Notes

Dodgers Notes: Rushing, Sasaki, Snell, Glasnow

By Steve Adams | May 15, 2025 at 9:44am CDT

The Dodgers have gotten top catching prospect Dalton Rushing looks at first base and in the corner outfield to expand his defensive portfolio, but Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that at least for the time being, Rushing will serve only as a catcher in the majors. The 24-year-old is set to make his MLB debut tonight when catching a bullpen game, and the plan is for him to catch twice a week while also participating in daily game-planning meetings, catching bullpen sessions and serving as a true understudy to veteran backstop Will Smith.

Rushing, the No. 40 overall draft pick in 2022, has torched Triple-A pitching dating back to 2024. He’s tallied 301 plate appearances there and turned in a .289/.409/.512 batting line, taking walks in more than 15% of his plate appearances along the way. Perhaps down the road, Rushing could see time at other positions if his bat again forces the team’s hand, but manager Dave Roberts likened today’s promotion to that of Smith several years ago.

“We did it with Will before his rookie year (when we) brought him up in September to get assimilated with how we do things on the game-planning stuff,” said the skipper. “In one sense, to not take at-bats every day, you could see some downside. But I think that having (him) here in this environment, around our pitchers, around our coaches … I think just net sum was more positive.”

Rushing will likely get the nod behind the dish tonight in a bullpen game that would have gone to right-hander Roki Sasaki were it not for a trip to the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder impingement. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez writes that Sasaki’s shoulder discomfort began earlier this month. The right-hander himself described the issue as not necessarily painful, but limited mobility in his shoulder. Even in the absence of strict pain, sub-optimal range of motion in the shoulder is an obvious detriment to any pitcher’s ability on the mound.

The onset of the discomfort appears particularly evident when looking at Sasaki’s game log. He averaged 96.4 mph on his heater through his first six starts of the season but sat at 94.8 mph in each of his two most recent turns. His splitter had a similar drop, going from 85.2 mph on average to 84 mph. Even prior to his recent velo dip, Sasaki wasn’t throwing as hard as he did in Japan. Still, the results in those two most recent outings weren’t pretty — eight runs on 11 hits and four walks with only four strikeouts in nine innings pitched — and the Dodgers will now give that ailing shoulder a break.

A firm timetable for Sasaki’s absence isn’t yet established. Gonzalez notes that at least for now, Sasaki isn’t expected to receive any kind of injection to treat the shoulder. He’ll be down for a to-be-determined period, but the Dodgers will be back to a five-man rotation in short order, with Clayton Kershaw’s return set for this weekend.

Also on the mend are top starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Jack Harris of the L.A. Times reports that Snell was throwing in the outfield yesterday and is again moving forward with his throwing program after it was pushed back last week. Gonzalez adds that Glasnow, too, has been cleared to resume throwing. Both former All-Stars will need to progress through several milestones and then head out on a minor league rehab assignment, so a return for either isn’t exactly just around the corner — but it’s nevertheless encouraging to hear that both are trending in the right direction.

Dodgers Notes: Phillips, Edman, Hernández

By Darragh McDonald | May 12, 2025 at 1:03pm CDT

The Dodgers put right-hander Evan Phillips on the 15-day injured list last week due to forearm discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts initially downplayed the issue but the prognosis changed in the following days, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“Our expectation is on that 16th day, he’ll be back active,” Roberts previously said. Phillips himself also relayed his belief that he would be back after a minimum absence but that will not be the case. An MRI discovered inflammation in his elbow and he’s going to be shut down from throwing for “a couple weeks,” in Roberts’ words. Even if everything goes smoothly and he feels better after that shutdown, he will then have to ramp back up again.

It’s been a challenging on-and-off period for Phillips going back to last year. Late in 2024, he was dealing with irritation in his shoulder and arm fatigue, as well as tightness in his lat, triceps and biceps. He was left off the club’s World Series roster. He was diagnosed with a small tear of a tendon in his rotator cuff during the playoffs, though that information didn’t come out until early in 2025. He started the current season on the IL due to that strain and was eventually reinstated but only pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Dodgers before this latest issue put him back on the shelf.

