Mariners Claim Jose Suarez, Designate Rhylan Thomas For Assignment
The Mariners claimed left-hander Jose Suarez off waivers from the Braves, the club announced. Outfielder Rhylan Thomas was designated for assignment. Seattle’s 40-man roster remains full.
Atlanta moved on from Suarez as part of a bullpen reshuffling heading into a series against the Rockies this weekend. The 28-year-old had struggled to a 6.61 ERA over eight outings (one start). The Braves mostly deployed Suarez, a former starter, in multi-inning stints. He recorded a three-inning save against the Phillies in mid-April. Suarez had a career-best 26.6% strikeout rate over 16 1/3 frames, but it came with a discouraging 15.2% walk rate.
Under the hood, there are a couple of intriguing factors to entice a team looking for bullpen depth. Suarez has an xFIP and SIERA right around 4.00. He’s averaging 93.4 mph on his four-seamer, matching a career-best mark from 2025. Suarez is using his changeup at more than a 30% clip for the first time since 2020. The pitch has generated a solid 38.3% whiff rate. It’s responsible for 13 of Suarez’s 21 strikeouts.
Seattle acquired Thomas from the Mets around the 2024 trade deadline for reliever Ryne Stanek. He briefly debuted with the club in 2025, going 1-for-8 across three games. The 26-year-old outfielder has scuffled to a 67 wRC+ in 31 games at Triple-A this season.
New York selected Thomas in the 11th round of the 2022 draft. A college bat who was already 22 when he entered the pro ranks, Thomas hit the ground running in the lower rungs of the minors. He slashed .328/.407/.425 across three levels in 2023, closing the year at Double-A. Thomas posted a 131 wRC+ in his second stint with Binghamton the following year, earning a bump to Triple-A. He hit a bit of a roadblock at Syracuse, but picked things back up after making the move to Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate. He slashed .325/.380/.411 with a career-high 35 steals with Tacoma last year.
The lefty-swinging Thomas tore the cover off the ball this spring, hitting .486 with six extra-base hits in 43 plate appearances. Despite the strong performance, he was on the outside looking in for a big-league roster spot. Seattle already had Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone as left-handed outfielders, with Rob Refsnyder as a platoon option against southpaws. Veteran Connor Joe got the call when Victor Robles went down with an injury early in the season.
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Tigers Select Zack Short, Designate Grant Holman For Assignment
The Tigers announced that they are selecting the contract of infielder Zack Short for tonight’s game with the Rangers. Fellow infielder Jace Jung was optioned to Triple-A Toledo, and right-hander Grant Holman was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man for Short. (Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press was among those to relay the moves before the Tigers’ official announcement.)
Short was acquired in a trade from the Nationals two days ago, and the infielder is now poised to get his first big league action of the 2026 season. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for Short, who spent his first three Major League seasons in Detroit after debuting in 2021. Short hasn’t hit much (.172/.271/.296) over his 594 career plate appearances, yet his ability to play multiple positions brings depth to a Tigers club that is dealing with a rash of injuries.
Gleyber Torres is day to day with side tightness, while Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry, and Parker Meadows have all gone to the injured list over the last few weeks. Shortstop Trey Sweeney also has yet to play this season due to a shoulder strain. It would seem like Short’s primary backup role will be shortstop since the Tigers currently have nobody behind Kevin McGonigle, though it doesn’t look like the hot-hitting McGonigle will be coming out of the lineup any time soon.
This is the fourth time in less than three months that Holman has been DFA’ed, as the righty has gone from the A’s to the Diamondbacks to the Dodgers and finally to the Tigers on a series of waiver claims. Amidst all of these moves, Holman hasn’t gotten any looks in the majors this season, and a 6.75 ERA over four innings and three appearances for Toledo didn’t turn any heads in Detroit.
Holman has two minor league options remaining, and he delivered a sparkling 0.47 ERA over 58 minor league innings in 2024-25. His 4.66 ERA, 18.8% strikeout rate, and 10.2% walk rate over 38 2/3 career MLB innings with the Athletics over those two seasons is less impressive, but it is easy to see why teams keep stepping up to claim Holman as a depth arm. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Holman changes organizations yet again during the DFA period, though if he does clear waivers, the Tigers can outright him to Triple-A.
Nationals Claim Zak Kent
The Nationals claimed right-hander Zak Kent off waivers from the Twins, the team announced. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Washington had an opening on the 40-man roster after lefty Cionel Perez was outrighted on Saturday.
