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The Opener: Greene, Doubleheader, Dodgers, Diamondbacks

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

1. Greene to undergo MRI:

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene departed yesterday’s win over Atlanta after just three scoreless frames due to a groin issue. According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Greene is set to undergo an MRI this morning before Reds brass decide how to proceed. Although both team officials and Greene himself expressed some optimism about the right-hander’s condition, a trip to the injured list is always at least on the table when a player heads for imaging of this nature.

The 25-year-old Greene has dominated to the tune of a 2.36 ERA and 3.07 FIP in eight starts this year, and losing him for any period would be a hit to the team’s standing in a tightly contested NL Central. If Greene were to require time on the shelf, Chase Petty seems like the best fill-in option on the 40-man roster. Veteran southpaw Wade Miley could be an option eventually, but he’s yet to resume his rehab assignment after pausing due groin injury two weeks ago.

2. Doubleheader in Colorado:

Tuesday’s postponed game between the Rockies and Tigers will be made up today alongside the teams’ previously scheduled game at Coors Field. Game 1 will begin at 1:10pm local time, with Game 2 following 30 minutes after the end of Game 2. Only tickets for the regularly scheduled game for today will be valid for today’s doubleheader, as noted by Manny Randhawa of MLB.com, and fans will not be required to exit the ballpark between the two games. Game 1 is set to be started by Detroit righty Casey Mize, who has a sparkling 2.70 ERA through six starts this year, and Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland, who has a 5.70 ERA through seven starts in his ninth year with the club. The Tigers haven’t announced a starter for Game 2, but Colorado will turn to southpaw Tanner Gordon in what will be his season debut and just his ninth MLB appearance. The 27-year-old Gordon has a 4.82 ERA and 22-to-6 K/BB ratio in 28 innings in Triple-A this year.

3. Series Preview: Dodgers @ Diamondbacks

A rumble between two of the NL West’s top teams is set to begin in Arizona today when the Dodgers and ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0.90 ERA in seven starts) take the field against the Diamondbacks and young righty Brandon Pfaadt (3.79 ERA in seven starts). The Dodgers sit atop the NL West with a 25-12 record after winning each of their last four series, while the Diamondbacks have lost six straight series and are struggling to keep their heads above water with a 19-18 record. That’s dropped Arizona six games back of the Dodgers for the NL West lead. They’re 3.5 games back of both the Padres and Giants, who are in a second-place tie.

A big series against the top dogs in the division could be just what Arizona needs to get back into the thick of the division race alongside San Diego and San Francisco. The D-backs will square off against Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki (3.86 ERA in seven starts), Dustin May (4.36 ERA in six starts), and a yet-to-be-announced starter Sunday. They’ll counter that group with Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez (5.92 ERA in seven starts), Corbin Burnes (3.58 ERA in six starts) and Zac Gallen (4.37 ERA in eight starts), respectively.

Read The Transcript Of Nicklaus Gaut’s Fantasy Baseball Chat

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

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MLB Mailbag: Red Sox, Alcantara, Cubs, Nats, Tigers, Mets, Jays

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This week's mailbag gets into the first base situation in Boston, Sandy Alcantara's rough start, options for the Cubs at third, lefty reliever possibilities for the Mets, and much more.

Clarke asks:

Surely the Gonzalez/Toro tandem is not the answer at first base for the Red Sox and Cora says Devers isn't moving out of DH. They are thin in the minors at 1B. Your poll yesterday showed pretty even opinions (inside and outside organization) for solutions. What say you? External options?

Cornelius asks:

Isn’t the only reasonable path for Anthony is moving Devers off DH (1st base) and using the DH for the 4th outfielders (Anthony, Abreu, Duran, and Rafaela)?

Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic noted, "Before Tuesday’s game, [Red Sox manager Alex] Cora said that he’s had no discussions with Rafael Devers about moving to first base. Devers has been asked by the media to discuss the matter, but so far he has declined to talk."

At the risk of sounding like a talk radio guy, this is the big leagues, and Devers should step up and volunteer to learn first base immediately.  The Red Sox have a 45% chance at the playoffs right now, and making suboptimal choices or waiting too long could cause them to fall short.  For the second time this year, the Red Sox seem to be scared of offending Devers by mandating he do what's best for the team.  As of this writing, the Red Sox haven't even had the first base discussion with Devers!

Clearly, Devers does not take position changes lightly.  From Boston's perspective, I get treading carefully with a star player who is signed through 2033.  But Devers learning first base is better than putting it on a 20-year-old prospect like Roman Anthony.  Anthony has little left to learn in Triple-A and can easily join an outfield/DH rotation in Boston.  Opening up DH also works as a way of getting Masataka Yoshida's bat into the lineup sooner.