Phillips is one of 13 pitchers on the Dodgers’ IL at the moment. That’s not entirely unexpected as several of them underwent major surgeries last year and the team has a broad willingness to bet on talented but injury-prone pitchers. The team is doing fine in spite of that, as their 27-14 record is the best in the majors. Perhaps that allows them to be cautious with Phillips, as opposed to pushing him through an injury before he’s ready.

Whenever he’s healthy again, he will add another weapon to the pitching staff. Dating back to the start of the 2022 season, he has thrown 184 2/3 innings for the Dodgers with a 2.14 earned run average, 29.6% strikeout rate and 6.6% walk rate.

Plunkett also relays updates on infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman and outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who are both on the 10-day IL. Edman landed there a couple of weeks ago due to ankle inflammation while Hernández suffered an adductor strain last week. The Dodgers are bringing minor league pitchers to the park for some live batting practice this week, with both Edman and Hernández set to take part.

Somewhat similar to the Phillips situation, Edman’s injury was initially framed as very mild but has lingered longer than expected. Even though he’s going to take some swings, he is still having trouble running and Roberts estimates that Edman is only about 80% recovered.

With those two out, more playing time has gone to guys like Hyeseong Kim and James Outman. Kim has no walks and no extra-base hits, leading to a flat line of .318/.318/.318 so far, while Outman has a dreadful .067/.176/.267 slash. That latter line is in just 17 plate appearances but Outman struggled last year as well, hitting .147/.256/.265. Before their IL placements, Edman was hitting .252/.295/.523 while Hernández was at .315/.333/.600, so getting them back on the roster would give a boost to an already-strong Dodger team.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Nationals Notes: Susana, Cavalli, Law

By Mark Polishuk | May 11, 2025 at 10:35pm CDT

Top pitching prospect Jarlin Susana has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 UCL sprain, and will be shut down from throwing for the next two weeks. Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman) that the team will then evaluate Susana’s next steps at that time, but for now, Martinez described the injury as a “best-case scenario” given the initial concerns over Susana’s elbow.

The right-hander is far from out of the woods yet, as he’ll still be facing a significant absence even if he avoids surgery and doesn’t have any further arm discomfort. As Zuckerman notes, if Susana’s recovery doesn’t take and ends up needing a surgery anyway, this early hopeful diagnosis could end up costing Susana some time and only delay his time on the sidelines.

Acquired as part of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the Padres in 2022, Susana was a consensus pick on preseason top-100 lists, topping out at 19th overall on Fangraphs’ ranking of the game’s best prospects. Other evaluators like ESPN (53th), Baseball America (67th), and MLB Pipeline (79th) were a little less bullish, but the bottom line is that the fourth-year pro has plenty of potential.

Advancing to the Double-A level for the first time this season, Susana has a 4.15 ERA and a 31.1% strikeout rate in 26 innings in Harrisburg, though his walk rate has swelled to 16.4%. Control problems have long been the biggest issue facing Susana, who is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the minors. His plus-plus fastball sits at or above the 100mph threshold, and Susana also has an excellent slider as a secondary offering. While Susana has a promising future as a starter, he might also project as a future closer given the one-two punch of his fastball/slider combo.

Speaking of injured Nationals pitchers, Cade Cavalli was officially activated off the 15-day injured list today and optioned to Triple-A. Cavalli underwent a Tommy John surgery in March 2023 and ran into a setback in the form of dead arm syndrome during his rehab process last year. Cavalli pitched 8 1/3 minor league innings over three appearances in the minors in 2024, and he has a 5.27 ERA over 13 2/3 innings (across three different minor league levels) this season during another rehab assignment.

Washington put Cavalli on the big league IL to begin the season, so as Zuckerman observes, officially ending that IL stint is at least a good sign that Cavalli’s health problems at behind him. He can now continue to pitch in the minors outside of the limits of a rehab assignment, though it will still be a while before Cavalli builds up enough arm strength to make a return to the Nationals’ rotation a possibility.

Cavalli was the 22nd overall pick of the 2020 draft, and was also top-100 prospect before the TJ surgery interrupted his career. The right-hander did get a cup of coffee in the majors, as Cavalli’s MLB resume consists of a single start (4 1/3 innings) in August 2022.

