Reds Recall Jose Franco For MLB Debut
The Reds announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled righty Jose Franco, who’d been optioned to Triple-A earlier in the week. Franco wasn’t originally slated for the Opening Day roster, but with southpaw Nick Lodolo hitting the 15-day IL due to a blister issue on his left hand, Franco is now in line to make his major league debut at some point in the near future. Cincinnati also placed lefty Caleb Ferguson on the 15-day IL due to an oblique strain. Fellow lefty Sam Moll, who’s out of minor league options, gets a spot as a second lefty in the Opening Day bullpen.
Franco, 25, looked sharp in limited spring work, holding opponents to a pair of runs on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings during Cactus League play. He’s one of the top-ranked arms in the Reds’ system, understandably so on the heels of a 2025 season in which he combined for 110 innings of 3.11 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A. Franco set down just over one quarter of his opponents on strikes, though his 11.5% walk rate could stand to come down a couple ticks.
The hard-throwing Franco averaged 95.3 mph on a four-seamer that headlined a three-pitch repertoire last year. He also features curveball that sat 84.4 mph and a more seldom-used changeup that averaged 88.7 mph. Scouting reports at FanGraphs, Baseball America and MLB.com tab him as a potential fourth starter or someone who could fill a role comparable to the swing role held by Nick Martinez in Cincinnati for the past couple seasons.
It’s not yet clear when Franco will get into a game. With Hunter Greene out til midseason following elbow surgery and Lodolo hitting the IL due to his blister troubles, the Reds will open the season with Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson in the rotation (in that order). Franco could potentially piggyback with Burns, who was slowed by some range-of-motion issues late in camp. Since he’s stretched out for a starter’s role in Triple-A, he’s also a long relief option in the event that any Cincinnati starter has a short outing in his first appearance of the season.
Beyond Franco’s quick recall, there were no other surprises of any real note in today’s announcement of the Opening Day roster. Cincinnati selected Nathaniel Lowe‘s contract a couple days ago and moved Greene to the 60-day IL at the time. They also optioned outfielder JJ Bleday to Triple-A Louisville at the time, effectively setting the bench with a contingent of Lowe, backup catcher Jose Trevino, outfielder Dane Myers and jack-of-all-trades Spencer Steer (who won’t have one set position but will rotate through various spots on the diamond as needed). Will Benson made the roster and will get the lion’s share of playing time as half of a left field platoon. He and Bleday both had huge power displays this spring, and both will probably float between Triple-A and the majors as their performance and injuries up and down the roster dictate.
Dodgers Sign Jake Cousins, Place Bobby Miller On 60-Day IL
12:25pm: Cousins is guaranteed $950K and can earn an additional $50K via incentives, Ardaya reports.
12:13pm: The Dodgers have signed reliever Jake Cousins to a major league contract, as first indicated on the MLB.com transaction log. The Frontline client will miss most or all of the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June but is controllable via arbitration through 2028. Right-hander Bobby Miller, who didn’t pitch this spring due to shoulder troubles, moves to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot. (Players cannot be signed directly to the 60-day IL, so Miller will head to the 60-day in Cousins’ place, but Cousins will hit the 60-day IL himself when the Dodgers next need a 40-man spot.)
Cousins, 31, has pitched in parts of four major league seasons. The cousin of NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins has suited up for the Brewers and Yankees to this point in his career, missing bats at huge rates and showing strong ground-ball tendencies but also battling repeated injuries and shaky command. Cousins has pitched 90 2/3 MLB innings, fanned more than 32% of his opponents, kept 47% of batted balls against him on the ground — and walked nearly 15% of the batters he’s faced. His career earned run average sits at a tidy 2.78.
Beyond last year’s UCL surgery, Cousins has been limited in recent years by shoulder inflammation (twice), a pec strain, a biceps strain and right elbow effusion. He’s never pitched 50 innings in a professional season but has consistently been effective when he’s been able to take the mound. He has a career 3.34 ERA in the minors with similarly impressive strikeout numbers. Cousins is a two-pitch reliever who’s averaged 95.3 mph on his sinker in his career and 82.5 mph on a wicked slider he throws at a whopping 61.2% clip.
