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Rafael Devers To Start Work At First Base With Giants

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The Giants held a press conference today to introduce Rafael Devers and one key question about his future in San Francisco was answered. The Giants plan to have him serve as the designated hitter but also as a first baseman going forward. He’ll start taking grounders in preparation for the position change in the next few days. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to relay the news.

“They’re the men in charge,” Devers said today, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “I’m here to play wherever they want me to play.”

It’s obviously a notable shift from where things stood with the Red Sox. Devers had been almost exclusively a third baseman coming into this year, though he has been considered a poor defender. Over the winter, the Sox were connected in rumors to third basemen like Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman. Members of the Red Sox such as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Álex Cora downplayed the possibility of Devers being moved off the hot corner.

The Sox eventually signed Bregman, but even in the initial wake of that deal, the club didn’t firmly declare that Devers was done as a third baseman. “He’s a Gold Glove third baseman,” Cora said of Bregman in February. “He hasn’t played second base in the big leagues. I do believe he can be a Gold Glove second baseman, too.”

A few days later, Devers spoke to the media and was adamant about not moving. “It’s my decision,” he said at the time. “My position is third base. Whatever it is they want to do is what they want to do. But my position is third base.” He had apparently been promised he could be a long-term third baseman when signing his ten-year extension in 2023, though Cora dismissed that promise. “That was under Chaim,” Cora said, referring to previous CBO Chaim Bloom. The Sox fired Bloom late in 2023 and later hired Breslow to replace him.

As spring training went on, it became clear that the Sox intended to have Bregman at third, with Devers moved to a DH role. While Devers was clearly frustrated and reportedly considered asking for a trade, he eventually relented and accepted his fate. Whatever emotions he was feeling were not impacting his performance, as Devers has hit .272/.401/.504 for a 148 wRC+ this year.

The situation with the Red Sox grew even more complicated in early May when first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury. Devers taking up that spot seemed like a logical next step, as many subpar third basemen have successfully moved across the diamond over the years. Doing so also would have helped the Sox with positional logjams elsewhere. Outfield prospect Roman Anthony has been blocked in Triple-A for most of the season but an open DH spot would have helped the club find more playing time for him and others.

The Sox did indeed ask Devers to consider a move to first base, but Devers refused and also seemed offended that he was even asked. “They talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH,” Devers said of the conversation during spring training. “So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.” He went on to seemingly take a shot at the club’s brass in the process: “Now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player (to play first base). I’m not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have me now.”

The Sox went on to try other options at first, including utility players like Romy González and Abraham Toro. Rookie Kristian Campbell also started some pre-game work at first, though he has yet to appear there in actual game action.

All of this drama seemed to lead to this weekend’s shocking trade which sent Devers to the Giants. Back on May 10th, it was reported that Breslow, owner John Henry and CEO Sam Kennedy all flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers and discuss the situation as the Sox played the Royals. In the wake of the trade, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said that he had been discussing the deal with the Sox for three to four weeks. In other words, not long after that Kansas City meeting.

Breslow also spoke to the media yesterday and said that “It’s the willingness to step up and sacrifice at times of need and essentially do whatever is necessary to help the team win,” speaking broadly about successful teams he’d been a part of during his playing days. “I think that’s the identity, this relentless pursuit of winning, that we’re looking for.”

Looking at how Devers fit onto the roster in San Francisco raised similar questions to his time in Boston. Matt Chapman is currently on the injured list but is one of the best defensive third basemen in the league and is under contract through 2030. The club’s top prospect is Bryce Eldridge, a first baseman who recently got promoted from Double-A to Triple-A.

Given the standoff in Boston, it was fair to wonder where Devers fit but now there’s an answer. Eldridge will continue playing first base in the minors, per Pavlovic, though Devers will learn the position in the meantime. If Eldridge succeeds as a major leaguer, the two could share the roster for a long time. Devers’ contract goes for eight more years after the current season. Eldridge will be under club control until he accrues six season of service time.

Eldridge might still be the long-term first baseman and Devers the long-term DH, though at least having Devers as a viable player at that position is obviously valuable. It will provide more flexibility if Eldridge ever needs a stint on the injured list during his career, or perhaps doesn’t pan out. As heralded as he is, even the top prospects don’t always succeed when promoted to the majors.

The shift in tone from Devers will naturally lead to questions about why. It’s possible that he bore a grudge against the Sox about the broken promise or perhaps didn’t like the way they went about communicating their plans to him. Perhaps he just wants to start this new opportunity on the right foot, as opposed to kicking it off with another dispute.

That’s all speculative, though that’s all that can really be done unless further reporting sheds more light on the subject or Devers decides to open up about it. “I’m moving forward from the situation in Boston and looking forward to being a San Francisco Giant,” Devers said today, per Cotillo.

In the short term, Devers will presumably need some time to feel comfortable at first, having never played there in his career. The Giants recently moved on from first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and have been using Dominic Smith there, with Wilmer Flores in the DH spot. Devers is DHing tonight with Smith at first and Flores on the bench, though Flores has first base experience and could factor in there as well. Though Chapman is currently on the IL, the club doesn’t plan to use Devers at third, per Justice delos Santos of Mercury News.

Flores and Smith are both impending free agents. If Eldridge starts thriving in Triple-A, perhaps he gets called up later in the year, with Flores and/or Smith becoming trade candidates prior to the deadline. In the long run, it seems the Giants hope for a Devers/Eldridge duo in the first base/DH mix, though that will naturally depend upon Devers taking to the new position and Eldridge developing.

