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Dodgers Select Ronan Kopp

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The Dodgers selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Ronan Kopp. That’s their only move for Tuesday’s Rule 5 protection deadline. L.A. had two openings on the 40-man roster and didn’t need to make a corresponding move.

Kopp, 23, is a reliever who divided the 2025 season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He turned in a combined 3.43 earned run average across 57 2/3 innings. Kopp fanned a massive 36% of opposing hitters but walked almost 17% of the opponents he faced. He has a mid-90s fastball and a cutter-slider that he used almost equally in Triple-A.

It’s plus stuff with obvious command woes from the left side. Neither left nor right-handed hitters could do much damage against Kopp, but they each reached base around a .350 clip by waiting out the free passes. While he’ll need to dial in the command, the Dodgers obviously feel he’s talented enough to factor in as bullpen depth in 2026. He joins Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott, Justin Wrobleski, Jack Dreyer and Anthony Banda as lefty relievers on the 40-man roster.

Twins Add Six Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Twins have selected the contracts of left-handers Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp, righties Andrew Morris and John Klein, and outfielders Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez, the team announced. They’re all protected from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Rojas, who came to the Twins alongside outfielder Alan Roden in the trade sending reliever Louis Varland to Toronto, is a 22-year-old southpaw (23 next week) who climbed three minor league levels in 2025, topping out with his first taste of Triple-A work. The Cuban-born lefty breezed through High-A and Double-A before running into some trouble in his first 32 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. He yielded 26 runs in that time (7.34 ERA) and walked 14.7% of his opponents.

Those struggles came in a small sample of nine Triple-A appearances at a time when most of the opponents he was facing were much older and further along in their development. Walks haven’t been a major issue for Rojas to this point in his pro career, however, and most scouting reports project that he’ll eventually have average command with the potential for three average or better pitches. Rojas could be in line to make his MLB debut next summer, so there was no chance the Twins were going to leave him unprotected.

Prielipp, 24, was a second-round pick in 2022 and might’ve been a first-rounder had he not been coming off Tommy John surgery at the time of the draft. Elbow troubles have further plagued the Alabama product since being drafted. He underwent an internal brace procedure in 2023 and, entering the 2025 season, had all of 30 professional innings under his belt.

Prielipp looked plenty healthy this past season, however, appearing in 24 games (23 of them starts) and missing plenty of bats with an above-average ground-ball rate. He posted a 3.65 ERA, 27% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in 61 2/3 Double-A frames before showing some fatigue late in the season with a 5.14 ERA in five Triple-A games (four starts). He’s already drawn top-100 fanfare at FanGraphs and ESPN, and he’ll likely draw further consideration for such lists in the offseason. As with Rojas, there was never a doubt he’d be added to the 40-man today.

Morris, 24, doesn’t have the same ceiling as Rojas and Prielipp but is arguably the most MLB-ready of the bunch. He started 19 games (plus two long relief outings) in Triple-A this season and worked to a 4.09 ERA with a 22.4% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. The 2022 fourth-rounder averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seamer in Triple-A this past season — up 1.6 mph from the prior year — and draws praise for plus command and a five-pitch arsenal that includes at least average grades on his heater, slider and cutter.

A Twin Cities native, Klein was an undrafted free agent who signed with his hometown club in 2022. He pitched 106 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, logging a combined 3.98 ERA. Klein, who’ll turn 24 in April, fanned 27.6% of his opponents against an 8% walk rate. He sits 94-96 mph with his sinker and four-seamer, complementing those fastballs with a cutter, curveball and changeup.

Gonzalez came to the Twins from the Mariners as part of the 2023 Jorge Polanco trade. He was a top-100 prospect at the time who struggled in his first season with the organization but bounced back to the tune of a .329/.395/.513 batting line as a 21-year-old between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He could get an MLB look in 2026.

Mendez was one of the team’s many deadline pickups, coming over in the trade that sent Harrison Bader to Philadelphia. He hit a combined .299/.399/.439 with more walks than strikeouts (13.6% to 13.2%) in 491 turns at the plate between High-A and Double-A. He’s a bat-first, hit-over-power outfield prospect who is generally considered to rank within the top 20 of a deep Minnesota farm system.

Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com first reported that Rojas had been selected.

