Giants Hire Gary Pettis As Third Base Coach
The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve hired Gary Pettis as their new third base coach. He’ll replace Hector Borg, who was relieved of third base coaching duties recently and reassigned to a player development role within the organization.
An 11-year major league veteran known for his stellar outfield defense and baserunning prowess, the now 68-year-old Pettis has 27 years of coaching experience, including 22 prior seasons in the majors. The five-time Gold Glove winner served as both a third base coach and first base coach across stints with the White Sox, Angels, Mets, Rangers and Astros. Pettis spent a decade as Houston’s third base coach and was on the staff for both of the Astros’ World Series victories.
Pettis brings a highly experienced dugout veteran to rookie big league manager Tony Vitello’s staff. Notably, he served on the Rangers’ coaching staff under then-manager Ron Washington, who’s now the Giants’ infield coach. In addition to his work as the third base coach, Pettis will have plenty of wisdom to share with the Giants’ lineup about the finer points of baserunning, and he’ll presumably work with the team’s young outfielders as well.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported that the Giants were hiring Pettis as their new third base coach.
Bailey Ober Diagnosed With Flexor Strain
Twins righty Bailey Ober recently hit the injured list with inflammation in his right elbow. A subsequent MRI revealed a mild flexor strain, general manager Jeremy Zoll told the Twins beat (via The Athletic’s Dan Hayes). The imaging did not raise concern regarding Ober’s ulnar collateral ligament, though he’s receiving a second opinion as a precaution. Ober will be shut down from throwing entirely for the next 10 to 14 days. He’s likely to spend the majority or entirety of this month on the shelf.
It’s another notable hit to a Twins rotation that has been decimated by injury this season. Pablo López suffered a UCL tear in his first bullpen session of spring training and underwent internal brace surgery not long after, wiping him out for the entire season. Right-hander David Festa went down with a shoulder impingement during spring training and hasn’t pitched this season. A pair of big young arms Minnesota added at last year’s deadline — righty Mick Abel and lefty Kendry Rojas — are both on the shelf, too. Abel has been out for six weeks now with elbow inflammation, while Rojas recently landed on the 15-day IL due to a triceps injury. Meanwhile, Simeon Woods Richardson has struggled to the extent that the Twins designated the out-of-options righty for assignment.
June was a problematic month for Ober in 2025 as well. After a nice start to his season, he was blown up for 30 runs in 30 innings before heading to the injured list with a hip impingement. He spent a month on the IL and pitched decently in his return. He’s now looking at a second straight season with around a monthlong absence.
Ober, 30, opened the season on an impressive run. He capped off a stretch of nine strong outings (3.46 ERA in 52 innings) with a complete game shutout over the Marlins back on May 12. He’s struggled in three starts since, with worse results each time. Ober was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) over 4 2/3 innings his most recent time out and has yielded a total of 14 earned runs over his past 14 2/3 innings.
This is Ober’s fourth full season in the majors and the sixth overall in which he’s logged some big league time. The towering 6’9″ righty was never an especially touted prospect but has emerged as a capable mid-rotation stalwart in Minnesota. He carries a career 4.13 ERA with a 23.2% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate in 684 1/3 frames at the major league level. He’s controlled through 2027 and is earning a reasonable $5.2MM salary this season. If the Twins operate as sellers for a second straight deadline, it stands to reason that Ober would be a natural trade candidate — that is, as long as he’s healthy.
Zoll did provide a bit more positive news for Twins fans in his media session with the beat (via Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune). Rojas is slated to resume throwing today, signaling a potentially short stay on the injured list. Abel will also take a big step toward returning when he pitches two innings in a simulated game this Thursday.
The Twins’ rotation at the moment includes Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and current/recent top prospects Connor Prielipp and Zebby Matthews. They’ll go with Prielipp and Bradley in their next two games, but Thursday’s starter is listed as TBD. With five starters on the injured list and a sixth designated for assignment, their in-house options to step into that spot are slim. The same can be said of stopgaps on the waiver wire, though journeyman Austin Voth is currently out there after being DFA by the Blue Jays. A bullpen game is another option, though Minnesota’s bullpen is among the worst in the sport.