Meanwhile, Boston fans will be left with the hypotheticals. If playing first base wasn’t really the problem, then was there a way this could have all played out differently? What if the club had asked Devers to play first base back in November, prior to signing Bregman, and given him a full offseason/spring to prepare? What if they held him through this year and then broached the subject again ahead of the 2026 season? Those questions are all moot now as the club once again grapples with a star player leaving Boston for California.

Photos courtesy of Dale Zanine, Gregory Fisher, Jerome Miron, Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images

Giants Acquire Rafael Devers

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In a shocking mid-June blockbuster, the Giants have acquired star slugger Rafael Devers from the Red Sox in exchange for right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, outfield/first base prospect James Tibbs and right-handed pitching prospect Jose Bello. The teams subsequently announced the trade, and the Red Sox optioned Harrison to Triple-A Worcester. The Giants will absorb the remainder of Devers’s contract in its entirety as part of the deal.

It’s a stunning move that will have massive implications for both franchises as they both pursue their first playoff appearances since 2021 this year. The Red Sox, 37-36 after sweeping the division-leading Yankees this weekend, part with a player they signed to be the next face of their franchise just two years ago. The relationship between the two sides broke down quite publicly over the past few months, however. Devers has long made clear that he wants to play third base on a regular basis, but the Red Sox clearly had other plans this offseason as they sought to add a big right-handed bat to their lineup. After discussing a deal that would’ve sent Nolan Arenado to Boston with the Cardinals earlier in the winter, they ultimately pivoted and signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120MM pact that affords him the opportunity to opt out following the 2025 and ’26 seasons.

That proved to be the end of Devers’ time at third base, and though he initially resisted the move he eventually took up his new role as Boston’s regular DH. That seemed to settle the controversy at first despite reports that indicated Devers considered asking for a trade after the Bregman deal, but tensions erupted once again when Triston Casas was sidelined by knee surgery that will likely end his 2025 season. At that time, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow asked Devers to move to first base to cover for the loss of Casas, a move that would have opened up DH at-bats for another player such as top prospect Roman Anthony. Devers refused and expressed frustration with team leadership for asking him to move to an unfamiliar position in the middle of the season, ultimately leading to a private meeting between Devers, manager Alex Cora, and club owner John Henry last month.

Since then, neither Devers nor Red Sox brass have spoken to the media about the situation beyond to affirm that Devers would remain the club’s DH going forward. That’s remained the case even in the weeks since Bregman went down with a significant quad strain that figures to sideline him until late July at the earliest. The discord between the sides over the past few months surely served as a catalyst for today’s shocking blockbuster from Boston’s perspective. Although Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that Devers did not ultimately request a trade, Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that the slugger is said by friends to be pleased with the change of scenery. For a club that’s under-performing expectations this year but remains on the periphery of the AL Wild Card race, moving on from a star player who was clearly unhappy could serve to improve morale going forward.

Of course, there are plenty of on-the-field justifications for making this trade as well. Boston is in dire need of pitching help, and the additions of Harrison and Hicks will go a long way to patching those holes. The two hurlers have pitched both out of the rotation and in relief this year as dictated by the needs of San Francisco, so it’s not entirely clear which roles they will take up now that they’re headed to Boston. Harrison, 24 in August, projects as a starter long-term and has a 4.91 ERA with a 4.22 FIP across four starts in the majors this year. Hicks, meanwhile, spent most of his career as a reliever in St. Louis before signing with the Giants as a starter in free agency. His time with the Giants has been fairly mixed as he’s bounced between the rotation and bullpen, and this year he has a 6.47 ERA across 48 2/3 innings of work despite fantastic peripherals including a 3.59 FIP.

Regardless of what roles those arms end up playing for the Red Sox, it could be a considerable boost to a Boston pitching staff that has struggled to find much stability outside of southpaws Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman this year. Hicks could fill the role of right-handed, late-inning complement to Chapman that the Red Sox were rumored to be seeking over the winter before settling for a combination of Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten (both of whom are presently on the injured list) to support Chapman. Harrison, meanwhile, is headed to Triple-A in the short-term but is a high-upside depth option who Boston could turn to if anyone in their current rotation mix gets injured or begins to struggle.

While neither is likely to help the Red Sox in 2025, the value of the two prospects in the deal cannot be ignored either. Tibbs, 22, was San Francisco’s first-round pick in last year’s draft and has looked excellent at the High-A level this year with a .245/.377/.480 slash line that features nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Ranked as San Francisco’s #4 prospect prior to the trade according to MLB Pipeline, Tibbs has above-average hit and power tools and was lauded for his swing decisions at Florida State, where he slashed a comical .363/.488/.777 in 66 games last year. As for Bello, the 20-year-old is unranked at MLB Pipeline after making just one stateside appearance last year but signed with the Giants out of the Dominican Republic prior to the 2023 season and has struck out an eye-popping 41.8% of his opponents across 18 innings in rookie ball this year. The pair should be a major infusion of high-upside talent for a system that has been depleted over the past few months by the Crochet trade and the graduations of Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer to the big leagues.

For the Giants, acquiring Devers is a franchise-altering decision that doubles as a major vote of confidence in a 41-30 ballclub that has exceeded all preseason expectations to this point. A career .279/.349/.509 hitter who’s still just 28 years old, Devers is an elite hitter who’s still in his prime. This year’s move to a full-time DH may even be bringing out the best in the slugger, as he’s posting a career best 145 wRC+ so far despite a deep slump earlier in the season after spending most of Spring Training working his way back from a shoulder injury. Since May 1, Devers has posted an even better 170 wRC+. That makes him the eighth-best hitter in the entire sport since that date, and it goes without saying that sort of offensive production could be transformational for a San Francisco team that ranks 20th in the majors this year with a 95 wRC+.