Derek Law also started the season on the 15-day IL due to forearm inflammation, and Zuckerman reports that Law is set to throw off a mound this week for the first time since Spring Training. A right flexor strain put Law on the IL late in the 2024 season, and some continued discomfort from that injury lingered throughout the offseason, and kept Law from pitching throughout almost all of the Nationals’ spring camp. Initially considered to be a relatively precautionary IL placement, Law’s forearm problem has now cost him a quarter of the season, and it seems like he’ll miss at least the rest of May since he’ll need plenty of time to ramp up.

Giants Notes: Hicks, Encarnacion, First Base

By Nick Deeds | May 11, 2025 at 10:59am CDT

Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks made his eighth start of the season on Friday, posting six innings of three-run ball against the Twins. He struck out six while issuing zero walks in the quality effort, but even after that outing his season ERA sits at a lackluster 5.82. The right-hander’s difficult start to the season has led to questions about whether or not he’ll continue to get starts in the San Francisco rotation, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that manager Bob Melvin stood by the 28-year-old in his comments after Friday’s game.

While Melvin acknowledged that the possibility of a return to the bullpen is “always potentially there” due the hard-throwing righty’s years of success in a relief role with the Cardinals, he added that the Giants are “not talking about that at this point.” The presence of Hicks in the rotation alongside veterans Logan Webb, Justin Verlander, and Robbie Ray leaves just one spot in the club’s starting mix for a young arm. That spot is currently being occupied by Landen Roupp, who has a lackluster 4.89 ERA in seven starts this year but strong peripherals, including a 3.95 FIP.

The inclusion of Roupp and Hicks in the rotation leaves right-hander Hayden Birdsong and southpaw Kyle Harrison both limited to bullpen roles for the time being. Both have taken to their new jobs quite well, with Birdsong posting a 1.47 ERA in 18 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen this season while Harrison has five strikeouts in three hitless innings since being called up to the majors last week. Both hurlers clearly have the arsenals necessary to start, but it’s unclear when an opportunity for either player will arise barring injuries within the current starting five.

Moving on to the lineup, the club has been without slugger Jerar Encarnacion all season after suffering a fracture in his hand just before Opening Day and undergoing surgery shortly thereafter. Encarnacion slashed .248/.277/.425 in 35 games for the Giants last year and a strong camp with San Francisco earned him the opportunity to serve as their everyday DH this year before his injury changed things. Since then, veteran Wilmer Flores has taken over as the club’s primary DH and has bounced back from a lackluster 2024 season to hit a solid .245/.295/.410 in 149 trips to the plate so far this year.

Slusser writes that the Giants like the idea of keeping Flores in that primary DH role in order to keep the 33-year-old healthier throughout the season. That might seem as though it leaves Encarnacion, primarily an outfielder and DH, without a spot in the lineup as he gears up for a rehab assignment, but Slusser notes that Melvin told reporters Encarnacion will be seeing time at first base during his rehab assignment. LaMonte Wade Jr. has hit a paltry .150./246/.252 in 123 plate appearances as the club’s primary first baseman this year, and Encarnacion could potentially take over the position for the time being, or at least provide a possible offensive upgrade over David Villar as a platoon partner for Wade. Whoever gets reps at first base will be feeling pressure from the minor leagues given the presence of consensus top-25 prospect Bryce Eldridge in the minors, but the 20-year-old has just 15 games at the Double-A level this year and is unlikely to be considered for a promotion to the majors until later in the year if he’s even on the radar to debut this year at all.

AL West Notes: Trout, Wesneski, Kirby, Gilbert

By Nick Deeds | May 10, 2025 at 10:58pm CDT

When Angels superstar Mike Trout first went on the injured list just over a week ago due to a bone bruise in his left knee, Trout expressed optimism that he would be able to return after a minimum stay. He’s eligible to be activated on Sunday, but that ultimately will not come to pass. Trout told reporters (including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com) that while he’s resumed swinging a bat with no issues, he has yet to begin running.

The good news is, that could change fairly soon. Trout indicated that he’ll be traveling with the Angels to San Diego for their upcoming series against the Padres this week, and there’s “a good chance” that he’ll start running on that road trip. Trout added that the pain he was feeling in his knee that led to the IL stint has now dissipated, and the veteran is encouraged enough by the progress that a return in the somewhat near future seems to be on the table, though an exact timeline won’t be able to be established until Trout resumes running.

