White Sox To Promote Noah Schultz
White Sox top pitching prospect Noah Schultz is heading to the big leagues. The left-hander is expected to make his big-league debut on Tuesday against the Rays. Elijah Evans of Just Baseball first reported Schultz’s promotion.
Chicago has a gap in the rotation with Opening Day starter Shane Smith sent down on Wednesday. Jonathan Cannon is expected to join the club on Sunday. The righty will be an option to work behind opener Grant Taylor against the Royals, but it appears he might not be taking over the No. 5 starter gig.
Schultz is off to a strong start at Triple-A. He fired four hitless innings in his first outing of the campaign. He followed that up by allowing one earned run over five frames in consecutive starts. Schultz has a massive 40.4% strikeout rate through 14 minor league innings. He’s permitted just six base runners.
MLB Pipeline ranks Schultz behind only outfielder Braden Montgomery in Chicago’s farm system. FanGraphs’ James Fegan also had the lefty in the No. 2 spot over the winter, but with third baseman Caleb Bonemer in the top spot. The White Sox spent a first-round pick on Schultz in 2022. He’s moved quickly through the minors, reaching Triple-A before his 21st birthday.
Schultz breezed through the lower levels of the minors. He posted a 1.33 ERA with a 36.5% in 27 innings at Single-A in 2023. The massive 6’10”, 240-pound lefty pushed his workload to 88 1/3 frames the following year. He maintained a 2.24 ERA and punched out hitters at a 32.1% clip between High-A and Double-A.
The 2025 campaign was a bit of a roadblock for multiple reasons. Schultz still prevented runs at a decent rate at Double-A, but his strikeout rate fell to 23.2%, and his walk rate ballooned to 14.4%. He was blasted for 17 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings after getting moved up to Triple-A. Schultz issued free passes at a concerning 11.7% rate with Charlotte. Knee issues also limited him in the second half, though he was cleared of any concern heading into 2026.
Outside of Smith’s disastrous three starts, Chicago’s rotation has pitched reasonably well to begin the year. The unit has combined for a 3.99 ERA, which ranks 14th in the league. Davis Martin, Erick Fedde, Anthony Kay, and Sean Burke all have sub-4.00 ERAs so far. Taylor as an opener has worked swimmingly, with the righty tossing three scoreless frames with just one hit allowed across a trio of “starts.” The White Sox skewed righty-heavy last season, outside of a Martin Perez cameo, but Schultz will give them two southpaws in the mix (along with Kay).
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Justin Turner Signs With Tijuana Toros
Justin Turner isn’t hanging up his spikes just yet. The longtime Dodgers infielder and 2020 World Series champion is signing with the Mexican League’s Tijuana Toros, reports David Vassegh of 570 Sports. Turner is represented by Vayner Sports.
The 41-year-old Turner is coming off a rough 2025 campaign with the Cubs. He posted a 71 wRC+ in part-time work at first base and DH. Turner delivered a solid .759 OPS against lefties, but he hit just .141 with zero home runs versus right-handed pitching. It was the first subpar offensive season for the veteran in more than a decade. He’d continued to produce into his late 30s before the forgettable year in Chicago.
Turner’s played for seven different teams in his 17-year MLB career. He bounced around between the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Cubs over the past three seasons, but he’s most remembered for his nine years with the Dodgers. After beginning his career as a reliable but unremarkable utility player, Turner emerged as a star in L.A. He burst on the scene with a .340/.404/.493 slash line as a semi-regular in 2014. He took over at third base full-time in 2016 and slugged a career-high 27 home runs. Turner finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting twice and received two All-Star selections with the Dodgers.
L.A. went to the World Series three times in four years from 2017 to 2020, with Turner as a key contributor. Turner delivered a .849 OPS in 83 plate appearances in the Fall Classic. The club came through with a title in the shortened 2020 season, and Turner slashed .320/.346/.720 in that series.
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George Springer Exits Game Due To Left Toe Fracture
Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer left today’s game against the Twins with a left toe fracture, the team announced. Facing Joe Ryan in the third inning, Springer fouled an 0-1 pitch off his left foot and briefly went down at the plate (video from Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). He finished the at-bat and grounded out to third, but he departed for Myles Straw when his turn came up in the 6th inning. Per manager John Schneider, initial X-rays revealed a “probable small fracture” in Springer’s left big toe (link via Hazel Mae of MLB International). The 36-year-old is currently getting a CT scan.
