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
White Sox Sign Kyle Tyler To Minor League Deal
The White Sox have signed right-hander Kyle Tyler to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League for now but will presumably head to Triple-A after a few ramp-up outings.
Tyler, 28, elected free agency a week ago after being outrighted by the Orioles. He never actually pitched for that club at the big league level. The O’s claimed him off waivers from the Phillies and kept him on optional assignment. He never pitched for the Phils either, as the Phils claimed him from the Marlins and kept him in the minors as well. He has spent a lot of the past month in DFA limbo, having been cut by both the Phils and O’s in recent weeks. He has only pitched twice in that span, which is presumably why he’s heading to the complex, to build back up.
The Marlins gave him his most extended big league look, as he logged 31 2/3 innings for them last year. Prior to that, he had brief showings with the Angels and Padres. Put together, he has 48 big league innings with a 4.31 earned run average. His 15.9% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate are both subpar figures, though he has a strong 48.3% ground ball rate.
His minor league work is naturally greater in both quality and quantity. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 330 1/3 innings on the farm, mostly as a starter. He had a 4.74 ERA in that time with a 23.7% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. This year, his results haven’t been quite as impressive. His 4.18 ERA is fine but his 15.4% strikeout rate is a big drop.
The White Sox don’t have much long-term certainty in their rotation. Aaron Civale and Adrian Houser are the most experienced arms but both are impending free agents who are likely to be traded this month. Shane Smith, Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon have the other three spots and no one in that trio has even 200 innings of big league work. Jesse Scholtens could be coming off the injured list soon but he only has 85 major league innings on his track record. Owen White is on the 40-man but he has a 5.13 ERA in the minors this year.
The Sox have some non-roster options in Triple-A. They have signed Mike Clevinger and Noah Syndergaard to minor league deals. Yoendrys Gómez and Bryse Wilson were passed through outright waivers earlier this year. But on the whole, there’s not a ton in Tyler’s way if he shows something positive in the coming months. Potential trades and injuries could widen the path even more. He is in his final option season but has less than a year of major league service time.
Photo courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images
Orioles Select Jacob Stallings, Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment
The Orioles announced that they have placed catcher Chadwick Tromp on the 10-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Fellow backstop Jacob Stallings has been selected to take his place on the roster. To open a 40-man spot for Stallings, infielder Emmanuel Rivera has been designated for assignment. Outfielder Dylan Carlson has been recalled to take Rivera’s active roster spot. The O’s also announced that right-hander Kyle Tyler, who was recently designated for assignment, has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency.
Baltimore has been hit with a barrage of catcher injuries in recent weeks. Adley Rutschman went to the injured list with an oblique strain in the middle of June. A few days later, Maverick Handley landed on the concussion-related IL. Those injuries got Tromp to the big leagues but now he himself has landed on the shelf.
At the same time Tromp was getting called up, the O’s signed Stallings for some experienced catching depth. The 35-year-old had just been released by the Rockies after getting out to an awful start this year, hitting .143/.217/.179. But he has a solid reputation for his glovework and veteran leadership behind the plate. His offense was also better as recently as last year, when he slashed .263/.357/.453.
His solid performance in 2024 prompted the Rockies to re-sign him to a one-year deal with a $2.5MM guarantee. But now that they’ve released him, they are on the hook for the majority of that money. The O’s will only have to pay him the prorated version of the league minimum salary for any time he spends on the roster. He should serve as backup to Gary Sánchez, at least until Rutschman or the other backstops are able to come off the IL.
Rivera, 29, was just added to the roster a few days ago. That move was seemingly prompted by Jordan Westburg dealing with a finger injury. Westburg has missed the past three games and is out of the lineup again today, but presumably the finger has healed up enough that he could be back in there soon, which has allowed them to sacrifice some infield depth in order to address their catching situation.
This is the third time Rivera has been designated for assignment by the Orioles. In each case, he has gone unclaimed on waivers and accepted an outright assignment. He has between three and five years of service time, meaning he has the right to elect free agency when outrighted but has to forfeit his remaining salary in order to exercise that right. He is making $1MM this year, making it understandable that he keeps accepting. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.
Tyler, 28, never pitched for the Orioles at the big league level. He was claimed off waivers from the Phillies a couple of weeks ago but kept on optional assignment. Since he has been previously outrighted in his career, he has the right to elect free agency and has done so.