Obviously, the face of the Angels franchise returning to the field will be a key factor in whatever hopes the club may have of clawing its way back into the AL playoff picture. A strong start to the 2025 campaign for the Halos has largely been snuffed out at this point, as they own a lackluster 15-22 record and are currently sitting in fifth place in the AL West. Even side from the odds of playoff baseball in Anaheim, however, Trout’s return to action would be reason for celebration for fans all around the game. A slam-dunk Hall of Famer who was on track to become one of the greatest players in history just a few years ago, Trout has appeared in just 295 games since the start of the 2021 season and will be looking to have his first mostly-healthy campaign since 2022 once he returns from the injured list.

More from around the AL West…

Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski went on the injured list yesterday due to discomfort in his right elbow. It’s an ominous diagnosis that resulted in the righty being sent for imaging, but manager Joe Espada told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) this afternoon that while Wesneski’s MRI showed inflammation in his elbow, the club felt that they “couldn’t get a good read of what’s going on.” Espada added that the club’s plan is now to give Wesneski a few more days of rest in hopes that the inflammation will calm down before trying to reassess the situation and decide on next steps. It’s an update that offers little clarity on Wesneski’s path forward, much less a timetable for his return. The right-hander pitched to middling results in six starts for Houston this year after being acquired from the Cubs as part of the Kyle Tucker trade, with a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings of work.
The Mariners are without co-aces George Kirby and Logan Gilbert at the moment. Kirby has yet to pitch this year after beginning the season on the shelf due to shoulder inflammation, while tightness in Gilbert’s forearm shut him down near the end of last month. Seattle GM Justin Hollander told reporters (including Daniel Kramer of MLB.com) yesterday that Kirby would make one more rehab start after today’s outing with Triple-A Tacoma. That would put him in line to be activated at some point during the club’s upcoming road trip, perhaps either against the White Sox or the Astros. Gilbert, meanwhile, is further from a return given that he’s still just playing catch. Hollander did suggest, however, that the righty could resume throwing off the mound in the coming days. Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans are filling in for Kirby and Gilbert in the club’s rotation in the meantime.

Padres Notes: Cronenworth, Cease, King, Suarez

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2025 at 3:45pm CDT

The Padres activated Jake Cronenworth from the 10-day injured list yesterday, and the infielder went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Friday’s 13-9 win over the Rockies. Cronenworth ended up missing almost exactly a month of action due to a non-displaced fracture in his right ribs that he suffered after being hit by a pitch.

Since the bone isn’t fully healed, Cronenworth told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that he will wear a padded undershirt for the time being, and he’ll add another layer of padding when he is at the plate. Despite the precaution, Cronenworth said he is feeling good, and might have been able to return from the IL earlier but the team wanted to wait until the bone had healed to the point that a re-aggravation is less likely.

The injury cut short a hot start for Cronenworth, who has a .263/.429/.474 slash line over his first 49 plate appearances of the 2025 season. Some regression is inevitable, but the Padres are certainly hoping he can keep providing at least some level of above-average production, after Cronenworth batted a subpar .236/.318/.385 in 1178 PA in 2023-24.

As San Diego’s lineup gets healthier, Dylan Cease also seems to have avoided any kind of injury after he left his last start with a forearm cramp. While any sort of forearm issue is cause for concern, Cease got through a 90-foot game of catch on Friday (part of his usual between-starts routine) with no issue, so it seems as if the right-hander should be making his next outing. Since the Padres didn’t play this past Thursday, Cease can even have an extra day of rest to fully ensure he is ready for his next scheduled start, on Wednesday against the Angels.

Cease has yet to get fully on track this season, as the righty has posted a 4.91 ERA over eight starts and 40 1/3 innings. There isn’t much of a marked change in Cease’s peripherals from 2024, so his inflated ERA might simply be a case of bad batted-ball luck (a .333 BABIP). The standout number might be that Cease’s signature slider has been “only” a pretty good pitch in 2025, as opposed to when it was arguably the most devastating pitch in the majors in both the 2022 and 2024 seasons.

Getting back to top form is of particular importance to Cease this season, as he’ll be perhaps the top pitcher available in free agency this coming winter if he delivers a strong campaign. Since both Cease and fellow starter Michael King are slated to become free agents, both pitchers were heavily mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason and even deep into Spring Training. As it turned out, San Diego ended up retaining both starters, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that “the Padres would love to keep one of” the duo over the long term.