It’s not yet clear how long Springer will be absent, though an IL placement is surely a possibility. On the one hand, the fact that Springer was able to finish his at-bat is a positive sign. On the other hand, toe fractures have a range of outcomes depending on location and severity. Last year, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and the Mets’ Francisco Lindor sustained minor fractures in their second left and right pinky toes, respectively. Neither required an IL stint. However, Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove broke his left big toe in February 2023 and required a two-month absence before being activated in late April of that year. The exact nature of Springer’s fracture should be revealed in the next few days, as will the extent of his absence.
“The CT will confirm something in terms of a plan,” Schneider told reporters, including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “I know Georgie plays through a lot all the time. Fingers crossed, but we’ll see what this CT says.”
If he does need to miss time, it would yet mark another blow to the Blue Jays’ overall health. After injuries to Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and other pitchers during Spring Training, the club recently saw Cody Ponce go down with a right ACL sprain, which ultimately required season-ending surgery. The offense has taken a couple of hits as well. Alejandro Kirk underwent thumb surgery this week and will be out for six weeks, while Addison Barger landed on the 10-day IL on Monday with a left ankle sprain.
Springer’s potential absence could benefit Davis Schneider and recent addition Tyler Fitzgerald in the immediate future. A Springer IL stint might be the opening Eloy Jimenez needs to return to the big leagues. The former White Sox slugger posted a 119 wRC+ in 45 plate appearances in the spring. He’s followed that up with a .281/.368/.406 slash line in 10 games at Triple-A. Calling up Jimenez would necessitate a 40-man roster move, but that’s likely to happen anyway. As Matheson notes, Jonatan Clase is the only position player left on the 40-man, and he’s also on the injured list.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images
Orioles Place Adley Rutschman On 10-Day Injured List; Select Maverick Handley
The Orioles have placed catcher Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list with left ankle inflammation, reports Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. The club is selecting catcher Maverick Handley from Double-A and designating right-hander Chayce McDermott for assignment in corresponding moves.
Kostka reported earlier today that Rutschman was being scratched from the Orioles’ starting lineup. It is not clear how he incurred the ankle injury, though it is severe enough that the club will give him at least 10 days to rest and recover. Even a brief absence would be a blow to the Orioles’ offense, as they currently have a 6-7 record and have been outscored 55-48 by their opponents. After a down year in 2025, Rutschman has gotten off to a hot start this year, batting .294/.385/.471 with a 154 wRC+ in 39 plate appearances. While his .357 batting average on balls in play suggests he’s benefited from good luck, he has also posted increases in exit velocity and hard-hit rate. In any case, the club would surely appreciate more of that production as they look to return to contention.
His absence will also be felt behind the plate. Rutschman’s work at catcher hasn’t been as valuable recently as it was in 2022-23, but he remains a solid option behind the dish. Statcast valued him in the 61st percentile last year for his blocking and pop time, while his framing ability was in the 76th percentile. He was off to a good start this year as well, having already accrued two framing runs in 81 1/3 defensive innings. His backup, Samuel Basallo, is talented in his own right but hasn’t shown much defensively since debuting last year. On that basis, it’s clear that Rutschman’s production on both sides of the ball remains crucial to Baltimore’s playoff hopes.
In a broader context, the injury is the latest in a string of bad injury luck for the Orioles. Several key offensive pieces are currently on the shelf, among them second baseman Jackson Holliday (right hamate surgery) and infielder Jordan Westburg (right hamstring strain). Holliday is expected back fairly soon, while Westburg is expected to be out until at least late May. The pitching staff has arguably had even worse luck. Right-hander Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week and is out until 2027. Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin, and Colin Selby all went on the shelf during Spring Training, while former closer Felix Bautista remains a long shot to return this year, having undergone labrum surgery last August.
The sheer volume of injuries makes it much harder for the Orioles to rebound from their last-place AL East finish in 2025. For now, the club will have to make do with their internal options. Behind the plate, that will be a combination of Basallo and Handley. Basallo ranked as the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball last year by MLB.com. The club signed him to an extension in August, guaranteeing eight years and $67MM despite Basallo just having turned 20. Basallo, for his part, had impressed with a .270/.377/.589 batting line and a 151 wRC+ at Triple-A. He hasn’t yet established himself as a big-league hitter, with just a 54 wRC+ in 156 PA. That’s probably not a huge concern given his youth, as he still has plenty of time to find himself at the plate.
