Orioles Outright Jayvien Sandridge
Orioles left-hander Jayvien Sandridge has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, the club announced. Sandridge was bumped off the 40-man to clear space for catcher Sam Huff, who had his contract selected earlier this week.
The 27-year-old Sandridge bounced around this offseason. The Yankees designated him for assignment in January. He was traded to the Angels for cash. Sandridge then went through the same process in March, getting DFAed by the Angels and traded to the Orioles, again for cash. No club took a shot on Sandridge this time through the waiver process.
The move to Baltimore was a homecoming for Sandridge. He was drafted by the organization in the 32nd round of the 2018 draft. The lefty only spent two seasons in the Orioles’ system. Sandridge had stints in various levels of the minors with the Reds and Padres before coming to the Yankees. He made his big-league debut for New York last year during the Subway Series. The Mets’ Pete Alonso welcomed Sandridge to the majors with a three-run home run. He was charged with two runs and recorded two outs in his lone appearance.
Sandridge’s MLB outing was a decent representation of his minor league career. He struck out a pair, but also walked two and hit a batter against the Mets. Sandridge has shown solid swing-and-miss stuff in the minors, including a 32.7% strikeout rate across three levels last season. He’s punched out nearly 13 batters per nine innings in three Triple-A campaigns. The problem has been the walks. Sandridge’s 11.5% walk rate in 2025 was the best mark of his career. He’d been above 17% in each of the three previous seasons.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Orioles Select Sam Huff, Designate Jayvien Sandridge For Assignment
The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of catcher Sam Huff from Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Jayvien Sandridge, who had been pitching in Triple-A, was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Lefty Nick Raquet was optioned to Norfolk to open space for Huff on the active roster.
Huff’s call to the big leagues means the O’s will be playing a reliever short for at least today. Huff joins the roster as a third catcher alongside Samuel Basallo and Maverick Handley. Adley Rutschman hit the injured list last week due to an ankle issue.
Baltimore signed Huff to a minor league contract back in January. He’s a former Rangers seventh-rounder who’s played in parts of five major league seasons. Now 28 years old, Huff once rated as one of the top catching prospects in the sport and carries a decent .247/.301/.430 batting line in the majors. That production comes in a sample of only 272 plate appearances and despite a 36% strikeout rate, however. Huff’s production has been buoyed by a .350 average on balls in play that he’s not likely to sustain over a long period.
Huff has solid framing grades in his limited major league work but has struggled with blocking balls in the dirt and controlling the run game. He has just an 18.5% caught-stealing rate in his career and has been charged with eight passed balls in 507 innings behind the dish.
It’s been a struggle for Huff in a tiny sample of nine games with Norfolk this year. He’s hitting .156/.250/.168 in 36 plate appearances with the Tides but has a much stronger overall track record in Triple-A. Huff entered the season with a lifetime .258/.338/.476 slash, 56 homers, 60 doubles, a pair of triples, a 10.2% walk rate and a more troubling 29.9% strikeout rate in exactly 1200 Triple-A plate appearances.
The 27-year-old Sandridge joined the O’s in a cash swap with the Angels shortly after Opening Day. He was originally a 32nd-round pick by Baltimore back in 2018 but bounced from the Orioles, to the Reds, to the Padres, to the Yankees and to the Angels since that selection. Sandridge made an extremely brief MLB debut last season, facing a total of six hitters and retiring two of them. He has just two-thirds of an inning and two earned runs in the majors.
Sandridge has pitched in parts of seven minor league seasons but totaled only 243 1/3 total innings. He’s logged a solid 3.96 earned run average in that time and punched out nearly one-third of his opponents — but he’s also issued walks at a 17% clip and plunked another 22 of the 1108 batters he’s faced (2%). Coupled with a whopping 44 wild pitches, it’s more than fair to say that command is a major hindrance for the southpaw.
This season, Sandridge has tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with Norfolk, but he’s walked three of the nine batters he’s faced. It’s only a sample of two games, but it’s notable that his heater, which sat just shy of 95 mph in Triple-A and averaged 95.6 mph in last year’s brief debut, is clocking in at an average of 92.9 mph in 2026.
