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Roddery Munoz

Cardinals Place Jordan Walker On 10-Day IL, Select Ryan Vilade

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The Cardinals announced that outfielder Jordan Walker has been placed on the team’s 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 29) due to left wrist inflammation.  Right-hander Gordon Graceffo has also been optioned to Triple-A, while coming up from Triple-A are right-hander Roddery Munoz and utilityman Ryan Vilade.  In Vilade’s case, his minor league contract was selected to the Cards’ active roster.

The IL trip comes at a particularly inopportune time for Walker, as he was starting to heat up after an extended slump.  After posting just a .502 OPS over his first 138 plate appearances of the season, Walker had hit .333/.353/.545 over his last 34 trips to the dish.  These ups and downs have come over the first true extended stint of everyday playing time Walker has had in his three MLB seasons, as he has been the Cardinals’ starting right fielder for the majority of the 2025 season.

St. Louis came into the year committed to finding playing time for some of its younger players, and Walker has remained a lineup regular despite his struggles.  With Walker now sidelined, Alec Burleson or Brendan Donovan could see more time in the outfield, and Donovan moving more into the outfield mix could open up second base for Nolan Gorman.

Vilade’s multi-positional ability should also net him some looks as the 26-year-old is on the verge of his first big league action of 2025.  The Cardinals signed Vilade to a minor league deal during the offseason, and he has thus far played all three outfield positions as well as first, second, and third base over 48 games with Triple-A Memphis.  Beyond his contributions to the depth chart, Vilade has also drawn attention with his bat, as he is hitting .280/.375/.476 over 192 PA with Memphis.

Vilade’s MLB resume consists of 20 career games — three with the Rockies in 2021 and 17 with the Tigers last season, with 56 PA and a .416 OPS to show for that small taste of the Show.  His minor league numbers are naturally much more solid, with Vilade producing consistently better offense over parts of four seasons now of Triple-A ball.

Cardinals Claim Roddery Muñoz

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The Cardinals announced that they have claimed right-hander Roddery Muñoz from the Marlins. The Fish evidently put him on waivers in recent days with St. Louis grabbing him off the wire.

Muñoz, 24, just made his major league debut with the Marlins this year. As they suffered a large number of injuries to their rotation, they had to reach into their depth, with Muñoz getting a shot in the big leagues.

The numbers weren’t especially impressive, as Muñoz posted a 6.53 earned run average in 82 2/3 innings this year. His 18.5% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate and 34% ground ball rate were all below league average.

Despite the uninspiring debut, Muñoz has a bit of prospect pedigree and some decent minor league results. Since the start of 2021, he has struck out 24.3% of batters faced on the farm. His 11.4% walk rate in that time was high and his 5.18 ERA unimpressive. However, a low strand rate of 64.8% could be a factor there, leading his 4.83 FIP to be a bit more palatable.

The Cardinals are set to engage in a reset year where they cut payroll and overhaul their player development apparatus. They just declined club options on Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. They could look into trading pricey vets Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas or Steven Matz this winter.

Those moves could be accompanied by others that bring in younger, cheaper and more affordable arms, but going with less-proven guys could mean depth arms become more important. Claiming Muñoz is the first of what could be many transactions that impact their rotation picture this winter.

Marlins Place Ryan Weathers On 15-Day Injured List

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The Marlins have placed Ryan Weathers on the 15-day injured list due to a strain in his left index finger.  Right-hander Roddery Munoz has been called up from Triple-A and will start today’s game against the Guardians.

An IL trip seemed imminent after Weather made an early exit from his start in last night’s game, as the left-hander lasted into only the third inning on 40 pitches before departing.  As manager Skip Schumaker told MLB.com and other media, Weathers “just said he couldn’t feel the ball anymore with his left index finger, so once I heard that, that was enough.” Some more details on Weathers’ status and a possible recovery timeline could be available when Schumaker meets with reporters earlier today, though a lack of feeling in the finger might hint at some kind of nerve issue.

