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Angels Re-Sign Shaun Anderson To Minor League Deal

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Right-hander Shaun Anderson cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Angels, briefly elected free agency and quickly re-signed with the Halos on a new minor league pact, per the transaction logs at MiLB.com.

The 30-year-old Anderson pitched 10 innings for the Halos prior to his DFA and was tagged for seven runs on 14 hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts. He averaged a pedestrian 92.1 mph on his four-seamer but still notched a hearty 12.2% swinging-strike rate thanks in part to a changeup he’s incorporated into his mix at a career-high rate of usage (23.3%). Anderson entered the season with 152 MLB innings under his belt and had thrown just seven percent changeups in his career (11.5% in 2024). It’s a small sample of innings, but he was also using his changeup more frequently (albeit not to this extent) in Triple-A as well.

Anderson has seen action in parts of six major league seasons and suited up for eight different teams along the way. He’s been hit hard, yielding a 6.11 ERA with a 16.8% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate in 162 MLB frames overall, but teams have continued to give him looks based on a solid Triple-A track record and some appealing traits in his pitches. He’s shown good aptitude for generating spin on both his four-seamer and slider throughout his career, and the 6’6″ righty gets excellent extension on his pitches, which can help his lackluster velocity play up.

Anderson was working as a starter in Salt Lake prior to being called up by the Angels. He’d tossed 37 1/3 innings across seven starts and logged a 5.06 ERA, a 17.6% strikeout rate and a 7.6% walk rate in that time. He worked as a multi-inning reliever with the Angels and saw his pitch count climb as high as 51 in one of his appearances with the Angels, on May 11. He’ll now remain with the Halos and again serve as a versatile depth arm who could come to the majors and help in a variety of roles.

The Opener: Doubleheader, Red Sox, Rays, Astros

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Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day:

1. Doubleheader in Philadelphia:

Yesterday’s game between the Phillies and Braves was postponed, making way for a split doubleheader to occur today. Fans with tickets to yesterday’s game will be able to attend this afternoon’s game, which begins at 1:05pm local time, while the start time of 6:45pm for this evening’s game remains unchanged. It will be a great day for fans of intriguing pitching matchups, as this afternoon’s game will feature standout Atlanta rookie AJ Smith-Shawver (3.67 ERA) pitching opposite Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez (3.17 ERA). That game will only serve as the appetizer, however, with the main course being a clash between the first- and second-place finishers in NL Cy Young award voting last year: Braves lefty Chris Sale (3.36 ERA) and Phillies righty Zack Wheeler (2.42 ERA).

2. What’s next for the Red Sox?

The Red Sox have today off, but after yesterday’s frustrating 6-5 loss to the Brewers they find themselves on a five-game skid in the standings. Boston is 9-15 over its last 24 games and finds itself sliding down the standings, 4.5 games back of an AL Wild Card spot and 9.5 games behind the division-leading Yankees. It’s a far cry from the lofty expectations that came with an offseason where the Sox brought Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman into the fold. It’s common for clubs in these situations to take off-days as opportunities to evaluate whether there are changes that need to be made. Top prospect Roman Anthony is continuing to bang on the door at Triple-A, while certain veterans like shortstop Trevor Story and right-hander Liam Hendriks are struggling in their current roles. First base remains an area without a long-term plan since the season-ending injury to Triston Casas (though Abraham Toro has at least popped a trio of homers while filling in). Could changes be on the horizon in some capacity?

3. Series Preview: Rays @ Astros

While the Red Sox figure to spend today licking their wounds after a tough stretch, two of the biggest beneficiaries of Boston’s recent slide will kick off a four-game set that could have notable implications on the AL playoff picture. The Astros are in a three-way tie with the Guardians and Twins for the AL’s three Wild Card spots at the moment, with each club sporting an identical 30-25 record. The Rays, meanwhile, have propelled themselves back into contention with a solid stretch of play recently that’s pushed them to a 28-27 record and just two games back of that trio.

