Marlins Notes: Alcantara, Rotation, Ramirez
Sandy Alcantara‘s name is all but perpetually ingrained on the rumor mill. The Marlins are always in a state of needing to keep an open mind to trade offers regarding their stars, and he’s currently one of two members of the roster earning more than $4MM. (Closer Pete Fairbanks is earning $13MM on a one-year deal.)
Alcantara is earning $17MM in the final season of his contract, though the team holds a $21MM club option (or $2MM buyout) on the 30-year-old for the 2027 season. After a shaky 2025 campaign — his first season back from Tommy John surgery — Alcantara looks a bit more like his old self. His 3.04 ERA is quite strong, but his rate stats are less encouraging.
Alcantara’s 16.1% strikeout rate is about six points shy of average. His 7.8% walk rate is better than average but still up a ways from his 5.6% peak. Ditto his 47.2% grounder rate — it’s about five points higher than par but about six points shy of his previous top levels. On the plus side, Alcantara’s 97.3 mph average four-seamer remains strong, he’s getting good results on a new 90.1 mph cutter, and his overall 11.2% swinging-strike rate is right in line with the league average, thereby suggesting his strikeout rate could climb up in the weeks ahead.
It’s still been a strong start overall, and other clubs would surely love to get their hands on Alcantara in hopes of restoring some whiffs and adding a former Cy Young winner to their playoff rotations. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic cautions that Alcantara isn’t a lock to be traded. Beyond being a leader in the clubhouse, he’s a personal favorite of owner Bruce Sherman.
It’s not as though the Marlins, who opened the season with a comically low payroll in the $73-74MM range, feel financial pressure to trade Alcantara. If anything, the opposite might hold true. The Major League Baseball Players Association has filed grievances against the Marlins and a few other bottom-of-the-barrel payroll clubs in recent years, arguing that said teams aren’t sufficiently spending the money they receive from larger clubs via MLB’s revenue-sharing system.
In all likelihood, Alcantara will again command plenty of headlines this summer as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches. Miami is currently in second place in the NL East, but that’s a nominal feat in a generally disappointing division. The Fish are 8.5 games behind the Braves for first place. They’re technically only four games out in the Wild Card chase, but at 16-19 overall with a -28 run differential, the outlook isn’t especially rosy.
Rosenthal suggests that the Marlins could instead listen on righties Janson Junk and Max Meyer this summer, but Junk is a journeyman with a similarly low strikeout rate (17.4%) and a swinging-strike rate (8.4%) that sits considerably shy of league average. It’s doubtful another team’s going to part with much to acquire him, although given that he was a minor league free agent pickup in the 2024-25 offseason, any return would be considered found money. Meyer would make a far more compelling trade target (37 innings, 2.68 ERA/3.60 SIERA, 26 K%, 8.4 BB%), but the Marlins control the former No. 3 overall pick for three more years beyond the current season. If he’s pitching like this in July/August, the Marlins should have an even higher ask for him than they would Alcantara.
Miami probably hoped that free-agent pickup Chris Paddack would pitch well enough to make himself a deadline candidate as well, but that didn’t happen. The Fish designated him for assignment this morning, cutting bait on a $4MM contract and opening a spot in the rotation in the process. Reliever William Kempner is up from Triple-A Jacksonville to give the bullpen a fresh arm, but the Marlins will need a starting pitcher this Friday.
Braxton Garrett and top prospect Robby Snelling have been mentioned as candidates, but Fish On First reports that Garrett is still slated to make his scheduled start for Jacksonville tonight. If Garrett indeed takes the mound, he won’t be an option to start Friday. That’d be Snelling’s natural turn in the rotation. He’s been starting once every seven days in Triple-A, and his last start came on Friday, May 1.
Snelling, 22, is a former No. 39 overall pick who came to Miami from the Padres as part of the Tanner Scott trade. His stock was down a bit at the time of the swap, but he’s rebounded nicely and now ranks among the sport’s 100 best prospects. So far in six Triple-A starts, he’s posted a 1.86 ERA, a mammoth 40% strikeout rate and a concerning 13.6% walk rate. He has kept 57% of batted balls against him on the ground. He looks to have little left to prove in Triple-A after also posting a 1.27 ERA there in 11 starts last year (2.51 ERA overall in 25 starts between Double-A and Triple-A). He’s not on the 40-man roster, but the Fish have an open spot after Paddack’s DFA.
