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Twins Outright Brooks Kriske

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Right-hander Brooks Kriske has been sent outright to Triple-A St. Paul, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. Since he has a previous career outright, he has the right to elect free agency, though the log doesn’t indicate he will exercise that right.

Kriske, 31, was claimed off waivers from the Cubs in early August. The Twins had just traded away Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe at the deadline and needed some extra arms.

Between that claim and being designated for assignment, Kriske threw 12 innings for the Twins, allowing 15 earned runs. He has a 7.50 earned run average on the year, between his time with the Cubs and Twins. That makes it fairly unsurprising that no one claimed him this time.

Though he made his major league debut back in 2020, his big league track record is still fairly small, with a 9.53 ERA in 39 2/3 innings. He had some decent results in Japan in 2022 and 2023, tossing 35 innings with a 2.31 ERA. He has also generally had decent results in Triple-A, with a 3.81 ERA, 36.3% strikeout rate and 12.1% walk rate in 148 2/3 innings dating back to 2021.

If he accepts the assignment, he can make a few more Triple-A appearances before the winter and then could elect free agency at season’s end. Though he could also exercise his right to elect free agency now and start the offseason early if he so chooses.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Mariners Designate José Castillo For Assignment

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The Mariners announced today that they have recalled right-hander Casey Legumina from Triple-A Tacoma. In a corresponding move, left-hander José Castillo has been designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Castillo, 29, was just claimed off waivers from the Mets earlier this month. Since that claim, he has given the Mariners three scoreless innings. This move is likely more a result of circumstances than his performance. The Mariners are seven games into a stretch of ten in a row. The bullpen has been leaned on heavily in recent days. Five different relievers pitched on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, six relievers were used in a game which went to 13 innings. Three of those six pitchers tossed more than an inning. Last night, the club had another long one, using six relievers in a 12-inning game.

Every reliever in the bullpen pitched at least twice in that three-day span except for Emerson Hancock, who logged two innings on Wednesday. Castillo himself pitched in each of the last two games and has seemingly been nudged out to get a fresh arm into the bullpen.

It’s been that kind of year for Castillo, who has generally pitched well. But since he’s out of options, he has been forced into DFA limbo numerous times. He started the year with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal. He was added to the big league roster at the start of May. Less than two weeks later, he was designated for assignment and traded to the Mets. The latter club designated him for assignment three times. The first two resulted in him clearing waivers and later getting added back to the roster, but the M’s claimed him on the third.

He’s now back in DFA limbo yet again. Since the trade deadline has passed, he’ll be back on waivers in the coming days. Around all the transactions, he has tossed 24 2/3 innings with a 4.38 earned run average, 19.5% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. He has also thrown 16 Triple-A innings this year with a 1.69 ERA, 35.9% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 50% grounder rate.

At this time of year, he wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any claiming club, though perhaps some team is in need of a fresh arm for the stretch run. As mentioned, Castillo just appeared in the past two games but will have a chance to rest for a few days while on waivers. He could also be retained for next year via arbitration if he’s on a roster somewhere at the end of the season.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Pirates Reinstate Justin Lawrence From 60-Day IL

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The Pirates announced that right-hander Justin Lawrence has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Fellow righty Colin Holderman has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies and the count moves from 38 to 39 with this transaction. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

Lawrence, 30, was claimed off waivers from the Rockies in March. He tossed 11 1/3 innings for the Bucs, allowing just one earned run, before elbow inflammation put him on the 15-day IL in late April. He was quickly transferred to the 60-day IL in early May, suggesting the club didn’t expect him back before July. While he has missed most of the season, he has gotten healthy in time to perhaps log a few more innings before the winter arrives.

Prior to being claimed by the Pirates, he had spent his entire career with the Rockies. He gave Colorado 194 innings with a 5.43 earned run average, 21.3% strikeout rate, 12.5% walk rate and 50.9% round ball rate. The Rockies put him on waivers in March, when the Bucs decided to grab him, perhaps hoping that his upper-90s velocity could translate to better results away from Coors Field. The initial results were encouraging but the injury got in the way.

