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Cubs Claim Aaron Civale

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The Cubs have claimed right-hander Aaron Civale off waivers from the White Sox, according to a team announcement. Left-hander Tom Cosgrove was designated for assignment to make room for Civale on the 40-man roster. In addition the White Sox announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Bryse Wilson to replace Civale on the club’s active and 40-man rosters.

Civale, 30, made his big league debut with Cleveland back in 2019 and posted a 3.77 ERA across 76 starts with the organization, but is now on his fifth team in the past three years as he’s changed hands between Cleveland, Tampa, Milwaukee, and now both Chicago teams. His numbers haven’t been nearly as good since he left the Guardians; since he was traded to Tampa, he’s pitched to a lackluster 4.78 ERA in 59 appearances with a 4.53 FIP and a 22.1% strikeout rate against a 7.5% walk rate. The numbers have been even less impressive this year, as he’s posted a 5.26 ERA with a 4.60 FIP in 16 starts between the Brewers and White Sox this year.

All of that might make it seem somewhat surprising that a Cubs team with designs on making it back to the postseason for the first time in a 162-game season since 2018 would have interest in his services. Despite Civale’s middling results, however, he’s still an appealing addition for Chicago thanks to the fact that he can log reliable innings for the club and help keep their top pitchers fresh ahead of the postseason. 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd has already logged 153 1/3 innings this year despite having last thrown even 80 innings in a single season all the way back in 2019. Meanwhile, rookie Cade Horton has racked up 127 1/3 frames between Triple-A and the majors despite having never even thrown 90 innings in a season before.

Those heavy workloads could come with consequences by the time October rolls around, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported this morning that the Cubs are already keeping a close eye on Boyd’s workload after he posted a 4.10 ERA in his last seven starts. Horton, meanwhile, has been among the very best pitchers in baseball since the All Star break with a 0.86 ERA in eight starts, but even he has thrown more than 74 pitches in just one of his six starts during the month of August. With Horton and Boyd likely to join Shota Imanaga at the front of Chicago’s rotation for the playoffs, it would make sense for the Cubs to try and ease off the gas for those players while leaning on their depth for the stretch run.

The problem with that plan is that Chicago’s depth has been taxed heavily by injuries. Front-of-the-rotation lefty Justin Steele has been out almost the entire year due to UCL surgery, and since then the Cubs have also lost both Jameson Taillon and deadline addition Michael Soroka to the injured list. Javier Assad has looked quite good since returning from his own stint on the injured list, but other arms will need to join him in helping lift up the front of the rotation if the Cubs are going to be able to rest Boyd and Horton this September.

That’s where Civale comes in, as he can join with other back-end starters and swingmen the Cubs have at their disposal like Assad, Ben Brown, and Colin Rea to help take the load off of Chicago’s projected playoff starters. At the very least, he should be able to serve as a capable bridge to players like Soroka and Taillon, who may be activated off the injured list before the end of the regular season. It’s also possible the Cubs will be able to get something more than innings out of Civale, given his past success and the solid enough 4.28 FIP he posted during his time with the White Sox.

In exchange for Civale’s services, the Cubs will pay the remainder of the right-hander’s $8MM salary for the 2025 campaign. That should free up some money for the White Sox as they look ahead towards the 2025-26 offseason and hope for better days next year. It will also provide opportunities for other arms to step into the rotation and show what they can do ahead of the offseason. Perhaps that will include Wilson, who was outrighted off the White Sox roster back in June after surrendering a 6.95 ERA in 45 1/3 appearances. Now that he’s back on the roster, perhaps Wilson will be able to finish the season strong at the big league level as he heads towards what will likely be free agency in the offseason, unless he pitches so well that the White Sox are convinced to tender him a contract for 2026.

As for Cosgrove, the lefty has a 2.25 ERA across four appearances with the Cubs this year after spending most of the season at Triple-A. He’s logged 70 big league innings in total over the past three years, the majority of which came as a member of the Padres, and in that time he’s pitched to a 3.86 ERA with a 4.07 FIP. The Cubs will have one week to try and pass Cosgrove through waivers, at which point they’ll have the opportunity to assign him outright to the minors if he goes unclaimed.