While the Marlins’ ability to develop young pitching always makes their rotation a point of focus, their catching situation has been a long-running point of focus for the opposite reasons. Miami has struggled to find a solution behind the plate since trading J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies nearly a decade ago. They’ve cycled through Jorge Alfaro, Jacob Stallings, Nick Fortes with cameos from veteran backups like Sandy Leon, Chad Wallach and Bryan Holaday.
There’s more hope on the Marlins’ catcher horizon than at any point in recent memory. Liam Hicks is enjoying a breakout showing at the plate, and Miami just called up top prospect Joe Mack for his major league debut. If Mack hits the ground running, Miami could shift from that revolving-door setup to suddenly having a pair of solid catchers on the roster — a luxury they haven’t enjoyed at any point in recent history.
Mack’s promotion coincided with a demotion for former top prospect Agustin Ramirez, but despite Ramirez’s immense defensive struggles behind the dish, the Marlins aren’t giving up on him as a catcher. Manager Clayton McCullough told the Marlins beat this week that his message to Ramirez was simple (link via MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola): “You’re going to go down to Triple-A, and you’re going to continue to catch. You’re not the first young player that has come up and had bouts of struggle and had to get optioned.”
Ramirez caught only 605 innings last year but was still dinged for a remarkable -14 Defensive Runs Saved. Statcast pegged him as the game’s least-effective catcher in terms of both throwing out would-be base thieves and even more so at blocking balls in the dirt. His minus-28 “blocks above average” was nearly double the second-worst player on the list (a 35-year-old Salvador Perez). Things haven’t improved in 2026, and Ramirez’s bat wilted as well; he hit just .230/.318/.345 in 129 plate appearances.
Ramirez was always a bat-first catcher, and the Marlins don’t have clear long-term options at first base or designated hitter. If he can get his swing back on track, there could yet be a path to seeing semi-regular time between first base, designated hitter (where he’d presumably share times with Hicks) and perhaps some occasional starts behind the plate. It’ll be Mack and Hicks getting the major league opportunities right now, but Mack is just getting his feet wet and Hicks has already cooled a bit after a blistering start to the season.
AL Injury Notes: Raleigh, Suarez, Jenkins, Smith
Cal Raleigh has missed the Mariners‘ last two games after he felt soreness in his right side in the aftermath of Friday’s game, and the team and the catcher are still waiting on MRI results to determine the extent (if any) of the injury. Speaking with the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and other reporters today, Raleigh said he felt better “compared to where it was feeling postgame Friday and [Saturday] early. Very positive, very encouraging. So that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
As a precaution, the Mariners called up catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A on Saturday when Will Wilson was placed on the 10-day IL due to a thumb fracture. Infielder Ryan Bliss joined the taxi squad today as further infield depth in Wilson’s place if the decision was made to place Raleigh on the IL, and the M’s might have to make that call by tomorrow to ensure that Raleigh’s IL stint can start within the three-day backdating period.
More on some of the many injuries that arose during today’s action in both the majors and minors…
- A hamstring strain forced Ranger Suarez out of today’s game after four innings, but the Red Sox left-hander told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey that he is hopeful the injury isn’t serious enough to cost him even his next start. Suarez will stay in Boston to rest while the Sox make a three-day mini-trip to Detroit, and an MRI isn’t planned. It’s a situation to monitor over the next few days, as the Red Sox already have six starters (including Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray) on the injured list. On top of those concerns, manager Chad Tracy told reporters that the team may use an opener ahead of Brayan Bello on Tuesday, so the struggling Bello can avoid the left-handed bats atop Detroit’s lineup.
- Top Twins prospect Walker Jenkins left today’s Triple-A game with a left shoulder injury after colliding with the outfield wall after making a catch. Jenkins was in obvious discomfort in the aftermath, and he’ll undergo testing to determine the extent of the injury. The fifth overall pick of the 2023 draft, Jenkins has hit .250/.389/.386 over 108 Triple-A plate appearances this season, and is expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 if this shoulder problem doesn’t scuttle those plans.