Lawrence qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player last offseason. He and the Rockies agreed to a salary of $975K. The Bucs will have to decide whether or not to tender him a contract for 2026. Since he has missed most of the season, he won’t be in line for a massive raise. He is out of options and therefore can’t be easily sent down to the minors.

Photo courtesy of Albert Cesare, Imagn Images

Tigers Reinstate José Urquidy From 60-Day IL

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The Tigers announced have reinstated right-hander José Urquidy from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding active roster move, fellow righty Sawyer Gipson-Long has been placed on the 15-day IL due to neck stiffness. To open a 40-man spot, righty Beau Brieske has been recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Chris McCosky of Detroit News relayed the moves prior to the official announcement.

Once Urquidy gets into a game, he will be pitching for the first time in almost two years, in addition to suiting up for a team other than the Astros for the first time. He tossed 405 innings for Houston over the 2019 to 2023 seasons, allowing 3.98 earned runs per nine. His 19.6% strikeout rate was below average but he limited walks to a 5.8% pace. He also logged 46 1/3 postseason innings in that span with a 4.08 ERA.

But in 2024, he couldn’t get on the mound due to elbow/forearm issues. He eventually required Tommy John surgery in June. The Astros could have retained him for 2025 via arbitration but instead put him on waivers. Urquidy cleared and elected free agency. The Tigers signed him to a one-year deal with a $1MM guarantee and a 2026 club option worth $4MM plus escalators. Urquidy started a rehab assignment in early August and appears to be in good form. He has tossed 19 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 21.6% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 49.1% ground ball rate.

It doesn’t appear as though Urquidy will be inserted into the rotation, since he’s not fully stretched out. He didn’t throw more than three innings in any of his rehab appearances. In his most recent outing, he threw 28 pitches over two innings. He will therefore presumably jump into a multi-inning role in the Detroit bullpen.

Gipson-Long had been in the rotation, so his neck injury drops the team from five to four. They have Tarik Skubal going tonight and Charlie Morton tomorrow. They don’t have a starter listed for Sunday. Manager A.J. Hinch tells Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic that Sunday will be a bullpen game. The club is off on Monday. Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty will go on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by Skubal on Thursday. Urquidy, Chris Paddack and Keider Montero could perhaps pitch in multi-inning roles on Sunday.

The club never plays more than six games in a row the rest of the way, so perhaps they will get by with four traditional starters and some bullpen games. They have a fairly comfortable lead of 8.5 games over the Guardians in the Central. They are also five games up on the Astros/Mariners for the second first-round bye.

As for Brieske, it was reported a few weeks back that his season was essentially over, so this move isn’t a shock. The one benefit for him with this move is that he will receive big league pay and service time for the next few weeks. He is making $1.025MM this year and will be due a raise in arbitration. However, since he posted a 6.55 ERA in 22 innings this year, he won’t have much ability to push that salary up.

Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images

Astros Place Lance McCullers Jr. On Injured List

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The Astros have placed right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list due to right hand soreness, per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle. It’s unclear how severe this hand injury is. McCullers is going to Houston for further evaluation. Left-hander Colton Gordon has been recalled in the corresponding active roster move. Chandler Rome of The Athletic first noted that McCullers wasn’t listed on the club’s lineup card but Gordon was.

In the short term, it’s not a massive blow for the Astros, as McCullers hasn’t developed into a key part of their 2025 roster. He returned to the mound this year after missing almost three years due to elbow problems. He only made eight appearances in 2022 and then missed all of 2023 and 2024.

While he and the Astros were surely thrilled to get him back on the mound this year, he hasn’t been able to return to his prior level of performance. He has tossed 52 1/3 innings for the club this season, allowing 6.88 earned runs per nine. His 21.8% strikeout rate and 14.6% walk rate are both subpar figures. He went back on the IL in June due to a right foot sprain and again in July due to a blister, with both stints being fairly short.

A couple of weeks ago, manager Joe Espada said that McCullers would pitch out of the bullpen but it would be for the “short term” and “just change things up.” He has since logged four innings over three appearances, allowing three earned runs on six hits, four walks and three strikeouts. The Astros are in a tight playoff race and have lost a lot of guys to the IL, but with the way McCullers has pitched, it’s not a huge blow to be without him.

