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Carson Ragsdale

Braves Claim Carson Ragsdale

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The Braves have claimed righty Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Orioles, per an announcement from the O’s. Atlanta has not yet announced the move, but David O’Brien of The Athletic reports that outfielder Jake Fraley is being transferred to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot.. Baltimore designated Ragsdale for assignment on Monday.

Baltimore originally claimed Ragsdale off waivers from San Francisco following the trade deadline. The 27-year-old is a longtime Giants farmhand but never pitched in the majors until a brief three-inning cup of coffee with the O’s. He was tagged for eight runs on nine hits and a walk with two punchouts during that initial MLB audition.

A 2020 fourth-round pick by the Phillies (who traded him to the Giants for Sam Coonrod), Ragsdale has solid numbers throughout his minor league tenure but appeared to hit a roadblock in Triple-A this season, logging a sub-par 4.87 ERA with a 19.7% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate that are both worse than average. That said, he posted a 2.93 ERA in High-A and a 3.49 mark in Double-A before stumbling in Triple-A. He’s averaged 92.6 mph on his four-seamer this year and paired that pitch with a splitter and a curveball that sits in the high 70s. Ragsdale has a pair of minor league option years remaining beyond the current season.

For the Braves, Ragsdale adds some optionable depth to a rotation mix that’s been absolutely hammered by injuries this season. Spencer Strider began the year on the injured list rehabbing from last year’s UCL surgery, and he’s looked shaky in his return while also missing time due to a hamstring injury. Chris Sale was out for two months due to fractured ribs. Reynaldo Lopez made just one start before undergoing shoulder surgery. Young righty AJ Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Spencer Schwellenbach suffered a fractured elbow just a couple weeks later. Righty Grant Holmes suffered a partial tear of his UCL in late July. He’s attempting to rehab without surgery (knowing that late-July/early-August surgery would’ve wiped out his entire 2026 campaign anyhow).

There’s no guarantee that Ragsdale will last the entire offseason on Atlanta’s 40-man roster, but with so many of those pitching injuries extending into next season, it’s understandable that they’d take a late look at an optionable depth arm who won’t turn 28 until late next May. Bolstering the rotation will be a point of focus for Atlanta this offseason, but stockpiling depth in this fashion will be plenty important in its own right.

Orioles Claim Jose Castillo, Designate Carson Ragsdale

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The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve claimed left-handed reliever Jose Castillo off waivers from the Mariners. Righty Carson Ragsdale was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Baltimore also placed righty Albert Suarez on the 15-day IL due to right elbow discomfort and recalled fellow righties Chayce McDermott and Yaramil Hiraldo from Triple-A Norfolk.

Castillo, 29, joins his fourth team of the 2025 season. He’s suited up for not only the Mariners but also the Mets and D-backs. The well-traveled southpaw has pitched 24 2/3 innings and turned in a 4.38 ERA with a 19.5% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate. He’s tallied three holds in five situations, but lefties (.390/.469/.561) and righties (.300/.377/.455) have both hit well against Castillo in limited appearances.

This marks Castillo’s first generally healthy season since his rookie year in 2018, when he pitched 38 1/3 innings of 3.29 ERA ball for the Padres. Injuries decimated the lefty’s career; he pitched only 1 2/3 big league innings combined from 2019-24 and didn’t top 37 2/3 innings at the minor league level in any season along the way. Castillo can still be controlled another two seasons beyond the current year, if he sticks on the Orioles’ 40-man roster.

Ragsdale, 27, is a longtime Giants farmhand who made his way to the O’s via waivers earlier this summer. He made his big league debut with Baltimore, tossing three innings but serving up eight runs on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts. The 2020 fourth-rounder had solid numbers throughout much of his minor league tenure but has stumbled to a 4.87 earned run average with just a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 12% walk rate.

Ragsdale notched a 2.93 ERA in High-A and a 3.49 mark in Double-A, but he’s barely kept his ERA under 5.00 in parts of two Triple-A seasons. He’s sitting 92.6 mph on his four-seamer this year, complementing the pitch with a high-70s curveball and a splitter — the former of which has previously drawn plus grades in scouting reports. Ragsdale has two minor league option years remaining beyond the current season, which could heighten his appeal to clubs in need of pitching depth.

