Red Sox Finalizing Deal With Nathaniel Lowe
The Red Sox and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe are in the final stages of a contract, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported earlier that Lowe and the Sox were in discussions and were “working on getting it done.” Lowe is represented by SportsMeter.
The signing comes at little surprise, as reports linking the Sox to Lowe have been swirling since May, soon after Triston Casas was lost to what is likely to be a season-ending knee surgery. Boston continued to show interest in Lowe prior to the trade deadline but no deal was reached with the Nationals. After the Nats designated Lowe for assignment and placed him on waivers yesterday, Cotillo reported that the Sox were likely to make a play for the former Gold Glover, so it would appear that Lowe is now officially a free agent after clearing waivers.
Casas’ injury sparked quite a chain reaction in Boston’s season, as Rafael Devers‘ subsequent refusal to play first base was one of the factors that led to Devers being traded to the Giants in June. While the Sox looked around the market at Lowe and other trade options, the fill-in platoon of Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez performed respectably well, with Gonzalez in particular crushing left-handed pitching. Since Lowe is a left-handed hitter, it stands to reason that Gonzalez will still get his share of at-bats when a southpaw is on the mound, and Toro could be the odd man out of the playing time equation.
The question now facing the Sox is what version of Lowe are they getting — the solid veteran who was a fixture as the Rangers’ first baseman from 2021-24, or the much-less productive Lowe who hit only .216/.292/.373 over 490 plate appearances with Washington. These underwhelming numbers included a decent but uninspiring .235/.312/.421 slash line in 337 PA against right-handed pitching.
Even those splits represent an upgrade over Toro, plus there is more potential upside if the change of scenery returns Lowe to his past Rangers form. The Red Sox are one of baseball’s better-hitting teams overall, though the club is more productive against left-handed pitching. Boston’s collective 102 wRC+ against right-handers is tied for 15th among the 30 teams.
There is no financial risk for the Red Sox in adding Lowe since they’ll only be owing him the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary. That total will be subtracted from the roughly $2.33MM remaining on Lowe’s $10.3MM salary for the 2025 season, with the Nationals covering the remainder. Lowe also has one final year of arbitration control remaining, but unless he goes on an absolute tear in Boston over the remainder of the season, the Sox are likely to non-tender him this winter rather than give him a raise on that $10.3MM figure.
It is safe to assume that the Red Sox probably just view Lowe as a stopgap for 2025, with Casas on the horizon for a return in 2026 and perhaps more of Boston’s up-and-coming prospects (i.e. Kristian Campbell, Jhostynxon Garcia) perhaps being viewed as first base candidates down the road. Signing Lowe addresses one of the few weak links on a roster that shares the top AL wild card slot with the Mariners, and sits five games back of the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.
Red Sox Notes: Abreu, Eaton, Giolito
The Red Sox held a 3-1 lead through seven innings against the Marlins today, but a bullpen meltdown resulted in a 5-3 loss. Beyond the setback in the standings, the Sox also had an injury scare when Wilyer Abreu had to leave the game prior to the top of the eighth inning due to what the club described as right calf tightness.
Speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and other reporters postgame, Abreu called his injury “a little cramp” that he picked up while running the bases in the bottom of the seventh. He didn’t feel a trip to the injured list was necessary, though Abreu speculated that he might miss Boston’s upcoming two-game series with the Orioles before returning Wednesday for the start of a series with the Yankees.
In a related move, the Red Sox are calling Nate Eaton up from Triple-A, as initially reported by Nate Parker of Beyond The Monster. Eaton is a third baseman/outfielder who has appeared in 14 games for the Red Sox this season, and he can fill in as a depth option in the outfield either in the short term for the Baltimore series or perhaps for a longer stint if Abreu ends up on the IL.
To include Eaton on the active roster immediately, the Sox are playing with three catchers on the active roster, so Ali Sanchez could be designated for assignment. Boston’s seemingly impending contract with Nathaniel Lowe is another factor in roster decisions, as the Red Sox would then have to make space for both Lowe and Eaton if the signing is completed by Monday. It is possible Eaton could just stick around on the taxi squad rather than being actually added to the 26-man roster, until the team knows more about Abreu’s status.
Abreu hit his 22nd homer today, and is batting .253/.325/.486 over 395 plate appearances this season. The large majority of Abreu’s playing time has come against right-handed pitching, though his .721 OPS in 64 PA against southpaws this season is a big improvement over his numbers against lefties in his previous two big league seasons. Boston’s outfield picture has been crowded enough that Abreu has almost been forced to the bench when a left-handed pitcher is on the mound, yet it bodes well for his future as an everyday player if he can hit well against all pitchers and continue his elite glovework in right field.
