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Cardinals Sign Zach Plesac To Minor League Deal

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Zach Plesac is back in affiliated ball. The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed the righty to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Memphis. Plesac had spent the past couple months pitching in the Atlantic League for the Long Island Ducks.

Plesac pitched well in the independent ranks. He turned in a 2.84 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate over seven starts. His stuff was sharp enough for the Cardinals to view him as a viable depth starter. Plesac needed to pitch his way back to affiliated ball after a rough 2024 season with the Angels. He only made three MLB starts and was blitzed for 11 runs across 12 innings. Things didn’t go much better in Triple-A, where he allowed a 5.69 ERA through 99 2/3 frames spanning 18 appearances.

It has been a while since Plesac was an effective starter. He was brilliant for Cleveland during the shortened 2020 season, turning in a 2.28 ERA over eight outings. That came against a generally weak slate of lineups with teams playing a limited schedule, though, and the former 12th-round pick wasn’t able to build off it. He owns a 4.86 ERA in 58 MLB appearances since that season.

St. Louis has had the best rotation health of any team this year. They’ve only used six starters. Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante and Erick Fedde have each taken all 12 turns. Steven Matz briefly joined the group when they used a six-man rotation to navigate a busy part of the schedule. He started twice and is now back in the bullpen.

They have another hectic stretch coming up, as they only have one off day (on June 16) for the remainder of the month. That could lead them to go back to a six-man rotation. Liberatore also left yesterday’s outing a little early with general fatigue, though there’s no indication it’ll impact his ability to make his next start. John Denton of MLB.com suggested this week that pitching prospect Michael McGreevy could be recalled as soon as this Sunday to fill out the staff — presumably with Matz staying in the bullpen. If that’s how things play out, Plesac can backfill the Triple-A rotation.

Ryan Mountcastle To Miss 8-12 Weeks

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The Orioles will be without first baseman Ryan Mountcastle for 8-12 weeks after imaging revealed a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring, interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jake Rill). Baltimore placed him on the 10-day injured list and recalled Coby Mayo last week. Mountcastle’s injury is significant enough that he’ll eventually be moved to the 60-day IL when the team needs to create a 40-man roster spot.

A Grade 2 strain is viewed of “moderate” severity and involves a partial muscle tear. It’s the biggest blow in what has been a frustrating season for the 28-year-old infielder. Mountcastle has hit .246/.280/.348 with only two home runs across 200 plate appearances. Those would be career-worst numbers across the board. Mountcastle has been a slightly better than average hitter for most of his five-year MLB career. Last season’s .271/.308/.425 showing is more representative of his overall body of work.

This very likely takes him off the board as a trade candidate. Even a return at the short end of the timeline would be after the July 31 deadline. Injured players can be traded, but Baltimore would be hard-pressed to find interest between the rough first couple months and the extended absence. Mountcastle is playing on a $6.787MM salary and will surpass the five-year service threshold. He’ll be eligible for arbitration once more next winter, but a projected $7MM+ sum figures to make him a non-tender candidate. That’d be particularly true if the recovery carries towards the back end of the timeline and keeps him out into September.

Ryan O’Hearn has outperformed Mountcastle this season and had already taken the first base job. Mayo has been playing regularly between first base and designated hitter for the past week. The O’s activated Ramón Laureano from the injured list this afternoon. He’s in tonight at DH against A’s lefty JP Sears. Baltimore should also welcome Jordan Westburg and Gary Sánchez back relatively soon. Both players are on rehab stints at Triple-A Norfolk.

Astros, Cooper Hummel Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Astros are bringing back outfielder/first baseman Cooper Hummel on a minor league deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The Gaeta Sports Management client will head to Triple-A Sugar Land after electing free agency from the Orioles yesterday.

Hummel spent most of the 2024 season in the Houston organization. The Astros grabbed him off waivers from the Giants in early April. They quickly outrighted him off the roster but would later reselect his contract. Hummel didn’t get much MLB action, appearing in six games and going 0-8 with two strikeouts. He hit well in the minors, though, running a .277/.419/.454 slash line across 442 trips to the plate. He walked at a massive 17.9% clip while hitting 10 homers and stealing 15 bases.

