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White Sox Designate Oscar Colas For Assignment, Claim Greg Jones From Rockies

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2025 at 12:51pm CDT

The White Sox have designated outfielder Oscar Colas for assignment and claimed infielder/outfielder Greg Jones off waivers from the Rockies, per a team announcement. Chicago optioned Jones and righty Justin Anderson to Triple-A Charlotte. The Sox also reassigned infielders Bobby Dalbec, Tristan Gray and Chase Meidroth to minor league camp alongside righties James Karinchak and Steven Wilson.

Now 26 years old, Colas came to the White Sox with considerable fanfare. The Cuban-born slugger was touted as one of the more intriguing prospects on the 2020-21 and 2021-22 international amateur markets. He bizarrely (and frankly, unfairly) drew comparisons to Shohei Ohtani, of all players, for his plus raw power and because he’d dabbled in pitching during his time in Cuba and a brief foray into Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Outlandish as that comparison was, it did set some unrealistic expectations among fans who were dreaming on Colas as a potential superstar.

Even before the White Sox signed him, Colas had signaled that he no longer intended to pitch and that he’d focus his efforts on his work as a position player. He formally signed with Chicago in Jan. 2022 for a reported $2.7MM bonus. Colas went on to tear through minor league pitching that season, slashing .314/.371/.524 with 23 homers across three levels. Strong as those rate stats were, his production came with some red flags. Colas spent the bulk of the season playing against younger and less experienced competition, and he rarely walked. His strikeout rates also climbed rapidly as he moved from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A.

The Sox gave Colas his big league debut in 2023, and he quickly looked overmatched. In 75 games and 263 plate appearances, he hit just .216/.257/.314 with a tiny 4.6% walk rate and a bloated 27.6% strikeout rate. Of the 328 big league hitters with at least 250 plate appearances in 2023, Colas chased balls off the plate at the 13th-highest rate, per Statcast, despite also turning in a well below-average contact rate on such swings. Only 39 of those 328 hitters had a lower overall contact rate than Colas.

For all of Colas’ big league struggles in 2023, he at least turned in a .272/.345/.465 line in Triple-A Charlotte. That was league-average production by measure of wRC+ — a testament to the hitter-friendly nature of the Triple-A International and Pacific Coast Leagues. Colas showed solid discipline in the minors, walking at a 9.2% clip against a roughly average 22.3% strikeout rate.

The 2024 season brought considerable regression. Colas hit only .246/.332/.400 in Triple-A. His 11% walk rate was an improvement, and his 23.1% strikeout rate effectively matched the prior season, but Colas’ power deteriorated. He also became increasingly prone to hitting grounders and harmless infield flies; nearly one-quarter of his fly balls in Triple-A last year registered as infield flies. That’s more than double the 10.3% MLB average. Despite the Sox fielding a historically bad team, they scarcely gave Colas a look; he logged only 38 plate appearances and hit .273/.368/.273 while fanning 10 times (26.3%). Spring training hasn’t done Colas any favors. He received only 18 official plate appearances and went 4-for-16 with seven strikeouts.

The White Sox will now trade Colas or place him on waivers within the next five days. Outright waivers are a 48-hour process, which could drag his stay in DFA limbo out to a maximum of one week. Though he was a touted prospect not long ago, Colas’ struggles and limited skill set might allow Chicago to keep him. Today’s front offices typically aren’t enamored of power-focused corner bats with questionable on-base skills and sub-par defensive acumen.

In Jones, the Sox will pick up one of the sport’s fastest players. The 27-year-old has only six MLB plate appearances to his credit — he went 1-for-6 with a homer for Colorado last year — but drew 80 grades for his speed as a prospect. Jones went 46-for-49 in stolen bases at the Triple-A level last year despite being limited to just 89 games by injury. He hit .267/.344/.453 with the Rockies’ top affiliate (99 wRC+).

Jones is in the last of his three minor league option years. The former Rays first-rounder has split the bulk of his pro career between shortstop and center field. He’ll give the South Siders some depth at both spots and would presumably be an option in the outfield corners or at second base and third base as well. The Rockies gave him 64 games in center, 16 at shortstop, eight at second base and four in right field last year.

Colorado picked Jones up in a March 2024 trade sending left-handed pitching prospect Joe Rock to the Rays. The Rockies are left without anything to show for that swap now, whereas Rock has blossomed into a nearly MLB-ready rotation prospect for Tampa Bay. Rock profiles as more of a back-end starter or multi-inning reliever than a top-of-the-rotation talent, but the swap has clearly worked out in the Rays’ favor to this point.

