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Yankees Select Spencer Jones, Elmer Rodriguez, Chase Hampton

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The Yankees on Tuesday selected the contracts of outfielder Spencer Jones and righties Elmer Rodriguez and Chase Hampton, per a team announcement. They’re now on the 40-man roster and ineligible to be selected by another club in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

There are no surprises in this trio of additions. Hampton, Rodriguez and Jones rank among the Yankees’ top prospects and were sure to be protected. Jones is the most recognizable of the bunch thanks to a prodigious power display this summer. The 24-year-old popped 35 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A combined and turned plenty of heads when he swatted 13 round-trippers in his first 19 games after moving up to the higher of those two levels.

Jones is immensely strikeout prone, however, and fell into a deep slump after that jaw-dropping hot streak. Over his final 48 games and 183 plate appearances, Jones hit just .219/.289/.383 with a 42% strikeout rate. He could get a look at some point in 2026, but he’ll need to radically cut down on his strikeouts if he’s to become a productive big leaguer. Jones’ huge raw power and hulking 6’7″ stature have led to plenty of Aaron Judge comparisons, but even the strikeout-prone Judge punched out in just 23.9% of his plate appearances during his final Triple-A season. Jones was at 33.7% in Double-A and 36.6% in Triple-A.

Rodriguez, 22, came to the Yankees in a rare trade with their archrival Red Sox, sending catcher Carlos Narvaez the other direction. It has serious win-win potential. Narvaez became a prominent part of Boston’s catching corps in 2025, while Rodriguez climbed to Triple-A and posted a 2.58 ERA with a 29% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate in 150 minor league frames.

Hampton, 24, missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. He pitched only 18 2/3 innings in 2024 as well. That said, he’s a former sixth-round pick and touted prospect who tossed 106 2/3 frames with a 3.63 ERA while climbing to Double-A as a 21-year-old back in 2022. Scouting reports tout his plus curveball and slider. If he’s back to full health in ’26, he’ll begin the year in Double-A or Triple-A and could pitch his way into consideration for a big league look late in the summer — though he might be a more realistic 2027 rotation candidate.

Phillies Select Andrew Painter, Two Others

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The Phillies added three prospects to their 40-man roster on Rule 5 protection day: pitchers Andrew Painter and Alex McFarlane and outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. Their roster count sits at 33.

Painter, 23 in April, was one of the most obvious calls to be kept out of the Rule 5 draft. The 6’7″ right-hander was arguably the best pitching prospect in MLB a couple seasons ago. Painter’s stock has dropped over the last two and a half seasons because of injuries and an underwhelming performance at Triple-A. The Phillies were never going to let an arm as talented as Painter go in the Rule 5 draft, though.

A first-round pick out of high school in 2021, Painter turned in a 1.56 earned run average over 22 starts during his first full professional season. Painter reached Double-A in his age-19 season. The Phillies were open to him pitching his way to the big leagues by the end of the ’23 campaign, but an elbow injury intervened. Painter eventually required Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 minor league campaign (though he returned to get 15 2/3 innings of Arizona Fall League action).

Painter’s first season at the Triple-A level didn’t go well. He was tagged for a 5.40 ERA while walking almost 10% of batters faced. Painter gave up more than 1.5 home runs per nine innings. It wasn’t enough to earn a late-season debut, but he still sits around 97 MPH on his fastball and struck out a solid 23.4% of Triple-A opponents. He’s one of the better pitching prospects in the game and should debut next season. Baseball America ranks him the #2 prospect in the Philly system.

Rincones, 25 in March, is seventh on that list. He’s a left-handed hitting outfielder who turned in a .240/.370/.430 line across 506 Triple-A plate appearances. Rincones is a limited defender with concerns about his ability to hit lefty pitching, but he has big power in a 6’3″ frame and is clearly willing to wait until pitchers come into the zone.

McFarlane, a 24-year-old righty, is a former fourth-round pick out of the University of Miami. He spent much of the season in High-A, where he struggled to a 4.72 ERA through 74 1/3 frames. The minor league numbers aren’t encouraging, but the Phils still clearly like McFarlane as a developmental play and had plenty of roster space with which to work.

