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Royals Place Hunter Harvey On Injured List

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3:10pm: Anne Rogers of MLB.com relays some more info from manager Matt Quatraro. Harvey’s strain is grade 1, the lowest severity. He will be re-evaluated next week.

2:04pm: The Royals announced that they’ve placed right-hander Hunter Harvey on the 15-day injured list due to a teres major strain. Fellow righty Steven Cruz has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha in his place. The team has not yet provided a timetable for Harvey’s return.

Harvey, acquired from the Nationals last July, has been outstanding to begin the 2025 season. He’s appeared in six games and tossed 5 1/3 shutout frames with only one hit allowed and seven strikeouts. Strong as that start has been, it hasn’t come without red flags. The flamethrowing Harvey averaged 97.8 mph on his heater in 2024 but has averaged 95.3 mph on the pitch in the early stages of the current season. He’s seen a similar velocity drop in his splitter.

Kansas City parted with third base prospect Cayden Wallace and their Competitive Balance draft selection (No. 39 overall) to acquire Harvey last year. (The Nats selected catcher Caleb Lomavita with that pick.) However, Harvey pitched just 5 2/3 innings for the Royals following that swap, as a back injury wiped out the remainder of his season. He’s now headed back to the shelf for a yet-to-be-determined period of time.

Injuries are nothing new for Harvey. The former No. 22 overall draft pick (Orioles, 2013) had Tommy John surgery back in 2016 and has also missed extended periods of time with strains of his oblique, forearm (twice) and elbow. The 60 2/3 innings he pitched for the Nationals in 2023 stand as his career-high mark.

Carlos Estevez has picked up four of the Royals’ five saves this year. (Daniel Lynch IV has the other.) Harvey and Lucas Erceg have served as the primary setup men for Estevez. Lynch and John Schreiber figure to move up the pecking order and take on more leverage work in Harvey’s absence.

Marlins Designate Xzavion Curry For Assignment, Select Rob Brantly

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The Marlins announced a series of roster moves today. Right-hander Edward Cabrera was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and catcher Rob Brantly was selected to the roster. In corresponding moves, catcher Nick Fortes was placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain and righty Xzavion Curry was designated for assignment.

The Marlins started the season with Nick Fortes and Rule 5 pick Liam Hicks as their catching duo. Fortes is generally considered to be more of the glove-first variety. Hicks hasn’t hit much in his first eight major league games but has been known more for his bat, with questionable work behind the plate. Prospect Agustín Ramírez is also on the 40-man and has huge offensive numbers but prospect evaluators have also been suspicious about his work behind the plate.

Rather than recall Ramírez and have two weak defenders for the catching position, the Fish have replaced Fortes with Brantly. He’s a 35-year-old veteran depth guy who signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in the offseason. He made his debut back in 2012 and has received scattered playing time over the years. Despite debuting over a decade ago, he has appeared in just 138 games in his career. 2017 was the last time he got into more than six games in a season. 2013 was the last time he went beyond 14.

He is not really known for his bat, with a .222/.284/.322 line in his major league career. His minor league work has been better, with a .272/.357/.396 slash and 102 wRC+ since the canceled 2020 season. His work behind the plate in Triple-A has generally been well regarded. He can take up some of the catching duties and has certainly been around the game longer than the 25-year-old Hicks. That could provide the club with some veteran experience to help manage the pitching staff, which is largely composed of fairly inexperienced hurlers and veterans the Marlins are hoping to trade.

To open a 40-man spot for Brantly and an active roster spot for Cabrera, they have designated Curry for assignment. Cabrera started the season on the IL due to a blister on his throwing hand but is now ready to return.

Curry, 26, was added to the roster a few days into the season. Thanks to spring injuries suffered by Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, the staff was a bit taxed in the early going. He pitched on March 30 and April 2 but his usage has fallen off, with just one appearance on April 8th since then.

He’ll now head into DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Marlins technically have five days to explore trade possibilities. Curry was passed through waivers unclaimed in February. He hasn’t had many opportunities to raise his stock since then but other clubs have been going through injury troubles, perhaps opening an opportunity for him somewhere.

