Blue Jays Notes: Berríos, Scherzer, Bieber, Barger
Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos has been trying to get healthy for a long time now but appears to have hit another setback. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic was among those to relay that the righty went for an MRI Tuesday night. His most recent rehab outing featured decreased velocity followed by increased pain for the veteran.
Berríos hasn’t really been healthy since late last year, due to varying maladies that may or may not be connected. Right elbow inflammation put him on the injured list with just a few days remaining in the 2025 season.
He started this year healthy, or so it seemed, as he was pitching in spring training games early on. In mid-March, he was going to join the Puerto Rico team in the World Baseball Classic and underwent a physical which found some elbow inflammation, apparently in a different spot than last year’s inflammation. It was an unusual situation because he wasn’t feeling any discomfort. Stranger still, he was then diagnosed with a stress fracture in his elbow.
Despite the ominous diagnosis and starting the season on the IL, he began a rehab assignment a few weeks ago, but it hasn’t been going well. He has allowed 17 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings. As mentioned, his velo has been down, with Bannon noting a drop of about 3 mph from his first rehab start to his most recent. And with Berríos experiencing more pain than expected, the signs are generally worrying. The Jays are off tomorrow and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet notes that the Jays will likely have more information to share by Friday.
It doesn’t appear as though Max Scherzer is close to a return either. He hit the IL a little over a week ago due to both tendinitis in his right forearm and inflammation in his left ankle. He had been pitching through the tendinitis for a while but said the addition of the ankle issue was too much to juggle at once. Today, he expressed some frustration with the path forward.
“It’s confusing as heck because I have a clean MRI,” Scherzer said to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. “That’s what has everyone pulling their hair out. The MRI is saying, ‘hey you should be good,’ and I’m like ‘No, the check engine light is on.'” Given that puzzling situation, it’s hard to say what the path forward is.
As for Shane Bieber, who has been on the IL all year due to forearm fatigue, there are some positive signs. Per Bannon, he did a “2-up” bullpen today, which effectively means he threw the equivalent of two innings with a break in between to simulate a game environment. He’ll do another bullpen like that next week and then could progress to live hitters. Presumably, he would be in line for a rehab assignment after that.
The Jays have been trying to get their rotation to a better state of health all year. They started the season with Berríos, Bieber and Trey Yesavage on the IL, leaving them with a rotation of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce and Scherzer. Ponce suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first start, prompting the Jays to quickly sign Patrick Corbin. Yesavage came off the IL at the end of April, which was supposed to push Lauer to the bullpen, but then Scherzer hit the IL instead.
Lauer has been struggling this year, with a 6.03 ERA so far. Corbin has been doing better, entering today with a 3.65 ERA, but it’s fair to wonder how much longer he can keep it up. He’s approaching his 37th birthday and has had an ERA above 5.00 in most of his recent seasons. Ideally, the Jays would get some of their veterans healthy to push Lauer and/or Corbin out of the rotation but that may not be imminent.
There’s a bit more positivity coming on the position player side, since Addison Barger seems close to a return. He has already begun a rehab assignment and the plan is for him to rejoin the big league club on Friday, per Bannon. He struggled through the first eight games before a left ankle sprain put him on the IL. He hit 21 home runs for the Jays last year and slashed .243/.301/.454, so they will obviously hope to get him back in good form.
Barger played a lot of third base last year but Kazuma Okamoto‘s signing means he’ll be mostly in the outfield going forward. With Barger, Nathan Lukes and Anthony Santander on the shelf, the Jays have had an outfield mix including Daulton Varsho, Myles Straw, Jesús Sánchez, Yohendrick Pinango and Davis Schneider.
The Jays will have to make room for Barger somehow, which could lead to an interesting decision. They have been playing a lot of matchups with this group, as Varsho, Pinango and Sánchez are lefties while Schneider and Straw are righties. Schneider isn’t hitting well and has options but sending him down for Barger wouldn’t be ideal in the sense that it would tilt the group to four lefties with Straw as the only righty.