Mariners Acquire Alex Hoppe, Designate Tayler Saucedo For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Alex Hoppe from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league catcher Luke Heyman. Hoppe has been selected to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Left-hander Tayler Saucedo has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Chris Cotillo of MassLive first reported that Hoppe was heading to the Mariners. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe first reported that Heyman was heading to the Sox.

Hoppe, 27 in December, was a sixth-round pick of the Sox in 2022. Since then, he has been working as a pure reliever in the minors, with good amounts of strikeouts and ground balls but also some wildness.

Dating back to the start of 2024, Hoppe has thrown 127 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, allowing 5.01 earned runs per nine. His 12% walk rate in that time is quite high but he also punched out 23.6% of batters faced and got opponents to hit the ball into the dirt more than half the time.

Perhaps the Sox didn’t have much faith about Hoppe reining in his control going forward, or perhaps he was just the casualty of a roster squeeze. The Sox have been busy today, shuffling guys around to make space on Rule 5 deadline day. In addition to this deal, they also sent lefties Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy to the Rockies and White Sox respectively. Giving Hoppe a roster spot would have required opening another 40-man spot.

Instead, they have flipped him to the Mariners, getting back a non-roster prospect in exchange. Heyman, 22, was taken by the Mariners in the 14th round of the draft just a few months ago. He showed big power in his college career but hasn’t yet made his professional debut. He gives the Sox a long-term lottery ticket behind the plate while the M’s get more immediate pitching depth.

To make room for Hoppe, the Mariners have nudged off Saucedo. The 32-year-old lefty has some decent big league work on his track record but he spent most of 2025 on optional assignment, only making ten big league appearances. He exhausted his final option season in the process. Saucedo qualified for arbitration a year ago and made $937,500 in 2025. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a small bump to $1.1MM next year. It seems the M’s weren’t planning to tender him a contract.

They will have some time to explore trade interest. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the lefty posted a 3.54 ERA over 86 1/3 big league innings, with most of his success due to a strong 55% ground ball rate. With those numbers and three years of club control, he could entice some teams. However, given his out-of-options status, he’d be hard to roster. It’s possible he ends up non-tendered on Friday, which would send him to free agency.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

D-Backs Select Four Players, Designate Tommy Henry

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The Diamondbacks have added four players to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft: pitchers Kohl Drake, Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray and infielder Jose Fernandez. Arizona only had three openings on the 40-man roster, so they designated lefty Tommy Henry for assignment.

Henry, 28, pitched just 6 2/3 innings in the big leagues this year. He has 181 innings of 5.07 ERA ball under his belt in the majors but wasn’t going to be a factor on next year’s staff after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late June. Henry had a decent showing with the ’23 D-backs, tossing 89 innings of 4.15 ERA ball, and he posted similar numbers in Triple-A the following season. However, he was clearly pitching through something in 2025, posting an 8.12 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts before hitting the injured list and ultimately undergoing surgery.

Any team can now claim Henry, but he’d need to be carried on the 40-man roster all winter before the 60-day IL becomes available again in spring training. Given his lack of consistent big league success to date and that lengthy injury rehab, there’s a good chance he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed. If Henry becomes a free agent, he’ll be an option to sign with the D-backs or another club on a minor league deal. He still has four-plus seasons of club control remaining.

Drake is one of the prospects the D-backs acquired when trading Merrill Kelly to the Rangers this past July. The 25-year-old was an 11th-rounder in 2022 and has put himself on the prospect map with solid performances in each of the past two seasons (2.29 ERA across three levels in ’24, 4.23 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A this past season). Drake punched out more than 35% of his opponents in 2024 and more than 28% at higher levels in 2025. He sits 92-94 mph with his heater and has three secondary pitches as well as solid command. A big league debut in 2026 seems likely.

