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Pirates Notes: Horwitz, Lawrence, Rotation

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The Pirates are inching closer toward the 2025 debut (and Pirates debut) of first baseman Spencer Horwitz. The 27-year-old has yet to play this year after undergoing wrist surgery in February, but he set out on a minor league rehab stint yesterday and went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk in three plate appearances with Double-A Altoona. Horwitz will need several games in the minors before he’s up with the big league club, but it’s a positive sign to see him take the field.

With Horwitz injured, the Pirates have split first base reps up among Enmanuel Valdez, Endy Rodriguez, Jared Triolo and (more briefly) Matt Gorski. Valdez has connected on a pair of homers and held his own in 74 plate appearances. Rodriguez and Triolo have both struggled. Gorski was only just called up for his MLB debut a few days ago. He’s 1-for-4 with a homer. As a whole, Pittsburgh first basemen have combined for a .192/.286/.374 batting line on the season. The resulting 83 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 17% worse than average at the plate) ranks 20th in the majors.

Horwitz, one of the Pirates’ key offseason acquisitions, should provide considerably more offense. In parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays, he slashed .264/.355/.428 with 13 home runs and 21 doubles in 425 plate appearances. He’s a .316/.433/.471 hitter in 945 Triple-A plate appearances.

Horwitz has primarily been a first baseman and started at first in yesterday’s rehab game, but he doesn’t necessarily need to take over full-time reps there. The former 24th-round pick has just over 600 innings of left field work in his pro career and another 434 frames at second base. Both positions have been even more problematic for the Bucs than first base.

At second base, the Pirates have seen Adam Frazier, Nick Gonzales, Tsung-Che Cheng and the aforementioned Valdez and Triolo combine to bat .200/.300/.303. In left field, the group of Tommy Pham, Jack Suwinski, Alexander Canario, Ji Hwan Bae, Frazier and Gorski has combined for a staggering .150/.220/.187. No team in baseball has received less production from its left fielders than the Pirates.

Wherever Horwitz slots into the lineup, he should give a boost to a Pirates team that is hitting .224/.304/.341 on the whole. Pittsburgh ranks 23rd in the majors in both runs scored and home runs. Pirates hitters are 26th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage and 28th in slugging percentage.

The pitching has been better in Pittsburgh, particularly in the bullpen. Pirates relievers rank 14th in the majors with a solid 3.65 ERA, and Pittsburgh has seven relievers who’ve tossed at least nine innings with an ERA of 3.38 or better. Unfortunately, their most dependable arm so far, righty Justin Lawrence, is out with an elbow injury. Pirates assistant GM Bryan Stroh rather ominously revealed yesterday that Lawrence is headed for a second opinion on that ailing elbow (link via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). There’s still no firm timetable for Lawrence’s return, but Stroh already indicated that he’ll miss more than the minimum 15 days on this current IL stint.

Lawrence, 30, came to the Pirates via waivers this March and has been a terrific pickup. He’s fired 11 1/3 innings of one-run ball, holding opponents to just five hits. The former Rockies hurler has walked six batters and plunked another pair of hitters, casting some doubt on his ability to continue anywhere close to this level, but even with some expected regression in terms of ERA, the right-hander has looked quite intriguing thus far.

Lawrence is throwing more sliders than ever before and missing more bats than ever before. He’s also begun sporadically using a four-seamer after previously throwing a sinker as his only fastball. Lawrence has punched out a whopping 34.1% of his hitters, helping him to offset a 13.8% walk rate. His 14.5% swinging-strike rate is well north of league average and is way up from the 9.3% career mark he carried into 2025. An absence of some note would sting, and seeking a second opinion is an inherently worrisome update.

The rotation hasn’t been quite as sharp as the bullpen, due in no small part to Jared Jones’ elbow injury and early struggles from southpaw Bailey Falter and righty Carmen Mlodzinski . Falter gave up seven runs (five of them earned) in a start for the second time this season yesterday. The lefty blamed his inability to throw his offspeed pitches for strikes when assessing his performance after yesterday’s game (link via the Post-Gazette’s Colin Beazley).