The switch-hitting Hummel remained on the roster throughout the winter and Spring Training. He’s out of options and the Astros decided not to have him break camp. They had no choice but to place him on waivers as a result. Hummel signed a minor league deal with the Yankees and was limited to 10 Triple-A games by injury. He went on to sign a pair of MLB contracts with the Orioles but was only on the active roster for a combined four days and took one at-bat.

Hummel figures to have a little more stability in a familiar setting in Sugar Land. This is the second reunion signing in as many days for the Astros. They brought back veteran catcher Omar Narváez, who finished last year with their Triple-A team, on a minor league deal last night.

Dodgers Re-Sign Chris Stratton

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The Dodgers announced that they’ve re-signed veteran reliever Chris Stratton to a major league deal. He had been designated for assignment on Monday. Stratton went unclaimed on waivers, elected free agency, and immediately returned on a fresh contract. Fellow righty Ryan Loutos was designated for assignment to open space on the active and 40-man rosters. Additionally, catcher Chuckie Robinson went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City after being DFA on Tuesday, according to the MLB.com transaction log.

Stratton’s first stint as a Dodger lasted a week. He signed an MLB deal on May 25 and was DFA on June 2. He made two intervening appearances, giving up two runs while striking out five over three innings. Stratton had been released by Kansas City midway through May after allowing an earned run average approaching 8.00 across 17 appearances. That followed up a rough first year with the Royals, as Stratton posted a 5.55 ERA across 58 1/3 frames last year.

The 34-year-old owns a 6.09 ERA in 71 outings over the past two seasons. He’d been a capable middle reliever for the few years before that. Stratton worked 82 2/3 innings of 3.92 ball between the Cardinals and Rangers two seasons ago. His velocity has tapered off since then. Stratton averaged north of 93 MPH on his fastball a couple years back but is down to 91 this season.

He’ll return as a fresh arm in the middle innings who doesn’t cost the Dodgers anything financially. The Royals are on the hook for what remains of his $4.5MM salary. Los Angeles only pays him the prorated portion of the $760K minimum for whatever time he spends in the big leagues — the same amount they’d have paid Loutos.

Loutos, 26, landed with the Dodgers via DFA trade with St. Louis in early May. He has spent the majority of the past month in Triple-A, only twice appearing in the big leagues. Loutos gave up three runs in two innings to the Mets in mop-up work on Wednesday. He has allowed five runs in 5 1/3 major league innings. He has posted a 2.41 ERA over 18 2/3 Triple-A frames this year.

Robinson was dropped from the 40-man roster this week when the Dodgers signed José Ureña. They had just claimed him from the Angels. The 30-year-old catcher has a previous career outright, so he can either report to OKC or elect free agency and seek out other opportunities.

Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reported that Stratton was re-signing. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was first on the Loutos DFA.

Guardians Select Dom Nuñez

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The Guardians announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Dom Nuñez. Fellow backstop Austin Hedges has been placed on the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Right-hander Andrew Walters has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt spoke on the Hedges situation today, with video relayed by Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. Vogt says that Hedges was hit in the head by a backswing from Jazz Chisholm Jr. on Wednesday night (video of the incident from MLB.com). Vogt says that Hedges was experiencing some “low-level concussion symptoms” yesterday which have not gone away. Vogt adds that the club wants to be cautious due to previous concussions suffered by Hedges. According to his MLB.com transaction tracker, Hedges has previously gone on the IL for a concussion in 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Concussions tend to get more dangerous with each subsequent incident, so the caution is understandable.

Hedges has been backing up Bo Naylor at the catcher position this year but Nuñez will now tag in and take over that job while Hedges recovers. Calling up Nuñez was necessary because the Guards previously had just Hedges and Naylor as the two catchers on their 40-man roster. David Fry has catching experience but is limited to designated hitter duties this year due to undergoing elbow surgery in November.

The 30-year-old Nuñez signed a minor league deal with the Guards in the offseason. He has been playing at the Triple-A level since then, putting up a line of .136/.266/.369 in 32 games. That’s not a pretty slash but it’s held back by a .131 batting average on balls in play. Nuñez has six home runs and has been drawing walks at a 13.6% clip, though he’s also been striking out 30.4% of the time.

His major league track record consists of 111 games with the Rockies over the 2019-22 period. He hit just .180/.280/.373 in that time but generally received solid marks for his defense. Nuñez still has one option remaining and could be easily sent back down to Triple-A when Hedges gets healthy.