Pinango is hitting better than Sánchez but the latter is more experienced and out of options, whereas Pinango’s recent surge has come in just a handful of games and with a .500 BABIP he won’t sustain. Sending down Pinango might be the easiest decision in a sense but it also may be hard to option a hot hand while the club isn’t scoring tons of runs.
Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images
Rockies Sign Erasmo Ramirez To Minor League Deal
The Rockies have signed veteran righty Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league contract, as announced by his now-former Mexican League club, los Algodoneros del Unión Laguna. He’ll presumably start his Rockies tenure with their Triple-A club in Albuquerque. Ramirez is represented by NPG Sports.
Ramirez opened the season in Mexico and was hit hard, surrendering 11 runs on 17 hits and a pair of walks with nine punchouts in a dozen innings. Poor small-sample results notwithstanding, the Rockies were clearly intrigued by Ramirez’s stuff. He’ll hope to pitch his way into what would be a 15th season with some big league experience.
The Nicaraguan-born Ramirez debuted with the Mariners back in 2012. He’s pitched for seven teams — Mariners, Rays, Nationals, Tigers, Twins, Mets, Red Sox — most recently suiting up for Minnesota late last season. Ramirez tossed 11 innings as a Twin and held opponents to three runs (2.45 ERA) on 10 hits and a pair of walks with five strikeouts.
Ramirez has never been a hard thrower, but a heater that averaged 92-94 mph earlier in his career sat 90.4 mph with Minnesota in 2025. In 860 career innings, he has a 4.34 earned run average with an 18% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 43.8% grounder rate. He’s worked as both a starter and reliever and stands as a possible swingman option for a Rockies staff that ranks 25th in the majors with a 4.59 ERA.
Braves Select Jim Jarvis, Designate Jose Azocar
The Braves announced they’ve selected the contract of infielder Jim Jarvis from Triple-A Gwinnett. He’ll head to the majors for the first call-up of his career. Outfielder Jose Azocar has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Jarvis, a product of the University of Alabama, was an 11th-round pick by the Tigers in 2023. Detroit traded him to Atlanta at last summer’s deadline for middle reliever Rafael Montero. Jarvis was amidst a middling offensive season in Double-A but has posted stronger numbers since joining the Braves’ system.
The lefty batter hit .265/.344/.361 over 21 games with Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate after the trade. He earned a late-season bump to Gwinnett, where he has played the first five weeks of this season. Jarvis is out to an excellent .308/.415/.445 start through 153 plate appearances. He has worked walks at a lofty 15% clip against a lower than average 17.6% strikeout rate while stealing 15 bases in 17 tries.
Jarvis has shown a strong awareness of the strike zone throughout his minor league career. He hasn’t been much of a power threat despite connecting on four home runs and six doubles in Triple-A. That accounts a third of the longballs he has hit in nearly 1200 professional plate appearances. Jarvis’ exit velocities in Gwinnett are still middling, so he’s unlikely to hit for much power at the MLB level.
The lack of offensive impact has kept Jarvis mostly off the prospect radar. Baseball America ranked him 28th in the Atlanta system over the offseason, while Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs had him as an honorable mention in his March writeup of the organization. Both outlets credit Jarvis as a steady, if not particularly flashy, shortstop with a contact-based offensive approach.
Atlanta has moved Mauricio Dubón from shortstop to center field over the past week. That was initially driven by Michael Harris II battling minor quad discomfort that kept him out of the field. Harris donned a glove last night but started in left field for the first time in his career. They kept Dubón in center while pushing Mike Yastrzemski over to right field. That’ll probably be their primary outfield trio while Ronald Acuña Jr. is out, even if they flip Harris back up the middle and Dubón to left once Harris is back to full speed.
Jarvis gives them a little more depth on the infield behind stopgap shortstop Jorge Mateo. The Braves should get Ha-Seong Kim back from injury within the next week to 10 days. That’ll push Mateo back to a depth role alongside Kyle Farmer and could nudge Jarvis back to Triple-A.