Falter is now sporting a 5.93 ERA on the season. He and Mlodzinski (6.95 ERA) have both been weak points in an otherwise solid rotation. Each of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney have kept their ERAs under 4.00 — well under in the case of Skenes and Heaney.

The veteran Heaney has been an outstanding addition, giving the Bucs 31 1/3 innings of 1.72 ERA ball with a hearty 26.3% strikeout rate and a tidy 5.1% walk rate. The 33-year-old’s one-year, $5.25MM deal with the Pirates in March caught many off guard, but he’s been a godsend in the wake of Jones’ injury and has probably already made some clubs second guess themselves for passing on him when he lingered in free agency. The Pirates won’t want to talk about the trade deadline anytime soon, but as things stand, Heaney could be a nice arm for them to market if they can’t turn things around after an 11-18 start.

Naturally, with Jones ailing and both Falter and Mlodzinski struggling, there’s plenty of attention on the Pirates’ young arms. Thomas Harrington made a brief MLB debut earlier this season, but it’s top prospect Bubba Chandler who has Bucs fans buzzing the most. The 22-year-old righty is a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport and widely considered among the best four to five pitching prospects in particular.

Chandler is out to a brilliant start in Triple-A Indianapolis, tossing 20 1/3 frames with a 1.33 ERA, a 36.5% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate. That comes on the heels of a 1.83 ERA in seven starts (39 1/3 innings) with Indianapolis late in the 2024 season. The Pirates have been cautious with the touted righty’s pitch counts early in the season, but he tossed a season-high 70 pitches in five one-hit frames his last time out.

Chandler may not be built up to the extent he was in his Triple-A run late last year, when he averaged 87 pitches and 5 2/3 innings per start, but he certainly seems stretched out enough to be a rotation upgrade in Pittsburgh. There’s no firm indication as to when Chandler might be promoted, but we’re fewer than two weeks away from the one-year anniversary of when the Pirates promoted Skenes under similar circumstances; Skenes made his MLB debut on May 11 last year.

Eury Pérez, Ryan Weathers Begin Rehab Assignments

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The Marlins’ rotation has some reinforcements on the way, as both right-hander Eury Pérez and left-hander Ryan Weathers began rehab assignments over the weekend. Pérez tossed one inning for Single-A Jupiter on Saturday while Weathers logged three innings for the same club on Sunday.

The timing is fairly notable with Pérez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year. Back in February, he said that he was targeting a return around the All-Star break this year. It now seems as though he’s on pace to beat that timeline.

A rehab assignment for a pitcher can normally last as long as 30 days, though that can be extended for Tommy John recoveries. For those pitchers, it’s possible to extend the 30-day rehab window by an extra 10 days. That extension can happen as many as three times, meaning the total rehab assignment can eventually get up to 60 days. But even if Pérez ends up rehabbing for close to 60 days, that would only take him to mid-to-late June, well before the mid-July All-Star break.

Prior to his surgery, Pérez was in the process of establishing himself as a future ace. He was one of the top prospects in the sport before his debut. He made it to the majors in 2023, only 20 years old at the time, and tossed 91 1/3 innings over 19 starts. He allowed 3.15 earned runs per nine with a 28.9% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. Ideally, he’ll be able to pick up right where he left off when he returns.

The Marlins control him through 2029, so he could be a pillar of their rotation for years to come. The baseball industry is expecting Sandy Alcantara to be traded this summer, so perhaps Pérez can take over as the rotation’s anchor.

As for Weathers, he was once a top 100 prospect with the Padres but struggled in his initial attempts against big league hitters. He was acquired by the Marlins at the 2023 deadline and then finally had some major league success in 2024. He posted a 3.63 ERA in 16 starts for the Marlins last year with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate.

Unfortunately, health has been stalling that breakout. A left index finger strain kept him on the injured list for most of the second half of last year. He then suffered a forearm strain before Opening Day of this year, which has led to him spending the entire season on the IL so far. He will likely return ahead of Pérez since he’s not coming back from surgery and also seems to be further along in his build-up.