- Shane Smith will miss at least two weeks on the Triple-A injured list due to a right rotator cuff strain, as the White Sox announced today. The injury is another setback for Smith, who posted a 10.80 ERA in his first two big league starts this season and then a 5.27 ERA in 13 2/3 Triple-A innings after being optioned to Charlotte.
Brewers Notes: Chourio, Vaughn, Misiorowski, Henderson
Jackson Chourio‘s 2026 debut may be delayed by at least a few more days, as the outfielder fouled a ball off his left ankle during a Triple-A rehab game on Saturday. “We got an X-ray on it right away and thank God it’s negative,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters, though “we’ve got to see how he progresses. Today’s going to be a critical day.”
It isn’t uncommon to see players placed on the injured list in these instances, as even if a foul ball may not fracture or break anything, there can often be lingering soreness for days afterwards. Given Chourio’s importance to the Brewers, the team isn’t likely to rush anything in terms of his return, even if that means Chourio spends more time in Triple-A or his official rehab period is halted entirely.
Chourio knows all too well how a seemingly innocuous injury can linger, as x-rays were also negative on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during a World Baseball Classic exhibition on March 4. The outfielder went onto play in the WBC and for the Brewers during the rest of Spring Training, but some additional soreness led to a check-up MRI just prior to Opening Day, and a new diagnosis of a minor hairline fracture.
As such, Chourio has yet to see any big league action this year, and he was already beyond the initial recovery timeline of 2-to-4 weeks. Monday was expected to be his activation date from the 10-day IL, before that errant foul ball delivered another setback.
It isn’t all bad news for the start of tomorrow’s series with the Cardinals, however, as Andrew Vaughn is expected to be activated from the 10-day IL. Vaughn’s 2026 campaign consists of just one game, as he sustained a hamate bone injury on Opening Day that required surgery. His recovery process hasn’t hit any snags, so he’ll return within the usual 4-to-6 week timeline associated to hamate surgeries.
After being dealt from the White Sox to the Brewers last June, Vaughn’s bat came to life, as he hit .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs in 254 plate appearances with his new club. Jake Bauers has done decently well while getting most of the first base playing time in Vaughn’s absence, but naturally Milwaukee’s lineup will benefit from getting closer to full strength.
It also looks like Jacob Misiorowski may have dodged a bullet after leaving his last start due to a hamstring cramp. Misiorowski came out a running drill yesterday feeling fine, but Murphy cautioned that the Brew Crew won’t be fully comfortable with the right-hander’s status until he throws without any discomfort. If all goes well, Misiorowski should line up to make his next start on Wednesday in St. Louis.
Brandon Woodruff‘s placement on the 15-day IL on Friday already left Milwaukee’s rotation even more short-handed, as Quinn Priester has yet to pitch this season due to a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder. The Brewers turned to Logan Henderson for the spot start today in Woodruff’s place, and Henderson delivered a quality start in the 3-2 loss to the Nationals. Henderson allowed two runs on three hits over six innings of work, while recording eight strikeouts and zero walks.
Henderson’s young career has been plagued by injuries to date, and he has logged only 302 1/3 pro innings (269 in the minors, 33 1/3 in the majors) since he was a fourth-round pick for Milwaukee in the 2021 draft. The right-hander made his MLB debut last season in the form of 25 1/3 innings, but his rookie year was cut short by elbow inflammation in early August. While the Brewers will continue to be careful with Henderson’s innings, today’s start might well earn him more looks in the big league rotation.
Tigers Notes: Torres, Verlander, Melton
Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres left tonight’s game with left side tightness, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. He had two singles in his first two plate appearances and was thrown out at home in the first, showing no obvious signs of injury. Although Torres remained in the game through the third inning, he was replaced by Hao-Yu Lee at the keystone in the top of the fourth. Torres is undergoing further evaluation, according to McCosky.
Pulling Torres may turn out to be a cautionary move. Two of Detroit’s infielders – Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez – landed on the injured list in April. The starting infielders have done well at the plate, particularly Kevin McGonigle, but the injuries to McKinstry and Báez still depleted the Tigers’ infield depth. They called up Lee when McKinstry went down, and they also acquired Zack Short as depth yesterday. A Torres IL placement would be a more significant hit than McKinstry or Báez, though, so it makes sense for the club to pull him from the game out of caution. The team will likely announce more in the next few days, pending the outcome of Torres’ evaluations.
