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Marlins Designate Connor Gillispie For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that they have selected right-hander Robinson Piña, a move that was reported earlier. In corresponding moves, righty Adam Mazur has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville and righty Connor Gillispie has been designated for assignment.

Gillispie, 27, was claimed off waivers from Atlanta in January. He earned a rotation job to start the season but couldn’t hold it. In six starts, he allowed 25 earned runs in 26 innings, leading to an unsightly 8.65 ERA.

That got him optioned down to Triple-A, where he has since logged 33 2/3 innings with a 4.28 ERA. While that was obviously a big improvement, luck was a big factor. He struck out just 15.7% of batters faced in the minors while giving out walks at an 11.4% clip. If it weren’t for a tiny .161 batting average on balls in play, he would have fared far worse, hence his 6.55 FIP.

He’s now been nudged off the 40-man roster and will likely end up on waivers in the coming days. His minor league work prior to this year was better. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 406 innings on the farm with a 4.12 ERA. His 9.6% walk rate was a tad high but he also punched out 24.1% of opponents. He is still optionable for the rest of this year and one further season, so perhaps a club with a need for depth and a plan to get Gillispie on track could have interest. If he clears outright waivers, he would stick with the Marlins as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Sun, Imagn Images

Marlins To Select Robinson Piña

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The Marlins are calling up right-hander Robinson Piña for his major league debut, reports Kevin Barral of Fish On First. The team has not announced the move yet. Piña’s contract will need to be selected to what is currently a full 40-man roster in Miami, so the Fish will need to make a corresponding move in that regard.

Piña, 26, will make his big league debut the first time he takes the mound. He spent the 2017-23 seasons in the Angels system before becoming a minor league free agent and signing with the Phillies ahead of the 2024 campaign. The Phils never added him to the 40-man roster, and Piña again became a minor league free agent this past offseason, signing with Miami in his second run through the open market. This time around, he’ll get that coveted first MLB opportunity.

Piña has certainly earned his call to the majors. He’s appeared in 13 games, 11 of them starts, and tallied 57 innings with a 3.47 ERA, a 22.2% strikeout rate, a 6.2% walk rate and a 46.9% ground-ball rate. Command was an issue for him early in his minor league career, but he’s now turned in consecutive minor league seasons with walk rates that clock in considerably south of average. This year’s 92.8 mph average sinker is up a mile per hour over last year’s levels, and Piña has been consistent all season; he hasn’t yielded more than three earned runs in any appearance and has held opponents to two or fewer runs in 10 of 13 outings overall.

Miami has Edward Cabrera lined up to start today, with Janson Junk, Eury Pérez and Sandy Alcantara listed as probables in their next three games thereafter. There’s no need for an immediate spot starter — barring an injury the team has not yet made public — but they could be looking to add some length with Junk having spent the season in a long relief role. The Marlins also have an off-day coming on Monday, so they could option Adam Mazur and skip the fifth starter’s spot next time through the rotation. Doing so would give them options for how best to use Piña, who’s fully stretched out and has topped 80 pitches in five of his past six appearances.

Marlins To Recall Adam Mazur

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The Marlins will recall righty Adam Mazur to start tomorrow evening’s game against Philadelphia, manager Clayton McCullough told reporters (including Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase). He’ll go against Ranger Suárez in his team debut. SportsGrid’s Craig Mish first reported that Mazur was likely to get the call. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so the Fish only need to make an active roster move involving a pitcher.

It’s not a big league debut for the 24-year-old Mazur. He took the ball eight times for the Padres last summer. The former second-round pick struggled in his first look at MLB hitters, giving up a 7.49 ERA through 33 2/3 innings. He’d only had five Triple-A starts at the time, as San Diego was pressed into calling him up by injuries to their more established starters. The Padres optioned him back to Triple-A just before the trade deadline.

Three days later, Mazur was on the move. The Marlins acquired him as part of the return for Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing last July. Mazur has been on optional assignment to Triple-A Jacksonville for the better part of a calendar year. He struggled over eight starts there last year but has posted better numbers this season. Mazur owns a 3.62 ERA with a 22.2% strikeout percentage and tidy 6.5% walk rate. He has allowed home runs at an elevated rate, but it’s a generally solid performance to earn him his first call to loanDepot Park.