In other Red Sox news, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke with MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other media on Saturday, and implied that after the season, “we’ll have those conversations” with Lucas Giolito about a potential contract extension. Giolito has a 3.63 ERA over 106 2/3 innings in 2025, overcoming a hamstring injury and some early-season struggles to post a 2.34 ERA over his last 73 innings.
Perhaps the key stat is the 106 2/3 innings, as reaching the 140-inning threshold would give Giolito control over his status for 2026. The righty signed a two-year, $38.5MM deal during the 2023-24 offseason that consisted of an $18MM salary in 2024, a $19MM player option for 2025 that Giolito exercised, and then a $14MM club option for 2026 that came into play when Giolito didn’t opt out last winter. If Giolito pitches at least 140 innings this season, the club option becomes a $19MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout attached, and mutual options are virtually never exercised by both sides.
In theory, the Sox could maintain their club option by purposefully keeping Giolito under that 140-inning mark, whether by skipping a start or limiting his in-game workload. However, Breslow stated that “all of the decisions that we’re going to make are going to be driven by what gives us the best chance of winning games, getting into the postseason and making a deep postseason run,” rather than worrying about contracts.
“You hope that these situations are clear. When you’re pushing for a playoff spot, they are,” Breslow said. “We’re all incentivized to do whatever we can to win games. The most important thing after that is actually just making sure he’s healthy and recovering and that we’re monitoring the workload so that he’s in a position to help us every five days.”
Naturally, no executive would ever publicly admit to limiting a player’s playing time for contractual reasons, yet Breslow’s stance carries a lot of common sense. Giolito has been one of the better pitchers in all of baseball over the last 10 weeks, so it only helps the Red Sox to have him on the mound as often as possible. If Giolito did hit the 140-inning mark and take the obvious route to free agency, he has pitched well enough that a qualifying offer could be a possibility, which would allow the Sox to recoup a compensatory draft pick if Giolito signed elsewhere.
Rays Sign Cooper Hummel To Minor League Contract
The Rays have signed outfielder Cooper Hummel to a minor league deal, according to KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander. The Astros designated Hummel for assignment earlier this week, and he elected free agency on Friday after clearing waivers and declining an outright assignment to Houston’s Triple-A affiliate.
Tampa Bay will be Hummel’s fourth different organization of the 2025 season, as he has previously been with the Yankees and Astros (on minors deals) and the Orioles (on a guaranteed contract). The outfielder has been bouncing on and off rosters all year in a flurry of DFAs, outrights, and trips to free agency, and through it all has appeared in 37 games at the big league level. One of those games was with the O’s and the rest were with the Astros, as Houston’s swath of outfield injuries led to some playing time once Hummel’s minor league deal was selected to Houston’s roster in mid-June.
Over 105 plate appearances, Hummel has hit only .170/.298/.273 with three home runs. This represents the most MLB exposure Hummel has received since his 2022 rookie season, when he had 201 PA over 66 games with the Diamondbacks. In between those two seasons, Hummel got into 10 games with the Mariners in 2023 and six games with Houston last year.
Between his ability to decline outright assignments and his lack of minor league options, Hummel is one of those players who seems somewhat stuck in a perpetual transaction cycle. Despite his lack of production in the Show, Hummel has a very impressive .284/.418/.480 slash line across 1487 career PA at the Triple-A level. He has played only as a corner outfielder this season, but he has some experience at first base and even at catcher, though Hummel hasn’t suited up behind the plate since 2023.
There’s no risk for the Rays in bringing aboard a depth outfielder with big league experience, but the Hummel signing could be a hedge against a possible trip to the injured list for Josh Lowe. Some oblique tightness kept Lowe out of the lineup today, and while the injury isn’t thought to be too serious, adding Hummel gives Tampa some cover if Lowe indeed has to miss time.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- Let’s open up the Weekend Chat! We’ll delve into the bees, beads, and baseball after we get a few questions in the queue…
BhamBrave
- What sort of deal is Marcel Ozuna looking at after this season?
Mark P
- One year, worth maybe around $10MM or so?
He’s entering his age-35 season, and is coming off a solid year that has seen him greatly increase his walk rate, even as his other numbers are basically all down from 2024. (Though still above average.) He’s a DH-only player, and his past off-the-field issues will also limit his market to some extent.
Kyle Schwarber
- Do you think i’ll resign with Philly?