On the pitching side, injured right-hander Justin Verlander is set to throw a bullpen session this weekend, according to the team’s injury report. Verlander landed on the 15-day IL on April 4 due to left hip inflammation, with Keider Montero being recalled in his place. The injury was described as minor and the IL placement precautionary, though it was perhaps unsurprising given the injuries Verlander has experienced in his 40s. It’s unclear if he will require a rehab assignment. It’s possible the team will have a clearer timeline pending the outcome of the bullpen session.
As with their infield, Detroit’s rotation depth has been tested recently. Casey Mize had a 2.90 ERA through 31 innings but was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday for a right adductor strain. Jack Flaherty has a 5.90 ERA and has failed to complete five innings in five of his seven starts. Montero has filled in decently, but the lack of depth behind Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez may be a point of concern going forward. A quick return for Verlander would go a long way to improving that, especially if he can repeat his serviceable back-end performance from 2025 with the Giants.
Troy Melton will also factor into the rotation depth. He was placed on the 60-day IL in early March after being slowed in camp by elbow inflammation. According to the team’s announcement, Melton is set to begin a rehab assignment with the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate tomorrow. The righty had a 2.76 ERA in 45 2/3 innings as a swingman last year and will continue to be built up as a starter. He’ll need a longer rehab assignment to build his pitch count, but he could vie for starts in a month or so if all goes well.
AL East Notes: Volpe, Caballero, Crochet, Gray, Berrios
Sunday is the final day of Anthony Volpe‘s 20-day minor league rehabilitation period, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty) that Volpe will remain at Double-A Somerset for the entirety of the 20-man window, and “then we’ll kind of reevaluate where we are.” Once the rehab period is up, the Yankees must either reinstate Volpe to the active roster or option the shortstop to Triple-A.
As Volpe finishes up his recovery from October shoulder surgery, it can’t be ignored that the Yankees haven’t really missed him at shortstop. Jose Caballero has delivered strong defense at the position, speed (a league-best 12 stolen bases), and a .266/.310/.422 slash line over 116 plate appearances. The offensive numbers translate to an above-average 105 wRC+, which is significantly better than the 85 wRC+ Volpe has posted over 1886 PA in three seasons in the Bronx. While the Yankees didn’t make a bigger addition over the offseason to officially bump Volpe out of the starting shortstop role, Caballero might’ve simply pipped Volpe out of the job, leaving Volpe in something of an uncertain state within the organization.
Some other items from the AL East….
- An MRI on Garrett Crochet‘s left shoulder revealed only inflammation, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters. Crochet won’t start throwing until at least Monday, as the southpaw will work on shoulder-strengthening exercises over the weekend. While Tracy said there’s “no timetable on” when Crochet could be back in Boston’s rotation, it remains possible the left-hander may still miss only the minimum 15 days on the IL, though obviously the team won’t rush their ace until he is fully ready.
- In other Red Sox rotation news, Sonny Gray threw a three-inning live batting practice session on Friday, in what could be the last step before his activation from the 15-day IL. Gray hasn’t pitched since April 20 due to a hamstring strain, but the injury is seemingly minor enough that Gray could be back in Boston’s rotation as early as Wednesday.
- Jose Berrios will make his fourth rehab start on Sunday with Triple-A Buffalo, Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling). It is possible this may be Berrios’ final tune-up, as the right-hander tossed 70 pitches in his previous outing on April 28, and felt good after throwing a bullpen session yesterday. A stress fracture in his right elbow has kept Berrios from pitching in the majors this season, and he also dealt with biceps tendon inflammation late in 2025 that kept him from participating in the Jays’ playoff run.
Yankees Notes: Stanton, Volpe, DeJong
Giancarlo Stanton has been absent from the Yankees’ lineup since an early exit due to discomfort in his right calf Friday night. The team hasn’t announced a formal move regarding the slugging designated hitter but is expected to make a call on a potential IL stint one way or another prior to tonight’s game, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. With outfielder Jasson Dominguez reportedly on his way to join the big league club, it seems likely that Stanton will require at least a brief trip to the injured list.