That creates high stakes as the Rays head to Daikin Park in Houston for this weekend’s series, which will kick off at 7:10pm local time with Tampa Bay righty Shane Baz (4.94 ERA) on the mound opposite Houston rookie Ryan Gusto, who sports a 4.53 ERA through 12 appearances (six starts). A much stronger pitching matchup is on the docket tomorrow, when Ryan Pepiot (3.55 ERA) takes the mound for the Rays opposite Framber Valdez (3.39 ERA). Right-hander Zack Littell (3.97 ERA) will take on rookie Colton Gordon (5.52 ERA) in the lefty’s fourth career big league start, and the series will wrap up Sunday with the Rays’ Taj Bradley (4.38 ERA) on the mound opposite Astros ace Hunter Brown (2.00 ERA).

Read The Transcript Of Nicklaus Gaut’s Fantasy Baseball Chat

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Nicklaus Gaut will be talking fantasy baseball with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers today at 11 am Central Time.  Get your question in early or participate in the live event at the link below!

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MLB Mailbag: Neto, Nationals, Trade Targets, Free Agents

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This week's mailbag gets into a potential extension for Zach Neto, who could offer a Juan Soto-like package for Paul Skenes, Ken Rosenthal's recent article on the Nationals, potentially available outfielders and relievers, upcoming free agents who have helped and hurt their stock, and much more.

RJ asks: 

What would an extension look like for Zach Neto?

Neto, 24, was the first player from the 2022 draft class to reach the Majors.  As a rookie in 2023, Neto missed a month with an oblique strain and later missed more than that with a back injury.  He didn't hit much as a rookie, but as a shortstop was still worth about 2 WAR per 150 games.

Neto avoided the IL in his breakout 2024 season and took off offensively around May, posting a 122 wRC+ from that point forward.  He logged over 1,300 innings at shortstop and was worth 3.5 WAR.  His baseball card stats were strong too, with 23 homers and 30 steals.

Statcast's Outs Above Average says Neto is a subpar defender in terms of range, suggesting he's not great at lateral movement.  The more holistic DRS sees Neto as a positive (we discussed OAA and DRS last week).  I don't get the impression his defense is considered a liability, and it probably won't limit his earning power much.

Neto underwent November shoulder surgery, making his season debut on April 18th as a result.  He's posted a 141 wRC+ in 152 plate appearances since then, which ranks 32nd in the Majors and fifth among shortstops.  He's on pace for 5.8 WAR per 150 games, which would make him a top-five shortstop in baseball.  In the small 2025 sample, Neto has traded contact for power, with a pace putting him close to 40 bombs over a full season.  Neto went from no red on his Statcast page last year to tons of it this year, with an expected slugging percentage that's actually higher than his already-excellent .542 mark.  The second-phase breakout seems real.

The Angels could hardly be accused of service time manipulation, having promoted Neto less than nine months after they signed him out of the draft.  Yet as it stands, he entered the season with one year and 170 days of Major League service, two days shy of two full years.  That means Neto will go through arbitration four times starting with the 2026 season, resulting in free agency after 2029.

Let's fire up the MLB Contract Tracker, our robust tool designed for this purpose, included with your subscription!

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MLBTR Podcast: Bregman Injured, Marcelo Mayer Called Up, And Pirates Talk

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Should the Orioles trade Félix Bautista at the deadline? (29:35)
  • What are the chances the Giants could sign Kyle Tucker this offseason? (35:10)
  • Are the Cardinals for real? (40:35)
  • Does Kevin Alcántara of the Cubs get traded this summer? (48:10)
  • The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the injured list. Does this reflect poorly on the club’s training and conditioning? (51:15)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images

Giants Moving Camilo Doval Back To Closer Role

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The Giants are moving Camilo Doval back into the closing role, manager Bob Melvin told reporters after Wednesday’s loss to the Tigers (video provided by Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Ryan Walker, who has held the job since the middle of April, is moving into a setup capacity. He pitched the eighth inning while trailing by a run during today’s game.

Walker only allowed one run through his first eight appearances. He has been more up-and-down since then, giving up multiple runs in four of his most recent 14 outings. Walker has still successfully closed out 10 of 12 save chances, but he carries an earned run average approaching 5.00. His strikeout rate, which sat north of 32% a season ago, is down to a pedestrian 21.6% clip this season.