As for Walters, he landed on the 15-day IL a week ago due to a lat strain. His current status is unclear but it appears that the Guardians don’t expect him back anytime soon. With this transfer, he can’t be reinstated until 60 days from his initial IL placement, which means late July.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Athletics Designate Drew Avans For Assignment

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The Athletics announced that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Seth Brown, a move that was previously reported. They also recalled catcher Jhonny Pereda. Catcher Shea Langeliers has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique and outfielder Drew Avans has been designated for assignment.

Avans, 29 next week, was added to the roster just over a week ago. His first taste of the major leagues didn’t go especially well. He got into seven games and made 15 plate appearances. He recorded two hits, both singles, with five strikeouts and no walks.

That’s obviously a tiny sample and not much to go on but the A’s probably never envisioned a large role for Avans regardless. He’s never been a highly-touted prospect and only just made it the majors ahead of his 29th birthday. He’ll now head into DFA limbo for a week at most. Since the waiver process takes 48 hours, the A’s could take five days to explore trade interest.

He has generally been a solid Triple-A performer, with a .275/.374/.408 line and 103 wRC+ dating back to the start of the 2021 season. He usually steals 20 to 40 bases annually and can play all three outfield positions.

As for Langeliers, it’s unclear how long he is expected to be out but his IL placement isn’t a surprise. He departed yesterday’s game with a “left flank injury” and was sent for an MRI. Langeliers was previously taking the bulk of the playing time behind the plate with Willie MacIver as the backup. Pereda is up to replace Langeliers but it’s unclear how the club plans to divide the playing time now. It’s also unclear if they have any designs on moving Tyler Soderstrom back behind the plate to cover for Langeliers. Soderstrom was once a catching prospect but has mostly been playing first base in the majors.

Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images

Phillies Recall Alan Rangel For MLB Debut

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Alan Rangel has been recalled to the big league roster. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Fellow righty Seth Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley as the corresponding move.

Rangel, 27, has actually been in the big leagues before. He was on Atlanta’s roster during the 2022 season but on optional assignment for most of it. They recalled him late in September but optioned him back to the minors three days later without getting him into a game. He was non-tendered after that season and has been stuck in the minors since then.

The Phillies signed him to a minor league deal last summer and evidently liked what they saw. They added him to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from qualifying for minor league free agency. He has been in good form this year, having tossed 57 1/3 innings over 12 Triple-A starts. The 5.02 earned run average doesn’t look too exciting but his 25.4% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate are both good numbers. The ERA has seemingly been inflated by a .325 batting average on balls in play and 16.2% home to flyball ratio.

Philadelphia is doing a bullpen game tonight, with Aaron Nola on the injured list and Zack Wheeler on the paternity list. Joe Ross will technically be the starter, though he’s been in the bullpen this year and likely can’t go more than two innings. Taijuan Walker was stretched out earlier in the year but has only thrown one inning in the past week. Rangel gives the club a fresh arm capable of covering multiple innings.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Poll: Which Contender Should Be Most Aggressive On The Rotation Market?

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Trade season is fast approaching, and teams have mostly begun to start sorting themselves between the contenders and pretenders. At almost every trade deadline, there’s one need that teams prioritize filling than any other: starting pitching. There’s no such thing as too many starters, and that’s become even more true in recent years as pitching injuries have skyrocketed. Plenty of teams will want to add an impact arm (or at least some depth) to their rotation this summer, but which need help the most ahead of the stretch run? Here’s a look at some of the league’s top contenders:

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have fought their way back into the AL Wild Card conversation recently, and they’ve done so despite a bottom-five rotation in baseball by ERA. Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt are both solid veterans who can be trusted to start a playoff game, and Jose Berrios is getting good results despite worrisome peripherals for the second year in a row. After that trio, however, things start to look dire. Bowden Francis has been one of the worst qualified starters in baseball this year,  and the team has no defined fifth starter at all for the moment.

Spencer Turnbull is coming to help out sooner or later, but relying on a pitcher who last made even 20 appearances back in 2019 to help turn things around is risky. Alek Manoah and Max Scherzer could both contribute at some point in theory, but they’ve similarly dealt with injuries that have made them major question marks in recent years. For Toronto, one could argue that the question is less about whether or not they need another starter, but whether or not they’ll remain firmly enough in contention to justify the expense come July.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs enter play today with the best record in the NL, and with Kyle Tucker set to reach free agency in November, there’s little question they’ll be buyers this summer. A stacked lineup that features few obvious holes makes pitching the most sensible place for them to look for upgrades, and it’s not hard to argue for starting pitching as the best choice when looking for upgrades. Cubs’ starters have combined for a 3.99 ERA this year, good for 19th in baseball. That’s below average in the league overall despite players like Matthew Boyd (3.01 ERA) and Colin Rea (3.59 ERA) pitching better than anyone would’ve assumed preseason.