Blue Jays Claim Isiah Kiner-Falefa

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The Blue Jays have claimed utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pirates, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Toronto subsequently announced the move and transferred right-hander Yimi Garcia to the 60-day injured list in order to create a 40-man roster spot for Kiner-Falefa.

It’s a homecoming for Kiner-Falefa, who signed with Toronto prior to the 2024 season but was traded to Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline. Just over a year later, he’s headed back to the Blue Jays to join the team’s bench for the playoff push. Unlike last year, Toronto is firmly in playoff position with a two-game lead in the AL East. While Kiner-Falefa was a regular fixture on the club’s infield during his first stint with the organization, that’s unlikely to be the case this season given that Andres Gimenez has taken over the everyday second base job while Ernie Clement and Addison Barger have split time at the hot corner.

Of course, Kiner-Falefa isn’t having quite as strong of a season this year as he was when Toronto traded him last year. In 83 games with the Blue Jays in 2024, the utility man slashed an excellent .292/.338/.400 (113 wRC+) while playing superlative defense on the infield for the club. He showed uncharacteristic power in those games, swatting seven homers in just 281 plate appearances, and kept his strikeouts to just a 13.2% clip. That hot stretch caught the attention of the Pirates as they looked to make modest upgrades to their offense last year, but Kiner-Falefa regressed badly and hit just .256/.288/.328 (70 wRC+) across his 169 games in a Pirates uniform.

That production is more befitting of a bench role, but on a weak Pirates offense that had already moved Oneil Cruz to center field last year and traded away Ke’Bryan Hayes at this summer’s deadline, it was enough to earn Kiner-Falefa everyday reps. Perhaps now that the 30-year-old is back in an organization he had considerable success with and will be able to step back into a smaller role, he’ll be able to rediscover the form that made him such an attractive trade piece last summer. Kiner-Falefa could certainly push himself into additional playing time if his performance warrants it; while Barger is unlikely to lose at-bats to the utility man given his strong season this year, he could simply spend more time in right field going forward if the Jays want to get Kiner-Falefa into the lineup more often.

From the Pirates perspective, the move opens up playing time for newly promoted infielder Cam Devanney. Perhaps more importantly in the eyes of Pittsburgh brass, the Blue Jays will take on the remainder of Kiner-Falefa’s $7.5MM salary for the 2025 season. Perhaps that money, as well as other funds saved by trading players like Hayes this summer, will be put towards upgrading the offense this winter.

As for Garcia, the news that he’s been placed on the 60-day injured list is hardly a surprise given that he underwent season-ending elbow surgery on Friday. Garcia finishes the 2025 campaign with a 3.86 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 21 innings of work, and the Jays will have to rely on other veterans in the bullpen like Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Dominguez to make up for Garcia’s absence.

Angels Sign Jose Urena, Place Tyler Anderson On Injured List

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The Angels announced this afternoon that they’ve signed right-hander Jose Urena to a major league contract. He’ll take the active roster spot of left-hander Tyler Anderson, who is headed to the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain. A timeline for Anderson’s return to action is not yet available, but Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register suggests that the injury is “likely” to end Anderson’s 2025 season.

Urena, 34 in September, has appeared in parts of 11 seasons in the majors. He began his career as a member of the Marlins and mostly pitched in a swing role to below average results, though he did manage to post a solid 3.90 ERA (100 ERA+) in 343 2/3 innings of work from 2017 to 2018. Since departing the Marlins following the shortened 2020 season, Urena has bounced around the league as a mostly below-average depth option primarily used on non-contending teams, with a 5.04 ERA (85 ERA+) and a nearly-matching 5.11 FIP across the past five seasons while suiting up for the Tigers, White Sox, Rockies, Brewers, Rangers, Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Twins.

He has looked better than that in recent years, however. Urena pitched mostly in multi-inning relief for the Rangers last year and turned in a perfectly solid 3.80 ERA despite a 4.62 FIP, with even better results when pitching out of the bullpen as opposed to starting. Urena’s work in 2025 is skewed by a single outing with the Mets where he surrendered five runs in three innings of multi-inning relief work, but his 5.00 ERA on the season drops to 4.08 when looking at his work out of the bullpen and 4.09 when looking at his work after leaving New York.

