Cooper Hummel To Sign With NPB’s Yokohama BayStars
Former Astros outfielder Cooper Hummel is expected to sign with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It’s a one-year deal with a club option for 2027. Hummel is now represented by GSI, per an Instagram post from the agency in late November. He appeared in 37 games between Baltimore and Houston last season.
The 30-year-old Hummel spent time with four different organizations in 2025, including two stints with the Astros. The club designated him for assignment in late March, and he joined the Yankees on a minor league deal. New York released Hummel in late May, and he latched on with the Orioles. He appeared in one game with the team, striking out in his only at-bat. Hummel was then DFAed and soon found himself back in Houston. He earned semi-regular at-bats with the Astros until he was designated for assignment yet again. Hummel closed the year at Triple-A in the Rays’ system.
Hummel hit just .170 with three home runs and a stolen base at the big-league level last year. He now has a 58 wRC+ across 119 career games. Hummel debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2022. He came to the organization from the Brewers in a trade headlined by Eduardo Escobar. Hummel slashed .176/.274/.307 in 201 plate appearances with Arizona, his most extensive MLB work to date. He also had brief stretches with Seattle in 2023 and Houston in 2024.
Strikeouts have been a consistent issue for Hummel. He posted a 29.5% strikeout rate between the Orioles and Astros last season. He’s at 31.2% for his big-league career. Hummel had better contact numbers in the minors and also showed a tremendous eye at the plate, but has struggled to reproduce those results at the highest level.
Hummel is the latest in a slew of signings for Yokohama. The club also signed infielder Dayan Viciedo and added reliever José Ruiz in recent weeks.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Rays Sign Cooper Hummel To Minor League Contract
The Rays have signed outfielder Cooper Hummel to a minor league deal, according to KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander. The Astros designated Hummel for assignment earlier this week, and he elected free agency on Friday after clearing waivers and declining an outright assignment to Houston’s Triple-A affiliate.
Tampa Bay will be Hummel’s fourth different organization of the 2025 season, as he has previously been with the Yankees and Astros (on minors deals) and the Orioles (on a guaranteed contract). The outfielder has been bouncing on and off rosters all year in a flurry of DFAs, outrights, and trips to free agency, and through it all has appeared in 37 games at the big league level. One of those games was with the O’s and the rest were with the Astros, as Houston’s swath of outfield injuries led to some playing time once Hummel’s minor league deal was selected to Houston’s roster in mid-June.
Over 105 plate appearances, Hummel has hit only .170/.298/.273 with three home runs. This represents the most MLB exposure Hummel has received since his 2022 rookie season, when he had 201 PA over 66 games with the Diamondbacks. In between those two seasons, Hummel got into 10 games with the Mariners in 2023 and six games with Houston last year.
Between his ability to decline outright assignments and his lack of minor league options, Hummel is one of those players who seems somewhat stuck in a perpetual transaction cycle. Despite his lack of production in the Show, Hummel has a very impressive .284/.418/.480 slash line across 1487 career PA at the Triple-A level. He has played only as a corner outfielder this season, but he has some experience at first base and even at catcher, though Hummel hasn’t suited up behind the plate since 2023.
There’s no risk for the Rays in bringing aboard a depth outfielder with big league experience, but the Hummel signing could be a hedge against a possible trip to the injured list for Josh Lowe. Some oblique tightness kept Lowe out of the lineup today, and while the injury isn’t thought to be too serious, adding Hummel gives Tampa some cover if Lowe indeed has to miss time.
Cooper Hummel Elects Free Agency
Catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Astros and will reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2.
Hummel, 30, has appeared in 37 games between the Astros and Orioles this season, taking 105 plate appearances and posting a combined .170/.298/.273 slash with three homers, a 13.3% walk rate and a problematic 29.5% strikeout rate. He’s been better in a small sample of 68 Triple-A plate appearances.
Part of the reason for that limited work is a dizzying sequence of transactions. Hummel has now been designated for assignment four times since the season began. He’s elected free agency each time and signed four minor league deals — two with the Orioles, one with the Astros and one with the Yankees.
Though Hummel has never hit much in the majors (.163/.268/.275 in 340 plate appearances), he’s an accomplished Triple-A hitter with uncommon defensive versatility. The former 18th-round pick is a .284/.418/.480 hitter in nearly 1500 trips to the plate at Triple-A in his decade-long pro career, and he’s experienced behind the plate, in the outfield corners and at first base.
It’s an understandably appealing skill set, but Hummel has frequently found himself as the effective 26th man on teams’ 26-man rosters, and his lack of minor league options has resulted in him changing hands more than most players. He’ll presumably sign a fifth minor league deal of the season in the days ahead. It seems likely that the Orioles and Astros, who’ve both acquired him multiple times over the past two calendar years, will show some level of interest, but he’ll have the chance to talk to all 30 teams once he’s formally elected free agency and returned to the open market.
Astros Designate Cooper Hummel For Assignment
4:50pm: McTaggart adds that the club is calling up outfielder Jacob Melton, so he will presumably take Hummel’s active roster spot.