Minnesota designated Kent for assignment earlier this week to clear a spot for right-hander Luis García, who was added to the bullpen after Garrett Acton went down with a shoulder strain. Kent is no stranger to the DFA carousel. In a span of three months this offseason, he was claimed by the Cardinals, Rangers, Cardinals (again), and Twins.
Kent finally found a home in Minnesota. He broke camp with the club and made two appearances in early April. The righty allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings, though only two of the tallies were earned. Kent posted an unsightly 2:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was sent to Triple-A after less than two weeks on the big-league club.
The 28-year-old Kent has notched a 3.38 ERA across 10 2/3 innings with St. Paul. He has a solid 26.1% strikeout rate, but a concerning 13% walk rate. Kent briefly debuted in the majors last season with the Guardians.
The new regime in Washington hasn’t been shy about shuffling arms in and out of the bullpen. The Nats have already used 16 different relievers this season. That number doesn’t include relief outings for Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell, who have operated behind openers at times.
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Mets Select Vidal Brujan, Designate Eric Wagaman For Assignment
The Mets are filling their void at shortstop with Vidal Brujan, who had his contract selected ahead of Sunday’s game against the Angels. The club announced first baseman Eric Wagaman has been designated for assignment to clear a 40-man spot for Brujan. Infielder Ronny Mauricio was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured thumb, opening up room on the big-league club.
Brujan bounced around this offseason, landing with the Mets after getting DFAed by the Twins and then the Braves. He met the same fate with New York after falling short of an Opening Day roster spot, but snuck through waivers this time. The 28-year-old had a 62 wRC+ in 24 games at Triple-A Syracuse.
It’s been several years, but Brujan was once a top prospect in the Rays’ system. He debuted with Tampa Bay in 2021 and spent parts of three seasons with the club. Brujan failed to provide much more than defensive versatility and a bit of speed during his time as a Ray. He was dealt to the Marlins in a small trade in November 2023. Miami gave the infielder his longest look to date in the majors. Brujan slashed .222/.303/.319 in a career-high 278 plate appearances in 2024.
Brujan has major league experience at all four infield positions and all three outfield spots. He’s even made four appearances on the mound. The Mets need him in the infield, specifically at shortstop, and he’s been solid there. Brujan has accrued 4 Defensive Runs Saved in 363 1/3 MLB innings at the position. He posted 2 DRS in his short stint with Atlanta last season. The Mets are without star shortstop Francisco Lindor for the foreseeable future as he deals with a calf strain. Mauricio was set to take over, but now he’s injured himself.
It’s a tough blow for Mauricio, who’s also a former prospect of note. The 25-year-old didn’t make the team out of Spring Training, but made a brief cameo in early April. He came back up after the Lindor injury and assumed the everyday shortstop gig. Mauricio launched his first home run of the season on Friday. He had another hit on Saturday, an infield single that loaded the bases in a tie game. Mauricio dove headfirst into the bag on the play, resulting in the thumb injury.
Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that Mauricio is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Bo Bichette slid over to shortstop yesterday after Mauricio was removed, with Brett Baty moving to third base. The former Blue Jays shortstop has played 17 innings at the position this season.
The Mets picked up Wagaman off waivers from the Twins earlier this week. He was bumped up to the big-league squad on Thursday after Luis Robert Jr. hit the injured list. Wagaman was sent right back down on Friday, with recently claimed Andy Ibáñez joining the club.
Wagaman briefly debuted with the Angels in 2024. He signed with the Marlins heading into 2025 and stumbled into a full-time gig at first base. Wagaman posted an underwhelming 85 wRC+ in 140 games with Miami. He struck out at a below-average rate and chipped in four steals, but didn’t provide the power typically associated with corner infielders, with just nine home runs and a .128 ISO. Wagaman posted a -1 DRS across 862 1/3 innings at the cold corner. The Mets have five days to trade Wagaman or place him on waivers. Wagaman is still in the first of his three minor league option years, which may encourage another team to submit a claim or work out a trade.
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Padres Activate Griffin Canning
May 3: San Diego officially activated Canning to start today against the White Sox. Right-hander German Marquez went to the 15-day IL in a corresponding move. Marquez is dealing with right forearm nerve inflammation. Chicago tagged him for seven earned runs over five innings on Friday.
May 2: The Padres are planning to activate right-hander Griffin Canning on Sunday, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The righty will be making his 2026 and Padres debut in the series finale against the White Sox.