Keeping just one (at most) of the starters always seemed like the most logical outcome for the Padres, given how both Cease and King are on pace to command big salaries and San Diego already has a lot of long-term contracts on the books. The logic behind the trade speculation was that the Padres might look to move some salary and address other needs by trading whichever of the two pitchers they felt less confident about signing, but the Friars instead pivoted by keeping not just Cease and King, but most of the other higher-priced players rumored to be on the trade market.

Robert Suarez was one of those players who reportedly received some trade interest, but “no team made a serious play for” his services, Heyman writes. The flame-throwing Suarez racked up 36 saves last season while posting a 2.77 ERA and an above-average walk rate in 65 innings. Some of his other metrics were more middling, however, and Suarez’s age (he turned 34 in March) and his contract status were perhaps obstacles to a deal.

Suarez is owed the remainder of a $10MM salary this season, and is owed $8MM in each of the 2026 and 2027 seasons. However, those final two seasons are actually player options, and at season’s end, Suarez can either simultaneously trigger both options, or opt out entirely to re-enter free agency. Given this uncertain contract status, teams might not have wanted to give up too much for just one year of control if Suarez opted out, or some other teams might have been wary about being on the hook for $26MM to a 34-year-old reliever.

The lack of attractive offers may have made the decision to keep Suarez pretty easy for the Padres, but in any event, the club is surely glad the closer is still on the roster. Suarez has a superb 0.51 ERA in 17 2/3 innings, with a league-high 15 saves and a greatly improved 29.5% strikeout rate. A .154 BABIP is surely contributing to Suarez’s success, but even if Suarez’s 2.87 SIERA is a better reflection of his actual performance, that is still more than solid.

Pirates Notes: Shelton, Haddad, Cherington, Nutting, Valdez

By Mark Polishuk | May 10, 2025 at 9:30am CDT

9:30AM: The 2025 season marked the final year of Shelton’s contract as manager, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The terms of the extension Shelton signed in April 2023 weren’t made public, though the 2023 season was known to be the final year of the four-year contract Shelton initially signed when he was first hired as skipper.

Hiles didn’t mention whether or not any club options were attached to Shelton’s deal beyond 2025, so it seems as though Shelton may have been in a true lame-duck situation heading into this season. This only adds to the perception that Shelton’s managerial tenure was on thin ice, and Hiles noted that it became increasingly clear during the season that Shelton would be replaced. “Numerous members within the Pirates organization, including a few within the clubhouse, privately acknowledged as much to the Post-Gazette in the days leading up to his dismissal,” Hiles writes.

8:45AM: The Pirates’ managerial change naturally drew most of the headlines on Thursday, but in addition to letting go of Derek Shelton, the Bucs also moved on from another member of the coaching staff. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that Pittsburgh parted ways with Radley Haddad, who had been a game-planning and strategy coach with the team since November 2021.

Haddad (who turns 35 tomorrow) is a former minor league player in the Yankees organization who wrapped up his playing career following the 2016 season. He then moved into a new role as the Yankees’ big league bullpen catcher, as well as a coaching assistant. Haddad worked in that capacity until he was hired away by the Pirates following the 2021 campaign.

Between Haddad’s departure and Don Kelly’s promotion from bench coach to manager, the Pirates now have two openings to fill on the staff. It isn’t known if any other coaching changes may yet be in the offing, as the Bucs continue to figure out how to adjust on the fly amidst a disappointing season. Kelly’s managerial debut was at least a success, as the Buccos’ 3-2 win over the Braves last night ended Pittsburgh’s seven-game losing streak, though the club still has only a dismal 13-26 record.

Larger-scale changes don’t appear to be coming at least in the near future, as Pirates owner Robert Nutting told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that GM Ben Cherington and president Travis Williams aren’t going anywhere for the time being. “I think if we make a broad, real restructure of the organization midseason, right now, we will not improve the team for 2025. I don’t think that makes us better,” Nutting said. “I’m not willing to give up on what we expected, which involves a significantly better performance than you’ve seen. I believe we can get to that. I don’t think that blowing everything up 38 games into the year is gonna help us do that. I think that would be distracting. I think that would get us off track. My focus has to be on getting this fixed and getting it fixed as fast as we can.”