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Chicago White Sox Colorado Rockies Transactions Bobby Dalbec Chase Meidroth Greg Jones James Karinchak Justin Anderson Oscar Colas Steven Wilson Tristan Gray

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Tigers, Ben Gamel Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2025 at 12:21pm CDT

The Tigers have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with free agent outfielder Ben Gamel, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Gamel, a Wasserman client, was released by the Astros earlier in the week. His new deal with the Tigers will have the same $1.2MM base as the non-guaranteed big league deal from which he was released in Houston.

Gamel, 32, has appeared in each of the past nine big league seasons. He’s a career .252/.334/.382 hitter in 2320 trips to the plate in the majors. Gamel, who’s suited up for the Yankees, Mariners, Brewers, Guardians, Pirates, Padres, Mets and Astros over his near-decade in the big leagues, was a semi-regular from 2017-22 but has just 114 big league plate appearances over the past two seasons. He’s an OBP-oriented corner bat who’s best suited for left field.

Detroit has seen its outfield mix hobbled considerably by injuries to begin the season. Parker Meadows is dealing with a nerve issue and is still shut down for another four weeks at the very least. He’ll need to build back up to game readiness after his shutdown period. He’s already on the 60-day injured list and won’t return until June at the earliest.

Right fielder/third baseman Matt Vierling is opening the season on the injured list due to a strained rotator cuff. Utilityman Wenceel Perez who’d been ticketed for regular work in the outfield after Meadows and Vierling were injured, will instead miss at least the first month of the season due to a back injury.

Following that slate of injuries, the Tigers signed veteran Manuel Margot to a big league deal. He was granted his release by the Brewers over the weekend after spending camp with them as a non-roster invitee. Margot, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter are now poised to log the bulk of the time in the outfield. Utility options like Zach McKinstry, Ryan Kreidler and Andy Ibanez could all see time in the outfield as well, and Detroit has even gotten Spencer Torkelson some reps in right field. Gamel will join prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy as one of the top depth options in the minors, though Malloy is already on the 40-man roster and could have a leg up as a result.

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Detroit Tigers Transactions Ben Gamel

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Jose Quintana Agrees To Optional Assignment; Jake Bauers Makes Brewers’ Roster

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2025 at 10:52am CDT

The Brewers are wrapping up their final decisions on the Opening Day roster. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that veteran lefty Jose Quintana has consented to be optioned to Triple-A Nashville to finish building up. The 36-year-old signed midway through spring training and has thus far only pitched five official spring frames (in addition to side sessions and work on the back fields). It’s a largely procedural move; Quintana will join the big league rotation in early-to-mid April, though it’s not yet clear how many starts the Brewers want him to make in Triple-A.

Beyond that, the Brewers will have to clear at least one 40-man spot. McCalvy further reports that first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers has made the roster. He’d been in camp as a non-roster invitee and will take a bench spot in Milwaukee. He held a similar role last year. Bauers, 29, appeared in 117 games with the Brewers and hit .199/.301/.361 with a dozen homers. He was far too strikeout-prone, fanning in 34.1% of his plate appearances, but he also drew walks at a stout 11.3% clip, went 13-for-14 in stolen base attempts and played 553 innings of solid defense at first base.

The Brewers non-tendered Bauers rather than pay him a projected $2.3MM salary. He returned on a minor league deal and has mashed his way onto the roster with a big Cactus League performance. In 42 turns at the plate, he’s logged a .263/.333/.605 slash with three homers, four doubles and a pair of stolen bases. He’ll presumably need to outpace last year’s production to stick around for the long haul, but he’s off to a nice start this spring.

Right-handers Chad Patrick and Elvin Rodriguez and utilityman Isaac Collins have all made their first Opening Day rosters as well. All three are already on the 40-man roster. Rule 5 southpaw Connor Thomas is also breaking camp.

Per McCalvy, Milwaukee will open the season with only three true starting pitchers: Freddy Peralta, Nestor Cortes and Aaron Civale. Quintana will be a fourth once he’s ready. Righty Brandon Woodruff is still on the mend from 2023’s shoulder surgery but could be an option in the season’s first month or so as well. In the meantime, the Brewers have Rodriguez, Patrick, Thomas and veteran swingman Tyler Alexander stretched out for multiple innings to piece things together at the back end of the staff.