Mark P
- Yes. The Phillies have shown a tendency to retain their favored internal free agents, and Schwarber is beloved by everyone from ownership on down.
intl signings
- What is a better strategy in the intl signing period- sign one top prospect using most of your pool or sign a few second tier guys and spread the risk ? Should you alternate the two strategies ?
Mark P
- It’s hard to say since the international market is such a crapshoot. When dealing with prospects at such a young age, it’s so hard to view a kid as such a “sure thing” that it’s worth committing most of your pool towards a signing. We’ve seen plenty of highly-touted int’l signings over the years fizzle out in the minors, let alone in the big leagues.
Yordan Alvarez Set To Begin Minor League Rehab Assignment
After more than three and a half months on the injured list, Yordan Alvarez looks to be approaching a return. Astros manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Alvarez is slated to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday. GM Dana Brown gave a few more details during a pregame radio interview, saying that the plan is for Alvarez to play Tuesday and then again on Thursday and Friday after a rest and examination day on Wednesday.
August 26 is the most probable day for Alvarez’s activation from the IL, when the Astros begin a home series against the Rockies. Brown suggested that if Alvarez is feeling good after his initial three Double-A games, the slugger could be activated on Saturday when the Astros are in Baltimore, but naturally the team will proceed with caution given how Alvarez’s recovery process has already been filled with stops and starts.
Hand problems have bothered Alvarez in the past, so there was some trepidation that his initial IL placement due to hand inflammation in early May might go well beyond the minimum 10 days. While Alvarez had advanced to taking live batting practice by the end the month, the situation took another turn when he felt some more soreness in his right hand, and a follow-up MRI revealed a slight fracture in his right ring finger. More soreness in early July necessitated a move to the 60-day IL, and Kawahara writes that Alvarez also received two injections to deal with the inflammation.
Alvarez was able to restart his hitting progression and Espada said the three-time All-Star faced live pitching yesterday at the Astros’ Spring Training complex. This was enough for the club to finally greenlight a proper rehab assignment.
2025 has been something of a lost year entirely for Alvarez, as he was hitting only .210/.306/.340 over his first 121 plate appearances before heading to the IL. Alvarez has a history of relatively slow starts, so while these numbers were well below his career .838 OPS in March and April, there wasn’t much doubt that he’d eventually get on track with his usual level of elite slugging. The Astros can only hope that Alvarez is able to return without needing much time to round into form, as every game is critical in the playoff race.
Given how Houston has been without Alvarez for most of the season and has dealt with a wealth of other injuries to multiple key players, it is somewhat remarkable that the Astros are still 69-55 and in first place in the AL West. A once-sizable division lead has dwindled to just a single game, however, since the Mariners are surging and the Astros are only 14-20 in their last 34 games.
Padres Release Luis Patino
The Padres have released right-hander Luis Patino, according to the MadFriars website. Patino was playing on a minor league contract signed back in January, and he’d posted a 2.63 ERA over 27 1/3 combined innings at the A-ball and Double-A levels this season, without any big league playing time.
Patino last pitched in the majors in 2023, as elbow problems during the spring of 2024 resulted in a Tommy John surgery at the very end of April. The Padres non-tendered Patino last winter and then re-signed him to the minors deal, which cleared some space off San Diego’s 40-man roster and also saved the team some money in the form of Patino’s projected $800K arbitration salary.
The right-hander made it back to game action almost exactly one year to the day after his TJ procedure, as his first rehab game with A-level Lake Elsinore took place on May 4. Besides a somewhat elevated walk rate, Patino was posting decent numbers during his time in the minors before injury problems surfaced again, as he has been on the Double-A injured list since late June due to elbow soreness.
This latest setback was apparently enough for the Padres to move on from Patino entirely, and it remains to be seen if the 25-year-old could be facing another surgery. Whatever the situation, Patino is now facing yet another crossroads in a pro career that began as a top-100 prospect during his first stint in San Diego’s farm system.
Patino has a 5.02 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate over 136 1/3 innings in the majors, starting 23 of his 45 career games. After making his MLB debut in the form of 17 1/3 innings with the Padres in 2020, Patino was part of the four-player package sent to the Rays in the Blake Snell trade that offseason. Patino spent parts of the next three seasons with the Rays before being traded to the White Sox in August 2023, and the Padres brought him back to their organization via waiver claim in December 2023.
Nationals Claim Julian Fernandez
The Nationals have claimed right-hander Julian Fernandez off waivers from the Dodgers, per a club announcement. The Nationals had a 40-man roster vacancy and optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Rochester, so no corresponding moves were necessary. Fernandez had been designated for assignment by the Dodgers last week to make room for Buddy Kennedy on their 40-man roster.