Left unsaid was the possibility that Nutting might explore a wider “restructure” down the road if the Pirates don’t start playing better baseball. Cherington was hired in November 2019 to oversee a major rebuilding process that has brought some premium talent onto the roster, yet the Bucs haven’t delivered a single winning season in Cherington’s five-plus years in charge of baseball operations.

The situation has left the Pittsburgh fanbase openly dismayed and it is clear that both Nutting and Cherington share in those frustrations. Cherington took his share of the blame when speaking with reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) on Thursday, acknowledging that “I’m more responsible than anyone” for the Pirates’ struggles.

“Certainly not lost on me that my part of that accountability, if I had done my job perfectly for five years, might not be meeting with you today,” Cherington said. “That’s certainly possible. I own that completely. This is not all on Shelty. And I believe that it became clear to me that this was a choice, however difficult, that we needed to make. I certainly feel accountable going forward.”

Cherington also reiterated that he feels he is still the person to be leading the front office going forward. Likewise, Nutting defended his own continued ownership of the franchise, stating that he feels the team can and will win again under his stewardship, and feels he can elevate the Pirates’ place in the sport as a whole.

“Given all of the challenges broadly in baseball, there’s been a lot of discussion of the economic disparity in the game. We’re never going to use that as an excuse. Never have. Never will. But I think I’m particularly well positioned right now to be able to help influence change in the economics of the game,” Nutting said. “Having been around for 20 years, having gone to owners’ meetings for longer than that, having a very strong relationship with the commissioner’s office, I believe that I’m uniquely well positioned to have a louder voice for Pittsburgh as we’re heading into the next [collective bargaining agreement]. I want to make sure that we don’t lose that position. I don’t think a new owner in Pittsburgh would have the same standing or ability to advocate for the kind of changes that we need.”

Pirates fans can understandably take some skepticism in Nutting’s remarks, and Mackey indeed expressed something of a counterpoint to Nutting’s interview in a follow-up column. The owner has been frequently criticized for a lack of spending since he bought the team in 2007. The Pirates have ranked in the bottom five in Opening Day payrolls in all but three seasons of Nutting’s ownership, and the payroll high-water mark remains the Bucs’ $99.9MM payroll at the start of the 2016 season (which ranked 20th out of 30 teams). As much as Nutting feels his team is at a financial disadvantage against baseball’s bigger markets, the Pirates’ resistance against even moderate spending is an obvious impediment to their desire to become more competitive.

In a bit of on-field news from Friday, the Pirates placed infielder Enmanuel Valdez on the 10-day injured list due to left shoulder inflammation, and recalled infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A in the corresponding move. A timeline wasn’t given for Valdez, or whether or not he is expected to miss any time beyond the minimum 10 days.

Acquired in a trade with the Red Sox in December, Valdez has hit .209/.294/.363 over 102 plate appearances for the Buccos this season. Valdez had primarily been a middle infielder with the Sox, but his 26 appearances at first base for the Pirates represent a marked change in his usage, as Valdez’s previous experience at the position consisted of just nine minor league games during his time in the Boston and Houston farm systems.

Since intended first baseman Spencer Horwitz has yet to play this season, the Pirates turned to Endy Rodriguez at first base, and then looked at Valdez as a further backup plan once Rodriguez also hit the 10-day IL. Rodriguez is still a ways away from returning from a right finger laceration, so Jared Triolo and Matt Gorski now stand as the top first-base options in the interim. Horwitz has started a Triple-A rehab assignment and might be a week or so away from his 2025 debut, though Valdez’s injury will leave the Pirates even thinner at the position in the short term.

Red Sox Notes: First Base, Devers, Yoshida

By Steve Adams | May 7, 2025 at 2:49pm CDT

The Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas to a season-ending knee injury earlier this week and quickly selected Abraham Toro’s contract to the big league roster. The switch-hitting Toro and righty-swinging Romy Gonzalez appear set to share time at the position for the time being, although the Casas injury immediately prompted speculation about a potential move to first base for Rafael Devers. Manager Alex Cora told the Red Sox beat last night that there’s been no discussion of a role change for the third baseman-turned-DH (link via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic).

“We got these two guys (Gonzalez and Toro) here, Toro starting today,” Cora said prior to last night’s loss. “Romy has done an amazing job in the starts over there so we’ll keep going that way.”

