Giants’ Grant McCray, Christian Koss Diagnosed With Fractures
The Giants provided updates on a pair of injured minor leaguers on Tuesday (via Evan Webeck of The California Post). Infielder Christian Koss has a broken left wrist and outfielder Grant McCray fractured the hamate bone in his left hand/wrist. McCray is undergoing surgery on Thursday, while Koss will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Koss and McCray both occupy spots on the 40-man roster. They’re two of San Francisco’s four position players on optional assignment. Outfielder Will Brennan and rookie catcher Jesús Rodríguez, both of whom were just sent down, are the only healthy options. The Koss injury explains why the Giants selected Buddy Kennedy yesterday when they wanted an extra infielder off the bench.
McCray was optioned to begin the season and has spent the entire year with Triple-A Sacramento. He’s hitting .237/.360/.370 with four home runs across 211 plate appearances. McCray appeared in 59 big league contests between 2024-25 as a depth outfielder, batting .185 while striking out 67 times in 156 trips.
Koss spent the first six-plus weeks on Tony Vitello’s bench. He only tallied 15 plate appearances over 10 games before being optioned in mid-May. Koss suffered the injury after three Triple-A games. He hit .264/.309/.368 over 76 games as a rookie in 2025. San Francisco could place either player on the 60-day injured list if they need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Yankees Move Prospect Carlos Lagrange To Bullpen For 2026
The Yankees are moving pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen in Triple-A, as first reported by Jack Curry of The YES Network. Manager Aaron Boone subsequently confirmed the decision while adding that the team still hopes to develop Lagrange as a starter in future seasons.
“We definitely view him long term as a starter,” Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). “But in the 2026 lens, there’s a chance for him to potentially impact us out of the bullpen while not really disrupting anything moving forward.” Boone added that the Yankees will need to take “several weeks” to get Lagrange accustomed to working in shorter stints and pitching on an every other day basis.
That’ll take place with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It’ll still be at least a few weeks before Lagrange is an option at the MLB level. It’s clear the Yankees are targeting a midseason promotion for the fireballing 23-year-old, who certainly has the stuff to be a late-inning weapon if he’s around the strike zone. They’ll ideally feel comfortable bringing him up a few weeks before the trade deadline, as that could factor into their urgency to add external bullpen help.
Lagrange has averaged 98.9 mph on his fastball while working as a starter. There’s a decent chance he’ll be sitting in the triple digits in shorter stints, as he’s been clocked up to 103. He’s carrying a pedestrian 4.41 ERA through 49 Triple-A innings despite a 29% strikeout rate. Lagrange has walked more than 11% of opponents while averaging less than five innings per start.
The fastball is one of the best minors. Prospect evaluators also praise his breaking stuff, most notably his slider. Baseball America and Eric Longenhagen/Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs each ranked Lagrange the #4 prospect in the Yankees system over the winter. Both outlets felt he was likeliest to end up in the bullpen given his subpar control but write that he has closing upside in that capacity.
The Yankees seem likely to look for another high-leverage arm to join David Bednar, Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick in relief. Bednar, an impending free agent, has had an inconsistent season in the closer role. New York could get Clarke Schmidt back late in the year to work in a relief capacity and/or consider Ryan Weathers in the bullpen if they’re concerned about his workload.
Garrett Crochet Diagnosed With Low-Grade Lat Strain
Garrett Crochet has been diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told the Boston beat after tonight’s loss to Baltimore (relayed by Christopher Smith of MassLive). Last year’s AL Cy Young runner-up went for an MRI after reporting lingering shoulder tightness over the weekend.
A low-grade strain is relatively encouraging news all things considered, though it’ll obviously delay Crochet’s return to action. Tracy said he’ll resume a throwing program once he’s asymptomatic. The two-time All-Star has been out of action since April 26 due to shoulder inflammation. He has been limited to six starts on the season and carries a 6.30 ERA, mostly due to a nightmare outing against the Twins on April 13.