Basallo will take the majority of starts for as long as Rutschman is out, with Handley as his backup. Handley, 28, was a sixth-round pick by the Orioles in 2019 and reached the Triple-A level in 2023. He has shown a knack for getting on base, routinely posting walk rates in the 13-15% range. However, that’s been undone by a lack of power. Handley has maxed out at a .367 slugging percentage and a .109 ISO since reaching Triple-A, both of which occurred last year. Defensively, he has been passable, throwing out roughly 27% of would-be base stealers at Triple-A since 2023. As the only healthy catcher on the 40-man roster besides Basallo, Handley will hold onto his spot for now. He has two options remaining and can be sent back down or otherwise designated if the Orioles sign another catcher.
As for McDermott, the 27-year-old loses his roster spot without having made it into a big-league game this year. He has thrown 12 2/3 innings with Baltimore since the start of 2024, allowing 18 earned runs and four home runs in the process. The bulk of that damage came in 2025, when McDermott posted a 15.58 ERA in four appearances (one start). He has one option year remaining, but the club is content to designate him for assignment and expose him to waivers given his age and poor performance. It’s possible he will go unclaimed and be sent outright to Triple-A. Having less than a year of service and no prior outright assignments, McDermott would not be able to refuse one.
Photo courtesy of Lexi Thompson, Imagn Images
Astros Option J.P. France, Recall Jayden Murray
The Astros have made a pair of minor pitching moves after Tatsuya Imai exited his start with right arm fatigue. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the team has optioned right-hander J.P. France to Triple-A and recalled Jayden Murray to take his spot on the roster.
France’s contract was selected from Triple-A two days ago. His selection was mostly to give the Astros a fresh bullpen arm, and he was ultimately used for 2 2/3 long relief innings in the team’s 9-6 loss to the Mariners yesterday. Although he did not earn the loss, France walked four batters and allowed four earned runs, including the game’s deciding runs. With France having thrown 59 pitches and likely being unavailable for a few days, the team opted to cycle in Murray as another fresh arm.
That the club is keeping France on the 40-man roster means is a good sign for him. He was designated for assignment back in January, but it appears he’ll get more big league opportunities this time around. That may be partly due to Cristian Javier‘s uncertain status after he incurred a shoulder injury on Wednesday. It is also due to the fact that France is now healthy after missing significant time in 2024-25. In 24 innings at Triple-A last year, the righty posted a 6.59 ERA while striking out 21.9% of opponents and walking 17.2%. While his ERA and walk rate were eyesores, some rust was expected after a long layoff, and the club was probably happy just to have him pitching in games again. For his part, France has a more manageable 4.49 ERA and 8.9% walk rate in 168 1/3 big-league innings.
In the meantime, the 29-year-old Murray joins the active roster as the last man in the bullpen. Since joining the Astros organization in a trade with the Rays in 2022, Murray has mostly pitched at the Triple-A level. He threw 64 innings in 50 relief appearances there in 2025, posting a 4.64 ERA along with a 10.6% walk rate. He made his major league debut last year with a small sample of 11 2/3 innings, although his peripherals were less impressive than his 1.54 ERA. Given his age, minimal track record, and three remaining option years, he’s probably due to cycle on and off the roster when the club needs a fresh reliever.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Wyatt Langford Leaves Game Due To Quad Tightness, Will Undergo MRI
5:11 pm: Langford has a “small strain” in his right quad, according to McFarland. He expects to be out for 2-3 days and possibly pinch hit tomorrow. He will avoid the injured list.
8:16 am: Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford left Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Dodgers due to tightness in his right quad. Langford told reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) that he felt the injury was “pretty minor,” but he’ll undergo an MRI today to explore the quad issue.
Somewhat unusually, the injury occurred when Langford hit a home run in the top of the fifth inning. Langford said he “reached down” to make contact with Tyler Glasnow‘s pitch, and in the process created some discomfort in his quad that began to surface as he rounded the bases. Langford remained in left field for the bottom of the fifth, but was replaced by Ezequiel Duran in the bottom of the sixth. Duran, Sam Haggerty, and Andrew McCutchen could all end up seeing time in left field if Langford ends up on the injured list.
Getting hurt on a homer adds to the snake-bitten nature of Langford’s start to the 2026 season. Langford’s first home run was just his ninth hit in 53 plate appearances, as the outfielder is batting .170/.185/.340. His exit velocity and hard-contact numbers are all at least at league average, so a .205 BABIP may be somewhat to blame for Langford’s struggles, though he has also recorded only one walk against 13 strikeouts.