It was just two days ago that MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald profiled Weathers’ strong start to the season, highlighting how the former top prospect has enjoyed a breakout in his fourth MLB campaign.  Even with Friday’s abbreviated start on his record, Weathers still has a 3.55 ERA and an excellent 51.5% grounder rate over 71 innings and 13 starts for Miami this year.  A .272 BABIP has helped limit the damage since Weathers allows a lot of hard contact, yet his 6.7% walk rate is above the league average — a major improvement given how control problems plagued the southpaw earlier in his MLB career.

Beyond just the solid results, Weathers’ greatest asset has probably been simply his availability, but he has now fallen prey to the injury bug that has ravaged the Marlins’ rotation.  Every member of Miami’s starting five has now been on the IL or is currently on the IL, as Weathers joins Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara (both gone for the season due to Tommy John surgeries), Edward Cabrera (10-day IL due to shoulder impingement) and Sixto Sanchez (on the 10-day shoulder inflammation).

Munoz’s promotion was already in the works for today, as he was stepping in for Sanchez’s spot in the rotation.  An off-day on Monday will give the Marlins a bit of time to reset, but now yet another depth arm will be needed to slot in behind Jesus Luzardo, Trevor Rogers, Braxton Garrett, and Munoz.  The recently-acquired Shaun Anderson is probably likeliest to be the next man up, and while he has plenty of starting experience in the minors, Anderson’s last big league start came in 2019.  Max Meyer excelled in his brief time on the MLB roster earlier this season, but since the Marlins are trying to manage Meyer’s innings and aren’t trying to win in 2024 anyway, the team isn’t likely to disrupt their plan for Meyer’s development unless circumstances get really dire with the rotation.

Marlins Place A.J. Puk On 15-Day Injured List

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The Marlins have announced a series of roster moves in advance of today’s double-header with the Cubs, including the news that left-hander A.J. Puk has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to fatigue in his throwing shoulder.  As was reported yesterday, Roddery Munoz was indeed called up from Triple-A, and he’ll officially act as the 27th man for the double-header.  Right-hander Kyle Tyler will also join the active roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A, and the Marlins moved southpaw Josh Simpson to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster opening for Tyler.

Puk just pitched yesterday, and was tagged for seven earned runs over three innings of work in an 8-3 Miami loss to Chicago.  It was the roughest yet of four lackluster starts for Puk, who now has a 9.22 ERA over 13 2/3 innings of work, with an alarming 17 walks over that brief amount of time on the mound.  Manager Skip Schumaker told reporters (including Fish On First’s Isaac Azout) yesterday that the club hasn’t yet considered moving Puk back to the bullpen, though today’s injury news could change the equation considerably.

First and foremost, Puk’s lengthy injury history adds an extra layer of concern to any new health issues, even something as relatively minor as shoulder fatigue.  Puk missed all of the 2018 season and a chunk of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then missed the entire 2020 season due to a lingering shoulder problem that eventually required surgery.  Since it wasn’t clear if Puk’s arm would hold up under a starter’s workload, the Athletics used him as a reliever, and the result was a breakout year in 2022.  Oakland traded Puk to the Marlins in the 2022-23 offseason for JJ Bleday, and Puk continued the success last season with more strong work out of Miami’s relief corps.

With Puk now established as a big leaguer, the Marlins decided to see what he could still offer as a starter, and stretched him out this spring with an eye towards putting him into the rotation.  Clearly the experiment hasn’t worked out to date, and once Puk is back from the IL, he could find himself in the relief corps again if Miami has stabilized the rest of its rotation.  Between Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez undergoing Tommy John surgery and season-opening IL stints for Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett, the Fish didn’t really have much choice but to keep rolling Puk out there, though Cabrera has now since returned.