At best, Cousins will be an option for the Dodgers late in the 2026 season and perhaps in the postseason, where his potent bat-missing ability could give Los Angeles skipper Dave Roberts an intriguing, under-the-radar option. For the time being, he’s a multi-year reclamation project whose name Dodgers fans can tuck away in the back of their minds.
The Dodgers also made a number of largely expected IL placements. Tommy Edman (recovering from ankle surgery) was placed on the 10-day IL. Pitchers Brock Stewart (recovery from shoulder surgery), Gavin Stone (shoulder inflammation), Blake Snell (shoulder fatigue) and Landon Knack all hit the 15-day IL.
Knack is the lone surprise on the list. The Dodgers haven’t previously indicated that he’s dealing with an injury, and the transaction log does not list a specific injury designation. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that Knack is dealing with an intercostal strain. It’s not clear how much time he’s expected to miss, but he’ll be down for at least the first couple weeks of the year.
White Sox Designate Curtis Mead, Korey Lee For Assignment
The White Sox announced Wednesday that infielder Curtis Mead and catcher Korey Lee have been designated for assignment. Both were out of minor league options, and neither player made the Opening Day roster. They’ll be placed on waivers or traded to a team willing to carry them on the 26-man roster within the next five days. Outfielder Tristan Peters grabs a bench spot over Mead.
Infielder/outfielder Brooks Baldwin (elbow sprain) and catcher Kyle Teel (hamstring strain) open the season on the 10-day IL. Righties Prelander Berroa, Mike Vasil and Drew Thorpe are all beginning the season on the 15-day IL.
Mead, 25, was originally signed by the Phillies out of Australia but traded to the Rays ahead of the 2021 season in exchange for a young left-handed pitcher. For years, it looked like another savvy swap for the Rays. Mead quickly emerged as a top-100 prospect, while the Phillies received 52 2/3 innings of 5.47 ERA ball from their new southpaw in 2021-22. By 2025, however, Cristopher Sánchez had emerged as a bona fide ace in Philadelphia, whereas Mead was flipped to the Sox for a half season of Adrian Houser and now finds himself in DFA limbo to begin the year.
In 488 major league plate appearances, Mead has hit .238/.300/.317. He hasn’t walked much (5.7%) or hit the ball hard, has a slightly higher-than-average strikeout rate (23.4%), and has received middling defensive grades at both third base and second base. His .293/.373/.501 line in 856 Triple-A plate appearances suggests there could be more in the tank, but it’d be hard for a club to carry Mead on its active roster and give him regular at-bats unless said team is rebuilding. A team like the Rockies or Nationals could take a speculative look, but there’s also a decent chance Mead will pass through waivers unclaimed and stick with Chicago as a depth piece in Charlotte.
Lee, selected 32nd overall by the Astros in 2019, came to the South Siders by way of the 2022 Kendall Graveman trade. Though he was once a prospect of some note, he profiles as a backup at this point. In 504 plate appearances with the White Sox, he’s slashed .195/.237/.325 with 14 homers but only a 5.2% walk rate against a gaudy 29.6% strikeout rate. Lee has nabbed nearly one-quarter of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him since being traded to Chicago, but he’s drawn below-average grades for his framing and his efforts to block balls in the dirt.
Both Mead and Lee can be traded or placed on waivers at any point within the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so the outcome of both DFAs will be known within, at most, one week’s time.
Orioles Designate Jackson Kowar For Assignment
The Orioles finalized their Opening Day roster, announcing that right-hander Jackson Kowar and infielder Bryan Ramos were designated for assignment. (Ramos’ DFA was originally reported last night.) Baltimore also placed Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg on the 10-day IL. Holliday is recovering from a hamate fracture, and Westburg is attempting to rehab a UCL tear. Righties Andrew Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) and lefty Keegan Akin (groin strain) open the season on the 15-day IL.
