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Tigers Designate Brewer Hicklen For Assignment

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The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Brewer Hicklen for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-handed pitching prospect Troy Melton, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Toledo (as was previously reported). In order to open a 26-man roster spot for Melton, ace Tarik Skubal was placed on the paternity list. Skubal can be absent for up to 72 hours.

Detroit picked up Hicklen in a March 28 trade sending cash back to the Brewers. He’s appeared in just one game for the Tigers in 2025, going 2-for-3 with a walk in that lone appearance. The bulk of Hicklen’s season has come in Triple-A, where he’s carrying a .227/.335/.394 batting line (99 wRC+) with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. He’s walked at a strong 11.4% clip but also fanned in more than 30% of his plate appearances.

The 29-year-old Hicklen has just 13 major league plate appearances under his belt. The two hits he collected with Tigers were the first of his major league career. Hicklen has played in parts of four Triple-A seasons and has a .242/.351/.466 slash through 1598 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in his career and has good speed to go along with a solid track record in Triple-A (contact issues notwithstanding). He’s in the second of three minor league option years.

The Tigers will trade Hicklen or place him on waivers within the next five days. If he’s placed on waivers, that’ll be another 48-hour process. His DFA will be resolved within a week’s time. He hasn’t been outrighted to this point in his career and doesn’t have three years of big league service, so if he clears waivers Hicklen will stick with the Tigers as a depth option who’s no longer on the 40-man roster.

The Opener: Eflin, Casparius, Melton

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. Eflin to return:

The Orioles are gearing up for what’s sure to be a sell-side deadline, and as they do so one potential trade candidate is set to return from the injured list today: veteran right-hander Zach Eflin. Eflin has been sidelined for nearly a month due to back soreness, but interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner) that Eflin will be activated today to take the ball in tonight’s game against the Guardians and right-hander Slade Cecconi (3.84 ERA in 11 starts). Eflin’s had a rough year so far, with a 5.95 ERA in 12 starts, but a strong pair of starts prior to the deadline could lead prospective buyers to focus more on his fairly long history as a capable mid-rotation arm than his more recent struggles.

2. Casparius to undergo MRI:

Just one day after the Dodgers lost closer Tanner Scott to the injured list with an uncertain return timeline, L.A. may be losing another key arm. Right-hander Ben Casparius surrendered three runs without recording an out last night before exiting the game, and afterwards told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) that he was suffering from calf cramping but also felt his foot “give out” from under him during his appearance. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI today. Should he require a trip to the shelf, it would only exacerbate the Dodgers’ need for bullpen pitching this summer. Casparius has struggled badly in 24 innings of work since moving into a multi-inning role last month with an 8.63 ERA, but prior to that was one of the club’s most effective arms in one-to-two inning bursts.

3. Melton to debut:

The Tigers are poised to select the contract of right-hander Troy Melton today, as was previously reported. The 24-year-old has a 2.99 ERA across 75 1/3 innings at the Double- and Triple-A levels. Once Melton is rostered later today, he’ll be tasked with making his big league debut against the Pirates and left-hander Bailey Falter (4.00 ERA in 20 starts). Facing Pittsburgh in his first MLB game should make Melton’s debut a relatively soft landing given their lackluster offense this season, though the Tigers will have to make moves on both the active and 40-man rosters to bring the well-regarded young righty into the fold.

Dodgers Place Tanner Scott On Injured List

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July 23: Scott informed reporters (including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen) after last night’s game that his MRI results revealed only inflammation in his elbow and no structural damage. Scott indicated that he’ll be shut down for a few days before he begins a throwing program, but was confident that he would return to the big league mound this season.

July 22: The Dodgers announced that reliever Tanner Scott has gone on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. Los Angeles recalled Alexis Díaz to take his spot in the bullpen.

This was more or less guaranteed when Scott departed last night’s appearance with what manager Dave Roberts called a “sting” in his forearm. That’s a concerning note but Roberts sounded more optimistic today than he had last night. The skipper told reporters (including Alden González of ESPN) that Scott felt “much better” today. The Dodgers are still awaiting results of an MRI before they’re fully off the hook, but there’s reason to hope they avoided a worst-case situation.

Scott is in the first season of a four-year deal. It has been an underwhelming year for last winter’s top free agent reliever. Scott owns a 4.19 ERA through 45 2/3 innings. His 27.2% strikeout rate and career-low 6% walk percentage are both better than league average. The biggest culprit in his middling earned run average is a huge spike in hard contact — and correspondingly, in home runs. Scott has blown an MLB-high seven leads while recording 19 saves and eight holds.

