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The Opener: Crews, Hassell, Orioles, Angels, A’s

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

1. Crews to undergo testing:

The Nationals are promoting former top prospect Robert Hassell III for his big league debut today (weather permitting) after rookie Dylan Crews exited yesterday’s game with discomfort in his left side. Crews is expected to undergo testing today that will give the Nationals a better idea of his status. Hassell’s promotion seems to indicate that the Nationals believe a stint on the injured list is likely for Crews, who has struggled to a .196/.266/.354 slash line in 45 games. The former No. 2 overall pick has been turning things around, however, slashing .234/.315/.459 over his past 124 plate appearances and ripping three homers in his past nine games. If today’s imaging shows that Crews does not need an IL stint, perhaps the Nationals would instead facilitate Hassell’s promotion by placing center fielder Jacob Young, who collided with the outfield wall over the weekend and has been day-to-day ever since, on the injured list instead.

Hassell, a former No. 8 overall pick, will be the fourth player from the Nationals’ Juan Soto haul to make his big league debut, joining Washington’s star trio of James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams. Hassell’s stock isn’t as high as it once was, but he’s hitting .288/.337/.405 (99 wRC+) with four homers and a 9-for-10 showing in stolen base attempts through 175 plate appearances with Rochester this season. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at how Washington’s Soto haul seems to look better by the day, and Hassell’s promotion could further add to that.

2. Orioles look to avoid MLB-worst losing streak:

The Orioles are at risk of losing their ninth consecutive game today, which would be the longest losing streak in the majors this year. Last night’s 5-2 loss to Milwaukee gave them an eight-game losing streak that places them in a tie with the Rockies for the longest string of losses — a benchmark that Colorado has incredibly reached on three separate occasions in 2025. The Orioles will try to stave off that ninth loss tonight against the Brewers with Tomoyuki Sugano (3.08 ERA in nine starts) on the mound against Milwaukee rookie Chad Patrick (3.35 ERA in ten appearances).

3. Angels, A’s face off amid streaks:

While the Orioles try to end their current streak of losses at eight, the A’s will try to avoid losing their eighth game in a row tonight against the Angels. It’s the third game in a four-game set, and after Anaheim took each of the first two games, they’ve put together a little streak of their own in the opposite direction, climbing to five consecutive wins. With veterans Tyler Anderson (3.04 ERA in nine starts) and Luis Severino (4.22 ERA in ten starts) on the mound in West Sacramento tonight, will both streaks continue, or will the A’s put a stop to their division rival’s recent surge and halt their own freefall in the process?

Poll: Should The Royals Be Worried About Salvador Perez?

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Veteran catcher Salvador Perez is the face of the Royals franchise, the last man standing from the club’s 2015 World Series team, and a nine-time All-Star with five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers to his name. He’s one of the most important players in the organization’s history, and in that sense the 35-year-old’s legacy is already secure. That impenetrable legacy does little to help the Royals’ playoff odds in 2025, however, and in that regard Perez’s performance this year has been lacking. He’s hit just .218/.254/.324 across 46 games and 190 plate appearances so far in 2025. That leaves him with a wRC+ of just 57 and negative WAR according to both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs, and that’s in spite of a brief hot streak where he collected 14 hits (including eight doubles) in ten games from April 24 to May 6.

That sort of production just won’t cut it for a Royals club that has playoff aspirations. Their 27-22 record entering play today is enough to keep them in the thick of the Wild Card race, but the recent losses of both Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans from the front of their rotation will put more pressure than ever on the offense to score runs. Perez is typically a key part of that offense, and with other key cogs in the lineup like Vinnie Pasquantino and Jonathan India also struggling to produce early in the year, Perez remains as important as ever. Can he turn things around, or do the Royals have a tough decision to make this summer about a franchise legend’s playing time in a pennant race?

A look at the underlying metrics provides plenty of reason for optimism. The most glaring factor in Perez’s downturn in performance is his anemic .106 ISO, which would put him on par with the 2024 performances of light-hitting, contact-oriented bats like Nico Hoerner and Nolan Schanuel. That’s a worrisome comparison to make considering Perez averaged 30 homers per season from 2021 to 2024, but the good news is that all signs point to this power outage coming to an end sooner rather than later. Despite hitting just two home runs so far this year, Perez’s 13.0% barrel rate is actually his best since he smacked 48 bombs in 2021 and his 45.7% hard-hit rate is better than it was in either of the past two seasons. In fact, Perez’s barrel and hard-hit rates are almost identical to those of Pete Alonso this year.

