Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Braves Activate Spencer Strider

By | at

April 16: Strider has been activated ahead of his start against the Blue Jays this afternoon, per a team announcement. Right-hander Zach Thompson was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

April 13: Prior to today’s game against the Rays, the Braves announced that the club had optioned right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to the minor leagues. In the short-term, the move made room for righty Michael Petersen to join the club. More important than that move, however, is the impending shift in the rotation Smith-Shawver’s departure portends. As noted by multiple reporters, including David O’Brien of The Athletic, Smith-Shawver’s departure from the active roster will make way for the highly-anticipated return of right-hander Spencer Strider to the rotation on April 16 against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Strider, 26, hasn’t pitched in just over a year after undergoing internal brace surgery on his UCL early last season. The right-hander has just two full MLB seasons under his belt, in 2022 and ’23, but in that time he posted a 3.36 ERA with a 2.43 FIP and a 37.4% strikeout rate. Those incredible stats were enough to get Strider a second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting, an All-Star appearance, and a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting across the two seasons, and the decorated fireballer now figures to return to lead Atlanta’s rotation once again now that he’s healthy. It couldn’t come at a better time, as the Braves have struggled badly out of the gate with a 4-11 start to open the season. Those struggles are due in large part to a rotation that has lost Reynaldo Lopez for much of the 2025 season to shoulder surgery and has seen reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale scuffle to a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings of work across his first four starts this season.

Strider’s long-awaited return to the big league mound means the end of Smith-Shawver’s stint in the rotation to open the year. The right-hander was generally serviceable for Atlanta across three starts, with a 4.61 ERA that clocks in just below league average and a 4.16 FIP. While Smith-Shawver’s 26.2% strikeout rate in those starts was solid, a 12.3% walk rate raised enough concerns that the club has opted to stick with Bryce Elder in the rotation despite his ugly 7.20 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers and Rays. That leaves Elder to pair with Grant Holmes at the back of the club’s rotation for the time being, though Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, and Dylan Dodd all remain available at Triple-A as potential rotation options if Elder fails to improve.

Strider may not be the only reinforcement the Braves are getting from Triple-A this week. O’Brien suggests that “all signs are pointing to” an impending call-up for outfielder Alex Verdugo, who was signed to a $1.5MM deal three weeks ago but has spent that time in the minor leagues catching up after missing most of Spring Training. It’s possible he would’ve spent the entire month of April at Triple-A, but things changed when Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80-games due to a failed PED test. That’s left the Braves to try and get by with Jarred Kelenic, Stuart Fairchild, and Bryan De La Cruz in the outfield corners while Ronald Acuna Jr. heals up after suffering a torn ACL last May.

Verdugo should help to bolster that outfield mix somewhat, giving the Braves a more proven veteran to handle left field in place of Profar while he serves his suspension. While he posted a lackluster 83 wRC+ with the Yankees last year, he had been a consistently league average bat for the Red Sox in each of his four seasons with the club prior to that, hitting .281/.328/.444 (105 wRC+) overall during his time in Boston. Whether Verdugo will ultimately join the Braves in Toronto for their series against the Blue Jays or instead be called up next weekend for their series against the Twins remains to be seen, but O’Brien indicates that Verdugo’s return to the majors appears to be imminent.

DJ Herz To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By | at

Left-hander DJ Herz has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to a report from TalkNats. Herz was recommended for Tommy John surgery in late March but the report suggests he sought second and third opinions before ultimately deciding to go under the knife. The procedure is likely to keep Herz out of commission through at least the first half of the 2026 campaign, though no specific timetable for his return is likely to be announced until after his surgery.