Perhaps unfortunately for Urena, it seems as though the Angels have designs on placing him in their rotation to replace Anderson. The 35-year-old lefty is a veteran of 10 MLB seasons at this point and has generally been a back-of-the-rotation arm throughout his career. He’s spent each of the past three years with the Angels, and while he pitched well enough in 2024 to be named an All-Star his 4.53 ERA and 5.02 FIP in 456 2/3 innings of work for the club have generally been lackluster. It’s been more of the same this year, with a 4.56 ERA and a 5.58 FIP in 26 starts.

Even while starting, Urena should be able to post production that rivals those mediocre numbers. Urena will be joined by Jose Soriano, Yusei Kikuchi, and Kyle Hendricks in Anaheim’s rotation, with Chase Silseth also in the mix as a long relief arm who could serve as a bulk starter in bullpen games. Outside of that group, it’s possible the Angels could look to someone like Caden Dana or Sam Bachman in the minor leagues to help fill out the rotation down the stretch, particularly if they ultimately decide to have Urena join Silseth in the bullpen.

Nick Anderson Elects Free Agency, Reaches Deal With Mariners

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11:38am: Anderson is joining Seattle on a minor league deal, as noted by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.

7:58am: Right-hander Nick Anderson has reached a deal with the Mariners, according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It’s a somewhat unusual situation, as Anderson had been on the Rockies’ 40-man roster and pitched in an MLB game as recently as August 27. According to the transactions log on Anderson’s MLB.com profile page, the Rockies optioned Anderson to Triple-A on August 29 and he elected free agency just yesterday. Anderson has enough service time that he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent, so his departure from the organization might be related to Colorado’s decision to option him earlier this week.

In any case, Anderson now appears to be headed to the Mariners. It’s unclear is his agreement with Seattle is a major or minor league deal, but the Mariners would need to clear a 40-man roster spot to accommodate Anderson if he’s to be added to the roster. The 35-year-old hurler made 12 appearances for the Rockies this season and pitched to an ugly 6.14 ERA, but the vast majority of the damage against him came in a five-run debut outing on July 26. In 11 appearances during the month of August, Anderson posted a more respectable 3.29 ERA, albeit with a 4.95 FIP and a strikeout rate of just 19.2%.

That’s a far cry from what Anderson looked like at his peak effectiveness. The right-hander made his big league debut as a member of the Marlins in 2019 but was traded to the Rays by the end of the year. He was utterly dominant for Tampa in parts of three seasons from 2019 to 2021 with a 1.85 ERA, a 2.42 FIP, and a 42.5% strikeout rate. Elbow injuries limited him to just six innings in 2021 and cost him his entire 2022 campaign, however, and that brought an end to his time with the Rays. Anderson resurfaced as a member of the Braves back in 2023, and while his strikeout rate had dropped to 25.5% he was still a solid late-inning option with a 3.06 ERA and 3.09 FIP across 35 appearances.

The wheels started to come off last year for Anderson. In 49 appearances since the start of the 2024 campaign, he’s posted a lackluster 4.65 ERA and 5.00 FIP. Of course, it should be noted that he’s not gotten consistent MLB work in that time, though his Triple-A numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence either. Still, Anderson has been dominant in the past and is just two years removed from being a quality contributor from the bullpen. Perhaps joining an organization vaunted for its strong pitching staff like Seattle could help Anderson get right and contribute to the Mariners’ bullpen down the stretch this season. Andres Munoz and Matt Brash have the late innings covered for the team, but perhaps Anderson could push someone like Emerson Hancock out of the bullpen and back to Triple-A or even take the expanded roster spot that will open up for the organization tomorrow.

Administrative Leave For Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz Extended “Until Further Notice”

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The Guardians announced this morning that Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association have jointly agreed to extend non-disciplinary administrative leave for hurlers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz “until further notice.” Clase and Ortiz had both previously been placed on leave amid a gambling investigation last month, but that leave was set to expire today. As the investigation continues, they’ll remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Neither player presently counts against Cleveland’s 40-man roster, and both players will continue to be paid while the league looks into any alleged wrongdoing by the players.

“MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to extend the non-disciplinary paid leave of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz until further notice while MLB continues its investigation,” the statement read. “We will not be commenting further until the investigation is completed.”