Outfielder Dylan Beavers will avoid an IL stint after dealing with a knee issue late in camp. He’s on the Opening Day roster. Utilityman Jeremiah Jackson also grabbed an Opening Day spot. Righties Yaramil Hiraldo and Anthony Nunez won bullpen spots, as did southpaw Grant Wolfram. Righty Albert Suarez, who had an opt-out in his minor league deal, was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, so it seems he’ll forgo that opt-out and agree to open the season with the Orioles’ Triple-A club.
A hard-throwing former first-rounder with experience in parts of three MLB seasons, the 29-year-old Kowar allowed one run in six spring frames for the O’s. He walked four and struck out four. The former Florida Gator has an ERA north of 8.00 in 91 MLB frames, though he posted a 4.24 mark in 17 innings with Seattle last year. He’s still looking for his first real opportunity post-Tommy John surgery and has been regularly bounced around the waiver/DFA circuit dating back to last season.
Jackson had been in a battle for the final bench spot with several others, but he’s increasingly seemed like the favorite. Baltimore granted veteran Thairo Estrada his release a couple days ago, shortly after infielder Luis Vázquez suffered a broken thumb. Jackson and Ramos looked like the final two candidates for that spot, so when it was reported last night that Ramos was being DFA, Jackson’s spot looked all but secure barring a last-minute acquisition.
The 25-year-old (26 tomorrow) isn’t going to sustain the .365 BABIP that led to last year’s .276/.328/.447 debut effort, but he’s a versatile right-handed bat who can back up at multiple infield and outfield spots. With Holliday and Westburg beginning the season on the injured list, the Orioles are entrusting third base and second base to Coby Mayo and Blaze Alexander, respectively. Neither has much big league experience — not that Jackson does either — so it’s sensible to have another capable option at each spot.
Suarez reportedly drew interest from other clubs but will seemingly stick around as a depth option. It’s a nice luxury for the O’s to have. The 36-year-old righty has given Baltimore a 3.59 ERA in 145 1/3 frames across the past two seasons but was non-tendered in the November after a flexor strain ended his 2025 season. He returned on a minor league pact and will presumably open the year in Norfolk.
Braves Designate Brett Wisely For Assignment
The Braves designated infielder/outfielder Brett Wisely for assignment Wednesday upon setting their 40-man roster, as first indicated on the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’s out of minor league options and didn’t make Atlanta’s Opening Day roster.
Atlanta also placed catcher Sean Murphy and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on the 10-day injured list, as expected. Pitchers AJ Smith-Shawver, Danny Young, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Strider and Daysbel Hernández are all opening the year on the 15-day IL. Smith-Shawver and Young both had UCL surgery last year, while Waldrep had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow earlier this spring. All are potential 60-day IL candidates next time the Braves need to open a 40-man roster spot.
Wisely, 26, has appeared in each of the past three MLB seasons, including a four-game cameo with Atlanta last year, wherein he tallied nine plate appearances. He’s a left-handed hitter with a lifetime .214/.265/.319 batting line in 466 major league plate appearances and has played all four infield spots as well as left field and center field. He has roughly average contact skills and a history of drawing walks in the minors. Wisely is a versatile infield defender who can handle all of shortstop, second base and third base at an least an average level.
Wisely bounced around the waiver circuit this winter and could get scooped up by a team looking for a left-handed bat who can play multiple infield additions and perhaps serve as a fifth outfield option. He’s a career .275/.372/.433 hitter in Triple-A. Since he’s out of minor league options, he’ll have to be added directly to the major league roster of any club that claims him or acquires him in a trade. Atlanta can trade Wisely or place him on waivers at any point in the next five days, and waivers themselves are a 48-hour process. The outcome of his DFA should be known within the next week.