That could make it easy to write off Perez’s lackluster performance so far this season as little more than a fluke that should correct itself in due time, and the Royals are surely hoping that’s the case. With that being said, there are at least some potential red flags in the veteran’s performance that are worth keeping an eye on. While Perez has never been a particularly well-disciplined hitter, his 22.6% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate are both trending in the wrong direction relative to his All-Star 2024 season. He’s also hitting slightly more balls on the ground with fewer line drives relative to last year. All four of those figures are well within the bounds of Perez’s career norms, however.

Perhaps the biggest reason for concern regarding Perez is his age. As a 35-year-old catcher, it would hardly be a surprise if he wasn’t as physically capable of maintaining peak performance across 162 games as he was in his younger days. Regular reps at first base and DH should help that somewhat, but it’s still worth noting that Perez has seen his offense take a turn for the worse when the calendar flips to July in each of the past two seasons. If that trend of Perez slowing down as the year progresses continues in 2025, he may be running out of time to turn his overall season numbers around despite the solid underlying metrics to this point in the year.

How do MLBTR readers think the rest of Perez’s 2025 campaign will play out? Will he bounce back to around where he’s been in recent years, as the underlying numbers suggest? Or has he struggled too deeply for too long in the first half to make up for a potential slowdown after the All-Star break? Have your say in the poll below:

White Sox Release Omar Narvaez

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The White Sox released catcher Omar Narváez from his minor league deal, according to an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate. He’d signed one month ago, his second non-roster contract of the year with the Sox.

Narváez has played in 15 games for Triple-A Charlotte, where he’d paired with top prospect Kyle Teel. The veteran hit .218/.317/.345 with a pair of homers in 63 plate appearances. Narváez had a brief stint on the big league roster immediately after Korey Lee went down with an ankle sprain. He only appeared in four games before the team pivoted to prospect Edgar Quero. Narváez was waived, elected free agency, then returned on the aforementioned second minor league deal.

Lee has been on a rehab assignment with Charlotte since May 9. Teams can keep an injured position player on a rehab stint for up to 20 days. The Sox will need to activate him by next week at the latest. They’ll need to decide whether to keep him in Charlotte on an optional assignment or carry him on the MLB roster, likely at the expense of out-of-options backup Matt Thaiss.

They could also option Quero back out, but he’s holding his head above water in his first MLB action (.267/.357/.302 in 98 plate appearances). Keeping him in the majors allows both Quero and Teel to continue developing defensively with the respective lion’s shares of playing time at catcher in MLB and Triple-A.

Narváez figures to look for a minor league opportunity elsewhere. The 33-year-old has appeared in 10 big league seasons. He developed into a solid #1 catcher for the Mariners and Brewers midway through that run, though his production has tanked over the past few seasons. He owns a .201/.278/.286 slash line since the start of 2022.

White Sox Notes: Robert, Wilson, Benintendi

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Luis Robert Jr. has been the subject of trade rumors for well over a year. With the White Sox in a full rebuild, it has felt like a matter of time before the 2023 All-Star would head elsewhere.

That has been complicated by Robert’s recent play. He missed a couple months early last year with a hip flexor strain and hit .224/.278/.379 with 14 homers in 100 games. The Sox held him over the offseason, maintaining a high asking price in hopes that he’d rebound and emerge as a key deadline trade chip. That hasn’t happened, as Robert’s numbers have only further spiraled. He goes into tonight’s game with a .186/.281/.308 line over 180 plate appearances. Robert has taken walks at a career-best 11.7% rate, but he’s striking out 29% of the time and not hitting for his usual amount of power.

Robert acknowledged that the lack of production is tanking his trade value. “Right now, as my season is going, I don’t think anybody is going to take a chance on me,” he told reporters through an interpreter (link via Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times). There are a little over two months for Robert to turn things around before the deadline. He remains a capable defensive center fielder and leads MLB with 17 stolen bases. Robert still has intriguing physical tools, but he hasn’t come close to his 2021-23 numbers (.287/.331/.511) in the batter’s box.

