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Brewers Place Aaron Civale On Injured List

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The Brewers are placing right-hander Aaron Civale on the 15-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, manager Pat Murphy announced this morning (via Andrew Wagner of Freeman Sports and 105.7 The Fan). There’s no immediate timetable for his absence. Right-hander Grant Anderson is up from Triple-A Nashville in his place.

It’s yet another major blow to a pitching staff that Murphy, just four games into the season, described as “decimated” in his media availability today. Civale joins Tobias Myers (oblique strain), DL Hall (lat strain), Aaron Ashby (oblique strain), Robert Gasser (Tommy John surgery last June) and Brandon Woodruff (2023 shoulder surgery) on the injured list at a time when veteran Jose Quintana is still building up in Nashville. Quintana got a late start, signing midway through spring training, and agreed to be optioned to Triple-A to begin his season.

At present, the Brewers have just two healthy starters: Freddy Peralta and Nestor Cortes. They’re turning to swingman Elvin Rodriguez to start today’s game. Milwaukee signed the former Angels/Tigers prospect to a split big league deal this winter after Rodriguez spent the past season-plus pitching in Japan. Rodriguez, Tyler Alexander, Chad Patrick and Rule 5 pick Connor Thomas are all multi-inning options who’ll help cover for a depleted starting staff in Milwaukee.

Losing Civale would sting even with an otherwise full contingent of starters. The 29-year-old righty was traded from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee early last July and, after some early struggles with the Rays, righted the ship to post a 3.53 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate in 74 innings for the Brewers over the final three months of the year. Civale is the rare pitcher who couldn’t seem to get on track with the Rays, but he has a solid track record in Cleveland and pitched well in Milwaukee last year. He entered the season with a 4.03 ERA in 636 1/3 career innings at the MLB level, including sub-4.00 ERA marks in both 2021 and 2023.

Civale had a shaky spring, however, and his 2025 debut was anything but up to his prior standard. He pitched just three innings and was gouged for five runs against the Yankees. His 91.4 mph average sinker velocity was down more than a mile per hour over his 2024 average, and his lesser-used four-seamer was also down about a half mile per hour. Much of the focus from that weekend series is on the Yankees’ new “torpedo” or “bowling pin” bats, but Civale appears to have been operating at less than 100% and will now be shelved for at least the next two weeks.

Colton Cowser Out At Least Six To Eight Weeks With Broken Thumb

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10:34am: Manager Brandon Hyde told the O’s beat this morning that Cowser will miss six to eight weeks at minimum (via Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner).

9:00am: The Orioles announced Monday that outfielder Colton Cowser has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a fractured left thumb. A timetable for his return was not specified. Cowser suffered the injury last night while sliding into first base on a close play; he was ruled out (video link). Fellow outfielder Dylan Carlson has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in Cowser’s place.

It’s a sour start to the season for Cowser, last year’s runner-up in American League Rookie of the Year voting. He’s posted just a .125/.222/.313 slash through his first 18 plate appearances and will now be looking at an absence of some note while his hand mends.

Cowser enjoyed a monster spring, tallying 52 plate appearances with a .364/.462/.568 batting line, two homers and three doubles. The former No. 5 overall pick out of Sam Houston hit .242/.321/.447 with 24 homers, 24 doubles, three triples, nine steals, a 9.3% walk rate, a 30.7% strikeout rate and plus defense across all three outfield spots last year.

In Cowser’s place, the O’s will turn to Carlson, whom they signed over the winter on a one-year, $975K deal. Like Cowser, Carlson is a former top pick (No. 33 overall by the Cardinals in 2016) and top  prospect. Things never fully panned out for the switch-hitter in St. Louis, however. Carlson looked on the cusp of a breakout in 2021 when he slashed .266/.343/.437 with 18 homers as a 22-year-old, but he followed that with a .225/.309/.341 output over the next three seasons. The Cards shipped him to the Rays in exchange for reliever Shawn Armstrong at last year’s trade deadline. Armstrong was designated for assignment by St. Louis in August. Carlson was non-tendered by Tampa Bay over the winter.