Canning joined the Padres in February on a one-year, $2.5MM guarantee. He underwent surgery last June to repair a ruptured left Achilles, which wiped out the remainder of his season with the Mets. Upon signing with San Diego, it was thought that Canning could be ready for Opening Day, though he ultimately required a rehab assignment at Triple-A. He made his final appearance in that assignment on Tuesday, reaching 68 pitches over five innings. Based on that progression, Canning might be on a pitch limit in his debut before assuming a full starter’s workload next time around.
Although the Achilles injury limited Canning to just 76 1/3 innings with the Mets last year, he showed some improvement over his career numbers. For one thing, he did a better job of keeping the ball in the yard. After surrendering 31 home runs in 171 2/3 innings with the Angels in 2024, or 1.63 per nine innings, Canning cut that to 0.93 HR/9 in 2025. He also showed a marked increase in groundball rate, hitting an above average 50.9% after sitting around average in 2023-24. It wasn’t all positive, as Canning’s 21.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate were both worse than average. Altogether, though, it was enough for the Padres to sign him to a major-league deal as a back-of-the-rotation arm.
Canning’s arrival could potentially lead to changes in the Padres’ rotation. Michael King and the emergent Randy Vásquez have the first two spots locked in, with Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez, and Matt Waldron rounding out the group. The latter three have not been good so far in 2026. While Buehler’s 5.40 ERA is nearly two runs higher than his 3.42 FIP, his lackluster performance in 2024-25 gives little hope for a turnaround. Márquez and Waldron are similarly ineffective options. Márquez is giving up more than two home runs per nine innings, and Waldron has an unsightly 9.88 ERA in three starts.
If the Padres wanted to stick with a traditional five-man rotation, a case could be made for any one of Buehler, Márquez, and Waldron to get cut based on their performance. However, reports from yesterday indicated that the club may consider a six-man rotation. In that scenario, the trio could hold onto their spots for one or two more turns until the recently-signed Lucas Giolito is brought up from his optional assignment.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Orioles Promote Trey Gibson
May 3: The Orioles officially selected Gibson’s contract for his big-league debut against the Yankees, per a team announcement. Left-hander Nick Raquet was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
May 2: Trey Gibson was added to the Orioles’ taxi squad earlier today, and manager Craig Albernaz confirmed to reporters (including the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka) that the O’s would be officially selecting the right-hander’s contract to the active roster on Sunday. The Orioles have available space on their 40-man roster, so just a 26-man move will be required to add Gibson before he makes his MLB debut in a start against the Yankees. Kostka was the first to report earlier today that Gibson was joining the Orioles this weekend in New York.
Since an illness sent Trevor Rogers to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, a fill-in starter of some kind was needed to take Rogers’ next turn in the rotation. The pitching staff was then further scrambled by a doubleheader against the Astros on Thursday, so the O’s opted to promote Gibson since the right-hander would be on regular rest following his last Triple-A outing on April 26.
Facing Aaron Judge and company is a tough draw for any pitcher, let alone a 23-year-old in his first big league game. Gibson arrives in the Show on the heels of only okay (4.01 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate, 52.1% grounder rate) numbers across 24 2/3 Triple-A innings this season, but most of the damage done against Gibson came in his first two starts. Since that slow start, the righty has posted a 2.55 ERA over his last five outings.
Gibson would probably have been drafted out of high school in 2020 if that year’s pandemic-shortened draft hadn’t been only five rounds long, so he instead went to play college ball at Liberty, but then went undrafted after an undistinguished college career. The Orioles signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2023, and Gibson has since emerged as one of baseball’s better pitching prospects. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel slotted Gibson 46th on his preseason top-100 list, and Baseball America also had the right-hander 72nd on their preseason ranking.
Gibson’s arsenal is at least six pitches deep, with BA assigning at least a 55 grade to four of his offerings. His ability to fully command the majority of these pitches remains a question, yet working with the Orioles’ coaching staff to narrow his pitch mix down to just the cream of the crop might help Gibson’s chances of remaining as a starter in the majors. Gibson has generated a lot of grounders at every level of the minors and also racked up quite a few strikeouts, though a career 3.99 ERA in the minors indicates that Gibson’s deep pitching repertoire hasn’t entirely fooled minor league hitters.
With Rogers, Dean Kremer, and (out for the season) Zach Eflin all on the injured list, Baltimore has already been forced to dive deeper into its pitching depth chart than expected, even if Gibson was probably on track to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 anyway. Brandon Young and Cade Povich remain the favorites for starting duty until at least Rogers is back, but since Kremer will likely miss most or all of May recovering from a quad strain, there could be room for Gibson to impress if he pitches well in this spot start.