Adding a bat of that caliber to a somewhat middling offense is virtually a no-brainer for San Francisco, particularly when the acquisition cost is a pair of prospects still far from the majors and two pitchers who have posted below-average results this year. Harrison and Hicks, valuable as they could be in the future, were ultimately luxury items for a Giants pitching staff that currently ranks as the third-best in baseball by ERA and should receive reinforcements in the relatively near future when Justin Verlander returns from the injured list. Arguably, the most substantial cost of the trade from San Francisco’s perspective is the financial burden they’re assuming in the deal. Cot’s Baseball Contracts notes that Devers is due to a $2MM assignment bonus from the Giants, though that’s obviously a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly $250MM the 28-year-old is owed across the eight-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, which is set to expire following the 2033 season. A portion of that money is deferred beyond the lifetime of the contract, but it’s still a massive financial burden for the Giants to take on going forward.

That financial outlay will leave plenty of pressure on Devers’s bat to remain among the best in the league going forward, particularly given that he’s unlikely to return to his old stomping grounds of third base in the long-term. Incumbent third baseman Matt Chapman is currently on the injured list due to a sprained right hand that’s expected to sideline him for at least a few weeks, but as one of the sport’s best defenders at the hot corner it’s difficult to see Devers getting any more than occasional time at his longtime position once Chapman is back in the lineup. First base is relatively open for the time being, but between Devers’s known reluctance to learn the position on the fly and the looming presence of top prospect Bryce Eldridge at Triple-A it’s hard to see him making a home for himself at that position in San Francisco, either.

Even if Devers seems ticketed to spend the next eight-plus years as a pricey DH for the Giants, it’s difficult to criticize the move from San Francisco’s perspective. After all, the organization’s difficulties wooing offensive talents are well-documented. Failed attempts to court players like Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa, and Aaron Judge to the city over the past decade have created a reputation surrounding the club that they struggle to attract top offensive talents, and while recent deals for Chapman and Willy Adames have helped to put that narrative to bed somewhat it’s still understandable that president of baseball operations Buster Posey would turn to the trade market to land a middle-of-the-order force rather than pursue a top free agent and risk coming up empty. That’s especially true given that Devers’s contract looks fairly reasonable compared to some more recent deals, even for a player with limited defensive value. Setting aside Juan Soto’s $765MM megadeal with the Mets from this past winter, even Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 14-year, $500MM contract extension with the Blue Jays earlier this season makes Devers’s deal look like a steal by comparison.

With Devers presumably settling into a DH role for the Giants, that leaves some combination of Wilmer Flores, Dominic Smith, and Jerar Encarnacion to handle first base for San Francisco going forward. Flores had been acting as the club’s everyday DH this year with Smith and Encarnacion in a platoon at first base, but Flores has plenty of experience at first himself and the Giants are unlikely to be interested in dropping his 112 wRC+ bat from their lineup. As for the Red Sox, it’s unclear how they will replace Devers in their lineup in the short-term. The eventual return of Wilyer Abreu from an oblique strain should allow them to move Anthony to DH in Devers’s place, but it’s at least theoretically possible the club could turn to Masataka Yoshida to fill the short-term gap. Yoshida has spent the entire season on the injured list as he recovers from shoulder surgery that has not impacted his ability to hit but has left him unable to throw. That made him a tough fit for a Red Sox lineup that had Devers entrenched at DH, but perhaps the star’s departure could open the door for Yoshida to return earlier than previously expected.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported that Devers had been traded to San Francisco, as well as the inclusion of Hicks and Harrison in the deal. Julian McWilliams of CBS Sports reported that two minor leaguers would be headed to Boston alongside Hicks and Harrsion, as well as that the Giants would take on Devers’s contract. Murray later identified those as Tibbs and Bello. Hunter Noll of Beyond The Monster first reported that Harrison was being optioned to Triple-A.

Shohei Ohtani To Make Dodgers Pitching Debut On Monday

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Dodgers fans have been waiting for more than a year to see Shohei Ohtani pitch in a major league game in for the club, and that wait might finally be over. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times) that Ohtani will “most likely” make his pitching debut during the Dodgers’ series against the Padres this week. Shortly thereafter, the Dodgers announced that their two-way superstar will start against San Diego in tomorrow night’s game.

It’s a long-awaited return that’s coming much earlier than expected. While offseason expectations placed Ohtani’s return to the mound from his September 2023 elbow surgery at some point in May, but those hopes were squashed when his pitching rehab was paused in late February. Ohtani resumed ramping up shortly after Opening Day, but the star’s timetable for return has been kept extremely vague by Dodgers officials ever since. For most of the season, Ohtani’s return to pitching had been anticipated at some point in the second half, though earlier this week Roberts hinted at the possibility that Ohtani could return at some point before the All-Star break.

Still, Ohtani’s timeline having been bumped up to tomorrow night puts him back on a big league mound a month earlier than even the most generous of expectations. The narrative surrounding Ohtani’s return to pitching shifted rapidly throughout the day today, with Roberts telling reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) earlier this afternoon that the plan was for Ohtani to face hitters early this week before “potentially” making his return to the big league pitching staff. Last night, Ohtani himself was vaguely alluding to the possibility that he could return earlier than anticipated, as Ardaya notes that he playfully asked, “What do you think?” when asked if he’ll return to the mound before the All-Star break before acknowledging that “something like that” was on the table.