The Dodgers were prioritizing a high-leverage reliever even before Scott’s injury. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tied L.A. to essentially all the top bullpen trade candidates over the weekend. Evan Phillips has already been lost for the season. Blake Treinen has been out since mid-April with a forearm injury. He’s expected back in the next few days. Michael Kopech will be out into late August at the earliest with a meniscus tear. Dodgers relievers rank 24th in the majors with a 4.35 earned run average.

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Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, Darragh McDonald, Mark Polishuk, Nick Deeds, and Leo Morgenstern are gearing up for another exciting MLB trade deadline on July 31st, and I’ll be helping out as well.  It’s all hands on deck here as MLBTR prepares for its 20th trade deadline.  We’ve come a long way since I was flying solo on MLBTR’s trade deadline coverage 20 years ago and the Dodgers were adding guys like Julio Lugo and Greg Maddux.  MLBTR is now better than ever, and I appreciate everyone who is still along for the ride (whether paid or ad-supported).

Draft Signings: Wood, Fauske, Moss, Hartshorn

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Tuesday featured a handful of draft signings with a $2MM+ bonus. All signings were first reported by Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted. View pre-draft scouting reports from Baseball America, FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Keith Law of The Athletic.

  • The Phillies announced the signing of 26th overall pick Gage Wood. Callis reports that the University of Arkansas product received a $3MM signing bonus that comes in a little south of the approximate $3.49MM slot value. Wood, a 6’0″ right-handed pitcher, is most famous for throwing a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State in this year’s College World Series. Wood pitched out of the bullpen for his first two seasons in Fayetteville. A shoulder injury limited him to 37 2/3 innings during his only year as a starter. He struck out 69 hitters with a 3.82 ERA. Evaluators credit Wood with a fastball that can touch 98 MPH and has huge life at the top of the strike zone, while he has an above-average to plus curveball. His injury history and the lack of a present third pitch leave some scouts to point to a bullpen future.
  • The White Sox have a $3MM deal with second-round pick Jaden Fauske, as first reported by James Fox of Future Sox. The bonus for the Illinois prep outfielder comes in a good amount above the $2.22MM slot value of the 44th selection, signing him away from an LSU commitment. Fauske is listed at 6’3″ and has a well-rounded skillset and a lefty swing that impresses evaluators. He’s viewed as a slightly above-average runner and probably projects to a corner outfield spot.
  • The Rays went above slot to sign supplemental second-rounder Dean Moss to a $2.1MM bonus, Callis reports. He’s a Florida prep outfielder who’d also been committed to LSU. The 67th overall pick comes with a slot value around $1.29MM. Moss is a left-handed batter whose carrying trait is his advanced hit tool. He’s viewed as an average runner who’d be stretched in center field but doesn’t have prototypical power for a corner outfielder.
  • The Cubs signed sixth-round pick Josiah Hartshorn to a $2MM bonus that represents the highest ever for that round, Callis reports. The slot value was around $355K. Hartshorn is a high schooler from California. He’s a 6’2″ switch-hitter who projects as a corner outfielder. Most pre-draft reports had him outside the top 100, but ESPN placed him as the #53 prospect in the class. The Cubs were able to sign him away from a Texas A&M commitment in large part because they saved roughly $1.2MM against their bonus pool with an underslot deal for first-round pick Ethan Conrad.

Rays Notes: Caballero, Diaz, McClanahan

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Rays utilityman José Caballero has gotten trade attention from some other clubs, reports Francys Romero. The versatile infielder is operating as a backup behind Tampa Bay’s typical starting infield of Jonathan Aranda, Brandon Lowe, Junior Caminero and Ha-Seong Kim. Lowe went on the injured list this morning with ankle tendinitis, so Caballero drew into tonight’s lineup at second base. Taylor Walls will probably get the bulk of the playing time in place of Lowe, yet he was needed at shortstop today because Kim is day-to-day with lower back discomfort.

Caballero, 28 next month, has a light bat but provides value on defense and as a baserunner. He led the American League with 44 stolen bases last season, though he was also caught an MLB-high 16 times. Caballero is 32-39 as a basestealer this year. FanGraphs has graded him as an above-average overall baserunner in each of his three big league seasons. Caballero has also rated as a plus defender at each of second base, third base and shortstop.