The investigation had a massive impact on the Guardians this year. Acquiring Ortiz was a major piece of Cleveland’s offseason, as they shipped Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin to the Blue Jays in a deal that was headlined by Spencer Horwitz, who then was flipped to the Pirates in exchange for a package headlined by Ortiz. They brought him into the fold on the heels of a 2024 season where he pitched to a 3.32 ERA in 135 2/3 innings of work for the Pirates, and while he posted a middling 4.36 ERA in 16 starts for the Guardians prior to being sidelined by this investigation he was nonetheless a crucial piece of the club’s rotation mix.

As for Clase, his importance to the organization goes without saying. The three-time All-Star made his organizational debut in 2021 and in five seasons since he’s posted a sterling 1.84 ERA with a 2.36 FIP while racking up 181 saves and striking out 24.8% of his opponents. The 27-year-old enjoyed a career year last season that earned him a third place finish in AL Cy Young award voting thanks to an absurd 0.61 ERA in 74 1/3 innings of work in a 47-save campaign. Clase was crucial to the Guardians making the postseason last year, though he did falter in the playoffs as Cleveland fell to the Yankees in five games during the ALCS. A shaky start to the 2025 campaign caused Clase to post an uncharacteristic 3.23 ERA in 47 1/3 innings of work prior to being placed on leave this year, though he began to look more like his usual self after a tough April with a 1.85 ERA from May 1 onward.

The loss of both Ortiz and Clase left the Guardians significantly hampered headed into the second half this year, and while their 68-66 record is enough to put them just three games back of an AL Wild Card spot it’s hard to imagine the team putting together a brilliant September run to make the postseason. They’d need to overtake at least two of the Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, Royals, and Rangers in order to do so, as all five of those clubs are ahead of Cleveland in terms of the Wild Card race at the moment. Even if the Guards do manage to sneak into October, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes that today’s decision officially rules both Clase and Ortiz out for the playoffs this year because players must be active within their organization on September 1 in order to be eligible to participate in the postseason.

Nationals To Promote Andrew Alvarez For MLB Debut

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The Nationals are promoting left-hander Andrew Alvarez to the majors for his MLB debut tomorrow, interim manager Miguel Cairo told reporters (including MASN’s Mark Zuckerman) this afternoon. Alvarez is not yet on the 40-man roster and will need to have his contract selected before his scheduled start against the Marlins tomorrow. Alvarez’s promotion was first reported by TheNatsReport last night.

Alvarez, 26, was a 12th-round pick by the Nationals back in 2021. He’s been climbing the minor league ladder in the years since then and first reached the Triple-A level partway through the 2024 season. He made 16 starts at the level in the second half last year, but struggled a bit with a 4.58 ERA in 78 2/3 innings of work. He struck out just 17.7% of his opponents against a 9.6% walk rate, but in his second season at Triple-A this year his numbers have improved. In 25 starts at the level this year, Alvarez has pitched to a 4.10 ERA in 123 innings. His walk rate has mostly held steady at 9.8%, but his strikeout rate has jumped up to a much more respectable 21.5%.

Even with this year’s improvements, Alvarez is not looked at as much more than a back-of-the-rotation starter at the big league level. Alvarez is not ranked in the organization’s top 30 prospects by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, further emphasizing his somewhat limited upside. That shouldn’t be taken to mean he can’t be a useful piece at the big league level, however. He’s generated a solid 50.9% ground ball rate at Triple-A this year, and if he can continue to keep the ball on the ground without much regression in his K-BB% ratio, it’s easy to imagine him being a valuable up-and-down swing man or perhaps a number five starter for the Nationals going forward.

Looking ahead to 2026, the Nationals have a number of interesting arms capable of starting. MacKenzie Gore figures to lead the club’s staff next season, and Brad Lord is having an exciting rookie season that should earn him a rotation spot next year. Mitchell Parker and Jake Irvin pitched well last year but have looked more like back-of-the-rotation arms this year, while Josiah Gray and DJ Herz could also impact the rotation next year depending on how they look after returning from Tommy John surgery. Cade Cavalli could also impact the club given his former top prospect status, though his five starts in the majors this year haven’t exactly impressed.