Crochet has been on the 15-day injured list but stands as a candidate for a 60-day IL transfer if the Sox need a 40-man roster spot. That’d backdate to his original IL date, so 38 days have already elapsed. It’s unlikely he’ll be ready for MLB action within the next three weeks even if this proves a brief shutdown.
The Sox have five starters on the injured list. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval all began the season on the IL; Johan Oviedo joined them there after one appearance. Tracy told reporters (including Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald) that Sandoval will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester this week. Crawford, meanwhile, is being pulled back slightly after yet another bout of forearm tightness. Neither player has pitched in an MLB game since 2024, with Sandoval still awaiting his team debut.
Meanwhile, shortstop Trevor Story discussed his rehab process from last week’s sports hernia surgery with Ian Browne of MLB.com. The veteran infielder floated an 8-12 week recovery timeline, a little longer than the initial 6-10 week estimate. Marcelo Mayer has moved to shortstop since the injury, leaving second base to utility types Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Sogard.
Rays Place Jon Heasley On Injured List
June 2: Tampa Bay announced that Heasley has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow, which he evidently suffered while on the big league roster. As a result, his outright was rescinded and he has been placed on the MLB 15-day injured list with an effective date of May 29. That will return him to the 40-man roster, which already had a vacancy after Andrew Wantz was designated for assignment over the weekend.
May 30: Right-hander Jon Heasley has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate. (Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the move shortly before the team’s official announcement.) Heasley isn’t able to decline the outright assignment, so he’ll return to Durham and await his next selection to the active roster.
The Rays signed Heasley to a minor league deal in April and then selected him to their 26-man roster just three days ago. Heasley pitched the final four innings of the Rays’ 11-2 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing five runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs. Tampa Bay then designated Heasley for assignment yesterday, and the right-hander made a quick trip through waivers.
Though Wednesday’s outing was far from memorable, it did mark Heasley’s first MLB game in almost exactly two years. Ironically, Heasley’s last appearance was with the Orioles back on May 23, 2024, and that unsuccessful stint saw him post a 16.88 ERA across four games and 5 1/3 innings of work.
A 13th-round pick for Kansas City in the 2018 draft, most of Heasley’s pro career has been spent in the Royals organization, apart from the 2024 season in Baltimore and his current stint in Tampa. Heasley has exhibited good control but only intermittent strikeout ability even in the minors, and his career ERA now stands at 6.04 over 143 frames with the Rays, Orioles, and Royals. Big league batters have taken Heasley yard a stunning 31 times in that relatively brief 143-inning sample size.
Angels Release Joey Lucchesi
The Angels announced they’ve released lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi from his minor league contract. He’d spent the past month at Triple-A Salt Lake.
Lucchesi has been on and off the roster since the end of Spring Training. He was in camp with the Giants on a minor league deal, opting out when San Francisco informed him he wouldn’t make the roster. Lucchesi signed a big league deal with the Halos and was on the Opening Day club. He was designated for assignment a couple weeks into the season.
The 6’5″ southpaw cleared waivers, elected free agency, then returned on a minor league deal. He was called back up in late April and the cycle repeated itself. Lucchesi returned on a second minor league contract after another quick DFA and free agent stint. He has made five MLB appearances this year, allowing six runs on seven hits and six walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi has logged 18 frames with Salt Lake. He carries a 4.50 earned run average with a strong 28% strikeout rate against a manageable 9.9% walk percentage. They’re decent numbers overall, though he issued three walks and gave up two runs in his most recent appearance.
The Angels didn’t specify whether Lucchesi triggered an opt-out in his deal. That seems plausible, as June 1 is a common opt-out date for veterans on minor league contracts. In any case, the team opted not to bring Lucchesi back into an MLB bullpen that already has Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter. Long relievers Mitch Farris and Sam Aldegheri, the latter of whom was recalled today, also throw from the left side.
Austin Voth Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Austin Voth has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. Players with at least three years of service time or a previous career outright have the right to reject further outright assignments in favor of the open market. Voth qualifies on both counts.