Cubs Select James Triantos, Pedro Ramírez, Riley Martin

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The Cubs announced that they have selected infielders James Triantos and Pedro Ramírez as well as left-hander Riley Martin. Those three are now protected from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The club’s 40-man roster count is now at 32.

Triantos, a second-rounder out of high school in 2021, has been one of the more promising pure hitters in the system for the past few seasons. His stock is down after a poor season with Triple-A Iowa. Triantos only managed a .259/.315/.370 slash over 480 trips to the plate. He continued to put the ball in play at a high rate but without much authoritative contact. He hit seven homers and posted well below-average exit velocities. Triantos stole 31 bases while bouncing between second base and the outfield, so perhaps he can factor in as a utility piece in 2026.

Ramírez, a 21-year-old infielder out of Venezuela, is now the superior prospect in the eyes of Baseball America. He’s the only member of this trio to crack Chicago’s top 10 prospects on their recent update of the system. He’s a switch-hitting second/third baseman who batted .280/.346/.386 while stealing 28 bags in 563 plate appearances at Double-A Tennessee this year. Ramírez is also light on power but has excellent contact skills. He’ll probably get the bump to Iowa to begin 2026.

Martin is an Illinois native who was a sixth-rounder in 2021 out of Division II Quincy University. The 6’1″ southpaw has spent the past two seasons pitching out of the bullpen in Triple-A. He fired 63 2/3 innings of 2.69 ERA ball with a near-31% strikeout rate over 47 appearances. Martin struggles with walks and dished out free passes at a 13.4% clip. He works with a 94 MPH fastball and uses a mid-80s curveball as his favored secondary pitch.

Red Sox Select David Sandlin, Shane Drohan, Tyler Uberstine

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The Red Sox announced that they have selected left-hander Shane Drohan as well right-handers David Sandlin and Tyler Uberstine to the roster. They opened 40-man spots by designating right-hander Josh Winckowski for assignment, trading left-hander Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies and trading left-hander Chris Murphy to the White Sox, moves which were previously reported. The three selections were reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive prior to the official club announcement.

Boston already lost Drohan once in the Rule 5 Draft. The White Sox picked him back in 2023, but Drohan underwent a nerve compression procedure in his shoulder during spring training 2024 and began the season on the 60-day IL. He was hit hard when he was cleared for a rehab assignment, returned to the Red Sox, and finished the year back on the IL with shoulder troubles.

Unsurprisingly, that injury-wrecked season kept him from being selected in the 2024 Rule 5. That worked to Boston’s benefit. A healthy Drohan bounced back with 54 innings of 3.00 ERA ball. He struck out 34.5% of opponents against a 9.4% walk rate while sitting 93-95 with his four-seamer. Drohan still missed ample time on the injured list — this time due to a forearm issue — but he’s typically been productive when healthy, thanks largely to a plus changeup. He’ll turn 27 in January.

Sandlin, 25 in February, came to the Red Sox from the Royals in a 2022 swap sending righty John Schreiber to Kansas City. He reached a career-high 82 1/3 innings while pitching in Double-A this season and working to a tidy 3.61 earned run average with strong rate stats. The Sox moved him to a relief role upon bumping him to Triple-A, likely to manage his workload after pitching just 57 innings in 2024 and 66 innings in 2023. It was a struggle, as the righty was tagged for a 7.36 ERA while pushing his innings count far into uncharted territory. He wound up with an overall 4.50 ERA in 106 1/3 frames.

The 26-year-old Uberstine was Boston’s 19th-round pick in 2021. He split 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A, tossing 120 1/3 innings with a combined 3.58 ERA. Uberstine fanned 26.9% of opponents against an 8% walk rate. He’s a bit undersized at 6’1″ and 200 pounds, but he’s had success at nearly every minor league stop. Were it not for a Tommy John procedure that wiped out all of his 2023 season and most of his 2024 campaign, Uberstine may already have gotten a big league look. Now, coming off a healthy 120 innings with strong results, he figures to be in line for a call to Fenway Park at sometime in 2026.

Twins Acquire Eric Orze From Rays

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The Twins announced they’ve acquired reliever Eric Orze from the Rays for minor league pitcher Jacob Kisting. Minnesota takes a flier on the 28-year-old righty as they overhaul a bullpen that they decimated at the trade deadline.