Stanton, 36, is out to a .256/.302/.442 start with three homers through his first 96 trips to the plate. It’s not his typical level of production, but Stanton’s 30.2% strikeout rate — while still way higher than the 22.2% league average — is down from last year’s 34.2% mark. His batted-ball numbers remain excellent; he’s averaging 94.1 mph off the bat with a strong 44.3% hard-hit rate and a huge 18% barrel rate, per Statcast.
If Stanton heads to the injured list, the Yankees can use the vacant DH spot to get Dominguez some at-bats and perhaps get partial days off for the outfield trio of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. That quartet can rotate through the three outfield spots and the designated hitter slot.
The Yankees optioned righty Luis Gil over the weekend, so there’s no need to make a corresponding 26-man roster move to get Dominguez up to the majors. However, swapping Dominguez out for Gil would leave the Yankees with 14 position players to 12 pitchers. A second move to subtract a position player from the roster in favor of a pitcher (e.g. placing Stanton on the IL and recalling Gil or another arm from Triple-A) would make sense.
There could be other roster machinations in the works, too. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, who’s spent the first month of the season on the injured list while finishing off rehab from shoulder surgery, is expected to return this week, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. Romero suggests that Volpe will play a couple more games with the Yankees’ Double-A team this week and be activated Wednesday or Thursday.
Volpe, who’ll be 25 tomorrow, struggled through the worst season of his career in 2025. The former top prospect slashed just .212/.272/.391 in 153 games and 596 plate appearances. He connected on 19 home runs and swiped 18 bags, but Volpe saw diminished contact levels within the strike zone and had his worst career performance against fastballs. The dip in production was a mystery for much of the season, but manager Aaron Boone revealed in September that Volpe had a “small” tear of the labrum in his left shoulder and had been battling shoulder pain since May. He underwent surgery to repair the tear in October.
Through his first eight rehab games, Volpe has turned in a .308/.333/.423 batting line. It’s only 23 plate appearances, but it’s an encouraging small-sample stretch for the young shortstop. His return will push the Yankees to make some decisions on the roster.
Jose Caballero has filled in plenty capably at shortstop in Volpe’s absence. He’s batting .271/.314/.417 with three homers and a hefty 11 steals through his first 27 games. Caballero isn’t going anywhere, both due to that production and the fact that he’s controllable through the 2029 season. Volpe could push him to a utility role, but he’s not going to lose his roster spot. Bench infielder Amed Rosario has had a nice start and is hitting both righties and lefties well; he’s safe, too.
The simplest path would be to send Dominguez back to Scranton when Volpe returns. If the Yankees want to give Dominguez a bigger look after he hit .326/.415/.478 with a 12.3% walk rate and just a 15.1% strikeout rate in 106 Triple-A plate appearances, there are alternatives to consider. Paul Goldschmidt was brought back to platoon with Ben Rice at first base but hasn’t hit lefties in a small sample this year. Outfielder Randal Grichuk has had similar struggles. Both players have tallied only 33 plate appearances and have track records of note, however.
If the Yankees don’t want to go with an early boot for either veteran, they could option catcher J.C. Escarra to Triple-A and use Rice and and Austin Wells as their two catchers. Rice hasn’t gotten behind the plate at all this season but caught 229 innings last year and has plenty of minor league experience. It’s always possible that another injury will pop up between now and Volpe’s planned activation window and make the answer more straightforward.
One other infielder to keep in mind is veteran Paul DeJong. He’s currently in Triple-A on a minor league contract but can opt out of his deal at the end of the month. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that DeJong has already informed the Yankees that he’ll be taking the opt-out opportunity if he’s not added to the roster.
DeJong, still only 32 years old, has belted six homers in his first 78 plate appearances with the Yankees’ Scranton affiliate in 2026. The longtime Cardinals shortstop is batting .213/.359/.541 with a huge 17.9% walk rate against a manageable 21.8% strikeout rate in that time. Like Volpe, Caballero and Rosario, DeJong is a right-handed hitting infielder. He’s a more capable option at shortstop than Rosario but typically a lighter hitter.
