Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Zach Thompson

Braves Re-Sign Jesse Chavez, Zach Thompson

By | at

The Braves re-signed righties Jesse Chavez and Zach Thompson to new minor league contracts, per their transaction log at MLB.com. Both players were recently designated for assignment and passed through outright waivers unclaimed. Both elected free agency, and both had short stays on the market.

It seems that with regard to Chavez in particular, this cycle will play out in perpetuity. He can’t simply be optioned to the minors, but he’s clearly content to continue functioning as what’s effectively the 41st man on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. The team will likely continue to summon Chavez to the majors when a fresh arm is needed, then run him through the DFA/waiver process and re-sign him.

The 41-year-old Chavez has now pitched with Atlanta in each of the past five seasons. He’s departed on minor league deals with several other clubs but always found his way back to Truist Park. Chavez has pitched three big league innings this year, allowing a pair of runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. He’s been outstanding in 8 1/3 Triple-A innings (one run, five hits, one walk, 13 strikeouts) and has a terrific 2.96 ERA in 204 MLB innings over the past five years, nearly all of which have come with Atlanta.

Thompson, 31, pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings with Atlanta this season but was roughed up a bit in 4 1/3 minor league innings. The right-hander had a nice showing as a rookie with the Marlins in 2021 but struggled following a trade to the Pirates in the 2021-22 offseason. He’s totaled 200 1/3 innings at the MLB level and carries a 4.36 ERA, 18.3% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate. Thompson sits in the low 90s with his heater and doesn’t miss many bats, but he’s a nice spot start option to have stashed in Gwinnett — particularly with both Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Strider on the injured list at the moment.

Zach Thompson Elects Free Agency

By | at

Right-hander Zach Thompson has rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett in favor of free agency, per David O’Brien of The Athletic. Thompson was designated for assignment earlier this week and clearly went unclaimed on waivers. As a player who’s previously been outrighted in the past, has has the right to turn down all future outright assignments in favor of a trip back to the open market.

Thompson, 31, appeared in two big league games and fired 3 2/3 scoreless innings with the Braves. He yielded three earned runs on seven hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts during 4 1/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett. That limited action so far in 2025 marks Thompson’s first time on a mound since 2023. He missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair a tear in his right flexor tendon.

Prior to his run with the Braves organization, Thompson has seen big league time with both the Marlins and Pirates. He made his MLB debut with the 2021 Marlins, pitching 75 innings of 3.24 ERA ball with a 21% strikeout rate, an 8.9% walk rate and a 43.4% ground-ball rate. That proved enough for the Pirates to acquire him as one of three players in their return for trading catcher Jacob Stallings to Miami.

Thompson’s time with the Pirates didn’t pan out. Pittsburgh surely hoped to be adding a controllable back-end starter who could be plugged right into the rotation after trading Stallings away. Thompson did indeed step right onto the starting staff, but he was roughed up for a 5.18 ERA in 121 2/3 innings. The majority of that time was spent in the rotation (22 starts), but Thompson struggled just as much in seven bullpen appearances later in the year. The Bucs designated him for assignment that offseason and traded him to Toronto. Thompson spent the entire year in the minors before requiring that flexor surgery in October.

A team in need of some rotation depth or long relief help may take a look at Thompson in the near future now that he’s once again a free agent. He pitched decently with the Jays’ Triple-A squad in 2023 (105 innings, 4.61 ERA), has had some degree of success in the majors, and most importantly now appears healthy after missing all of the 2024 season. Thompson also has a full slate of three minor league option years, which may not immediately come into play if he signs a minor league deal but would be a benefit to his next club if he pitches his way into 40-man consideration.

Braves Sign Eddie Rosario, Option Jarred Kelenic

By | at

The Braves announced Monday that they’ve signed veteran outfielder Eddie Rosario to a major league contract and optioned fellow outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated righty Zach Thompson for assignment.

Kelenic’s demotion comes amid a calamitously poor start for the 25-year-old former top prospect. He’s opened the season with a .167/.231/.300 batting line and a massive 23 strikeouts in his first 65 plate appearances (35.4%). Those struggles come despite Kelenic being shielded almost entirely from left-handed pitching. The Braves have let him face a southpaw just six times in 2025. He’s hitless in those six plate appearances and has gone down on strikes in four of them.

Atlanta took on a series of underwater contracts through a convoluted sequence of trades in the 2023-24 offseason, effectively eating all of that dead money in order to purchase Kelenic from the Mariners. Seattle unloaded the remainder of its commitments to first baseman Evan White and left-hander Marco Gonzales in the original trade. Atlanta flipped Gonzales to the Pirates for a bit of cash and shipped White to Anaheim while taking back the unwanted contracts of David Fletcher and Max Stassi (the latter of whom was sold off to the White Sox). Atlanta took on more than $20MM in that sequence, and that’s before factoring in the luxury tax penalties required to do so.