After today’s win over the Giants, Roberts retracted his previous comments about Ohtani facing live hitters this week and noted that he would likely pitch as an opener at some point during this week’s series against San Diego, and that timeline was pushed up further by the organization’s announcement that he will be on the mound opposite Dylan Cease tomorrow evening. Despite the seemingly rapid and somewhat haphazard way the decision to start Ohtani tomorrow night came together, it seems clear the organization feels he’s ready to pitch in games. His latest session on the mound last week, which lasted three simulated innings and 44 pitches, drew rave reviews from Dodgers brass. Pitching coach Mark Prior told reporters (including Ardaya) that “he was doing whatever he wanted with the baseball, with every pitch he wanted to” during Tuesday’s session.

It should be noted that expectations must be tempered for Ohtani’s start tomorrow night. He’s starting the game as an opener, and there’s no expectation that he’ll be able to pitch especially deep into the game. As Roberts told reporters (including ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez) this evening, at least Ohtani’s first few appearances seem likely to be closer to rehab appearances than full starts. It’s long been known that Ohtani wouldn’t have a traditional rehab opportunity due to his importance for the Dodgers as their regular DH, and Roberts indicated this evening that cooling off after a simulated game and then heating back up to hit in that evening’s Dodgers game was actually more taxing for him than it would’ve been to pitch and hit in the same game. That combined with the fact that Ohtani won’t count against the club’s 13-pitcher roster limit and the superstar’s own desire to start pitching in big league games was enough to convince the organization to let him start tomorrow night’s game.

Even if it should be viewed more through the lens of a rehab outing rather than a traditional start, Ohtani’s return to the mound will be a boost for a beleaguered Dodgers pitching staff. Right-hander Ben Casparius was previously scheduled to start tomorrow night’s game for Los Angeles, but threw just 54 pitches in his last outing and was sure to tax the club’s bullpen at least somewhat when used as a starter. With Ohtani likely to handle the first inning or two of the game, perhaps he and Casparius can combine to offer the Dodgers the same amount of length that a more traditional starter could be penciled in for. That should be very helpful for a relief corps that’s likely to be taxed by a bullpen game on Tuesday followed by what figures to be an abbreviated start from right-hander Emmet Sheehan in his first appearance following his expected activation from the injured list later this week.

It’s unclear exactly when Ohtani is expected to be built up enough to serve as a full-fledged starter rather than just open games for the Dodgers, but perhaps his workload in tomorrow night’s game can provide some insight into that question. In the meantime, the Dodgers will surely be happy to have any innings he can offer as they continue to piece together starts amid a rash of injuries that have already sent a majority of the club’s Opening Day rotation to the injured list.

Roki Sasaki No Longer Throwing; No Timetable For Return

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9:31pm: Roberts struck a much more optimistic tone regarding Sasaki after this evening’s game, as relayed by Ardaya. Roberts emphasized that Sasaki is “pain-free” and “already moving around” before going on to suggest that he should be able to resume building up his rehab process “soon.” While his tone regarding the young right-hander was significantly more optimistic than earlier in the day, he still provided few specifics regarding the righty’s status or when he’ll resume his throwing program.

3:41pm: Rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki is no longer throwing due to him not feeling “comfortable” with his shoulder when throwing at full intensity, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) this afternoon. Sasaki has been on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement for just over a month, but it doesn’t sound as if he’s likely to return anytime soon. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register adds that the Dodgers have no timeline for Sasaki’s return to throwing, while Ardaya suggests that Roberts’ comments indicated that Sasaki’s return to the mound in 2025 may not be guaranteed.

The news doesn’t change any short term plans for the Dodgers, as he wasn’t necessarily expected to return in the near future even before today’s news. MLB.com notes that Sasaki did not have an estimated return date and had not yet progressed beyond playing light catch as of last week. While pitching coach Mark Prior noted at that time (as relayed by Plunkett) that Sasaki was pain-free, he noted even then that the phenom hadn’t progressed enough to start ramping up the intensity of his fastball and that Sasaki must be “confident in his ability to throw the baseball” before his rehab can proceed. Roberts told reporters (including Benjamin Royer of the Los Angeles Times) that he would defer to Sasaki in describing the issue.

“As far as kind of the sensation,” Roberts said, as relayed by Royer. “It’s discomfort. I don’t think it’s pain, it’s tightness… whatever the adjective you want to use — I would rather him kind of say that.”

Regardless of the specific verbiage surrounding Sasaki’s stalled rehab, it’s clear he and the Dodgers were not seeing the sort of results they were looking for. As a result, the right-hander will be shut down from throwing for an indefinite period, though it appears that no additional testing on Sasaki’s shoulder is planned at this time. That suggests the Dodgers are at least confident they know what the problem is, but it’s still somewhat worrisome that the club could not say with confidence that Sasaki would return to the big league mound this season.

If Sasaki doesn’t return to the mound this year, it will be hard to view his rookie campaign as anything other than a disappointing one. The right-hander has made eight starts for the Dodgers, pitching to a 4.72 ERA (84 ERA+) in 34 1/3 innings of work across those outings. That’s not too far off from an average back-end starter at first glance, but Sasaki walked (22) nearly as many hitters as he struck out (24) and recorded an out in the sixth inning just twice while failing to record an out in the fifth inning four times. That combination of poor results, worse peripherals, and lack of volume made for a pretty bleak debut for Sasaki, particularly given his elite pedigree as one of the most talented young arms in the entire world.