The Marlins optioned Connor Gillispie yesterday, dropping them down to four starters. He allowed seven runs in two innings against the Mariners on Saturday, bumping his ERA to 8.65 for the year. That temporarily gives them a four-man rotation of Alcantara, Max Meyer, Cal Quantrill and Edward Cabrera. Perhaps Adam Mazur will get a chance to replace Gillispie, since he has a 1.44 ERA in Triple-A at the moment. Valente Bellozo is also on the 40-man and is sitting on a 1.59 ERA in Triple-A.

By the time Weathers and Pérez get back into the mix, the club will want to open spots for them. Alcantara isn’t going anywhere. He’s out to a rough start, with a 6.56 ERA through five outings, but the club will give him lots of time to get back on track after missing 2024 while recovering from his own Tommy John surgery. Meyer has options and can technically be sent to the minors but he’s been the club’s best pitcher this year, with a 3.18 ERA, 33.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 56.1% ground ball rate.

Cabrera and Quantrill are perhaps less secure. Quantrill is sitting on a 7.83 ERA right now. He’s never been a huge strikeout guy but his 12.5% rate this year is even lower than his own standards. Cabrera has always combined strikeouts with walks to mixed results, which is still the situation. He has punched out 26.9% of opponents this year but has also given out free passes at an 11.9% rate. He currently has a 6.14 ERA on the year, though he missed some time with a blister and has only made three starts.

It’s possible the rotation outlook will change by the time Weathers and Pérez are back in the mix, due to other injuries or shifts in performance, but the Marlins may have to make some decisions about who holds onto a rotation job. The picture will likely change again ahead of the July trade deadline. As mentioned, it’s expected that Alcantara will be moved this summer, though the club may hold onto him if his struggles continue. Quantrill is on a one-year deal and should be available as well, though he would also have to turn his results around to have trade appeal. Cabrera has been in plenty of trade rumors over the years but is under club control through 2028.

Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images

Submit Your Questions For A Mailbag Episode Of The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast

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On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. We’re now a few weeks removed from the offseason and even the early-season extensions. The trade deadline is still a few months away. That gives us some time to dig into the mailbag!

If you have a question about a past transaction, a look ahead to trade season or anything else baseball-related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it. iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Opener: Glasnow, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles

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As the 2025 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Glasnow undergoing testing:

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow exited yesterday’s start prior to the second inning due to what the club referred to as “discomfort” in his throwing shoulder. Glasnow noted after the game that the soreness is something he’s been dealing with recently due to changes to his delivery. He was slated to undergo testing last night, so more information should be available today.

Losing a starter of Glasnow’s caliber is always difficult, but it’d be particularly frustrating for the Dodgers, given the timing. Los Angeles has been using four starters since Blake Snell landed on the IL, but with Tony Gonsolin nearing a return, they surely hoped to be back up to five starters in the near future. Glasnow hasn’t been his best self to this point in the year. He’s posted a lackluster 4.50 ERA with a 5.38 FIP, and it’s not hard to imagine a trip to the IL to rest his ailing shoulder helping him get back on track.

2. Cardinals roster move incoming:

The Cardinals are reportedly poised to select the contract of Jose Barrero today. Barrero, 27, has parts of four MLB seasons under his belt and most recently played for the Reds back in 2023. He’s struggled to hit in the majors over the years but has played quality defense both at shortstop and in center field, and it’s that strong glove that’s convinced the Cardinals to call him up for their bench mix. Thomas Saggese was optioned to the minors to make room for Barrero on the active roster, but a 40-man roster move will still be necessary to officially add him to the roster. With no obvious 60-day IL candidates currently available, the most likely avenue to open up a roster spot for Barrero would be designating a player for assignment.

3. Series Preview: Yankees @ Orioles

A series that many fans in New York and Baltimore circled as a clash between likely playoff teams is scheduled to begin at 6:35pm local time this evening, but the situation facing the Orioles as the division-leading Yankees arrive in Camden Yards is far different than most anticipated. The O’s have struggled to a 10-17 record and are coming off a sweep at the hands of the AL-best Tigers. The Yankees, meanwhile, have arguably exceeded the expectations placed on the team after losing Juan Soto to free agency and Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery. They’ve picked up nine wins in their last 13 games, propelling them to a 17-11 record overall.