Herz, 24, was an eighth-round pick by the Cubs back in 2019. While in Chicago’s organization, Herz flashed huge strikeout stuff and fantastic results in the lower minors, including a 40.4% strikeout rate between Single-A and High-A back in 2021. It was always held back by lackluster control and paired with poor results at higher levels of the minors, however, such as when he posted a 20.9% walk rate and an 8.24 ERA in nine starts in his first taste of the Double-A level back in 2022. The lefty’s second stint with Double-A Tennessee went better, though his results still didn’t jump off the page: A 3.97 ERA in 14 starts, with a 14.1% walk rate.

Despite those potential red flags, the Nationals saw enough in Herz to trade for him as part of the package for Jeimer Candelario at the 2023 trade deadline. The southpaw made his big league debut last year and looked quite good in doing so. Across 19 starts in the majors, Herz pitched to a roughly average 4.16 ERA (97 ERA+), but struck out an excellent 27.7% of batters faced while walking a much more palatable 9.4% of opponents. His 8.0% barrel rate allowed was somewhat elevated, leading to an elevated home run rate, but even with that flaw Herz’s peripherals looked excellent. His 3.71 FIP was fourth among rookies with at least 80 innings of work last year, his 3.77 SIERA was sixth, and his 3.26 xERA was second to only Paul Skenes.

It was quite the impressive debut for the young southpaw, though one flaw was Herz’s inability to pitch deep into games. Just four of his 19 starts saw him throw 90 pitches or more, and he failed to complete five innings in eight of his starts. Herz’s overall results in his rookie season were more than enough to put him in the conversation for a regular rotation job with the big league club this year, but any plans for him to join the rotation were scuttled when he struggled during Spring Training with a 6.52 ERA, an 8.2% walk rate, and an 18.4% strikeout rate. Those numbers came in a sample of just 9 2/3 innings, but the results were ugly enough that the Nationals made what seemed like an easy decision to option Herz to the minors.

That option was quickly rescinded in favor of placing him on the injured list, however, suggesting that he had sustained an injury during big league camp. That injury proved to be a tear in his UCL, and Herz will now go under the knife and miss all of 2025, plus at least some of the 2026 season. Fortunately for the Nationals, the club has plenty of other young arms to rely on while Herz is out, including fellow lefties MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker. One other name to watch this year is righty Cade Cavalli, who has been out of commission in recent years due to his own Tommy John surgery rehab but figures to be ready to pitch in the majors at some point this year for the first time since 2022.

Cubs Option Matt Shaw

By | at

The Cubs have optioned third baseman Matt Shaw to Triple-A Iowa, reports Keith Law of The Athletic. That’s part of a larger slate of moves, relayed by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Infielder Vidal Bruján has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. On the pitching side, the club recalled left-hander Luke Little and right-hander Daniel Palencia. To make room for those two, righty Nate Pearson has been optioned to Iowa as well, while righty Eli Morgan has been placed on the 15-day IL due to an elbow impingement.

Shaw, 23, came into the season as one of the top prospects in the league. The club clearly believed he was worthy of a shot at the majors, as they traded Isaac Paredes to the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker deal in the offseason. That didn’t guarantee Shaw a spot on the Opening Day roster but it opened a door for him, which he walked through. He cracked the club’s roster ahead of the Tokyo Series and has been serving as their regular third baseman up until this point.

The results have been mixed. Across his 68 plate appearances thus far, he has drawn a walk in 14.7% of them, but he’s also been struck out at a 26.5% clip. He has a tepid .172/.294/.241 batting line, though with a .231 batting average on balls in play. That number is on the unlucky side but Shaw hasn’t been doing himself many favors in terms of putting good wood on the ball. His 82.7 mile per hour average exit velocity in the second percentile of qualified MLB hitters, per Statcast. His hard-hit rate is in the fifth percentile, his bat speed in the tenth and his barrel rate 15th. His defense has also been a bit of a question mark. In 141 innings at third base thus far, he already has four errors.

All of that is surely less than the Cubs were hoping for, as he destroyed minor league pitching. After getting selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Shaw got into 159 minor league games between that draft selection and the end of the 2024 season. He had solid walk and strikeout rates of 10.2% and 17.3% respectively while slashing .303/.384/.522 for a 157 wRC+. 35 of those games were at the Triple-A level last year and he hit .298/.395/.534 in those, building the case that he was ready for a major league debut.