Miami has been operating with a four-man rotation of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Cal Quantrill and Edward Cabrera. They lost Max Meyer and Ryan Weathers to injury and have been utilizing bullpen games to handle the fifth starter role. McCullough didn’t specify whether Mazur will get more than one start for this recall, but it stands to reason that he’ll get a real rotation opportunity at some point this year. Alcantara, Quantrill and potentially Cabrera could all be in trade discussions this summer. Quantrill also left tonight’s start early with a leg issue, though McCullough said postgame that it was just a cramp (via Isaac Azout of Fish on First).

Marlins Select Freddy Tarnok

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June 15: The Marlins made it official today, with left-hander Anthony Veneziano optioned to Jacksonville and right-hander Luarbert Árias designated for assignment as the corresponding moves. Árias was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November. He has a 10.61 ERA in 9 1/3 big league innings so far in his career. He has a 3.93 ERA at the Triple-A level this year but with an 8.5% strikeout rate and 15.9% walk rate.

June 14: The Marlins are selecting righty Freddy Tarnok onto the big league roster, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. Miami will need to make corresponding active and 40-man roster moves.

Tarnok joined the organization on an offseason minor league deal. He has been working from the rotation at Triple-A Jacksonville. He’s not going very deep into games — he has yet to work more than five innings — but he has managed alright rate production. Tarnok carries a 4.79 earned run average while striking out more than a quarter of opponents. He’s averaging north of 95 MPH on his fastball while mixing in a slider, curveball and changeup. Tarnok is coming off his best start of the season, striking out six across five scoreless innings against Tampa Bay’s affiliate last weekend.

That earns the 26-year-old his first MLB action in two years. Tarnok is a former third-round pick of the Braves who was a solid prospect. Atlanta dealt him to the A’s in the three-team Sean Murphy trade over the 2022-23 offseason. Tarnok had made one relief appearance as a Brave and pitched five times for the A’s. He allowed eight runs in 15 1/3 career innings. His ’23 season ended when he underwent right hip surgery. That lingered into last year and ultimately ended his tenure in green and gold. Tarnok was claimed off waivers by Philadelphia but didn’t make an MLB appearance for the Phils and was outrighted off the 40-man roster at the beginning of the winter.

Miami needs a fifth starter after losing Max Meyer and Ryan Weathers to the injured list. They welcomed Eury Pérez back from his Tommy John rehab on Monday to fill one spot. They haven’t settled on the final spot, though Janson Junk worked nearly six innings of relief during a bullpen game today against Washington. Junk could assume a more traditional rotation role moving forward, but they used another five relievers this afternoon. Tarnok gives them a fresh arm capable of working multiple innings with Pérez slated to start tomorrow.

Marlins Place Ryan Weathers On 60-Day IL With Lat Strain

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The Marlins announced that left-hander Ryan Weathers has been placed on the 60-day injured list due to a lat strain. Righty Eury Pérez has been reinstated from the 60-day IL, as was reported last week. Isaac Azout of Fish on First reported on Weathers prior to the official announcement.

It’s an unfortunate development for Weathers, who has had a stop-and-start career with his flashes of promise usually proving to be brief. A seventh overall pick of the Padres, he was once a top 100 prospect but struggled in his first tastes of the majors. He had a 5.73 earned run average through his first 143 big league innings when the Marlins traded for him in 2023.

In Miami, he showed some hints of a breakthrough last year. He logged 86 2/3 innings over 16 starts with a 3.63 ERA. His 21.8% strikeout rate was around average, while his 6.5% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate were both strong marks. Unfortunately, injuries capped the overall workload. A strain in his left index finger sent him to the IL in June and it took him over three months to return, with his final three starts occurring in September.

This year, injuries have interfered again. In mid-March, he suffered a forearm strain that sent him to the IL to start the year. He was reinstated from the IL and put up some decent numbers, with a 3.28 ERA, 22.5% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 40.6% ground ball rate in five starts this year. Unfortunately, he’s now on the shelf again. The specifics of the injury are still lacking but the fact that he’s been quickly placed on the 60-day IL after just starting on Saturday doesn’t bode well.