Still only 26 years old, Carlson can handle all three outfield spots. His status as a switch-hitter with versatility on the defensive side of things will give the O’s plenty of flexibility when writing out the lineup or making in-game substitutions. Carlson is a much, much better hitter from the right side of the plate (.285/.361/.431) than from the left side (.219/.300/.355), which could set the stage for a some form of platoon with Heston Kjerstad in left field. The O’s also have righty-swinging Ramon Laureano in the mix for outfield time, though either Carlson or Laureano could also see some DH time against lefties over Ryan O’Hearn.

Twins Select Darren McCaughan

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The Twins announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Darren McCaughan from Triple-A St. Paul and designated fellow right-hander Randy Dobnak for assignment to clear space on the 40-man and active rosters. Dobnak’s DFA was first reported last night.

McCaughan, 29, will give the Twins some length in the bullpen after Dobnak was pressed into 5 1/3 innings yesterday when Bailey Ober lasted just 2 2/3 innings as he pitched through an illness. McCaughan, a former Mariners draftee and longtime farmhand in Seattle, has pitched in parts of three big league seasons previously. He’s logged only 56 MLB frames and carries a 6.43 ERA in that time.

Similar to Dobnak, he’s a soft-tossing righty with good command but below-average strikeout and swinging-strike rates. He’s been a durable starter at the Triple-A level but carries a 5.14 ERA in 546 frames there. McCaughan is also out of minor league options, so it could be a brief stay on the 40-man roster if the Twins opt for another fresh arm at some point in the near future.

The DFA for Dobnak is a bitter pill for the righty to swallow but not exactly unexpected. The right-hander signed a five-year, $9.25MM extension back in March 2021, which hasn’t panned out as the team has hoped. That’s due in part to injury, but Dobnak’s standing on the team has slipped as the Twins have churned out various young arms who’ve surpassed him on the rotation depth chart (e.g. Ober, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, Zebby Matthews).

Since Dobnak has under five years of service, he can’t reject an outright assignment and still retain the entirety of his guarantee. He’s earning $3MM in 2025 and is owed a $1MM buyout on a club option for the 2026 campaign. Because of that guaranteed sum, he’s overwhelmingly likely to both pass through waivers and to subsequently accept an outright assignment to St. Paul. While Dobnak could always pitch his way into a more stable long relief role with more outings like yesterday’s — 5 1/3 innings, two hits, one run, two walks, one strikeout — he could ride this DFA/outright cycle several times this season since all involved parties know the outcome is something of a foregone conclusion that provides the Twins with some roster flexibility.

The Opener: Campbell, Twins, A’s

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As the early days of the 2025 regular season continue, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Campbell, Red Sox nearing agreement?

Over the weekend, it was reported that the Red Sox and star prospect Kristian Campbell were “deep” into talks regarding a contract extension. If a deal were to be finalized, it would guarantee the 22-year-old a life-changing sum while allowing Boston to keep a potential star beyond his years under team control, which are currently slated to expire following the 2030 campaign. Campbell himself briefly commented on the report following Saturday night’s game, confirming to reporters that his camp has been discussing a contract with Red Sox brass but declining to say whether he considered the sides close to a deal.

2. Twins roster move incoming:

Yesterday, it was reported that right-hander Randy Dobnak is set to be designated for assignment by the Twins as the club looks to freshen up its bullpen prior to today’s game against the White Sox in Chicago. It’s not yet known which player will be joining the club’s roster in Dobnak’s stead. Southpaw Kody Funderburk is the only pure reliever on the 40-man roster in the minors right now, but it’s possible Minnesota will instead opt to carry a non-roster pitcher like Alex Speas or Scott Blewett given the 40-man roster spot Dobnak’s DFA will open. Starters like David Festa and Zebby Matthews could also be called up to offer the Twins some length out of the bullpen.

The decision to DFA Dobnak isn’t exactly a shocking one. The right-hander lacks the requisite service time to reject an outright assignment while still being paid the remaining $4MM on his contract. That salary makes Dobnak unlikely to be plucked off of waivers by a rival club and makes Dobnak himself highly unlikely to reject an outright assignment, meaning that despite a lack of minor league options, the Twins can shuttle him between Triple-A and the majors via DFA without much risk of losing him.

