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Tyler Zuber

Marlins Claim Tyler Zuber, Designate Nick Nastrini

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1:47pm: The Marlins announced that Zuber has indeed been claimed off waivers from the Mets. Miami designated right-hander Nick Nastrini for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

The 25-year-old Nastrini was claimed off waivers from the White Sox eight days ago. He’s started one game in Jacksonville since that claim, pitching two innings and allowing a a pair of runs in a concerning manner; Nastrini didn’t allow a hit in that appearance but issued four walks and plunked three batters.

Once a well-regarded prospect in the Dodgers and White Sox systems, Nastrini pitched poorly in 35 2/3 big league innings during last year’s debut with the White Sox. He also struggled to a 5.29 ERA in 85 Triple-A frames and has been knocked around for a 7.58 earned run average in 46 1/3 Triple-A innings so far in 2025. Nastrini has long drawn praise for a pair of quality breaking balls that give him strong bat-missing abilities, but command has been persistently cited as a weakness in scouting reports — and that’s played out so far both in Triple-A and in the majors.

The Marlins will have five days to place Nastrini back on waivers or trade him to another club. He’s in his second of three minor league option years.

1:35pm: The Marlins claimed right-handed reliever Tyler Zuber off waivers from the Mets, reports Kevin Barral of Fish On First. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. The Mets designated Zuber for assignment over the weekend. Miami has yet to formally announce the waiver claim, which will require the team to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Zuber, 30, pitched in only one game with the Mets, allowing a pair of runs in two innings. He’s appeared in parts of four big league seasons between New York, Kansas City and Tampa Bay, working to a combined 5.27 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate and a 15.9% walk rate.

Zuber has also pitched in parts of four Triple-A seasons but carries an ERA north of 5.00 there as well. Command issues have dogged him, particularly in the upper minors, but he’s regularly shown an ability to miss bats — both in terms of his raw strikeout rate and his typically above-average swinging-strike rates. He’s in his final minor league option year, so the Marlins can shuttle him back and forth between Jacksonville and Miami without needing to expose Zuber to waivers.

While he’s typically been a three-pitch reliever in the past, Zuber has added a changeup to his repertoire in Triple-A this year and tossed the pitch at an 11% clip. He’s still leaning primarily on a four-seamer that’s averaging 93.8 mph, a slider in the 82-83 mph range and a cutter in the low 90s, but the addition of a changeup gives him another offering with which to experiment while he tries to work his way back to the big league level with his new club.

Mets Sign Zach Pop, Designate Tyler Zuber

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TODAY: The Mets officially announced Pop’s signing.  Right-hander Austin Warren was optioned to Triple-A in one corresponding move, and 40-man roster space was created when right-hander Tyler Zuber was designated for assignment.

Zuber has a 5.27 ERA in 54 2/3 innings of parts of four MLB seasons with the Royals, Rays, and Mets.  He came to New York from Tampa in a deadline deal a year ago and has mostly pitched in the Mets’ minor league system, as his big league tenure in Queens consists of a single appearance and two relief innings in the Mets’ 7-1 loss to the Phillies on June 22.

JULY 3: The Mets and right-hander Zach Pop are in agreement on a major league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Whenever it is official, corresponding moves will be required to get him onto to the 40-man and active rosters.

Pop, 28, just spent a few weeks on the Mariners’ roster. He made four appearances, the first three of which were fairly normal. The fourth one, however, was a disaster. Put into a game against Minnesota with Seattle losing 2-0 in the sixth, Pop allowed seven earned runs in one inning, via two walks and six hits, including two home runs. That gave him an unsightly 13.50 earned run average for the year. He was then designated for assignment and elected free agency.

In his career, Pop has gotten many chances thanks to his intriguing velocity. He averages 96 miles per hour on his sinker, though that has led to more ground balls than strikeouts. In 161 career innings split between the Marlins, Blue Jays and Mariners, he has a 4.75 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 55.2% ground ball rate.

He exhausted his final option year with the Jays last season. The Jays still had some hope of utilizing him in 2025, as they tendered him a contract. He had qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player and the two sides avoided arb by agreeing to a $900K salary for this year.

He stuck on Toronto’s 40-man through the winter but experienced some elbow soreness during camp. The Jays designated him for assignment on Opening Day to open a 40-man spot. Since he was injured at the time, he couldn’t be put on outright waivers, so he was released. That left the Jays on the hook for the majority of that salary, allowing any other club to pay him the prorated version of the minor league minimum for any time spent on the roster.