His major league work isn’t terribly inspiring, with a 4.38 earned run average, 15.5% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate in 150 innings. He has flashed better numbers in the minors. In 2021 and 2022, he tossed 219 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.28 ERA, 28.7% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. He does have an option remaining, so an acquiring club would not need to put him on the active roster in the short term.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

Mariners Exploring Infield Market

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Injuries have quickly changed the complexion of the Mariners’ infield. Second baseman Ryan Bliss will miss four to five months after suffering a tear in his left biceps and undergoing surgery. First baseman Luke Raley has shifted to the outfield in the wake of a fracture in Victor Robles’ shoulder, which will sideline him for around 12 weeks. Jorge Polanco is currently relegated to DH work and won’t play the infield for another week or two, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. He underwent knee surgery back in October and is dealing with some discomfort in his side as well.

With those early changes to the infield composition, the Mariners are poking around the market for potential external additions, Jude further reports. A major trade this time of year is rare but not unheard of. The Brewers just picked up young right-hander Quinn Priester in a trade with the Red Sox earlier this week, helping to shore up an injury-ravaged rotation in Milwaukee. Last year’s trade of Luis Arraez from Miami to San Diego occurred in early May. Of course, the Mariners spent the bulk of the offseason pursuing trades to bolster their infield and ultimately wound up making a series of small free agent signings instead — clearly not finding a match to their liking.

It’s unlikely that there are any teams that have strongly rethought their status as postseason hopefuls just a few weeks into the season. As such, it’s unlikely that there are any players available on the trade market at present whose teams weren’t willing to discuss them over the winter. If the Mariners couldn’t find an offseason trade of note to bolster their infield, it’s hard to envision them suddenly doing so now.

That said, Jude notes that Seattle’s front office is “combing” other rosters and looking at veteran players who are on minor league deals elsewhere. Many veterans will have opt-out dates and upward mobility clauses in April. Article XX(b) free agents (i.e. six-plus years of MLB service, finished the preceding season on a major league roster/injured list) who signed minor league contracts have a uniform opt-out opportunity on May 1. MLBTR took a look at 36 such players late in camp, though the majority this year happened to be pitchers.

This type of acquisition wouldn’t necessarily be a sexy one, but the Mariners have gotten no production to date out of Rowdy Tellez or Donovan Solano, and they’re hitting .200/.303/.333 as a team as of this writing. The bar for improvement is fairly low. Tellez and Solano will surely get some runway to turn things around, but it’s sensible to looking at other, similar veteran options who could potentially be had on the cheap. Among the veteran infielders on minor league deals and hitting well in Triple-A with other clubs are Christian Arroyo (Phillies), Scott Kingery (Angels), Harold Castro (Royals), Nick Gordon (Royals) and Jake Lamb (Giants).

Help could always come from the farm system as well. Jude writes that the organization is prioritizing top prospect Cole Young’s development at the moment and doesn’t want to rush him to the big leagues but could consider an accelerated path for third baseman Ben Williamson. Young is hitting .178/.302/.267 in Triple-A at the moment anyhow, making it tough to consider him an upgrade. Williamson is a plus defender at third base who’s gotten some reps in the middle infield, too. He’s light on power but has plus contact skills and is out to a .286/.314/.347 start in Tacoma. He batted .283/.375/.394 in 541 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A last year. First baseman Tyler Locklear didn’t hit in his big league debut last year but is slashing .286/.359/.457 through his first nine games in Triple-A this season.

If Seattle’s offensive doldrums continue much longer and there’s no help to be found outside the organization, it stands to reason that Williamson and/or Locklear could get early looks to help right the ship.

Red Sox Outright Robert Stock

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Right-hander Robert Stock has been outrighted to Triple-A Worcester, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.

Players have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if they have at least three years of major league service time or a previous career outright. Stock meets the latter criterion but it’s not clear if he will exercise his right. He could return to the open market or stick with the Sox as non-roster depth.

He just had a very brief stay on Boston’s roster, his first time in the big leagues in years. He wasn’t in the majors at any point during the 2022-2024 seasons but he put up some good numbers in Mexico last year. That led the Sox to give him a minor league deal. They played a doubleheader on Sunday with one game going to extra innings.

They added Stock on Monday to give the bullpen a fresh arm. That night, the Sox found themselves losing 5-1 to the Blue Jays after seven innings, so Stock was sent in to mop up the final two frames. He gave up three hits and issued one walk, leading to one run as the Sox lost 6-2. He was designated for assignment the next day.

The Sox ended up going to extras on Wednesday and Thursday as well. They don’t have another off-day until the 17th and then play another ten straight after that. Perhaps they may need a fresh arm in the bullpen again soon but they also might be able to strengthen the staff with Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello, who are both currently on rehab assignments and almost ready to rejoin the big league club. That could push Richard Fitts or Sean Newcomb from the rotation into a long relief role.

