Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

White Sox Rumors

White Sox Promote Nick Nastrini

By | at

3:40pm: The Sox have now made Nastrini’s promotion official and also activated outfielder Eloy Jimenez from the injured list. To open active roster spots for those two, they optioned right-hander Justin Anderson and infielder/outfielder Zach Remillard. To open a 40-man spot for Nastrini, they transferred catcher Max Stassi to the 60-day injured list. The backstop opened the season on the 10-day IL due to hip inflammation but was hit on the hand by a backswing while rehabbing recently, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. His exact timeline isn’t clear but he’s now ineligible to be activated until late May.

9:27am: The White Sox will call up right-hander Nick Nastrini to start today’s game in what will be his MLB debut, manager Pedro Grifol announced (link via Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times). He’s not on the 40-man roster, so the Sox will need to open a spot for his contract to be formally selected.

Nastrini, 24, is widely regarded as one of the White Sox’ top pitching prospects. Acquired from the Dodgers in the trade sending Lance Lynn to Los Angeles last summer, the 2021 fourth-round pick has routinely posted massive strikeout numbers throughout his minor league tenure but has also battled sub-par command for much of his professional career.

Scouting reports at Baseball America, MLB.com, FanGraphs, The Athletic and ESPN all rank Nastrini eighth or better among ChiSox farmhands, with BA listing him third in the system. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Nastrini 76th on his 2024 top 100 list, touting him as a possible No. 4 starter and with the ceiling to become quite a bit more than that, given the strength of his secondary pitches.

There’s little doubting the quality of Nastrini’s stuff; he runs his fastball up as high as 98 mph and complements it with a slider, curveball and changeup that all project as potentially average to plus offerings. Nastrini features high-end spin rates on his heater and breaking pitches, and his changeup helped him limit lefties to a .226 average with a 29.7% strikeout rate between Double-A and Triple-A last season. (Righties hit .216 and punched out at a 26.1% clip.) Law touts the changeup, in particular, as a potential plus-plus pitch (70-grade on the 20-80 scale).

If Nastrini had better control of his electric arsenal, he’d undoubtedly grade as one of the game’s elite prospects. At 6’3″, 215-pound righty has the size and deep repertoire to profile as a starter, but he’s walked 11.1% of his career opponents. His penchant for missing the zone leads to plenty of deep counts as well; in 2023 he averaged about 4 2/3 innings per start. There’s still some refinement to be made, though he’s improved his command since college ball at UCLA and has also seen further gains in that field since being traded from L.A. to Chicago (9.5% walk rate in the Sox’ system).

The state of the White Sox’ roster amid their current rebuild gives Nastrini ample opportunity to show he can stick. The Sox are out to their worst start in franchise history, sitting at 2-13 on the season. The woeful state of their rotation has played a significant role in those struggles. Even with Garrett Crochet pitching like a borderline No. 1 starter through his first four turns, White Sox starters rank 26th in the big leagues with 72 1/3 innings pitched, 28th with a 5.60 ERA and dead last with a 5.20 FIP. Despite totaling MLB’s fifth-fewest innings, the rotation is tied for the MLB lead with 14 home runs allowed.

Nastrini will join Crochet, Erick Fedde, Michael Soroka and Chris Flexen in the rotation for the time being. Recently re-signed Mike Clevinger will join that group in a few weeks as well, once he’s sufficiently built up, and other prospects like Jake Eder, Jairo Iriarte and Jared Shuster (currently working as a long reliever in the big league ’pen) could eventually garner looks over the course of the season.

Even if Nastrini is in the big leagues to stay, he won’t accrue enough service time to reach a full year in 2024. Were it not for an illness that rendered Nastrini unavailable the first time Chicago needed a fifth starter, that may not have been the case, but he wasn’t healthy enough in the season’s first week to step onto the staff at the time. He’s still made just two starts in the minors this season, in part due to that illness. Further optional assignments could always alter his timeline anyhow, but for now, Nastrini will be controllable all the way through 2030.

Latest On Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert Jr.

By | at

The White Sox recently received some good news on the injury front, as GM Chris Getz told reporters (including 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine) that the prognoses on injured hitters Luis Robert Jr. and Yoan Moncada aren’t quite as worrying as the club initially believed.