Cubs Reinstate Daniel Palencia, Designate Yacksel Rios For Assignment
Cubs right-hander Daniel Palencia has been activated from the 15-day IL, the team announced. The closer missed three weeks with a lat strain. Fellow righty Yacksel Rios was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Palencia initially went down with what was labeled a left oblique strain. Additional testing showed a mild lat strain. He’ll return to the big-league club after just one rehab appearance. Palencia tossed 19 pitches for Triple-A Iowa on Friday.
Before the injury, Palencia had fired five scoreless innings as the unquestioned closer for Chicago. The strong relief work had only resulted in one save, though. Since Palencia went down, the Cubs generated six saves, which went to five different relievers. Caleb Thielbar, Ben Brown, Jacob Webb, Corbin Martin, and Hoby Milner all stepped in to close out games.
Brown and Webb recorded two-inning saves in the first two games of this weekend’s series against the Diamondbacks, part of a patchwork approach with Chicago dealing with several reliever injuries. Even with Palencia back, the Cubs still have Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts, and Thielbar on the IL. Porter Hodge was lost for the season.
The extensive bullpen injuries helped Rios return to the big leagues for the first time since 2023. He got the call along with Charlie Barnes after Martin went to the IL and Vince Velasquez was designated for assignment. The 32-year-old recorded five outs in a blowout loss to the Dodgers in his lone appearance. Rios hadn’t pitched in a week.
The Cubs have five days to trade Rios or put him on waivers. If he makes it through the process without another team grabbing him, he could be outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. Rios was outrighted by the A’s after his last big-league stint, so he could forego the minor league assignment and head to free agency. He averaged a career-best 98.2 mph on his fastball during his one game with the Cubs, which might be enough to attract another team.
Rios has pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons with six different organizations. The righty was a semi-regular member of the Phillies bullpen after debuting in 2017. After getting DFAed by Philadelphia in 2019, he bounced to the Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox, and A’s in subsequent seasons. Rios has never averaged even 97 mph with his heater, so the jump in velocity is interesting, especially given his age. It’s a tiny sample, though.
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AL East Notes: Springer, Slaten, Jax, Lux
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer was forced out of Saturday’s game against the Twins after getting hit by a pitch on his left big toe. It’s the same digit Springer fractured in early April on a foul ball. Yesterday’s matchup in Minnesota was Springer’s fourth game back in the lineup.
Postgame X-rays did not reveal an additional fracture for Springer, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, which is a bit of positive news for an injury-riddled roster. “It’s not any worse than it was,” manager John Schneider told reporters. The skipper added that the 36-year-old Springer was likely getting Sunday’s game off anyway. Assuming that remains the plan, his next chance to play will be Monday in Tampa Bay.
Springer picked up four hits in his first three games since returning. He pushed his batting average above .200 for the first time all year. Toronto’s extensive health issues have skewed toward the pitching side, but the club is also missing a handful of key bats. Catcher Alejandro Kirk broke his thumb in early April. Outfielder Addison Barger is out with two injured ankles. Nathan Lukes hit the IL last week with a strained hamstring.
Here are a handful of additional items from around the division…
- Red Sox right-hander Justin Slaten will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, relays Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, among others. The reliever has been sidelined for nearly a month with an oblique injury. Slaten posted four scoreless appearances to begin the season before the oblique issue popped up. He picked up two holds as one of the late-inning options ahead of closer Aroldis Chapman. With Slaten’s pending return, Boston could be less inclined to add veteran Tommy Kahnle to the roster, if the decision arises. Kahnle triggered his upward mobility clause on Friday.
- Rays right-hander Griffin Jax is stretching out as a starter. He tossed a season-high 2 2/3 innings on Saturday against the Giants. Jax and four relievers held San Francisco to just a run in the 5-1 victory. “This is an organization that’s had some success doing this in the past with Drew obviously, Littell recently, and even Jeffrey Springs. … So I felt this was the right place to do this because of the success this team has had,” Jax told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. After poor performance cost him a high-leverage role in the bullpen, Jax has now delivered five scoreless frames as a starter. He built up to 45 pitches yesterday.