The secondary skills have made Caballero an above replacement level performer in each of his three seasons. He has never provided much at the plate, however. The righty hitter owns a .218/.315/.310 slash with two home runs and an elevated 30.3% strikeout rate in 251 plate appearances this year. Caballero has never reached double digits in home runs nor hit above .230 in a season. He’ll qualify for arbitration for the first time this offseason as a Super Two player.

Tampa Bay wouldn’t get a huge return for Caballero. It nevertheless stands to reason they’d be open to offers, as he’s arguably a bit superfluous with Walls also on the roster. Whether to trade designated hitter/corner infielder Yandy Díaz is a much bigger question for the front office.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested last week that the Rays are likely to hold Díaz, who is signed for another year and a half on a deal that also includes a 2027 club option. Romero hears similarly, posting that they intend to keep Díaz as they compete for a playoff spot. The Rays are half a game behind the Red Sox for the AL’s last Wild Card spot. Díaz has popped 16 homers with a robust .293/.352/.474 batting line this year.

Even as they’re in position to add before next week’s deadline, the Rays could hear teams out on their rotation depth. Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot make for a strong top two. It seems unlikely that they’d move Shane Baz. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has reported that the Rays could consider offers on Taj Bradley, while Zack Littell is a potential trade candidate as an impending free agent. Dealing a starter would open a rotation spot for hard-throwing Joe Boyle, who is currently operating in a multi-inning relief capacity.

The Rays still await a return from ace Shane McClanahan. The two-time All-Star has not pitched in an MLB game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He sustained a triceps nerve injury during Spring Training that cost him the first half. McClanahan had a setback last month and has now hit another speed bump — albeit one that seems fairly minor.

According to the MLB.com injury tracker, his minor league rehab assignment has been halted after he felt biceps soreness in his most recent appearance. Manager Kevin Cash told team reporter Ryan Bass that the biceps discomfort is unrelated to the triceps problem. Cash suggested McClanahan could resume a throwing program within a few days, but he won’t take the ball for his previously scheduled rehab start at Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Astros Place Lance McCullers Jr. On Injured List

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The Astros placed Lance McCullers Jr. back on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 20. The veteran righty is now dealing with a blister. Reliever Nick Hernandez is up from Triple-A Sugar Land to take the vacated active roster spot.

This is the third IL stint of the season for McCullers. He began the season on the shelf after multiple years of battling elbow and forearm issues. He was knocked back out in June for a couple weeks with a sprained right foot. A blister shouldn’t be a major concern, but it’ll cost him at least another couple weeks.

It’s the latest speed bump in a brutal first season back for McCullers. He has an earned run average approaching 7.00 across 11 starts. He has a league average 23.1% strikeout percentage while walking a career-worst 13% of batters faced. While McCullers had huge ground-ball numbers before the series of injuries, that’s down to a middling 42.3% clip. The 91.5 MPH average velocity on his sinker is well down from the 93-94 MPH range at which he sat in 2022. Each of Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti and Luis Garcia are on minor league rehab assignments. It’s tough to envision McCullers holding his rotation spot much longer even if he returns from the blister after a minimal stint.

Manager Joe Espada also provided a concerning update on third baseman Isaac Paredes, who went on the 10-day IL over the weekend with a right hamstring strain. Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle) that it’s a “pretty significant” strain that will sideline Paredes for an extended stretch. Mauricio Dubón is getting most of the third base playing time, keeping Brice Matthews, Zack Short and Taylor Trammell in the everyday lineup.

White Sox Sign First-Round Pick Billy Carlson

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The White Sox have signed shortstop Billy Carlson, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com. The Sox selected Carlson with their first-round pick, 10th overall, in last week’s draft. The signing bonus is $6,235,900, effectively slot value for the 10th overall pick. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported the signing first, noting the bonus would be “about” $6.2MM.

Pre-draft rankings from MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, ESPN, FanGraphs and The Athletic’s Keith Law all had Carlson ranked from #7 to #12 in the class. All evaluators heap praise on his glovework, with many considering him the best defender in the class. BA mentions his “silky smooth actions in the field with clean hands.” His arm is strong enough that he was considered a potential two-way player for a while, hitting 97 miles per hour with his fastball when on the mound.

Offensively, there’s a bit more hesitation. His hit tool gets more praise than his power, as he generally has a contact-oriented line-drive swing. Whether he will develop into more power as he matures seems to be the key question here.