The presence of three other righty-swinging infielders on the roster doesn’t bode well for DeJong’s chances, but it’s possible there’ll be some shuffling to accommodate him. If not, DeJong can take a longstanding track record of strong defense and a hot minor league start to the open market and see if an infield-needy team has a spot for him — or at least a less-crowded path to breaking through than the one he currently faces in the Bronx.
NL Central Notes: Jones, Lodolo, Trevino, Pages
A little over 11 months after undergoing an internal brace surgery, Jared Jones is slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday with the Pirates‘ low-A affiliate in Bradenton. Pirates GM Ben Cherington made the announcement on his weekly radio show, telling MLB.com’s Jason Mackey that Jones has “passed all the physical checks. He pitched in an extended game last week [and] was up to 100 mph. He has the velocity and has been recovering well. Now he has to get back into that routine of being a pitcher and getting outs.”
While Paul Skenes naturally garnered most of the headlines in 2024, Jones also made his big league debut that season and posted a 4.14 ERA over 121 2/3 innings and 22 starts. He hasn’t been able to follow up on that solid rookie campaign due to elbow problems that surfaced late in Spring Training 2025, though Jones was able to avoid a full Tommy John surgery. The shorter timeline usually associated with an internal brace procedure means that Jones is on track to return to Pittsburgh by late May or early June, if all goes well in his rehab. Interestingly, Mackey floated the idea that Jones could be used as a piggyback starter or even as a reliever if the Buccos want to limit his innings in his return from major surgery, as the Pirates’ rotation is strong enough at the moment that Jones isn’t necessarily needed for starting duty right away.
More from the NL Central…
- Nick Lodolo recorded seven strikeouts and allowed only two hits over five scoreless innings and 51 pitches for high-A Dayton in the first start of the Reds southpaw’s latest rehab assignment. Lodolo has yet to pitch in the majors this season due to blister problems that arose during Spring Training, and more blisters cut short his first rehab start with Dayton back on April 2. A few more weeks of recovery may have finally gotten the problem under control, though the extra time away means Lodolo will need another rehab start or two to build up his arm strength. Despite a lack of hitting and the absence of top starters Lodolo and Hunter Greene, the Reds weathered the storm to post an 18-10 record in their first 28 games.
- The Reds also activated catcher Jose Trevino from the 10-day injured list prior to today’s game with the Tigers, and catcher P.J. Higgins was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move. A thoracic spine strain has kept Trevino out of action since April 4. Now in his second season with the Reds, Trevino will resume his duties as a glove-first backup behind starting catcher Tyler Stephenson.
- Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages left Saturday’s game due to left hamstring tightness, but Pages told media (including Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that he is day to day after scans revealed no substantive damage. “Everything’s intact from the hamstring. It’s just more swelling in the area, which is fine. I just got to flush it out and be ready to go,” Pages said. The backstop didn’t play today but believed he could be ready Monday when the Cardinals open a series in Pittsburgh. Though the Cards don’t have an off-day until May 11, they have the catching depth to afford Pages extra rest time if necessary since Ivan Herrera and Yohel Pozo are both on the active roster. Known more for his glove than his bat, Pages has a respectable 101 wRC+ (from a .250/.310/.404 slash line) over his first 59 plate appearances.
AL West Injury Notes: Imai, O’Hoppe, Montgomery
Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai landed on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with what the team called right arm fatigue, but he is progressing well in his rehab. Imai is set to throw a bullpen session tomorrow and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment as early as Tuesday, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic and other media. [UPDATE: Imai will indeed start his rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi, as per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.] Although the exact nature of his arm fatigue isn’t clear, the team is surely hoping he’ll be back sooner rather than later.
Imai signed a three-year, $54MM deal with the club over the offseason, which fell below industry expectations for the former Japanese star. He has had a rough beginning, allowing seven earned runs and 11 unintentional walks in just 8 2/3 innings over three starts. That’s a very small sample, of course, and there is still plenty of time for Imai to establish himself as a big-league starter. For the Astros, the big picture concern is the fact that so many of their starting pitchers are injured right now. Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are both out with Grade 2 right shoulder strains and won’t return for another 4-6 weeks. The struggling pitching staff, which has a 5.97 ERA overall, is the main reason the club is out to a 10-18 start in 2026.