Azocar was just selected onto the MLB roster as outfield depth when Acuña went down on Sunday. He made one start in right field, going 0-2. He pinch ran and stole a base on Monday. The 29-year-old has had a couple very brief stints on Atlanta’s roster over the last two years. Azocar was out to a .270/.348/.420 start with Gwinnett but has a modest .243/.288/.318 batting line over parts of five MLB campaigns.
Atlanta will trade Azocar or place him on waivers within the next five days. The latter outcome seems likelier. There’s a decent chance he’ll clear because he’s out of minor league options, meaning a claiming team would need to be willing to carry him on the big league roster. Azocar has been outrighted in his career a few times, giving him the right to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed again.
Carlos Correa To Undergo Season-Ending Ankle Surgery
The hits keep coming for the Astros. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that third baseman/shortstop Carlos Correa will require season-ending surgery to repair a left ankle injury. Correa was scratched from last night’s game and subsequently reported to have suffered a potentially major ankle injury. He was in the clubhouse today on crutches.
Correa himself told reporters in Houston that he suffered a torn tendon in his left ankle (video link via McTaggart). The requisite surgery to repair the injury will sideline him for the next six to eight months. (Notably, that’s not the ankle that caused enough medical concern to scuttle a pair of major free agent deals a few offseasons back.) As Correa explains, it was a freak incident:
“I was hitting in the cage — normal day, feeling great. I went through my whole routine, took a swing, and felt a pop. It just completely snapped on me, and then I fell to the ground, couldn’t put weight on it. Just a normal swing, but I felt a loud pop. I heard it. I felt it. I knew right away something was wrong.”
With Correa’s season over, the Astros will entrust shortstop to Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake for the time being. Both are light-hitting defensive specialists, though Shewmake took Shohei Ohtani deep for a go-ahead home run last night. Star shortstop Jeremy Peña is on the mend from a hamstring strain and will reclaim everyday shortstop work once healthy. Peña’s return would have pushed Correa back to third base, but the hot corner will now be manned by Isaac Paredes moving forward, with a resurgent Christian Walker at first base, Jose Altuve at second base and Yordan Alvarez at designated hitter.
Correa is the latest in a dizzying line of major Astros injuries. He joins not only Peña but Hunter Brown (shoulder strain), Josh Hader (biceps tendinitis), Yainer Diaz (oblique strain), Jake Meyers (oblique strain), Tatsuya Imai (arm fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder strain), Joey Loperfido (quad strain) and Taylor Trammell (groin strain) as Astros to suffer new injuries this season. The ‘Stros are also still without pitchers Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter, all three of whom underwent UCL surgery during the 2025 season.
Suffice it to say, the 2026 season hasn’t gone according to plan. Houston’s 15-22 record is the fifth-worst in Major League Baseball. Long-term absences for key players like Correa, Brown, Hader and Peña have conspired to dig an early hole from which they’ll be hard-pressed to climb out. The pitching, in particular, has been egregiously bad. Houston not only ranks last in the majors with a team-wide 5.65 ERA — they’re 64 points north of the 29th-ranked D-backs, who sit at a collective 5.01. The bullpen’s 6.20 ERA is the highest in MLB by nearly a full run over the 29th-ranked Angels (5.35). The rotation’s 5.13 ERA ranks 29th, narrowly leading Arizona (5.20).
The 2026 trade deadline is still just under three months away, but the mountain of injuries and a dismal pitching performance thus far makes it hard to envision the ‘Stros recovering — even with Alvarez and Walker combining to create one of the more formidable lineup duos in the game. The Astros will face some tough decisions at this year’s deadline, due not only to the current state of affairs but also an increasingly concerning long-term outlook that doesn’t create much optimism.
[Related: The Astros’ Ominous Long-Term Outlook]
As for Correa, he’s still signed for another two seasons beyond the current year. He’ll earn $30.5MM in 2027 and $30MM in 2028, though the Twins are paying $10MM per year (2026-28) as part of the trade that sent Correa and more than $70MM of his remaining contract back to Houston. His six-year, $200MM deal also contains a quartet of vesting club options valued at $25MM, $20MM, $15MM and $10MM, spanning the 2029-32 seasons. Those options can vest based on the total plate appearances Correa logs in the immediately preceding season.