Sandridge is in the second of his three minor league option years. A team looking for some left-handed bullpen depth with a knack for missing bats could roll the dice on a waiver claim or a cash swap like the one that sent Sandridge back to Baltimore in the first place. The Orioles have five days to trade him or place him on waivers. Since waivers are a 48-hour process, the outcome of his DFA will be known within the next week.
Orioles Acquire Jayvien Sandridge
The Orioles are acquiring left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from the Angels in exchange for cash, per an announcement from both teams. The Orioles had open space on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to complete the transaction. Sandridge was designated for assignment by the Halos just before Opening Day.
It’s the second cash trade of the year that Sandridge has been a part of, as the Angels acquired him from the Yankees back in January. This trade is actually something of a homecoming for Sandridge, as he was a 32nd-round pick by the Orioles back in 2018 and spent parts of two seasons in the Orioles organization. He was released during the pandemic-cancelled minor league season in 2020 and took a brief stint in college ball before signing with the Reds and returning to pro ball. He climbed the minor league ladder with the Reds, Padres, and Yankees over the years before finally making his big league debut in 2025.
Sandridge’s debut with New York saw him record just two outs while surrendering two runs. It’s not exactly an auspicious start to his big league career, although with such a small sample size it’s hard to draw any substantial conclusions about the lefty’s viability as a big league arm. His work at Triple-A with the Yankees last season was generally more middling than impressive, as he posted a 4.55 ERA despite a 33.1% strikeout rate. Those big strikeout totals clearly caught the eye of the Angels over the offseason, leading them to acquire him this offseason. Sandridge’s Spring Training performance did him few favors, however, as he was torched for five runs in just two innings of work during camp.
Now, he returns to the Orioles organization as an optionable depth arm for the club’s bullpen. Baltimore has Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram as their only lefties in the bullpen at the moment with Keegan Akin on the shelf, and Sandridge is now the only other lefty on the 40-man roster. That could put him in position to get a look in the majors at some point this year, particularly if he can get his elevated walk rate (12.0% in Triple-A last year) under control more reliably. Josh Walker is the only other southpaw relief arm with big league experience in the organization, but he’s on a non-roster deal and would require a 40-man roster move to bring to the majors. That could put Sandridge ahead of him on the depth chart, though lefty starter Cade Povich could also pose a threat to Sandridge’s chances of making the majors if the Orioles are willing to use him in relief at some point.
Angels Announce 11 Roster Moves
The Angels announced nearly a dozen roster moves as they prepare their Opening Day lineup. The team confirmed the signing of lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi to a one-year free agent deal. They also selected veteran infielders Adam Frazier and Jeimer Candelario onto the big league roster.
Vaughn Grissom lands on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist. Pitchers Ben Joyce (shoulder inflammation), Alek Manoah (middle finger contusion), Kirby Yates (left knee inflammation), and Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder inflammation) all land on the 15-day injured list. Those five placements are retroactive to March 22.
The Angels needed to open three spots on the 40-man roster for Lucchesi, Frazier and Candelario. Two of those are procedural moves, as Anthony Rendon and Robert Stephenson have been placed on the 60-day injured list. The one roster casualty of the whole series of transactions is left-handed reliever Jayvien Sandridge, who was designated for assignment.
Most of these transactions had either been announced or strongly telegraphed by prior moves. Frazier and Candelario were each expected to break camp after offseason minor league contracts. The former is ticketed for the majority of the playing time at second base. Frazier’s left-handed bat and plus contact skills make him a rarity in a heavily right-handed lineup. He hit .281 with a .452 on-base percentage this spring but has been a below-average hitter in four consecutive seasons. Frazier ran a .267/.319/.365 slash in 459 plate appearances between the Pirates and Royals a year ago.
Candelario, 32, returns to the majors after finishing last season in Triple-A in the Yankees system. The switch-hitter turned in a meager .207/.265/.394 line while battling various injuries over a season and a half with the Reds. He popped four homers this spring but struck out 17 times in 56 plate appearances.
Primarily a corner infielder, Candelario has also gotten acclimated to second base in camp. He’ll work as a backup infielder alongside the out-of-options Oswald Peraza behind Frazier and third baseman Yoán Moncada. The Angels will only pay him the $780K league minimum while he’s on the roster. The Reds are still covering the rest of his $13MM salary after releasing him last June.