A couple other injury notes from the AL West:
- Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe was removed from today’s game due to left wrist irritation, the team announced. O’Hoppe took a foul ball off his wrist and finished the inning after being visited by the trainer. Travis d’Arnaud took over behind the plate in the eighth. O’Hoppe is now in his third season as the club’s starting catcher, though he has not been a productive hitter since 2024, when he posted a 102 wRC+ in 522 plate appearances. He declined in 2025, posting a mere 72 wRC+, and has been about the same to start 2026. It is unclear whether O’Hoppe will miss any time. Given the wrist irritation is in his receiving hand, the club might opt to play it safe for the next few days to avoid compromising his defense. He and d’Arnaud are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, so any absence might motivate the team to scour the waiver wire for a depth option.
- Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery threw a bullpen session today and will have at least one more before progressing to face live hitters, according to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. Based on that, he seems to be on track in his recovery from March 2025. Montgomery signed a one-year, major-league deal with the Rangers in February, with the expectation that he would start the year on the 60-day injured list before returning later in the season. His last season as an effective starter was in 2023, when he was worth 4.2 fWAR in 32 starts between the Cardinals and the World-Series winning Rangers. Now 33 and coming off an extended absence, he won’t be expected to replicate that upon his return. In the best case for Montgomery, he could slot in as a back-end arm if Jacob deGrom or Nathan Eovaldi gets injured or one of Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter underperforms.
Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
AL East Injury Notes: Stanton, Rodón, Gray, Melton
Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton exited yesterday’s game against the Astros in the sixth inning with right calf tightness. Manager Aaron Boone downplayed the seriousness of this issue, telling Chandler Rome of The Athletic it was “too early” for him to be concerned. “Hopefully we got ahead of anything serious, but we’ll just see where he’s at tomorrow,” said Boone. Stanton is on the bench for today’s game, and no injury list move is pending as of now.
The 36-year-old missed the first half of last season with injuries to both his elbows. Dating back to the 2021 season, he has missed roughly one third of his team’s games, mostly due to lower body injuries. Even so, he remains a crucial part of the lineup. In last year’s half-season, Stanton hit 24 home runs and posted a .321 isolated slugging percentage, his highest mark since coming to New York in 2018. He is not quite at that level so far in 2026, though the team would obviously prefer him healthy and in the lineup. If he eventually misses time this year, that could result in DH at bats for role players like Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario, neither of whom is an inspiring option in a larger role.
A few more injury notes out of the AL East:
- On the pitching side in New York, left-hander Carlos Rodón made his first rehab start yesterday for the Yankees’ High-A affiliate. According to Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru of MLB.com, the club anticipates he’ll need three rehab starts before rejoining the rotation. Assuming he stays on track, that could put him in line to start at the end of the May 8-10 series against the Brewers, or possibly against Baltimore from May 11-13. New York’s rotation has been exceptional to start the year, posting league-best marks in ERA (2.61) and K-BB rate (19.7%). Luis Gil has been the only weak spot, so he’s the likeliest candidate for a demotion when Rodón makes his return.
- Injured Red Sox starter Sonny Gray is traveling with the team and set to throw a bullpen session on Monday, per manager Alex Cora (link via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). That implies the right-hander, who was placed on the 15-day IL on Monday, will not require a rehab assignment and could return with a minimal absence. That would be welcome news for Boston, as their rotation has struggled to a 4.61 ERA through their first 26 games. Gray isn’t off to a great start himself, but he was a capable mid-rotation arm from 2023-25, so the club is unbothered by the results in a small sample size. His eventual return may spell a demotion for Payton Tolle, who struck out 11 hitters in six innings in his season debut on Thursday.
- Rays outfield prospect Jacob Melton has a Grade 2 left ankle sprain and is out of game action for 4-6 weeks, according to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. Melton, who was acquired in a three-team trade in December, currently ranks as the club’s third-best prospect according to MLB.com. He is likely to see time in the Majors this year. The starting outfielders – Chandler Simpson, Jake Fraley, and Cedric Mullins – all have plus range or arm strength, but they are also below-average hitters. Melton’s scouting report mentions room for improvement on his hit tool, though he flashed plus power at Triple-A in 2024-25 and is a solid defender.