Max Meyer pitched well over three starts but was then optioned to Triple-A despite those strong results, as the Marlins are looking to limit his innings in the wake of a Tommy John surgery.  Munoz is making his MLB debut today with a start against the Cubs, and Puk’s injury could mean that Munoz gets a longer look against big league competition.  Tyler could also technically be a starting candidate, though the Marlins used him as a reliever in both of his Triple-A appearances this season.

Tyler has started 60 of his 108 career games in the minors, including starts in 26 of his 27 appearances with the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate in 2023.  With only a 5.60 ERA to show for those 135 innings, it represented a setback for Tyler, who banked 16 1/3 innings of MLB experience with the Angels and Padres in 2021-22.  He had previously pitched well in Double-A ball before running into problems in Triple-A, with a 5.68 ERA over 44 1/3 frames at the top minor league level.  The Marlins signed Tyler to a minor league deal during the offseason, and he’ll give the team some extra depth in the pen at least through today’s twin bill.

Simpson started the year on the 15-day IL due to elbow ulnar neuritis, and his move to the 60-day IL means that he won’t be an option for the big league roster until late May.  He has banked only one minor league appearance this season back on April 6, and between the lack of subsequent action and now this move to the 60-day IL, it remains to be seen when Simpson might be back in action.  The 26-year-old has yet to make his Major League debut, but has been a member of Miami’s organization since he was drafted in the 32nd round in 2019.

Marlins To Call Up Roddery Muñoz For MLB Debut

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The Marlins are going to bring up right-hander Roddery Muñoz as the 27th man for tomorrow’s double-header, per Isaac Azout of Fish on First. The righty will be making his major league debut, starting one of the two games of the twin bill.

It’s a belated birthday present for Muñoz, who just turned 24 on Sunday. The righty hasn’t been a Marlin for very long, as he actually came up as prospect in Atlanta’s system, but since July of last year, he bounced to the Nationals, Pirates and Marlins via waiver claims or cash deals.

The righty had a bit of a breakout in 2022. He made 19 starts at the High-A level that year, with a 4.03 earned run average in his 89 1/3 innings. He struck out 26.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 9.5% clip and getting grounders on 45.6% of balls in play. He was promoted to Double-A for three starts at the end of the year and allowed 12 earned runs in 11 innings, but the peripheral stats were pretty similar to his High-A work.

Going into 2023, Atlanta put him on their 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America also ranked him the #22 prospect in that club’s system. But his results backed up a bit last year, which led to his aforementioned journey around the league’s DFA carousel. He eventually tossed 78 innings at his various stops throughout the year, with a 5.42 ERA in that time. His 23% strikeout rate was solid but his 15.1% walk rate was quite high.

The Marlins nonetheless took a shot on him and have since seen their starting pitching depth get thinned out. Sandy Alcántara required Tommy John surgery last year and was already known to be unavailable in 2024, but Eury Pérez has since followed him down that path. Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett also started the season on the injured list due to injuries, though Cabrera has now returned.

The rotation currently consists of Cabrera, A.J. Puk, Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers and Ryan Weathers, but yesterday’s game was rained out, leading to tomorrow’s doubleheader. Since they need a sixth starter to get through this stretch, with no off-day until Thursday, the circumstances will allow Muñoz to make his debut. He has tossed 10 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level so far this year but has shown significant control problems, issuing 12 walks to just seven strikeouts.

That perhaps suggests this was mostly an emergency decision. The club also has Max Meyer and Darren McCaughan on the 40-man roster, but Meyer was just optioned to monitor his workload after he missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery. McCaughan just pitched on Wednesday and would be pitching on short rest if recalled this weekend. Muñoz may be in for just one outing before being optioned back to the minors, but it’s undoubtedly an exciting day for him regardless.

Marlins Acquire Roddery Muñoz From Pirates

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The Marlins announced that they have acquired right-hander Roddery Muñoz from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, with fellow righty Ryan Jensen designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Muñoz was designated for assignment last week as the Bucs opened a roster spot for their acquisitions of Rowdy Tellez and Edward Olivares. Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports first relayed that Muñoz would be heading to Miami and Christina De Nicola of MLB.com was among those to relay the full slate of moves.