Like Drake, Bratt came to the Snakes in that Kelly trade. Texas drafted him in the fifth round back in ’21. He pitched 122 1/3 innings with a sharp 3.38 ERA at the Double-A level in 2025 and logged even more encouraging rate stats: 29.3% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate. As with Drake, he could get his first big league look next year, though the D-backs may want to give him some run in Triple-A before that point.

The 24-year-old Ray was Arizona’s fourth-round selection in 2022. The 6’3″, 230-pound righty out of Alabama pitched well for 10 starts in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting before being torched for a 6.30 ERA through 18 starts in an exorbitantly hitter-friendly environment in Triple-A Reno. He set down 20.1% of opponents on strikes and issued walks at a 9% clip. Both are worse than league-average, but Ray draws praise for a smattering of roughly average offerings and could be a back-end starter or swingman.

Fernandez is an infielder — primarily shortstop and third base — who spent his age-21 season in Double-A this past year. In 511 plate appearances, he hit .272/.321/.454 (99 wRC+) with 17 homers, a dozen steals, a 20.4% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate. This was the first season he’s shown any semblance of power, as he’d previously been touted more for his athleticism, raw tools and projection more than his performance. He’ll hope for a big season in Triple-A next year, and he could factor into the big league mix either at third base or in a utility capacity if he can manage that.

Royals Select Ben Kudrna, Steven Zobac

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The Royals announced that they have selected right-handers Ben Kudrna and Steven Zobac to their 40-man roster. That protects both players from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 draft. Kansas City’s 40-man roster count climbs from 37 to 39.

The 22-year-old Kudrna was a second-rounder back in 2021. He’s long ranked among the top pitchers in what’s now a thin Royals system. Kudrna struggled to a 5.30 ERA in 106 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season, posting an average 22.9% strikeout rate and a worse-than-average 10.8% walk rate. He’s 90-93 with his sinker, generating a slightly above-average ground-ball rate and a better swinging-strike rate (12.3%) than one might expect for a sinker pitcher with pedestrian velocity.

Zobac, 25, was a 2022 fourth-rounder who missed time this season with a knee injury. He logged an ugly 7.25 ERA with a sub-par 21.7% strikeout rate but has drawn average or better grades for his heater, slider and command. Zobac posted a 3.64 ERA in 126 minor league innings during a healthy 2024 season, and the Royals unsurprisingly didn’t want to risk losing someone they’re envisioning as a potential big league starter even on the heels of an injury-marred ’25 campaign.

Guardians Designate Nic Enright, Select Four Players

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The Guardians announced Tuesday that they’ve designated righty Nic Enright for assignment. Cleveland has also added righties Austin Peterson and Yorman Gomez, infielder Angel Genao and outfielder Kahlil Watson to the 40-man roster, which is now full. Those four newcomers are now protected from being taken in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Enright, 28, was a feel-good story this season. The former Marlins farmhand overcame years of cancer treatment after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in 2022 and made his MLB debut this past May. Readers are highly encouraged to read a pair of stories from The Athletic’s Zack Meisel — the first chronicling the harrowing diagnosis and years of work to get back on the mound, and the second wherein a tearful Enright and his family discussed his first call to the big leagues.

That long-awaited MLB debut went brilliantly. Enright pitched 31 innings with a pristine 2.03 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate out of manager Stephen Vogt’s bullpen. Unfortunately, he hit another roadblock in his baseball odyssey when an elbow injury proved to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament that necessitated Tommy John surgery last month.

There’s no 60-day IL in the offseason, so the Guardians had to make what was surely an uncomfortable business decision, jettisoning Enright from the 40-man roster rather than dedicating a spot to him until spring training next year, when the 60-day IL is once again available. He’ll now be available on waivers, but any team claiming Enright would need to carry him all offseason. If he clears, he can become a minor league free agent and sign with any club. A two-year minor league deal to return to the Guardians wouldn’t be a huge surprise, if Enright eventually hits the market.

The 21-year-old Genao is widely regarded as one of Cleveland’s top prospects — if not their No. 1. He’s a top-100 prospect who’s coming off a .263/.332/.382 slash in a season primarily spent as one of the youngest players in Double-A. He’s a contact- and speed-oriented middle infielder with a chance to stick at shortstop.