Tampa Bay acquired Orze from the Mets last winter in the trade that sent center fielder Jose Siri to New York. They used him as an up-and-down middle innings arm. The former fifth-round pick tossed 41 2/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball across 33 appearances. His 22.5% strikeout percentage and 10.7% walk rate weren’t as impressive, but he missed bats on a strong 13.2% of his offerings overall.

Orze has a three-pitch mix led by a mid-80s splitter. He sits in the 93-94 MPH range on his fastball and mixes in a slider as his breaking pitch. The University of New Orleans product has an ERA just under 4.00 in parts of five Triple-A seasons and still has an option year remaining. He won’t reach arbitration for three seasons in all likelihood and should have plenty of opportunity to stake a claim to a significant role in Derek Shelton’s bullpen.

Kisting, a 6’5″ right-hander, was a 14th-round pick out of Bradley University in 2024. He has worked mostly as a reliever in the low minors. The 22-year-old struck out more than a quarter of opposing hitters against a solid 7.7% walk rate, albeit as a college arm against generally younger competition. He won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft for two seasons.

A’s Designate JJ Bleday For Assignment

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The Athletics are designating outfielder JJ Bleday for assignment, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The A’s are adding prospects Braden Nett, Junior Perez and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang to their 40-man roster to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft.

The A’s are moving on from their Opening Day center fielder of the past two seasons. They acquired Bleday from the Marlins over the 2022-23 offseason in a one-for-one swap sending A.J. Puk to Miami. It was a change-of-scenery deal of former top 10 picks. Both players had brief amounts of success in their new home, but neither quite clicked in the way their acquiring club had hoped. Puk was beset by injuries, while Bleday struggled defensively and was up-and-down at the plate.

Bleday struggled in 2023, batting .195 with 10 home runs over 82 games. He followed up with the best season of his career, popping 20 longballs with a .243/.324/.437 slash while appearing in 159 games. It raised some hope of a late-career breakout, but Bleday’s bat regressed despite the move from Oakland to the much more hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.

The Vanderbilt product batted .212/.294/.404 in 344 trips to the plate this year. He connected on 14 homers and still walked at a strong 10.5% clip, but his strikeout rate jumped by seven percentage points relative to the prior season. The A’s optioned him twice, but he spent the final two months of the season on the big league roster. He popped six homers and slugged .495 in that stretch, yet he also struck out in more than 30% of his trips to the dish.

Bleday’s overall production has been right around replacement level in two of the past three seasons. The A’s haven’t done him any favors in that regard by pressing him into center field — for which he’s clearly not equipped. He’s a fringe runner who has rated as arguably the game’s worst defensive center fielder over the past couple seasons. Bleday is serviceable but still subpar in the corners despite possessing above-average arm strength.

The 28-year-old surpassed three years of service this season. He’s eligible for arbitration for the first time and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2.2MM salary. The A’s decided they’d rather move on, potentially turning center field to defensive stalwart Denzel Clarke. They have three days to see if they can drum up any trade interest to flip Bleday for a lottery ticket prospect. He’ll otherwise be non-tendered on Friday and become a free agent.

Nett is the highest profile of the three prospects. The 23-year-old righty came over from the Padres as part of the Mason Miller return. He spent the entire season at Double-A between the two affiliates. Nett started 24 games and combined for 105 2/3 innings of 3.75 ERA ball while striking out nearly a quarter of opponents. He walked 10.3% of batters faced and has struggled to throw strikes consistently throughout his career. Nett has a four-pitch mix that gives him a chance to start, though the command development will determine whether he sticks in the rotation or moves to relief down the line.

Perez, 24, also began his career in the San Diego system. He was traded to the A’s while he was in rookie ball for Jorge Mateo in 2020. A native of the Dominican Republic, he’s a right-handed hitting outfielder who connected on 26 homers between the top two minor league levels. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, but he has power and takes a lot of walks.

Zhuang is a 25-year-old righty from Taiwan. He signed with the A’s in 2021 and has worked as a minor league starter. He tossed 145 2/3 innings at Double-A Midland in 2025, pitching to a 4.08 ERA with solid underlying numbers. Zhuang fanned 24% of opponents while showing excellent control with a sub-6% walk percentage. Baseball America ranked him 25th in the A’s system coming into the year, crediting him with plus command and an above-average changeup but fringy breaking stuff.