The move will seemingly remove any chance of Weathers being a summer trade candidate, as he will be on the shelf past the deadline. Players on the IL can be traded but it wouldn’t make much sense for the Marlins to flip him when his value is low. He can be retained via arbitration for three seasons after this one. The silver lining of the injury absences, for the Marlins, is that he won’t be able to increase his salary very much.

The Fish will have other opportunities to trade him in the future, ideally after he has shown a strong run of health to build value. Or perhaps Weathers can be a part of a competitive club in Miami, depending on how long this ongoing rebuild takes to bear fruit.

For now, the Marlins will proceed without Weathers in the rotation. Pérez jumps into a group that includes Sandy Alcantara, Cal Quantrill and Edward Cabrera, with guys like Valente Bellozo also in the mix. Max Meyer is on the IL himself but his hip impingement seems minor and he could be back shortly.

With the club sporting a 24-39 record that has them ahead of only the Rockies in the National League, it’s expected that they will be broadly open to trades. In recent years, players like Luis Arráez, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Luzardo have been sent out of town even with years of club control remaining. As mentioned, Weathers is far less likely to be moved now, though he will ideally be able to jump back into the rotation late in the year and build some more innings going into 2026.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Poll: Should The Marlins Trade Ryan Weathers?

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When it comes to trade candidates on the Marlins, the majority of the focus has been squarely on right-hander Sandy Alcantara. A recent Cy Young award winner who missed last season while rehabbing Tommy John surgery, Alcantara is earning a healthy salary on a team that is seemingly always looking for opportunities to lower its already-meager payroll and has enough team control remaining for rival clubs to convince themselves to part ways with prospects they’d never consider dealing for a rental arm.

That all makes Alcantara a sensible and attractive trade candidate on paper, but a major issue with those plans has emerged this year: he simply isn’t pitching very well. The righty’s 7.89 ERA through 12 starts is the worst mark among starters with at least 50 innings this year, and even more advanced metrics like his 5.04 FIP and 4.85 SIERA are the 11th- and tenth-worst figures in the sport respectively. It’s going to be hard to convince opposing teams to pay a premium for Alcantara as he’s currently pitching, and that’s a problem for a Miami club that’s in the midst of a deep rebuild.

While Alcantara might not be pitching like the front-line starter the team was hoping to be able to market to needy clubs this summer, another intriguing arm has inserted himself into the discussion with a strong start to the season: left-hander Ryan Weathers. The 25-year-old started the 2025 campaign on the injured list due to a forearm strain he suffered during Spring Training, but in four starts since returning he’s looked nothing short of excellent with a 2.49 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate, and a 43.1% ground ball rate. Those peripherals don’t quite live up to that ERA, but even his 3.60 SIERA to this point in the year puts him on par with arms like Merrill Kelly and David Peterson who have established themselves as solid mid-rotation, playoff-caliber starters.

On top of his solid performance, Weathers would also be extremely attractive as a trade candidate because he’s making less than $780K this season and comes with plenty of team control. The southpaw won’t be a free agent until the end of the 2028 season, so even clubs facing tight budget restrictions in the short term or who aren’t interested in adding long-term salary commitments could have interest in his services if he’s made available. Weathers’ combination of strong results and a team-friendly contract situation could make him an extremely valuable trade asset for the Fish this summer.

With that being said, there are certainly strong reasons to think the Marlins may not want to part ways with the southpaw. Weathers is still just 25 years old and has yet to complete a full, healthy big league campaign with the club. Four starts is a small sample size that could make him difficult to market, and while good health should allow him to get more like ten to twelve starts under his belt before trade season kicks into high gear, it’s possible he’ll take a step back and wind up pitching closer to the 3.63 ERA and 4.11 FIP he posted in 16 starts last season going forward. Even if he does keep this level of success up, there’s certainly an argument to be made that Weathers could be dealt at a later date when he’s more established and teams might feel more comfortable surrendering a large trade package for him.