For the long term, however, this will add to the questions about his ability to get back on track in the future. His fastball only averaged 91.8 miles per hour this year, down more than two ticks from his peak. The multiple IL stints perhaps prevented him from ever being fully in a groove but they also add to the worrying sense that he can’t really stay healthy. Even before his recent multi-year stint in the wilderness, he had trouble staying on the field. He has only once thrown at least 130 innings in a major league season and he’s never hit 165.

The rate stats were good enough that the Astros signed him to a five-year, $85MM extension for the 2022-2026 seasons. He’ll make $17MM next year in the final campaign of that pact.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

David Festa Dealing With Compressed Nerve Injury

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September 12th: Festa tells Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune that his issue is related to a compressed nerve and not typical thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms. He expects to be fine for spring training.

September 10th: Twins right-hander David Festa has been on the injured list since late July due to shoulder inflammation. Head trainer Nick Paparesta tells Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that noted surgeon Dr. Keith Meister believes Festa has neurological thoracic outlet syndrome. Festa is going to see another doctor and a formal plan will be mapped out after that.

It’s a potentially ominous diagnosis as thoracic outlet syndrome can significantly alter the course of a pitcher’s career. Back in 2023, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post did a thorough examination of the condition, noting that there are two distinct varieties.

One type is known as venous or vascular TOS. While this is a serious medical condition often involving life-threatening blood clots, it seems to have less long-term impacts in terms of throwing a baseball. Merrill Kelly is the poster boy for recovering from this type of TOS surgery. Kelly went under the knife in 2020 but has since made 132 starts with a 3.59 earned run average. Zack Wheeler of the Phillies recently had a blood clot removed and was recommended for venous TOS surgery.

The second type of TOS is neurogenic, which seems to have a larger impact on throwing ability. Paparesta used the word “neurological” to describe Festa’s TOS, but it’s possible he meant neurogenic. Stephen Strasburg, Chris Archer and Matt Harvey are some of the most famous example of pitchers who were diagnosed with neurogenic TOS and never really seemed to be the same.

Strasburg was one of the best pitchers over the previous decade. He capped things off with an excellent 2019 season. He gave the Nationals 209 innings that year with a 3.32 ERA. He then added another 36 1/3 innings in the postseason with a 1.98 ERA, leading the Nats to a World Series title, winning himself World Series MVP in the process. But nerve issues popped up after that. He underwent TOS surgery in 2021. His repeated attempts to get back on the mound didn’t work. He only made eight appearances after the 2019 season and eventually retired.

Archer tossed 882 1/3 innings over the 2015 to 2019 seasons with a 4.05 ERA and 27.8% strikeout rate. He underwent TOS surgery in 2020. After that, he logged 122 innings with a 4.57 ERA and 20.2% strikeout rate. Harvey had a 2.53 ERA and 26.6% strikeout rate through his first 427 innings but then had TOS surgery in 2016. In the final 446 2/3 innings of his career, he had a 6.15 ERA and 17% strikeout rate.

Festa entered 2024 as one of the top prospects in the league. He made his major league debut last year, tossing 64 1/3 innings for the Twins. His 4.90 ERA wasn’t especially impressive but he struck out 27.8% of batters faced with an 8.3% walk rate.

This year, he has been shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors. He missed much of May, while on optional assignment, due to biceps inflammation. He was placed on the major league IL in July due to shoulder inflammation. Around those transactions and injuries, he has made 11 big league appearances with a 5.40 ERA but decent strikeout and walk rates of 23.1% and 8.3% respectively. He also posted a 2.59 ERA in seven Triple-A starts.

It was reported earlier this month that Festa had a setback and would not be returning this year, with the next step being a visit to Dr. Meister. Further information on Festa’s status will undoubtedly be coming out in the future. He has not yet been moved to the 60-day IL as the Twins only have 37 guys on their 40-man roster. If they fill those spots in the remainder of the season, Festa could eventually be moved to the 60-day IL to open another.

