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Pirates Place Endy Rodriguez On Injured List

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April 15: The Pirates officially placed Rodriguez on the IL today and recalled right-hander Chase Shugart in a corresponding move.

April 14: The Pirates are likely to place first baseman/catcher Endy Rodriguez on the 10-day injured list, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Kevin Gorman of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). The 24-year-old sustained a laceration on his right index finger that required multiple stitches.

Rodriguez suffered the injury in the first inning of tonight’s win over Washington. He was behind the plate when Paul Skenes spiked a curveball that hit James Wood in the foot. The ball skipped off Wood’s foot and struck Rodriguez in his throwing hand. Henry Davis stepped in to finish the game.

The Bucs are already carrying three catchers on the active roster. They recalled Davis over the weekend while starter Joey Bart is day-to-day with back soreness. If Bart is expected back within a day or two, they could get by without bringing up another catcher. It’d be trickier if Bart isn’t available for now even as an emergency option. They don’t have any other catchers on the 40-man roster after trading Jason Delay to Atlanta a couple weeks back. Abrahan Gutierrez, who has never appeared in the majors, is the top option in Triple-A.

Rodriguez has played more first base than catcher through the season’s first two weeks. Tonight was his fifth start behind the dish. He has logged nine starts at first base. There’s a clearer path to playing time at the latter position with Spencer Horwitz beginning the season on the injured list. Rodriguez hasn’t come close to meeting the higher offensive bar at first base. He’s hitting .178 without a home run over 50 plate appearances. Pittsburgh had gotten a .146/.216/.225 slash out of the position entering play tonight (though Enmanuel Valdez’s strong game today will boost those numbers).

If the corresponding roster move is at catcher, Valdez would probably get the bulk of the first base reps. That’d push Adam Frazier back in to second base while potentially creating a little extra playing time in right field for Alexander Canario and/or Jack Suwinski. The Pirates have staggered Andrew McCutchen’s playing time in right, as they’re limited to using Bryan Reynolds at designated hitter because of an ongoing triceps issue.

First baseman Billy Cook is on optional assignment in Triple-A, but he’s out to a .143/.244/.200 start through 11 games. Non-roster corner infielder Malcom Nuñez has gotten out to a better start (.278/.290/.528), while former Phillies first baseman Darick Hall has had a similarly cold stretch as Cook (.241/.333/.276) to begin the season. The 40-man roster is at capacity.

Brewers Promote Logan Henderson

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The Brewers announced Tuesday that righty Logan Henderson has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville. Fellow right-hander Elvin Rodriguez was optioned to Nashville in his place.

Whenever Henderson takes the mound for Milwaukee, he’ll be making his MLB debut. The 23-year-old was their fourth-round pick back in 2021, and while he’s never cracked into the very top echelon of leaguewide prospects, he’s consistently ranked among the Brewers’ top 20 or so prospects. He currently sits No. 20 in their system at Baseball America and No. 12 at MLB.com.

Henderson, 23, opened the season with a clunker in Nashville (four innings, five runs on six hits and three walks) but has bounced back with 10 straight shutout frames. He’s punched out eight hitters in each of his three starts this year and is now sitting on a 3.21 ERA with a gargantuan 40.7% strikeout rate but also a sky-high 16.9% walk rate. Command hasn’t been an issue in the past, however; Henderson has walked only 7.7% of his opponents since being drafted in ’21. Last year, he made 19 starts across three levels and turned in a 3.32 ERA, 32.8% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate. His changeup, in particular, draws praise as a potential plus offering in the big leagues.

Though Henderson has been a starter in the minors, it seems he’ll be tasked with providing some length in the bullpen for now. Righty Quinn Priester is set to start for the Brewers today, and veteran Jose Quintana is slated to be on the bump tomorrow. The Brewers then have an off-day Thursday before a weekend slate against the visiting A’s. Unless there’s an injury the team hasn’t revealed at this time, Henderson will provide a long relief option in place of the optioned-out Rodriguez, who tossed five innings of one-run ball yesterday in mop-up duty when the Tigers trounced lefty Tyler Alexander for eight runs.

Even if he’s not in the rotation right now, Henderson is a clear candidate to join Milwaukee’s rotation at some point this year. The Brew Crew currently has Brandon Woodruff, Aaron Civale, Nestor Cortes, Tobias Myers, Aaron Ashby, Robert Gasser and DL Hall on the injured list. The rotation presently includes Peralta, Quintana, Priester, Alexander and 26-year-old rookie Chad Patrick. If Henderson shows well, he’ll be in line to potentially secure a long-term rotation spot. Each of Woodruff, Civale, Quintana, Cortes and Alexander is a free agent at season’s end, so there’s ample long-term opportunity for a promising young righty like Henderson.