Per Getz, Robert may be able to return from the Grade 2 hip flexor strain that sent him to the injured list last week after just six weeks of rehab, while the club hopes Moncada can return from his adductor strain in late July. The news is surely relieving for White Sox fans, as Robert was reportedly at risk of missing multiple months due to his injury while Moncada was given an initial timeline for return of three to six months. Getz’s comments indicate that both players are on track to return at the earliest end of their projected timetables.

The injuries are yet another blow to a White Sox club that has started the season with a 2-12 record and appears destined for a second consecutive 100-loss season in 2024. While Chicago was never expected to be a serious postseason contender this season, Robert and Moncada were each shaping up to be rare bright spots for the club this year prior to their injuries. Robert is the face of the Sox franchise following the departures of Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease in recent months and appeared poised to build upon a 2023 campaign that saw him slash .264/.315/.542 in 145 games, while Moncada was off to his best start in years after struggling with injuries in recent seasons. Through 11 games this year, the 28 year old was hitting a solid .282/.364/.410 with strong strikeout (22.7%) and walk (11.3%) figures.

Of course, it’s entirely possible both players will be able to pick up from where they left off upon rejoining the club later in the season. In the meantime, the White Sox are relying on Dominic Fletcher and Kevin Pillar in center field while Lenyn Sosa gets the lion’s share of playing time at the hot corner. Sosa moving off the bench to take up third base and Fletcher shifting from right field to center has also opened the door for the likes of Zach Remillard and Robbie Grossman to impact the club’s roster.

White Sox Sign Wilmer Difo To Minor League Deal

By | at

The White Sox have signed infielder Wilmer Difo to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Difo’s MLB.com player page.

Difo, 32, is a veteran of eight major league seasons who last played in the majors back in 2022. After signing with the Nationals out of the Dominican Republic and making his pro debut at the age of 18 back in 2010, he made his big league debut with D.C. back in 2015. He’d spend part of six seasons in the US capital, hitting a relatively lackluster .247/.309/.348 in a bench role while playing primarily shortstop as well as second base, third base, and all three outfield spots. While he didn’t make the club’s postseason rosters, Difo played 43 games for the Nats during the 2019 season that saw them go on to win the first World Series championship in franchise history.

Difo’s time with the Nationals came to an end late in the 2020 season, when he was designated for assignment to make room for then-top prospect Carter Kieboom on the club’s active roster. Difo eventually caught on with the Pirates on a minor league deal and had the best season of his career with Pittsburgh in 2021. In 116 games with the club, Difo slashed a roughly league average .269/.329/.384 with a wRC+ of 92 while splitting time between second and third base, shortstop, and right field.

Despite that relatively solid performance as a bench player, the Pirates did not retain Difo headed into the 2022 season. He caught on with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal, but ultimately made it into just three late-September games with the club after they had already fallen out of the playoff hunt. Difo went on to spend the entire 2023 season in the Yankees organization. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to crack the club’s big league roster and struggled to a .208/.322/.303 slash line in 96 games with the club’s Triple-A affiliate.

Now, Difo has signed his fourth consecutive minor league deal with a new team and will suit up for the White Sox at the Triple-A level. Chicago entered the season at the start of a rebuild following their devastating 101-loss season last year and so far have gone just 2-12 in the young 2024 campaign. The club’s situation offers little hope of success at the big league level this season, but it’s feasible that an injury or two to the club’s current options of Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake, Lenyn Sosa, and Paul DeJong around the infield could provide a path back to the majors for Difo. In the meantime, he’ll try to break through alongside fellow non-roster veteran Danny Mendick with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte.

White Sox Select Zach Remillard, Justin Anderson; Bryan Shaw Elects Free Agency

By | at

TODAY: Shaw has rejected the outright assignment and chosen free agency, the White Sox announced.

APRIL 12: The White Sox announced a series of roster moves today, selecting the contracts of infielder/outfielder Zach Remillard and right-hander Justin Anderson. To open active roster spots, outfielder Oscar Colás was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte while right-hander Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment. To open another 40-man spot, infielder Yoán Moncada was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

It was reported earlier this week that Moncada is going to miss three to six months due to an adductor strain. Colás was recalled to take his roster spot, but it seems that was just a temporary measure as the club figured out today’s slate of moves. Moncada’s injury left them slightly short-handed in terms of infielders, so they have optioned out Colás today and added another infielder.