What’s more, Weathers’ three seasons of team control after this one could make the Marlins a bit more reluctant to trade the lefty. Miami surely hopes to be competing for the postseason again before 2029, especially with players like Kyle Stowers, Connor Norby, Agustin Ramirez, and Xavier Edwards showing themselves to be solid pieces this year. A potential front three of Eury Perez, Max Meyer, and Weathers under long-term team control would go a long way to making the Marlins legitimate contenders sooner rather than later, and many of those aforementioned pieces only have one more year of team control than Weathers does. Moving someone like Edward Cabrera, who has the same amount of team control remaining as Weathers but is two years older, could also be a preferable option given that Weathers is set to hit free agency ahead of his age-29 season.

Of course, many of the reasons that Weathers would be difficult to part ways with now could be argued as reasons he should be traded at some point. His injury history may make him less valuable in trade, but the Marlins are seeing right now with Alcantara what struggling after a major arm injury can do to a player’s value. The lefty’s youth would mean he’s in the prime of his career when the Marlins will hopefully be trying to contend again, but it also would make him a prime extension candidate for a club with deeper pockets than Miami. The collection of talent the club has at its disposal is impressive, but it still leans much more towards pitching than offense, so swapping a player like Weathers for a bat with similar control could go a long way to improving the team.

How do MLBTR readers think the Marlins should handle Weathers this summer? Should he be kept off the market entirely, shopped aggressively, or moved only if a team makes an overwhelming offer? Have your say in the poll below:

Marlins Expect To Activate Eury Perez Next Week

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The Marlins plan to welcome Eury Pérez back from the injured list for next week’s series against the Pirates, writes Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. The 6’8″ righty will be making his first MLB appearance since his 2023 rookie season. Pérez underwent Tommy John surgery last April and is now 14 months removed from the procedure. Miami has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move once he’s officially reinstated.

Pérez was the sport’s top pitching prospect when the Marlins called him up in May ’23. He arrived in the majors at age 20 armed with an upper-90s fastball that led a strong four-pitch mix. His advanced command was equally impressive, as most young pitchers who are anywhere close to his height struggle to repeat their mechanics. Most evaluators projected him as a future top-of-the-rotation starter.

His first look at MLB hitters reinforced that optimism. Pérez managed a 3.15 earned run average over 19 starts. He punched out nearly 29% of opponents against a serviceable 8.3% walk rate while sitting in the 97-98 MPH range with his fastball. He finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year balloting and would likely have placed higher had the Marlins not optioned him for a month midseason as a check on his innings. The elbow injury arose during the following Spring Training and cost him all of last year.

Pérez returned to game action in late April, beginning a rehab assignment at Low-A Jupiter. He made five abbreviated appearances there before jumping to Triple-A Jacksonville two weeks ago. He made three more starts, building to 82 pitches across 4 1/3 innings tonight. He finished his Triple-A run with a 2.13 ERA and 15 strikeouts across 12 1/3 frames. His fastball averaged 97.8 MPH.

It’s not all positives for the Miami rotation, however. Max Meyer landed on the 15-day IL with a left hip impingement before tonight’s loss to the Rockies. Manager Clayton McCullough told reporters (including Craig Mish of SportsGrid) that the issue has bothered Meyer for a few starts. The former third overall pick has struggled of late, allowing at least four runs in six of his past seven appearances. He had carried a 3.18 ERA with an excellent 33.1% strikeout rate into May but has surrendered more than six earned runs per nine since then. Meyer’s strikeout rate has fallen below 15% in that stretch, during which opponents are hitting .321.

Sandy Alcantara took the ball tonight, while Cal Quantrill will oppose his former team in the series finale against Colorado. Miami is off Thursday. Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers and Alcantara are lined up for their weekend set in Tampa Bay. Pérez could return on Monday or follow Quantrill and take the ball on Tuesday if the Marlins want to give him an extra day of rest after tonight’s rehab appearance.