Shaw is yet another example of a top prospect who didn’t immediately click at the major league level. While some may jump to declare Shaw a “bust”, this sort of thing is actually quite common. A classic example is Mike Trout, who hit .220/.281/.390 in his first 135 plate appearances back in 2011. It can’t be assumed that a prospect will immediately succeed when reaching the majors for the first time, nor does it mean that they won’t ever find success down the line.

Sending Shaw down is defensible in a vacuum, given his struggles. But outside the vacuum, it’s unclear who the Cubs can turn to as a better option for the hot corner. Bruján has a .189/.261/.270 batting line in his career. Justin Turner has lots of third base experience but is now 40 years old. He’s been more of a first base/designated hitter type in recent years, with just 90 innings at the hot corner since the end of the 2022 season. He’s also having his own struggles at the plate this year, with a .172/.286/.172 line thus far. Jon Berti is a 35-year-old veteran utility guy. Gage Workman is a Rule 5 guy who has received just ten plate appearances thus far this year and has been punched out in five of them.

It’s possible this is just a short-term situation and Shaw will be back up with the big league club soon. How long it takes for his return will be significant for him and the club. By cracking the Opening Day roster, he was on pace to get a full year of service time in 2025. That would have meant qualifying for arbitration after 2027 and free agency after 2030. A quick return to the majors could still make those targets viable. A major league season is 187 days long but a player needs just 172 days in the big leagues or on the injured list to get credited with a full year. It’s also possible for Shaw to qualify for arbitration after 2027 even with less than three years of service time, as he could reach Super Two status.

If Shaw doesn’t return fairly quickly, those timelines will be pushed one year into the future. It will also take off the possibility of the Cubs earning an extra draft pick via the prospect promotion incentive. Under the PPI rules, teams can earn an extra pick by carrying a top prospect on the roster long enough to earn a full service year. The Cubs put that on the table initially by giving Shaw an Opening Day job but it will no longer apply if he’s down for a few weeks.

Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images

Cardinals Moving Steven Matz Back Into Rotation

By | at

Steven Matz makes his return to the Cardinals’ rotation tomorrow afternoon. The lefty is scheduled for his first start of the season against the Astros. Matz had opened the season in the bullpen because the Cards had off days in each of the first three weeks. They’re now going into their sixth game of a stretch of 13 consecutive game days, so they’ll move to a six-man rotation.

This has been the plan since Opening Day. St. Louis wanted to give Matthew Liberatore another rotation opportunity after he’d spent most of last season in long relief. Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas were rotation locks, while Andre Pallante has maintained his hold on the fourth starter role. Matz temporarily kicked into relief since it didn’t make much sense to use a six-man rotation when they had so many off days.

Matz has found success over his first five appearances. He has tossed 11 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned). His six strikeouts and 9% swinging strike rate haven’t been overpowering, but he’s throwing a lot of strikes and has gotten grounders at a solid 46.2% rate. Matz’s most recent appearance came on Sunday. He threw 46 pitches in 2 1/3 innings against Philadelphia. He’ll be working on three days rest and hasn’t had a full rotation workload, so he’ll be on a tighter pitch limit tomorrow. Daniel Guerrero of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Matz will be capped around 65 pitches.

The 33-year-old Matz is in the final season of his four-year free agent deal. His Cardinals tenure has mostly been marred by inconsistency and injury, though he did manage a 3.86 ERA in 105 innings two seasons ago. A back injury kept him to 44 1/3 frames over 12 appearances (seven starts) last year. He allowed 5.08 earned runs per nine with a below-average 17.4% strikeout rate. Matz is making $12MM and could net the Cardinals some salary relief and/or a modest return closer to the trade deadline if he has a solid first half.

