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Jake Woodford Opts Out Of Cubs Deal

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Right-hander Jake Woodford triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Cubs and has been granted his release, MLBTR has learned. He’s once again a free agent and can explore opportunities with any team.

Woodford, 28, has split the regular season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Yankees and Cubs. He’s opted out of both contracts, as neither club has given him a look in the majors prior to agreed-upon out dates. Woodford posted nearly identical numbers with the two teams and worked to a combined 4.55 ERA with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground-ball rate through 61 1/3 innings (10 starts, four long relief outings). He’s been particularly sharp in his two most recent outings, logging a combined 12 innings with four runs (3.00 ERA) and a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Woodford’s most recent appearance saw him toss 97 pitches, so he’s fully built up to a starter’s workload.

The No. 39 overall pick by the Cardinals back in the 2015 draft, Woodford has pitched in each of the past five major league seasons. Nearly all of his experience has come with St. Louis, though he did suit up for both the White Sox and Pirates in 2024. He’s pitched 219 2/3 big league innings and has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground-ball rate in that time.

Clubs in need of rotation depth or some length in the bullpen could take a look at the increasingly well-traveled right-hander as they wait for the summer trade market to commence in full force later this month. In 468 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, Woodford has a 4.07 ERA.

The Opener: Profar, Kershaw, Doubleheaders

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

1. Profar returns from suspension:

Jurickson Profar played in just four games with the Braves before being hit with an 80-game PED suspension, which is set to expire today. The switch-hitting outfielder signed a three-year, $42MM deal in free agency but has thus far been a non-factor. His last performance of any real substance was the 2024 season where he slashed .280/.380/.459 with credible peripherals in 158 games for the Padres. The PED suspension could call some of that breakout into question, but Atlanta is surely hoping that he’s still the same player they thought he was when they gave him that three-year deal over the offseason. The Braves, currently 38-46, have fallen below the Marlins in the NL East standings. They’re 7.5 games out of a playoff spot and recently lost ace Chris Sale for the foreseeable future. Can Profar provide a spark?

2. Kershaw on the cusp of 3,000 Ks:

Three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw is knocking on history’s door. The southpaw currently sits at 2,997 strikeouts for his career, leaving him just three away from becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000. Kershaw isn’t missing bats like he did in his prime — his 18.6% strikeout rate is several percentage points shy of league average — but he still boasts a 3.03 ERA in 38 2/3 innings of work this year. He’s very likely to reach this illustrious milestone in front of the home crowd at Dodger Stadium tonight when he takes the mound opposite the White Sox at 7:10pm local time.

3. Doubleheaders galore:

Three games were postponed due to inclement weather yesterday, and all three are set to be made up for today as part of split-admission doubleheaders. Fans with tickets to the game between the Padres and Phillies that was postponed yesterday can use their tickets to attend Game 2 at 6:15pm local time in Philadelphia. Fans with paid tickets to the Mets’ postponed game against the Brewers will be able to use them for Game 1 at 1:10pm local time in New York. Fans with tickets to the Nationals’ postponed game against the Tigers can use their tickets to attend Game 1 at 1:05pm local time in the nation’s capital. You can click the following links for more information on the postponed games between the Padres and Phillies, the Mets and Brewers, and the Nationals/Tigers courtesy of MLB.com, including information on potential refunds or ticket exchanges.

Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

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The Giants have exercised their 2026 club option on manager Bob Melvin, per a team announcement. He’d previously been in the final guaranteed season of his contract.

“Having the chance to work alongside Bob every day, we’re really fortunate to have such an experienced leader and one of the most well-respected managers in baseball,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement within today’s press release announcing the move. “His leadership, preparation, and connection with our players have been invaluable, and we believe he’s the right person to continue to guide this team forward.”

Melvin, 63, is in his second season as the Giants’ skipper after a two-year stay in San Diego and a length 11-year run as the Athletics’ manager. He’d previously managed the D-backs and Mariners as well. Melvin’s first season in San Francisco resulted in a disappointing 80-82 showing that saw ownership move on from now-former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and replace him with Posey.

Posey wasn’t the one to originally hire Melvin — at least not directly, although Posey was a minority owner prior to overtaking baseball ops — but his work with three-time Manager of the Year (once with the D-backs, twice with the A’s) was enough to convince him that Melvin is the right person for the job.