Rule 5 Draft Update: June Edition

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Last winter’s Rule 5 draft was relatively busy, as 15 players were selected across 14 teams. Just under half remain with their new organizations. Only three are currently healthy, but that trio has been productive to varying degrees. It has been a couple months since our last look at the class, so let’s check back in to see how the players who have stuck are handling their first taste of the big leagues.

A quick refresh for those unfamiliar with the process: the Rule 5 draft is a means of getting MLB opportunities to players who might be blocked with their current organization. Teams can draft certain players who are left off their original club’s 40-man roster. The drafting team needs to keep that player on the MLB roster or injured list for their entire first season. If they do so, they’d gain the player’s contractual rights permanently. A team can keep an injured Rule 5 pick on the major league IL, but they’d eventually need to carry him on the active roster for 90 days. If the player misses the entire season, the Rule 5 restriction carries over to the following year.

If the drafting team decides not to carry the player on the roster at any point during the year, they need to place him on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the player is offered back to his original organization — which does not need to carry him on either the MLB or 40-man rosters to take him back.

On An Active Roster

Shane Smith, White Sox RHP (selected from Brewers)

Smith not only made Chicago’s roster, he cracked the Opening Day rotation for the rebuilding club. Most of the time, teams keep Rule 5 pitchers in low-leverage relief until they build enough of a regular season track record to be entrusted with more meaningful innings. The White Sox gave Smith a rare amount of responsibility right out of the gate.

The 6’3″ righty is running with the opportunity. Smith has turned in a 2.68 earned run average through his first 11 starts in the big leagues. He’s striking out a decent 22.3% of opponents behind a 12.2% swinging strike rate — nearly two points higher than the league mark for starters. He leads a five-pitch arsenal with a 95 MPH heater, while opponents are batting .098 in 51 at-bats that end with his changeup.

That changeup has seemingly taken a massive step forward. Baseball America’s offseason scouting report called it a below-average pitch that Smith almost never threw. In mid-April, Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of FanGraphs wrote that the White Sox had more or less added the pitch to his arsenal, and it’s already a plus offering. They ranked him the #7 prospect in the Chicago farm system at the time, placing him not far outside their overall Top 100. That’s essentially unheard of for a Rule 5 pick.

Smith is going to stick on the roster all season. He looks quite likely to be the Sox’s All-Star representative. They might scale back his workload in the second half, as he only started 16 of 32 appearances and logged 94 1/3 innings last season in the minors. He profiles as a long-term rotation piece, even if he might land in the middle or back end by the next time the White Sox are competitive. The developmental focus now is probably on honing his command. His 9.5% walk rate is a little higher than ideal, and only Nick Lodolo has hit more batters than Smith’s seven. Those are relatively small quibbles. He looks like one of the best Rule 5 finds in recent memory.

Liam Hicks, Marlins C (selected from Tigers)

Hicks, a lefty-swinging catcher, went from the Rangers to the Tigers in last summer’s Carson Kelly deal. While he reached base at a .414 clip in Double-A after the trade, Detroit opted not to add him to the 40-man roster. The rebuilding Marlins grabbed him to back up Nick Fortes, buying more time for highly-regarded prospect Agustín Ramírez to play at Triple-A.

Ramírez hit his way to the big leagues by the middle of April. He’s tied for the rookie lead with seven home runs through his first 34 games, so he’s unlikely to head back down anytime soon. Fortes returned from an oblique strain in early May. The Fish have operated with three catchers on the active roster for the past month, mixing in plenty of designated hitter work for Ramírez along the way.

The 26-year-old Hicks has played far less frequently, but he has been productive of late. At the time of our first Rule 5 update on April 14, he was batting .214 over 35 plate appearances. He’s batting .292 with eight extra-base hits and an equal number of walks and strikeouts (eight apiece) in 73 trips to the dish since then. The Marlins gave him his first major league start as a first baseman yesterday.

Carrying three catchers all season may not be ideal for roster flexibility, but the Fish have ample first base/DH at-bats to go around. Hicks is playing far too well right now to offer back to Detroit. Fortes, who has limited offensive upside and projects as a long-term backup, still has minor league options. The Marlins may not want to have a pair of rookies splitting time behind the plate, but sending Fortes to Triple-A could be an option if they feel they need more defensive flexibility off the bench.