3:30pm: The Astros have designated infielder/outfielder Cooper Hummel for assignment, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. That opens a 40-man spot for right-hander Cristian Javier to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list, a move that was reported earlier. McTaggart was among those to relay earlier today that left-hander Colton Gordon has been optioned to Triple-A to open an active roster spot for Javier. It’s unclear if the Astros will recall another position player to replace Hummel on the active roster or play a man down tonight.
Hummel has clearly intrigued teams with his minor league numbers. However, since he is out of options and has struggled in his major league looks, he has been frequently mentioned in the transaction logs.
This year alone, he has been on MLBTR a number of times. He was with the Astros during spring training but didn’t crack the Opening Day roster and was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and elected free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Yankees. He opted out of that deal and signed a big league deal with the Orioles in late May. He was designated for assignment again the next day, clearing waivers and electing free agency again. He re-signed with the O’s a few days later but got another DFA a few days after that. He again elected free agency and landed a minor league deal with the Astros, which was selected to the big league roster just over a week later.
Around all of those transactions, Hummel has appeared in 37 games and stepped to the plate 105 times but has mustered a line of just .170/.298/.273. For his career, he now has a .163/.268/.275 line in 340 trips to the plate.
He’ll be back on waivers in the coming days. Perhaps a club again takes a chance on his minor league track record. He has a .284/.418/.480 line and 132 wRC+ in almost 1500 Triple-A plate appearances since the canceled 2020 season. He’s capable of playing first base and the outfield corners. He also has some experience at catcher and third base but hasn’t played those spots in a few years. If he lands somewhere, he is out of options but is still cheap and controllable, as he has between one and two years of service time.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Astros Place Jacob Melton On 10-Day Injured List
The Astros announced five roster moves today, including outfielder Jacob Melton‘s placement on the 10-day injured list due to a right ankle sprain. Shay Whitcomb was also optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, and as reported earlier, Houston selected the contracts of both Cooper Hummel and Luis Guillorme from Triple-A to fill the two open spots on the active roster. The Astros had one 40-man roster spot already available, and to create the other, Spencer Arrighetti was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
Melton’s injury occurred in yesterday’s 10-3 Astros win over the Twins, spoiling what was looking like a great game for the rookie after he went 2-for-2 with three RBI in his first two plate appearances. In the top of the fourth inning, however, Melton turned his ankle while preparing to field what ended up being a homer from Minnesota’s Willi Castro.
“When I realized that I wasn’t going to have a play on it, tried to back off the wall and get turned around and get squared up with where I thought it was going to hit and just kind of rolled it, landed on it a little awkward,” Melton told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters. “Not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ll play the cards that I’m dealt.”
Melton finished the inning but was replaced in left field by Whitcomb prior to the top of the fifth. Called up to make his MLB debut on June 1, Melton has hit only .241/.290/.310 over his first 31 PA against big league pitching, though he provided respectable defense and filled a hole amidst an injury-riddled outfield situation for Houston. Unfortunately, Melton has now gone down to injury himself, joining fellow outfielders Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick, Zach Dezenzo, Taylor Trammell, and Pedro Leon on the 10-day IL.
If this wasn’t enough, Isaac Paredes is battling a mild hamstring strain, leaving the Astros temporarily without their starting third baseman. Guillorme can play all over the infield and Hummel figures to get some time in both corner outfield slots as Houston figures out how to best juggle their roster and perhaps prepare for another call-up if Paredes also requires an IL stint.
Arrighetti fractured his right thumb more than two months ago, so he has already been sidelined for 60 days while remaining on the 15-day IL. His move to the 60-day IL is therefore just a paper transaction that frees up a 40-man roster spot for the Astros, and Arrighetti is expected to be out for several weeks more, through he has resumed playing catch.
Astros To Select Cooper Hummel
The Astros will select the contract of outfielder/first baseman Cooper Hummel from Triple-A Sugar Land, according to KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander. Now in his second stint in the Astros organization, Hummel rejoined the club on a minor league deal last week.
Hummel’s first stint ended when the Astros designated him for assignment on Opening Day, and Hummel rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers. This set off a bit of a transactional whirlwind for Hummel over the next two-plus months until he returned to Houston, as Hummel signed a minor league contract with the Yankees and two separate contracts with the Orioles. He triggered an out clause in his deal with New York when the Yankees didn’t include him on their active roster by late May, and Hummel twice elected free agency in lieu of outright assignments off of Baltimore’s 40-man roster. Hummel is out of minor league options, resulting in this flurry of roster shuffles.
Through it all, Hummel’s actual on-field play in 2025 consists of a single at-bat with the Orioles (as a late-game sub on May 30 in a 2-1 win over the White Sox) and 16 games with the Yankees’ and Astros’ Triple-A affiliates. Hummel has been hitting quite well in the minors, with a .273/.382/.473 slash line over 68 Triple-A plate appearances this season. This solid performance is actually a step down from his usual numbers, as Hummel has a career .284/.418/.480 slash in 1487 trips to the dish against Triple-A pitching.