Orioles Release Luis Gonzalez

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The Orioles have released left-hander Luis Gonzalez. Jake Rill of MLB.com was among those to relay the news. He was designated for assignment yesterday when the club claimed righty Scott Blewett off waivers. Gonzalez is currently injured, meaning he can’t be placed on outright waivers.

It’s a bit of a heartbreaking development for the southpaw. Gonzalez was just added to Baltimore’s 40-man in November, just ahead of his 33rd birthday, which was in January. He had been grinding away for years, having made his professional debut as a prospect with the Phillies back in 2010. He has been in affiliated ball for most of the past decade and a half, but also had stints in Japan, Italy and Mexico.

Going into 2024, he was with the Orioles on a minor league deal. He tossed 60 innings over 44 Triple-A appearances. He allowed 4.50 earned runs per nine, which isn’t terribly impressive, but other numbers were more eye-catching. He struck out 28.9% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 4.9% clip.

The Orioles were impressed enough that they added him to their 40-man at the end of the year, putting him in line to finally make his major league debut at some point in 2025. However, he landed on the minor league injured list on April 11 with an undisclosed injury. As mentioned, injured players aren’t allowed to be placed on outright waivers. Once Gonzalez was DFA’d, it made it inevitable that he would be released.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the O’s and Gonzalez quickly reunited on a minor league deal, as that often happens in cases like these. However, he will technically be able to speak to the 29 other clubs once he officially clears release waivers.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Cardinals’ Cooper Hjerpe Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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The Cardinals announced that pitching prospect Cooper Hjerpe has undergone Tommy John surgery. The left-hander will miss the entire 2025 season and won’t be expected back until midway through the 2026 campaign.

Hjerpe, 24, is one of the club’s top pitching prospects. He was selected in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2022 draft. He received a signing bonus of just under $3.2MM. He has since posted some intriguing minor league numbers, with plenty of strikeouts though also lots of walks. He logged 93 1/3 innings over 2023 and 2024, splitting his time between High-A and Double-A. He allowed 3.37 earned runs per nine, punching out 32.8% of batters faced but also giving out free passes at a 13.7% clip.

His elbow health, or lack thereof, has been a part of the trajectory in that time. He required surgery to remove loose bodies from that elbow in 2023, limiting him to just eight starts that year. In 2024, his final start of the season was on July 2, with an elbow injury shutting him down from then on.

Clubs and pitchers generally prefer to take non-surgical approaches to injuries for as long as they can, as going under the knife is such a lengthy time commitment and there are no guarantees that a player will return to 100% effectiveness afterwards. But in this case, it could be avoided no longer, so Hjerpe is now going to be on the shelf for a while.

Despite the limited workload, Hjerpe is well regarded. Baseball America currently lists him as the #7 prospect in the Cards’ system, highlighting his unique sidearm delivery as he throws an arsenal that includes a fastball, curveball, cutter and changeup. Back in May of last year, Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice of FanGraphs had him in the #5 spot.

If Hjerpe were healthy here in 2025, he likely would have returned to Double-A and could have pushed for a Triple-A promotion at some point during the season. All that will have to be kicked down the road now.

Some interesting decision points will come this winter, as Hjerpe will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December. The Cards will have to decide if it’s worth giving him a 40-man spot by the Rule 5 protection deadline in November. He’s obviously an important prospect in the system but has a limited track record and will still be rehabbing at that time. However, grabbing an injured pitcher in the Rule 5 isn’t unprecedented. In the most recent iteration, the Blue Jays took Angel Bastardo from the Red Sox while the Rays grabbed Nate Lavender from the Mets. Both of those pitchers underwent Tommy John surgeries last summer and could potentially return later this year.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

Marlins Designate Jonah Bride For Assignment

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The Marlins announced that outfielder Jesús Sánchez has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He had suffered a left oblique strain during spring training. In a corresponding move, infielder Jonah Bride has been designated for assignment.

It’s a somewhat surprising decision. Bride seemed to have a decent breakout with the Fish last year. Acquired from the A’s in February of 2024, he spent much of the first half getting shuttled to Triple-A and back but was in the majors for most of the second half of the season. He eventually got into 71 big league games and stepped to the plate 272 times. He hit 11 home runs and drew walks at a solid 11% clip, while keeping his strikeouts down to a 20.2% level.

That wasn’t a massive sample size but Bride also had a decent minor league numbers. From 2021 to 2024, he hit .289/.421/.489 on the farm for a 137 wRC+. His 17.1% walk rate was better than his 16% strikeout rate. He didn’t perform well when he first got to the majors with Oakland in 2022 and 2023 but seemed to turn a bit of a corner with Miami last year. He also provided a bit of defensive versatility, playing all three non-shortstop infield positions last year.