As for the 35-year-old Suarez, this elbow issue will end his season. He’s missed most of the 2025 campaign due to a separate shoulder injury. Suarez pitched well in 11 2/3 big league innings between injuries, logging a 2.31 ERA with a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio. The journeyman righty was a godsend for the O’s in 2024, going from a minor league signee to a key member of the staff who tossed 133 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA.

Suarez pitched in the majors with the Giants from 2016-17 and then spent the 2019-23 seasons starring in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (2019-21) and the Korea Baseball Organization (2022-23). The O’s can control him for three more seasons via arbitration, but it’s not clear how severe his current elbow ailment is or how much time it might cause him to miss.

Orioles Notes: Kantrovitz, Dubin, Ragsdale, Rutschman

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The Orioles reached out to Cubs VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz about a possible interview for their general manager opening, according to 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine.  However, it appears as though Kantrovitz declined the offer, as he isn’t looking to leave the Cubs organization.

Kantrovitz has over 21 years of baseball operations experience, split over stints with the Cardinals, Athletics, and Cubs.  He has been in his current position since leaving Oakland for Wrigleyville in September 2019, and he received some interest from the Angels (in 2020) and Mets (in 2023) for higher-level front office positions.  There wasn’t any indication that he actually interviewed for those jobs either, yet it isn’t surprising that clubs keep showing interest considering the Cubs’ strong prospect depth

Since Kantrovitz started overseeing Chicago’s drafts, the team has amassed a farm system that many pundits rank among the game’s best.  Such homegrown names like Cade Horton and Matt Shaw are contributing to the Cubs’ success in 2025, and the club has also used its prospect depth to swing some prominent trades, such as last winter’s blockbuster with the Astros that saw 2024 first-rounder Cam Smith included as part of the package that landed Kyle Tucker.

There are some past ties between Kantrovitz and Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias, as the two worked together in the St. Louis front office from 2007-09.  This naturally doesn’t mean that the O’s are looking just for candidates Elias is personally familiar with, but Kantrovitz’s amateur scouting background is perhaps a hint about what the Orioles are prioritizing in their GM search.

It was only earlier this week that we learned a GM search was even underway, when news broke about Elias’ promotion to PBO last offseason and the Orioles’ plan to hire a general manager to act as Elias’ chief lieutenant in baseball ops.  Levine writes that Kantrovitz was a “short list” candidate for Baltimore, which indicates that the team might have moved beyond an initial stage of the process, even as they’re still rounding up interview candidates.

In other Orioles news, the club placed right-hander Shawn Dubin on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to September 13) due to right elbow discomfort.  Interim manager Tony Mansolino told the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer and other reporters that Dubin will undergo an MRI, and there is “some concern there” over a possible serious injury.

Dubin has been with the O’s for less than three weeks, since he was claimed off waivers from the Astros.  Now in his third MLB season, Dubin struggled to a 5.61 ERA over 25 2/3 innings with Houston this year, but he improved to a 3.38 ERA over eight innings and seven appearances since arriving in Baltimore.  Dubin didn’t allow a run over his first six outings as an Oriole, but in his final appearance before his IL placement, he was charged with three runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Friday.

Injuries have been the larger story of Dubin’s season.  Shoulder problems and then a sprained ankle kept him sidelined through all of Spring Training and delayed his 2025 debut until May 11.  He later missed about seven weeks due to a forearm strain, and the combination of that forearm issue plus this new elbow discomfort raises the ominous specter of UCL damage.

To fill Dubin’s spot on the active roster, Carson Ragsdale was called up from Triple-A Norfolk, and the righty made his Major League debut in today’s 11-2 loss to the Blue Jays.  It was far from a dream debut for Ragsdale, as he allowed eight runs over three innings against the AL East leaders.