You've seen the speculation on external options.  Chris Cotillo of MassLive had a reasonable list, naming guys like Anthony Rizzo and Jon Singleton.  The Red Sox can also look at trading for older players who are mashing at Triple-A and haven't really gotten a shot in the Majors yet, like Otto Kemp, Tim Elko, or Matt Lloyd.  Who else might make sense?

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MLBTR Podcast: Replacing Triston Casas, A Shakeup In Texas, And The Blue Jays’ Rotation

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

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

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What does the trade deadline look like for the Orioles if they’re out of contention? (37:10)
  • Can the Tigers extend Tarik Skubal and what does his contract look like? (45:05)
  • Who are some fun under-the-radar contributors this year? (51:05)

Check out our past episodes!

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

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

The Astros’ Second Ace

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The last time that Hunter Brown was tagged on MLBTR's pages was almost one year ago. Brown had just thrown a five-inning relief appearance after Cristian Javier failed to advance past the second inning. Houston had been running a six-man rotation and was potentially considering dropping Brown to the bullpen or to Triple-A, as he'd allowed 26 runs over 23 innings through the end of April.

A lot can change in a year.

Brown struck out seven while allowing just one run in that May 11 relief outing. His return to the rotation six days later didn't go well, as he gave up four runs in five innings against Milwaukee. After that, Brown reeled off eight consecutive quality starts. He allowed more than three runs in just three of his final 22 appearances. He'd made it through six innings in just one of his first eight starts. He failed to complete six innings only three times from the middle of May onwards.

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Angels Outright Touki Toussaint

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The Angels announced that Touki Toussaint cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. He was designated for assignment yesterday when the club called up Héctor Neris and Connor Brogdon. While Toussaint has the right to decline the assignment in favor of free agency, the team did not indicate he planned to do so.

It was a brief big league stint for the 28-year-old righty. The Angels selected his contract on Saturday. He pitched the following day, allowing two runs in as many innings with a trio of strikeouts and one walk. It was Toussaint’s second stint with the Halos. He allowed a 4.62 ERA in 25 1/3 innings for them three years ago.

A former first-round pick by Arizona, Toussaint has pitched in parts of eight big league seasons as a swingman. He owns a 5.42 ERA in 282 1/3 MLB frames. He has recorded a roughly average 23.1% strikeout rate while walking more than 14% of opposing hitters. Toussaint has allowed 4.84 earned runs per nine over parts of seven seasons in Triple-A. He’s worked in long relief this year with Salt Lake, walking 14 of 96 batters faced with a 5.32 ERA.

The Angels have cycled through middle relievers as their bullpen has struggled to the worst results in the league. Entering play Wednesday, only Washington had a higher bullpen ERA than the Angels’ 6.95 mark. They’ve given up an MLB-leading 24 home runs. The Angels don’t have a single reliever who has logged a sub-4.00 earned run average.

Orioles Acquire Luis F. Castillo From Mariners

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The Mariners announced that they’ve traded righty Luis F. Castillo to Baltimore for cash. Seattle had designated him for assignment yesterday as the corresponding move for the Leody Taveras waiver claim. Baltimore optioned Castillo to Triple-A Norfolk and designated lefty Walter Pennington for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot.

Castillo, the now-former teammate of the Seattle All-Star starter of the same name, has five major league appearances under his belt. He signed a minor league deal over the offseason and was selected onto the big league roster in early April. Castillo took a pair of turns through the rotation. He surrendered seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits and seven walks across seven innings. He struck out five.

Those were Castillo’s first two major league starts. His previous big league experience consisted of a trio of relief outings for the Tigers in 2022. Castillo spent the next two seasons in Japan. He didn’t miss many bats but managed a 2.96 ERA over 94 1/3 innings for the Orix Buffaloes a year ago. The 30-year-old has made four starts for Seattle’s top farm team in Tacoma. He has managed a 12:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio while surrendering eight runs through 14 1/3 frames.

Castillo sits in the 91-92 MPH range with both his four-seam fastball and sinker. There’s not much swing-and-miss upside but he has a full slate of minor league options. He’ll join Brandon Young and Chayce McDermott as depth starters who are on optional assignment to Norfolk.

Pennington, 27, heads back into DFA limbo for the second time in as many weeks. He was designated for assignment and released by the Rangers at the end of April. Baltimore grabbed him off release waivers. He made one appearance apiece at High-A Aberdeen and with Norfolk. Pennington hasn’t been able to find the strike zone, walking six of 10 batters faced while allowing seven runs (five earned) in one combined inning.