That led to a minor league deal with the Mariners. During his brief stint on their major league roster, he passed three years of service time, which gave him the right to elect free agency yesterday even though it was his first career outright.

For the Mets, their pitching staff has been hit pretty hard in the past few weeks, so they need all the help they can get. They currently have 12 pitchers on the injured list. Their starting rotation has lost Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and Paul Blackburn in the past few weeks. They just placed Blackburn and reliever Dedniel Núñez on the IL today, after playing a doubleheader yesterday. Justin Hagenman and Rico Garcia were called up to give the club a couple of fresh arms.

David Peterson is starting tonight’s contest against the Brewers. Tim Britton of The Athletic relays that the club plans to have Hagenman, Frankie Montas and Brandon Waddell start the next three games against the Yankees. After that, the club will get a much-needed day off but it’s going to be a challenge for them to limp through the weekend.

Pop will give them a fresh arm at virtually no cost. As mentioned, he is out of options and would need to be removed from the 40-man if the club wants to remove him from the active roster. If he somehow manages to hold a spot until the end of the year, he can be retained beyond this season via arbitration.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images

Mets Select Travis Jankowski, Option Luisangel Acuña

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The Mets announced a series of roster moves today, including the previously-reported signing of left-hander Richard Lovelady. The Mets announced his name as “Dicky Lovelady” and Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports that the southpaw has indeed requested that name change. The Mets also selected the contract of outfielder Travis Jankowski. To make room for those two, the club optioned right-hander Tyler Zuber and infielder Luisangel Acuña to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets had one 40-man vacancy but opened another by transferring outfielder Jose Siri to the 60-day injured list.

It’s the second time in as many days that the Mets have shaken up their roster by optioning a young player who has previously been getting regular playing time. Catcher Francisco Alvarez was sent to Syracuse yesterday and now Acuña is following him upstate. Acuña held his own earlier this year with a .288/.342/.356 line and 102 wRC+ through the end of April. However, his production has tailed off badly since then, with a .194/.244/.208 line and 31 wRC+ since the calendar flipped to May.

Those struggles have cut into his playing time, with Acuña getting just five starts in the past month. Rather than languishing on the bench, the Mets have decided to send him to the farm, presumably hoping that regular starts down there are better than sitting on the bench in the majors. For parts of this season, Acuña has been the only viable backup to shortstop Francisco Lindor but Ronny Mauricio is now healthy and capable of filling in there, making it more plausible for Acuña to depart the major league roster.

His roster spot will go to Jankowski. The 34-year-old veteran signed a minor league deal with the Mets a couple of weeks ago. He has spent over a decade in the majors as a speed and defense specialist. His playing time has been sporadic over the years thanks to his inconsistent offense, but he’s capable of strong glovework and double-digit steals if he in the lineup regularly.

On the whole, he has a .236/.318/.305 batting line and 76 wRC+. That has occasionally spiked to around league average but has also been well below at times. Between the White Sox and Rays, he has hit .244/.286/.289 for a 64 wRC+ this year. Since signing that minor league deal with the Mets, he has hit .200/.263/.286 in Triple-A. He will likely be serving as a pinch runner and defensive replacement off the club’s bench.

As for Siri, he’s already been on the IL for more than 60 days due to a left tibia fracture. He was originally given a timeline of eight to ten weeks but hasn’t healed as quickly as hoped. His 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement so he’s eligible for reinstatement at any time.

Photo courtesy of Scott Taetsch, Imagn Images

Mets Acquire Tyler Zuber From Rays

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The Rays are dealing righty reliever Tyler Zuber to the Mets for minor league reliever Paul Gervase, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (X link).  Reliever Ty Adcock was designated for assignment by the Mets to clear a spot for Zuber, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Zuber, 29, was signed by the Rays to a minor league deal back in May out of the Atlantic League.  After striking out a third of the batters he faced at Triple-A over 21 2/3 innings, the Rays selected his contract nine days ago.  When Zuber took the hill against DJ LeMahieu and the Yankees earlier this month, it marked nearly three years between big league appearances.  Today, he’s been shipped to New York as the Rays make room for Hunter Bigge, acquired in the Isaac Paredes deal with the Cubs.  It appears Zuber may fall just shy of three years of Major League service (and arbitration eligibility) if he stays up with the Mets for the rest of their season and remains on their 40-man roster.