Fernandez, 29, made his big league debut with the Rockies back in 2021. He surrendered eight runs on nine hits (including two homers) and four walks while striking out four in 6 2/3 innings of work during that brief cup of coffee, however, and was quickly sent back to the minors. Fernandez spent 2022 at the minor league level with the Rockies before signing a minor league contract with the Blue Jays. Getting out of the Rockies organization didn’t help much, however, as he posted a 10.61 ERA in 9 1/3 innings of work for the club’s Buffalo affiliate.
After 2023, Fernandez departed affiliated ball and pitched for the Mexican League’s El Aguila de Veracruz. He pitched extremely well for Veracruz, with a 1.82 ERA in 34 2/3 innings of work. He struck out 32.1% of his opponents while walking just 9.0%, and that was enough to get the Dodgers’ attention this past offseason. He signed with L.A. on a minor league deal and began the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He pitched quite well for that affiliate, with a 3.05 ERA in 35 outings made all the more impressive by the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. His 28.7% strikeout rate wasn’t quite as high as it was with Veracruz, but an 8.8% walk rate was actually even better than in the Mexican League.
That was enough to earn Fernandez a call-up to the majors last month, though it proved to be a brief one. He made a single, two-inning appearance with Los Angeles where he surrendered two runs on two hits (one homer) and a walk while striking out one. The Dodgers optioned Fernandez to the minors where he continued to find success at Triple-A, but he was eventually squeezed off the club’s roster and now finds himself headed to D.C. after being plucked off waivers by the Nationals.
With Washington, Fernandez figures to get a more extended big league opportunity. The Nats shipped out a number of big league relief arms ahead of the deadline (including closer Kyle Finnegan), and now Fernandez joins a very unproven bullpen mix where he should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself capable of holding down a big league job. If Fernandez can establish himself with the Nationals down the stretch, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the club hold onto him as they look to rebuild their bullpen for 2026 and beyond.
Jon Gray Placed On IL With Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Righty Jon Gray has been placed on the 15-day injured list, according to an announcement from the Rangers earlier this morning. A diagnosis wasn’t announced alongside that IL placement, but Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News was among those to relay that (according to club manager Bruce Bochy) Gray is suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome. There’s no timetable for Gray’s return to play at this point, but Bochy noted that he’ll “miss some time” due to the issue. Right-hander Caleb Boushley was recalled to replace Gray on the active roster.
TOS is certainly a worrisome diagnosis for Gray, though it’s one that comes with a wide variety of potential outcomes. Some of the more notable examples of players who were sidelined by TOS, such as Stephen Strasburg and Chris Archer, were never able to fully recover from the ailment and saw the issue bring an end to their big league careers, even after surgery. On the other hand, however, Gray’s teammate Merrill Kelly underwent surgery due to TOS following his age-31 season and has been quite successful in the years since then with a 3.64 ERA and 3.86 FIP in 128 starts. Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post discussed the medical differences between the situations Kelly and Strasburg faced back in 2023, and interested readers are encouraged to read that piece in full.
It’s impossible to say at this point what the news means for Gray, but it seems unlikely he’ll pitch again this year. Selected third overall by the Rockies back in 2013, the veteran of 11 MLB seasons has spent each of the past four years in Texas. He served as a solid back-of-the-rotation arm for the Rangers from 2022-24, with a 4.16 ERA and 4.05 FIP in 387 1/3 innings of work, but this year he’s surrendered a 7.71 ERA in 14 innings of work across six long relief outings after missing most of the season due to a forearm fracture suffered after he was struck by a comebacker during Spring Training.
The news of Gray’s TOS diagnosis adds a new wrinkle to the club’s decision to place the right-hander on waivers last week, which was only reported on after he went unclaimed last night. The right-hander is owed an additional $3.1MM for the remainder of the 2025 season, and given that the Rangers are known to be just over the first luxury tax threshold it was hardly surprising that the club wanted to see if there were any takers on that remaining chunk of Gray’s salary. There’s no reason to assume that the Rangers knew about Gray’s diagnosis before placing him on waivers, of course, but it’s possible that the specter of an injury causing his recent poor performance scared some would-be suitors off from placing a claim.
Gray is slated to hit free agency following the 2025 season. He figured to be a decent veteran arm for a club in need of a back-of-the-rotation starter or swing man this winter, but now it’s impossible to say what’s in store for Gray until we have more information about his status, including whether he’ll require surgery and what his recovery timetable looks like. Of course, the possibility of retirement can’t be completely ignored for a veteran facing notable health challenges who will turn 34 in November, but Gray has given no indication to this point about his plans for 2026 and beyond.