- Rays infielder Gavin Lux is still experiencing stiffness in his left ankle, relays Topkin. The veteran picked up the injury in early April while rehabbing a shoulder issue. The ankle kept him out of the Triple-A lineup for a couple of weeks. He returned on April 24. Tampa Bay acquired Lux as part of a three-team trade with the Reds and Angels. The extent of his time in a Rays uniform has been limited to seven Spring Training games so far.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Brusdar Graterol Begins Rehab Assignment
Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol has been excellent in his career when healthy, but that has unfortunately never been a guarantee for him. The righty went on the injured list five times from 2022-24, most often for shoulder inflammation. That culminated in shoulder surgery in November 2024, and Graterol missed the entire 2025 season as a result. He may finally be making progress toward his return. According to the transactions log at MLB.com, Graterol has begun a rehab assignment at Triple-A.
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed back in February that Graterol would not be ready for the start of the season. The Dodgers aimed to “slow play” him as he worked back from his surgery and placed him on the 15-day injured list on March 23rd to give him more time. The move was somewhat discouraging given that Graterol had previously aimed to return for the second half of 2025 and did not achieve that. When viewed from that lens, his starting a rehab assignment is especially welcome news for both Graterol and the team.
The 27-year-old’s last healthy season came in 2023, and it was easily his most productive. Graterol had a shiny 1.20 ERA in 67 1/3 innings across 68 appearances that year and walked just 4.7% of opposing hitters. His 18.7% strikeout rate was lower than usual for such a hard-throwing pitcher, but Graterol nonetheless dominated by racking up groundballs an astonishing 64.4% of the time. Injuries limited him in 2024, although Graterol returned for 7 1/3 innings at the end of the year and made appeared in three games in that year’s World Series, including two scoreless appearances. Time will tell if Graterol can retain his high velocity and groundball tendencies after such a long layoff.
As was the case when they placed him on the IL, the Dodgers can afford to take it slow with Graterol’s rehab. After having a shaky bullpen for much of 2025, this year’s group is performing better. Dodgers relievers rank 13th in the league with a 3.94 ERA, and their 16.7% K-BB rate ranks second behind only the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Tanner Scott is rebounding nicely with a 2.03 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. Jack Dreyer, Will Klein, and Alex Vesia are also doing well, helping to lengthen a bullpen that is missing Edwin Diaz until the second half. The eventual return of Graterol will add a groundball specialist to the mix for the middle to late innings. Graterol is in his final year of club control and will be a free agent in 2027.
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Tigers Notes: Torres, Verlander, Melton
Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres left tonight’s game with left side tightness, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. He had two singles in his first two plate appearances and was thrown out at home in the first, showing no obvious signs of injury. Although Torres remained in the game through the third inning, he was replaced by Hao-Yu Lee at the keystone in the top of the fourth. Torres is undergoing further evaluation, according to McCosky.
Pulling Torres may turn out to be a cautionary move. Two of Detroit’s infielders – Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez – landed on the injured list in April. The starting infielders have done well at the plate, particularly Kevin McGonigle, but the injuries to McKinstry and Báez still depleted the Tigers’ infield depth. They called up Lee when McKinstry went down, and they also acquired Zack Short as depth yesterday. A Torres IL placement would be a more significant hit than McKinstry or Báez, though, so it makes sense for the club to pull him from the game out of caution. The team will likely announce more in the next few days, pending the outcome of Torres’ evaluations.
On the pitching side, injured right-hander Justin Verlander is set to throw a bullpen session this weekend, according to the team’s injury report. Verlander landed on the 15-day IL on April 4 due to left hip inflammation, with Keider Montero being recalled in his place. The injury was described as minor and the IL placement precautionary, though it was perhaps unsurprising given the injuries Verlander has experienced in his 40s. It’s unclear if he will require a rehab assignment. It’s possible the team will have a clearer timeline pending the outcome of the bullpen session.
As with their infield, Detroit’s rotation depth has been tested recently. Casey Mize had a 2.90 ERA through 31 innings but was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday for a right adductor strain. Jack Flaherty has a 5.90 ERA and has failed to complete five innings in five of his seven starts. Montero has filled in decently, but the lack of depth behind Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez may be a point of concern going forward. A quick return for Verlander would go a long way to improving that, especially if he can repeat his serviceable back-end performance from 2025 with the Giants.
Troy Melton will also factor into the rotation depth. He was placed on the 60-day IL in early March after being slowed in camp by elbow inflammation. According to the team’s announcement, Melton is set to begin a rehab assignment with the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate tomorrow. The righty had a 2.76 ERA in 45 2/3 innings as a swingman last year and will continue to be built up as a starter. He’ll need a longer rehab assignment to build his pitch count, but he could vie for starts in a month or so if all goes well.