Justin Steele is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his UCL, and he’s joined on the IL by co-ace Shota Imanaga while the veteran works his way back from a hamstring strain. Imanaga is expected back at some point this month, but with depth options like Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, and Brandon Birdsell all also on the injured list, Ben Brown (5.72 ERA) struggling badly this season, and top prospect Cade Horton likely operating on an innings limit, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs not doing something to address their rotation this summer.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers, at least on paper, have more rotation arms than they know what to do with. The reality of their situation is much different, however, as the vast majority of those pitchers are presently on the injured list. In conjunction with disappointing performances from players like Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and Clayton Kershaw, those injuries have left the Dodgers with a 4.35 rotation ERA and the fifth-weakest starting staff in the NL this year. Their two-game lead on the Padres and three-game lead on the Giants in the NL West aren’t nearly as comfortable as they would surely like, and with a stacked lineup that has few obvious holes, that could make starting pitching the most obvious area for them to upgrade this summer.

On the other hand, it’s possible L.A. could simply rely on internal improvements as players get healthier. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is in the NL Cy Young conversation this year, and Dustin May has looked like a capable arm for the middle-to-back of the rotation. Glasnow, Sasaki, and Blake Snell are all expected back at some point or other this year, and Shohei Ohtani is of course working his way back to the big league mound. For a club that managed to win a World Series with a patchwork rotation just last year, perhaps that’s enough to feel comfortable standing pat this summer. Even so, at least another depth arm or two couldn’t hurt.

Cleveland Guardians

Long renowned for their excellent starting pitching development, the Guardians were one of several playoff teams last year who limped into October with major question marks in the rotation. With a 4.07 ERA and 4.55 FIP out of the rotation this year, they look to be at risk of doing so once again. Luis Ortiz looks like a solid mid-rotation arm, but Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams have both seen their peripherals take a nosedive this year despite solid enough results. Cleveland recently lost Ben Lively for the season to Tommy John surgery as well, creating another hole in their rotation mix.

Perhaps an internal option like right-hander Zak Kent can be a surprise contributor, and Shane Bieber’s eventual return from the injured list could provide a big boost so long as he can shake off the rust from a long layoff. That could make an outfield in need of upgrades a more pressing issue but it’s hard to imagine the rotation not being an area worth upgrading this summer. That’s especially true given that the bullpen that helped carry Cleveland to October last year has looked more “good” than “superhuman” in 2025.

Other Teams In Need

These four aren’t the only teams who could use some pitching help this summer. The Red Sox and Diamondbacks have both struggled to get results from their rotation, but have a deep group of arms in-house already and are far enough out of contention at this point that they may end up selling. That latter point is also true of the Braves, whose pitching situation looks more worrisome than ever after Spencer Strider has struggled in his return from surgery and AJ Smith-Shawver was lost for the year. The Yankees and Twins have pitched extremely well this season, but it would be understandable for either team to look for upgrades given the significant blow losing Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and Pablo Lopez (Grade 2 Lat Strain) dealt to each respective rotation. The Cardinals have gotten middling results from their rotation but have a bigger need in the outfield. The outfield also seems likely to be a bigger priority for the Astros, who have gotten great results from Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez but are currently relying on a patchwork at the back of their rotation while players like Cristian Javier and Spencer Arrighetti heal up on the injured list. Like the Astros, the Padres are currently running a top-heavy rotation a handful of question marks.

Which team do you think ought to be the most aggressive in pursuing starting pitching this summer? Have your say in the poll below:

Tigers Designate Akil Baddoo For Assignment

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The Tigers announced that they have designated outfielder Akil Baddoo for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man move for the club to select Jahmai Jones, a move that was reported earlier today.

It’s the second time in the past year that the Tigers have designated Baddoo for assignment. The first came in December, with Baddoo getting passed through waivers unclaimed at that time. He was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo came into 2025 as non-roster depth and performed well enough in Triple-A to get called back up in mid-May. But he hit .118/.167/.176 in seven big league games and got optioned back down to Toledo a couple of weeks ago.