There’s no denying that he’s out to an awful start this year. Through 12 games, he has been punched out in 15 of his 45 plate appearances and has a line of .100/.200/.100. That’s obviously not great but it’s a tiny sample and the Fish didn’t need to open up a 40-man roster spot today. They could have simply optioned a player to the minor leagues to make room for Sánchez, while keeping Bride around to see if he could get back on track.

But Bride is now out of options and he was getting squeezed off the roster. Matt Mervis and Otto López are playing well so far this season at first and second base, respectively. At third base, Graham Pauley isn’t playing especially well but Connor Norby is nearing a return from the IL. Kyle Stowers and Griffin Conine are hitting well from the corner outfield spots. With Sánchez now coming back, the designated hitter spot might be needed to get all of them in the lineup. Sánchez got some center field reps during the spring but it’s unclear if the Marlins want to continue that experiment after his injury hiatus.

The Marlins could have kept Bride on the bench but there are reasons they opted for other guys there. They need a backup catcher and shortstop, which works for Rob Brantly and Javier Sanoja. In center field, Dane Myers and Derek Hill have been splitting them there. Hill had some minor injury trouble a few weeks ago, getting Myers into the lineup, but they’ve switched more recently with Myers banged up and Hill in the lineup. The Marlins ultimately seemed to prefer Pauley and Eric Wagaman, as they opted to DFA Bride instead of optioning either of those guys. Pauley is hitting .195/.233/.293 while Wagaman is at .231/.318/.359 in the early going.

Bride will now head to DFA limbo but he’ll know his fate in a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, meaning the Marlins could spend the next five days exploring trade talks. If Bride were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Marlins as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images

Braves Release Buck Farmer

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The Braves have released right-hander Buck Farmer, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d been pitching on a minor league deal for Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett.

Farmer, 34, signed that minor league pact back in February. He’s spent the three prior seasons as a durable member of the Cincinnati bullpen, giving the Reds 193 innings of 3.68 ERA ball — primarily in low-leverage/middle relief spots.

Farmer has generally kept his run-prevention numbers at solid levels, but his fastball velocity and strikeout rate have been average over the past two seasons. His command, or lack thereof, has been an issue throughout the bulk of his big league career. Farmer walked 10.3% of his opponents during his time with the Reds, a near-identical match with his career 10.5% mark. He also plunked a career-high seven batters last year, which was nearly double the rate at which he’d hit batters in previous seasons.

Both spring training and the early portion of the season in Triple-A have been a struggle for the veteran Farmer. He appeared in five Grapefruit League contests with Atlanta and pitched 5 2/3 innings, but opponents tagged him for four runs on eight hits and four walks. He set down eight of his 30 opponents on strikes (26.7%), but he didn’t pitch his way into the team’s Opening Day plans. Atlanta’s bullpen has had plenty of issues this year, but Farmer came out of the gates in Gwinnett with five runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings (7.71 ERA).

Although the early stages of the 2025 season haven’t gone as hoped, Farmer has a lengthy big league track record and should latch on elsewhere. He’s collected nearly eight seasons of big league service since his 2014 debut, and since moving from a starting role to the bullpen in 2018, Farmer carries a 4.03 ERA in 386 2/3 MLB frames.

Orioles Sign Chadwick Tromp To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles have signed catcher Chadwick Tromp to a minor league contract, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. Tromp elected free agency last week after he was designated for assignment by the Braves. He will report to Triple-A Norfolk. The Norfolk Tides confirmed the signing in their game notes today (h/t to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com).

Tromp, 30, began his professional career in the Reds organization in 2013 and made his big league debut with the Giants in 2020. The Braves claimed him off of waivers from the Giants in September 2021, and he made appearances for Atlanta each year from 2022-25. All told, Tromp has appeared in 61 MLB games, slashing .224/.235/.385 over 162 plate appearances. While his overall offense is substandard, he provides a bit of pop (15 career extra-base hits, .160 ISO) and plays solid defense behind the dish. He is more than qualified for Baltimore’s third-string catching role.

Barring an injury, Tromp isn’t likely to get the call-up to Camden Yards. The Orioles are well-equipped at the catcher position, with two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman as their starter and veteran slugger Gary Sánchez as their backup. However, Tromp offers a more experienced third option in the organization than David Bañuelos. Having Tromp around will also reduce any pressure the Orioles might feel to promote top catching prospect Samuel Basallo in the event of an early-season injury to Rutschman or Sánchez. Basallo, who is currently on the minor league IL himself with a hamstring injury, is an incredibly promising player. He is also just 20 years old and has only played 28 games at Triple-A. He could be ready to debut toward the end of the season, but the Orioles are unlikely to rush his development.

Twins, Tyler Beede Agree To Minor League Deal

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Right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede has reportedly agreed to a minor league contract with the Twins, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. He will suit up for Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints.