Remillard, now 30, got to make his major league debut last year at the age of 29 after spending the better part of a decade in the minors. He hit .252/.295/.320 in his 160 plate appearances last year while stealing four bases and bouncing around the diamond. He played the three infield spots to the left of first base, as well as the outfield corners. He was designated for assignment in January but cleared waivers, sticking with the Sox in a non-roster capacity. Now he’ll get back to the majors, replacing an injured Moncada just as he did last year.

The Sox have been rotating Paul DeJong, Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake through the two middle infield spots so far this year. Lenyn Sosa was in a bench role but started at third with Moncada out of action on Wednesday and could perhaps continue taking that spot. If so, that would leave Remillard serving as the primary depth infielder, though his ability to also play some outfield gives the club a bit of extra flexibility.

Shaw, 36, is a veteran with well over a decade in the big leagues. He signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster but his season didn’t get off to a great start. He has tossed four innings over five appearances thus far, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, striking out four but also walking four.

The Sox have decided to bump him off the roster in favor of some fresh blood in Anderson. The 31-year-old agreed to a minor league pact in November and had a decent Spring Training. He tossed eight innings with three earned runs allowed, striking out ten though also walking five. He reported to Triple-A to begin the season and has tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings there so far this year, with five strikeouts and no walks.

Whenever Anderson gets into a game, it will be his first major league action in years. He pitched for the Angels in 2018 and 2019, with a 4.75 ERA in 102 1/3 innings, but hasn’t been in the show since. Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2020 wiped out that year and most of 2021 as well. In the Rangers’ system in 2022, he made three Triple-A appearances before going on the minor league IL and never returning. He was in the Royals’ system in 2023 but struggled, posting an ERA of 6.87 in 36 2/3 innings.

There were some positive signs last year, however, as he struck out 35.5% of batters faced. He also got better as he went along, with a 3.44 ERA in his last 11 outings and a tiny ERA of 0.63 in the last eight. That’s a very favorable framing for Anderson, but after so much missed time due to injury, it’s possible he was just getting back on track. Since he’s continued to post decent results since joining the Sox, it seems they want to give him a look against big league hitters.

Anderson still has a full slate of options and less than three years of big league service time, so he can be a long-term depth option for the Sox if he justifies his place on the 40-man roster. As for Shaw, the club will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. In the latter scenario, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

White Sox, Cory Abbott Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The White Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Cory Abbott, MLBTR has learned. He’s headed to Triple-A Charlotte for the time being and would earn at an $800K rate for any time spent in the majors. The Dynamic Sports Group client was released by the Mariners earlier this month.

The 28-year-old Abbott opened the season with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma but appeared in just one game, yielding three runs in as many innings. Seattle cut him loose back on April 4. He’s appeared in the majors in each of the past three seasons, logging a collective 104 1/3 innings between the Cubs — who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft — and the Nationals. In that time, Abbott has scuffled with a 6.02 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate.

Big league struggles notwithstanding, Abbott was excellent in the low minors and up through the Double-A level. He’s yet to have consistent success in Triple-A or in the majors, but Abbott has fanned a strong 28.5% of his Triple-A opponents — albeit against a walk rate of 12.8%. He’s regularly posted huge swinging-strike rates in the upper minors, but his ability to miss bats has frequently been undercut by his penchant for free passes. That wasn’t a problem for him up through the Double-A level, but he’s had issues with walks since returning to the mound following the canceled 2020 minor league season.

Abbott isn’t that far removed from ranking as a prospect of note in the Cubs’ system. Baseball America ranked him 22nd or better in the Cubs’ system each year from 2018-22, with the right-hander climbing as high as No. 8 in his original organization’s farm rankings. He’ll give the Sox some experienced depth who’s worked as both a starter and reliever. Given the threadbare nature of the White Sox’ pitching staff, he could put himself in position for a big league opportunity before long if he gets out to a nice start with the Knights.

Yoán Moncada To Miss Three To Six Months Due To Adductor Strain

By | at

The White Sox announced that third baseman Yoán Moncada has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left adductor strain, with outfielder Oscar Colás recalled in a corresponding move. The club estimates that Moncada will miss three to six months.

Moncada, 29 in May, has been playing through this injury of late. Manager Pedro Grifol said yesterday, per Henry Palattella of MLB.com, that the issue has been nagging Moncada for three or four days but “He’s doing a really good job maintaining it.” That line of thinking blew up last night when Moncada collapsed while running out a groundout and had to be assisted off the field. In hindsight, it looks to have been a poor decision for him to have stayed on the field.