Mets To Promote Justin Hagenman

By | at

The Mets will recall right-hander Justin Hagenman to pitch in tomorrow’s series finale in Minnesota, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (video via SNY). It’s still undecided whether he’ll start the game or work behind an opener, but he’ll make his major league debut. Hagenman is already on the 40-man roster after signing a major league free agent contract last offseason.

Griffin Canning was lined up for the start but came down with an illness. He’ll be pushed back by a couple days. The Mets will need to option out a pitcher to make room on the active roster. As Tim Britton of The Athletic observed this evening, they’ll likely use a roster technicality.

A pitcher who is optioned must spend at least 15 days in the minors unless he’s recalled as the corresponding move for another player going on the injured list. The Mets lost center fielder Jose Siri to a broken leg last night. They elected not to put him on the IL today because of the Canning situation. They can recall Hagenman while optioning a reliever — Max Kranick is a logical choice after he threw 31 pitches tonight — and then recall that reliever on Thursday as the corresponding move for Siri’s IL placement. They’d probably option Hagenman back out after his spot appearance and call up an outfielder at that point.

Hagenman, 28, gets the call after pitching parts of four seasons in Triple-A. He was drafted by the Dodgers out of Penn State back in 2018. He got as high as Triple-A in the L.A. system before being traded to the Red Sox at the 2023 deadline as part of a package for Enrique Hernández. Hagenman spent a season and a half in the Boston farm system but never received a call-up. He qualified for minor league free agency when the Red Sox opted not to put him on their 40-man roster at the end of last season.

The Mets signed him to a split deal that pays $225K while he’s in Triple-A and comes with a prorated $850K salary for whatever time he spends in the big leagues. The 6’3″ righty struck out seven without a walk over eight innings in Spring Training. He’s had a tougher start to the season at Triple-A Syracuse. Hagenman has surrendered 11 runs (eight earned) on 15 hits and four home runs through 10 2/3 innings. His most recent start came on April 10, though, so he’s a fresh arm who can provide multiple innings in a pinch.

Hagenman owns a 4.56 ERA through 240 2/3 career innings at the top minor league level. He has struck out a solid 24.5% of batters faced against a 7.8% walk rate. His sinker is averaging 91 MPH, while he’s also using a pair of low-80s breaking pitches and a changeup in the 85 MPH range.

Mariners Re-Sign Jesse Hahn To Minor League Deal

By | at

Jesse Hahn returned to the Mariners on a minor league contract, per the MLB.com transaction tracker. The righty had rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency over the weekend.

Players frequently re-sign after declining an outright assignment. The time on the open market allows the player to at least gauge whether there might be an immediate opportunity elsewhere. If not, they can try to renegotiate more favorable opt-out dates or salaries into a new deal than they would have received had they accepted the outright.

Hahn spent four days on Seattle’s major league roster earlier this month. He pitched twice and turned in four innings, allowing only one unearned run. Hahn walked four batters, but three of those were intentional as he navigated the free runner in extras against the Astros. He struck out three and allowed as many hits.

It was a solid showing for the 35-year-old. Hahn was pitching in the big leagues for the first time in four years. He had made five appearances for the 2021 Royals. Hahn hasn’t topped 20 major league innings in a season since 2017. A shoulder injury sidelined him entirely between 2022-23. He returned to the affiliated ranks on minor league contracts with the Dodgers and Seattle last season, combining for a 4.29 ERA through 50 1/3 frames in Triple-A.

Rangers Re-Sign Nick Ahmed To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Rangers have re-signed infielder Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He was participating in extended spring training this weekend, per Phrake Photography.

Ahmed, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Rangers in February. He put up a strong .324/.361/.647 showing during Spring Training but didn’t break camp with the club. He was released at that time but has returned to the same club a few weeks later.