After hitting .247/.335/.423 with 38 homers over his first 1130 PA in the majors, Langford was viewed as a candidate for a true breakout in his third Major League season. Obviously there’s still plenty of time for Langford to heat up at the plate, though if Friday’s quad tightness lands Langford on the IL, it will mark the fifth IL stint of his young career. As McFarland notes, the previous four placements were also for soft tissue injuries — a hamstring strain that cost him about three weeks in 2024, and then three separate oblique strains in 2025.
Tatsuya Imai Dealing With “Right Arm Fatigue,” Undergoing Examination
5:04 pm: The official wording from the team is that Imai is experiencing “right arm fatigue,” according to Rome. He remains on the active roster as of now.
2:47 pm: As the Astros prepare for tonight’s game with the Mariners, Tatsuya Imai has left Seattle to return to Houston to undergo examination from team doctors. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported earlier today that Imai was heading to Houston, and The Athletic’s Chandler Rome adds the detail that Imai is dealing with a “tired arm,” in the words of a team source.
More will be known once the Astros’ in-house medical staff gets a look at Imai, and it is possible the righty is just dealing with a bit more fatigue than usual. Some adjustment time was probably inevitable for Imai in his first season in the majors, first and foremost because he is pitching with a bit less rest than usual. Starters in Nippon Professional Baseball usually start just once per week, as opposed to every-five-days approach of MLB clubs. Imai hasn’t even been on the five-day schedule yet, as he has had five full rest days between his starts.
That said, Imai’s 7.27 ERA over his first 8 2/3 Major League innings is a sign that something isn’t quite right. Ironically, his only good start came in the hitter-friendly environment of Sutter Health Park, as Imai tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Athletics on April 4. That impressive outing was sandwiched between two duds — Imai allowed four runs over just 2 2/3 innings against the Angels on March 29, and last night the Mariners torched Imai for three runs in just a third of an inning. Imai retired only one of the seven Seattle batters he faced, as he hit a batter, allowed one hit, and issued four walks.
Imai told reporters (via interpreter) postgame that that he was bothered by both the cooler weather in Seattle and a hard mound at T-Mobile Park. McTaggart notes that Imai had also expressed his issues with getting used to both Major League mounds and the MLB baseball. Again, an adjustment period isn’t unusual for pitchers coming over from NPB for the first time, though the “tired arm” factor now adds an injury scare to Imai’s status.
Imai signed a three-year, $54MM deal with the Astros last offseason, and he can opt out after each of the first two seasons. The contract fell below most projections, as it seemed like several teams had concerns over Imai’s ability to translate his NPB success to MLB. Imai and his agent Scott Boras therefore settled for a shorter-term deal that still locks in some solid immediate money for the right-hander, and allowed him the flexibility to re-enter the market as early as next winter if he pitched well in his first season in the Show.
Losing Imai to the injured list would be another big hit to an already undermanned Houston rotation. Just within the last week, Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier were both placed on the 15-day IL due to Grade 2 shoulder strains. The plan for both pitchers is a re-evaluation after two weeks and a general shutdown period of at least three weeks, though the timelines are still fluid. Even in a best-case scenario, Brown and Javier won’t be back until May, leaving the Astros scrambling for starters even before Imai’s situation arose.
The Astros’ rotation currently consists of Imai, Mike Burrows, and Lance McCullers Jr. Cody Bolton already made one spot start and might be pressed into more rotation duty. J.P. France, Ryan Weiss, AJ Blubaugh, and Jason Alexander are other starting candidates either already in the big league bullpen or at Triple-A, and the Astros could use any of this group or more pitchers in a piggyback capacity rather than in a normal starting capacity. Houston won’t have any time for a rotation reset until an off-day on April 23, as Friday’s game was the first in a stretch of 13 games in 13 days for the club.
Diamondbacks Will Place Gabriel Moreno On Injured List
The Diamondbacks are going to place catcher Gabriel Moreno on the injured list, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Manager Torey Lovullo described it as a muscular issue in Moreno’s back and added that the team doesn’t expect a long absence for him.
It was reported a few hours ago that Moreno was set to undergo an MRI today after leaving yesterday’s game against the Phillies after playing just two innings. Lovullo initially described Moreno as day-to-day with lower back tightness, and for his part, the catcher downplayed the severity of his injury. From that lens, it seemed like today’s MRI was done out of an abundance of caution. The end result is a little more serious, as Moreno will now miss a minimum of 10 days, though the team is clearly confident it won’t be much longer than that.