While Walker will still receive his fair share of high-leverage assignments, Doval has recaptured the ninth inning with a fantastic first couple months. The hard-throwing righty owns a 1.16 ERA across his first 23 1/3 innings. He has given up six runs (three earned) all season, all of which came in a three-game span between April 4-7. Doval is closing in on a two-month scoreless streak that has spanned 18 innings. Opponents have collected four hits while striking out 18 times during that stretch.

The 27-year-old looks to have rediscovered the form that made him an All-Star two seasons ago. Doval led the National League with 39 saves in 2023 and posted consecutive sub-3.00 ERA showings between 2022-23. Things went off the rails in the second half of last season. Doval couldn’t find the strike zone, eventually costing him the closing job and his spot on the MLB roster altogether. The Giants optioned him back to Triple-A in August. They brought him back up in September, but he continued to struggle in lower-leverage situations.

San Francisco rebuffed trade interest in Doval over the winter, preferring not to sell low on an obviously talented arm. They’ve been rewarded for their patience with a rebound that could earn him another All-Star selection this summer. Doval is making $4.525MM and remains under arbitration control for two seasons beyond this one.

Rangers Sign Alan Trejo, Billy McKinney To Minor League Deals

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The Rangers signed Alan Trejo and Billy McKinney to minor league contracts. Both moves were initially reflected on the MiLB.com transaction log, and they’ve each already appeared for Triple-A Round Rock.

It’s the second Texas stint of the season for Trejo. The glove-first utility player signed with the Rangers over the offseason. He spent a month in Round Rock before the Rockies expressed interest in calling him up. Texas dealt him to Colorado for cash considerations to facilitate the promotion. Trejo spent a few weeks on the Rox’s MLB roster while they navigated injuries to Ezequiel Tovar and Tyler Freeman. He appeared in 13 games and hit .175 with a pair of doubles.

A former 16th-round draft choice, Trejo has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons. All of that time has come in Colorado. He’s a lifetime .224/.269/.325 hitter against big league pitching. Trejo has spent time in the Dodgers system plus his brief early-season stint in Round Rock but hasn’t gotten to the majors with any team besides the Rockies. He’s hitting .211/.247/.352 in 19 Triple-A games this year. He won’t provide much at the plate but can competently cover any infield position.

McKinney, 30, was released from a minor league deal with the Mets last week. He’s a left-handed hitting first baseman/corner outfielder who has played at the big league level with seven different clubs. McKinney carries a .209/.284/.386 batting line in a little under 1000 MLB plate appearances. He’d been out to a rough start for the Mets’ top farm team, hitting .184/.285/.307 with 34 strikeouts over 33 games. McKinney has a much more solid .266/.354/.487 slash in parts of eight Triple-A seasons. He’ll try to find that form in the Pacific Coast League.

White Sox Release Dan Altavilla

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The White Sox have released right-handed reliever Dan Altavilla, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d been on a minor league deal and pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte.

Altavilla, 32, boasts a sharp 2.49 ERA in 21 2/3 frames with the Knights this season, including a recent run of 11 2/3 shutout innings. He’s fanned only 19.8% of his opponents against a bloated 11% walk rate, but it’s been a nice run of run-prevention for the journeyman righty, who’s averaging a hearty 96.1 mph on his four-seamer in Charlotte while yielding a lowly 24.6% hard-hit rate.

A veteran of seven major league seasons, Altavilla did his best work early in his career with the Mariners. From 2016-18, he pitched to a tidy 3.28 earned run average with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate over 79 2/3 frames. Persistent injuries have limited Altavilla’s time on the field, however. He’s managed only 40 total big league innings since that early run with Seattle.

Flexor strains in both 2018 and 2019 shortened two of Altavilla’s seasons with the Mariners. He struggled to a 5.52 ERA in the latter campaign and in 2020 was included alongside Austin Nola and Austin Adams in the lopsided trade that sent Andres Munoz, Ty France, Luis Torrens and Taylor Trammell from San Diego to Seattle. Altavilla then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, which wiped out nearly all of his 2021-22 seasons.