The Rangers likely didn’t put much stock into Ahmed’s strong spring numbers. He has been in the majors for over a decade and is well established as a strong defender but subpar hitter. His career batting line of .234/.287/.371 translates to a 72 wRC+, indicating he’s been 28% below average overall. That’s been trending down in recent years, as he hit .221/.271/.327 for a 62 wRC+ in the 2021 through 2024 seasons.

There’s little denying the glovework. Ahmed has 79 Defensive Runs Saved and 118 Outs Above Average at shortstop in his career. From 2016 to 2019, his 76 OAA at short was tops in the majors while his 65 DRS was second only to Andrelton Simmons. He also hit close to league average at times and the combination was occasionally quite valuable. He slashed .248/.307/.421 over 2018-2020. His 89 wRC+ in that time indicates he was still 11% below league average but that passable offense and excellent glovework made him worth 8.9 wins above replacement over 368 games in that span, per the calculations of FanGraphs.

But the recent decline in offense has pushed him into journeyman status. He played for the Giants, Dodgers and Padres in 2024. As mentioned, he settled for a minor league deal with the Rangers this winter and didn’t make the big league roster.

He’ll now provide the Rangers with some non-roster infield depth. As mentioned, he’s getting a bit of action in extended spring training, presumably to get back in game shape after being unsigned for about three weeks. His transaction tracker says he’s been assigned to the Arizona Complex League Rangers. Presumably, he’ll head to Triple-A Round Rock eventually after getting some reps.

The Rangers have Corey Seager at shortstop but he has a spotty health history. Second baseman Marcus Semien has been incredibly reliable in the health department but will turn 35 this year. If either of them needed to miss some time, the Rangers have Jonathan Ornelas and Ezequiel Durán on the 40-man. Ahmed joins Sam Haggerty and Alan Trejo as non-roster middle infield options.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Reds Not Immediately Reinstalling Alexis Diaz As Closer

By | at

Alexis Díaz is back in the Cincinnati bullpen, as the Reds reinstated him from the 15-day injured list this afternoon. (They also welcomed back Matt McLain and Austin Hays from the IL.) However, Díaz will not immediately return to his traditional closer role.

Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com) that Díaz won’t step right back into the ninth inning. The Reds relied upon Emilio Pagán in save situations while Díaz was shelved by a hamstring strain. Pagán has four of the team’s five saves, while Tony Santillan picked up the other. Santillan has been Francona’s top setup man. Scott Barlow and Ian Gibaut have gotten a handful of leverage appearances as well.

Pagán has had a solid first three weeks. He has worked 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out five against one walk. He’s 4-4 in save chances and picked up a hold on Opening Day. Pagán is in the second season of a two-year, $16MM free agent deal. The first season didn’t work out as the Reds had hoped. The righty allowed a 4.50 earned run average over 38 innings. His strikeout and walk numbers were very good, but Pagán’s longstanding issue keeping the ball in the park continued. He also lost a few weeks to triceps tightness and spent two months on the IL with a lat strain.

Díaz has been Cincinnati’s closer for most of his three-year MLB career. He earned his first save chances late in his rookie year, a deserved nod after his 1.84 ERA with 83 punchouts across 63 2/3 innings. Díaz earned an All-Star appearance and saved 37 games during his second season. He walked a tightrope for most of last year, however.

While Díaz successfully locked down 28 of 32 save chances, he did so with a career-worst 3.99 ERA. His strikeout rate — which had sat north of 30% in each of his first two seasons — plummeted to a pedestrian 22.7% mark. Díaz has never had good command, making the drop in whiffs all the more concerning.

His stuff has also backed up. The righty averaged 93.9 MPH on his fastball last season. That’s down nearly two ticks from his 95.7 MPH mark as a rookie and a 94.5 MPH average in 2023. Between those somewhat alarming numbers and the season-opening IL stint, it’s sensible for the Reds to stick with Pagán and Santillan as their top late-game arms while having Díaz work in somewhat lower-leverage spots in the early going.

Pirates Place Endy Rodriguez On Injured List

By | at

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

By | at

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.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top