Rockies Designate Michael Toglia, Ryan Rolison For Assignment

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The Rockies announced that they have acquired left-hander Brennan Bernardino from the Red Sox, a move that was previously reported. They also selected the contracts of left-hander Welinton Herrera, right-hander Gabriel Hughes and outfielder Sterlin Thompson. They began the day with a 40-man count of 38, meaning they needed two spots for those four additions. They made space by designating first baseman Michael Toglia and right-hander Ryan Rolison for assignment.

The three selections were necessary in order to project those players from the Rule 5 draft. In order to open space for them, the Rockies have knocked off two former first-round picks. Toglia, now 27, was taken 23rd overall in 2019. He has shown some power potential in the big leagues but always with massive strikeout problems. He has 42 home runs in 1,057 plate appearances but has been punched out at a 35% clip. He has a .201/.278/.389 batting line and 70 wRC+.

He exhausted his final option season in 2025, meaning he will be out of options going forward. That would make it hard for him to hang onto a roster spot, so the club has bumped him off today. The Rockies can explore some trade interest but might non-tender Toglia on Friday.

Rolison, now 28, was taken 22nd overall in 2018. He had his development thrown off by multiple factors. The pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in 2020. After that, shoulder problems held Rolison back. He missed the entire 2022 season and then hardly pitched in 2023. He finally made it to the big leagues in 2025 but posted a 7.02 earned run average in his 42 1/3 innings. He only struck out 13% of opponents and also gave out walks at a 10.4% clip.

He still has an optioning remaining and was decent in Triple-A this year. He pitched 29 2/3 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with a 3.34 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate. Perhaps that leads to some interest but it’s also possible he ends up non-tendered in a few days.

Herrera, 22 in April, was an international signing out of the Dominican Republic. He has been climbing the minor league ladder, working as a reliever. He split 2025 between High-A and Double-A, posting a 2.64 ERA. He struck out 36.4% of batters faced with a 9.2% walk rate. He hasn’t yet reached the Triple-A level yet but the Rockies understandably didn’t want him to get away with those kinds of numbers.

Hughes, 24, was the club’s first round pick in 2022. He was selected 10th overall and received a $4MM signing bonus. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2024 but he got back on the mound this year. He made 24 starts across three different levels, logging 105 1/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA. His 19.9% strikeout rate wasn’t strong but his 8.6% walk rate was decent and he kept the ball on the ground at a 48.5% clip.

The Rockies are rebuilding and the rotation was historically bad in 2025. 14 of Hughes’ 24 starts came at the Triple-A level, so he could force his way to the majors at any point. However, he now has three option years, so the Rockies could also keep him in the minors until they feel he is ready.

Thompson, 24, was taken 31st overall in that same 2022 draft as Hughes. That was the compensation pick the Rockies received after Trevor Story rejected a qualifying offer and signed with the Red Sox.

The young outfielder has hit his way up the minor league ladder. He spent 2025 in Triple-A, stepping to the plate 513 times. His 10.3% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate were both decent figures. He hit 18 home runs and slashed .296/.392/.519 for a 117 wRC+, though that was buoyed by a .353 batting average on balls in play. FanGraphs ranked him as the #9 prospect in the system coming into the year.

The Rockies currently have an outfield mix consisting of Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak, Jordan Beck, Zac Veen and others. Thompson can jump into that mix and push for playing time immediately, though his full slate of options also means the Rockies don’t need to rush him.

Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images

Tampa Bay To Designate Christopher Morel, Jake Fraley For Assignment

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8:20 pm: The team has officially announced the moves.

5:47 pm: The Rays are expected to designate outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley for assignment, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Topkin also reported that catcher Dominic Keegan, right-hander Alex Cook, and second baseman Jadher Areinamo are expected to be added to the 40-man roster. The trio will grab the vacated roster spots to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

Tampa Bay acquired Morel as the headliner of the trade that sent Isaac Paredes to the Cubs ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. He was hitting .199 at the time, but had popped 18 home runs and lowered his strikeout rate to a career-best 24.5%. Morel stumbled to a 59 wRC+ to close the year with the Rays. He hit three homers and saw his strikeout rate jump back up to 29.5%.