The looming three-game set has far more stakes for the Orioles than it does for the Yankees. New York would surely like to pad its two-game cushion over the second-place Red Sox, but another sweep would put Baltimore ten games below .500 before the month of May even begins. The series starts with Yankees youngster Will Warren on the mound opposite longtime NPB ace Tomoyuki Sugano as both compete in their first full big league seasons. Carlos Rodon will take on a yet-to-be-determined Orioles starter in Game 2 of the series. Baltimore lefty Cade Povich is scheduled to take on Yankees veteran Carlos Carrasco in Game 3.

Tyler Glasnow Leaves Start Due To Shoulder Discomfort

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Tyler Glasnow lasted just one inning into today’s start against the Pirates, as the Dodgers right-hander left the mound while taking his warm-up pitches before the beginning of the second frame.  The Dodgers officially announced that Glasnow left the game due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder.  Following the game, Glasnow told the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters that he’s been dealing with some shoulder soreness recently, calling it a side effect of mechanical changes he’s made to try and reduce stress on his elbow.  Manager Roberts said an IL stint for Glasnow is “certainly a possibility,” though more tests will be done before the club makes a decision.

This would be an ominous situation for any pitcher, yet it is particularly troublesome in Glasnow’s case given his long injury history.  Glasnow hasn’t been sidelined with a specific shoulder-related issue since way back in his 2016 rookie season, yet the righty has missed big chunks of his career due to a Tommy John surgery, a severe oblique strain, a forearm strain, and two elbows strains.  The most recent of those elbow strains came just last season, as Glasnow didn’t pitch after August 11 and subsequently missed out on the Dodgers’ entire playoff run.

Glasnow’s elbow sprain cut short what had been the healthiest season of his entire career.  He tossed a career-best 134 innings in 2024, while posting a 3.49 ERA, 32.2% strikeout rate, and 6.7% walk rate.  Glasnow had a 3.71 ERA in four starts and 17 innings prior to today’s abbreviated outing, with a much higher walk rate and a fastball that’s been a mile per hour slower than his 2024 velocity (though that drop isn’t necessarily a huge concern this early in a season).  This is actually the second straight start that Glasnow has made an early exit; leg cramps forced him out during the fifth inning of his last outing on April 20.

Even if just as a precautionary measure, it would seem like Glasnow is probably headed to the 15-day injured list, creating yet another wrinkle in the revolving door that is the Dodgers’ rotation.  Roberts announced just earlier today that Tony Gonsolin was expected to be activated from the 15-day IL to start Wednesday’s game, marking Gonsolin’s long-awaited return to action after he underwent Tommy John surgery late in the 2023 season.  Gonsolin was already replacing Blake Snell, who went on the shelf due to shoulder inflammation.

Los Angeles has been dealing with a seemingly unending list of pitching injuries in recent years, though the team’s sheer volume of available arms (and its star-studded lineup) has continued to keep the Dodgers on the winning track.  They’ll have to dip into that depth again if Glasnow is out of action, though it will still be a couple of weeks until Clayton Kershaw is eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL.  Kershaw is set for two Triple-A rehab starts this coming week as the future Hall-of-Famer is hopefully in the final ramp-up stages towards his 2025 debut.

West Notes: Arraez, Padres, Leiter, Tovar, Tellez

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It was a week ago tonight that Luis Arraez was carted off the field in Houston after he collided with Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubon during a play at first base.  Early concerns of a neck or jaw injury dissipated when Arraez was back in the Padres’ clubhouse later that night after a trip to the hospital, and though Arraez was placed on the concussion-related injured list, the three-time batting champ feels he will miss just the minimum seven days.

Arraez took part in a full workout with some other injured Padres players on the field today, and told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell that he is free of concussion symptoms.  Tuesday would mark the earliest that Arraez is eligible to be activated, and he is now just “waiting for the doctor, whatever he says” about a possible okay to resume playing.