Rangers Release Ryan Brasier
The Rangers released veteran reliever Ryan Brasier from their Triple-A affiliate, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Brasier had been pitching well and was cut loose on June 1, which suggests there may have been an opt-out date in his contract with Texas. He joins righty Josh Sborz, also released from the Rangers’ Round Rock affiliate yesterday, in returning to the open market.
Brasier signed a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason. He was in big league camp this spring but opted out of that original minor league pact when he was told he wouldn’t make the roster. The 38-year-old righty and Texas native eventually re-signed on a new minor league deal but hasn’t gotten a call to the majors despite solid results in the upper minors.
In 22 2/3 innings with the Express this season, Brasier has posted a respectable 3.97 ERA with more encouraging rate stats. He’s set down an above-average 24.5% of his opponents on strikes, turned in a sharp 6.4% walk rate and induced grounders at a hearty 47.6% clip. He’s yielded only two round-trippers thus far — an average of 0.79 per nine innings pitched.
Brasier’s velocity has been on the decline for a few seasons now, as one would expect for a veteran who’s in his 20th professional season and approaching his 39th birthday (in August). He’s no longer averaging the 96 mph he was at his peak, but the 93.9 mph he’s averaged in Round Rock this season is right in line with the 94 mph he averaged in the Cubs’ bullpen last year; Brasier tossed 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA in Chicago last year (with a more impressive 3.74 SIERA and 3.17 FIP).
Brasier has pitched in parts of nine major league seasons and accrued more than eight years of MLB service time. He made brief MLB debut with the 2013 Angels but didn’t settle in as a consistent big leaguer until an age-29 stint in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp helped to turn his career around. A nice performance in Japan landed him a minor league deal with the Red Sox, and he broke out with a 1.60 ERA in 33 2/3 frames for their World Series-winning club in 2018.
Since that return from NPB, Brasier carries a 3.96 ERA in 302 1/3 frames. As previously mentioned, the stuff isn’t where it was in his early 30s, but even over the past three seasons, Brasier has worked to a solid 3.48 earned run average while fanning a league-average 22.3% of his opponents. His command has sharpened in the late stages of his career; Brasier has posted a sub-5% walk rate in three of the past four seasons, including each of the past two.
There are plenty of teams around the league in far more dire need of bullpen help than Texas. Rangers relievers have combined for a 3.39 ERA that ranks eighth-best in the sport. They’ve struggled a bit more over the past month (4.43 earned run average), but they ostensibly preferred to give rookie left-hander Robby Ahlstrom (just selected to the roster yesterday) a look over a more veteran option like Brasier or Sborz. Brasier’s track record and solid performance in Triple-A this year ought to earn him an opportunity with another organization before long — perhaps even a major league deal.
Carlos Carrasco Elects Free Agency
6:28pm: Carrasco has elected free agency, according to Jesús Cano of The Athletic. It’s likely he’ll re-sign on an MLB or minor league deal within the coming days.
10:53am: The Braves announced this morning that righty Carlos Carrasco went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett. Carrasco has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
One way or another, Carrasco will likely be back with Atlanta. He’s been designated for assignment by the Braves three other times dating back to last August and has returned on new minor league deals each time. Carrasco also re-signed a minor league deal with the Braves in free agency this past winter. It’s always possible he’ll just accept the outright assignment, but electing free agency and quickly negotiating a new minor league pact gives his camp the opportunity to secure some perks (new opt-out dates, upward mobility clause, slight salary increase, etc.) that aren’t in the current deal.
The 39-year-old Carrasco has pitched well when the Braves have summoned him to the majors this season. He’s tossed 7 1/3 innings and held opponents to a pair of runs on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He’s been sharp in Gwinnett, too, logging a flat 3.00 ERA (21 K%, 5.6 BB%) in 30 innings of work there.