Muñoz, 24 in April, has never pitched for the Pirates or any major league team. He was a prospect with Atlanta and had a solid 2022 campaign, tossing 100 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. His 4.66 earned run average for that year doesn’t jump off the page, but he struck out 26.9% of batters faced while walking 9.5%. That got him a roster spot in November of last year, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

But his results backed up in 2023 and he went to the Nationals and Pirates on waiver claims in July and December, respectively. He tossed 78 minor league innings on the year overall with a 5.42 ERA, striking out 23% of opponents but also walking 15.1% of them. He is still young and has a couple of options, so the Marlins will add him as some optionable starting depth.

The club has a rotation mix that currently consists of Jesús Luzardo, Eury Pérez, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, Max Meyer, Ryan Weathers and others. Relievers A.J. Puk and George Soriano will reportedly be stretched out in the spring to see if they can help. There have been rumors of some members in that group receiving trade interest, which doesn’t necessarily mean the Marlins are looking to make a deal but Muñoz will give them some extra depth in either case.

As for Jensen, 26, he is somewhat similar in that he has bounced around to various clubs without making a major league appearance. A first-round pick of the Cubs in 2019, he racked up some decent strikeout numbers on his way up the minor league ladder but also gave out walks at a high frequency.

The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster just over a year ago to keep him out of the Rule 5 but his results dipped in 2023. He had a 5.31 ERA after six Double-A starts and was moved to the bullpen. That transition didn’t lead to vastly improved results and he wound up on waivers in August, claimed by the Mariners. He ultimately tossed 64 1/3 innings on the year at Double-A and Triple-A between the organizations of the Cubs and the Mariners. He had a 5.32 ERA in that time, striking out 25.1% of opponents but also walking 17.4%.

The Mariners designated him for assignment in November. The Marlins put in a claim but have now bumped him off the roster less than a month later. They will have a week to work out a trade or try to pass him through waivers. The control has been an issue but he’s a former first-round pick with strikeout stuff and two option years remaining.

Pirates Designate Roddery Munoz For Assignment

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The Pirates announced they’ve designated right-hander Roddery Muñoz for assignment. Pittsburgh needed a 40-man roster spot after finalizing their signing of first baseman Rowdy Tellez and trade pickup of Edward Olivares from Kansas City.

Pittsburgh claimed Muñoz off waivers from the Nationals two weeks ago. Washington had snagged him off waivers from the Braves in July. Muñoz has yet to appear in a major league game. While he was briefly added to the MLB roster in Atlanta, his number was never called. He struggled in the upper minors this year, combining for a 5.42 ERA through 78 innings in the Braves and Nats systems.

He punched out 23% of opponents but walked a massive 15% of batters faced. Prospect evaluators have credited the 23-year-old with a mid-upper 90s fastball and a promising slider. He needs to take a significant step forward with his strike-throwing to carve out a big league bullpen spot. The Pirates will have a week to trade Muñoz or attempt to slip him through waivers.

Pirates Claim Roddery Muñoz From Nationals

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The Nationals announced that right-hander Roddery Muñoz was claimed off waivers by the Pirates and that left-hander Joe La Sorsa cleared outright waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. Washington’s 40-man roster is now at 38 and Pittsburgh’s is at 37.

Muñoz, 24 in April, came up as a prospect with Atlanta and got a spot on their 40-man roster a year ago to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was designated for assignment in July and was claimed by the Nationals. Though he was recalled briefly by Atlanta in June, he has yet to make his major league debut, getting optioned back to the farm just a few days later.

Between the two clubs, he tossed 78 innings over 34 appearances with a 5.42 earned run average. He struck out 23% of batters faced but walked 15.1%. He was more impressive in 2022, tossing 100 1/3 innings with a 4.66 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate.