Patrick, 26, is not only making his first Opening Day roster but will make his MLB debut the first time he takes the mound. Milwaukee acquired him from the A’s in exchange for Abraham Toro in November 2023. Patrick spent the entire 2024 season in the Brewers’ Triple-A rotation, turning heads with 136 1/3 innings of 2.90 ERA ball. He fanned 26.1% of his opponents against a 7% walk rate.

Thomas, also 26, will also make his debut the first time he throws a pitch for the Brewers. Milwaukee plucked him from the Cardinals’ system in December’s Rule 5 Draft, and he posted 11 1/3 frames with just three runs on nine hits and five walks against 11 punchouts this spring. He spent 2024 as a multi-inning reliever in Triple-A Memphis and logged 90 1/3 innings with a tidy 2.89 earned run average. Thomas logged a below-average 20.6% strikeout rate but notched plus walk and grounder rates of 6.3% and 53.5%, respectively.

The 26-year-old Rodriguez is a former Angels and Tigers prospect who very briefly pitched with Detroit earlier in his career. He drew a big league deal from Milwaukee after spending the past season and a half pitching with Japan’s Yakult Swallows. In 78 NPB innings, Rodriguez recorded a sharp 2.77 ERA, albeit with a sub-par 20.4% strikeout rate. He was tagged for nine runs in 10 2/3 innings this spring, but his 15-to-2 K/BB ratio offers more encouragement.

Collins, 27, made his MLB debut last year and went 2-for-17 in a quick cup of coffee. The Brewers claimed him off waivers from the Rockies back in 2022. He spent the majority of the 2024 season in Triple-A Nashville, where he hit .273/.386/.475 with 14 homers, 24 steals and a gaudy 14.2% walk rate. He has significant experience at second base, in left field and in center field in his pro career, in addition to more sparse work at third base and in right field. He’s a switch-hitter with good speed who can back up at nearly any position on the diamond.

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Milwaukee Brewers Chad Patrick Connor Thomas Elvin Rodriguez Isaac Collins Jake Bauers Jose Quintana

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David Bote Exercises Upward Mobility Clause In Dodgers Deal

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2025 at 9:03am CDT

Dodgers non-roster invitee David Bote triggered an upward mobility clause in his minor league contract yesterday, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. That clause forces the Dodgers to make the veteran infielder available to all 29 other teams and let him go if another club is willing to put him on its 40-man roster. Los Angeles would be able to counter by instead selecting Bote to its own 40-man. If no team wants to scoop Bote up and place him on the 40-man, he’ll likely head to Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the season with the Dodgers’ top affiliate.

Bote, 31, had a monster spring performance, hitting .400/.471/.700 with a pair of homers in 34 plate appearances. He also enjoyed productive looks in the majors and in Triple-A with the Cubs last year. Bote slashed .259/.341/.546 (124 wRC+) in 123 plate appearances with Triple-A Iowa and hit .304/.333/.391 in a smaller sample of 48 big league plate appearances. He’s a career .234/.318/.392 hitter in 1213 plate appearances at the MLB level, dating back to 2018.

Originally an 18th-round pick by Chicago back in 2012, Bote debuted in 2018 and looked to have carved out a utility role on the Cubs’ bench in 2019, when he logged what’s still a career-high 356 plate appearances and hit .257/.362/.422. He signed a surprising extension with the Cubs that April, locking him in for five years and $15.0025MM and giving Chicago a pair of club options. The deal bought out all of Bote’s arb seasons, and the options covered his first two free agent seasons.

The deal went south quickly. Bote hit poorly in 2020-21, and he was passed through outright waivers in 2022. Bote didn’t have the service time to reject an outright assignment and retain the remainder of his guarantee, so he headed to Iowa and was used as an up-and-down bench player over the next couple seasons.

Even with the rocky track record, Bote has hit well in small samples during his most recent MLB looks (.272/.320/.420 in 175 plate appearances since ’22 — albeit with a 33% strikeout rate). He’s been a perennially productive hitter in Triple-A as well, and he has at least 400 career innings at all four infield spots and in the outfield (primarily the corners). Teams looking for a right-handed bat with some versatility could consider him for a bench spot. He technically still has a minor league option remaining, but he’s four days from reaching five years of service, at which point he’d have to consent to being optioned.