He has occasionally been an excellent player for the White Sox on both sides of the ball, providing strong defense at the hot corner and a quality bat at the plate. He showed that form as recently as the 2021 season when he hit 14 home runs and drew a walk in 13.6% of his plate appearances. His .263/.375/.412 batting line led to a wRC+ of 120 and his glovework earned three Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average considered him to be right at league par.

But injuries have largely gotten in the way since then. He has gone on the IL due to a right oblique strain, a right hamstring strain, a left hamstring strain and lingering lower back issues over 2022 and 2023 and now this left adductor strain has him on the injured list again. He’s played just 207 games since the end of 2021 and has hit .236/.292/.387  in that time for a wRC+ of 88.

He is in the final guaranteed year of the extension he signed with the club prior to 2020, a pact worth $70MM over five years, which would have made him a potential trade candidate on a rebuilding White Sox club this summer. His continued struggles would have tamped down his trade value, especially as he’s making $24MM this year, but this most recent injury may keep him on the IL past the deadline.

It’s now possible that Moncada has played his last game as a member of the White Sox. His contract has a $25MM option for 2025 but the Sox are almost certainly leaning towards the $5MM buyout at this point. If this injury pushes towards the longer end of that projected timeframe, he may not be able to make it back to the club by the end of the season.

In the short term, the outlook will become increasingly grim for the 2024 White Sox. They weren’t expected to compete this year after kicking off a rebuild last season, but it’s still not pretty to see them limp out to a 2-9 start. Some of their most established players have already hit the injured list, with Luis Robert Jr. facing a significant absence due to a Grade 2 hip flexor strain. Eloy Jiménez is on the IL due to an adductor strain and now Moncada joins him with the same ailment.

With Moncada out and the Sox not bringing up another infielder, it’s unclear how they plan to cover Moncada’s absence. They have been using three infielders to cover the two middle infield spots, with Braden Shewmake, Paul DeJong and Nicky Lopez in that rotation. Neither Shewmake nor DeJong have third base experience, but Lopez does. Lenyn Sosa is also on the roster and has experience at the three infield spots to the left of first base. Danny Mendick and Zach Remillard are in Triple-A, each in a non-roster capacity, though Moncada’s injury means he’s destined to be moved to the 60-day IL as part of a future transaction.

Luis Robert Jr. Facing Lengthy Absence

By | at

The White Sox placed center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list over the weekend, and while the team didn’t provide a timetable for his return, Robert himself told the Sox beat that he’s been diagnosed with a Grade 2 hip flexor strain. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Sox are currently anticipating an absence of six to eight weeks for the star outfielder. Some in the organization are more concerned and think Robert could miss three-plus months, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes.

Robert exited Friday’s game against the Royals after he injured himself rounding first base on a double into the left field corner (video link). An exact timetable surely depends on how he progresses through the early stages of his rehab process. Robert endured a strain in this same right hip flexor back in 2021 as well, though that was a Grade 3 strain — more severe than his current injury. He wound up missing nearly three and a half months with that injury.

Robert, 26, made his first All-Star team and nabbed some down-ballot MVP votes in 2023 after he hit .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs and 20 steals in 145 games. He was out to a slower start to the 2024 season, batting .214/.241/.500 with a pair of big flies and an uncharacteristic 38% strikeout rate — albeit in a tiny sample of 39 plate appearances.

The Sox weren’t ever expected to compete this season, but a minimum month-and-a-half absence — and potentially a good bit longer on the shelf — for their best player is a critical blow to a largely torn-down roster. With Robert out for the foreseeable future, the Sox will likely turn to offseason trade acquisition Dominic Fletcher in center. He’s already started two games there since Robert first sustained his injury. Listed at just 5’6″, Fletcher is undersized relative to other big leaguers but nevertheless touted as a plus defender at all three outfield spots. Veterans Andrew Benintendi and Robbie Grossman are lined up for frequent corner work now, although the team surely hopes 25-year-old Oscar Colas can get back on track in Triple-A and reenter the right field mix after a dismal 2023 season.

There was some speculation regarding a potential trade of Robert over the winter, as the Sox are once again in a rebuilding mode — under new front office leadership for the first time in two decades. But general manager Chris Getz never seemed all that likely to trade Robert, who is one of the game’s most dynamic talents and is signed to a club-friendly contract. Robert is being paid $12.5MM this season and $15MM next year. The Sox hold a pair of club options for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, both valued at $20MM with a $2MM buyout. In other words, he’s guaranteed $29.5MM over the next two seasons but could be controlled all the way through 2027 for a total of $67.5MM.