Of course, the other side of that coin is that his talented hasn’t mysteriously disappeared. Eight starts is far too small of a sample to judge a pitcher on, and Sasaki’s bonafides as a potential top-of-the-rotation talent speak for themselves. He’s got some of the nastiest stuff in the entire sport, and posted a 2.10 ERA with a 32.7% strikeout rate across four NPB seasons. That includes an otherworldly 2023 where he pitched to a 1.78 ERA in 91 innings of work while striking out 39.1% of his opponents. Those huge strikeout numbers are particularly eye-popping when one considers the propensity towards contact found in NPB play, further adding to the pile of evidence that Sasaki’s future figures to be a very bright one.

All of that is why the Dodgers committed virtually their entire international bonus pool budget to signing him this winter in a sweepstakes that ultimately came down to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Toronto. While that investment hasn’t paid off yet, the young righty is still just 23 years old and will have plenty of opportunities to show off his talent in the future so long as he can get healthy enough to return to the mound. Perhaps that can happen as soon as later this season, but for now he’ll remain on the shelf alongside a bevy of other key Dodgers arms like Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Evan Phillips, and Brusdar Graterol. The Dodgers are currently relying on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Ben Casparius, and the soon-to-be-activated Emmet Sheehan to hold down the fort while most of the club’s Opening Day rotation is unavailable.

Nationals To Promote Brady House

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The Nationals optioned outfielder Robert Hassell III and infielder Jose Tena to Triple-A after today’s game, per a club announcement. The corresponding moves for those transactions have not yet been formally announced, but Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports that the club plans to select the contract of top infield prospect Brady House and recall outfielder Daylen Lile.

House, 22, was drafted 11th overall by the Nats in 2021 and was a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport as recently as last season. The third baseman enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, when he rocketed from Single-A to Double-A over the course of a single campaign and slashed .312/.365/.497 with 12 homers and nine steals in just 88 games. That 20/20 potential combined with solid defense at the hot corner was enough to send House soaring up to prospect boards in spite of his low walk rate and 23.9% strikeout rate, but a disappointing 2024 campaign was enough to quell the excitement regarding the infielder’s future. In a return to Double-A last year, he hit a somewhat middling .234/.310/.423 in 75 games before being promoted to Triple-A.

House’s first taste of the highest level of the minors knocked him for a loop with a .250/.280/.375 line in 54 games, but he returned to the level better equipped in 2025. This year, he’s looked excellent at the plate for Triple-A Rochester with a .301/.349/.516 (126 wRC+) line in 64 games with 14 doubles, 13 homers, and a triple in that time. That’s exciting power from a strong defender at third base, though that high batting average should not be expected to transfer over to the majors. House has long been criticized by scouts for his hit tool, and he’s benefited from a .376 BABIP so far with Rochester that’s unlikely to be sustainable. Between that high BABIP and a 27.0% strikeout rate, House could struggle to get on base with regularity in the majors but figures to make up for that with above-average pop and an impressive glove.

House’s promotion to the majors completes the Nationals’ infield after the club opted to leave the position to part-time options like Amed Rosario, Paul DeJong, and Tena throughout the first few months of the season as they awaited House’s eventual promotion. DeJong appeared in just 16 games before being sidelined by injury, but Tena and Rosario have formed a roughly league average platoon at the hot corner to this point in the year. Tena is headed to Triple-A for the time being but has been a very pleasant surprise for the Nationals since he was acquired from Cleveland last year. He’s hit a nearly league average .261/.312/.364 across 84 games in a Nationals uniform, and his positional versatility and left-handed bat should make him a valuable bench piece and depth starter for the team going forward.

Joining Tena in packing his bags for Rochester is Hassell, a former top-100 prospect who made his MLB debut just last month. Hassell has hit a paltry .230/.240/.284 (44 wRC+) in 20 games with the Nationals since being called up to the majors, and his departure should allow Jacob Young and his top-of-the-scale defense in center field to reclaim a larger role on the team going forward. Young will be backed up in the outfield by Lile, who went 6-for-31 at the plate with three doubles, two walks, and a triple when he made his big league debut in an 11-game cup of coffee earlier this year. The left-handed Lile figures to serve as a complement to the righty-swinging Young in center field, at least until Dylan Crews returns from the injured list.

White Sox, Brewers Swap Aaron Civale, Andrew Vaughn

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The White Sox acquired right-hander Aaron Civale and cash considerations from Milwaukee for first baseman Andrew Vaughn. The Brewers optioned Vaughn to Triple-A Nashville, while Civale will step directly into Chicago’s rotation. The Brewers are reportedly sending cash to offset the difference in remaining salary between Civale’s $8MM sum and Vaughn’s $5.85MM figure.

It’s a quick turnaround after Civale requested a trade away from Milwaukee on Thursday. Civale’s trade request came on the heels of the club’s decision earlier this week to bump him from the rotation in order to call up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski. Civale, a free agent after the 2025 campaign who struggled a bit last year but has pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 3.92 FIP in four starts since returning from the injured list last month, evidently wants to hold onto a rotation job to set himself up for success in free agency this winter as much as possible.

The 30-year-old’s wish was promptly granted, as he’s now headed for the White Sox. The South Siders have no real hope of competing for a playoff spot this year, but with a patchwork rotation that features multiple Rule 5 draftees it’s not hard to see Civale as a potentially substantial upgrade for their starting rotation. While a team headed for their second-consecutive 100-loss campaign acquiring a rental starting pitcher in the middle of the season is a rare occurrence, one can see the logic from Chicago’s perspective given that they’ll have the opportunity to flip Civale to a club with postseason aspirations closer to the trade deadline.