Astros Finalize Opening Day Roster
The Astros finalized their Opening Day roster, most notably announcing that shortstop Jeremy Pena will avoid a season-opening trip to the injured list. Catcher César Salazar was designated for assignment, clearing a 40-man roster spot for Christian Vázquez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Sugar Land. Houston also selected right-hander Christian Roa‘s contract and opened a 40-man spot by placing lefty Brandon Walter on the 60-day IL while he recovers from UCL surgery. Houston also optioned outfielder Zach Cole to Triple-A, while prospect Brice Matthews makes the cut.
Outfielder Zach Dezenzo will open the season on the 10-day IL due to a right elbow sprain. Righty Ronel Blanco (recovering from Tommy John surgery), left-hander Josh Hader (biceps tendinitis), righty Enyel De Los Santos (right knee strain), lefty Bennett Sousa (oblique strain), right-hander Nate Pearson (recovering from elbow surgery) and right-hander Hayden Wesneski (recovering from Tommy John surgery) are all opening the year on the 15-day IL. Blanco and Wesneski will be 60-day IL candidates whenever Houston next needs a 40-man roster spot.
Pena’s status was up in the air after he suffered a fracture on the tip of his finger while fielding a grounder during an exhibition contest earlier this spring. He resumed hitting earlier this week, however, and has been deemed healthy enough to break camp with the club.
Vázquez’s selection to the big league roster was already known, as was the fact that Salazar wouldn’t make the team. Today’s DFA doesn’t necessarily mean that the ‘Stros won’t be able to find a trade partner. He can still be swapped out to another club within the next five days if another team is willing to put him on its 40-man roster.
Salazar, 30, has 67 MLB plate appearances to his name and has batted .232/.318/.268. He spent the bulk of the 2025 season in Triple-A, where he hit .213/.353/.353. He’s regarded as a solid defender but not the same extent as the veteran Vázquez, so Houston — as they’ve done in the past with Martin Maldonado — will opt for a plus defender as their backup catcher even if it means rostering one of the lightest-hitting players in the game.
Roa, 26, made his MLB debut with Miami last season and tossed three shutout innings. He’s a former Reds and Marlins farmhand who had a dominant spring with Houston after signing a minor league deal in December. He tossed 9 2/3 innings of one-run ball during Grapefruit League play and punched out 36% of his opponents without issuing a walk. Between that and last year’s 2.83 ERA in 60 1/3 Triple-A frames, he could be a nice under-the-radar pickup for the Astros.
Cole looked to be in strong position to make the club entering camp, but Houston reacquired Joey Loperfido to give them another lefty option in the outfield. Cole slashed .200/.340/.400 in 50 spring plate appearances, and the alarming contact issues that plagued him last year weren’t any better in March. After going down on strikes in 35% of his minor league plate appearances and 38.5% of his big league plate appearances in 2025, Cole punched out in 20 of his 50 turns at the plate this spring (40%).
Cole has obvious power and speed but will need to make more contact if he’s to carve out a a lasting role. Add in a handful of lefty opponents for Houston early in the season, and the right-handed-hitting Matthews will get the nod to begin the year. Matthews is a former first-round pick who slashed .250/.400/.417 this spring. He struggled in a brief MLB debut last year but hit .260/.371/.458 in Triple-A. While Matthews was drafted as a shortstop, the Astros’ glut of infielders has pushed him into outfield duty.
Twins Designate Alex Jackson For Assignment
The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Cody Laweryson and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by designating catcher Alex Jackson for assignment. They’d been shopping the out-of-options Jackson in recent days but didn’t find a taker. They can continue to explore trades for five days before they’ll have to place him on waivers. Minnesota also placed righties Travis Adams and David Festa on the 15-day IL due to a triceps strain and shoulder impingement, respectively.
Jackson, 30, came over from the Orioles in a November trade sending minor league infielder Payton Eeles to Baltimore. At the time, the Twins’ ownership situation was somewhat in flux, leaving the front office uncertain as to what sort of budget they’d have throughout the winter. Jackson was acquired and signed to a $1.35MM deal, avoiding arbitration and giving the Twins a glove-first backup catcher with some power but immense strikeout and OBP concerns.