Stock now has 74 2/3 innings in the majors, most of that coming from 2018 to 2021. Overall, he has a 4.70 earned run average, 22.5% strikeout rate, 12.1% walk rate and 49.3% ground ball rate. He pitched in Korea in 2022 then split 2023 between the minors and Indy Ball. Last year, he had a 3.38 ERA over 19 starts for Tecos de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican League. He then remained in Mexico for the winter ball season to put up a 1.60 ERA for Naranjeros de Hermosillo, which led to a minor league deal with the Red Sox.

Photo courtesy of David Butler II, Imagn Images

Fantasy Baseball: New Gods?

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Hello, friends.

In a sport with as much variance as baseball, there are few highs like those of catching some small-sample lightning early. Whether it's a favorite late-round draft pick currently cashing sleeper checks, or someone you pounced on after they came out of the ether to explode in a way Yoan Moncada only dreams about -- finding early gems is always fun.

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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MLBTR's Steve Adams hosted a chat today at 2pm CT, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

 

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

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White Sox Designate Justin Anderson For Assignment

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The White Sox have designated right-handed reliever Justin Anderson for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infield prospect Chase Meidroth, whose contract has now been formally selected ahead of his previously reported MLB debut tonight. Outfielder Greg Jones was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte to open a spot on the active roster for Meidroth.

Anderson, 32, spent the majority of the 2024 season in the ChiSox bullpen, picking up 53 1/3 innings of relief action en route to a 4.39 ERA. He averaged a hearty 96 mph on his fastball and fanned a slightly better-than-average 23.6% of his opponents, but he also walked an ugly 13.2% of the batters he faced.

The Sox optioned Anderson to Triple-A this year after a rocky spring performance (seven runs, 10 hits, four walks, nine strikeouts in six innings), and he’s had a similarly shaky go of it in Charlotte. Through his first 5 2/3 innings, the hard-throwing righty has been tagged for five runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. He’s whiffed eight hitters but also plunked a batter and already been charged with a pair of wild pitches.

Command has never been a strong point for the 6’3″, 230-pound Anderson. He’s walked 14.8% of his opponents in parts of three big league seasons. His lifetime 9.7% mark in parts of five Triple-A campaigns is better but still higher than average. Anderson can pile up strikeouts, however, evidenced by a career 26.3% mark in the majors and a gaudy 34.3% rate in Triple-A.

Anderson’s 2024 work with the Sox was his first big league action since 2019. He was beset by injuries in the interim years, most notably a Tommy John surgery in July of 2020 that wiped out that entire season as well as the vast majority of his 2021 campaign. From 2020-22, Anderson pitched a total of just 16 minor league innings. He’s healthy once again, and as a hard-throwing righty with a history of missing bats and a pair of minor league options remaining, he could hold interest to another team in a small trade or waiver claim.

The Sox can trade Anderson or place him on outright waivers at any point in the next five days. The waiver process itself lasts for 48 hours, meaning that within a week’s time, he’ll know the outcome of his DFA.

Darren McCaughan Elects Free Agency, Will Re-Sign With Twins

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11:19am: The Twins will indeed re-sign McCaughan to a new minor league contract, reports Darren Wolfson of KSTP and SKOR North Radio. He’ll head to Triple-A St. Paul.

11:00am: Right-hander Darren McCaughan cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Twins and has rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency, per his transaction log at MLB.com.

The 29-year-old McCaughan pitched 5 1/3 innings with Minnesota this season, holding opponents to a run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. He’s out of minor league options, so the Twins had no choice but to designate him for assignment when they wanted to shuffle up the final spot in their bullpen and get a fresh arm (righty Scott Blewett) into the mix.

McCaughan signed a minor league deal with the Twins in the offseason. The longtime Mariners farmhand has now pitched in parts of four major league seasons and worked to a 6.02 earned run average with a 16.2% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate in 61 1/3 innings. He’s been a durable innings eater at the Triple-A level, piling up 546 frames with a 5.14 ERA in 101 starts there. Most recently, he split the bulk of the 2024 season between the Triple-A clubs for Miami and Cleveland, logging a combined 4.73 ERA with a sharp 25.2% strikeout rate against an 8.2% walk rate.

The Twins could always quickly re-sign McCaughan on a new minor league pact, though he’ll have the opportunity to talk with the league’s other 29 clubs now. McCaughan sits at about 90 mph with his heater but has good command and hasn’t been placed on the injured list at any point in his professional career, dating back to his selection in the 12th round of the 2017 draft.