Both Carrasco and the Braves front office have been very comfortable with the setup that sees him act as an unofficial 41st man on the roster. He can’t be optioned, so Carrasco is frequently selected to the roster, used as needed, passed through waivers and then returns on a new minor league deal. He’s already picked up 24 days of big league service and salary in 2026 this way, and there’s a good chance he’ll have several similar stint through season’s end.
White Sox Release LaMonte Wade Jr.
The White Sox have released veteran first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., who’d been playing with their Triple-A affiliate. CHSN’s Brooke Fletcher was among those to relay the news. The 32-year-old Wade was performing well in Charlotte, slashing .250/.420/.441 with seven homers, eight doubles, two steals and more walks (22.4%) than strikeouts (21.4%) in 201 trips to the plate.
It might register as a modest surprise that the Sox either cut him loose or (if he had a June 1 opt-out in his contract) granted him his release at a time when Munetaka Murakami just hit the shelf for at least four to six weeks due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain. However, Chicago is taking a look at 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez in Murakami’s absence. He played first base in his MLB debut but has more experience on the left side of the infield, which could allow Miguel Vargas to man first base more regularly in Murakami’s absence. Gonzalez absolutely earned a look with a massive performance in Triple-A. Perhaps they could’ve found a way to get Wade onto the bench in a reserve role, but that would’ve entailed cutting ties with a veteran outfielder like Derek Hill or Randal Grichuk. The Sox chose not to do so.
Wade originally signed a minor league deal with the South Siders in January. He was released late in camp when the Sox informed him that he wouldn’t crack the Opening Day roster, but he signed a new minor league deal a week later and has spent the entire season thus far with the Knights.
Wade has appeared in each of the past seven big league campaigns, mostly with the Giants, and is a lifetime .236/.341/.390 hitter in the majors. His most recent work was well shy of his career marks, however; in 282 plate appearances between San Francisco and Anaheim last year, he posted a dreadful .167/.271/.254 batting line (52 wRC+) with a career-worst 24% strikeout rate. Wade grades out below average at first base (his primary position) and in the outfield corners, and he’s never hit left-handed pitching very well.
It’s a limited skill set, but Wade’s work in Charlotte shows what he’s capable of at his best: piling up walks to support a substantial on-base percentage with enough power to offset what’s typically a pedestrian batting average. Teams looking for some lefty-swinging corner help — ideally at first base but possibly at DH and/or in an outfield corner — could take a look and hope that his strong showing in the upper minors is a precursor to a return to form in the majors. It’s also possible he simply returns to the White Sox, depending on what the market has to bear. This time last year, the White Sox granted reliever Dan Altavilla his release when he triggered an opt-out, only to re-sign him on a big league deal 48 hours later.
Reds Place Elly De La Cruz On Injured List, Promote Edwin Arroyo
2:12pm: Francona said De La Cruz will probably miss two to four weeks, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
11:36am: The Reds announced Monday that they’ve placed star shortstop Elly De La Cruz on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right hamstring and recalled top infield prospect Edwin Arroyo from Triple-A Louisville for his major league debut. Cincinnati also selected the contract of lefty Brandon Leibrandt and designated right-hander Yunior Marté for assignment in a corresponding move. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported that the Reds would place De La Cruz on the IL and promote Arroyo shortly before the formal team announcement.
De La Cruz suffered his hamstring injury in Sunday’s game. Upon driving a ball into the right-center field gap for what looked like an easy double — if not a triple, given his speed — he instead pulled up at first base in obvious pain (video link). A quick visit from the training staff concluded with an early exit from the game. He subsequently underwent an MRI that revealed the strain. Cincinnati has not yet provided a possible timeline for his potential return or revealed the grade of hamstring strain with which De La Cruz has been diagnosed. Manager Terry Francona will likely provide more details prior to tonight’s game against the visiting Royals.