With so many young pitchers jockeying for position in the club’s rotation mix headed into next year, Alvarez could have a real opportunity down the stretch this season to put himself into that conversation headed into Spring Training 2026 if he manages to impress throughout this September call-up. His first test will come tomorrow against a young Marlins club that has impressed this year, though injuries to players like Griffin Conine and Kyle Stowers have taken some of the teeth out of the club’s lineup.

Cubs To Sign Carlos Santana

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Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana is signing with the Cubs, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The terms of the deal are not currently known. Chicago’s 40-man roster is full, and the Cubs will need to make a corresponding move in order to add Santana to the roster.

The 39-year-old veteran was released by the Guardians last week in what president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti described to reporters (including MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins) as a “joint decision” to allow Santana to pursue a shot at the postseason with another club while affording more playing time to younger first base options in Cleveland like Kyle Manzardo and rookie C.J. Kayfus. That opportunity to play in the postseason will now come via Chicago, where the Cubs currently occupy the first of three NL Wild Card spots with a 78-58 record and have a 99.9% chance of making the postseason according to Fangraphs.

Santana is something of a curious fit for a Cubs team that already has both Michael Busch and Justin Turner on the roster as players limited to first base and DH. The veteran switch-hitter has struggled at the plate in 116 games this year, with a slash line of just .225/.316/.333 (86 wRC+) across 455 plate appearances. While he’s still taking walks at a strong 11.3% clip, Santana’s power has mostly disappeared and his 18.9% strikeout rate this year is the highest it’s been since his first full season as a big league player all the way back in 2011.

One potential use case for Santana on the roster would be to replace Turner, who has posted a lackluster wRC+ of just 70 with Chicago this year. With that being said, Turner’s primary role (and, likely, Santana’s primary role in replacing him) would be serving as a platoon partner for Busch, mostly playing against left-handed pitching. In that specific role, Turner is actually arguably a better fit than Santana given that he has an above-average 109 wRC+ against lefties this year as compared to Santana’s pedestrian 93 wRC+ against southpaws this season.

On the other hand, the switch-hitting Santana fares much better against right-handed pitching than Turner, and is also regarded as a much stronger defender. Santana is also just one season removed from a brilliant year in Minnesota where he posted a 113 wRC+ overall with a 161 wRC+ against left-handed pitching and won the AL’s Gold Glove award at first base. If the Cubs think they can help Santana get back into the form he showed with the Twins last year, it’s easy to see why they’d want to bring him into the fold.

Santana’s addition to the roster doesn’t necessarily have to come at the expense of Turner’s roster spot, of course. While carrying three players limited to first base defensively is unusual, rosters are set to expand to 28 players tomorrow. During Miguel Amaya’s brief return from the injured list earlier this month, the Cubs were comfortable utilizing both Amaya and Reese McGuire as backups to Carson Kelly behind the plate, which with Turner in the fold at first base left only one spot for a utility player. Perhaps that willingness to use defensively-limited players on the bench is thanks to the extreme versatility of utility man Willi Castro, who is capable of backing up every position on the diamond aside from first base and catcher.

The aforementioned roster expansion set to occur tomorrow often allows teams to get more creative with in-game substitutions, as well, and that’s another way Santana could offer value to Chicago. Turner has been atrocious against right-handed pitching this year with a wRC+ of 18, so while he’s been an excellent choice to spell Busch in a high-leverage at-bat against a southpaw this year, his subsequent at-bats against righties and poor glove at first base have been a hindrance to the Cubs following that pinch-hit appearance. With Santana on the roster, Turner could still pinch-hit for Busch before ceding the first base job to Santana, who has been closer to split neutral this year and carries a strong glove.