Nationals Sign Max Kranick
May 6: Kranick’s deal pays him $800K this season, reports Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. The 2027 option value is to be determined, in a sense. It’ll either be valued at $850K or $50K north of whatever the new league minimum is in 2027 — whichever of the two is higher. With the current collective bargaining agreement expiring, it’s of course possible that the $780K league minimum will increase further next year under a new agreement.
May 5: Washington officially announced the signing of Kranick to a one-year contract with a club option for 2027. He has been placed on the 15-day injured list as he continues working back from the elbow procedure. The team did not disclose salary terms.
May 1: The Nationals and right-hander Max Kranick have agreed to terms on a deal, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The former Pirates and Mets righty underwent flexor tendon surgery last July and was non-tendered by the Mets in November. The Covenant Sports Group client’s contract is still pending a physical.
Kranick, 28, has pitched in parts of three seasons but never been able to carve out any staying power, thanks largely to injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2022 and missed the vast majority of the 2023 season as a result. The Mets claimed him off waivers in the 2023-24 offseason but didn’t call him to the majors in ’24 — despite solid results in the minors.
In 2025, the Mets gave Kranick a real look. He got out to a nice start and was sitting on a 3.65 ERA through 37 frames at the time of his flexor injury. Kranick’s 16.9% strikeout rate was well south of the 22.3% league average, but his 3.4% walk rate was outstanding. Those trends have been fairly typical for Kranick. He’s never missed many bats but has generally run a better-than-average walk rate (granted, not quite to his 2025 extent) when healthy.
Washington’s pitching staff has been one of the worst in the game this year. The Nats’ 5.11 team earned run average sits 29th in the majors. That’s due largely to struggles in the rotation (Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell, in particular), but Washington’s collective 4.90 ERA from the bullpen ranks 23rd in the game as well.
Given those poor results, it’s hardly a surprise to see the Nats bring in some outside arms. Kranick isn’t going to be ready to jump right into the mix, however. He threw for teams back in January and was said at the time to be targeting a second-half return from the injured list. Once the deal is finalized, he’ll presumably need to work through a throwing progression and then go through a lengthy minor league rehab stint.
Kranick has 3.011 years of big league service time, so if he makes it back to the majors with the Nats and pitches well, he can be controlled for another three seasons beyond the current campaign. He’s out of minor league options, so once he’s added to the active big league roster, Washington won’t be able to send him to the minors unless he clears outright waivers.
MLBTR Podcast: Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Tigers ace Tarik Skubal requiring elbow surgery (1:25)
- The Marlins calling up Joe Mack, optioning Agustín Ramírez and designating Chris Paddack for assignment (8:35)
- The Giants calling up Bryce Eldridge (21:50)
- The Yankees optioning Anthony Volpe (33:15)
- The Red Sox dealing with injuries to Garrett Crochet and others (41:55)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- What kind of package could the Rockies get if they traded Chase Dollander? (46:20)
- What can the Brewers do to address the left side of the infield? (56:50)
- Instead of using guys like Scott Kingery or Nicky Lopez on the bench, shouldn’t the Cubs call up a better player from the minors? (59:35)
Check out our past episodes!
- The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson – listen here
- Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time – listen here
- Lenyn Sosa Traded, And Injury Concerns For The Astros, Cubs And Orioles – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Evan Petzold, Imagn Images
Joe Ryan Hoping To Avoid Injured List; No Structural Damage In Elbow
The Twins received good news on star right-hander Joe Ryan after he exited his most recent start in the first inning due to elbow pain. An MRI taken revealed no structural damage, the team told its beat (link via Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Ryan is planning to throw a bullpen today and may not even require a trip to the injured list.
Alarm bells sounded during Ryan’s most recent start, when he lasted only nine pitches before departing with a trainer. The right-hander himself explained that he felt some discomfort that he hasn’t experienced in the past on multiple pitches. Since it was in his elbow, he took the cautious approach of signaling for a trainer. The Twins, understandably, did not take any chances.
