do About First Base?

By | at

The Red Sox entered the 2025 season with big expectations after adding Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman to a team that already had Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer all knocking on the door. So far, things have not gone quite as smoothly as fans in Boston were surely hoping. While the club is just two games back in the AL East, that’s with a lackluster 18-18 record thanks in part to spotty health in the rotation behind Crochet. The injury bug has now moved onto the lineup as Triston Casas has undergone season-ending surgery on his knee.

The 25-year-old was expected to be a major piece of the club’s lineup this year, but his campaign is now over before it ever really got going. Casas’s 112 plate appearances this year were subpar, as he hit just .182/.277/.303 across 29 games before going down with injury. Those struggles were mostly fueled by a low .217 BABIP that was sure to rebound given time, however, and there was little reason to think Casas wouldn’t eventually experience enough positive regression and finish the year in that range of a 125 wRC+, which was his career mark entering 2025. Now, of course, he won’t get that opportunity.

Without Casas locking down first base, the Red Sox don’t have many obvious solutions they can rely on to take up the lion’s share of playing time at the position. Romy Gonzalez was off to a hot start (133 wRC+) to open the year in a part-time role, but his .421 BABIP is completely unsustainable and he’s never hit at an even league average level before in his career. Gonzalez is currently slated to share time with Abraham Toro at first base in the short-term, but the switch-hitter has a similarly lackluster career 81 wRC+ while playing mostly in part-time capacities around the AL West over the years. Depth options at the minor league level are similarly uninspiring. Vaughn Grissom was a top prospect in the not-too-distant past but has yet to establish himself at the big league level. Blake Sabol has at least a little experience at first base, but didn’t hit at all in a brief call-up earlier this year.

None of those options appear likely to provide even average production at first base this year for the Red Sox. That could lead the club to look for external additions, but those options may not be substantially better than their current internal group. After all, teams are typically reluctant to swing significant trades this far from the trade deadline, so external additions would likely be limited to non-roster players in other organizations like Mike Ford, Dominic Smith, or Jon Singleton unless they can convince a player like Anthony Rizzo to resume his playing career at this late point in the calendar. Any of those options could make sense as a lefty complement to Gonzalez, and Smith in particular was used as a stopgap by the Red Sox just last year with some success.

Perhaps they could even pry an ancillary 40-man player away without a clear path to playing time away from another organization. Jake Bauers (Brewers) and former Red Sox Justin Turner (Cubs) are both playing in bench roles in the NL Central. Boston’s former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom now works for the Cardinals, who have Luken Baker on the roster but without much playing time to offer. Juan Yepez is on the Nationals’ 40-man roster but currently playing the minors. Any of those external options could likely be more productive than the club’s internal group of first basemen, but going outside of the organization would require working out a trade with another club who may not be inclined to sacrifice their own depth, particularly in the case of players already on the 40-man roster, and they’re hardly impact options themselves for a team that sorely needs a boost.

One way to replace Casas with a player who can offer a more impactful ceiling would be to move some of the club’s existing talent to first base. Rafael Devers got bumped off third base by the Bregman signing and is currently the everyday DH in Boston. Perhaps he could be shifted to first base, opening up DH for either Anthony or Mayer to make the jump to the big leagues. Another option would be to get Anthony or Mayer regular reps at first in the coming days ahead of a promotion in the near future. Perhaps even Masataka Yoshida, who has been sidelined this year after shoulder surgery hampered his ability to make throws in the outfield, could handle first base and make a quicker return from the injured list.

Any of those players would be a fairly definitive offensive upgrade over either the club’s internal options already familiar with the position or any realistic external additions at this point in the calendar. The problem with that plan, however, is that none of those players have ever played first base as a professional. While the position is fairly low on the defensive spectrum, asking a defensively-limited player like Devers to pick up an entirely new position on the fly seems risky, as would be the case for asking either Mayer or Anthony to balance learning a new position with the adjustments and struggles that can often come with a young player’s first call-up to the majors.

That’s why, as noted by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo over the weekend, Red Sox brass have indicated that they don’t intend to move anyone to first base on the fly. That, of course, could change. The general expectation when the Red Sox signed Bregman was that he would play second base and Devers would remain at third, and that changed fairly quickly after Spring Training began. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the club finds itself unsatisfied with the options at its disposal and eventually begins having one of the club’s other players taking grounders at first.