The Sox owe Robert what remains of his $15MM salary. He’s controlled via $20MM club options for another two seasons, but it’s increasingly difficult to see the team exercising those.

In other news out of Chicago, the Sox finalized their one-year deal with righty Adrian Houser this afternoon. He drew right into the rotation and held Seattle scoreless over six innings in a 1-0 victory for his team debut. Manager Will Venable confirmed that the Sox were moving Bryse Wilson back to the bullpen as a result of the signing (link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com).

Wilson had begun the year in relief but drew into the starting five after the Martín Pérez injury. He had a 5.28 ERA over 10 relief appearances. He struggled in four starts, surrendering 13 runs across 17 2/3 innings. Wilson is out of options, so the Sox needed to keep him on the MLB roster or designate him for assignment. He’s likely to work as a long man.

Meanwhile, Andrew Benintendi began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte this evening. He went 0-4 with a strikeout while working as the designated hitter. Benintendi has been out for two weeks with a strained calf. He’d hit .224/.298/.400 with five homers through his first 24 games. Austin Slater is the primary left fielder in Benintendi’s absence.

Guardians Prospect Travis Bazzana Diagnosed With Oblique Strain

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The Guardians announced this afternoon that last year’s first overall pick Travis Bazzana has been diagnosed with a right internal oblique strain. The top second base prospect hasn’t played since suffering the injury last Wednesday. The team noted that such injuries usually sideline a player for eight to ten weeks, so Bazzana will be out into the second half of the season.

That obviously hurts his chances of reaching the big leagues before the end of the year. Top college draftees fairly regularly reach the majors by the end of their first full professional season. A pair of first-rounders from last year’s class, Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz, have already debuted. Sixth overall pick Jac Caglianone, a first baseman/outfielder in the Kansas City system, might not be far off after receiving a promotion to Triple-A today.

Bazzana, an Oregon State product, has spent the entire season at Double-A Akron. The lefty-hitting infielder carries a .252/.362/.433 line with four homers across 149 plate appearances. That’s well above-average in the extremely pitcher-friendly league. (The average Eastern League hitter owns a .229/.317/.366 slash line.) Bazzana is striking out at a somewhat worrying 26.2% clip, but he’d begun to find his stride at the plate. He was hitting .279/.392/.512 this month after posting a .238/.347/.393 mark in April.

Daniel Schneemann has stepped up as Stephen Vogt’s primary second baseman. The second-year utilityman already has six homers with a .265/.339/.500 slash across 110 plate appearances. Schneemann had played a multi-positional role off the bench early in the year. Gabriel Arias was starting at second base to begin the season, but he kicked over to shortstop when the Guards optioned the scuffling Brayan Rocchio last week.

Phillies Sign Lucas Sims To Minor League Deal

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6:21pm: Philadelphia also added righty Wil Crowe on a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Reading, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. A former Nationals draftee, Crowe owns a 5.30 ERA over parts of four MLB seasons. He spent last year in Korea with the Kia Tigers, putting up a 3.57 mark with 43 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings.

6:02pm: The Phillies have signed right-hander Lucas Sims to a minor league deal, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Gelb adds that Sims will initially report to the Phillies’ pitching lab in Florida. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after that, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be in the lab.

Sims, 31, started the season with the Nationals. He had signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Washington, though it quickly turned sour. He made 18 appearances but logged only 12 1/3 innings, allowing 19 earned runs. He issued 14 walks, a massive 19.4% of batters faced, which doesn’t even tell the whole story. He also hit seven batters in that time and threw three wild pitches. The Nats released him earlier this month.

Presumably, that’s why the Phils will start Sims with a trip to the lab, to try to find out what’s wrong with him. If they can get him back on track, he could be a nice buy-low pickup. From 2019 to 2023, Sims did a lot of good work for the Reds. He tossed 183 1/3 innings over that time. His 12.2% walk rate was certainly high but he offset that somewhat by striking out 31.9% of batters faced.

He’s been in a tough stretch more recently. In 2024, he was largely his old self for a while, posting a 3.57 ERA through 43 appearances with the Reds. But he was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline and immediately floundered. He logged 14 innings for Boston around an IL stint for a lat strain, with a 6.43 ERA. He had a 14.8% strikeout rate and 16.4% walk rate for the Sox. That was a small sample size of work with an injury in the middle, but his struggles carried forward into 2025.