As for San Diego’s other injured players, Jason Heyward might also be activated Tuesday, as was working out on the field and is also nearing the 10-day minimum date after his IL placement for knee inflammation.  Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Jackson Merrill and Brandon Lockridge (both out with hamstring injuries) are expected to take part in a live batting-practice session at the Padres’ spring camp on Monday, and Merrill was also feeling good enough to take part in today’s defensive workout.  Jake Cronenworth (rib fracture) is feeling good enough to take part in some light fielding drills, but Sanders notes that Cronenworth hasn’t yet attempted diving for balls.

With the weekend wrapping up, here are some more items from the NL and AL West divisions…

  • The Rangers activated Jack Leiter from the 15-day IL today, with right-hander Gerson Garabito heading to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  A blister issue had kept Leiter from pitching since April 2, and some rust was apparent, as Leiter allowed two earned runs (on four walks and two hits) over 3 1/3 innings in Texas’ 3-2 loss to the Giants.  Leiter tossed 76 pitches and was on a pitch count anyway, though obviously the Rangers would’ve preferred to see the former top prospect get a bit deeper into the game.  Leiter still has an impressive 2.03 ERA over 13 1/3 innings this season, and will continue in the rotation at least until some of the club’s other injured starters return to action.
  • Ezequiel Tovar was eligible to be activated off the Rockies’ 10-day injured list this weekend, but manager Bud Black told the Denver Post’s Jeff Saunders and other reporters that Tovar will need another 7-10 days of recovery time.  Tovar is dealing with a left hip contusion and hasn’t played since April 15, leaving the struggling Rockies short one of their few breakout players from the 2024 season.
  • Rowdy Tellez was a late scratch from the Mariners’ lineup today, as the slugger is apparently still feeling sore after being hit on the hand by a pitch in Saturday’s game.  X-rays were negative on Tellez’s hand, he told Shane Lantz of the Seattle Times and other reporters, so it appears to be a precautionary move on the Mariners’ part.  Seattle has an off-day on Monday, so Tellez will receive two full days off before his next attempt to play.

Blue Jays Notes: Varsho, Scherzer, Burr

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Daulton Varsho will likely make his 2025 debut on Tuesday when the Blue Jays host the Red Sox at the start of a six-game homestand.  The Gold Glover and Fielding Bible award winner underwent surgery on his right rotator cuff last September, and started this season on the 10-day injured list to allow him extra time to get his throwing arm back up to full game readiness.  Varsho was still able to log some at-bats as a DH during Spring Training, and his appearance with Triple-A Buffalo today marked the seventh game of his minor league rehab assignment.

The Jays have remained a very strong defensive team even in Varsho’s absence, and since Toronto’s lineup has been sorely lacking in power, the bigger boost would come if Varsho can more consistently unlock the home run pop he has shown at times during his five MLB seasons.  Varsho’s biggest power season remains his 2022 campaign with the Diamondbacks, as he has only a .398 slugging percentage (but with 38 homers) in 1094 plate appearances in a Blue Jays uniform.

Varsho will resume his usual semi-everyday role in center field, only sitting when the Jays face some left-handed starting pitchers.  Manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and other reporters that no decision has been made about who will be sent down to Triple-A to create space for Varsho on the 26-man roster, though left-handed hitting outfielders Nathan Lukes or Addison Barger seem the likeliest candidates.

Turning to the pitching staff, Max Scherzer threw a 27-pitch bullpen session on Friday, and threw again today.  It remains to be seen if this is the first step towards a potential rehab plan for Scherzer, as the recurring nature of his thumb injury has led to a lot of stops and starts over the better part of a year.  Scherzer’s Blue Jays history thus far consists of three innings pitched on March 29 before thumb discomfort forced him from the game, and it would appear as though Scherzer is still multiple weeks away from a possible return.

Speaking of longer-term pitching injuries, the Jays shifted Ryan Burr from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL today.  Right shoulder inflammation has kept Burr from pitching this season, and since he is also a ways away from returning to action, it isn’t surprising that Toronto has taken the step of officially ruling him out until late May.

The 60-day placement appears to be just an on-paper move, as Schneider made no indication that Burr had suffered any kind of setback.  In moving Burr to the 60-day IL, the Blue Jays now have an open 40-man roster spot, which might hint at a potential secondary move coming.  The Jays might have wanted to make space for an upcoming waiver claim, perhaps just in general, or the front office may have their eyes on a particular player currently on the wire.