Mike Vasil, White Sox RHP (selected from Mets via Rays and Phillies)

Vasil landed with the Rays via a Rule 5 draft day trade with Philadelphia. Tampa Bay waived the UVA product a couple weeks into Spring Training. The White Sox claimed him to prevent him from being returned to the Mets organization. He’s been pitching out of Will Venable’s bullpen for the season.

The 6’5″ righty has been a solid contributor to the Sox’s pitching staff in his own right. He owns a 2.10 ERA over 17 appearances, usually working 2-3 innings at a time. He’s walking nearly as many batters as he’s striking out, so it’s fair to question how long he’ll be able to keep this up. Vasil sits in the mid-90s over multi-inning stints and is getting ground-balls at a solid 52.5% clip, though. There’s no reason for the Sox to move on right now.

Currently On Major League Injured List

Garrett McDaniels, Angels LHP (selected from Dodgers)

Biceps tendinitis has shelved McDaniels since May 2. The Halos sent him to their Arizona complex on a rehab assignment last Tuesday. They’re allowed to keep him in the minors while he’s building up, but rehab assignments for pitchers can last a maximum of 30 days. Unless McDaniels suffers a setback, the Angels need to decide by June 26 whether to put him back in the MLB bullpen or move on from him.

The Angels bullpen has been an absolute disaster. They’re one of two teams (joining the A’s) whose relief group has an ERA beginning with a 6. There’s not a single Halos reliever who has worked at least six innings with an ERA better than 4.76. The opportunity is wide open, but the 25-year-old McDaniels has been a part of that showing. He has allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 13 hits and eight walks over his first 10 2/3 MLB frames. He’s getting ground-balls at an incredible 74.3% rate, but he’s not missing bats and has allowed home runs on two of the five fly-balls he surrendered.

Angel Bastardo, Blue Jays RHP (selected from Red Sox)

Bastardo underwent Tommy John surgery last June while he was in the Boston system. The Jays selected him knowing they’d stash him on the 60-day injured list for most or all of this season. That delays the decision on whether to keep him in the MLB bullpen, but he’d need to stick on the 40-man roster throughout next offseason and log at least 90 days on the active roster between this season and next for the Jays to get his contractual rights.

Nate Lavender, Rays LHP (selected from Mets)

It’s basically an identical scenario with Lavender, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May when he was pitching for the Mets. He’s more likely than Bastardo to make his return in the second half of this season. In any case, the Rays won’t need to make the decision for at least another month.

Connor Thomas, Brewers LHP (selected from Cardinals)

Behind a 53.5% ground-ball rate, the soft-tossing Thomas managed a sub-3.00 ERA over 56 Triple-A appearances a year ago. He had a solid spring, throwing 11 1/3 innings of four-run ball with 11 strikeouts and five walks. Thomas broke camp in low-leverage relief. He was hit hard in his first two MLB appearances. The Yankees teed off for eight runs (including a trio of homers) over two innings in his debut. Thomas gave up four runs in 3 1/3 frames against the Reds a week later.

The Brewers placed him on the IL with elbow arthritis after the latter appearance. They moved him to the 60-day IL in the middle of May, ruling him out into the first week of June. He’s seemingly a few weeks from making his return, as Milwaukee assigned him to their Arizona complex last week. As was the case with McDaniels, the team will have a few more weeks before they need to make a decision.

Returned To Original Organization

Noah Murdock, RHP (returned to Royals from A’s)

Murdock broke camp with the A’s and made 14 MLB appearances. He was hit hard, though, giving up 25 runs across 17 innings. He was the first Rule 5 pick to be returned to his original club during the season. The Royals assigned him to Triple-A Omaha after he cleared waivers in mid-May. He has given up eight runs over his first 6 1/3 innings there. Murdock was effective in the minors a year ago, when he combined for a 3.16 ERA through 62 2/3 innings between the top two levels.