The logic is particularly sound for the White Sox given the player they’re giving up in return. Vaughn was the third-overall pick in the 2019 draft and a longtime top 100 prospect, but his major league career has been a disappointment so far. He entered the 2025 season with a career .253/.310/.415 (102 wRC+) slash line at the major league level and has had just one season where he had hit at a clip substantially better than league average. Things took a more pronounced nosedive this year, as he’s slashed just .189/.218/.314 (44 wRC+) across 48 games for the White Sox in 2025. It’s the lowest on-base percentage of any player with at least 120 plate appearances in the majors this year, and his -1.3 fWAR this season is dead last among all hitters who have stepped up to the plate in the majors this season. The Sox optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte a few weeks ago and he has hit .211/.328/.351 in 15 games for the Knights since then.

That’s not a player the White Sox could expect to get a substantial prospect return for this summer, and while Vaughn has one year of control remaining after this one he currently has the look of a clear non-tender candidate. That surely made the opportunity to roll the dice on flipping a veteran starting pitcher a very attractive option for Chicago.

With all that being said, it’s not as though the deal doesn’t make sense for the Brewers. Civale no longer fit in an increasingly deep Brewers rotation mix, and his roster spot is likely better used on other arms more suited for bullpen duty than a veteran starter with zero career relief appearances. What’s more, Vaughn’s underlying numbers paint the picture of a player whose actual performance isn’t all that different from his previous seasons as a league average hitter. While he’s walking at a career-low 3.6% clip, he was never an especially patient hitter. His 22.3% strikeout rate is only a tick higher than last year, and his 13.3% barrel rate this season is actually the best of his career and four points better than last season. Vaughn’s ghastly .217 BABIP should improve with time, and with incumbent first baseman Rhys Hoskins likely ticketed for free agency this winter getting Vaughn on board as a much cheaper possible replacement makes sense.

In the shorter term, Vaughn will serve as minor league depth. The Brewers reportedly view him as a full-time first baseman/DH even though he has experience in the outfield.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Milwaukee was trading Civale to the White Sox. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported that Vaughn was headed back to the Brewers. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported the cash exchange.

Justin Martínez To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Diamondbacks right-hander Justin Martínez will undergo Tommy John surgery. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo relayed the info today, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix. He’ll miss the remainder of this season and a decent chunk of 2026 as well. He is already on the 15-day injured list but will be transferred to the 60-day IL once the club needs to open a roster spot.

The news is devastating but not especially surprising. Earlier this week, Martínez landed on the IL and the Diamondbacks announced his injury as a sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament. A sprain, by definition, involves some degree of stretching or tearing. Not all UCL sprains lead to surgery but many do.

Now that Martínez will go under the knife, he’ll be out of action for a long time. The surgery usually takes 14 to 18 months of recovery, so he’ll certainly out for the rest of this season. A return in the second half of 2026 is possible but not a guarantee.

That’s a huge blow for the Arizona bullpen. Martínez broke out last year with 72 2/3 innings with a 2.48 earned run average. His 11.7% walk rate was a bit high but he punched out 29.5% of batters faced and got opponents to pound 58.9% of balls in play into the ground.

Coming into 2025, he and A.J. Puk were supposed to be the anchors of the bullpen. The Snakes even gave Martínez a five-year, $18MM extension to cement him as part of the long-term plans. But Martínez has been on and off the IL this year, first due to shoulder inflammation and now this UCL injury. Puk has also been on the IL for almost two months now due to elbow inflammation.

Naturally, missing those two has hampered the bullpen. Arizona relievers have a collective 5.21 ERA this year, which is better than just the Angels, Nationals and Athletics. The club is 34-34 on the year, 4.5 games back of a playoff spot. Puk could be back at some point later in the year but they will have to try to survive without Martínez. If they hang in the race long enough to be buyers, then adding bullpen help at the deadline would make plenty of sense.

For the team, there is one silver lining. The extension they signed with Martínez contained two club options for 2030 and 2031, followed by a conditional club option for 2032. That conditional option would be worth $3MM and would be unlocked if Martínez required elbow surgery or spent a certain number of days on the injured list during the course of the deal. Now that he is going under the knife, that option will be officially available to them.

That’s assuming Martínez can get back on the mound and return to his previous form, which would prompt the Snakes to pick up those club options. Though Tommy John surgeries are quite common, not all pitchers can get 100% effectiveness back afterwards. Martínez is also undergoing the procedure for a second time, which adds to the risk. He first went under the knife as a prospect in 2021.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Brewers’ Aaron Civale Requests Trade

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The Brewers moved right-hander Aaron Civale to the bullpen yesterday in order to accommodate the promotion of top prospect Jacob Misiorowski. At the time, skipper Pat Murphy openly acknowledged that Civale — an impending free agent who’s never made a relief appearance in the majors or minors — was “not happy” about the role change. Less than 24 hours later, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that Civale has requested a trade.

Civale’s agent, Jack Toffey, tells Rosenthal and Sammon that the conversation he had with the Brewers baseball operations staff was “very professional” and that Civale would prefer to continue his career as a starter, especially with free agency on the horizon. It’s an understandable position, particularly since Civale has generally been pitching well out of the rotation recently. The 30-year-old righty landed on the injured list due to a hamstring strain after one start this season but has returned with 19 innings of 3.32 ERA ball. He’s fanned 21.3% of his opponents against a 7.5% walk rate in that time and hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of those four appearances.

The Brewers bought low on Civale in an early-July trade with the Rays last year. He’d gotten out to a rocky start to the 2024 campaign with Tampa Bay but righted the ship upon his trade to Milwaukee. In 14 starts over the season’s final three months, Civale logged a 3.53 ERA with a 20.9% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. Coupled with this year’s five starts, he’s pitched 96 innings as a Brewer and turned in a 3.84 earned run average with a 20.7% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate — all solid numbers for any team’s fourth or fifth starter.