An injury to the 24-year-old De La Cruz is about as impactful an injury absence as possible for Cincinnati. The switch-hitting dynamo was putting together perhaps the best season of his exciting young career, delivering a .280/.346/.509 slash (134 wRC+) with a dozen homers, 13 doubles (14, were it not for this injury), five triples and 10 steals. He’s hitting for power at the highest rate of his career, and after struggling immensely from the right-handed batter’s box through the first three seasons of his career, De La Cruz was having a breakout showing in that regard as well (.299/.342/.642 in 73 plate appearances versus southpaws).
If there’s a silver lining for Reds fans, it’s that the De La Cruz injury serves as a catalyst for the promotion of Arroyo — one of the hottest-hitting prospects in all of Minor League Baseball at the moment. A fellow switch-hitter, Arroyo is just 22 years old but was laying waste to Triple-A pitching with a .323/.383/.562 batting line through an even 250 plate appearances. He’s homered 11 times and added nine doubles, five triples and nine steals. He’s been hitting at a particularly absurd level over the past month: .368/.406/.705.
Originally drafted by the Mariners with the No. 48 overall pick back in 2021, Arroyo was traded to the Reds as part of the deal sending Luis Castillo back to Seattle. He was a consensus top-100 prospect at the time. His stock dipped in subsequent seasons, in no small part due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and wiped out his entire 2024 season. However, Arroyo’s torrid 2026 output has thrust him onto the tail end of the top-100 lists at MLB.com and Baseball America. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel listed him as the top riser in Cincinnati’s system just this morning, noting that Arroyo’s power looks to be back in full force after an understandable dip last year in the return from that shoulder operation. Arroyo hit just three long balls in 120 games last year.
Arroyo has primarily been a shortstop in his professional career, but he’s played some second base and third base in recent seasons as well — likely in recognition that shortstop isn’t going to be opening up in Cincinnati anytime soon, so long as De La Cruz remains healthy. He’ll step into De La Cruz’s shortstop spot for the time being, but if Arroyo hits the ground running, it’s not at all out of the question that he could parlay this initial call to the majors into a more prominent role at third base and/or second base once De La Cruz returns. Neither third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes nor second baseman Matt McLain has hit at all this season — and that’s egregiously true in the case of the former (.142/.195/.225 in 128 plate appearances). Hayes is currently on the injured list a disk injury in his back, continuing a long history of back ailments.
The 33-year-old Leibrandt is the son of former big league pitcher Charlie Leibrandt. He’s pitched in parts of two minor league seasons: the 2020 campaign with Miami and the 2024 season with Cincinnati. He’s allowed nine runs in 15 1/3 major league frames. The younger Leibrandt has been tagged for a 5.23 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts this season, though a disproportionate amount of the damage against him came in his most recent start. Leibrandt logged a solid enough 4.29 ERA through his first 10 starts before being tattooed for six runs in just 1 1/3 innings against the Twins’ Triple-A club last time out.
Injuries have thinned out both the Cincinnati bullpen and rotation. The Reds have Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson all on the injured list. Depth starters like Chase Petty, Julian Aguiar and Jose Franco have pitched poorly in Triple-A. The Reds already brought veteran Chris Paddack aboard following his release in Miami; he’s allowed a total of nine runs with eight strikeouts against seven walks across a trio of five-inning starts. In the bullpen, relievers Graham Ashcraft, Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson are on the injured list; Ashcraft was recently placed directly on the 60-day IL due to a UCL sprain.
Marté, 31, was just called up last Friday when Ashcraft hit the IL. The journeyman right-hander appeared in one game, faced six batters and allowed five of them to reach. He wound up being charged with four runs in one-third of an inning. Marté has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, totaling 113 2/3 innings with a 5.94 ERA. He throws hard and can miss bats but has regularly shown shaky command while struggling to limit damage against left-handed hitters in particular. He’ll be traded, placed on waivers or released within the next five days.
Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! I'll get going at 2pm CT, but feel free to start submitting questions ahead of time, as always.
- Good afternoon! Let's get underway
Ewitkows
- Are we past the super 2 point of the season, when is Pratt and Jett coming up for the Brewers?