The Twins eventually introduced a trio of new minority stakeholders and shuffled up the ownership hierarchy, with Tom Pohlad stepping in as the new control person in place of his younger brother, Joe. That shift came with the apparent green light for some modest investments in free agency, which led to Minnesota signing Victor Caratini on a two-year deal. Caratini became the new backup to starting catcher Ryan Jeffers, leaving Jackson with no path to a 26-man roster spot. Since he can’t be optioned, he’s been designated for assignment and will spend up to a week in limbo waiting to learn his next steps.
Jackson was once a top-10 draft pick and ballyhooed top prospect, but he’s never found his stride in the majors. He’s taken 440 plate appearances dating back to his 2019 MLB debut but mustered only a .153/.239/.288 slash. He’s slugged 11 homers but fallen victim to a strikeout in a disastrous 40.7% of his plate appearances. Jackson draws good marks for his pitch framing and throwing, but his anemic offensive profile makes him better suited to be a third or fourth catcher on any team’s depth chart.
It’s possible he’ll stick with Minnesota in just that role. Jackson’s lack of production, lack of minor league options and $1.35MM salary create a good chance that he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors but not enough service to do so while retaining his guaranteed salary. As such, if he clears, he’ll surely accept an assignment to Triple-A and open the season over in St. Paul.
Laweryson, 27, made his big league debut with the Twins last season. He held opponents to a run on four hits and no walks with seven punchouts — a nice follow-up to the 2.86 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate he logged across 44 Triple-A innings. The Twins tried to pass him through waivers in the offseason, only for the Angels to claim him.
The Halos designated Laweryson for assignment in February and released him, at which point he returned to the Twins on a minor league pact. He’s allowed one run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 spring innings.
Astros’ Peter Lambert Granted His Release
Astros righty Peter Lambert was granted his release after triggering an out clause in his minor league deal, manager Joe Espada tells reporters (link via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). The team told Lambert over the weekend that he wouldn’t make the roster.
Lambert, 29 next month, had a solid spring showing and at one point looked to be in legitimate contention for a bullpen spot. He pitched 12 1/3 innings with the ‘Stros and held opponents to four runs on 16 hits and five walks with eight punchouts. That came on the heels of a decent season in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last year, where he tossed 116 1/3 innings with a 4.26 ERA for the Yakult Swallows.
Lambert has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, all coming with the Rockies, who originally selected him 44th overall in the 2015 draft. He’s been tagged for an unsightly 6.28 ERA in 243 2/3 MLB frames, battling myriad injuries and the inherent rigors of pitching at altitude in Denver.
This spring, Lambert’s average fastball clocked in at 95 mph — way up from the 93.3 mph he averaged with the Rox from 2019-24. That velocity bump, coupled with a solid (albeit small-sample) swinging-strike rate of 11.4% suggest Lambert could probably be counted on for a better mark than the ugly 14.8% strikeout rate he posted this spring.
It’s always feasible that veterans in these situations will re-sign with the same team on a new minor league deal — perhaps with better minor league pay and/or more additional opt-out dates that grant them some flexibility. The Astros seem to like Lambert’s arm, but he’s also out of minor league options, which makes him a tough fit for a Houston club that currently has four relievers (Bryan Abreu, Enyel De Los Santos, Steven Okert, Roddery Munoz) who can’t be optioned — plus another two (Josh Hader, Nate Pearson) rehabbing on the injured list.
Yankees Trade Zack Short To Nationals
The Yankees have traded infielder Zack Short to the Nationals in exchange for cash, per announcements from both clubs. Short, who’d been a non-roster invitee to Yankees camp, will head to Triple-A Rochester with his new organization for the time being.
Short, 30, signed a minor league deal with New York back in December and hit .278/.480/.333 in 25 spring plate appearances. He’s played in parts of four major league seasons between the Tigers, Mets, Red Sox, Braves and Astros, tallying a total of 594 plate appearances. In that time, he’s slashed .172/.271/.296 with 15 homers, 10 steals, a stout 11.8% walk rate and a bloated 29% strikeout rate.