Civale has generally averaged five innings per start, but that’s due in large part to the Brewers’ own tendency to hook their pitchers quickly. Milwaukee lets pitchers face opponents a third time in a game less often than all but one other team in baseball (Miami), and Civale’s career splits the second and third trip through a batting order are nearly identical; opponents hit him at a .257/.307/.451 clip their second time facing him in a game and .255/.310/.451 the third time. He’s markedly better facing opponents the first time in a game, but that’s true of virtually any starting pitcher. During Civale’s four-plus seasons in Cleveland — the club that originally selected him in the third round of the 2016 draft — he averaged 5 2/3 frames per start and more regularly worked into or completed six innings.

Two months ago, the Brewers having a glut of starting pitching — so much so that one of their veterans requested a trade — would have seemed laughable. Milwaukee was hit hard enough by injuries early in the year that they swung an extremely rare early-April trade to bring in some rotation help, picking up righty Quinn Priester from the Red Sox.

In the nine-plus weeks since that time, Milwaukee has gotten healthier and has seen several young arms emerge — Priester among them. Righty Chad Patrick is one of the front-runners for NL Rookie of the Year honors. Logan Henderson was brilliant in his first four MLB starts but was already optioned back to Triple-A Nashville because of Milwaukee’s depth. Misiorowski’s production in Nashville (2.13 ERA, 31.6 K%) has forced his way into the big league picture. Meanwhile, veterans like Jose Quintana and Civale himself have gotten healthy. Young lefties DL Hall and Aaron Ashby are also back from the IL and are working in multi-inning relief roles. (Hall has also had a pair of three-inning “starts” as an opener ahead of Priester.)

I took a look at the Brewers’ surprising wealth of pitching two weeks ago, noting that some tough decisions were likely on the horizon. Moving Civale to the bullpen falls into that category, particularly since a shift like that can come with precisely this type of ramification. Many fans will find a public trade request off-putting, which is a fair stance to take — just as is the case with Civale’s trade request. As a 2016 draftee, he’s been working nearly a decade to get to free agency and understandably does not love the idea of pitching in a new role that could impact his efficacy on the mound and/or his earning power on the market.

Civale is earning $8MM in 2025, his final year before free agency. As of this writing, there’s about $4.645MM of that sum yet to be paid out. In 122 major league starts, he’s pitched 658 1/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA, a 21.8% strikeout rate, a 6.5% walk rate and a 39.8% ground-ball rate.

Angels To Promote Christian Moore

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The Angels are calling up second base prospect Christian Moore, as first reported by @kat_wrld and confirmed by multiple outlets. The Halos optioned rookie outfielder Matthew Lugo during today’s off day, according to the MLB.com transaction log. They will need to make a 40-man roster move tomorrow.

This kind of aggressive promotion for top prospects is par for the course for the Angels. They skew extremely towards the college side in the draft and push their most talented minor leaguers as quickly as any organization. Each of the Halos’ past three first-round picks (Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Moore) were college hitters who were in the majors within the opening half of their first full professional season. Neto was drafted in 2022 and promoted the following April. Schanuel went from Florida Atlantic to the big leagues within two months during the ’23 season.

While Moore took the longest of the three, he’s now slated for his MLB debut around 11 months after being selected. A Tennessee product, he impressed amateur scouts by hitting .375 with 34 homers during his junior season with the Vols. Evaluators have had concerns about his defense, but he has a chance to provide rare power from an up-the-middle position.

The Halos almost immediately pushed Moore to Double-A, where he hit .322 with five homers in 23 games during his draft year. That established him as the top offensive player in a weak Halos farm system. He ranked among the sport’s top 100 talents over the winter at each of Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and ESPN.

Moore returned to Double-A to open this season. He got out to a rough start in a pitcher-friendly environment. The righty hitter only managed one homer while striking out at a 27.4% clip through 146 plate appearances. The Angels nevertheless moved him to Triple-A Salt Lake on May 13. Moore has thrived in the much more favorable Pacific Coast League, collecting four homers while hitting .350 in 20 games. He has posted consecutive multi-hit games with a home run in each of his two most recent outings.

It’s a tiny sample, but it was enough to convince the ever-aggressive Halos front office to bring him up. There’s a relatively low bar to clear to upgrade the second base position. Chris Taylor went on the injured list on Tuesday with a broken left hand. Luis Rengifo has mostly been filling in at third base for the injured Yoán Moncada. The Halos have given Scott Kingery three of the past four starts at second base. He has had a monster season in Salt Lake but has played seven MLB games since the start of the 2022 campaign.

The Angels have hung around .500 through the season’s first few months. They’ve been outscored by 50 runs, but they’re coming off a sweep of the A’s that pulled them back into second place in the AL West. They’ll hope for Moore to provide an offensive spark. He joins Jac Caglianone, Nick Kurtz and Cam Smith as members of last year’s first round to reach the big leagues. He’s the second member of the Halos’ 2024 class to get there. Second-rounder Ryan Johnson broke camp in the bullpen before being optioned to High-A last month.

Moore meets the eligibility for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. He’d earn a full year of service time if he manages a long shot top two finish in Rookie of the Year balloting. (The Angels would not receive a pick in that scenario.) Moore would otherwise remain under club control for at least a full six seasons after this one. That timeline could be delayed if he requires any more time in the minors after his first look at MLB pitching.

Image courtesy of Imagn Images.

Brewers Promote Jacob Misiorowski

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June 12: The Brewers announced today that they’ve formally selected Misiorowski’s contract. He’ll start tonight’s game. Righty Easton McGee was optioned to Triple-A in his place, while Woodruff was indeed moved to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot.