Cora followed up today in an appearance on WEEI radio, repeating that Devers is a DH for the time being but taking a slightly softer stance on the possibility of an eventual position change (link via WEEI’s Tom Carroll).

“We asked him to do something in spring training that, as you guys know, he didn’t agree with in the beginning,” said Cora. “And then little by little, he has embraced it because he knows the quality of the player that we have at third base and where we’re at as a team. … I’m not saying we’ll never have that conversation [about moving to first base], but I think for now, where we’re at, I like Raffy as a DH.”

Within that WEEI appearance, Cora again praised the season that Gonzalez has put together thus far. There’s no denying that the 28-year-old has excelled in the early stages of the 2025 season. He’s hitting .327/.382/.449 in 55 trips to the plate, although that small-sample production is buoyed by a .421 average on balls in play. Gonzalez is averaging 94.1 mph off the bat and has seen 58% of his batted balls depart at 95 mph or more.

It’s a strong profile, but one that is preceded by minimal track record. Gonzalez is in his fifth major league season and entered 2025 as a .242/.271/.387 hitter. He’s always hit lefties well (.281/.329/.465), but right-handers have long been a problem. That hasn’t been the case this year, and Cora’s comments seem to suggest he’ll at least get some runway to prove he’s made some real gains.

Toro, also 28, has a similar track record to that of Gonzalez. He’s a career .220/.285/.352 hitter who’s now seeing action in his seventh MLB campaign. He’s bounced around the league more (Astros, Mariners, Brewers, A’s) and has a strong Triple-A track record but limited success in the majors. Cora noted that Toro “put [together] some good at-bats” in his Red Sox debut yesterday, when he went 1-for-4 with a single.

The combination of Gonzalez and Toro, whether in a traditional platoon or a more selective timeshare, doesn’t feel like a feasible long-term option, but it’s understandable to hear a team’s manager voice confidence in the options he presently has on the roster. That said, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow took a more open-minded stance to the team’s first base void, telling NESN’s Tom Caron prior to the game that the Sox “need to be willing to put all idea and options on the table” and “uncover every rock” to make the team as competitive as possible (hat tip to the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham).

The case for moving Devers to first base is one that we discussed on this morning’s MLBTR podcast episode. MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes also touched on it in today’s mailbag. That switch would open DH at-bats for the return of Masataka Yoshida, or it could help facilitate a big league promotion for Roman Anthony, who is widely ranked as the game’s No. 1 overall prospect. Anthony could join Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu in cycling through the outfield and DH spots. He’s hitting .294/.410/.495 with five homers as a 20-year-old in Triple-A. Dating back to last year, Anthony has slashed .321/.440/.508 in 298 Triple-A plate appearances — all before even turning 21.

The 31-year-old Yoshida, meanwhile, has been out all season while recovering from October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder. Yoshida spoke with the Red Sox beat yesterday and said through an interpreter that hitting is “no problem” but that he’s still feeling discomfort when throwing (video link via NESN). He received a cortisone injection three days ago and will be shut down from throwing for at least another couple days while that takes effect. The Red Sox have no plans to activate Yoshida until he is able to play in the outfield, per Abraham.

Devers’ move from third base to DH was a major storyline in spring training and led to plenty of hand-wringing early in the season when he went through one of the worst stretches of his career at the plate. That panic looks silly in retrospect, as Devers struggled for all of one week and has hit .292/.404/.508 since the calendar flipped to April. His lack of experience at first base is an obvious consideration in any scenario, but the current tandem of Gonzalez and Toro have relatively limited experience there themselves: 319 innings for Gonzalez and 353 for Toro.

There’s no perfect solution. The Red Sox will likely be getting sub-par defense at first base whichever route they take. Playing Devers there could free up DH at-bats for Yoshida or open a clearer path to get Anthony to the majors. For the time being, they’re sticking with Devers at designated hitter and seeing what they have in Toro and Gonzalez.

Run production has been an issue over the past week as the Red Sox have dropped five of six games, and even looking at the past month (i.e. excluding Devers’ early slump) they’ve been a league-average offense on a rate basis and sit 15th in the majors in runs scored. If Boston’s rotation continues to struggle as it has over the past two weeks (24th in MLB with a 4.76 ERA), or if Gonzalez and Toro play closer to their career levels in the weeks ahead, one would imagine the Sox will more seriously consider changes to get more offensive firepower into the lineup.