Photo courtesy of Maria Lysaker, Imagn Images
Orioles Notes: Akin, Kittredge, O’Neill, Kremer, Holliday
Injuries have (again) been a major storyline of the Orioles’ season, but the team announced today that left-hander Keegan Akin has been activated from the 15-day injured list. Akin’s return comes a day after Andrew Kittredge and Tyler O’Neill were both activated Friday from the 15-day IL and seven-day concussion IL, respectively. Right-hander Cameron Foster was optioned to Triple-A for Akin, while outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez and right-hander Jose Espada were optioned to Triple-A yesterday for Kittredge and O’Neill.
Both Akin (groin strain) and Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) had spent the entire season on the IL, and Kittredge made his season debut yesterday, tossing a 1-2-3 inning out of the bullpen in the Orioles’ 10-3 win over the Red Sox. Initially signed to a one-year, $9MM contract in the 2024-25 offseason, Kittredge was dealt to the Cubs at last summer’s trade deadline, but Chicago then swapped Kittredge back to Baltimore in early November, and the O’s exercised a $9MM club option on the reliever’s services for 2026.
Kittredge and Akin are expected to be high-leverage arms in Baltimore’s pen, and Akin is the team’s top left-handed relief option. With both Akin and Dietrich Enns out of action, Grant Wolfram had been the Orioles’ only southpaw reliever for the last several days.
O’Neill was sidelined after hitting .241/.353/.345 over his first 34 plate appearances, and since he didn’t play yesterday, April 8 remains the outfielder’s last game. The always-uncertain nature of concussion symptoms led to an absence of over two weeks, yet hopefully O’Neill has now put the issue entirely behind him.
Even with three players now back in action, Baltimore’s injured list remains 10 players deep. Dean Kremer was the latest player sidelined, as the right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday (retroactive to April 20) due to a right quad strain. Right-hander Brandon Young was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Young started Friday’s game in Kremer’s place, getting the win while allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings of work.
Young will probably get an extended run as Baltimore’s fifth starter since Kremer will miss “several weeks,” as O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters. Elias said Kremer’s injury surfaced during his between-starts prep work, and that “our plan is to try to keep his arm in as good of shape as possible because it’s not bothering him too much to throw right now, but we’ve got to let that thing heal and get his lower body condition back.”
The injury is another setback in what has already been an unusual season for Kremer, who began the season in Triple-A simply because the Orioles had five preferred options in their starting rotation. Zach Eflin‘s Tommy John surgery created an avenue for Kremer’s return, and the righty posted a 4.09 ERA over two starts and 11 innings before his quad strain surfaced.
With Kremer out and Eflin gone for the entire season, Cade Povich is now the Orioles’ top depth arm if another injury should strike the rotation. Albert Suarez and Tyler Wells are both ex-starters turned into multi-inning relievers, and conceivably either pitcher could be stretched out again for at least a piggyback type of role if even more starting help was needed beyond Povich.
Elias provided some updates to Kubatko and company on several other O’s players, including the news that Enns (foot infection) also seems to be nearing a return from the 15-day IL. Heston Kjerstad (hamstring strain) has yet to play this season, but is participating in full baseball activities and could be close to a minor league rehab assignment.
Concerns were raised earlier this week when Jackson Holliday underwent a fresh set of tests on his injured right hand, but Elias said the MRI, CT scan, and x-rays all came back clean. Holliday underwent hamate bone surgery on February 12 and was expected to start playing within the usual four to eight weeks, but his rehab work has now been paused twice due to continued soreness in the right hand.
Holliday discussed his latest setback with reporters yesterday, saying that a foul tip in Tuesday’s rehab game left him feeling “like I broke my hand again. Obviously, kind of concerning taking a swing and having that kind of pain, but I guess it’s not normal, but obviously nothing structurally wrong, and I guess whenever a tendon rolls over a nerve it can kind of cause that.”
The plan is to keep Holliday shut down for another week before restarting the rehab process. The clean tests at least provided some evidence that Holliday’s continued hand problems aren’t anything overtly serious, and Elias described the situation as “all within the possible normal spectrum of outcomes with the hamate injury….We’ve seen these come really quick for some players, and others take a long time to feel like themselves. So we want to let him get through this on an individual basis, and we’re giving him as much time as he needs, but we’re eager to have him back and welcome back with open arms once he’s ready.”