June 10: The Brewers are calling up pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The righty will start Thursday’s game against the Cardinals. Milwaukee will need to make room for him on the active and 40-man rosters. The latter should be as easy as Brandon Woodruff being transferred to the 60-day injured list since he’s already been out longer than that.

Misiorowski, 23, is one of the top prospects in baseball. The Brewers selected him with a second-round pick in the 2022 draft and signed him with a $2.35MM bonus, more than double the $1.1MM slot value for that pick.

Since then, he has been climbing the ladder with very exciting results. His fastball sits in the high-90s and can get into triple digits. He also has a curveball, slider and a lesser-used changeup. Those pitches have helped him strike out a lot of opponents though control is clearly still a work in progress.

He got a brief professional debut in 2022, making just two Single-A appearances. In 2023, he logged 71 1/3 innings while climbing as high as Double-A. He posted a 3.41 earned run average while punching out 35% of hitters, but he also gave out free passes at a high rate of 13.4%. Last year, he split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, logging 97 1/3 innings. The Brewers moved him to a relief role late in the year as a way of monitoring his workload. He had a 3.33 ERA, 30.5% strikeout rate and 14.4% walk rate.

The numbers have been similar this year. He has logged 63 1/3 Triple-A innings thus far with a 2.13 ERA and 31.6% strikeout rate. His 12.3% walk rate is an improvement for him but still about four ticks above typical major league average, which is 8% for starters this year.

Misiorowski still has some things to work on, particularly the control and the workload, but the arsenal is clearly exciting. Baseball America currently lists him as the #21 prospect in the league. FanGraphs has him at #27. ESPN’s most recent update put him at #30. Baseball Prospectus had him at #65 in the offseason. MLB Pipeline currently has him further down at #68, with a bit more concern that the control issues will eventually push him to the bullpen. Keith of Law of The Athletic had similar concerns when giving Misiorowski the #87 slot coming into the year.

Time will tell if Misiorowski is destined for the bullpen or can stick in the rotation but it’s understandable that the Brewers will keep trying the starting path until they get some clarity. There’s simply far more value in an excellent starting pitcher compared to an excellent reliever. Even if it doesn’t work out, the bullpen path will still be available as a fallback. Even Law, the most bearish of those prospect evaluators, believes Misiorowski has a future as an elite closer.

For now, the Brewers will see if Misiorowski can evolve into a big league starter. The rotation has been constantly shifting for Milwaukee this year, mostly due to injuries. Woodruff was expected to start the season on the injured list, recovering from last year’s shoulder surgery, but his rehab has also hit a few snags. He battled some ankle tendinitis and also suffered an elbow contusion from a comebacker and is still likely a few weeks away. Robert Gasser had Tommy John surgery last summer and is another guy the club knew would be on the IL to start this year.

In addition to Woodruff and Gasser, several other pitchers have missed some time. Nestor Cortes is still on the shelf, having suffered a flexor strain back in April. Tobias Myers missed time due to an oblique strain. Aaron Civale had a hamstring strain, Jose Quintana a shoulder impingement and DL Hall a lat strain.

Around all those transactions, the club has been trying to find various solutions. Quintana was a spring signing. The Brewers traded for Quinn Priester a week into April. Several minor leaguers have been called up. As the club has been spinning those plates, 12 different pitchers have started for the team already this year. Some of those have been openers, but it’s clearly been a bit of a whirlwind.

As of this moment, the rotation consists of Freddy Peralta, Civale, Priester, Quintana and Chad Patrick, with Hall doing some starting but also some long relief work. It’s not totally clear what the club plans to shift with Misiorowski’s promotion. It could simply be a spot start. Perhaps they will go with a six-man rotation for a while. Priester and Patrick both have options and could be sent down, though Patrick’s numbers this year have been far better than Priester’s.

The Brewers are still in the playoff race. Their 35-32 record currently has them just three games back of the final National League Wild Card spot. Regardless of how they perform over the next few weeks, it’s possible to imagine them trading some starting pitching this summer. Woodruff, Quintana, Civale and Cortes are all impending free agents, which would make them logical trade chips. A bolder move would be Peralta, who can be controlled through 2026 via an $8MM club option.

Sending one or more of them out of town would theoretically downgrade this year’s rotation but the Brewers could perhaps provide replacements from within the system while bolstering another part of the roster or simply adding some prospect talent. Hall could be given a more proper rotation gig. Gasser could get back in the mix later in the year. Myers, Logan Henderson and other arms are in Triple-A and could be recalled.

The Brewers don’t have a lot of spending capacity, so this kind of tough balancing act is normal for them. Recent years have seen them trade away guys like Josh Hader and Corbin Burnes while still trying to field a competitive team. Those trades usually see them targeting a mix of MLB-ready talent and prospects or draft picks. Given the number of rotation options they have in the mix now, another move of that nature may be in the cards this summer.

That will be a situation for the next few weeks. For now, one of the most electric arms in the minor leagues is coming up to the show. As a consensus top prospect, Misiorowski is eligible for the prospect promotion incentives. The Brewers can’t earn an extra draft pick based on his performance in awards voting this year because they didn’t call him up early enough. Misiorowski can earn himself a full year of service time if he finishes in the top two in Rookie of the Year voting, though that will be a long shot. The race is still fairly wide open but Misiorowski is getting called up late and is already near his personal high in innings pitched in a season, so it’s possible the club eases off his workload at some point later in the year.

Photo courtesy of Dave Kallmann, Imagn Images

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