The Minnesota rotation has changed shape in recent months. The club fell in the standings and pivoted to sell mode. They sent out impending free agent Chris Paddack but also brought in young, controllable guys like Taj Bradley and Mick Abel, as well as prospect Kendry Rojas. Some have speculated that they will continue selling this winter, including making guys like Pablo López or Joe Ryan available. Time will tell whether that’s a realistic possibility or not. For now, the 2026 rotation mix includes those guys as well as Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Matt Chapman Successfully Appeals Suspension

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September 12: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Chapman’s appeal was successful and he will no longer have to serve a suspension, though the fine stands.

September 3: MLB has issued a one-game suspension to Giants third baseman Matt Chapman for “pushing” Kyle Freeland during last night’s game. Chapman and Freeland were each handed undisclosed fines, as were Willy Adames and Rafael Devers. Chapman appealed the suspension and is in the lineup tonight at third base against Germán Márquez.

The discipline stems from last night’s bench-clearing incident at Coors Field. Devers hit a sky high home run off Freeland in the top of the first inning. The Colorado pitcher took exception to Devers taking his time admiring the shot. They got into a shouting match by the time Devers reached first base and the benches emptied.

Chapman was one of the first players out of the San Francisco dugout and appeared to shove Freeland when he got to the mound. Adames, who was on deck for the Devers homer, was also in the mix. He and Freeland each swiped at one another and exchanged words, though the situation remained relatively innocuous. The benches and bullpens emptied, but it never really escalated into a brawl. Chapman, Adames and Freeland were all thrown out of the game. Devers was not ejected and completed his home run trot a few minutes later while Antonio Senzatela was warming up to replace Freeland.

The suspension isn’t of huge significance, though the Giants have won nine of their last 10 games to pull back into the periphery of the Wild Card race. Unless the ban is reversed on appeal, San Francisco will need to play a man short for whatever game Chapman sits out. Christian Koss would likely draw in at second base, moving Casey Schmitt to the hot corner.

Astros Select Zach Cole

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3:15pm: The Astros have officially selected Cole, per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle. Salazar has been optioned to Triple-A as the corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, righty Luis Garcia has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Garcia just landed on the 15-day IL this week due to elbow discomfort, so his season is over. It was already ominous that he landed on the IL at all since he missed over two years due to elbow issues and just recently returned. This quick move to the 60-day IL doesn’t do anything to improve the outlook.

9:57am: The Astros are calling up outfielder Zach Cole for tonight’s series opener in Atlanta, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Houston will need to select his contract and make corresponding moves for both the active and 40-man rosters.

Cole was a 10th-round pick out of Ball State in 2022. He had a rare power-speed combination for a hitter selected that late in the draft, especially one out of college. That reflected significant trepidation on the part of scouts about Cole’s pure hitting ability. He has posted alarming whiff rates throughout his minor league career, but his bottom line production has been strong at every stop.

The left-handed hitting Cole has a .249/.357/.469 slash over parts of four minor league seasons. That includes a .279/.377/.539 showing with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases in 97 games this year. Cole has spent the bulk of the year in Double-A. Houston just promoted him to Triple-A two weeks ago. He was then slated to head to the Arizona Fall League but instead forced his way to the majors by hitting .353 with five homers in his first 15 Triple-A contests.

Cole’s breakout season has still come with a strikeout rate above 35%. It’s very difficult to find consistent success with that level of swing-and-miss, which will presumably only increase against big league pitching. Houston won’t need to play him on an everyday basis though. Cole can cover all three outfield positions and brings an intriguing toolset to Joe Espada’s bench.

Houston called up César Salazar a couple weeks ago when Victor Caratini was down with a concussion. Salazar has stuck on the active roster since Caratini returned but isn’t playing much. Cole could provide more speed and pop off the bench. Taylor Trammell hasn’t hit well (.202/.302/.349 in 48 games) as a lefty-hitting fourth outfielder, so the Astros could also swap him out for Cole. They’d need to designate him for assignment to do that, as Trammell is out of minor league options.

Twins Select Cody Laweryson

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The Twins announced that right-hander Justin Topa has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, retroactive to September 9th. Fellow righty Cody Laweryson has been selected to take Topa’s place on the roster. The Twins had just 37 men on their 40-man, so no other corresponding move is required as this brings their count up to 38.