Voth, 34 this month, has been on Toronto’s roster a couple of times this year as an emergency arm. In both cases, he was quickly bumped off the roster after one appearance. Back in April, he gave them 2 2/3 innings against the White Sox, allowing one earned run. He was designated for assignment, elected free agency, then signed a new minor league deal. He was called up again last week, then tossed 3 1/3 innings against the Orioles, allowing five earned runs this time.
In these situations, it’s common for the player and club to reunite, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Voth and the Jays quickly worked out a new pact. That’s especially true since the Jays are still scrambling to deal with a big injury problem. Each of José Berríos, Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce, Lazaro Estrada and Bowden Francis are on the IL right now. Jake Bloss is on the minor league IL. Berríos, Ponce and Francis are done for the year.
For now, the Jays have Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Patrick Corbin in three rotation spots. Around those three, they are patching things together with bullpen games. Many of those have seen the Jays lean hard on Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles, who came into the year with less than 15 professional innings, none higher than the Single-A level.
It’s possible that Cease, Scherzer, Bieber, Estrada and Bloss will be back in the mix in the coming weeks but the rotation depth is going to be flimsy for the near term, so the Jays would probably be open to bringing Voth back.
For his career, Voth has a 4.77 earned run average in 366 1/3 innings, working both as a starter and a reliever. He pitched for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan last year, posting a 3.96 ERA over 22 starts for that club. He has spent most of this year with Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 2.90 ERA over eight starts there. That’s surely a misleading figure, as his .274 batting average on balls in play and 84.8% strand rate have both been on the lucky side, which is why his FIP is 5.00. Regardless, the Jays probably want him back for depth, though he now has the chance to consider some other opportunities.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Andrew Wantz Elects Free Agency
The Rays announced that right-hander Andrew Wantz has cleared waivers and elected free agency. Tampa designated him for assignment a few days ago. He has a previous career outright, which gives him the right to reject further outright assignments in favor of the open market.
It was a very brief stint in the majors for Wantz. He was selected to the roster on Friday and designated for assignment on Sunday. He made one appearance, allowing five earned runs in an inning and two thirds.
The Rays were spinning plates for a while there, due to a few unique situations. Griffin Jax was hit by a comebacker last Tuesday and was removed after two innings. The next day, Steven Matz started, coming off a stint on the injured list with no rehab assignment. He lasted three innings, which led to Jonathan Heasley absorbing four frames in relief. After that, the Rays bumped off Heasley and added Wantz to give them a fresh arm. On Saturday, starter Drew Rasmussen only went four innings. Wantz was one of five relievers who pitched behind him. Wantz is out of options, so he was designated for assignment when they freshened up the bullpen once more.
Earlier in his career, Wantz had some decent results with the Angels. He tossed 117 innings for that club from 2021 to 2023, allowing 3.85 earned runs per nine. His 9.7% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 25.4% of batters faced.
In 2024, the Angels tried stretching him out in the minors, which didn’t work. He posted a 6.17 ERA in seven appearances for Triple-A Salt Lake and then underwent some kind of elbow surgery. The details on that procedure were murky but he was outrighted off the roster at season’s end and then signed a two-year minor league deal with the Rays for 2025 and 2026.
He was back on the mound late last year with encouraging results, allowing just one earned run in 13 innings. He wasn’t able to carry that over into 2026, as he put up a 7.04 ERA in Triple-A before being called up for emergency action. That number was at least a bit misleading, as his .403 batting average on balls in play and 57.3% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side. His 20.7% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate were all close to average. His 4.04 FIP suggested he deserved far better.
In situations like this, it’s common for the player to re-sign with the club he just walked away from. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Rays re-sign Wantz in the near future but he has the chance to explore other opportunities.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
KBO’s LG Twins Sign Yacksel Rios, Release Yonny Chirinos
The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization are signing right-hander Yacksel Rios, per Korean news outlet Naver Sports. He’ll take the place of another former big league right-hander, Yonny Chirinos, who is being released. Rios had been with the Cubs organization, but the MiLB.com transaction log indicates that he was released earlier this week. Rios surely requested his release in order to pursue this opportunity. The Cubs will likely receive a nominal cash sum from the KBO’s Twins as compensation for granting Rios his release.