Evan Reifert, RHP (returned to Rays from Nationals)

Refiert is a slider specialist with well below-average command. He walked 12 batters in 6 1/3 innings during Spring Training, so the Nats returned him to the Rays a couple weeks before Opening Day. Tampa Bay assigned him to Triple-A Durham for his first stint at that level. He’s been fantastic, racking up 29 strikeouts against five walks across 14 1/3 frames. There’s a decent chance he’ll get a look from the Rays at some point this year.

Cooper Bowman, 2B (returned to A’s from Reds)

A righty-hitting second baseman, Bowman got a brief look in camp from the Reds. He had three hits, all singles, in 25 Spring Training at-bats before Cincinnati decided he wouldn’t make the team. The A’s assigned him to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he opened the season on the injured list. He was reinstated in mid-April and has gotten out to a poor start (.229/.343/.349 in 99 plate appearances). Bowman struggled in Triple-A last season but has hit well up through Double-A.

Eiberson Castellano, RHP (returned to Phillies by Twins)

Castellano was trying to make the jump directly from Double-A, where he’d turned in a sub-4.00 ERA with a 31.3% strikeout rate last season. He didn’t command the ball well enough in camp to crack the Twins’ pitching staff, however. Castellano walked 10 batters and surrendered 10 runs over 10 2/3 innings. Minnesota returned him to the Phillies, who assigned him back to Double-A Reading. He fired 10 innings of one-run ball over his first three outings but went on the injured list after his fourth appearance. He’s back from that IL stint but hasn’t been able to find the strike zone in his two post-injury appearances, walking five in a combined 2 1/3 innings.

Gage Workman, IF (returned to Tigers by Cubs and White Sox)

Workman had never played above Double-A, where he struck out at a lofty 27.5% rate. His combination of power, speed and defensive ability nevertheless led the Cubs to select him in the Rule 5 draft. Workman mashed his way onto the Opening Day roster with a .364/.420/.705 line and four homers over 20 games this spring.

The Cubs weren’t able to find much regular season playing time. They gave him all of four starts at third base before moving on. The White Sox gave him an even briefer look after grabbing him in a small trade. Workman suffered a right hip injury within days of landing with the ChiSox. They waived him rather than put him back on the MLB roster once he was healthy.

Workman has been back with the Tigers since May 14. They sent him to Triple-A for the first time. He’s hitting .244/.333/.511 with four homers and a 27.5% strikeout rate in 13 games.

Anderson Pilar, RHP (returned to Marlins by Braves)

Pilar is another Rule 5 pick whose command was an issue in camp. He walked six batters over 5 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs in the process. Atlanta returned him to the Marlins, who assigned him to Triple-A Jacksonville. He’s pitching well, turning in a 3.91 ERA with a near-27% strikeout rate against a manageable 8.2% walk percentage. He could get a look from the Fish, especially if they move players like Calvin Faucher and Anthony Bender by the deadline.

Juan Nuñez, RHP (returned to Orioles by Padres)

Nuñez, who had never pitched above High-A when he was selected, always had an uphill battle to cracking a win-now roster in San Diego. Six walks over five Spring Training innings ensured he’d be offered back to the Orioles. He has an ERA north of 7.00 over his first 14 Double-A innings. Nuñez has fanned nearly 40% of opponents but is walking more than 18%. He has been on the injured list for the past two weeks.

Christian Cairo, SS (returned to Guardians by Braves)

Atlanta was the only team to make two Rule 5 selections. They returned Cairo to Cleveland at the same time they offered Pilar back to the Marlins. Cairo is one of a number of contact-oriented middle infielders in the Guardians’ system. He hit .179 without a home run in 16 Spring Training games. Cleveland assigned him back to Triple-A Columbus, where he finished last season. He’s batting .226 with no homers.

Pirates Claim Ronny Simón, Designate Tanner Rainey For Assignment

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2:25pm: The Pirates announced that they have claimed Simón and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, with Rainey designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

1:25pm: The Pirates have claimed infielder Ronny Simón off waivers from the Marlins. The latter club designated him for assignment last week. Right-hander Tanner Rainey has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for Simón. Mike Rodriguez first reported that Simón would be joining the Pirates. Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reported that it would be a waiver claim. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that Rainey was the corresponding move.