If the Phils can get him back to his 2019-2023 form, he’ll be a low-cost addition to their bullpen. Since the Nats released him, they are on the hook for the rest of his salary for this year. If the Phils call Sims up at any point, they would only have to pay him the prorated version of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Nats pay.

The Phils are a third-time payor of the competitive balance tax and are above the top tier, meaning they face a 110% tax rate on anything they add to the payroll. They also have concerns in their bullpen. Philly relievers have a collective 4.48 ERA, putting them in the bottom third of the league. One of their most effective relievers this year has been José Alvarado, but he just got hit with an 80-game PED suspension.

The club will surely be looking for various ways to bolster the bullpen in the coming months, including with trades as the July 31st deadline approaches. Not many teams are selling this early, so it makes sense to take a flier on a guy like Sims to see what happens.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images

Rangers Place Chris Martin On Injured List

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The Rangers placed Chris Martin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 19, with shoulder fatigue. Righty Cole Winn was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in the corresponding move.

Martin was removed from Sunday’s game against the Astros after throwing one pitch. That was the result of shoulder soreness, though it came less than a week after Texas had sent him for imaging after he experienced elbow discomfort. Martin did not end up missing any time with the elbow soreness after testing came back negative. The team has downplayed their concern over the shoulder issue as well, but it’s sensible that they’ll give him a couple weeks after a pair of arm issues in such rapid succession.

This will also serve as a potentially necessary rest opportunity for the veteran righty. Martin has made 22 appearances this season, two off the MLB lead. He’d pitched five times between May 11 and 18 alone, including on three straight days from May 11-13. That’s a lot to ask of any pitcher, especially one who is a couple weeks from his 39th birthday.

It’s also a testament to Martin’s continued effectiveness. He has turned in a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Martin has punched out 23 of 77 opposing hitters (29.9%) while remaining one of the sport’s best control artists. He has only issued one unintentional walk all year. Martin has collected nine holds and one save without blowing a lead. He’s alongside Robert Garcia and Jacob Webb as Bruce Bochy’s most trusted setup arms in front of closer Luke Jackson.

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reported the moves shortly before the team announcement.

Mariners Select Casey Lawrence, Designate Austin Shenton For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Casey Lawrence. Left-hander Jhonathan Díaz was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot for Lawrence, infielder Austin Shenton has been designated for assignment. Brady Farkas of Refuse to Lose was among those to relay last night that Lawrence was likely to be called up today.

Lawrence, 37, has been on and off the Mariners’ roster all year long. He signed a minor league deal with Seattle in the offseason and this is the fourth time they have selected him to the roster. In the first two instances, he was quickly designated for assignment after an appearance or two. He elected free agency after clearing waivers and returned to the club on a fresh minor league deal. His third DFA resulted in him being claimed by the Blue Jays. That club gave him similar treatment, putting him into one game before sending him into DFA limbo. Lawrence again elected free agency and returned to the M’s on a fresh minor league deal, leading to today’s selection.

Around all those transactions, he has 12 2/3 innings in five appearances. He has a 4.97 earned run average, 8.3% strikeout rate, 1.7% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate. He now has a 6.59 career ERA in 136 2/3 innings, spread over five different seasons.

The Mariners recently put Bryce Miller on the 15-day injured list, joining George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. That leaves them with a four-man rotation core of Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans. When Miller hit the IL about a week ago, Díaz was recalled to give the club a fresh arm capable of covering multiple innings, but he hasn’t been used since. His last outing was a minor league game on May 9th, 11 days ago.

Lawrence last pitched on the farm May 15th. That was only for two innings, but it seems the Mariners felt better about him on regular rest as opposed to Díaz after such a long layoff. Casey Legumina is listed as tonight’s starter but he will probably serve as an opener, as he’s mostly been a one-inning guy this year. After that, the M’s will see what they get from Lawrence as part of a bullpen game.

To get Lawrence onto the big league roster, the M’s are risking losing Shenton. The 27-year-old infielder was acquired from the Rays in a November cash deal. He’s out to a slow start this year. He has stepped to the plate 169 times at the Triple-A level. He has eight home runs but has been punched out at a 29% clip. He has a .207/.284/.413 line and 76 wRC+ on the year.