Zuber joins a Mets bullpen that also welcomed Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek in trades this month.  The Mets designated lefty Jake Diekman for assignment yesterday, calling up Matt Gage.  Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also supplemented the club’s rotation today, adding Paul Blackburn in a trade with the A’s.

Gervase, a 6’10” 24-year-old righty, was drafted by the Mets out of Louisiana State in the 12th round in 2022.  He’s punched out 38% of batters faced at Double-A this year, but also walked 14%.  In his last 13 appearances, he’s whiffed over 41% of batters.  It’s been an interesting journey thus far for Gervase, who you can read more about in this New York Post article by Mark W. Sanchez last October.

Adcock, 27, was drafted by the Mariners in the eighth round back in 2019.  He made his big league debut last year, but was designated for assignment in April of this year.  The Tigers claimed him on waivers, and lost him to the Mets about a month later in another claim.  Adcock made only three appearances for the Mets, most recently allowing six runs in 1 1/3 innings on July 5th at Pittsburgh.  Adcock, who averaged 96.5 miles per hour in his brief big league stint this year, has a 5.24 ERA across three different Triple-A teams this year.

Rays Place Ryan Pepiot On Injured List

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The Rays announced that right-hander Ryan Pepiot has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right knee infection, retroactive to July 19. Right-hander Tyler Zuber was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.

Pepiot was acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to Los Angeles. His first season in Tampa has been a solid one so far, as he has made 17 starts with a 3.92 earned run average. He has punched out 26.7% of batters faced while keeping walks down to a reasonable clip of 8.8%.

It’s unclear exactly how or when he injured his knee. His last outing was the Sunday before the All-Star break and he tossed six shutout innings against the Guardians that day. Perhaps it was ailing him after that and the Rays used the break to see if it would improve but didn’t see much progress.

Regardless of how or when it happened, it will subtract from Tampa’s rotation depth, which has been an evolving story in recent weeks. They are not exactly sellers in the traditionally understood way, as they have been hovering around .500 this year. They are currently 49-49 and just 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.

However, they have had some pitchers coming back from lengthy injury layoffs, which has allowed them to make some starters available on the trade market. They recently flipped Aaron Civale to the Brewers and then quickly replaced him with Shane Baz, who had recovered from his Tommy John surgery.

That swap left the Rays with a rotation consisting of Pepiot, Baz, Zach Eflin, Zack Littell and Taj Bradley. With Jeffrey Springs also nearing a return from his own Tommy John surgery layoff, it seemed possible that Tampa could make yet another starter available without really harming their rotation depth in 2024 too much. Eflin and Littell seemed the most likely options there as each is set for free agency after 2025.

Perhaps this injury to Pepiot will change that calculus, but it’s still not clear how serious the injury is or how much time the Rays are expecting him to miss. In the meantime, they will have to replace Pepiot in the rotation, which could just involve reinstating Springs since the lefty has been rehabbing for a couple of months now. Rehab stints normally only last 30 days for pitchers but can be extended in the case of Tommy John surgery recoveries. If Springs isn’t ready, Tyler Alexander and Jacob Lopez are on the 40-man roster and could be recalled.

Rays Select Tyler Zuber

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The Rays announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Tyler Zuber. He’s now on their 40-man roster but won’t join the big league staff, as Tampa Bay immediately optioned Zuber to Triple-A Durham. The Rays’ 40-man roster now stands at 38 players.

Tampa Bay signed Zuber out of the Atlantic League back in mid-May. He’d been pitching well for the Long Island Ducks and has continued to do so with the Bulls in Durham, working to a sparkling 2.49 ERA with a huge 33.3% strikeout rate against a 6.9% walk rate.

The 30-year-old Zuber pitched with the Royals in 2020-21, showing an intriguing ability to miss bats but also a glaring problem with his command. His rookie year in 2020 included 22 innings with a 4.09 ERA and huge 30.3% strikeout rate … but also a sky-high 20.2% walk rate. Zuber has pitched 49 1/3 innings in the majors overall and recorded a 5.29 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate and 16.7% walk rate.

Despite his lack of command in the majors, Zuber didn’t have substantial trouble with free passes prior to his debut. He’s battled shoulder troubles in 2021 and 2022, however, missing the entire ’22 season as a result. It’s not clear how much that ailing shoulder impacted him during 2020-21, but Zuber’s K-BB profile in Durham this season has been excellent and he’ll now give the Rays yet another interesting reclamation project who could be called upon to help the big league bullpen sooner than later.