Rios, 32, has pitched to a 4.24 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Des Moines this season and tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings with the big league team earlier this year. He’s a veteran of exactly 100 major league innings but has struggled to a 6.21 ERA across stints with the Phillies, Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox and A’s (in addition to his brief ’26 stint with the Cubs).
Rios averaged 98 mph on his four-seamer earlier this year in his quick MLB look but has sat 96.6 mph in Iowa. He combines that four-seamer with a sinker of comparable velocity, a splitter in the low 90s and a slider that sits around 86 mph. Rios has a 4.14 ERA in parts of five Triple-A seasons. He’s regularly misses bats but, like many hard throwers, has struggled to command his potent arsenal.
With the KBO’s Twins, he’s expected to compete for closing opportunities. A big showing in the final four months of the season could plausibly earn him a look back in the majors this offseason, but it’s likelier to be an audition for a full season in either the KBO or in NPB next season. If he throws well, he’d have a path to securing a seven-figure payday in one of the top Asian leagues, and an eventual return to the majors can never be fully ruled out.
Chirinos, also 32, was in his second season with the Twins. His first year overseas went brilliantly, as he worked to a 3.31 ERA over 177 innings. He’s made eight starts and pitched only 33 2/3 innings this season, however. Opponents have teed off and dinged him for a 6.68 ERA during that time. Despite pitching only 33 2/3 frames, Chirinos has yielded 47 hits and 14 walks (plus four more plunked batters).
Latest On Athletics’ Rotation
The Athletics have taken a few rotation hits lately, with both Luis Severino and Aaron Civale hitting the injured list, the former due to a shoulder strain and the latter due to right shoulder tendonitis. Per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com, Civale has already begun a throwing progression but the update on Severino isn’t nearly as encouraging. Severino has been diagnosed with a strain of shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle. He will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
Though Gallegos doesn’t specifically say so, the implication seems to be that Severino will be shut down for that four-to-six-week timeline. That timeline would take him pretty close to the All-Star break. Even if he is declared healthy then, he would need some kind of ramp-up period before going out on a rehab assignment. In other words, he may be on the IL into August.
That’s not an ideal development for the club, nor for the pitcher. For the A’s, Severino has been a mainstay of their rotation. The results haven’t been ace-like, but Severino has taken the ball and given them a chance to win. He signed a three-year, $67MM deal ahead of the 2025 season then gave the club 29 starts last year with a 4.54 earned run average. This year, he made 12 more starts with a 4.16 ERA.
The club’s temporary home of Sutter Health Park, normally the home of the Giants’ Triple-A club, has been very hitter-friendly and may have impacted Severino’s numbers. He had a 6.01 ERA at home last year and is at 5.33 this year. On the road, he had a 3.02 ERA last year and is at 3.38 in 2026.
Perhaps the home/road situation is oversimplified, since it’s not as though he’s been dominant under the hood. Since signing with the A’s, his 8.3% walk rate and 42% ground ball rate are close to average but his 19.4% strikeout rate is a few ticks worse than par. He has an overall 4.20 FIP and 4.47 SIERA since signing with the club. Regardless, it’s surely unwelcome that the A’s will be looking to proceed without Severino for several weeks.
For him personally, it could impact his contract situation. Severino can opt out of his deal after the current campaign, walking away from $22MM. He was trending towards a borderline decision, based on his decent but not astounding numbers. Since he has complained about the club’s facilities in the past, perhaps that would have tipped him towards opting out, but this injury might make that less likely.
Turning back to the club, they have Gage Jump and Jeffrey Springs listed as their probable pitchers for their next two games. J.T. Ginn should be following on Thursday. Despite the Severino and Civale injuries, they optioned Jacob Lopez today when they called up Kade Morris and Mason Barnett. Lopez has a 6.75 ERA this year, with subpar strikeout and walk rates of 15.6% and 13.6% respectively.
The club hasn’t made any formal announcements about the other rotation spots. Morris and Barnett could start. José Suarez has starting experience but has mostly been throwing under two innings in his appearances since joining the club last month. Gunnar Hoglund won’t be in the mix since he recently underwent season-ending hip surgery.