It’s also worth noting that the Cubs’ current options at first base and DH have been struggling somewhat in the second half. While Busch (136 wRC+) and Seiya Suzuki (122 wRC+) are putting together strong seasons overall, their .209/.270/.403 (87 wRC+) and .202/.340/.279 (86 wRC+) lines since the All-Star break leave much to be desired. Chicago will surely need its middle of the order to straighten things out ahead of the playoffs, and perhaps adding a steady veteran like Santana could afford those players occasional days off down the stretch to allow them that opportunity.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that the club could’ve also offered a young player the opportunity to spell those veterans given their large crop of position player prospects on the cusp of the minors. Owen Caissie is already on the roster, while Moises Ballesteros and Kevin Alcantara have both already made their MLB debuts previously. None of those players play first base like Santana does, but Jonathon Long has turned heads this year with a .308/.405/.498 slash line in 123 Triple-A games this year and could easily be called upon to spell Busch and Turner at first base if the club so desired. Perhaps the Cubs feel the intense environment of a playoff race in September isn’t the best way to introduce these young players to the majors, however, and even a struggling veteran like Santana is a safer bet to round out the roster.

Dodgers Notes: Stewart, Kopech, Hurt

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The Dodgers lost right-hander Brock Stewart to the 15-day injured list earlier this month due to shoulder inflammation, and manager Dave Roberts revealed to reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) earlier today that Stewart actually suffered a setback not long after going on the shelf. Stewart initially received a cortisone injection and resumed playing catch last week, but felt continued discomfort when he started to ramp back up. That required another injection and a second shutdown from throwing, but Plunkett adds that Stewart has resumed playing catch at this point.

While it’s encouraging that Stewart is throwing once again, the news of a setback does raise questions over just how much Los Angeles can expect to get from the right-hander down the stretch and into the playoffs. Roberts suggested that the club is “hopeful” Stewart will be able to return at some point in September, but there’s no firm timeline for the righty at this point. He’s made just four appearances since serving as Los Angeles’s lone bullpen addition over the summer, and he pitched to a 4.91 ERA with a 3.94 FIP across those 3 2/3 innings of work prior to hitting the shelf.

With Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen serving as a strong one-two punch in the late innings, perhaps the Dodgers will be able to get on without Stewart providing much down the stretch. While L.A.’s relief corps has been slightly below average overall this year, they’ve actually been one of the best units in the sport since the All-Star break with a 3.18 ERA in their last 133 innings of work. It’s unclear if the Dodgers’ bullpen will be able to keep that up headed into the playoffs, but the good news is that they are getting reinforcements from the injured list in the form of Michael Kopech. Plunkett writes that the right-hander has finished his rehab assignment and has now joined the club ahead of his anticipated activation from the injured list this coming Tuesday.

After serving as one of the stars of the Dodgers bullpen down the stretch and into the postseason last year, Kopech has been limited to just eight appearances in 2025 by a handful of injuries. He’s expected to rejoin the roster in fairly short order, however, which is good news given that the seven innings of work he’s mustered this year have been nothing short of dominant. He’s not allowed a single run while striking out 27.6% of his opponents, though his 13.8% walk rate is high enough to raise some eyebrows. Regardless, it seems likely that Kopech will slide right back into his late-inning role with the Dodgers upon his return, joining Treinen and Scott at the back of the club’s bullpen ahead of the playoffs.

Kopech isn’t the only arm the Dodgers could get back in the near future. Plunkett also notes that southpaw Kyle Hurt, who’s been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery since July 2024, is finally nearing a return to the mound after throwing live batting practice to Tommy Edman, Justin Dean, and Dalton Rushing at Dodger Stadium today. The next step for Hurt, per Plunkett, is a two-inning appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Hurt has just four big league appearances under his belt, and while he’s pitched to a 1.04 ERA in those 8 2/3 innings of work at the big league level it’s unclear if he’ll get back in time to make more MLB outings this year. Even if he doesn’t return to the majors, getting back on the mound this year at all should be valuable for Hurt headed into the offseason, when he’ll look ahead to competing for a roster spot during Spring Training.

Pavin Smith Unlikely To Return In 2025 Due To Quad Strain

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Pavin Smith is “likely” done for the 2025 season, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Jacob Gurvis of MLB.com) earlier today. Lovullo noted that Smith has not been officially shut down for the season, but after he went on the injured list with a strained left quad yesterday it seems unlikely he’ll be able to get healthy and back up to speed in time to appear before the end of the season.