Peterson, 26, is likely to get his first big league look next year. The 2022 ninth-rounder has posted a 3.21 in 146 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Peterson sits 92-93 mph with his heater and has below-average strikeout rates, fanning just 21.5% of his opponents between those two levels and notching a slightly below-average 11.2% swinging-strike rate. He still has plus command with an above-average slider and could be a back-of-the-rotation type or a swingman — particularly since his towering 6’6″ frame helps that pedestrian velocity play up a slight bit.

Gomez, 23, picked up 121 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A, logging a combined 2.96 ERA. He’s a three-pitch starter — fastball, curveball, slider — with below-average command but three straight seasons of sub-4.00 ERA rotation work in the minors.

Watson, 22, was a first-round pick by the Marlins whose stock cratered in Miami before he was traded to the Guardians as part of the Josh Bell/Jean Segura swap. A change of scenery and move to the outfield has unlocked something in Watson. Long touted as a plus athlete, his performance at the plate in his age-22 season reached new heights. He hit .250/.346/.467 (128 wRC+) with 16 homers and 17 steals — a pronounced uptick from a hitter who struggled to post even league-average results in the lower minors.

Cardinals Select Four Players

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The Cardinals added four prospects to their 40-man roster on Rule 5 protection day: Outfielder Joshua Baez, catcher Leonardo Bernal, and left-handers Cooper Hjerpe and Brycen Mautz. They needed to open one spot, so they designated reliever Jorge Alcala for assignment.

St. Louis signed Bernal as an international free agent in 2021. MLB.com ranks him 4th among the organization’s prospects. Bernal hit .270 with 10 home runs over 96 games at High-A in 2024, earning a bump to Double-A. He scuffled to a 64 wRC+ in a brief sample with Springfield. Bernal was back with the Double-A squad this past season. He put together a league-average performance in terms of wRC+, while chipping in 13 home runs and 13 steals. The 21-year-old has shown decent base-stealing prowess for a catcher, swiping 20 bags over the past two years.

The Cardinals selected Baez in the second round of the 2021 draft. He’s the team’s 11th-ranked prospect on MLB.com. A bloated strikeout rate held Baez back in his first few professional seasons, but he got the contact in check this past season. After three straight years with a strikeout rate above 34%, Baez trimmed it to 20.6% across two levels in 2025. He also showed a new level of power, reaching 20 home runs between High-A and Double-A. Baez had totaled 24 home runs in his previous four professional seasons. He also racked up 54 stolen bases this past year.

Hjerpe is one of the team’s top arms in the minors, but he’s currently on the shelf after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in April. The lefty sits at 13th on MLB.com’s prospect list. Hjerpe was a first-rounder back in 2022. He posted a solid 3.27 ERA between High-A and Double-A in 2024. Hjerpe had a strikeout rate above 35% at both stops.

Mautz was taken in the second round back in 2022. He’s immediately jumped into a workhorse role as a professional, making at least 23 starts in all three of his seasons. Mautz struggled to a 5.18 ERA at High-A in 2024, but bounced back with his best season yet this past year. The lefty posted a 2.98 ERA with a career-best 28.6% strikeout rate across 114 2/3 innings at Double-A in 2025. The 24-year-old is a candidate to make starts at the big-league level at some point next season.

Alcala was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox back in August. He was knocked around in 15 appearances with the Cardinals, recording a 5.02 ERA. The 30-year-old had spent his entire MLB career with the Twins heading into 2025. He was dealt to Boston in June and made 19 appearances for the team before being designated for assignment and landing in St. Louis.

Rockies To Acquire Brennan Bernardino

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The Red Sox have traded left-hander Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies for a minor leaguer, reports Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster. That minor league is Braiden Ward, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

Bernardino, 34 in January, has pitched between 50 and 52 innings for Boston in each of the past three seasons. He has a 3.46 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate over 153 1/3 innings during that time. An indie ball find by the Mariners back in 2022, Bernardino has carved out a role as a solid middle reliever, though his average sinker dipped from 91.4 mph in ’24 to 90.7 mph this past season. That modest velo dip was accompanied by more problematic downturns for his strikeout rate (24.8% in ’24, 19.6% in ’25) and walk rate (9.7% in ’24, 11.6% in ’25).