Brewers Notes: Peralta, Frelick, McKendry

By Leo Morgenstern | May 5, 2025 at 12:27pm CDT

Freddy Peralta and Sal Frelick have been two bright spots for an underwhelming Brewers team so far in 2025. Peralta ranks among the top five qualified NL starters in both innings pitched (45 1/3) and ERA (2.18). His 2.94 xERA (eighth among NL starters) is similarly impressive, while his 3.57 SIERA and 3.45 FIP suggest he’ll continue to deliver the kind of reliable performance the Brewers have come to expect. Meanwhile, Frelick leads Brewers batters (min. 50 PA) with a 123 wRC+. The wide gap between his .351 wOBA and .319 xwOBA suggests he’s due for some regression, but even so, both of those numbers represent an improvement over his .292 wOBA and .278 xwOBA from 2024. He’s making more contact and hitting the ball harder than he did in his first two seasons. The early results have been a good reminder of why he was once a first-round pick and a consensus top-50 prospect in the game.

So, when both Peralta and Frelick exited early on Sunday, potential injury concerns put a damper on what was otherwise a good day for the Brewers; they beat the Cubs 4-0 to avoid a series sweep at the hands of their division rivals. Perlata exited after his sixth scoreless inning with a sore groin, which manager Pat Murphy later relayed to reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). Thankfully for Milwaukee, Peralta is not particularly concerned, suggesting he left the game out of an abundance of caution, more so than anything else (per McCalvy). That’s not hard to believe, considering his shutdown performance against the team that has boasted the NL’s best offense over the first several weeks of the 2025 season. Peralta needed just 89 pitches to cruise through six frames, striking out seven and walking one. Only one runner reached scoring position against Peralta, and he only got there due to an interference call against first baseman Rhys Hoskins on a pick-off attempt. In short, Peralta was dominant, and the Brewers will hope he can pick up where he left off in his next start. An off-day on Thursday will allow him some extra rest before his next scheduled start against the Rays on Saturday, May 10.

As for Frelick, the young outfielder was lifted in the top of the fourth inning yesterday after hurting his left knee on a swing two innings prior. “Left knee discomfort” was the initial diagnosis the team offered reporters (including McCalvy), but they were concerned enough to send him for imaging (also per McCalvy). They will presumably know if it’s anything more than just discomfort following an MRI. Even a short stint on the IL for Frelick would be tough for Milwaukee to stomach, given how much he has meant to the team on both sides of the ball. Not only has he been one of the Crew’s best hitters and baserunners, but his glove in the outfield is especially important with Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell on the IL. Defensive metrics like DRS and OAA haven’t been thrilled with Frelick’s performance thus far in 2025, but he is only one year removed from a Gold Glove-winning season. The Brewers’ outfield depth is already being tested, and losing Frelick would make that problem substantially worse.

In another bit of Brewers news, McCalvy reports that they have traded minor league right-hander Evan McKendry to the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations. McKendry, 27, was originally drafted by the Rays in 2019. The Brewers acquired him at the deadline in 2023 in return for catcher Alex Jackson. The righty has a 5.23 ERA and a 5.15 FIP in 36 games (19 starts) and 139 1/3 innings at Triple-A since joining the Brewers organization.

AL East Notes: Swanson, Buehler, Eflin, McDermott

By Mark Polishuk | May 4, 2025 at 10:31pm CDT

Erik Swanson has yet to pitch this season due to a median nerve entrapment in his right arm, but the reliever’s path back to the Blue Jays roster hit a snag in the form of some soreness in his right forearm. The issue prevented Swanson from a planned minor league rehab outing earlier this week, and the good news is that initial tests revealed no structural damage. However, Swanson told The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon and other reporters that more tests are set for Monday, as it hasn’t yet been determined what exactly is causing the forearm discomfort.

Swanson had some bouts with forearm soreness at a few different points in his career, such as in each of the last two Spring Trainings, and also a minor strain that sent him to the injured list for a little over three weeks during the 2020 season when he was pitching with the Mariners. Though the medicals have been clean so far on his current issue, obviously all parties will be cautious in dealing with any forearm-related injury. In the short term, the problem has delayed Swanson’s recovery, and adds more uncertainty over when exactly the reliever will make his 2025 debut.

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