He’s now been bumped off the roster again and will likely head to the waiver wire for a second time. A player with a previous career outright has the right to elect free agency. That means that the chances of Baddoo departing the organization are far higher now compared to December. If he is claimed, he’s obviously gone. If he’s not claimed, he could be gone in that scenario as well.

He has always performed well in the minors but his major league track record is more mixed. The Tigers took him from the Twins in the Rule 5 draft heading into 2021 and Baddoo went on to have a nice season, slashing .259/.330/.436 for a 108 wRC+ while also stealing 18 bases. But his big league time since then has resulted in a .201/.288/.323 line and 74 wRC+.

He still produces on the farm, with a .250/.351/.433 line and 111 wRC+ in that 2022-25 window when he hasn’t been hitting in the majors. Given his speed, defensive acumen and remaining option year, it’s possible he finds interest elsewhere. DFA limbo can last as long as a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, meaning the Tigers could explore trade interest for as long as five days.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images.

Rockies Release Jacob Stallings

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The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today. Infielder Ryan Ritter has been selected to the roster, catcher Braxton Fulford has been recalled and right-hander Zach Agnos has been reinstated from the bereavement list. Right-hander Angel Chivilli was optioned after yesterday’s game. To open two more spots, the club has placed shortstop Ezequiel Tovar on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain, retroactive to June 3rd, while catcher Jacob Stallings has been unconditionally released.

Stallings, 35, had a solid season for the Rockies last year but he’s been dreadful this year. Going into 2024, he signed a $2MM deal and went on to hit .263/.357/.453 for a 114 wRC+ in 82 games for Colorado. The defensive reviews were mixed but the Rockies clearly liked him, as it was reported in September of last year that they wanted to bring him back. The two sides eventually reunited on a one-year deal for 2025 with a $2.5MM guarantee, in the form of a $2MM salary and $500K buyout on a $2MM mutual option for 2026.

Unfortunately, his performance has dropped off significantly so far this year. Through 93 plate appearances, he has a .143/.217/.179 line. A drop from last year’s .324 batting average on balls in play to this year’s .226 doesn’t help but that’s not the only thing going on here. He has struck out in a third of his plate appearances, a huge jump from last year’s 23.1% clip. His walk rate has dropped from last year’s 9.6% pace to this year’s 5.4%.

While Stallings has been doing that, Hunter Goodman has been taking over the catcher position. Goodman has ten home runs in 241 plate appearances, helping him produce a .281/.328/.491 line and 114 wRC+. His defensive marks aren’t great but it’s understandable that the Rockies have leaned towards that stronger offensive output. Fulford has been playing well in the minors so he’ll get to come up and join the big league catching ranks, while Stallings has been let go.

Once Stallings clears release waivers, he’ll be able to sign with any club. The Rockies will remain on the hook for the remainder of his salary. If any other club gives him a spot, they would only have to pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster.

It’s unclear how long Tovar will be out of action but oblique strains can be difficult, with minor strains sometimes taking weeks or months to recover from. That opens the shortstop position and Thomas Harding of MLB.com suggests that Ritter should get regular playing time, though Orlando Arcia, Tyler Freeman and Kyle Farmer all have some experience at the position.

Ritter, 24, was a fourth-round selection of the Rockies in the 2022 draft. He has since climbed the minor league ladder and is having a good season in Triple-A. He has a .305/.413/.635 line and 149 wRC+ in 52 games for the Isotopes. He already has 16 home runs while drawing walks at a 13.9% clip and keeping his strikeouts down to a 20.4% rate.

Prospect evaluators have often worried about his chase tendencies but he has continued to lower his strikeout rate. He was punched out 29% of the time in 2023 but got that down to 23.6% last year and he’s dropped it even more this year. His defensive reviews are mixed but he’s capable of swiping 20 bags annually. Baseball America now lists him as the #4 prospect in the club’s system.

Even the best prospects can sometimes flounder when first reaching the majors, so time will tell how Ritter handles the jump. If he doesn’t succeed right away, he could be optioned back down to Albuquerque when Tovar is healthy. If he succeeds, he has played some second base in the minors and could perhaps kick over to the other side of the bag, depending on how Thairo Estrada is performing.

Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images

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