Simón, 25, got his first major league call just over a month ago. The Marlins selected his contract on April 20th and he stuck on the roster until he was designated for assignment on May 30th. He got into 19 games and stepped to the plate 56 times, producing a batting line of .234/.327/.277.

That was a fairly unremarkable performance from a statistical point of view but Simón got thrust into the spotlight in an unusual way. As relayed Jason Foster and Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, Simón had a nightmare game against the Padres last week. The Fish were up 6-0 on Tuesday but several errors and general defensive miscues from Simón allowed the Friars to engineer an 8-6 comeback victory.

Amid the chaotic contest, Simón was seen wiping tears from his face. After the game, he received plenty of encouraging messages from his teammates and even his opponents. Per the MLB.com story, Padres such as Manny Machado, Luis Arráez and Fernando Tatis Jr. sent supportive texts to Simón after the game. In addition to that challenging on-field experience, Simón also had to deal with getting sent into DFA limbo a few days later. However, he has quickly found a new home by landing with the Pirates.

Simón’s major league time isn’t much to go on. Presumably, the Pirates are paying more attention to his minor league work. In 2,328 minor league plate appearances, he has a .266/.341/.446 line and 108 wRC+. Before getting called up this year, he got into 15 Triple-A contests and had a massive .354/.441/.521 line in that small sample.

As of July of last year, FanGraphs considered Simón to be one of the top 20 prospects in the Rays’ system, noting that his switch-hitting and defensive versatility gave him a good shot to eventually become a utility player. He has experience at the three infield positions to the left of first base as well as the outfield corners. He’s generally been able to steal about 20-35 bases annually. The Rays didn’t give him a 40-man spot at the end of last year, which led him to sign a minors deal with the Marlins coming into 2025.

He still has a full slate of options, so the Pirates can keep him in the minors if they don’t have room at the big league level. Rainey’s DFA does open an active roster spot but the Pirates might recall a pitcher rather than playing with the pitching staff shorthanded.

Rainey, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in the offseason and was selected to the roster about a month ago. He has since tossed 7 2/3 innings over 11 appearances, allowing nine earned runs. There’s surely a bit of luck in there, especially from a 35.7% strand rate that is ridiculously low, but he also hasn’t done himself any favors by walking 16.2% of batters faced. On the positive side, his 24.3% strikeout rate and 45% ground ball rate are solid numbers.

He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last for as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Pirates could take five days to try to line up a trade. Rainey’s overall track record includes 197 big league innings with a 5.44 ERA. From 2019 to 2024, he logged 182 1/3 of those innings with a 4.49 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate and 14.1% walk rate.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Marlins Outright Matt Mervis

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Marlins first baseman Matt Mervis passed through waivers unclaimed following his recent DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald.

Mervis, 27, generated some buzz among Marlins fans when he homered six times in an eight-game stretch early in the season. Even during that blistering hot streak, however, he fanned in 39% of his plate appearances. The lefty-swinging slugger has always had good power but has never made contact in the majors. Mervis’ lack of hit tool and poor swing decisions caught up to him quickly after that power surge. From April 17 through his DFA in late May, he slashed .125/.213/.213 with a 36% strikeout rate and only one home run.

This is the third season in which Mervis has seen big league time. He’s tallied 261 plate appearances between the Cubs and Marlins but managed only a .165/.238/.322 batting line (53 wRC+) due in large part to a 34.5% strikeout rate. His 66.9% contact rate in that time ranks 470th out of 485 big leaguers (min. 250 plate appearances).

In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Mervis has fared far better. He’s a .269/.371/.511 hitter in 1045 plate appearances and, more encouragingly, has only fanned in 23.3% of his plate appearances there. He’ll spend time in Jacksonville continuing to work on his plate discipline and swing decisions. There’s little doubting Mervis’ power; he bashed 36 home runs in the minors back in 2022 and has connected on 73 round-trippers over his past 1369 plate appearances in the minors. Miami doesn’t have anyone firmly blocking him at first base, so if he can make some gains in Triple-A, another look could be in store for him later this season.

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