Of the injured list assignments, only the Yates move comes as a surprise. The 39-year-old righty signed a $5MM free agent deal over the winter. That was the biggest investment the Halos made in a quiet offseason. Yates was one of a handful of reclamation fliers who’ll slot into the bullpen. He had been expected to share closing work with Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz. That’ll be on hold for at least the first 12 days of the regular season. Yates pitched four times this spring, allowing one earned run over four innings.
Joyce is still building back from last May’s shoulder procedure. He’s throwing but didn’t get into any games this spring. He’s not ready for MLB game action but should be back relatively early in the year. It’s an encouraging sign for his health that the Angels opted to designate someone for assignment rather than place Joyce on the 60-day IL.
Grissom is out of minor league options. His injury buys the Halos a little bit of time to determine whether they want to keep him on the roster or designate him for assignment. Rodriguez and Manoah entered camp as the projected fourth and fifth starters. Their continued injury issues will draw Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson into the final two rotation spots instead.
Sandridge came over from the Yankees in a cash trade in January. The 27-year-old southpaw pitched twice before being optioned early in camp. He allowed five runs over two innings. Sandridge gave up two runs while recording two outs in his lone major league appearance, which came as a Yankee last July. In Triple-A, he posted a 4.55 ERA with huge strikeout stuff (33.1%) but too many walks (12%). The Angels have five days to trade him or try to run him through waivers.
Angels Acquire Jayvien Sandridge, Designate Osvaldo Bido
The Angels have acquired left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from the Yankees in exchange for cash, per announcements from both clubs. The Halos added that righty Osvaldo Bido has been designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. New York had designated Sandridge for assignment a couple days ago.
The 26-year-old Sandridge made a brief MLB debut this past season, allowing a pair of runs in two-thirds of an innings with the Yanks. He spent the bulk of the 2025 season in Triple-A, where he pitched to a 4.55 ERA with a huge 33.1% strikeout rate but a 12% walk rate in 31 2/3 frames. Sandridge averaged about 95 mph on his four-seamer and logged an outstanding 15.3% swinging-strike rate during his time in Triple-A. He still has a pair of minor league option years remaining.
A former 32nd-round pick by the Orioles, Sandridge has bounced to five organizations since the 2018 draft, primarily doing so via minor league free agency. Baltimore released him in 2020, when most clubs throughout the game were making sweeping cuts to their minor league personnel during the early stages of the pandemic, and he’s since signed minor league deals with the Reds, Padres and Yankees.
Sandridge has pitched in parts of seven minor league seasons but totaled only 241 2/3 total minor league frames. He’s logged a solid 3.99 earned run average in that time and punched out nearly one-third of his opponents — but he’s also issued walks at a 17% clip and plunked another 22 of the 1099 batters he’s faced (2%). Coupled with a whopping 44 wild pitches, it’s more than fair to say that command is a major hindrance for the hard-throwing southpaw.
As for Bido, today’s move is the continuation of an all-too-familiar refrain. He’s already been on waivers four times this winter and now appears poised to head back to the wire for a fifth time. Bido began the winter on the Athletics’ 40-man roster but has since bounced to the Braves, Rays, Marlins and Angels via waivers.
Bido turned 30 this past October. He spent seven seasons in the minors with the Pirates prior to making his debut as a 27-year-old rookie in 2023, and he’s spent the past two seasons pitching with the A’s, who signed him to a big league deal in the 2023-24 winter after Pittsburgh cut him loose. The wiry 6’3″, 175-pound righty has had an up-and-down run in the majors across the past three seasons, posting ugly numbers in 2023 and 2025 but logging 63 1/3 innings of 3.41 ERA ball with solid rate stats in 2024.
Overall, Bido has pitched 193 2/3 innings as a big leaguer. In that time, he carries a collective 5.07 earned run average. Metrics like SIERA (4.60) and FIP (4.67) are a bit kinder. Broadly, he’s pitched like a serviceable swingman/sixth starter for much of his time in the majors.
Bido averages 94.7 mph with both his four-seamer and sinker. His strikeout rate (20.9%) and walk rate (9.6%) are both worse than league average, but not by much. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher but hadn’t been especially prone to home runs until the 2025 season — though that was surely due to the Athletics’ temporary home at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento playing like an absolute launching pad; Bido surrendered 13 home runs in 44 1/3 home innings but just six in 35 1/3 frames on the road.