Colorado can control Bernardino for another four years. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $1.1MM in arbitration this season. He’s a Super Two player, so he’d be due three more raises after that if the Rox keep through his entire six-year window of control.

The 26-year-old Ward was the Rockies’ 16th-round pick in 2021. He hit .290/.395/.391 in 368 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last year. Ward fanned at just a 16.6% clip and walked 9.5% of the time he stepped into the batter’s box. He’s a center fielder with plus speed who’s also seen time at second base. Ward will be eligible to be selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft, though the Red Sox are presumably confident he won’t be taken.

Padres Select Garrett Hawkins, Miguel Mendez

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The Padres announced that they have selected right-handers Garrett Hawkins and Miguel Mendez to their 40-man roster. That protects both of them from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 draft. San Diego’s 40-man roster count climbs to 36.

Hawins, 25, was the Padres’ ninth-round pick in 2021. He pitched 60 innings with a sparkling 1.50 ERA with a massive 35.1% strikeout rate against a 10.1% walk rate. He’s a pure bullpen prospect who returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025 with even better velocity and strikeout rates. Hawkins still hasn’t pitched in Triple-A but is an obvious candidate to get a big league look at some point in 2026.

Mendez, 23, climbed through three levels this season, topping out in Double-A and posting a collective 3.22 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate. The Dominican-born hurler draws plus grades for his fastball and slider — the former, in particular — but he has subpar command that still needs refinement if he’s to continue as a starter. For the time being, the Padres have continued to try to develop him in a rotation role; he started 21 games in 2025.

Orioles Announce Four Roster Moves

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The Orioles have designated outfielder Pedro Leon and infielder Luis Vazquez for assignment, per a team announcement. Their roster spots go to right-hander Cameron Foster and outfielder Reed Trimble, who have been selected to the 40-man roster and are now protected from being poached in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Once a high-profile international signing by the Astros, Leon originally received a $4MM signing bonus from Houston. He ranked as one of the Astros’ top prospects for several seasons but has stalled out in the upper minors and landed with the O’s by way of waiver claim earlier this offseason. He’s just 2-for-20 in seven big league games and has a .252/.354/.447 batting line in parts of five Triple-A seasons. Leon still runs well, but he’ll be 28 next May and has yet to make a big impact in Triple-A, let alone in the majors.

Vazquez, 26, signed a big league deal for the 2026 season when earlier this month. He was already on Baltimore’s 40-man roster, so agreeing to terms was a matter of setting his salary for the upcoming season. The O’s tend frequently sign depth pieces like this to salaries slightly north of the league minimum, often times with a minor league split that’s also higher than average, with the aim of passing them through waivers and stashing them. The slightly higher major league and Triple-A salaries both help the player pass through waivers and ensure that they won’t elect free agency if and when they’re outrighted.

In parts of two big league seasons, Vazquez is a .145/.194/.210 hitter, but that’s in a minuscule sample of 67 plate appearances. In parts of five Triple-A seasons, Vazquez is a .252/.340/.408 hitter. He can play three infield positions and popped 20 homers in a season between Double-A and Triple-A back in 2023.

Foster, 27, came to the O’s as part of the July trade sending Gregory Soto to the Mets. He posted a 3.11 ERA, 32.6% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate in 46 1/3 innings between the Mets’ Double-A affiliate, their Triple-A affiliate and the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate. He’ll turn 27 next March.

Trimble, 25, was selected with the No. 65 overall pick by Baltimore back in 2021. He hit .259/.342/.486 with 17 home runs and 21 steals across four minor league levels — mostly Double-A and Triple-A. He’s not considered one of the Orioles’ most prominent prospects, but Trimble is a switch-hitter with some power and speed who can handle all three outfield slots.

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