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Los Angeles Dodgers David Bote

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Nationals’ DJ Herz Recommended For Tommy John Surgery

By Steve Adams | March 26, 2025 at 7:01am CDT

March 26: TalkNats reports that Herz has been diagnosed with a UCL tear and recommended for Tommy John surgery, but the southpaw will seek a second opinion before making a decision regarding the procedure.

March 25: The Nationals announced this morning that left-hander DJ Herz has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. Herz had been optioned to Triple-A last Friday, but that option has been rescinded in favor of a major league IL placement, presumably after testing revealed an injury sustained in big league camp.

While the team hasn’t announced a formal timetable or treatment plan, it’s an ominous injury. The sprain, by definition, indicates some stretching/tearing of the ligament. The majority of UCL sprains result in Tommy John surgery or an internal brace procedure, either of which would wipe out Herz’s entire season. Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports that Herz has experienced a dead arm throughout camp and saw his velocity drop this spring, which only further adds to the level of concern.

Herz, 24, came to the Nationals in the trade sending Jeimer Candelario to the Cubs back in 2023. He made his big league debut last summer and quickly showed that he has a place in the team’s long-term plans. After logging a 3.89 ERA in 10 Triple-A starts, Herz started 19 games and tallied 88 2/3 MLB frames, working to a solid 4.16 earned run average. The 2019 eighth-rounder fanned an impressive 27.7% of his opponents and also radically improved his command in the majors; Herz has walked more than 15% of his opponents throughout his minor league tenure, including a ghastly 19% in Triple-A last year, but he cut that to a 9.4% rate in the majors. That’s only one percentage point north of league-average and is plenty passable for someone who can miss bats at Herz’s levels.

Even without any knowledge of the dead arm, a cursory glance at Herz’s spring stats would’ve suggested something was amiss. After that strong output between Triple-A and the majors last year, he’s been rocked for nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and nine walks in Grapefruit League play. He’s fanned only four of the 49 batters he’s faced and yielded a pair of home runs.

Having been optioned to Triple-A Rochester already, Herz wasn’t in the Nationals’ immediate rotation plan. Now, the question is whether he’ll factor into their plan anytime before the 2026 season. With Herz sidelined for the short term at the very least, Washington’s rotation will feature MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and offseason signees Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams (the latter of whom re-signed with the Nats on a two-year deal after also spending the 2023-24 seasons there). The Nats optioned another free-agent addition, former NPB lefty Shinnosuke Ogasawara, to Rochester to begin his career in North American ball. They also have righty Josiah Gray and former top prospect Cade Cavalli both on the comeback trail after undergoing Tommy John surgery to address their own UCL injuries.

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Washington Nationals DJ Herz

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Ryan Johnson Makes Angels’ Roster

By Steve Adams | March 25, 2025 at 3:23pm CDT

The Angels will break camp with righty Ryan Johnson on their big league roster, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It’s a remarkable ascent to the majors for Johnson, a 2024 second-round pick who hasn’t pitched a single minor league inning. They won’t need to open a 40-man spot after releasing Mickey Moniak earlier today.

Johnson, who signed for a $1.74MM bonus last summer, pitched 11 1/3 innings during camp and allowed five runs on 11 hits and a walk with 10 punchouts — good for a 3.97 ERA. He’ll be the first player to skip the minor leagues entirely since Garrett Crochet, though Crochet’s rapid ascent came under different circumstances, as he was drafted and debuted in 2020 when there was no minor league season. Prior to Crochet, Mike Leake was the most recent player to skip the minors entirely.

The Angel are known for being the most aggressive team in the sport with promoting prospects. They typically focus on polished college players with their top picks, and Johnson is no exception. In 252 career innings at Dallas Baptist University, he posted a 3.46 ERA — including a 2.21 mark in 106 frames as a junior this past season. Baseball America ranked him seventh among Halos farmhands this year, noting that he had the potential to stick as a starter but could be a particularly quick-to-the-majors arm if moved to the bullpen. That’s indeed how it’ll play out, likely in faster fashion than anyone anticipated.

In recent years, the Angels have pushed Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Chase Silseth and Ben Joyce through the minors in a year’s time or less. They were reportedly weighing a late promotion of last year’s first-round pick, Christian Moore, and while they ultimately held off, it’s plausible — if not likely — that he could debut at some point in the first few month of the 2025 campaign.