Thus far in 2025, the Giants sit five games over .500, at 45-40. That leaves them a game and a half back in the Wild Card standings but a hefty eight games out of first place in the stacked National League West. San Francisco has struggled through a dry spell recently, as the offense has gone cold and resulted in the Giants dropping 11 of their past 15 games. Melvin’s club started the season 19-12 through the end of April but has gone 26-28 since, posting matching 13-14 records in both May and June.

Recent struggles notwithstanding, Melvin will get the chance to see things through in 2025 and return to manage the club in 2026, when Posey’s vision for the team has taken more hold. The Giants, under Posey, have signed Willy Adames and swung a stunning June blockbuster for Rafael Devers. Matt Chapman’s six-year extension came when Zaidi was still president, but Posey reportedly played a significant role in pushing that deal across the line after talks had slowed. With Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores up for free agency at season’s end, the 2026 season could see further changes to the core of position players at Oracle Park.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this group,” Melvin said within today’s press release. “I believe in what we’re building here, and I appreciate the confidence that the Giants ownership group, Greg [Johnson], Buster, Larry [Baer], Zack [Minasian] and the rest of the Giants’ organization have shown in me and our staff. We have a lot of unfinished business this year, and I’m looking forward to the work ahead.”

Melvin currently holds a 1642-1547 record (.515) in 22 seasons as a major league manager across the five aforementioned teams. He’s eight wins behind Mike Scioscia for 20th-most in MLB history and just 84 behind Buck Showalter for 19th.

Mets Trade Donovan Walton To Phillies

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The Phillies acquired non-roster infielder Donovan Walton from the Mets for cash considerations. The deal was announced by Philly’s Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where Walton was assigned. He was not on New York’s 40-man roster and therefore will not occupy an immediate roster spot with Philadelphia.

Walton, a lefty-hitting utility player, signed a minor league contract with the Mets in November. The 31-year-old has been playing for their top affiliate in Syracuse. Walton has connected on 11 home runs but has a subpar .222/.315/.377 slash line through 295 plate appearances. That’s despite solid strikeout and walk rates and driven largely by a .220 batting average on balls in play. Walton has a career .271/.357/.436 mark in more than 300 Triple-A games.

A former fifth-round pick of the Mariners, Walton has seen scattered big league action over five years. He has split that time between Seattle and San Francisco, most recently spending the final few weeks of last season on the Giants’ big league roster. Walton hasn’t made an impact against MLB pitching, batting .174/.227/.305 over 70 games. He’s primarily a middle infielder but has experience at both third base and in left field.

The Phils were lacking infield depth in the upper minors. Weston Wilson, who is primarily a bat-first corner player, is the only infielder on the 40-man roster who isn’t in the big leagues. Christian Arroyo, their most experienced non-roster infielder, is on the injured list at Lehigh Valley. Walton joins Rodolfo Castro as IronPigs’ middle infielders who have some MLB time on their résumés.

Colin Poche Elects Free Agency

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Veteran reliever Colin Poche elected free agency after being outrighted by the Mets, relays Laura Albanese of Newsday. Fellow southpaw José Castillo also went unclaimed and was outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Castillo has the right to elect free agency as well, though it’s unclear if he intends to do so.

Poche and Castillo are part of a revolving door of Mets’ lefty relievers. That role has been in flux since the A.J. Minter and Danny Young injuries. They’re now operating with Richard Lovelady and Brandon Waddell in that capacity. Poche, who signed a minor league contract in early May, was only on the MLB roster for a few days. He made one appearance, retiring two of six batters faced and giving up a pair of runs. Poche spent the first month of the season with the Nationals, allowing 12 runs with more walks than strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.

This has been a frustrating season for the 31-year-old in both MLB and (to a lesser extent) at the Triple-A level. He was a decent middle reliever for the Rays as recently as last year. Poche turned in a 3.86 ERA across 37 1/3 frames with Tampa Bay in 2024. The Mets could look to bring him back on a new minor league contract given their lack of depth from the left side.

Castillo landed in Queens in a DFA trade with the Diamondbacks. He got a longer run in Carlos Mendoza’s relief corps than Poche had. The 29-year-old made 13 appearances and allowed five runs (three earned) across 11 1/3 innings. He punched out 14 but issued six walks and plunked another four hitters. This has been Castillo’s first significant stretch of MLB action since he made 37 appearances during his 2018 rookie season with the Padres, largely because of various intervening injuries.