Morel played a part-time role for Tampa Bay this past season, logging 305 plate appearances. He flashed the power/speed combo that had made him an intriguing asset, with 11 home runs and seven steals, but continued to strike out at an untenable rate. Morel whiffed a career-high 35.7% of the time in 2025. After spending time at second base, third base, and shortstop in his first three seasons, Morel played almost exclusively outfield and DH last year. He made one appearance at second base, but that was the extent of his time on the dirt.

With a pair of 20-homer seasons under his belt and a bit of defensive versatility in his game, Morel will likely get another look at the big-league level. He’s had stretches of getting the strikeouts in check, and he’s always had a solid walk rate.

Tampa Bay claimed Fraley off waivers from Atlanta in early November. The Braves had scooped him up off waivers from the Reds back in August. He appeared in nine games with the team before going down with an oblique strain that cut his season short.

Fraley debuted with the Mariners in 2019. After a few seasons in a limited role, he was shipped to Cincinnati in the Eugenio Suarez trade. Fraley slashed a solid .259/.344/.468 in his first year with the Reds, though knee issues capped his workload. Injuries would limit his playing time for the duration of his Cincinnati tenure. Wrist and toe injuries cost him time in 2023, and the knee held him back again in 2024. Prior to the season-ending oblique injury this year, Fraley had hit the IL twice with calf and shoulder issues.

Keegan was taken in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He tore through Tampa Bay’s minor league system before hitting a bit of a roadblock at Triple-A in 2025. MLB.com ranked him 15th among the Rays’ prospects.

Cook was also drafted in 2022, with Tampa Bay landing him in the 12th round. He’s pitched almost exclusively as a reliever since joining the organization. Cook has spent most of his time in the low minors, but did get up to Double-A last year. He tossed 15 2/3 innings with a 2.30 ERA for the Montgomery Biscuits to close the season.

Areinamo came over from the Brewers in the Danny Jansen trade. Baseball America had him 10th in Milwaukee’s system midway through the season. After slashing a strong .297/.355/.463 at High-A prior to the trade, he joined the Biscuits and put up a solid 111 wRC+.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Rangers Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Rangers announced that they have selected the contracts of right-handers David Davalillo and Leandro Lopez, as well as first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz. That protects those three from being selected in the Rule 5 draft next month. The club’s 40-man roster count climbs to 38.

Davalillo is the most highly-regarded prospect of the trio. FanGraphs had him at 11th in their midseason update. MLB.com had him at seventh by the end of the year. The Rangers signed Davalillo as an international free agent in 2022. He opened 2025 in High-A, but made the jump to Double-A by the end of the year. Davalillo tossed 56 innings with a 2.73 ERA after joining Frisco. His strikeout rate wasn’t as lofty as it has been at lower levels, but he kept the walks in check and limited hitters to a .195 batting average.

The 23-year-old Davalillo boasts a four-pitch mix, per FanGraphs. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s, to go with two breaking balls and a splitter. Texas has a handful of other similarly-ranked pitching prospects around Davalillo’s age, so there will be some competition for a callup, but he could be in line to make his major-league debut as soon as 2026.

Lopez joined the organization as an international free agent in 2021. He’s posted lofty strikeout numbers in each season of his pro career, working as both a starter and a reliever. Walks have been an issue, though. Lopez opened this past season at High-A. He recorded a 2.19 ERA over 14 starts, with a solid 28.2% strikeout rate but also a 10% walk rate. Lopez continued to pitch well after being promoted to Double-A, delivering a sub-3.00 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning over nine appearances (eight starts). Lopez had a 10.6% walk rate with the RoughRiders, and he’s now posted a double-digit walk rate in every season since his pro debut in 2021. Lopez snuck onto MLB.com’s top 30 list, landing at 29.

Ortiz was also added via international free agency in 2021. He’s shown prodigious power at each minor league level. Ortiz launched 33 home runs between Single-A and High-A in 2023, then followed it up with 18 dingers at Double-A in 2024. Ortiz was back with Frisco to open this past season, but a 120 wRC+ helped him earn a promotion to Triple-A. He knocked nine home runs in 41 games with Round Rock, pushing his season-long total to 25. While Ortiz might have the pop to earn an MLB roster spot, FanGraphs cited his defensive limitations and excessive chase rate as red flags.

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.

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