The 26-year-old has been Arizona’s primary catcher since arriving in December 2022 via trade with the Blue Jays. That deal saw a strong defender in Daulton Varsho head to Toronto, though Moreno has shown excellent defense himself in his time with the Diamondbacks. He has been worth 32 Defensive Runs Saved from 2023-26, including an astonishing 20 DRS in 2023 alone. Statcast put him in the 61st percentile last year for caught stealing above average, while his blocking, pop time, and framing were all in the 80th percentile or better. It also helps that Moreno is a capable hitter, having posted a 102 wRC+ or higher in every season since 2023. He is off to a 107 wRC+ start this year in 45 plate appearances.
In the short term, James McCann and Adrian Del Castillo will see some more playing time behind the plate. McCann is a veteran of 13 big-league seasons and was 10% better than average offensively last year by wRC+. He is struggling so far in 2026, with six strikeouts in 18 PA. Del Castillo is 26 and has a 106 wRC+ in 230 PA from 2024-26, with most of that production coming in a limited sample in 2024. The two are passable defenders and hit from opposite sides (Del Castillo being the lefty), so it’s possible the club will use them in a platoon until Moreno is able to return. McCann could draw starts against southpaws in that scenario, as he performed better with the platoon advantage last year.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
Rays Place Joe Boyle On 15-Day Injured List
The Rays announced that right-hander Joe Boyle has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow strain. The placement is retroactive to April 10. Right-hander Jesse Scholtens was called up from Triple-A to take Boyle’s spot on the 26-man roster.
Tampa manager Kevin Cash told Ryan Bass and other reporters that Boyle’s MRI revealed the strain and some inflammation, without any structural damage. The plan is to “shut him down from throwing for a week…and hopefully we caught it early enough where we can start building back up,” Cash said.
Boyle himself also spoke with the media, and is “not too worried about” his elbow strain. He felt discomfort on the day following his last start on Wednesday, so the elbow wasn’t to blame for a rough outing that saw Boyle tagged for five earned runs on four hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs.
Ryan Pepiot‘s season-opening IL stint (due to hip inflammation) created a spot for Boyle in Tampa Bay’s rotation, and the righty delivered a 5.17 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, and 9.2% walk rate over three starts and 15 2/3 innings. Apart from a significantly improved walk rate, the numbers aren’t far removed from the 5.51 ERA and 25.2K% Boyle posted over 99 2/3 innings with the Athletics and Rays over the 2024-25 seasons, with Boyle starting 19 of his 26 games in those two seasons.
Known for his high-velo and high-spin fastball, Boyle’s velocity is also down to 97.1mph after an average of 98.5mph in 2025. This could just be related to early-season build-up in a small sample size, and trading a bit of velocity for improved control is probably a good thing for Boyle in the long run. There has long been a sense that Boyle might thrive in a bullpen role, though the Rays don’t want to close the door on Boyle as a starter until his viability has been fully explored.
The IL stint will now interrupt this latest chance for Boyle to prove himself as a starter. Tampa Bay’s rotation now consists of Shane McLanahan, Steven Matz, Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen, and probably Scholtens in the interim until Pepiot is ready. The latest step in Pepiot’s recovery process was his first live batting practice session yesterday, so while he might not be far away from a minor league rehab assignment, Pepiot’s 2026 debut is probably a couple of weeks away.
Tigers Claim Grant Holman From Dodgers
The Tigers announced that right-hander Grant Holman was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers. Holman has been optioned to the Tigers’ Florida Coast League affiliate. To create room on Detroit’s 40-man roster, infielder Trey Sweeney was moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
There hasn’t been any indication that the Dodgers had designated Holman for assignment, but the 25-year-old hurler will now find himself once again riding the waiver wire to a new team. Holman was a sixth-round draft pick for the Athletics in 2021 and had spent his entire career in the organization until he was DFA’ed and then claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks in February. Arizona then designated Holman just prior to setting its Opening Day roster, and Los Angeles claimed him away once more.
One might associate this resumes of DFA and waiver claims with a player who is out of minor league options, but Holman still has two option years remaining. The Tigers therefore now have a pitcher they can shuffle up and down from the minors if a fresh arm is needed for the bullpen, which is always useful for a team who has embraced “pitching chaos” as a tactic over the last couple of years.
Holman made his Major League debut in 2024, and he has a 4.66 ERA over 38 2/3 innings and 40 career games in the Show, all with the Athletics in 2024-25. The strong strikeout ability Holman posted in the minors has yet to emerge in the big leagues, as he has only an 18.8% strikeout rate in his 38 2/3 frames. Injuries hampered Holman in 2025, as rotator cuff tendinitis limited him to 32 1/3 total innings in the majors and minors.