His major league experience consists of 48 innings thrown across three separate seasons with a 4.31 earned run average, 15.9% strikeout rate, 12% walk rate and 48.3% ground ball rate. From 2021 to 2025, he tossed 397 minor league innings with a 4.65 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and grounders on almost half the balls in play he allowed.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
Orioles Select Emmanuel Rivera, Designate Kyle Tyler
The Orioles announced a trio of roster moves, including the selection of Emmanuel Rivera‘s contract from Triple-A Norfolk. To make room on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, outfielder Dylan Carlson was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Kyle Tyler was designated for assignment.
Rivera’s arrival seems like a direct response to Jordan Westburg‘s finger injury, which forced him to make an early exit from yesterday’s game. Westburg jammed his left index finger during a stolen base attempt last weekend and missed three games in recovery, though his attempt to return to action was short-lived. Interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer) that Westburg may again miss a “couple of days” but the injured list isn’t a consideration.
If Westburg is able to return in short order, Rivera will at least get to celebrate his birthday with his Orioles teammates, as the infielder turns 29 tomorrow. Rivera is no stranger to roster shuffles, as he is out of minor league options and has been designated for assignment four times since the start of the 2024 season — once apiece by the Diamondbacks and Marlins in 2024, and twice this year by the Orioles. The first two of those DFAs saw Rivera change teams via trade and then claim, whereas this year, the O’s have twice outrighted Rivera to Triple-A after he cleared waivers.
Rivera has hit .232/.303/.275 over 76 plate appearances with Baltimore this season, which is a step back even from his modest .243/.306/.363 career slash line in 1118 PA and 365 MLB games. Rivera has primarily played third base over his five big league seasons, so he can provide some depth at the hot corner while Westburg is sidelined.
Tyler is another veteran of the DFA process, as a whirlwind stretch of transactions in March-April 2022 saw Tyler join four different teams on waiver claims. The Phillies also claimed Tyler away from the Marlins in August 2024, and the Orioles claimed him from Philadelphia less than two weeks ago after the right-hander was designated yet again.
Tyler has a 4.31 ERA over 48 career innings in the majors but he has yet to see any big league work this year. With a 4.19 ERA over 66 2/3 combined innings with the Phillies’ and Orioles’ Triple-A affiliates, Tyler might well find himself on the move again to another team in need of some rotation or long relief depth.
Orioles Claim Kyle Tyler
The Orioles announced that right-hander Kyle Tyler has been claimed off waivers from the Phillies. Tyler has been assigned to the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate, and no further move was necessary since Baltimore already had an open spot on its 40-man roster.
The Phillies landed Tyler themselves via the waiver wire last August when the righty was acquired from the Marlins, and Tyler will now end his tenure with the Phils without any time on the big league roster. Tyler acted as rotation depth at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and this season had a 4.31 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate over 12 starts and 62 2/3 innings.
A 20th-round draft pick for the Angels in 2018, Tyler has a 4.31 ERA over 48 career innings in the majors, with 31 2/3 of those frames coming with the Marlins last season. Tyler has experience as both a starter and a swingman, and he could provide the O’s with help in either of those departments as Baltimore is still dealing with a number of injuries to key starters and relievers.
With a collective 2.97 ERA over the last two weeks, the Orioles’ pitching staff has started to nicely stabilize itself after some extreme early-season struggles, though naturally any team would love to have some depth arms available. Tyler has a minor league option remaining, giving him and the Orioles some extra flexibility in potentially moving him back and forth between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk.
Phillies Claim Ryan Cusick, Designate Kyle Tyler
The Phillies announced that right-hander Ryan Cusick was claimed off waivers from the White Sox and optioned to the Florida Complex League. In the corresponding roster move, Philadelphia designated right-hander Kyle Tyler for assignment.
In less than two weeks’ time, Cusick is now joining his fourth different team after a whirlwind series of waiver claims. The odyssey started when he was designated for assignment by the Athletics on May 27, and he has since gone from the A’s to the Tigers to the White Sox and now to the Phils. Cusick will now head not to Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate but to the FCL for what might be a mechanical tune-up in the wake of a difficult minor league season.
The 25-year-old Cusick was the 24th overall pick of the 2021 draft, selected by the Braves but then quickly flipped to the Athletics that offseason as part of the trade package that brought Matt Olson to Atlanta. Cusick has struggled to live up to that first-round potential, as his career 5.20 ERA over 238 2/3 minor league innings hasn’t resulted in any Major League playing time.
A starter for most of his career, Cusick appears to have moved into the bullpen on a full-time basis this season, but the results haven’t been there, as he has more walks (14) than strikeouts (11) while posting a 6.32 ERA over 15 2/3 combined innings with the Athletics’ and Tigers’ Triple-A affiliates in 2025. The Phillies will become the latest team to see if they can solve Cusick’s control problems and turn him into a playable big league reliever.