Since Civale has already started throwing, perhaps he will be back in the mix soon. If the A’s need another arm before he gets back, they have Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, Joey Estes and Luis Morales on optional assignment, with Lopez now on his way to join that group.
The American League playoff race is wide open. Despite a 28-31 record, the A’s currently sit just half a game back of a Wild Card spot. If they manage to hang in the race into July, they should be looking for pitching at the deadline, even if Severino is working his way back to the club by then.
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images
Royals Claim Matthew Lugo, Select Beck Way
The Royals have claimed outfielder Matthew Lugo off waivers from the Angels, according to announcements from both clubs. The Halos had designated him for assignment last week. The Royals have optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. Additionally, the Royals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Beck Way and optioned right-hander Eli Morgan. Kansas City had two 40-man openings for Lugo and Way due to catcher Elias Díaz and left-hander Bailey Falter being designated for assignment in recent weeks. The Royals also announced today that Falter cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha. Díaz was outrighted last week.
Lugo, now 25, seemed to have a breakout season in 2024. Originally a draftee of the Red Sox, he was traded to the Angels that summer as part of the deal sending Luis García to Boston. Between those two organizations, Lugo hit .287/.376/.578 in the minors for a massive 156 wRC+, indicating he was 56% better than league average offensively.
Unfortunately, his results since then haven’t been nearly as encouraging. He has 642 minor league plate appearances dating back to the start of 2025 with a .261/.339/.430 line and 91 wRC+. He has also been sent the plate 70 times in the big leagues, with a .232/.243/.464 line and 89 wRC+ in those. Defensively, he’s considered a passable corner outfielder but isn’t elite out there. He has some ability on the basepaths, generally stealing 10 to 20 bases a year in the minors.
Ideally, Lugo will get his offense back to that form he showed in 2024, or something close to it. The Royals had some open roster space and Lugo has options, so there’s little harm in putting in a claim to get a close-up look at him at Omaha. He has a couple of options remaining, so he could be easily kept on the farm through the end of the 2027 season, though it’s also possible he gets bumped off the 40-man roster before then.
Way, 26, was a fourth-round pick of the Yankees in 2020. He was one of three players sent to the Royals in the 2022 deadline deal sending Andrew Benintendi to the Bronx. A starter at that time, Way has since been moved to a relief role. Last year’s results weren’t strong, as he posted a 5.93 earned run average in 74 1/3 innings on the farm.
This year’s numbers have been much better, though his 4.50 ERA in 30 innings doesn’t jump off the page. If it weren’t for a .361 batting average on balls in play and 62.5% strand rate, his ERA would be notably lower, hence his 3.22 FIP. His 32.6% strikeout rate and 50% ground ball rate are both well above average, while his 7.8% walk rate is also better than par. His four-seamer and sinker are both averaging in the upper 90s. He also throws a cutter, slider and changeup.
The Royals will give him a shot to see if he can get big league hitters out. Since this is his first major league call, he has a full slate of options, meaning he could be shuttled to Omaha and back when the club needs fresh arms.
Falter, 29, was acquired from the Pirates at last year’s deadline. Since then, he has been either injured or ineffective. Late last year, a left bicep contusion put him on the IL for over a month. This year, left elbow inflammation put him on the IL for about six weeks. Around those IL stints, he put up an ugly 12.46 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. He is out of options, so that performance got him bumped into DFA limbo and through the waiver wire unclaimed.
The lefty has the right to elect free agency but is unlikely to do so. Players with at least three years of big league service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of the open market, but they need five years of service to exercise that right while keeping their salary commitments in place. Falter is under the five-year line and making $3.6MM this year, so he presumably doesn’t want to walk away from that money.
Assuming he accepts his assignment, he’ll try to get back on track in Omaha and earn his way back onto the roster. Prior to joining the Royals, he was working as a decent back-end guy. He logged 296 innings for the Pirates with a 4.32 ERA.
Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson, Imagn Images