How do MLBTR readers expect Boston to address the vacancy at first base? Will they stick with their current group of options, find someone from outside the organization, or move one of their own players to first? Have your say in the poll below:

How Will The Red Sox Replace Triston Casas?
They'll move someone who was already in the conversation for regular playing time to first base. 39.00% (2,194 votes)
They'll stick with internal depth options who already play first base before re-evaluating at the trade deadline. 32.69% (1,839 votes)
They'll find an external addition as soon as possible. 28.30% (1,592 votes)
Total Votes: 5,625

The Opener: Imanaga, Blue Jays, Padres, Yankees

By | at

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Cubs await Imanaga imaging:

The Cubs already lost one ace lefty this year when Justin Steele underwent elbow surgery last month. Now, they’re facing another injury scare for their other top southpaw. Shota Imanaga departed in the sixth inning of his start against the Brewers yesterday due to what was immediately termed by the Cubs a hamstring strain. Imanaga is undergoing tests and imaging ahead of Chicago’s decision regarding a trip to the injured list. With Steele and Javier Assad already on the shelf, a third injury in the rotation would put the team’s depth to the test. Jordan Wicks and top prospect Cade Horton are available at Triple-A, while Chris Flexen could step from his role as a long reliever into the rotation, as Colin Rea did when Steele went down a few weeks ago.

2. Blue Jays 40-man roster moves incoming:

Over the weekend, the Blue Jays reportedly signed a pair of right-handers to major league deals: Spencer Turnbull and Jose Urena. The moves should give Toronto bolstered pitching depth once added to the roster. Both are capable of pitching either in the rotation or out of the bullpen. In the meantime, the Jays will need to officially announce the signings and make the corresponding 40-man roster moves that will come with that announcement. Max Scherzer, Nick Sandlin, and Erik Swanson are all currently on the 15-day injured list, though the timetable for their returns isn’t fully clear. If the Jays don’t want to move any of that trio to the 60-day injured list, they’ll either need to designate someone for assignment or work out some sort of trade that clears 40-man roster space before Turnbull and Urena can officially be brought into the fold.

3. Series Preview: Padres @ Yankees

An interleague series between two teams firmly in the mix for the playoffs this year is set to start this evening, when the Padres head to Yankee Stadium at 7:05pm local time. San Diego right-hander Nick Pivetta has enjoyed a brilliant season so far (1.78 ERA in six starts), though now he’ll be tested by Aaron Judge and the rest of the Yankees lineup while squaring off against Carlos Rodon (3.43 ERA in seven starts). Tuesday’s game is expected to pit former Yankee Michael King (2.09 ERA in seven starts) against Clarke Schmidt (5.52 ERA in three starts) after Schmidt’s start was pushed back over the weekend. The series will close out with Dylan Cease (5.61 ERA in seven starts) against Yankees ace Max Fried (1.01 ERA in seven starts). Cease’s ERA went soaring to 7.98 when the A’s pounced on him for nine runs on April 8, but he’s dropped that earned run average in each of his four subsequent starts. Can he make it five in a row? The 22-11 Padres currently sit a half-game behind the division-leading Dodgers and one game ahead of the third-place Giants. The 19-15 Yankees hold a two-game lead in the American League East.

Jiman Choi To Begin South Korean Military Service; Eyes KBO Debut In 2027

By | at

Former big league first baseman Jiman Choi is returning to his home country of South Korea to begin 21 months of mandatory military service, according to a report from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The eight-year MLB veteran hopes to continue his playing career with the Korea Baseball Organization in 2027, once he has completed that conscripted service.

Since 1957, male citizens of South Korea between the ages of 18 and 35 have been required to complete between 18 and 21 months of military service. Topkin notes that the soon-to-be 34-year-old veteran was able to delay his military service until the age of 37 due to his status as a legal permanent resident of the United States. This status allowed Choi to sign with the Mariners back in 2010 and begin a baseball career stateside. Choi made his MLB debut during the 2016 season as a member of the Angels and briefly appeared for the Yankees and Brewers before arriving in Tampa and breaking out with the Rays during the 2018 season.

Choi was a quality piece for the Rays across his five seasons with the club, slashing .245/.352/.431 (120 wRC+) in 414 games with the organization. Among players with at least a full season of playing time in Tampa during Choi’s time with the club, that wRC+ ranks sixth behind only Tommy Pham, Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena, Yandy Diaz, and Austin Meadows. Choi’s time with the Rays coincided with four years of the club’s five-season stretch of consecutive postseason appearances, and his performance in 29 playoff games for those clubs was very impressive. Choi slashed .221/.398/.412 in the playoffs with the Rays overall, including a .250/.412/.425 slash line during the team’s run to the World Series in 2020.