The Rays have a deep collection of bullpen arms, with out-of-options righty Shawn Armstrong the only one of the current group that’s experienced any real struggles in 2024. However, Tampa Bay already traded Phil Maton to the Mets and has been rumored to be open to moving some other veteran arms even as they try to remain in contention. Pete Fairbanks, Jason Adam, Colin Poche, Kevin Kelly and Garrett Cleavinger are among the possibilities to change hands in the next 12 days. Moving anyone from that group could clear a spot for Zuber or another in-house arm to get a look. In particular, dealing any of Fairbanks, Adam or Poche would trim some money from the Rays’ franchise-record payroll and be replaced by a more affordable option — a concept similar to the prior trades of Maton and Aaron Civale.

Rays Sign Tyler Zuber To Minor League Deal

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The Rays have purchased the contract of right-hander Tyler Zuber from the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, the Ducks announced yesterday. Zuber will head to Tampa Bay on a minor league contract and is headed to Triple-A Durham.

Zuber, who’ll turn 29 next month, signed a minor league pact with the Guardians in the offseason and spent spring training with them but struggled in his brief look in the Cleveland organization. He served up 10 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in 5 1/3 frames this spring and unsurprisingly didn’t land an Opening Day roster spot. He was released and went on to sign with the Ducks, hoping a strong showing would bring about just this type of opportunity with another club.

Brief as his time with the Ducks was, it’s not hard to see why Zuber’s performance piqued some interest. The former Royals righty pitched just 5 2/3 innings of Atlantic League ball but held opponents to one run on five hits and one walk. He faced a total of 22 opponents and set 10 of them down on strikes (45.4%).

Zuber previously pitched for the Royals in 2020-21, debuting during the pandemic-shortened season with 22 innings of 4.09 ERA ball. He posted a gaudy 30.3% strikeout rate that year but coupled it with an alarming 20.2% walk rate. Overall, he’s pitched 49 1/3 big league innings with a 5.29 ERA, a 24.8% strikeout rate and a 16.7% walk rate.

Command was never an issue for Zuber in the lower minors, however. His overall minor league ERA sits at a tidy 3.20, and he’s paired that with a terrific 31.3% strikeout rate and a solid 8.5% walk rate. Zuber began to battle pronounced control struggles during that 2020 debut, and his penchant for walks carried over into subsequent seasons.

It’s likely that injuries played a part in the abrupt erosion of Zuber’s command. He had shoulder injuries in both 2021 and 2022, missing the entire ’22 season as a result. He was with the D-backs’ Triple-A Reno affiliate in 2023 but still walked 11.1% of his opponents in 20 2/3 innings. Given his recent struggles to locate the ball, Zuber’s impressive command in the Atlantic League is all the more notable, but time will tell whether he can carry that over in his return to affiliated ball.

Dan Straily, Tyler Zuber Sign With Long Island Ducks

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Former big league right-handers Dan Straily and Tyler Zuber have signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, per a team announcement.

Straily, 35, has spent the past four seasons pitching in the Korea Baseball Organization, though he did briefly return stateside for Triple-A run with the 2022 D-backs. The former A’s, Marlins, Reds, Cubs, Orioles and Astros righty has pitched 503 innings for the KBO’s Lotte Giants, working to a 3.29 ERA with a 23.4% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. Lotte released him midway through the 2023 season, however, as he scuffled to a more pedestrian 4.37 ERA in his first 16 starts.

Prior to his largely successful KBO run, Straily enjoyed a good bit of success in an eight-year span in the big leagues. While the righty wasn’t especially consistent, he had stretches where he looked like a solid innings-eating workhorse, including a 2016-17 run between Cincinnati and Miami wherein he tossed 373 innings of 4.01 ERA ball with a 21.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. On the whole, Straily owns a 4.56 ERA in 803 1/3 innings split between the aforementioned six teams. He’s also pitched in the upper minors with the D-backs and Phillies.

Straily’s most recent MLB work came back in 2019, so he’s quite a ways removed from major league action at this point. Still, given the slate of pitching injuries that permeate Major League Baseball early every season, a nice run with the Ducks could be a springboard back into affiliated ball.