Smith, 29, appeared in 87 games for the Diamondbacks this season and has slashed .258/.362/.434 with a wRC+ of 122. That’s solid production on paper, but those surface level numbers cover up what was a strange, up-and-down season for the former seventh-overall pick. Smith started the year as one of the hottest hitters in the majors, as he slashed an unbelievable .342/.373/.640 through the end of April. Even during that hot stretch, he was striking out at a hefty 28.1% clip but made up for it by hitting for significant power and floating a massive .488 BABIP.

That batted ball luck was going to run out at some point, however, and his next 48 games saw him hit just .232/.336/.384 in 146 plate appearances. His 13.7% walk rate in that stretch remained quite impressive, but his power largely disappeared and he struck out at an ugly 32.9% clip. It wasn’t long after that when Smith suffered an oblique strain that left him sidelined for the majority of July and much of August. He’s appeared in just 14 games in the back half of Arizona’s schedule, and in those limited appearances he’s hit .195/.244/.268 with a 32.6% strikeout rate in 46 plate appearances.

With such a hot start to the year followed by a lengthy cooldown later in the first half, it would be easy to write off Smith’s early-season performance as a simple flash in the pan. There could certainly be merit to that assessment, but it’s also worth noting that his injury-marred second half left him with little opportunity to make adjustments in order to respond to those struggles he began to have after the calendar flipped to May. In conjunction with Smith’s brilliant partial season in 2024, where he slashed .272/.371/.568 in 97 plate appearances after the All-Star break, it’s anyone’s guess what sort of production the Diamondbacks will be able to get out of Smith next year. It seems likely he could be tasked with sharing time at first base with Tyler Locklear in at least some capacity, though Locklear’s .169/.256/.247 slash line in 23 games for Arizona this year hasn’t exactly inspired confidence to this point.

In the short term, Smith’s at-bats at DH will be handled by Ketel Marte. That’s because, as Lovullo noted to reporters (including Gurvis) this evening, Marte is dealing with what the manager described as “fatigue” in his right forearm. That forearm issue has led the Snakes to play Marte out of the DH spot in each of the past two games rather than play him at his usual position of second base. With Jordan Lawlar now on the roster to get increased reps at the hot corner, perhaps more DH time for Marte down the stretch could mean additional opportunities for Blaze Alexander to remain in the lineup even when Lawlar is playng. Alexander has hit a respectable .234/.331/.441 in 49 games this year while splitting time between second and third base.

Astros Sign Matt Bowman To Minor League Deal

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The Astros announced this evening that they’ve signed right-hander Matt Bowman to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Sugar Land. Bowman had been released by the Orioles earlier today, but has now found a new organization to call home for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

Bowman, 34, made his big league debut in 2016 and spent four seasons with the Cardinals and Reds, posting a 4.02 ERA and 3.67 FIP in 183 games at the big league level before injuries sidelined him for several years. He returned to the majors in 2023 for a three-game stint as a member of the Yankees, and in 2024 he bounced between four clubs before finally settling in as a member of the Orioles in August of last year. He posted a solid 3.45 ERA with a 21.2% strikeout rate in 15 games for Baltimore last year, and after being outrighted off the club’s roster he re-signed on a minor league deal last offseason.

Bowman was briefly added back to the Baltimore’s 40-man roster in March to prevent him from opting out of his deal, but was promptly outrighted to the minors on Opening Day only to be selected onto the roster once again on March 30. He was selected to the roster three more times over the course of 2025 but struggled to a 6.20 ERA in 24 2/3 innings of work with a strikeout rate of just 15.8% in the majors throughout that roller coaster of roster moves. His 4.10 ERA in 26 1/3 innings of work with Triple-A Norfolk wasn’t exactly inspiring, either, though his 21.8% strikeout rate in those outings was certainly an improvement.

Now, Bowman will try to carve out a role for himself in Houston. The right-hander will be eligible to join the Astros in the postseason if the club were to have interest in bringing him onto the 40-man roster because he was able to join the organization prior to September 1, at which point any new additions to the organization would not be eligible for the playoff roster. Of course, it’s a stretch that Bowman would receive much consideration for the club’s playoff roster given that it’s not yet clear whether or not the Astros will even afford him an opportunity on their MLB roster at all this September. Cody Bolton, Jordan Weems, and Tayler Scott are among the other non-roster relief arms in the Astros organization who could vie for playing time if the club finds itself in need of depth during the season’s final month.

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