That rough performance has nudged him off the 40-man and into DFA limbo, which can last for as long as a week. However, the waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mariners will have a maximum of five days to explore trade interest.

It’s possible that some other club looks beyond the rough 2025 numbers to see potential. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Shenton took 940 minor league plate appearances. His 28.1% strikeout rate in those was certainly high but he also drew walks at a huge 15.1% clip and hit 49 home runs. He produced a combined slash line of .286/.399/.549 in that time, leading to a 149 wRC+.

For his minor league career, Shenton has mostly played the infield corners, with some brief looks at second base and in the outfield corners as well. He has less than a year of service time and is still optionable for the rest of this year and one additional season. Put it all together and it’s possible some club will be enticed to acquire him as a depth piece.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Pirates Select Isaac Mattson

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The Pirates announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Isaac Mattson. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow righty Colin Holderman, who lands on the 15-day injured list due to right thumb inflammation. To open a 40-man spot for Mattson, infielder Nick Gonzales was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relayed the Mattson and Holderman moves prior to the official announcement (link one, two and three).

It’s been an unfortunate season for Holderman so far, who already spent time on the IL due to a right knee sprain in April. He has allowed 15 earned runs in 15 innings, giving him a flat 9.00 earned run average. He has 11 strikeouts and walks apiece, giving him a 14.9% clip in both of those categories, both of those being worse than average.

Perhaps the injuries provide an explanation for his struggles, as he was far better in previous seasons. Over the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, he had a 3.52 ERA in 107 1/3 innings, pairing a 24.6% strikeout rate with a 9.7% walk rate.

Ideally, a bit of a rest period will get him healthy and back on track. It’s turning into a lost season for the Bucs, as their 15-33 record has them near the National League basement, with only the Rockies beneath them. Holderman is under club control through 2028, so it would make sense to prioritize his long-term health as opposed to benefitting the team in the short term.

Taking his place is Mattson, who is having a strong 2025 so far. The 29-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in December and has been with Triple-A Indianapolis all year so far. He has logged 18 innings for that club with a 2.50 ERA, 30.6% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate.

Those are encouraging numbers, though in a small sample. From 2021 to 2024, Mattson tossed 156 1/3 innings on the farm with a 3.91 ERA and 28.2% strikeout rate but a 13.7% walk rate. So far this year, he has basically cut that walk rate in half. If he can keep that up, perhaps he’ll get some runway to add to his major league track record, which currently consists of a 5.59 ERA in 9 2/3 innings. However, he does have options, so it’s possible the Bucs shuttle him back to Indianapolis when they need a fresh arm.

As for Gonzales, he landed on the 10-day injured list on March 28th due to a non-displaced fracture in his left ankle. His 60-day count is retroactive to that initial IL placement, so he’ll be eligible to be reinstated about a week from today. He started a rehab assignment on Saturday but it seems the Bucs will let him get a few more minor league contests under his belt, which is understandable since he’s been out of action for close to two months.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Tigers Designate Tomas Nido For Assignment

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The Tigers announced Tuesday that catcher Tomas Nido has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to fellow catcher Jake Rogers, who is being reinstated from the injured list after missing about six weeks with an oblique strain.

Nido’s DFA shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Though he’s hitting .343 with Detroit, that’s a 12-for-37 sample that’s consisted entirely of singles and has come without a walk. Nido’s offense has been buoyed by a .480 average on balls in play. He’s fanned 10 times in 37 plate appearances (27%) and chased pitches off the plate at a grim 41% clip. He’s a well-regarded defender, but Nido entered the season as a career .210/.245/.309 hitter in 945 major league plate appearances. He was hitting .160/.222/.320 in 28 Triple-A plate appearances at the time he was originally summoned to the majors in place of the injured Rogers.

Detroit will happily take the month-plus of solid backup work for Nido and would surely love to pass him through waivers in order to retain him as a depth option in Triple-A Toledo. It’s hardly out of the question that he gets claimed, but there’s a good chance he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed as he did in June 2023 after the Mets had designated him for assignment. If Nido does clear waivers, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment (by virtue of both service time and that 2023 outright) in lieu of electing free agency.

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