The Nationals are relatively thin on infield depth, and Short has experience at second base, shortstop and third base in the majors — more than 300 innings at each position (including 784 at shortstop). He hasn’t posted especially strong defensive grades, but he’s a versatile right-handed bat with modest pop and solid on-base skills. His low batting averages persist even in Triple-A, where he’s batted just .216 in six seasons, but he also sports a .353 on-base percentage in that time.
Looking around the Nationals’ infield, CJ Abrams is the lone established player. Former first-round pick Brady House will get another look at third base, while Nasim Nunez and Luis Garcia Jr. look like options at second base and first base. Infielder Jorbit Vivas also came over from the Nats in a more notable trade and is out of minor league options, so he’ll mix in to some extent, as will righty-swinging first baseman Andres Chaparro.
Twins Make Several Roster Decisions
The Twins announced Tuesday that they’ve granted right-hander Matt Bowman his release. He triggered an opt-out clause in his contract over the weekend. Minnesota also reassigned non-roster players Dan Altavilla, Orlando Arcia, David Bañuelos and Trent Baker to minor league camp. As Dan Hayes of The Athletic notes, that positions right-handers Cody Laweryson and Zak Kent to take the final two bullpen jobs, barring any outside additions. Matthew Leach of MLB.com did suggest earlier today that Minnesota could make another move or two regarding its patchwork bullpen.
Bowman, 34, had a nice spring, tossing 7 1/3 shutout innings. He allowed six hits and a pair of walks while punching out seven hitters. The journeyman right-hander has pitched in parts of seven major league seasons, compiling a 4.38 ERA over the course of 240 2/3 frames. He tossed 24 2/3 innings for Baltimore in 2025 but was tagged for a 6.20 earned run average.
Laweryson, 27, made his big league debut with the Twins last offseason. He held opponents to a run on four hits and no walks with seven punchouts — a nice follow-up to the 2.86 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate he logged across 44 Triple-A innings. The Twins tried to pass him through waivers in the offseason, only for the Angels to claim him.
The Halos designated Laweryson for assignment in February and released him, at which point he returned to the Twins on a minor league pact. He’s allowed one run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 spring innings. Since he was in camp as a non-roster invitee, Laweryson will require the Twins to clear a 40-man roster spot to add him to the Opening Day roster. They’ve been shopping out-of-options catcher Alex Jackson but have no shortage of fringe players on their 40-man roster after last summer’s sell-off.
Whether there are any forthcoming moves or not, a year will make quite a difference for the Twins. They entered the 2025 season with what looked like one of the sport’s best bullpens on paper. Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, Danny Coulombe, Justin Topa and Cole Sands gave the club a very strong top end. When the Twins shifted to sell mode at the deadline, that group was near wholly dismantled. Duran, Jax, Varland, Stewart and Coulombe were all traded for younger and/or more controllable players.
Heading into 2026, the Twins have what looks like one of the game’s worst bullpens by a wide margin. They added left-hander Anthony Banda after he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers and picked up righty Eric Orze in a small trade with the Rays. Left-hander Taylor Rogers, now 35, is back on a one-year deal that guarantees him $2MM. Kent was claimed off waivers after spring training was already underway.
That’s the extent of the team’s bullpen additions this winter. They’ll head into the season with Rogers, Banda, Sands, Topa, Orze, Kent, Laweryson and Kody Funderburk comprising new manager Derek Shelton’s relief corps. There’s no clear closer. Rogers is the only Twins reliever with experience in that role, but he’s been relegated to middle relief work with the Giants, Reds and Cubs in recent seasons. Rogers, Banda, Topa and Sands are the only Twins relievers with even a year of major league service.
As the season wears on, the Twins will surely hope for some young arms to step up and secure roles. Prospects like Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, Ryan Gallagher and John Klein could eventually emerge as relief options. Starting pitchers who don’t carve out footholds in the rotation could get a look here, too; Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Kendry Rojas and Andrew Morris are among the possibilities. For now, the early iteration of the group looks about as bleak as any team in the game.