Steve Adams
- Super Two no longer matters for Pratt. He signed an eight-year extension, buying out all his arb years and multiple free agent years. He started the season really poorly but has been hitting well the past month or so. I have to think he's under consideration for a promotion before too terribly long.
- It could be a modest consideration with Williams, but he also just hasn't hit his way onto the big league roster yet. He looked to be getting going a few weeks ago but has cooled back down. Not necessarily worried about his long-term outlook, but he's not really forcing the issue so the Brewers haven't brought him up yet.
Chief
- How do the Royals turn things around?
Steve Adams
- I'm really not sure they can. 15 under .500, losers of six in a row, lots of key arms on the shelf (Bubic, Ragans, Estevez, Mears), big drop-offs from some key bats (Pasquantino, Perez... Garcia to a lesser extent). I just don't think they're getting back on track this year. I'd be listening on Wacha, Lugo, Strahm, Schreiber ... Bubic, if he's healthy.
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Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves
The Marlins announced a handful of roster moves ahead of Monday’s game. Right-handers Zach Brzykcy (pronounced “brick-see”) and Tyler Zuber had their contracts selected from Triple-A Jacksonville and will be with the major league club tonight for their road game against the Nationals. To make room on the active roster, Miami optioned righty Josh White and placed righty Josh Ekness on the 15-day injured list with a calf strain. To create 40-man space for Brzykcy and Zuber, the Fish transferred left-hander Andrew Nardi and first baseman/outfielder Griffin Conine to the 60-day injured list.
Brzykcy, 26, will be facing off against the team that originally signed him and gave him his major league debut if he gets into a game this series. He’s pitched in parts of two seasons with the Nats and been tagged for an unsightly 10.05 ERA in 28 2/3 frames. He’s pitched 22 1/3 innings with Jacksonville since signing a minor league deal over the winter and has a 5.24 ERA with a strong 26.3% strikeout rate against a problematic 12.1% walk rate. Nine of the 13 earned runs he’s yielded have come across two of his most recent outings. Through Brzykcy’s first 15 1/3 innings this season, he allowed only one run on seven hits and eight walks with 18 punchouts.
The 30-year-old Zuber has a similarly nondescript big league track record with big minor league strikeout numbers. He’s pitched in parts of four major league seasons and surrendered a 6.26 ERA in 64 2/3 frames. He’s set down just under one quarter of his opponents on strikes but walked 15.2% of the batters he’s faced. This season in Triple-A, Zuber has a gaudy 33.9% strikeout rate in 27 2/3 innings but also a 12.6% walk rate. His fastball velocity is only a bit above average, but Zuber piles up swings and misses on a slider he’s been throwing at extreme levels (57.2%) in Triple-A so far.
Nardi hit the injured list recently due to a stress reaction in his ribcage. Manager Clayton McCullough said at the time of his 15-day IL placement that he could miss several months, so the quick shift to the 60-day IL comes as no surprise. He’s pitched to a 5.16 ERA in 22 2/3 innings this season.
Conine suffered a hamstring strain in early April, necessitating surgery. He was given a timetable of six to eight weeks for recovery, though the process has played out a bit more slowly. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported over the weekend that Conine was probably still a week or two from going out on a rehab assignment. Given that he’s been on the IL since April 11, he wasn’t going to make it back to the roster within 60 days anyhow. His shift to the lengthier injured list is merely a formality, then. A return at some point later this month still seems to be in play.
Rangers To Select Robby Ahlstrom
The Rangers are selecting the contract of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom from Triple-A Round Rock, MLBTR has learned. The 26-year-old lefty will make his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game. Texas has a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make at least one corresponding transaction once the move is officially announced.
Texas originally acquired Ahlstrom alongside righty Albert Abreu in the 2022 trade sending catcher Jose Trevino to the Yankees. He’s regularly turned in solid ERAs and quality strikeout rates with shaky command — at least until this season. In 2026, Ahlstrom has taken his overall game to new levels. He’s sitting on a 2.76 ERA in 29 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and has fanned 28.4% of his opponents against a tidy 6.9% walk rate.