Twins Select Genesis Cabrera, Place Alan Roden On 60-Day IL
The Twins announced this morning that they have selected the contract of left-hander Genesis Cabrera. Right-hander Travis Adams was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Cabrera on the active roster, while Cabrera will take the 40-man roster spot of outfielder Alan Roden. Roden was placed on the injured list due to a thumb sprain yesterday, and now has been transferred to the 60-day injured list in a move that effectively ends his 2025 season.
Cabrera, 28, signed with the Rays out of the Dominican Republic and made his pro debut back in 2014. His MLB debut came as a member of the Cardinals in 2019. After a middling start to his career as a swingman, he moved into a pure relief role and turned in solid results over the next few seasons with a 3.81 ERA and 4.53 FIP in 255 1/3 innings of work from 2020 to 2024 with St. Louis and Toronto. After pitching to a 3.59 ERA and 5.13 FIP in 69 appearances for Toronto last year, he reached free agency for the first time in his career.
Upon arriving in free agency, Cabrera signed in Queens on a minor league deal. He’s bounced between a handful of MLB clubs this year, pitching for the Mets, Cubs, and Pirates at various points this season. He’s not pitched especially well in those outings, with a 5.79 ERA and 5.65 FIP across 28 innings of work. Even so, the Twins scooped him up on a minor league deal and are now bringing him onto the roster after one outing with Triple-A St. Paul. In Minnesota, Cabrera will help to fill out a bullpen that lost Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, and Danny Coulombe at this year’s trade deadline. That exodus of quality pitching talent has left the Twins’ relief corps in desperate need of reliable innings, and that’s something Cabrera can provide even if his results have generally been below average in recent years. His arrival also provides some support to Kody Funderburk, who had previously been the only lefty in the Twins bullpen following Coulombe’s departure.
As for Roden, the outfielder’s season is over after he was transferred to the 60-day IL today. The Twins are all but eliminated from postseason contention, and he won’t be eligible to be activated from the injured list until the regular season has concluded. Acquired from the Blue Jays in the deal that sent Varland to Toronto, Roden is a 25-year-old rookie who has hit just .191/.261/.294 in 54 games while playing primarily left field. It’s surely frustrating for Twins fans to see the under-performing corner bat they gave up a prized young reliever like Varland to acquire miss the final six weeks of his debut season, but after just 12 games in Minnesota there’s still plenty of time for the young outfielder to make a name for himself as a Twin beyond being part of the return for Varland. In the meantime, the Twins have Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, James Outman, and Kody Clemens to handle the outfielder corners.
Diamondbacks Select Nabil Crismatt
The Diamondbacks announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Nabil Crismatt. In a corresponding move, right-hander Casey Kelly was optioned to Triple-A. Arizona had a 40-man roster already vacancy for Crismatt to fill, and their roster now stands at 40.
Crismatt, 30, was signed by the Mets out of Colombia and made his professional debut back in 2012. He made his big league debut as a Cardinal in 2020, when he pitched to a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work. Despite that solid first showing, he was outrighted off the club’s roster following the 2020 season. That led him to sign a minor league contract with the Padres, for whom he would have plenty of success over the next two seasons. The righty posted a 3.39 ERA with a 3.76 FIP over 148 2/3 innings of work from 2021-22 while striking out 21.6% of his opponents.
It was a solid showing, but since then he’s been limited to just 13 games in the majors between the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. He struggled in those games, with a 6.30 ERA and 5.22 FIP in 20 innings of work. He’s mostly been relegated to the minors since 2023 and spent most of last year in the Rangers organization before signing with the Phillies on a minor league deal this past offseason. Philadelphia stretched Crismatt out to start at Triple-A, and he posted a decent 4.04 ERA in 100 1/3 innings of work for the club. He opted out of his minor league deal with the Phillies once, but re-signed after not finding a more lucrative deal elsewhere.
He was released earlier this month by the Phillies, however, and found himself scooped up by Arizona shortly thereafter. He made one scoreless, two-inning appearance with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate in Reno and is now slated to join the club’s roster, where he can help round out the pitching staff after the club dealt away a number of pieces at last month’s trade deadline. Crismatt figures to serve as a multi-inning reliever for the Diamondbacks going forward, and a strong showing down the stretch could help him find a big league role for the 2026 season if he can prove to have the same level of effectiveness he flashed with the Padres a few years ago.