Choi was traded to the Pirates in November of 2022 and split his 2023 campaign between Pittsburgh and San Diego. Unfortunately, the then-32-year-old veteran struggled to a lackluster .163/.239/.385 slash line that year while being limited to just 39 games by injuries. He signed a minor league deal with the Mets prior to the 2024 campaign but was once again hampered by injuries and eventually departed the organization in June of last year. Choi has not played in affiliated ball since, and now he’s set to leave MLB behind.

While Choi has his eyes on participating in his home country’s KBO league to continue his playing career, there will be obstacles to that goal. The first is his aforementioned military service. Topkin notes that Choi is set to have a non-combat role (rather than serving in the active South Korean military) and will be able to continue baseball workouts and training when not working, but it’s worth noting that the veteran will be 36 years old when he’s first eligible to suit up for a KBO team.

Also, Choi won’t be a free agent as he enters the KBO, since he is still restricted by the league’s draft rules. It’s unclear whether a KBO team will have interest in drafting a slugger in his mid-thirties with a lengthy injury history, but it is worth noting that former big leaguers like Shin-Soo Choo and Hyun Jin Ryu have gone to the KBO after their MLB careers and played into their late 30s and early 40s. Across the KBO league’s 10 teams this year, 35 players are playing in their age-36 season or older, giving some reason for optimism that Choi will be able to leverage his pedigree of MLB success into a role with the league two years from now.

Regardless of what happens with the future of his playing career in South Korea, Choi departs MLB a lifetime .234/.338/.426 hitter across 525 games in the majors. MLBTR congratulates Choi on a fine MLB career and wishes him all the best in his upcoming service, eventual return to his playing career, and any additional future endeavors.

Marlins Place Otto Lopez On Injured List, Activate Nick Fortes

By | at

The Marlins announced a pair of roster moves today as they placed infielder Otto Lopez on the 10-day injured list due to a Grade 2 sprain of his right ankle. Replacing Lopez on the active roster is catcher Nick Fortes, who was activated from his own stint on the shelf.

Lopez, 26, exited Miami’s game on Friday due to what was termed at the time right ankle discomfort, was unavailable Saturday after undergoing an MRI that revealed the sprain as noted by Christina de Nicola of MLB.com. A specific timeline for Lopez’s return is not yet known, though it’s worth noting that de Nicola suggests a typical timetable for this sort of injury is in the three-to-six week range. That would leave the club without Lopez at second until at least the end of May, creating a void at the keystone.

After bouncing between the Blue Jays and Giants organizations earlier in his professional career, Lopez joined the Marlins last season and settled in as the club’s everyday second baseman. In 147 games with Miami since he joined the organization last year, Lopez hasn’t hit much with a slash line of just .262/.309/.367 across 553 plate appearances. With that being said, he offers solid defense and the versatility to play anywhere on the infield if needed and has also contributed on the basepaths with 23 steals in 28 attempts.

Overall, Lopez is a fairly average regular which makes him a key piece for a Marlins team that has gotten bottom-ten contributions from its lineup in the majors by measure of both wRC+ and fWAR. Without Lopez at second base everyday, a hole alongside Connor Norby and Xavier Edwards opens in the club’s infield mix. Javier Sanoja has hit .305/.333/.407 in a part-time role with the Fish this year and figures to get the first crack at playing time at the position, though infielder Graham Pauley is also on the roster as a potential option to mix in for starts at the keystone while Lopez is out of commission.

Replacing Lopez on the roster is Fortes, who started the season in a tandem with Rule 5 draft addition Liam Hicks behind the plate but was sidelined early in the year by an oblique strain. Fortes was hitting .300/.333/.500 in seven games at the time of his injury but is generally considered a glove-first catcher, offering strong value defensively that’s somewhat held back by his lackluster .216/.261/.309 slash line at the plate across 218 games in 2023 and ’24. Still, rostering a quality defender like Fortes makes plenty of sense given that Hicks is generally considered a bat-first catcher and well-regarded prospect Agustin Ramirez faces questions regarding whether or not he can stick behind the plate at all long-term.