As much as Hummel has been crushing it in the minors, however, he hasn’t received much of a look at the big league level. Hummel has hit .159/.254/.274 over 236 career PA in the majors, with 201 of those plate appearances coming in his 2022 rookie season with the Diamondbacks. He began his career as a part-time catcher in addition to being a backup outfielder, though he hasn’t suited up behind the plate since 2023. Hummel has also been limited to just corner outfield duty this season without any work at first base, and Christian Walker‘s presence at first in Houston probably means Hummel will stick to the outfield during his time with the Astros.
Houston will need to make room on both the 26-man and 40-man roster to accommodate Hummel — the club has an open 40-man spot at the moment, but reports from yesterday indicated that Luis Guillorme‘s contract is also being selected. Taylor Trammell and Pedro Leon have each yet to play this season but have remained on the 10-day injured list, so the Astros could simply shift either of them to the 60-day IL to create space for Hummel.
In terms of the 26-man roster moves, both Isaac Paredes (hamstring strain) and Jacob Melton (ankle sprain) could be candidates for the 10-day injured list. Manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that both players are considered day-to-day for now, but Espada indicated that Melton had the more severe injury of the two. The Astros are also carrying three catchers on their active roster, so little-used backup Cesar Salazar could be optioned to Triple-A.
Astros, Cooper Hummel Agree To Minor League Deal
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.
Cooper Hummel Elects Free Agency
The Orioles yet again announced that outfielder/first baseman Cooper Hummel elected free agency after going unclaimed on outright waivers. He was designated for assignment on Monday when Colton Cowser returned from the injured list.
Hummel had two stints in Baltimore that lasted a combined four days. He signed an MLB deal with the O’s after opting out of a non-roster contract with the Yankees. They designated him for assignment a day later when they needed a third catcher. He cleared waivers and re-signed on a fresh major league deal. Hummel spent three more days on the active roster. He struck out in his only at-bat and played two innings in right field.
It has presumably been a frustrating sequence, but Hummel picked up a little over a week of big league pay between his stint on the active roster and in DFA limbo. He’ll now return to the market and should at least find another minor league deal if no team is willing to plug him directly onto the MLB roster.
The switch-hitting Hummel appeared in 66 MLB contests for the Diamondbacks during his 2022 rookie season. He’s only made 17 big league appearances in the two-plus years since then. A career .159/.254/.274 hitter, he’s shown more offensive ability in the minors. Hummel has a .284/.419/.475 slash line over parts of five Triple-A seasons. He reached base at a .415 clip in 10 games with the Yankees’ affiliate before opting out.
Orioles Reinstate Colton Cowser From 60-Day IL, Designate Cooper Hummel For Assignment
The Orioles announced that outfielder Colton Cowser has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, infielder/outfielder Cooper Hummel has been designated for assignment.
The O’s have been without Cowser for almost the entire year. In just the fourth game of the season, he slid into first base and suffered a fractured left thumb. The Orioles announced that he would probably miss six to eight weeks. He has gone just beyond that, as today is nine weeks since he suffered that injury.
While he’s been gone, the club has been struggling badly. Even though they just swept the White Sox over the weekend, they sport a record of 22-36, with the Sox the only club below them in the American League standings.
That is perhaps at least somewhat due to Cowser’s absence. Last year, he hit 24 home runs for the O’s and swiped nine bases. His 30.7% strikeout rate was quite high but he also drew walks at a solid 9.3% clip. He got strong marks for his outfield glovework, playing all three spots. FanGraphs credited him with four wins above replacement and he finished second to Luis Gil in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Getting that player back in the lineup is nice but the O’s have a steep hill to climb. They’re also not at full strength in the outfield as Cedric Mullins, Tyler O’Neill and Ramón Laureano are all still on the shelf. Those absences make Cowser’s return a very welcome sight for Baltimore fans. He’ll join an outfield mix that currently consists of Heston Kjerstad, Dylan Carlson, Ryan O’Hearn, Jordyn Adams and Jorge Mateo.
As for Hummel, this is the latest transaction in what has surely been a frustrating week-plus for him. The O’s signed him on May 25th, after he had opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees. He was designated for assignment the next day, without appearing in a game. Catcher Adley Rutschman had a concussion scare and the O’s needed to give that roster spot to Chadwick Tromp. A few days later, with Rutschman feeling better, Hummel was re-signed on May 30th.
But he’s now heading into DFA limbo yet again. Around all the transactions, he has just one plate appearance as an Oriole. He pinch hit for Ryan Mountcastle on Friday and struck out. It’s a bit of a microcosm for Hummel’s entire career, as he has always performed well in the minors but hasn’t been given many big league chances. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has a .284/.419/.475 line and 132 wRC+ at the Triple-A level. Despite that strong output, he hasn’t received more than 26 big league plate appearances in a season since 2022.
He’ll head back into DFA limbo for a week at most. He just cleared waivers last week and seems likely to do so again. If that comes to pass, he will have the right to elect free agency as a player with a previous career outright.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images