Time will tell if Ryan is completely out of the woods. He’s already played catch. Today’s bullpen session will be informative. However, even if he requires a brief trip to the 15-day IL, that’s a far better outcome than the one for which most Twins fans (and presumably Twins brass) were bracing.
Ryan, 29, has been one of the steadier pitchers in the American League since making his debut back in 2021, after the Twins acquired him from the Rays in exchange for Nelson Cruz. He’s made 123 appearances — all but one of them starts — and posted a 3.79 ERA with a strong 27.5% strikeout rate and an excellent 5.7% walk rate. He’s a fly-ball pitcher who lacks premium velocity, which has always made him a bit homer-prone, but Ryan’s ability to avoid walks and miss bats in the zone has helped him limit the damage nonetheless.
The Twins control Ryan through the 2027 season. He’s earning $6.2MM this year and is owed one more raise in arbitration. (This year’s deal has a mutual option on it, but that’ll very likely be declined by one side, and the two parties will reconvene to negotiate a new price for his final arb season.)
Minnesota entered the season widely expected to be one of the least-competitive teams in the league. They’ve outperformed expectations, to an extent, thanks to big strides from younger players like Austin Martin, Brooks Lee and especially Taj Bradley, while veterans Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers have had resurgent performances. Byron Buxton has been terrific, homering 11 times in 33 games.
Those positive developments notwithstanding, the Twins’ decision not to invest anything meaningful in the bullpen after tearing down the relief corps and trading away their five best relievers last summer has left them with a sub-.500 record. Minnesota relievers rank 28th in the majors in ERA (5.26), 29th in strikeout rate (18.3%) and 21st in walk rate (10.9%). Only three teams (Mets, Red Sox, Angels) have a lower average fastball from their relievers.
The Twins play in baseball’s worst division, so their 16-20 record leaves them only 1.5 games out of first place, trailing a Tigers club that just lost ace Tarik Skubal to a monthslong absence. Perhaps that’ll be enough to keep all five AL Central teams in relative contention into the summer, but Ryan still stands as an obvious potential trade chip in light of last summer’s fire sale and some ownership turmoil that has left the team with a payroll about $50MM shy of its 2023 peak. Getting a clean bill of health on his right elbow both gives the Twins a better chance at making an improbable contention run and preserves most of the trade value for a veteran arm who’ll be their top deadline chip if they sell for a second straight summer.
The Opener: Valdez, Pagan, Paddack
The Cubs walked off the Reds for the second straight game on Tuesday. Chicago has won seven in a row, and the streak is even longer at home. The Cubs haven’t lost at Wrigley Field since April 11 against the Pirates.
1. Benches clear in Detroit
Tigers lefty Framber Valdez gave up back-to-back home runs to open the fourth inning against the Red Sox on Tuesday. His next pitch hit Trevor Story right between the numbers. Both sides streamed out of the dugout, though the incident didn’t escalate much beyond that. Valdez claimed innocence afterward, but few were convinced. “It’s pretty indisputable,” Story told reporters, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. “We play a really good brand of baseball here,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “That didn’t feel like it.” (h/t Chris McCosky of the Detroit News) No word yet on a suspension for Valdez, but it’s likely coming.
2. Pagan leaves with leg injury
Reds right-hander Emilio Pagan entered in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game against the Cubs last night. He threw one pitch and immediately came up limping. The closer went to the ground, reaching for his hamstring. Pagan had to be carted off the field. He’s headed to the injured list, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. Right-hander Pierce Johnson will come off the bereavement list to take Pagan’s spot. Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft are the leading candidates to assume the closer role. Santillan picked up a career-high seven saves in 2025.
3. Paddack designated for assignment
The Marlins DFAed veteran righty Chris Paddack on Tuesday. He was hammered for seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings over the weekend, pushing his ERA above 7.00. Paddack joined the club on a one-year, $4MM deal in February. He lasted just seven starts. Miami has a pair of big-name pitching prospects on the verge of reaching the majors in Robby Snelling and Thomas White. One of their Triple-A teammates might get the call first, though. Lefty Braxton Garrett is working his way back from elbow surgery. He’s posted a 2.30 ERA over six starts with Jacksonville. Garrett put together a solid 2023 campaign with the Marlins, but went down with the elbow issue after seven starts in 2024. Garrett’s previous MLB experience might give him the upper hand when it comes to replacing Paddack in the rotation.