Tyler can relate to Cusick’s waiver wire travels, as Tyler also changed teams four times on waiver claims within a month’s span in March-April 2022. His MLB resume consists of a 4.31 ERA over 48 innings with the Angels, Padres, and Marlins, with the bulk (31 2/3 IP) of that work coming with Miami last year.
Tyler started seven of his eight games with the Marlins, and has mostly worked as a starter over the last three seasons in the minors after working in more of a swingman capacity earlier in his career. All 12 of Tyler’s outings with Triple-A Lehigh Valley came as a starter, though he had only a 4.31 ERA, 15.6% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate. The Phillies are deeper than most teams when it comes to starting pitching, while Tyler’s numbers don’t jump off the page, another club in need of rotation depth could be motivated to put in a claim.
Phillies Claim Kyle Tyler, DFA Nick Nelson
The Phillies have claimed right-handed pitcher Kyle Tyler off of waivers from the Marlins, the Phillies announced. He was been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In a corresponding move, fellow right-hander Nick Nelson has been designated for assignment.
Tyler, 27, was designated for assignment on Friday, when the Marlins selected southpaw Kent Emanuel to the 40-man roster. Tyler had pitched 31 2/3 innings over eight appearances (seven starts) for Miami. He had a 5.40 ERA and a 5.11 SIERA. The righty also made 11 appearances (nine starts) for Triple-A Jacksonville with much better results, pitching to a 3.06 ERA and 4.04 FIP. His performance for the Jumbo Shrimp represented a step in the right direction for a pitcher who had a 5.60 ERA over 135 innings last season at Double-A.
Tyler is probably just an organizational depth piece for the Phillies, but that is certainly something the team could use with Ranger Suárez and Taijuan Walker the IL. While Walker and Suárez are on their way back, a little extra pitching depth is always valuable. What’s more, Tyler has another option year remaining, so the Phillies could easily retain him at Triple-A in 2025.
As for Nelson, 28, the right-hander has spent most of the past two seasons in the minors. He was a capable mop-up man for Philadelphia in 2022, but he struggled to transition back to a starting role at Triple-A in 2023. Over 26 appearances (five starts) with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, he has a 7.52 ERA and a 6.32 FIP. The Phillies clearly have not trusted him to pitch meaningful major league innings over the past two years, so it was only a matter of time before his roster spot went to a fresh arm.
Marlins Designate Kyle Tyler For Assignment
The Marlins announced Friday that they’ve designated right-hander Kyle Tyler for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to lefty Kent Emanuel, whose contract has again been selected from Triple-A Jacksonville. Miami also optioned righties Darren McCaughan and Emmanuel Ramirez to Jacksonville and added recent waiver claims Brett de Geus and John McMillon to the active roster. Isaac Azout of Fish On First reported earlier today that McMillon, de Geus and Emanuel would be joining the Marlins’ big league roster.
Tyler, 27, has pitched 31 2/3 innings for the Fish this season and limped to a 5.40 ERA. His 17.6% strikeout rate is nearly five percentage points shy of average, and he’s walked an unpalatable 12.7% of his opponents as well. It’s the third season of big league experience for Tyler, a 17th-round pick of the Angels back in 2018. He’s also suited up more briefly for both the Halos and Padres. In 48 career innings, he has a 4.31 ERA, 15.9% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. The right-hander sits in the low 90s with a four-seamer and cutter, and he also works in a roughly 82 mph slider and 77 mph curveball to round out his arsenal.
While Tyler hasn’t pitched well in the big leagues, he sports a decent Triple-A track record and has been doing his best work at that level in 2024. He’s tossed 50 innings with Jacksonville and logged a 3.06 earned run average with a 21.6% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate. The Oklahoma native is in the second of three minor league option years and has experience working as both a starter and reliever. He’s been starting recently for the Marlins and is stretched out to the point where he tossed 84 pitches in his last outing and has recently climbed as high as 94 pitches. A team seeking rotation depth could place a claim. The Marlins will place him on outright waivers or release him by next week.
As for Emanuel, this will be the fifth time Miami has selected the left-hander’s contract in 2024 alone. He’s been designated for assignment and outrighted a remarkable four times already this season but has accepted the assignment to Jacksonville each time.
Emanuel signed a minor league deal over the winter and in four previous stints this season has combined to allow seven earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. He’s struggled in Triple-A as well, working to a 6.15 ERA in 45 1/3 innings. Given the Marlins’ prior usage of the lefty, it could very well be another brief stay on the roster. It’s probably not the way he’d have preferred to go about it, but Emanuel has picked up more than three weeks of big league service time and big league pay this year while ping-ponging back and forth between Jacksonville and Miami.