Altavilla made a brief big league return with the 2024 Royals, tossing 3 2/3 innings for Kansas City. He was tagged for six runs in that short look and subsequently designated for assignment. The former fifth-round pick spent the rest of the 2024 season with the Royals’ top minor league affiliate in Omaha, where he logged 41 innings with a 3.51 ERA, a league-average 22.2% strikeout rate and a heavy 12.9% walk rate. The rate stats were shaky, but the combined 44 2/3 frames between Triple-A and the majors were the most Altavilla had pitched in a season since 2019.

There’s no indication that Altavilla is dealing with any kind of injury in 2025. He pitched for the Knights just a few days prior to his release and tossed a scoreless inning. As was the case in 2024, Altavilla’s rate stats are a bit wobbly, but he’s throwing hard, limiting hard contact and keeping runs off the board. That should earn him a new opportunity before long.

Royals Release Nelson Velazquez

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The Royals released Nelson Velázquez this afternoon. The news was announced by their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. The club also announced that they’ve activated Cavan Biggio, suggesting the veteran infielder has agreed to accept the minor league assignment after being optioned over the weekend. Velázquez had already been outrighted off Kansas City’s 40-man roster during Spring Training, so this does not impact the MLB roster count.

Velázquez landed with Kansas City in an under-the-radar deadline trade in 2023. The Royals took a flier on the power-hitting outfielder while dealing reliever José Cuas to the Cubs in a one-for-one swap. Both players had some success early on with their new organizations, but it proved fleeting in each case.

The 26-year-old Velázquez drilled 14 home runs in his first 40 games as a Royal. He hit .233 with a .299 on-base percentage, though the power jolt was enough for him to open the ’24 season as Matt Quatraro’s primary designated hitter. Velázquez was unable to maintain anything close to the pace of his previous year. He managed eight longballs in a career-high 230 plate appearances. His already middling batting average and on-base marks each went in the wrong direction. He finished the season with a .200/.274/.366 batting line while striking out nearly 27% of the time.

Velázquez has been unable to turn things around early this year. He hit .208 in 12 Spring Training games and was batting .202/.298/.377 across 131 plate appearances in Omaha. Velázquez is averaging a robust 92.5 MPH on his batted balls in the minors, but he’s striking out in over a quarter of his trips while hitting a lot of infield pop-ups. He doesn’t have much to fall back on beyond the power, as he’s a poor defensive outfielder who has spent more time as a DH this year. He’ll presumably look for another minor league opportunity elsewhere.

J.P. Feyereisen Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander J.P. Feyereisen has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The Dodgers designated him for assignment a few days ago. The log shows that he was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, indicating he cleared waivers, but he has exercised his right to head to the open market. Players have the right to reject an outright assignment if they have a previous outright or at least three years of service time. Feyereisen qualifies on both counts.

Feyereisen, 32, had some strong results for the Rays a few years back. Unfortunately, shoulder surgery wiped out his 2023 season and he hasn’t seemed the same since. He logged 56 innings for Tampa in 2021 with a 2.73 earned run average. The following year, he amazingly added another 24 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run. Putting those two seasons together, he had 80 1/3 innings with a 1.90 ERA, 24.4% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate.

But since recovering from shoulder surgery, he hasn’t been able to get back to that level. Going back to the start of 2024, he’s logged just 15 big league innings with 15 earned runs allowed. That’s a small sample of work but his 18.3% strikeout rate has been subpar, along with an average walk rate of 8.3%. He’s also tossed 56 2/3 minor league innings in that time frame with a 5.08 ERA. That’s been in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but he hasn’t helped himself with a 16.5% strikeout rate. His fastball has been averaging around 91 miles per hour this year, a couple of ticks below his pre-surgery velo.

He started this year with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal. He was called up in the third week of April but only made two appearances before being designated for assignment. The Dodgers claimed him off waivers and shuttled him between OKC and LA for a bit. He was able to make another two big league appearances before getting designated for assignment again.

He’ll now look for his next opportunity, which will likely be a minor league deal. The fact that no club claimed him off waivers suggests that no one is willing to give him a big league spot at the moment.

Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

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