While Fortes figures to rejoin Hicks as one of the club’s primary catchers going forward, Ramirez has earned his roster spot to this point with a strong .256/.293/.615 slash line in his first 41 plate appearances since making his big league debut last month. With eight extra-base hits in just ten games, Ramirez now appears likely to be an occasional catcher for the Marlins but mostly serve as the club’s primary DH. That could eat into the playing time afforded to Matt Mervis, who has played in a first base/DH role since starting the season as the club’s everyday first baseman, as well was Eric Wagaman, who has spelled Mervis at first base on occasion while also being part of the Miami outfield mix.

Brewers Notes: Woodruff, Hall, Ashby, Civale

By | at

It’s been a difficult start to the season in Milwaukee, as the Brewers have posted a lackluster 16-18 record and currently sit five games back of the Cubs in the NL Central. The losses of Willy Adames and Devin Williams this offseason certainly haven’t helped matters, but perhaps the most glaring issue with the club this year has been the starting rotation. Only Marlins and Orioles starters have posted a worse figure than Milwaukee’s 4.94 rotation FIP, and while they’ve outperformed their peripherals so far a 4.02 ERA is still below average and a far cry from the days of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff helping carry the team to the postseason.

Burnes is long gone, already on his second team since departing Milwaukee prior to the 2024 season, but Woodruff remains in the organization after missing 2024 rehabbing surgery to repair a capsule tear in his shoulder. He’s yet to make his 2025 debut while finishing up his rehab process, but the right-hander’s return to the majors appears to be imminent. As noted by MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, Woodruff is expected to make two more rehab starts before he makes his return to the majors: one this coming Tuesday, and one on May 11. At that point, Woodruff will run out of time on his 30-day rehab assignment and need to be reinstated to the big league roster unless he suffers a setback that necessitates the team pulling him back from his rehab assignment.

Woodruff’s return can’t come soon enough, given how talented the right-hander is. One of the best pitchers in the majors since his breakout 2019 season, the right-hander has looked good in four rehab starts this year, with a 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate of 21.6% is well below his usual mark, though it’s worth noting that figure has jumped to a much more robust 29.4% since he was promoted to Triple-A, suggesting his stuff is improving as he shakes off the rust from more than a year away from the mound. If Woodruff can offer Milwaukee ace-level production in his age-32 season, it would be a game changer for their chances in the NL Central and give the club an elite 1-2 punch alongside Freddy Peralta.

While no other pitcher in the organization can be expected to offer the sort of elite production Woodruff has posted when at his best, he’s far from the only potential rotation arm on the mend. Southpaw DL Hall began a rehab assignment yesterday and, as noted by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is being built up as a starter with an eye towards a return later this month or early next month. Acquired alongside Joey Ortiz in the Burnes trade, the 26-year-old struggled to a 5.02 ERA in 43 innings of work with the Brewers last year but is a former first-round pick with impressive stuff and plenty of potential. If Milwaukee can harness Hall’s arsenal, it would hardly be a surprise to see him emerge as a quality piece as Tobias Myers did last year and Chad Patrick appears to be doing this season.

Meanwhile, veteran right-hander Aaron Civale appears to be nearing a rehab assignment of is own, with Hogg suggesting that the soon-to-be 30-year-old hurler is poised to begin a rehab assignment next week. That would seemingly put Civale, who made just one start this season before going on the shelf due to a hamstring strain, behind Hall in terms of preparedness to return, though perhaps after having a full spring training Civale won’t need as long of a rehab stint as the southpaw. The righty posted a 3.53 ERA in 14 starts for the Brewers after being acquired from the Rays last July, and would be a solid addition to the middle of Milwaukee’s rotation upon his return.

While Civale seems all but guaranteed to return to the Brewers rotation when healthy and Hall is at least being stretched out as a starter, the future is murkier for southpaw Aaron Ashby. He’s been sidelined since Spring Training by an oblique injury, and was expected to build up as a starter at that point, but has yet to begin a minor league rehab assignment. Hogg suggests that a return this month isn’t “out of the question” for the southpaw, but such a short window for return would seem to require the Brewers to bring him back into the fold without fully stretching him out. Given that the club has added Jose Quintana and Quinn Priester to its rotation mix since Ashby last pitched, it’s possible that the club is changing gears with the lefty and plans to use him in long relief this season. It’s a role Ashby looked quite good in last year, as he posted a 2.86 ERA and 2.81 FIP despite being limited to just 28 1/3 innings of work.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top