3. A’s hosting first home opener in West Sacramento:

The Athletics and Cubs are set to play the first home game of the former’s season tonight at 7:05pm local time. For the first time in decades, said home opener will not occur in Oakland. Instead, tonight will officially kick off the era of Major League Baseball in West Sacramento as the A’s call Sutter Health Park their home for the next three seasons before they can move into their planned long-term home in Las Vegas.

Some visiting players (including Cubs reliever Ryan Brasier) have voiced discomfort and frustration with the situation, as noted by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who writes that the visiting clubhouse has drawn particular ire for its cramped accommodations that don’t measure up to the typical major league standard. Regardless, big league games will be played at the Triple-A ballpark for at least the next three seasons. That starts tonight, when Cubs right-hander Ben Brown (3.58 ERA in 2024) takes on A’s righty Joey Estes (5.01 ERA in 2024).

Brian Snitker Non-Committal About Managing Beyond 2025 Season

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Brian Snitker is entering his tenth season as the Braves’ manager, and his 49th season overall as a member of Atlanta’s organization.  The skipper also turns 70 years old in October, and his most recent contract extension with the Braves (signed back in January 2023) was just a one-year pact that covered the 2025 campaign.

With all this in mind, Snitker seems to be at least considering ending his managerial career once this season is over.  He recently told the New York Post’s Jon Heyman that “I’ll let the year get underway and see what happens,” and told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that last year, Snitker did view 2025 as his last season, though he now isn’t ready to make a final call.

“I still feel really good, and the 50-number [50 years with the Braves] is something I think it’d be kind of cool.  But right now, I’m leaning towards getting through today,” Snitker told Nightengale.

It speaks to Snitker’s baseball-lifer status that stepping away from the manager’s chair wouldn’t mean he is retiring entirely, as “hopefully, I’ll just stay around here and be one of those advisor guys.  I’ll go to the minor-league parks, come to Spring Training a little bit and spend a lot of time watching my grandkids.”  So technically, such an advisory role could stretch Snitker’s Atlanta tenure into yet another decade, even if he would be free from the day-to-day grind of managing.

Bobby Cox and Frank Selee are the only managers in franchise history with more wins than Snitker, who is 735-585 over his nine-plus seasons.  That resume includes seven consecutive winning seasons, and a streak of six straight NL East titles that ended only with last season’s second-place finish.  Snitker’s run of success was highlighted by the Braves’ triumph in the 2021 World Series, as Atlanta overcame losing Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL that season and launched something of a Cinderella run to the championship.

Snitker’s minor league playing career consisted of four seasons in the Atlanta farm system, and he then immediately pivoted into a roving instructor position in 1980.  This was the stepping stone to becoming a minor league manager in 1982, with Snitker acting as the skipper for multiple teams at multiple rungs of the organizational ladder over the next three-plus decades.  These minor league managerial assignments came in between three different stints on the Braves’ big league coaching staff — Snitker was the bullpen coach in 1985 and then again from 1988-90, and he acted as the third base coach from 2007-13.

Snitker was the manager at Triple-A Gwinnett when he was named the Braves’ interim manager in May 2016, after Fredi Gonzalez was fired.  Though Snitker was only 59-65 over the remainder of that season, it was enough to earn him the full-time job, and Snitker then went 72-90 during the 2017 campaign.  As Nightengale notes, Snitker’s job security was on shaky ground before an even bigger shake-up happened within the organization, as GM John Coppolella resigned due to a league investigation into allegations that the Braves violated international signing rules.  Alex Anthopoulos was quickly brought on as the new general manager, and kept Snitker as manager in part to maintain some stability within an unusual situation for the team.

“I didn’t know anything about Brian Snitker but his name when I got here,’’ Anthopoulos told Nightengale.  “I didn’t know who he was.  I literally had no attachment, no history whatsoever. Now, I have the highest level of trust from a personal standpoint, a professional standpoint, which is critically important. I have so much trust in him in everything we do.”

It would appear that Anthopoulos would be more than happy to keep Snitker in the job beyond 2025, and if Snitker does decide to return, another one-year extension could be worked out in pretty quick fashion.  All of Snitker’s contracts as manager have been short-term deals of no longer than two guaranteed years, perhaps as a nod to Snitker’s age even though his teams kept delivering on the field.