Initially drafted by the Royals, Pennington was traded to Texas last summer in the Michael Lorenzen deadline deal. He’s only a season removed from posting a 2.13 ERA with a 32.2% strikeout rate over 63 1/3 Triple-A innings. Pennington had been pitching at the Rangers’ complex before they moved on, and his pair of appearances with Baltimore affiliates were clearly alarming. He’ll likely wind up back on waivers in the next few days. If he goes unclaimed, he would not have the requisite service time to decline an outright assignment.

Royals Sign Stephen Nogosek To Minor League Contract

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The Royals added reliever Stephen Nogosek on a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Omaha. The move was announced by the affiliate.

Nogosek, 30, signs out of the Mexican League. He’d made 10 appearances for the Diablos Rojos. The surface numbers aren’t all that impressive. The righty gave up 10 runs (six earned) on 12 hits over nine innings. He struck out 13 while issuing only two walks, though, and the run prevention isn’t as dire in the league context. The average Mexican League hitter owns a .294/.371/.460 batting line, while the league’s earned run average sits at 5.75.

An Oregon product, Nogosek was drafted by the Red Sox and traded to the Mets as a prospect. He made 33 appearances for New York over parts of four seasons. He owns a 5.02 ERA across 57 1/3 big league innings. His 22% strikeout percentage and 8.9% walk rate were serviceable numbers for a middle reliever, but he allowed far too many home runs.

Nogosek had a brief stint in Triple-A with Washington last year. He was released in May after a disastrous 11-game showing. Nogosek gave up 18 runs while walking 18 hitters in only 15 2/3 frames. That required stints in Mexico and the independent Atlantic League to find his way back to affiliated ball.

Kris Bryant To Undergo Ablation Procedure On Back

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Kris Bryant is headed for an ablation procedure on his lower back tomorrow, Rockies manager Bud Black tells reporters (including Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post). The skipper called it “a minimally invasive procedure” and expressed optimism that Bryant could resume baseball activities within a few days.

It’s nevertheless the latest frustration as Bryant tries to manage his persistent back pain. He has been out since April 14 with what the team called lumbar degenerative disc disease. It’s the ninth injured list placement of the former MVP’s three-plus seasons in Colorado. Six of them have been related to his back and/or side. Bryant also battled left foot issues early in his Rox tenure and fractured a finger in 2023.

Bryant owns a .244/.324/.370 slash line over 170 games in a Colorado uniform. The Rockies used him exclusively at designated hitter early this season to reduce his workload. He hit .154 with two extra-base hits (both doubles) in 11 games. This is the fourth season of his seven-year, $182MM free agent deal. Bryant unsurprisingly made clear last month that he’s not thinking about retirement.

Black provided a few other injury updates this evening (via Thomas Harding of MLB.com). Infielders Ezequiel Tovar and Thairo Estrada are ramping up baseball activities, while starter Austin Gomber has pushed his long toss regimen to 90 feet. It’s most relevant regarding Gomber, who has been out all season with shoulder inflammation. He opened the season on a rehab assignment but suffered a setback that necessitated a move to the 60-day IL last month. Gomber received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is back throwing, though he’s still a ways off another rehab stint.

Orioles To Sign Naykel Cruz

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The Orioles have agreed to a deal with Cuban left-hander Naykel Cruz, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The contract is pending a physical. Cruz is expected to report to High-A or Double-A once the signing is official, Romero adds.

The 25-year-old Cruz held a showcase for big league teams back in November. He pitched in parts of four seasons in the Cuban National Series — Cuba’s top professional league — and was a member of Team Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (though he only pitched two-thirds of an inning in that tournament). The southpaw has also briefly appeared in the Mexican League, pitching in seven games back in the 2022 season.

During his four seasons in Cuba’s top league, Cruz posted a 4.18 ERA with shaky strikeout and walk rates of 19.1% and 15.4%, respectively. Prior to that offseason showcase, Romero wrote that Cruz had bumped his velocity from the 91-92 mph he averaged during his days pitching in the CNS to 94-95 mph.

Cruz’s age and previous experience in CNS make him eligible to sign as a professional rather than an amateur. That doesn’t mean he’s required to sign a major league deal, however. In all likelihood, he’s signing a minor league pact for a yet-unknown bonus.

By all accounts, Cruz isn’t an especially high-profile prospect, though that hardly means he can’t contribute at the big league level. Plenty of players who signed as international prospects and received middling bonuses have developed into major leaguers. Given his age, prior experience, the fact that he was eligible to sign as a professional and the fact that he could potentially go right to Double-A, Cruz is a bit more notable than many shot-in-the-dark international signings. It’s hardly likely that he pitches for the Orioles later this season, but it’s also not entirely out of the realm of possibility, especially given the state of Baltimore’s pitching staff at the moment.

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