Johnson is the latest and most extreme example of the Angels’ rush-to-the-majors gambit. He’ll join a bullpen anchored by offseason signee Kenley Jansen and the aforementioned Joyce — baseball’s hardest-throwing pitcher. Others in the Angels’ bullpen include righties Ryan Zeferjahn and Ian Anderson and lefties Brock Burke, Angel Perdomo and Reid Detmers.

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Los Angeles Angels Transactions Ryan Johnson

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Diamondbacks To Sign Jalen Beeks

By Steve Adams | March 25, 2025 at 2:25pm CDT

The Diamondbacks and left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks are in agreement on a one-year deal, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Beeks, a Frontline client, will earn $1.25MM on the new contract. He opted out of a minor league deal with Houston and was granted his release this weekend. The agreement is pending the completion of a physical.

Beeks, 31, is a veteran of six big league seasons. He split the 2024 campaign between the Rockies and Pirates, logging a combined 4.50 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate, a 45.1% grounder rate and an average of 0.77 homers per nine innings pitched. His best work came with the 2022 Rays, when he pitched 61 frames of 2.80 ERA ball and punched out 28% of his opponents. He’s since moved away from a pure four-seam/changeup pairing to incorporate more cutters, but the results haven’t been as favorable.

Overall, Beeks has pitched 347 2/3 innings in the big leagues. He carries a 4.40 earned run average in that time. Both his strikeout and walk rates are a bit worse than league-average overall, but he keeps the ball on the ground and avoids homers at better-than-average clips.

Arizona has incurred some injuries in the bullpen recently, which likely helped pave the way for Beeks to join the team. Righty Kevin Ginkel, one of the team’s top late-inning arms, will open the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. Kendall Graveman is IL-bound due to some back discomfort that’s hobbled him in camp. Veteran southpaw Jordan Montgomery, who was likely looking at a long relief role, will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season.

Beeks gives manager Torey Lovullo a third lefty to deploy. Fellow southpaw A.J. Puk will be in the closer’s mix with Justin Martinez, however, which had previously left Joe Mantiply as the only southpaw option in the middle innings or setup corps. Beeks now presents an alternative, allowing Lovullo to more freely play matchup in the middle stages of a game if needed.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Jalen Beeks

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Astros Release Jon Singleton

By Steve Adams | March 25, 2025 at 2:25pm CDT

First baseman Jon Singleton has cleared waivers and will be released by the Astros, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. He has actually already been officially released, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. It had been reported yesterday that Singleton would not be making the club’s Opening Day roster. Since he’s out of options, that meant his removal from the roster was inevitable.

Singleton served as the Astros’ primary first baseman in 2024 after the team released Jose Abreu. He delivered roughly league-average offense, by measure of wRC+, batting .234/.321/.386 with 13 homers. His defense and baserunning both drew negative grades, however, and he followed with a tepid .171/.239/.195 performance in 46 plate appearances this spring.

Houston signed Christian Walker to a three-year, $60MM contract this offseason, installing him as the new everyday first baseman. With Yordan Alvarez locked into the Astros’ DH spot, Singleton’s only real path to a roster spot was as a left-handed bench bat. He’s been outperformed at the plate by Cooper Hummel, however, a switch-hitter with far more defensive utility. Hummel has experience at first base, behind the plate and in the outfield corners. It’s not a lock that Hummel will make the roster, but he’s out of minor league options, which could give him an edge.

Now that Singleton has been released, he’ll be free to explore opportunities with other clubs. He might need to take a minor league deal, but a club seeking a lefty bat and/or depth at first base could take a look in the days ahead.

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Houston Astros Transactions Jonathan Singleton

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Cubs To Select Brad Keller; Ben Brown To Be Fifth Starter

By Steve Adams | March 25, 2025 at 1:37pm CDT

The Cubs have informed Brad Keller that he has made the Cubs’ roster for domestic Opening Day. Manager Craig Counsell passed the news along to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Cubs will have to make a corresponding move to get him onto the 40-man. Also, per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Ben Brown has won the final rotation spot over Colin Rea.

Keller, 29, pitched to a 4.22 ERA in 10 2/3 innings this spring but turned heads with improved velocity and sharper breaking pitches. He’ll grab a spot in the Chicago bullpen. Given his background as a starter and his 10 2/3 innings in just six appearances, he’ll give Counsell an option who can pitch multiple innings.