Astros Activate Kaleb Ort, Place Forrest Whitley On 15-Day IL

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The Astros activated right-hander Kaleb Ort from the 15-day injured list today, and placed righty Forrest Whitley on the 15-day IL (retroactive to April 24) in the corresponding move.  Ort didn’t see any action in today’s 7-3 win over the Royals, so the reliever is still waiting to make his season debut after beginning the year on the IL due to an oblique strain.

Whitley also began the season on the IL due to a bone bruise on his left knee, but after making just one appearance, Whitley now finds himself back on the shelf with a left knee sprain.  Manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Whitley’s two injuries are likely linked, and the reliever will undergo more testing on Monday to determine the extent of the issue.  The decision was made to place Whitley on the IL when he reported more knee soreness after a game of catch on Saturday, Espada said.

It represents yet another setback for Whitley, as the former top prospect has dealt with multiple injuries and a 50-game PED suspension during his long minor league career.  Chosen 17th overall in the 2016 draft, Whitley finally made it to the Show last year, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless (despite five hits and three walks) innings over three appearances for the 2024 Astros.  His big league ERA has remained spotless through his fourth career game, as he tossed two more scoreless frames in mop-up duty during Houston’s 7-0 win over the Blue Jays on April 21.

Whitley’s multiple injuries have already altered his career path from starting to relief pitching, and he had very strong results working in a full-time bullpen role with Triple-A Round Rock in 2024.  There is still plenty of opportunity for the 27-year-old Whitley to carve out a niche for himself in the majors, if he can only stay healthy.

Speaking of late bloomers, Ort had a 6.27 ERA in 51 2/3 career MLB innings (all with the Red Sox) before he broke out with Houston last year in his age-32 season.  After being claimed off waivers from the Orioles last May, Ort posted a 2.55 ERA, 28% strikeout rate, and 4.3% walk rate across 24 2/3 innings out of the Astros’ pen.  While Ort benefited from some favorable batted-ball luck, his metrics were still intriguing enough to indicate that he can be a helpful bullpen piece for Espada’s team.

Cardinals To Select Jose Barrero’s Contract, Option Thomas Saggese

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The Cardinals will select Jose Barrero’s contract prior to Monday’s game with the Reds, according to reporter Francys Romero.  Infielder Thomas Saggese will be optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move, and the Cards will need to make another transaction to open up space for Barrero on the 40-man roster.

Though Saggese has hit .341/.364/.512 in 44 plate appearances this season, MLB.com’s John Denton writes that the Cardinals would prefer to have Saggese in everyday action at Triple-A rather than more sporadic playing time on a crowded roster.  Injuries to Nolan Gorman and Masyn Winn opened the door for Saggese to get called up in early April, though now that both players are back in action, Saggese’s role would be reduced if he remained in St. Louis.

The situation implies that Barrero will be just a depth piece with the Cards, and his out-of-options status means that he might be facing a relatively quick trip to the waiver wire should St. Louis need to make another roster move.  Still, the contract selection puts Barrero on track for what would be his first big-league appearance since the 2023 season.  Barrero might even get a chance to face his old team during this upcoming series, as Barrero spent his entire pro career with the Reds before he was claimed off waivers from the Rangers back in March 2024.

A highly-regarded prospect during his time in Cincinnati’s farm system, Barrero has hit only .186/.242/.255 over 447 career PA in the majors from 2020-23.  Between this lack of production and the rise of several other Reds infield prospects, Barrero found himself the odd man out.  The move to Texas didn’t result in any big-league playing time last year, as Barrero was hampered by injuries and hit .188/.277/.346 in only 188 Triple-A plate appearances.

Barrero chose to become a minor league free agent following the season and quickly signed on with St. Louis on a minors contract.  The change of scenery has worked so far, as Barrero’s bat came alive to the tune of a .301/.396/.530 slash line over 96 PA at Triple-A Memphis.  Barrero has spent the large majority of his career as a shortstop, but he has a good chunk of experience as a second baseman and center fielder, and a handful of games as a third baseman and in right field.

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