Ragsdale is another new arrival in the organization, as the Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Giants in early August.  A fourth-round pick for the Phillies in 2020 draft, Ragsdale struggled with San Francisco’s Triple-A affiliate over the last two seasons, though his bottom-line numbers picked up in Norfolk.  For the season as a whole, however, Ragsdale’s strikeout rate plummeted to 19.7% after posting K-rates of well over 30% in the lower minor league levels.  His homer rate also spiked during his time with Triple-A Sacramento and the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he had better luck in keeping the ball in the park during his brief time in Norfolk.

Finally, it looks like Adley Rutschman is on pace to make it back to the Orioles’ lineup before the season is over.  The catcher hasn’t played since August 17 due to a right oblique strain, but Mansolino said Rutschman is probably going to be starting a rehab assignment in the near future.

Though Baltimore is playing out the string, getting into a few more games will hopefully allow Rutschman to finish a tough year on some kind of high note.  The former All-Star has hit just .227/.310/.373 over 348 plate appearances, while missing extended periods of time due strains of both his right and left oblique.

Orioles Claim Vidal Brujan, Carson Ragsdale

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The Orioles have claimed infielder Vidal Brujan off waivers from the Cubs and right-hander Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Giants, according to a team announcement. Brujan is out of options and must be added to the big league roster but has not yet reported. Ragsdale, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ 40-man roster now stands at 37, so no corresponding 40-man moves are necessary.

Brujan, 27, was a top-100 prospect in the Rays’ system for many years. He failed to establish himself at the big league level in Tampa, however, and hit just .157/.218/.221 across 99 games (272 plate appearances) between 2021 and 2023 for the club. Prior to the 2024 season, Brujan was shipped alongside reliever Calvin Faucher to the Marlins in a trade and he was able to take on a larger role with a rebuilding Miami club. With regular playing time available to him, his performance modestly improved. He remained a below-average contributor overall, however, with a 73 wRC+ despite a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 9.0% walk rate.

Those solid discipline numbers were outweighed by a complete lack of power, less impressive speed on the basepaths than his days a prospect would’ve otherwise indicated, and a lackluster BABIP. While Brujan was versatile enough to hold onto a bench role for the Marlins, he was shipped to the Cubs last offseason in the Matt Mervis trade. He held onto a bench role with Chicago throughout the first half and had value on paper as a player who could help hold down third base while Matt Shaw developed in the minor leagues while also spelling Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. Unfortunately, the fit didn’t work out as well in practice as Brujan posted an atrocious 43 wRC+ in 36 games and was designated for assignment just before the trade deadline.

Ragsdale, meanwhile, is a 27-year-old right-handed starter. He was added to the Giants’ 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after he posted a strong 3.49 ERA in 14 starts at the Double-A level that year, but a career ERA north of 5.00 at Triple-A in conjunction with a 19.9% strikeout rate against a 13.0% walk rate at the level this year left Ragsdale as little more than a depth starter for a club with a number of viable young arms. San Francisco designated him for assignment to make room for top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt on the roster prior to the trade deadline.

Now, both players are ticketed to join the Orioles organization. Brujan figures to join the club’s active roster within the next couple of days and could serve as a versatility utility option for the infield after Ramon Urias was traded to Houston prior to the deadline this past week. Ragsdale, meanwhile, could make his big league debut at some point down the stretch to help the Orioles eat innings amid injuries to key arms like Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez, particularly after Charlie Morton was shipped off to Detroit.

Giants Designate Carson Ragsdale For Assignment

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The Giants announced Monday that they’ve designated minor league right-hander Carson Ragsdale for assignment. His spot on the roster goes to lefty Carson Whisenhunt, whose previously reported promotion to the majors has now been made official. Right-hander Sean Hjelle was optioned to Triple-A to open a 26-man roster spot.

Ragsdale, 27, was a fourth-round pick by the Phillies back in 2020 and made his way to the Giants organization in a 2021 trade for reliever Sam Coonrod. He’s steadily climbed the ranks while battling various injuries but had a healthy 2024 campaign in which he tossed a career-high 120 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He was more successful at the former than the latter in terms of ERA, strikeout rate and home-run rate, but that’s perhaps to be expected for a pitcher who was pushing his largest workload in three years and went on to set a new personal-best in that regard.