The Angels can trade Bido or place him on waivers at any point within the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process. His DFA will be resolved within one week’s time.
Yankees Claim Dom Hamel; Designate Marco Luciano, Jayvien Sandridge For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they have claimed right-hander Dom Hamel off waivers from the Rangers. They also designated left-hander Jayvien Sandridge and outfielder Marco Luciano for assignment. The two DFAs open roster spots for Hamel and for Cody Bellinger, whose five-year deal was made official yesterday. Texas designated Hamel for assignment a week ago when they signed Jakob Junis.
Hamel, 27 in March, just made his major league debut not too long ago. He tossed a scoreless inning for the Mets on September 17th, which is still his only big league appearance. Shortly thereafter, the Mets put him on waivers, with the Orioles and Rangers claiming him in quick succession. Texas held him for a few months but put him back on the wire this week.
The righty came up through the Mets’ system as a starting pitcher but a lack of control pushed him to the bullpen in 2025. He logged 67 2/3 innings over 31 Triple-A appearances last year. 11 of those were officially starts but they were mostly in opener style. His 5.32 earned run average wasn’t great but he did strike out 25.2% of batters faced and showed improved control with a 7.4% walk rate. His four-seamer and sinker both averaged in the low 90s while he also mixed in a cutter, slider and changeup.
Hamel still has a couple of options, so the Yankees could keep him as depth in the minors. They could also try putting him back on waivers in the future. He doesn’t have a previous career outright and has less than three years of service time, which means he would not have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Speaking of players getting put back on waivers, that’s been the story of Luciano’s offseason. Once a top prospect, his stock has dropped as he has exhausted his option years. That has pushed him to a fringe roster position and it seems that there are several clubs hoping to be the one to pass him through waivers, at which point he could be kept in the minors as non-roster depth. He finished the 2025 season with the Giants but has subsequently gone to the Pirates, Orioles and Yankees via the waiver wire.
He has a rough career batting line of .217/.286/.304 in his big league career while striking out in 35.7% of his plate appearances. His Triple-A line of .227/.351/.401 is better but came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and still saw him strike out 29.6% of the time. He was moved from the middle infield to left field last year, which only put more pressure on him to produce offensively.
The numbers have not been great but Luciano is only 24 years old and was a top 100 prospect not too long ago. His service time is still under a year, meaning he can theoretically be retained for six full seasons by some club. It’s understandable that teams would hope to have that player on hand in case he does finally break out. Now that he’s in DFA limbo once more, he will be on the move again or outrighted in the next week.
Sandridge, 27 next month, got a major league roster spot for the first time with the Yankees last year. He made just one appearance, which came against the Mets on July 5th. He was given a rude awakening, as he walked Juan Soto and then allowed a home run to Pete Alonso. He settled down somewhat by striking out Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos, but then walked Luis Torrens and hit Jeff McNeil with a pitch before being removed.
That one appearance has some commonalities with his minor league track record, which has featured lots of strikeouts but a lack of control. He tossed 36 2/3 innings on the farm for the Yankees last year with a 4.66 ERA. He struck out 32.7% of batters faced but issued 19 walks, an 11.4% pace. He also hit three more batters and tossed six wild pitches. He averaged around 95 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a splitter and slider.
He will now be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Yankees could take five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on the wire sooner. Since he has a couple of options, he could have appeal if there’s a club that is both intrigued by the arsenal and looking for some extra relief depth.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Yankees Place Ryan Yarbrough On 15-Day Injured List
The Yankees placed left-hander Ryan Yarbrough on the 15-day injured list this morning due to a right oblique strain. Left-hander Jayvien Sandridge was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Sandridge would be making his MLB debut if he were to get into a game with the Yankees. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports that New York will recall right-hander Allan Winans to start tomorrow’s game against the Reds. Manager Aaron Boone later confirmed Winans’s impending start to reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) and noted that Yarbrough’s oblique strain is a low-grade one.
Yarbrough, 33, is in the midst of his eighth big league season. After signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays this offseason, the veteran did not make the club’s roster out of Spring Training and opted out before signing with the Yankees on a major league deal shortly before Opening Day. The lefty has been an essential arm for New York this year amid injuries throughout the starting rotation. He’s pitched to a 3.90 ERA in 55 1/3 innings of work split between eight starts and eight relief appearances. Since joining the rotation in early May, Yarbrough has posted a 3.83 ERA across 40 innings, with most of the damage against him coming as part of an early June start against the Red Sox where he was rocked for eight runs in four innings.