As for the 28-year-old Zuber, he was in spring training with the Guardians this year after signing a minor league deal but didn’t make the club after being torched for 10 runs on 10 hits and eight walks in just 5 1/3 innings. Zuber previously pitched for the Royals in 2020-21, debuting during the pandemic-shortened season with 22 innings of 4.09 ERA ball. He posted a gaudy 30.3% strikeout rate that year but coupled it with an alarming 20.2% walk rate. Overall, he’s pitched 49 1/3 big league frames with a 5.29 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate and 16.7% walk rate.

Command was never an issue for Zuber in the low minors. When looking at his minor league career as a whole, his 3.20 earned run average, 31.3% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate are all impressive. However, Zuber began to battle pronounced control struggles during that 2020 debut, and his penchant for walks carried over into subsequent seasons. Perhaps not coincidentally, he was plagued by shoulder troubles in 2021-22 — missing the entire 2022 season as a result. Zuber spent the 2023 season with Arizona’s Triple-A club and showed a somewhat improved 11.1% walk rate but also a diminished 20% strikeout rate in 20 2/3 innings.

As with Straily — and any big league veterans who sign with indie ball clubs — it’s possible that a good showing in Long Island will serve as a catalyst for renewed interest from affiliated clubs.

Guardians Sign Tyler Zuber To Minor League Deal

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The Guardians have signed reliever Tyler Zuber to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB Spring Training, the team announced. The righty joins the third organization of his professional career.

Zuber’s major league time has come exclusively in the AL Central. He was a sixth-round pick of the Royals in 2017. He made Kansas City’s roster during the shortened 2020 season, appearing in 23 of their 60 games as a rookie. He pitched 31 times the following year, working 27 1/3 innings.

Between the two seasons, he pitched to a 5.29 ERA over 49 1/3 frames. Zuber fanned around a quarter of opposing hitters but didn’t show the kind of control necessary to hold an MLB spot. He walked almost 17% of batters faced. Zuber also allowed home runs at an elevated 1.82 per nine clip.

Zuber has not pitched at the MLB level since that point. He opened the 2022 season on the injured list due to an impingement in his throwing shoulder. He underwent surgery that May and missed the whole year. K.C. waived him at season’s end and he landed with the Diamondbacks when they placed a claim. Arizona ran Zuber through outright waivers themselves a couple weeks later.

The Arkansas State product stuck with the organization into 2023. He pitched in 16 games for Triple-A Reno, turning in a 5.23 ERA across 20 2/3 frames. His strikeout rate dipped to 20% while he handed out free passes at an 11.1% clip. The Snakes released him at the start of July. He spent the rest of the year in free agency but has pitched this winter in the Dominican Republic.

While injuries and command issues have sidetracked him in recent years, Zuber posted solid minor league numbers during his time in the K.C. system. He owns an impressive 3.20 ERA in parts of five minor league seasons despite last year’s middling production in Reno. Before the surgery, he worked primarily with a 94-95 MPH fastball and a mid-80s slider at the MLB level.

Diamondbacks Outright Humberto Castellanos, Tyler Zuber, Buddy Kennedy

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November 11: The Diamondbacks announced that they have outrighted Castellanos and Zuber, as well as infielder Buddy Kennedy.

November 10: The Diamondbacks announced a batch of roster moves today, reinstating five players from the 60-day injured list. They are infielders Nick Ahmed and Emmanuel Rivera, left-hander Tyler Gilbert, along with right-handers Humberto Castellanos and Tyler Zuber. Those latter two names have also been designated for assignment. That leaves the club’s 40-man roster at exactly 40.

Starting today and until Spring Training, there is no injured list. That means that most teams around the league are facing roster crunches as players on the 60-day IL have to retake their roster spots. The D-Backs reinstated these five but also had to designate a couple of them in order to get their roster down to an even 40.

Zuber, 28 in June, was just claimed off waivers from the Royals a couple of weeks ago. The fact that Arizona has quickly put him back into DFA limbo perhaps suggests that their plan in claiming him has been to pass him through waivers and hang onto his rights. He missed all of 2022 due to a shoulder impingement but recently began throwing again. When he was last healthy in 2021, he had poor results in the majors but put up a 2.83 ERA in Triple-A with a 37.1% strikeout rate, though an unfortunate 13.8% walk rate. If he clears waivers, the D-Backs can try to help him with his control but without Zuber taking up a roster spot.

As for Castellanos, 25 in April, he made 11 appearances for the Snakes in 2022, including nine starts. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in August and is likely to miss the entire 2023 season.

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