It’s an eminently reasonable price, though the mounting injury history for Robert is certainly a concern. He’s only reached 100 games in a big league season once (last year) and seems unlikely to get there in 2024 following this injury. Critics might argue that his trade value was at his peak this offseason, coming off a season of MVP-caliber production in a career-high 595 plate appearances. It’s overwhelmingly rare to see an established talent with this much team control traded, however, and Getz would’ve been well within his right to hold out for a return that rivals any of the largest trade packages we’ve seen in recent memory.

On the plus side for the Sox, Robert is so talented and still signed for so long that even if he misses multiple months, his trade value ought to remain considerable. And, of course, the team doesn’t need to trade him this summer or even next offseason or at the 2025 trade deadline. Depending on how the team’s current rebuild progresses (or fails to do so), Robert could conceivably still be part of a contending White Sox club in a few years’ time. And if things do stall out longer than the team currently hopes, he’d command a haul even if he were being marketed with “only” two years or one and a half years of club control remaining.

For now, the focus will be squarely on getting Robert back onto the field — though it seems a late-May return is a best-case scenario. Nightengale suggests the Sox will at least be open to the idea of outside acquisitions and lists free agent Tommy Pham as a potential fit.

White Sox Place Luis Robert Jr. On 10-Day Injured List

By | at

4:58pm: As noted by James Fegan of SoxMachine, Robert told reporters that he has a Grade 2 hip flexor strain and doesn’t have a timeline for return, though he added that his current strain is not as severe as the flexor tendon tear that cost him much of the 2021 season. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin relays that manager Pedro Grifol told reporters that Robert’s injury will require more than the ten-day minimum absence. Like Robert, Grifol added that he didn’t know how long the absence would be.

3:19pm: The White Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve placed Robert on the IL with a right hip flexor strain. Sosa has been called up to take Robert’s spot on the active roster.

8:55am: Friday was a tough night all around for the White Sox, beyond the club’s 2-1 loss to the Royals.  Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was removed from the game in the ninth inning due to an injury to his right hip flexor, and right-hander John Brebbia was removed in the sixth inning due to a right calf strain.  Robert came up limping around first base after hitting a double, while Brebbia’s injury seemingly occurred while fielding a Salvador Perez grounder. Brebbia remained in the game to walk the next batter he faced before being pulled.

Both injuries come with some backstory.  Brebbia dealt with a calf strain during Spring Training, and made only two Cactus League appearances prior to the start of the regular season.  Robert’s situation is more ominous, as a right hip flexor strain cost him close to three months of the 2021 season.

More will be known about both players later today, though it would seem like a trip to the injured list is very likely.  James Fegan of the Sox Machine blog reports (via X) that infielder Lenyn Sosa is heading from Triple-A Charlotte to join the White Sox in Kansas City, and outfielder Oscar Colas was also pulled late from Charlotte’s game yesterday.  If Colas was also added to the active roster along with Sosa, that could mean the team is comfortable going at least one day with only 12 pitchers on the 26-man, at least until they can figure out a more direct pitching replacement for Brebbia.

Beyond the potential losses of Robert and Brebbia, Chicago already placed another prominent name on the 10-day IL just yesterday when Eloy Jimenez was sidelined with an adductor strain.  Between these injuries and a dismal 1-6 record, it is looking like another long year on the South Side in the aftermath of the team’s disastrous 101 losses in 2023.

Robert was one of the few bright spots of last year’s campaign, as the outfielder bounced back from two injury-plagued seasons to hit .264/.315/.542 with 38 homers and 20 steals (from 24 attempts) over 595 plate appearances.  Since he made his MLB debut in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, this marked Robert’s first regulation-length full season, and it showed the talent that made Robert such a highly-touted prospect both in Chicago’s farm system and coming out of Cuba in 2017.  The White Sox gave Robert a $26MM bonus as an international prospect, and then inked him to a six-year, $50MM deal before he had even played in his first big league game.

While the severity of Robert’s injury hasn’t yet been established, another lengthy stint on the IL could impact Chicago’s plans at the trade deadline and beyond.  Robert’s contract (which contains club options for 2026 and 2027) makes him one of the more cost-effective talents in the game, and since the White Sox seem to have at least one foot in the rebuilding waters, trading Robert would be the most logical way for GM Chris Getz to restock the farm system with talent.  Getz downplayed the idea of a Robert trade during the offseason, and given the amount of team control remaining in Robert’s deal, there isn’t any immediate need for the Sox to trade him soon.  An injury could well make this a moot point for 2024, at least, though if Robert misses a lot of time, it will lead to some inevitable second-guessing that Getz should have sold high on Robert this past winter.