Keller was a Rule 5 pick by the Royals out of the D-backs system back in 2017, and for three years he was a solid, durable member of the Kansas City rotation. His effectiveness began to wane in 2021, however, and injuries plagued him in the coming seasons. By 2023, his command had completely eroded. He walked 45 batters in 45 1/3 innings before landing on the injured list. A series of tests eventually led to a thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis and season-ending surgery. He returned to the majors with the White Sox and Red Sox in 2024 but struggled in both spots.

The 25-year-old Brown came to the Cubs in the 2022 trade that shipped David Robertson to the Phillies. Brown made his big league debut last year, tossing 55 1/3 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, 38.7% grounder rate and 0.81 HR/9. He sits 96-97 mph with his four-seamer and couples that offering with a plus curveball. Brown has at times worked with a changeup in the minors as well but has deployed a two-pitch arsenal in the major thus far. He allowed a pair of runs in 2 2/3 innings versus the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series, but Brown also whiffed five of his 15 opponents there. Similarly, he’s allowed six runs in a small sample of eight spring frames but did so with a pristine 9-to-1 K/BB ratio.

Brown gets the nod over the veteran Rea, who’ll open the season in the bullpen after signing a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency this winter. The 34-year-old righty carries a 4.40 ERA in 292 innings for the Brewers across the past two seasons. He’s worked both as a starter and long reliever in that time. Rea may not start the year in the rotation, but it seems likely he’ll make a handful of starts as injuries and/or poor performance elsewhere in the rotation dictate the need for a fresh arm or even a more permanent replacement.

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Chicago Cubs Transactions Ben Brown Brad Keller Colin Rea

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Mickey Gasper, DaShawn Keirsey Make Twins’ Roster; Twins Exploring Bullpen Market

By Steve Adams | March 25, 2025 at 1:15pm CDT

March 25: Castellano has cleared waivers and been returned to the Phillies, per Nightengale.

March 24: The Twins optioned infielder/outfielder Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul this morning, per a team announcement. They’ve also informed catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. that they’ll break camp on the Opening Day roster, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That sequence likely locks infielder Edouard Julien into the final spot on the position-player side of the roster.

Gasper, 29, came to the Twins in a December trade sending lefty reliever Jovani Moran back to the Red Sox. He has just 18 MLB plate appearances to his credit, but Gasper is a .317/.422/.498 hitter in 70 Triple-A games and a .276/.401/.455 batter in 176 Double-A games. He’s had a big camp, batting .308/.417/.487 with more walks than strikeouts. Gasper’s status was briefly up in the air after an infield collision yesterday resulted in a laceration on his ankle that required six stitches. He’s patched up and been cleared to start the season on a big league roster for the first time in an eight-year professional career.

Like Gasper, the 27-year-old Keirsey is a 2018 draftee who’s making his first Opening Day roster. He hit .275/.375/.375 this spring and is coming off a .300/.368/.476 performance in Triple-A last year. Keirsey is a plus runner and outfield defender who can handle all three slots. He made a brief big league debut last year, getting into six games and going 2-for-13 with a homer in that debut effort.

The pitching side is largely set, but Minnesota does appear to have one bullpen vacancy, at least in the short term. Righty Brock Stewart was already on the mend from arthroscopic shoulder surgery and also suffered a hamstring strain in camp. He’ll start the 2025 season on the injured list alongside Michael Tonkin, who’s dealing with a shoulder strain.

On top of Stewart’s injury, the Twins have already informed Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano that he won’t make the club. He’ll presumably be placed on waivers soon if he hasn’t been already. Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune adds that they’ve also told non-roster relievers Scott Blewett and Anthony Misiewicz that they won’t make the club. Both will head to Triple-A.

Both Nightengale and Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggest Minnesota could look to bring in a reliever who’s not currently a part of the organization. There’s space to place a waiver claim or scoop up a veteran who’d been a non-roster invitee with another club but has since opted out. Jalen Beeks, Adam Ottavino, Drew Pomeranz, Ross Stripling and Jake Woodford are among the names who were recently granted their release after triggering opt-out clauses. Righty Tyler Phillips was DFA by the Phillies over the weekend, too.

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Minnesota Twins Philadelphia Phillies Anthony Misiewicz Austin Martin Brock Stewart DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Edouard Julien Eiberson Castellano Mickey Gasper Scott Blewett

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