Photo courtesy of Lon Horwedel, Imagn Images
Carlos Correa Believed To Have Suffered Significant Left Ankle Injury
Carlos Correa is believed to have suffered a significant left ankle injury, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. He’ll visit a foot specialist tomorrow to narrow down a diagnosis and recovery timeline. McTaggart writes that he’ll be out indefinitely and could miss weeks or potentially months.
Correa was injured while taking batting practice before Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers. The Astros scratched him, moving Nick Allen from third base to shortstop while drawing utility infielder Braden Shewmake into the lineup at the hot corner. Shewmake wound up hitting a solo home run off Shohei Ohtani that proved the difference in a 2-1 Houston win.
It’s the second consecutive day in which the Astros lost a key player during pregame batting practice. Catcher Yainer Diaz strained his oblique while warming up on Monday and is also going to miss some time. He went on the injured list on Tuesday morning.
The Astros will presumably provide more information on Correa within the next few days. The three-time All-Star has battled injuries in both feet over the past few years. Plantar fasciitis and a muscle strain in his left foot hobbled him in 2023. He missed most of the second half of the ’24 season with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
Injury concerns famously scuttled two of Correa’s agreements during his 2022-23 free agent trip: both a $350MM deal with the Giants and a subsequent $315MM agreement with the Mets. Those were both related to team medical personnel having concerns about Correa’s right ankle, not the one which he injured tonight.
That’s of little solace to a Houston team dealing with yet another significant injury. Correa becomes their fourth regular position player — alongside Diaz, Jeremy Peña and Jake Meyers — on the injured list. They’re also without starting pitchers Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai plus closer Josh Hader.
Peña, down since April 12 with a right hamstring strain, could start a minor league rehab assignment this week. Correa had been the regular shortstop in his absence. Allen, a light-hitting defensive specialist, will man the position in the interim. Losing Correa means the Astros will stick with Isaac Paredes as the everyday third baseman. Christian Walker is enjoying a resurgent season at first base, while Yordan Alvarez is mostly at designated hitter.
The infield depth, at least once Peña returns, is the only silver lining. Houston unsuccessfully tried to move Paredes or Walker over the offseason to alleviate the logjam, but they essentially haven’t been at full health for the entire season. Even before the hamstring injury, Peña had battled a fingertip fracture on his right hand that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.
Houston reacquired Correa from the Twins last summer, taking on a little over $70MM on the remaining three years of his contract. He hit .290/.355/.430 over 51 games down the stretch and was out to a .279/.369/.418 start to this season. Although he’s not the power threat he was at his peak, Correa remains an above-average hitter and quality defender at either position on the left side of the infield when healthy.
Angels Re-Sign Joey Lucchesi To Minor League Contract
The Angels re-signed lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi to a minor league contract, according to the MiLB.com transaction tracker. He’ll report back to Triple-A Salt Lake after electing free agency last week. Additionally, the log indicates the Halos released Hunter Strickland and Angel Perdomo from their non-roster deals.
Lucchesi has signed with the Angels three times within the past six weeks. He joined late in Spring Training on a big league deal. The Halos designated him for assignment after three appearances, re-signed him to a minor league contract, then selected him back onto the MLB roster in late April. He pitched twice more before being DFA again and choosing free agency when he cleared waivers.
The 32-year-old southpaw has given up six runs (five earned) across 3 1/3 innings. He has recorded four strikeouts while issuing six walks. Lucchesi worked 8 1/3 frames of five-run ball with 11 punchouts over four Triple-A outings in between his stints on the MLB roster.
Strickland and Perdomo have each been out to very tough starts to the season in Salt Lake. Strickland has allowed 18 earned runs on 21 hits over 12 1/3 innings. Perdomo has surrendered 16 earned across 12 frames, walking 14 batters and hitting three more. He has given up free passes to nearly a quarter of opposing hitters.