Brebbia is a much more clear-cut trade candidate for this year’s deadline, as the righty signed only a one-year, $5.5MM deal (with a $6MM mutual option for 2025) with the White Sox back in January.  If Brebbia’s calf is able to heal relatively quickly, it shouldn’t have much impact on his deadline availability assuming he pitches well after his return, though injuries have been a significant part of his history.  The 33-year-old missed all of the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and a lat strain cost Brebbia close to half of the 2023 campaign when he was a member of the Giants’ bullpen.

A’s Acquire Alex Speas From White Sox

By | at

The A’s announced this afternoon that they have acquired right-hander Alex Speas from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations. Speas had been designated for assignment by the Sox yesterday. To clear space on their 40-man roster for Speas, they’ve designated right-hander Zach Jackson for assignment.

Speas, 26, was a second round pick by the Rangers in the 2016 draft and made his big league debut with the club last year. His first cup of coffee in the majors did not go well, as he surrendered three runs on five walks and two hits while striking out four in two innings of work. Those difficulties at the big league level were reflective of his work at Triple-A with the Rangers last year, as he posted a 5.08 ERA with a 19.2% walk rate in 28 1/3 innings at the level. With that being said, his work at Double-A last season was nothing short of phenomenal as he punched out 40.9% of batters faced en route to a 0.64 ERA across 23 appearances.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by Texas at the tail end of the 2023 campaign and claimed off waivers by the White Sox in early October. He lasted through the offseason on the club’s 40-man roster, but his tenure with the club ended after just two appearances at the Triple-A level with the club. His brief stint with the club’s affiliate in Charlotte went poorly, as he allowed four runs on two walks and two hits, including a home run, while striking out just two. His time with Chicago came to an end yesterday when he was designated for assignment to make room for veteran outfielder Robbie Grossman on the club’s 40-man roster. Now, Speas will return to the AL West as a member of the A’s organization. He’s been optioned to Triple-A to begin his time with the club but could factor into the Oakland bullpen miss later this year alongside the likes of Michael Kelly, Austin Adams, and Lucas Erceg.

He’ll take the 40-man roster spot of Jackson, the Blue Jays’ third-round pick from the 2016 draft who made his way to Oakland via the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. Jackson pitched for the A’s since making his debut in 2022, with a 2.86 ERA in 66 innings, but was limited to just 20 frames by a flexor tendon strain last year and struggled badly both this spring and in three appearances at Triple-A so far this year. The A’s will now have one week to trade, waive, or release Jackson. Should he be passed through waivers successfully, the club will have the ability to assign him outright to the minor leagues, where he can act as non-roster depth going forward.

Phillies Acquire José Rodríguez From White Sox

By | at

The Phillies announced that they have acquired infielder José Rodríguez from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Double-A Reading. The infielder was designated for assignment by the Sox yesterday. The Phils have had an open spot on their 40-man roster since trading outfielder Jake Cave to the Rockies about two weeks ago, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move.

Rodríguez, 23 next month, got the briefest of major league debuts last year. He entered as a pinch runner and scored a run but has not yet made his first major league plate appearance. He split most of last year between Double-A and Triple-A, walking in just 4.1% of his plate appearances while striking out at a 21.9% rate. But he did hit 21 home runs and produced a batting line of .262/.292/.437, which led to a wRC+ of 87.

He also stole 31 bases on the year and bounced around the infield, playing the three positions on the dirt to the left of first base. The offense was subpar overall thanks to the lack of on-base ability but the power is obviously a nice attribute.

He was bumped off Chicago’s roster this week when that club make their signing of Mike Clevinger official but the Phils were clearly intrigued enough to use their open roster spot and some cash to get him into their organization. Rodríguez still has a couple of options and can be kept in the minors until the Phils decide he’s ready for another call-up.

The Phils have an infield consisting of Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm, with Whit Merrifield and Edmundo Sosa also on the active roster. Rodríguez will jump into a group of depth infielders on the 40-man that includes Kody Clemens, Darick Hall, Rodolfo Castro and Weston Wilson.

Show all

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

hide arrows scroll to top