The 2025 season hasn’t been a good one, however. Ragsdale has spent the whole year in Triple-A and currently sports a 5.37 ERA a career-low 19.9% strikeout rate and a career-worst 13% walk rate. His average fastball is down from 93.4 mph last year to 92.6 mph in 2025. He’s run into a particularly tough stretch of late, with 15 earned runs — on the strength of an alarming nine homers — over his past 18 innings pitched.

Ragsdale entered the season ranked 20th among Giants prospects at Baseball America and 13th at FanGraphs. The Giants will be able to trade him up until Thursday’s 3pm PT deadline but after that would have to place him on either outright waivers or release waivers. Ragsdale has a bit of pedigree and is in the first of three minor league option seasons, so a club in need of some pitching depth might have interest in taking him on as a project in the next few days, whether via small trade or waiver claim.

Giants Designate Kai-Wei Teng For Assignment

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The Giants announced that they have selected right-handers Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale to their 40-man roster, protecting them from being available in the Rule 5 draft. They had one roster vacancy but opened another by designating righty Kai-Wei Teng for assignment.

Teng, 25, signed with the Twins as an international amateur out of Taiwan prior to the 2018 season. He was traded for the Giants the following year in the deal that shipped right-hander Sam Dyson to Minnesota at that year’s trade deadline. Teng slowly climbed the minor league ladder with the Giants, though he did so with generally middling results at each level along the way. Back in March, the righty made his big league debut just after Opening Day. He ultimately made just four multi-inning relief appearances in the majors, however, and struggled badly with a 9.82 ERA in 11 innings of work. Command was the right-hander’s primary issue, as he actually recorded more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven) during his brief stay on the big league roster.

Teng was optioned back to the minors in mid-April, but unfortunately did not see his numbers improve when he headed to Triple-A. He split his time at the level between the club’s rotation and bullpen, with 13 starts and ten relief appearances. Things did not go well for Teng, however, as he was torched to the tune of a 8.60 ERA across 75 1/3 innings of work. He struck out just 17% of opponents at the level this year while walking 12.3%, leaving him with a strikeout-to-walk ratio that would be untenable for any pitcher. Given Teng’s deep struggles, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the Giants decided to part ways with the righty. San Francisco will now have one week to attempt to trade the righty or place him on waivers, where he would be available for any of the league’s 29 other clubs to claim.

Teng’s departure makes room on the 40-man roster for the additions of Seymour and Ragsdale. Ragsdale, 26, is a starting pitcher who missed the majority of the 2022 and ’23 seasons due to injury but returned strong in 2024. The right-hander began the season with his first taste of upper-minors action at the Double-A level and excelled, pitching to a 3.49 ERA in 67 innings of work across 14 starts. He struck out an excellent 33.1% of opponents faced, though he was held back somewhat by an elevated 11.5% walk rate. Even so, that was more than enough to earn Ragsdale a mid-season call-up to Triple-A. Unfortunately, Triple-A was not quite as forgiving for the right-hander as Double-A. He struggled in 13 appearances (12 starts) at the level with a 5.03 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of work. His walk rate largely held steady at 11%, but his strikeout rate dipped to just 24.1% at the highest level of the minors.

Seymour, meanwhile, won’t turn 26 until next month. The right-hander was acquired by the Giants in the deal that sent Darin Ruf to the Mets and actually struggled through something of a down season at Triple-A this year, as he surrendered a 4.82 ERA in 134 1/3 innings of work. He struck out 22.1% of opponents while walking 10.1%. Prior to his struggles this year, however, Seymour had pitched to strong results in back-to-back seasons. In a 2022 season split between the Mets and Giants organizations, Seymour posted a 3.08 ERA in 111 innings between the Single-A and High-A levels while striking out 29.3% of opponents. The righty posted slightly diminished but still solid numbers in his first full season with the Giants last year at Double-A, as he pitched to a 3.99 ERA in 112 2/3 innings of work with a 24.4% strikeout rate.

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