In the past, Ahlstrom has worked primarily off a four-seamer sitting 93-94 mph. This year, he’s begun to feature a sinker as well, throwing the pitch at a 21% clip thus far (in addition to a 35% clip for his four-seamer). Both fastballs are averaging 94.8 mph — the best mark of the mustachioed southpaw’s career. Ahlstrom also features an 85 mph slider, an 87 mph changeup and a show-me curveball that sits in the upper 70s (but has only been thrown at a 4% clip this year).
The Rangers have carried three lefties in the bullpen this season: Jacob Latz, Tyler Alexander and Jalen Beeks. All three have posted solid earned run averages, though the latter’s rate stats don’t really support his 3.86 ERA. If they plan to continue carrying all three, an optionable rookie like Peyton Gray or Gavin Collyer could be sent out in order to get Ahlstrom into the mix, though that wouldn’t clear a 40-man spot. Fellow lefty Robert Garcia, currently on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, has already missed more than six weeks and isn’t yet on a minor league rehab assignment, so moving him to the 60-day IL could potentially accommodate Ahlstrom’s promotion.
Brusdar Graterol Undergoes Back Surgery
Dodgers right-hander Brusdar Graterol underwent back surgery yesterday and could miss the remainder of the season as a result, reports Jack Harris of the California Post. The right-hander, already on the mend from Nov. 2024 shoulder surgery, missed all of the 2025 season and hasn’t thrown in a big league game since the 2024 playoffs.
Specifics of Graterol’s surgery aren’t clear, but it’s a frustrating setback for an extremely talented right-hander who simply hasn’t been able to avoid the injured list. Graterol pitched only seven regular-season innings in 2024 due to recurring shoulder troubles. He’s pitched in parts of six MLB seasons but has only 50 innings in one of those six seasons. Graterol boasts a terrific 2.78 earned run average in his career but has only managed to pitch 190 2/3 frames dating back to his late-season debut with the Twins in 2019.
Minnesota traded Graterol to the Dodgers in the 2019-20 offseason deal that sent Kenta Maeda the other direction. In retrospect, it’s been a pretty fair deal for both sides. Both pitchers missed substantial time with injury but were largely effective when healthy enough to take the mound with their new teams. Graterol has a 2.69 ERA in 180 innings as a Dodger (not including the playoffs) and was dominant in the healthiest season of his career (2023): 67 1/3 innings, 1.20 ERA, 19 holds, seven saves, 18.7% strikeout rate, 4.7% walk rate and a colossal 64.4% ground-ball rate.
The surgery could very well spell the end of Graterol’s tenure in Los Angeles. It doesn’t sound as though it’s a foregone conclusion that his season is finished, but if this does shelve him for the remainder of the year, he’s slated to become a free agent for the first time in the 2026-27 offseason.
At the very least, Harris notes that Graterol is facing a monthslong absence. Perhaps he can return for a handful of late appearances, as he did in 2024, but the Dodgers will again navigate the summer without one of their most talented bullpen arms. Graterol had begun a rehab assignment in early May before suffering a setback a couple weeks in.
The Dodgers already had Edwin Diaz on the 60-day IL after he required surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Evan Phillips is nearing the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery and is still a ways from returning. Brock Stewart has managed to pitch only two innings this season owing to shoulder and foot injuries. Ben Casparius has been out since mid-April due to shoulder inflammation.
Despite that slate of injuries, L.A.’s bullpen has been dominant. Dodgers relievers rank fourth in the majors in ERA (3.12), first in FIP (3.15), fifth in SIERA (3.36), second in strikeout rate (25.6%) and ninth in walk rate (9.2%). Their top seven relievers by innings pitched — Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Will Klein, Jack Dreyer, Kyle Hurt, Edgardo Henriquez and Blake Treinen — all have ERAs of 3.43 or better.