Snitker’s future will be a major running subplot of what is expected to be another year of high expectations in Atlanta.  As much as flags fly forever, the Braves haven’t won a playoff series in the three years since that 2021 ring, and now face heavy competition just in the NL East, let alone the National League as a whole.  Still, the Braves overcame a lot of major injuries to still at least reach the postseason last year, and a healthier roster could help Snitker potentially go out on a high note if he does decide to end his managerial career.

NL Injury Notes: Realmuto, Turner, Suarez, Abbott, Murphy, Freeman

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X-rays were negative on J.T. Realmuto’s left foot after he fouled a ball off himself in Saturday’s 11-6 win over the Nationals.  The Phillies took Realmuto out of the game, and the catcher also didn’t play today “more a precaution than anything,” manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer).  Realmuto will likely be back in action tomorrow when the Phillies have their home opener, though Trea Turner could miss a third straight game as he recovers from back spasms.  Thomson said Turner was available off the bench today and might play Monday, though the Phils’ off-day on Tuesday would allow Turner to get a full four days of recovery time if he is held out of Monday’s lineup.

In other Phillies injury news, Ranger Suarez threw a 26-pitch bullpen session on Saturday, and an up-and-down bullpen is now slated for Tuesday.  If all goes well, Lauber writes that Suarez will make at least one minor league rehab start before being activated from the 15-day injured list.  Suarez was bothered by a bad back during Spring Training, and the Phils decided to put him on the IL to give him more time to heal up and them finish his spring preparations in advance of his 2025 debut.

More injury updates from around the National League…

  • Speaking of pitchers on the 15-day IL, the Reds told reporters (including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that southpaw Andrew Abbott will throw his first rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.  Abbott is slated for another outing on April 6, and a decision will then be made about whether or not he might be activated onto the Reds’ roster.  A shoulder strain ended Abbott’s 2024 season in late August, and recovering from that strain set Abbott back in his usual offseason work, so the Reds opted to slowly ramp the left-hander up in Spring Training.  If all goes well, Abbott should line up to make his 2025 debut on April 11 or 12, depending on how Cincinnati sets up its pitching staff.
  • Braves catcher Sean Murphy will also probably be starting a minor league rehab assignment this week, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes that Murphy will likely take the field for the Braves’ A-level affiliate on Friday.  Murphy cracked a rib after he was hit by a pitch during a Spring Training game in early March, and we’ve already hit the lower end of the initial 4-6 week recovery timeline.  Still, Murphy appears to be making good enough progress that a return to Atlanta’s lineup should be feasible by mid-April.
  • Tyler Freeman left today’s game with a bruised left wrist after he was hit by a Taj Bradley pitch, but x-rays were negative, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes.  Freeman might be well enough to return to the Rockies’ lineup tomorrow, though since Colorado doesn’t play on Tuesday, this is another situation where a player with a minor injury might simply get an extra day to fully heal.

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Twins To Designate Randy Dobnak For Assignment

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The Twins will designate right-hander Randy Dobnak for assignment prior to tomorrow’s game, as first reported by Ted Schwerzler of Minnesota Sports Fan.  The corresponding move isn’t yet known.  The DFA comes on the heels of an impressive long relief outing for Dobnak, as he allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings of work in Minnesota’s 9-2 loss to the Cardinals today.

Removing Dobnak from the roster allows the Twins to get a fresh arm into the bullpen, and it speaks to Dobnak’s unusual contractual situation.  The righty is in the last guaranteed season of his five-year, $9.25MM contract, though since signing that extension in March 2021, Dobnak has appeared in only 20 MLB games, and he didn’t pitch in the majors at all in 2022-23 due to injuries and time spent in the minor leagues.

Since Dobnak has been outrighted off the Twins’ 40-man roster in the past, he has the right to reject another outright assignment and become a free agent if he clears waivers.  However, he doesn’t have enough big league service time to reject an outright assignment and still keep the remaining $4MM ($3MM in 2025 salary and the $1MM buyout on a $6MM club option for 2026) owed on his contract.  As such, Dobnak is sure to again accept an assignment to Triple-A in order to retain his salary, and that same price tag makes it unlikely that another team would claim him on waivers.