Beede, 32 in May, was once a highly promising pitching prospect. He was selected in the first round of the draft twice, first in 2011 by the Blue Jays (with whom he did not sign) and again in 2014 by the Giants. The righty impressed as he worked his way up San Francisco’s system, with Baseball America ranking him as one of the top three prospects in the organization each year from 2015-18. Yet, Beede started to show signs of weakness following his promotion to Triple-A in 2017, and he continued to struggle upon reaching the majors. After giving up seven runs over 7 2/3 big league innings in 2018, he pitched to a 5.08 ERA and 4.71 SIERA in his first extended run of MLB action the subsequent year. Tommy John surgery kept him out of commission in 2020, and he made just one MLB appearance in 2021 before converting to a swingman role for the 2022 campaign. Over 61 1/3 innings for the Giants and the Pirates (he was DFA’d and claimed off of waivers mid-season), he put up a 5.14 ERA and 4.94 SIERA.

After being DFA’d once again that September, Beede elected free agency in the fall and took his talents to Japan in 2023. In his lone season with NPB’s Yomiuri Giants, he made 30 appearances (six starts) and pitched to a 3.99 ERA. His 16.4% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate were mediocre, even by the different standards of NPB, and he did not look meaningfully better over 25 1/3 innings with the Giants’ minor league club in the Eastern League. Nevertheless, he pitched well enough overseas to catch the eye of the Guardians, who signed him to a minor league deal over the 2023-24 offseason and ultimately gave him a spot on their Opening Day roster. He made 13 appearances for Cleveland before he was DFA’d at the beginning of May, producing an unfortunate 8.36 ERA through 14 innings of lower-leverage work. With that said, he did manage to collect a win and two holds, and his 26.5% strikeout rate was above average, as was his 29.7% whiff rate. All that to say, he wasn’t entirely ineffective.

Beede spent the remainder of the 2024 season with Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Between and around two stints on the injured list, he pitched to a ghastly 11.28 ERA in 12 games (five starts). He walked 16 batters and gave up five home runs in just 22 1/3 innings of work. His second injury, an elbow strain, ultimately ended his season in August. Despite all of those reasons for concern, Beede drew interest from the Astros and Royals over the offseason and has now landed an opportunity with the Twins.

Given his uneven track record and rough numbers at both the MLB and Triple-A levels last season, Beede is facing an uphill battle back to the majors. Then again, the Twins don’t have much relief depth on their 40-man roster beyond the pitchers already in the big league bullpen. Beede could be a candidate to eat some low-leverage innings in the case of an injury to another Minnesota reliever, though he will have to compete with other depth arms on minor league contracts, such as Darren McCaughan, Richard Lovelady, and Anthony Misiewicz.

The Opener: Jackie Robinson Day, Injured List Placements, MLBTR Chat

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As the 2025 regular season continues, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day today:

1. MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day:

Today is Jackie Robinson Day around baseball, which means all 30 teams will be wearing Robinson’s 42 on their jerseys and caps. The day commemorates the Hall of Famer’s historic breaking of MLB’s color barrier back in 1947 and celebrates his phenomenal career, which saw him win Rookie of the Year and MVP honors within his first three years as a big leaguer. By the time he retired following his age-37 season, Robinson was a .309/.411/.474 hitter across ten seasons with the Dodgers and had collected 1563 hits, 141 homers, and 200 steals across just 1416 games.

Aside from today’s uniforms commemorating Robinson league-wide, Jason Foster of MLB.com highlights a number of other events celebrating Robinson, including a minor league game between the Clearwater Threshers and Palm Beach Cardinals at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Florida, where Robinson once played Spring Training games with the Dodgers. MLB games around the league will also feature a pregame tribute video to Robinson produced by MLB Network.

2. Pirates, Mets IL placements incoming:

The Pirates and Mets are expected to make roster moves today after it was reported last night that Pittsburgh catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez and New York center fielder Jose Siri are ticketed for the injured list. Rodriguez suffered a laceration on his right index finger that requires stitches, while Siri is dealing with a fractured tibia.

For the Pirates, Billy Cook would seem like the most logical choice to help cover first base in Rodriguez’s absence, given that Joey Bart and Henry Davis are already on the roster. However, Bart is currently day-to-day with an injury of his own and Cook is hitting rather poorly at Triple-A to start the year. The same goes for non-roster slugger DJ Stewart, who was in the mix for the club’s first base job during Spring Training before ultimately failing to make the Opening Day cut. For the Mets, Siri’s departure could simply mean that Jared Young joins the roster as the only position player on the 40-man not already in the majors or on the injured list. If the club is looking for extra help in center, non-roster veterans like Rafael Ortega and Jose Azocar could be options.

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

Each MLB team is now around 10% of the way through their season, and some expected contenders like those in Atlanta and Baltimore have struggled while more surprising teams like the Giants and Angels have done quite well for themselves. There’s still plenty of baseball left to go. If you have questions about which starts to believe in or are already looking towards July’s trade deadline then MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

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