Twins Place Pablo Lopez On Injured List

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April 11: The Twins announced that Lopez has been placed on the 15-day IL. Festa has been recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in his place and will get the start in tonight’s game.

April 9: The Twins plan to place Pablo López on the 15-day injured list, manager Rocco Baldelli tells reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star-Tribune and Dan Hayes of The Athletic). Minnesota’s Opening Day starter was diagnosed with a Grade One strain of his right hamstring.

A Grade One strain is the least severe. Baldelli indicated the Twins are hopeful that López will be back after a minimal IL stay. He suffered the injury during last night’s appearance in Kansas City. López needed to depart after 4 2/3 innings and 78 pitches. He went for an MRI today which revealed the mild strain. It halts a very strong start to the season. López has allowed six runs (three earned) with 14 strikeouts and two walks over 16 2/3 frames.

This will be the first injured list stint for López since the Twins acquired him from Miami in the swap for Luis Arraez during the 2022-23 offseason. He’s made all 32 starts in each of the past three seasons, in fact. López combined for 379 1/3 innings of 3.87 ERA ball over his first two years in the Twin Cities. He ranked eight in MLB in innings and tied for sixth in starts during that stretch.

The Twins blanked K.C. tonight behind an excellent start from Joe Ryan. They nevertheless have a 4-8 record. Their rotation entered play Wednesday with an MLB-worst 6.26 earned run average. López and Ryan have been excellent, but each of Simeon Woods Richardson, Chris Paddack and Bailey Ober have been hit hard through two starts.

Minnesota hasn’t had the luxury of many early-season off days. Tomorrow will be the halfway point of a stretch of 12 straight game days between April 5-16. Ober will pitch in the series finale with Kansas City. Paddack and Woods Richardson would line up for the first two starts of their weekend set in Detroit. They’ll need someone to step into López’s spot on Sunday.

Zebby Matthews and David Festa are each highly-regarded young pitchers who made their big league debuts last season. Neither player had much success as rookies, but they’re more talented than the sixth and seventh starters for a lot of teams. Matthews, who would be on regular rest for Sunday, has been excellent through his first two turns in Triple-A. He has punched out 13 against one walk while firing 10 innings of two-run ball. Festa has an 8:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio while giving up five earned runs in 8 1/3 frames. If the Twins want to keep both youngsters in the minors, they could reselect swingman Randy Dobnak after running him through outright waivers last week.

The Opener: White Sox, Crochet, Angels

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As the 2025 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. White Sox 40-man move incoming:

It was reported yesterday that the White Sox are calling up top infield prospect Chase Meidroth for his big league debut this weekend. Meidroth, 23, was one of the key prospects the White Sox acquired from Boston in the Garrett Crochet trade. Though not a consensus top-100 talent like headliner Kyle Teel, Meidroth was coming off a .293/.437/.401 slash line at Triple-A with the Red Sox last year and this year is off to an even better start with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate through nine games, as he’s gone 8-for-40 with a double, two stolen bases, and three homers. Before the White Sox can call up Meidroth, however, they’ll need to clear a spot for him on their 40-man roster by designating a player for assignment or transferring someone to the 60-day injured list.

2. Crochet to return to Chicago:

The White Sox are getting their first big league returns from the Crochet trade just as Crochet returns to the south side in a Red Sox uniform. Boston is kicking off a three-game set against the White Sox in Chicago today, with Red Sox southpw Sean Newcomb on the mound opposite White Sox righty Davis Martin. The main event will have to wait for Sunday, however, as that’s the day Crochet takes the mound against his former team, who will send Rule 5 pick Shane Smith to the mound opposite their former ace. Crochet has been brilliant so far for Boston, with a 1.45 ERA through three starts. Sunday’s game is scheduled for 1:10pm local time in Chicago.

3. Angels on a roll:

The Angels have been one of the league’s most surprising success stories early in the season, thanks in large part to a phenomenal start from youngster Kyren Paris. They’ve won each of their first four series to open the 2025 season, and this weekend they’ll go for their fifth straight series win against their division rivals in Houston. The series kicks off today with young righty Jack Kochanowicz (3.89 ERA in 13 career starts) on the mound opposite Ronel Blanco (2.80 ERA in 29 starts last year). On Saturday, southpaw Tyler Anderson (3.81 ERA in 31 starts last year) takes the mound against Astros youngster Ryan Gusto in his first career start for Houston. The series then wraps up with veteran Kyle Hendricks on the mound opposite Hayden Wesneski, the pair of whom were teammates on the Cubs in each of the past three seasons.

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