This all gives Minnesota a bit of flexibility when it comes to moving Dobnak relatively freely through the waiver wire, as it seems likely that he could face the “contract selection/DFA/waivers/outright” cycle more times whenever the Twins need a spot start, a piggyback starter, or a bulk pitcher behind an opener.  Having Dobnak available came in handy for the Twins today, as Bailey Ober came into his start recovering from a virus, and was rocked for eight runs over 2 2/3 frames before Dobnak came in to handle the rest of the game.

Even with the sting of the 9-2 loss, Dobnak can take solace in his best performance in the majors in quite some time.  He posted a 7.31 ERA over 19 appearances and 60 1/3 innings with the Twins from 2021-24, and he struggled in Triple-A in 2022-23 before having a bit of an uptick in St. Paul last year.  Dobnak posted a 4.25 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate, and 57% grounder rate over 133 1/3 Triple-A frames in 2024, starting 24 of 28 games.

Shohei Ohtani Throws Bullpen Session, No Timeline Yet For Return To Pitching

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Shohei Ohtani threw all fastballs during a 20-pitch bullpen session prior to yesterday’s game, marking the first time that the three-time MVP had thrown off a mound since February 25.  While Ohtani has continued to throw off flat ground in the interim, the month-plus break between proper pitching sessions added to the question of when exactly Ohtani might resume pitching duties in the big leagues, as a few weeks ago Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seemingly backed off the initial plan to have Ohtani pitching at some point in May.

Speaking with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other reporters yesterday, Roberts was still non-committal, saying “it’s going to be awhile” before Ohtani makes his pitching debut in a Dodgers uniform.

“I think you start with the natural progression of a bullpen,” Roberts said.  “You’ve got to kind of mix in different pitches to then face hitters again.  It’s a start.  I don’t have a timeline.  I don’t think anyone does.  We’re a ways away.”

It has now been more than 19 months since Ohtani last pitched in a Major League game, as he sustained a right UCL tear during a 1 1/3-inning start for the Angels on August 23, 2023.  The subsequent surgery that September meant that he wouldn’t be pitching during the 2024 campaign, though the normal timeline for UCL surgeries indicated that Ohtani would be ready to go for Opening Day 2025.  However, an unexpected roadblock emerged when Ohtani suffered a labrum tear in his non-throwing shoulder while trying to steal a base during the World Series, which led to an arthroscopic procedure on his left shoulder this past November.  This injury wasn’t seen as too great an impediment to Ohtani’s return to pitching, and obviously not to his role as the Dodgers’ DH, as Ohtani has been able to hit normally this season.

If Ohtani was only a pitcher, in all likelihood he would be pitching in the majors right now, as he would’ve been able to proceed on a regular rehab timeline.  But of course, nothing is normal when it comes to Ohtani and his unique status as a two-way superstar, as he and the Dodgers have balanced both his arm health along with his duties as a hitter.  For instance, he limited some throwing sessions last fall since Ohtani was naturally more focused on trying to help Los Angeles win a championship, and then the added wrinkle of his left labrum issue impacted his usual offseason prep.

Roberts said the month-long break from mound sessions was done in part to get Ohtani fully ramped up as a hitter for his team’s earlier start to the 2025 season, as the Dodgers and Cubs played two games in Japan on March 18-19 before the rest of the league kicked off action three days ago.  The manager also stressed again that “we still want him to pitch.  He wants to pitch.  I think he can handle it,” but also noted that the club has no reason or desire to rush Ohtani back to pitching.

“I think the question is how much do we need him right now and I think we’ve answered that,” Roberts said.  “His health is paramount, most important.  So whenever that time is and his buildup reaches its full maturation, he’ll pitch for us.”

L.A. has so many pitching options that the team is expected to move to a six-man rotation once some hurlers start returning from the injured list.  Beyond the starting five of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Dustin May, the Dodgers will have even more than just a single sixth-starter option given how Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Emmet Sheehan, and Ohtani are all expected to be back at various points in the 2025 season.  It is wholly unlikely that Los Angeles will have all nine rotation candidates healthy at once, but in the event of a slight pitching surplus, it’s a sign of the team’s depth that having Ohtani pitch is almost a luxury, on top of what he can contribute at the plate.

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