He’s allowed no more than two runs in his other seven starts, however, and generally been a very reliable back-of-the-rotation arm for the Yankees this year. That makes this a loss that’s particularly difficult for the club the stomach. Max Fried, Clarke Schmidt, and Carlos Rodon have managed to form an impressive front three in the rotation even with Gerrit Cole out of commission this year. Unfortunately, there’s been little certainty behind that group. Will Warren has excellent peripherals through 15 starts but an ugly 4.83 ERA. After a lackluster performances from Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco early in the year, Yarbrough helped to provide some stability to bring up the rear of the rotation.
They’ll need to look elsewhere for now, however, and it seems Winans will be the first player to get a crack at the opportunity. He’s yet to pitch in the majors for the Yankees since being claimed off from the Braves back in January and has a 7.20 ERA in eight career starts at the big league level. Despite those shaky results, he’s been utterly dominant at Triple-A this year with a 0.90 ERA in 50 innings of work. That was enough to earn him a big league call-up, and it’s not impossible to imagine him sticking in the rotation for at least a few starts if he performs well. Stroman is currently rehabbing in the minors, with a 4.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings across two outings at Double-A, but will likely need to be built up more before he returns to the majors.
For now, Yarbrough’s roster spot will go to Sandridge. The 26-year-old lefty has put up somewhat middling numbers at the minor league level throughout his career but has looked utterly dominant in seven Triple-A innings this year. In that abbreviated sample, he’s allowed just one run (1.29 ERA) while striking out 46.4% of his opponents. Whether Sandridge is just on a hot streak or has unlocked a new level of play, the Yankees clearly felt it was worth giving themselves the option to see what he can do at the big league level while they have a roster spot to spare.
Yankees Select Jayvien Sandridge
The Yankees announced today that they have selected the contract of left-hander Jayvien Sandridge. He’ll take the active roster spot of right-hander Yerry De los Santos, who has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. To open a 40-man spot, infielder/outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
De los Santos has given the Yankees 20 innings this year while only allowing 1.80 earned runs per nine. That level of performance is surely not sustainable with a 14% strikeout rate and 12.9% walk rate. He’s managed to keep runs off the board by having a huge 88.2% strand rate and no home runs allowed on the season.
The Yankees haven’t provided any information about how long they expect him to be out, though an elbow injury is naturally always a concern for a pitcher. More information is likely to be forthcoming in the near future.
For now, his IL placement opens a path for Sandridge to get to the big leagues for the first time. The 26-year-old southpaw has spent time in the minors with the Orioles, Reds and Padres without getting called to the majors. He reached minor league free agency at the end of last year and signed a minors deal with the Yankees.
Sandridge started the season on the injured list but was able to get back on the mound by the middle of May. He made a few rehab appearances at lower levels before moving up to Triple-A. Combined, he has thrown 12 innings this year with four earned runs allowed. He has walked six opponents but also struck out 20, for respective rates of 11.8% and 39.2%.
That’s generally been Sandridge’s recipe throughout his minor league career. From 2021 to 2024, he tossed 173 2/3 innings for various minor clubs with a 3.94 ERA. His 18.2% walk rate in that time was massive but he also struck out 33.7% of batters faced.
As of July of last year, FanGraphs considered Sandridge to be one of the top 20 prospects in the Padres’ system. That report noted that his fastball was sitting in the upper 90s but that controlling his slider is his biggest issue, throwing out Jake Diekman as a potential ceiling comp since Diekman carved out a nice career despite consistently high walk rates.
The Yankees came into today with the only lefty in the bullpen being Tim Hill, a veteran soft-tossing ground ball guy. Sandridge will give them a second southpaw with a different profile. Since this is his first big league call, he has a full slate of options and can be cheaply controlled for years to come, though he’ll obviously have to perform well enough to hold his 40-man roster spot.
As for Cabrera, his transfer to the 60-day IL is not a surprise. He suffered a grisly ankle injury in the middle of May and underwent surgery. He’s technically able to be reinstated 60 days from that initial IL placement, so mid-July, but he’s expected to miss most or all of the remainder of the season.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images