It’s unclear how serious Topa’s injury is but this presumably ends his season. Even with the backdating of the move, he could only come back for the final few days of the schedule. With the Twins buried in the standings, there’s not much motivation for him to rush back. Assuming he’s done, he finishes the year with a 3.90 earned run average in 60 innings. His 18.3% strikeout rate was subpar but his 6.7% walk rate and 47.7% ground ball rate were good figures.

The Twins will have to decide whether or not to trigger a $2MM club option for 2026 or go for a $225K buyout. Even if they go for the buyout, they could still keep Topa for next year via arbitration. Assuming they want Topa back next year, the decision would simply come down to which path they expect to be cheaper.

His injury allows Laweryson to get up to the majors for the first time. Now 27, Laweryson was drafted with a 14th-round pick back in 2019. He worked both as a starter and a reliever as he climbed the minor league ladder but has been working exclusively out of the bullpen in recent years.

On the most recent FanGraphs list of top prospects in the system, Laweryson got an honorable mention, with the report noting that his deception helps him get better results than one would expect from his middling stuff. He has thrown 44 innings this year between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.86 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 46.3% ground ball rate. Laweryson will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Since this is his first time cracking a big league roster, he has a full slate of options.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Phillies To Select Walker Buehler, Place José Alvarado On IL

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The Phillies are going to select right-hander Walker Buehler to the roster to start tonight’s game. Left-hander José Alvarado will be placed on the injured list to open an active roster spot, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The nature of Alvarado’s injury is unclear. The Phils will also need to open a 40-man roster spot.

Buehler signed a minor league deal with the Phils a couple of weeks ago, after he had been released by the Red Sox. It was a bit of a surprise that Boston let him go, if only because they had made a notable $21.05MM commitment to him this year, but the move was also justified by Buehler’s poor performance.

Earlier in his career, Buehler was arguably an ace. While pitching for the Dodgers, he twice finished in the top ten in National League Cy Young voting, including a fourth-place finish in 2021. But he missed the 2023 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery, the second such procedure of his career, and hasn’t looked the same since. From the start of 2024 until the present, he has logged 187 2/3 innings with a 5.42 earned run average, 17.4% strikeout rate, 9.7% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate.

Despite his recent struggles, he was a sensible pick-up for the Phils. They recently lost Zack Wheeler due to a blood clot/thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis. Even without Wheeler, they had a solid rotation group consisting of Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez and Taijuan Walker. But bringing in Buehler added another arm at no extra cost. Since the Sox released him, they are on the hook for the majority of his remaining salary. The Phils will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster.

At this point, it’s unclear exactly how long he will spend on the roster. The Phils are currently in the midst of a stretch where in they play 15 days in a row. After today, there are five more games in that span. They then only play three times in the following five days, before finishing out the schedule with six in a row.

It’s possible this is just a spot start to give the starters some extra rest during a tough part of the schedule. After today, it would make sense to go back down to five guys. The Phils are cruising to a playoff spot and also to a bye through the Wild Card round. They have an 11-game lead over the Mets in the East and will surely win that division. They are two games behind the Brewers for top spot in the National League but 4.5 games clear of the Dodgers.

That comfortable position could entice them to rest some of their starters. But on the other hand, since they are likely to be sitting out the first round, the pitchers are already looking at having almost a full week off between the regular season and the Division Series round. In order to avoid rust build-up, they may want their pitchers to keep throwing all the way through the end of the schedule. Time will tell if Buehler sticks around with the aim of making another start, gets moved to a long relief role or bumped back off the roster entirely.

As for Alvarado, his absence shouldn’t be too consequential, especially in the short term. He’s been putting up good numbers this year but isn’t eligible for the postseason due to the PED suspension he received earlier this year. His absence hurts the bullpen for the final few weeks of the regular season but, as mentioned, the Phils are in a pretty comfortable position in the playoff picture.

If it’s a long-term injury, then that would be more notable. The club has a $9MM club option for his services in 2026 with a $500K buyout. Naturally, a serious injury that would extend into next year could impact the club’s decision on that option.

Photo courtesy of Brian Fluharty, Imagn Images

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