It appears the Bucs are intrigued enough to give him a roster spot. Muñoz still has a couple of options remaining, which will allow the Pirates to keep him in the minors without exposing him to waivers. Given his youth and minimal service time, he could be a long-term depth piece for the club, as long as he continues to justify his spot on the 40-man.

La Sorsa, 26 in April, just made his major league debut in 2023. He made two appearances for the Rays before getting claimed off waivers by the Nationals and getting into 23 more contests. Between those two clubs, he tossed 32 2/3 innings with a 4.41 ERA, 19.3% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 42.2% ground ball rate. By clearing waivers, he will provide the Nats will some non-roster depth.

Nationals Claim Roddery Muñoz From Braves

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The Nationals announced that they have claimed right-hander Roddery Muñoz off waivers from the Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester. Atlanta designated him for assignment last week. The Nationals already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster so no corresponding move will be required.

Muñoz, 23, was an international signing of Atlanta out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 and worked primarily as a starter in subsequent seasons. In 2022, he tossed 100 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. His 4.66 earned run average in that time wasn’t especially eye-opening, but he struck out 26.9% of batters faced while walking 9.5%.

Atlanta evidently liked what they saw enough that they didn’t want Muñoz to get away in the Rule 5 draft and thus added him to their 40-man roster in November. He’s been transitioned into more of a relief role this year, tossing 39 1/3 innings over 22 appearances. He has a 3.89 ERA for the year across multiple levels, striking out 23.4% of opponents but walking 15.2% of them.

Those control issues seemingly led to Muñoz losing his roster spot in Atlanta, but he’s a sensible claim for the Nationals since they are rebuilding and can be patient with his development. He’s still young, has a full slate of options and has yet to reach the big leagues. If he can rein in his arsenal, he could be a long-term fit for the Nats. He was recently ranked Atlanta’s #22 prospect by Baseball America and #8 by FanGraphs.

Braves Select Lucas Luetge

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The Braves announced they’ve selected reliever Lucas Luetge onto the 40-man roster. Since he’s out of minor league option years, he’ll need to be added to the MLB club before tomorrow’s game against the White Sox. To clear a spot on the 40-man, the Braves designated righty Roddery Muñoz for assignment.

Luetge returns a month after being outrighted off the roster. The veteran southpaw had only made nine appearances after heading over from the Yankees in an offseason trade. He allowed 11 runs in 9 2/3 innings around a month-long injured list stint before being put on waivers.

After going unclaimed, Luetge reported to Triple-A Gwinnett. Doing so allowed him to retain the $1.55MM salary to which he’d agreed in avoiding arbitration over the winter. In a matching 9 2/3 frames with Gwinnett, he’s allowed four runs (three earned) with a quality 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

That secured him another spot in the MLB bullpen. Luetge joins A.J. Minter as the only left-handers in the relief corps while Dylan Lee is on the injured list. While the soft-tossing veteran struggled in his early-season look in Atlanta, he posted a 2.71 ERA and struck out a quarter of opponents with New York between 2021-22.

Luetge’s outright assignment was long enough he won’t surpass the five-year service threshold this season as originally scheduled. He’ll be eligible for arbitration two more times before hitting the six-year mark, but that could prove a moot point. If Luetge doesn’t perform well down the stretch, he’ll be a non-tender candidate next winter anyhow.

Muñoz, 23, has yet to make his MLB debut. He was added to the 40-man roster last offseason and briefly appeared on the big league club in June. He didn’t get into a game. Muñoz has spent the majority of the season on optional assignment to Gwinnett. He has a 4.28 ERA through 27 1/3 innings as a multi-inning reliever. Muñoz’s 22% strikeout rate is only a little below average but he’s walking over 15% of batters faced.

The control woes push the 6’2″ hurler off the roster. Atlanta will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers. If another club acquires him, they could keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future. Muñoz is in his first of three option seasons.

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