Trey Mancini Opts Out Of D-Backs Deal

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Veteran first baseman Trey Mancini has opted out of his minor league contract with the Diamondbacks, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Arizona evidently opted not to select him onto the MLB roster and he has returned to free agency. Utility infielder Nicky Lopez did the same this morning.

Mancini, 33, played three months with Triple-A Reno after signing an offseason non-roster deal. He’s had a nice season, batting .308/.373/.522 with 16 homers through 74 games. While that’s in a very hitter-friendly setting, Mancini has above-average numbers overall and had a particularly big showing in June.

The D-Backs have a first base/designated hitter tandem of Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith, leaving them without much room to accommodate Mancini. Smith has slumped since a scorching April, but he’s still carrying a .260/.369/.447 slash for the season. Arizona’s bench already skews right-handed, so Mancini would have been an imperfect fit as a bench bat.

Mancini will now look elsewhere for his first big league opportunity since 2023. He hasn’t been especially productive at the MLB level since being traded by the Orioles at the ’22 deadline. His numbers in Reno will at least allow him to find minor league interest elsewhere, presumably with a club that has a better path to first base playing time.

Padres To Select Eduarniel Nunez

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The Padres will call up reliever Eduarniel Núñez for tomorrow’s doubleheader in Philadelphia, reports Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Matt Waldron is being optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The Padres will be able to recall another player tomorrow as the 27th man for the twin bill. They’ll need to select Nuñez onto the 40-man roster and already have an opening after designating Logan Gillaspie for assignment yesterday.

It’s the first MLB call for the 26-year-old Núñez. The 6’2″ righty is a former Cubs prospect who joined the Friars as a minor league free agent last offseason. He has spent the bulk of the season in Double-A, working to a 3.57 earned run average over 22 2/3 innings. He struck out more than 40% of opposing hitters while getting swinging strikes on 21% of his pitches. That earned him a bump to Triple-A El Paso in the middle of June. Núñez has rattled off 7 1/3 scoreless frames with 11 more punchouts over seven appearances.

Núñez is now up to a combined 30 innings of 2.70 ERA ball with a 41.9% strikeout percentage on the season. That’s elite swing-and-miss ability backed up by high-octane stuff. Núñez has averaged north of 99 MPH on his heater since getting bumped to Triple-A. He has been a two-pitch pitcher this season, using the fastball slightly more often than he turns to his upper-80s breaking ball. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him the #32 prospect in the San Diego system last month, crediting him with plus or better grades on both offerings.

That it nevertheless took him parts of eight minor league seasons to get an MLB look reflects his well below-average control. Núñez has walked nearly 15% of opponents over his professional career. He has been a little better in that regard this season, cutting the free passes to a somewhat more manageable 12% clip. He’ll be a volatile but intriguing middle innings option for skipper Mike Shildt.

Brewers’ Connor Thomas To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Brewers Rule 5 draftee Connor Thomas will undergo elbow surgery a couple weeks from now, the team informed reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy). The procedure will at least remove loose bodies and it’s possible he’ll require a full Tommy John UCL reconstruction.

Milwaukee also announced that outfielder Garrett Mitchell is targeting the beginning of Spring Training for his return from shoulder surgery. As of last week, the Brewers were holding out hope that Mitchell could make a late-season return. It now seems they’re resigned to him missing the rest of the season.

Thomas, a 27-year-old reliever, was selected out of the St. Louis organization. He broke camp but only made two appearances, giving up 12 runs across 5 1/3 innings. He went down in early April with what was initially announced as elbow arthritis. He went on a rehab stint at the team’s Arizona complex in May but had a setback that threatens his season.

Assuming this indeed ends his year, Thomas will spend the remainder of the season on the 60-day injured list. He’d need to be reinstated onto the 40-man roster during the offseason. It’s likelier that Milwaukee would place him on waivers, especially if he requires a ligament repair that’d cost him most of the ’26 campaign. Thomas has not spent 90 days on the active roster, so his Rule 5 restrictions would remain in place into 2026. If Milwaukee waives him during the offseason, they’d need to offer him back to the Cardinals assuming he goes unclaimed.

Mitchell, a former first-round pick, has battled myriad injuries during his career. He has yet to reach 70 games in any of his three-plus MLB seasons. This is the second left shoulder surgery of his career; he underwent a repair on a subluxation in 2023. Mitchell missed the first couple months last year after breaking a bone in his hand during Spring Training. He’d been out since late April this season with a left oblique strain before suffering the even more serious shoulder injury. Mitchell is an elite runner and an excellent defender but has yet to demonstrate the durability required to cement himself as Milwaukee’s everyday center fielder.

Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

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Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez seems to have hit another speed bump. General manager Dana Brown informed reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that Alvarez has been shut down due to some renewed hand soreness. He will see a specialist at some point in the next 48 hours, at which point the club hopes to have more information.

At this point, details are still fairly sparse regarding Alvarez, though it’s an ominous development. Hand issues have been an ongoing problem for him. He had soreness in both hands in 2022 and spent some time on the injured list. Hand soreness also seemingly hampered him during spring training in 2023.

This year, he got out to a bad start, hitting .210/.306/.340 for a 76 wRC+ through 29 games. He landed on the 15-day injured list in early May due to right hand inflammation. At the end of May, Brown relayed that the club found a “very small fracture” in the ring finger of Alvarez’s right hand. He has been ramping up activities in recent days but this renewed soreness obviously creates concern that he’s not fully healed.

Time will tell how serious this setback is but it’s less than ideal for the Astros. Alvarez has been a key part of their lineup and one of the best hitters in baseball during his career. He came into this season with a .298/.390/.583 batting line and 166 wRC+. Only Aaron Judge had a higher wRC+ for the 2019-2024 span, among hitters with at least 60 plate appearances.

The Astros would obviously love to have that bat back in the lineup. That’s especially true because he is left-handed and the club is notably deficient in that department. The Astros don’t really have a pure lefty in their everyday lineup. Switch-hitters Victor Caratini and Cooper Hummel are getting regular playing time. The three pure lefties on the active roster at present are all bench players: Taylor Trammell, César Salazar and Luis Guillorme.

Putting aside handedness, this also compounds a more general injury problem for the Astros. They have over a dozen players on the IL, including seven position players. They recently lost their starting shortstop when Jeremy Peña hit the IL last week with a rib fracture.

Despite the all of those injuries, the Astros are 50-34. They are six games up in the American League West and will clearly be buying at the deadline. Brown already openly admitted that the club is looking for lefty bats. That need would only grow if this setback for Alvarez turns out to be significant. The club seems to be planning to avoid the competitive balance tax this year, which will be a challenge in making additions. RosterResource estimates the club’s CBT number is at $236MM, just $5MM from the base threshold.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Jorge Mateo To Miss 8 To 12 Weeks With Hamstring Strain

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Orioles infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo won’t be back soon. Interim manager Tony Mansolino relayed to reporters today, including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, that Mateo has a hamstring strain and will miss 8 to 12 weeks. Mateo is already on the 10-day injured list, due to a different injury, but will be moved to the 60-day version whenever the club needs his roster spot.

Mateo hit the injured list June 10th due to left elbow inflammation. He had recently been on a rehab assignment but departed last night’s game due to the hamstring injury. It now appears that the injury is serious enough to put his season in jeopardy. Given that timeline, it seems he won’t be back until September, even in a best-case scenario.

It’s an unfortunate blow for Mateo and the Orioles. He wasn’t having a great season at the plate even prior to the injuries, with a .180/.231/.279 line in 65 plate appearances. But he was still able to bounce around to multiple positions while stealing bases.

He has been doing that for the Orioles for years, though often with more passable work at the plate. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .221/.267/.371 for a 78 wRC+. That was still subpar offense but he was able to produce 4.1 wins above replacement, in the eyes of FanGraphs, in a span of 334 games thanks to his speed and defense.

The O’s are 37-47 and seven games back of a playoff spot. Getting Mateo back to that pre-2025 form could have been a boost to the club but that won’t happen now. He’s an impending free agent, though with a club option for 2026 on his deal, which would have made him a trade candidate if the club were selling. But that’s off the table now as well. Players on the IL can be traded but Mateo won’t have any value on account of his status, his performance earlier this year, and his $3.55MM salary.

On a personal level, it’s obviously less than ideal for Mateo to go into free agency with this kind of platform. His numbers have been poor so far and it seems he’ll get little time to improve them, maybe even none at all. Despite his tepid offense, the O’s have liked his other contributions enough to continually tender him contracts. He made $2.7MM last year and is making $3.55MM this year. They even negotiated a $5.5MM club option for 2026 into his deal to potentially gain an extra year of club control. But they won’t be picking that up now and he’ll head into free agency on a down note.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images

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