The White Sox don’t have an answer at shortstop at the moment. Chase Meidroth is currently getting most of the playing time and is performing well enough this year, but he’s expected to be a multi-positional guy in the long run. Colson Montgomery has had a challenging year and is currently playing more third base.

As a high school pick, Carlson won’t be a short-term solution. He doesn’t even turn 19 years old until next week. He’s years away from helping at the big league level, but based on the reports, he seems like a lock to stay at shortstop in the long run. The only question is what he will be able to provide at the plate.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Athletics Recall Carlos Cortes For MLB Debut

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The Athletics announced today that both outfielder Denzel Clarke and infielder Max Muncy have been placed on the 10-day injured list. Outfielders Colby Thomas and Carlos Cortes were recalled as the corresponding moves. No information was provided about the injuries or expected absences. According to the team’s MLB.com transaction tracker, Clarke has a right adductor strain and Muncy a right hand fracture.

Cortes, 28, gets the call to the majors for the first time and will be making his major league debut as soon as he’s put into a game. Just last week, the A’s selected his contract to the 40-man but immediately optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas. That suggested Cortes likely had an opt-out in his deal, which prompted the A’s to give him a roster spot. They didn’t immediately have a big league opportunity for him but didn’t want him to get away.

It’s been a long road for Cortes, who was drafted by the Mets back in 2018. He climbed to Triple-A with that club but didn’t hit much at that level. At the end of the 2024 season, he still didn’t have a roster spot with the Mets and qualified for minor league free agency.

He then landed a minor league deal with the A’s, which has turned into a huge win for everyone. In 71 Triple-A contests, he has stepped to the plate 314 times. He has hit 17 home runs. His 13.1% walk rate and 14.6% strikeout rate are both strong figures. The Aviators play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but Cortes’s offense is still 39% above league average, according to wRC+. Understandably, the A’s didn’t want a guy with that kind of production to slip through their fingers.

Cortes has a bit of infield experience and some time in center field, but he’s only been a corner outfield guy in recent years. Some websites list him as a switch-thrower, though that’s not really relevant anymore. He naturally throws left-handed but would throw from the right side when playing second base several years ago. He hasn’t been at the keystone since 2019.

Lawrence Butler played center field last night due to Clarke’s injury and he’s back in there tonight, so perhaps he’ll stay there for a while. If so, that would leave two corner spots for Tyler Soderstrom, Miguel Andujar, Thomas and Cortes, with designated hitter Brent Rooker chipping in on occasion. Andujar is an impending free agent and could be moved before the month is over. Soderstrom would be a more surprising trade but he has been in a few rumors. Even if just Andujar is moved, that would further open the path for Cortes to get some major league hacks down the stretch.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Sergio Alcantara Accepts Outright Assignment With D-backs

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July 22: Alcantara cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com.

July 20: The Diamondbacks announced that infielder Sergio Alcantara has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up roster space for the return of Ketel Marte, who has been activated from the restricted list.

Alcantara was just signed by the D’Backs on Friday, but his brief time on the roster didn’t result in any playing time.  Because Alcantara is out of minor league options, he must be passed through waivers whenever his team wants to send him to Triple-A and outright him off the 40-man roster.  Because Alcantara has been outrighted in the past, he has the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

The infielder used this exact mechanism just over a week ago, opting for the open market after the Giants DFA’ed him and attempted to outright him to Triple-A.  It seems possible Alcantara could be more open to staying in Arizona’s organization since he only just arrived, but time will tell if Alcantara might prefer to join a club that has more infield vacancies than the fairly loaded Diamondbacks.

Alcantara made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2020 and then saw semi-regular work as a depth option with the Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Padres during the 2021-22 seasons.  He spent the 2023-24 seasons at the minor league level with three clubs (the D’Backs, Cubs, and Pirates) without seeing any more action in the Show, and after signing a minors deal with San Francisco last offseason, his tenure in San Francisco did result in a single Major League game.  Alcantara was the starting shortstop in the Giants’ 11-2 loss to the Athletics on July 4.

With only a .207/.278/.340 slash line to show for 506 career plate appearances in the majors, Alcantara is much better known for his multi-positional glove than his bat.  Alcantara is a good defender at shortstop, second and third base, so a club in need of some infield depth might consider putting in a waiver claim.

Marte missed the Diamondbacks’ first two games after the All-Star break due to a personal matter, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reporting that Marte’s home was robbed during the break.  The second baseman will return to the lineup today and look to continue what has been another tremendous season (290/.394/.567 over 297 PA) for the three-time All-Star.

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