Marlins Place Braxton Garrett On 15-Day Injured List With Forearm Flexor Strain
The Marlins announced several roster moves this morning, headlined by the club placing left-hander Braxton Garrett on the 15-Day injured list with a left forearm flexor strain. The club also optioned right-hander Shaun Anderson to Triple-A. Taking Garrett and Anderson’s spots on the club’s active roster will be right-hander Kyle Tyler and left-hander Kent Emanuel, both of whom had their contracts selected. Left-hander Jesus Luzardo and right-hander Edward Cabrera were both transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear space for the duo on the 40-man roster.
Garrett’s placement on the injured list isn’t necessarily a surprise, as the club had already scratched him from today’s start due to elbow soreness yesterday. With that being said, the diagnosis of a forearm flexor strain is a concerning one that suggests Garrett could be in for a lengthy absence, though details about his exact timeline are not yet available. For Marlins fans, it surely brings to mind September of last year, when the Marlins provided the same diagnosis for right-hander Sandy Alcantara before the ace ultimately required Tommy John surgery.
Fortunately, not all forearm strains require such drastic treatment. Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray suffered a similarly-termed strain back in April that ultimately proved to be purely muscular without damage to the UCL. Gray is currently on a rehab assignment and could factor into the Nationals’ pitching plans prior to the All Star break, roughly three months after the initial injury. A similar timeline could see Cabrera return sometime in September, prior to the end of the 2024 campaign.
Regardless of when Cabrera winds up being able to return to the club, however, the Marlins figure to be in a bit of a pickle as they look to piece together their rotation mix. Miami currently has seven starters on the injured list, leaving them with lefty Trevor Rogers, righty Roddery Munoz, and righty Yonny Chirinos as their only three established starting pitchers. That trio will be joined by Tyler, who is slated to start today’s game against the Mariners. A 20th-round pick by the Angels in the 2018 draft, the righty has made eight multi-inning relief appearances in the big leagues since he first made his MLB debut back in 2021, though he’s never started a game at the big league level.
He’s pitched fairly well in his limited opportunities in the majors with a 2.45 ERA and 4.36 FIP in 18 1/3 innings of work. That includes a single appearance with the Marlins earlier this year where he allowed one run in two frames where he allowed one hit and no walks with one strikeout. It’s unclear if Tyler will continue to pitch as part of the club’s rotation after today or if this is a spot start for the 27-year-old. Also joining Tyler on the active roster is the lefty Emanuel, who has been shuttling between the 40-man roster and the minor leagues all throughout the 2024 campaign for the Marlins. In 8 1/3 innings of work for the club this year across four appearances, Emanuel has struggled to a 7.56 ERA with an 8.19 FIP. Nonetheless, the southpaw will provide the club with a multi-inning option out of the bullpen who could piggyback with the right-handed Tyler if necessary this afternoon.
As for Luzardo and Cabrerea, the 60-day IL placements come as a mild surprise for both players. In Luzardo’s case, the lefty was placed on the IL just yesterday with a lumbar stress reaction, and manager Skip Schumaker suggested that injury typically has a 4-6 week timeline. Now that Luzardo is out for at least the next two months, it’s safe to say the Marlins believe he’ll be out for longer than that general timeline. He’ll first be eligible to return from the shelf in late August. Cabrera’s placement also somewhat surprising given the fact that he’s already built up to the 50-pitch range on a rehab assignment, though given the fact that the righty would be eligible to be activated from the shelf in just two weeks it could be a purely procedural transaction.
Marlins Outright Kyle Tyler
Marlins right-hander Kyle Tyler went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville, per the transaction log at MLB.com. As a player who has been outrighted multiple times in his career, Tyler has the ability to choose minor league free agency.
The 27-year-old may nevertheless decide to stick with Miami. The Marlins have shuttled through a number of long relievers (i.e. Tyler, Kent Emanuel, Matt Andriese) as their bullpen has shouldered a heavy load in the season’s first few weeks. That gives pitchers on the fringes of the roster a few days of major league pay.
Tyler was selected onto the MLB club on April 20. He spent a week on the roster, appearing in one game. He tossed two innings of one-run ball in his first major league action since 2022. Tyler has pitched twice for Jacksonville, allowing four runs through five frames. He has struck out six while walking a pair. The Oklahoma product has tossed 44 1/3 innings over parts of three Triple-A seasons, pitching to a 5.68 ERA.