It was an expensive gambit, and thus far, it simply hasn’t paid off. Kelenic had a below-average offensive output in 2024 and has clearly taken a further step back in 2025. Since coming to Atlanta, he’s turned in a .222/.279/.381 line with a 30.4% strikeout rate. The Braves, sitting last place in the NL East after a surprisingly poor start, cannot afford the luxury of a more patient approach with Kelenic. They’ve also seen Alex Verdugo and Eli White handily outperform Kelenic on the young season. That pairing will join Michael Harris II, Stuart Fairchild and the newly signed Rosario in the outfield mix while Kelenic hopes to benefit from a reset in Triple-A.

The 33-year-old Rosario will head to Atlanta’s big league roster for a fifth straight season. The Braves originally acquired him from the Guardians in a salary-dump deal at the 2021 trade deadline and watched the longtime Twins outfielder catch fire down the stretch. Rosario played a major role in the Braves’ 2021 World Series run, and they rewarded him with a two-year, $18MM deal to return to Atlanta that offseason. It didn’t pay dividends. Rosario had a brutal 2022 season and was league average at the plate in 2023. He signed with the Nationals as a free agent and wound up back in Atlanta after Washington cut him loose.

The Braves will be Rosario’s second big league stop this year. He very briefly played with the Dodgers, going hitless in four plate appearances before being designated for assignment. Rosario hasn’t had a full above-average season at the plate since 2020, his final year in Minnesota. In 1521 plate appearances for four teams since that time, he’s slashed .232/.278/.396 (82 wRC+). He could conceivably platoon with the righty-swinging White in one corner spot while the Braves await Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return from the injured list.

As for the 31-year-old Thompson, he’ll now be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days. Waivers would be a 48-hour process, if the Braves choose to go that route. Within a week’s time, Thompson will know the outcome of his DFA.

He’s appeared in two big league games with the Braves in 2025 and tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings. In 4 1/3 Triple-A frames, Thompson has allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts. That’s his first action on a mound since 2023. The righty missed all of the 2024 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.

Thompson has seen major league time in two other seasons. From 2021-22, he pitched 196 2/3 innings, working primarily as a starter, between the Marlins and Pirates. He was sharp in his 2021 MLB debut with Miami but struggled after being traded to Pittsburgh in the Jacob Stallings deal that offseason. On the whole, Thompson carries a 4.36 ERA in the majors. He’s fanned 18.3% of his opponents against an 8.6% walk rate. Thompson doesn’t throw hard, sitting just 91.2 mph with his four-seamer, but he has a full slate of minor league options remaining and could make some sense for a team seeking affordable depth at the fifth spot in its rotation.

Braves Activate Spencer Strider

By | at

April 16: Strider has been activated ahead of his start against the Blue Jays this afternoon, per a team announcement. Right-hander Zach Thompson was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

April 13: Prior to today’s game against the Rays, the Braves announced that the club had optioned right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to the minor leagues. In the short-term, the move made room for righty Michael Petersen to join the club. More important than that move, however, is the impending shift in the rotation Smith-Shawver’s departure portends. As noted by multiple reporters, including David O’Brien of The Athletic, Smith-Shawver’s departure from the active roster will make way for the highly-anticipated return of right-hander Spencer Strider to the rotation on April 16 against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Strider, 26, hasn’t pitched in just over a year after undergoing internal brace surgery on his UCL early last season. The right-hander has just two full MLB seasons under his belt, in 2022 and ’23, but in that time he posted a 3.36 ERA with a 2.43 FIP and a 37.4% strikeout rate. Those incredible stats were enough to get Strider a second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting, an All-Star appearance, and a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting across the two seasons, and the decorated fireballer now figures to return to lead Atlanta’s rotation once again now that he’s healthy. It couldn’t come at a better time, as the Braves have struggled badly out of the gate with a 4-11 start to open the season. Those struggles are due in large part to a rotation that has lost Reynaldo Lopez for much of the 2025 season to shoulder surgery and has seen reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale scuffle to a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings of work across his first four starts this season.

Strider’s long-awaited return to the big league mound means the end of Smith-Shawver’s stint in the rotation to open the year. The right-hander was generally serviceable for Atlanta across three starts, with a 4.61 ERA that clocks in just below league average and a 4.16 FIP. While Smith-Shawver’s 26.2% strikeout rate in those starts was solid, a 12.3% walk rate raised enough concerns that the club has opted to stick with Bryce Elder in the rotation despite his ugly 7.20 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers and Rays. That leaves Elder to pair with Grant Holmes at the back of the club’s rotation for the time being, though Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, and Dylan Dodd all remain available at Triple-A as potential rotation options if Elder fails to improve.

Strider may not be the only reinforcement the Braves are getting from Triple-A this week. O’Brien suggests that “all signs are pointing to” an impending call-up for outfielder Alex Verdugo, who was signed to a $1.5MM deal three weeks ago but has spent that time in the minor leagues catching up after missing most of Spring Training. It’s possible he would’ve spent the entire month of April at Triple-A, but things changed when Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80-games due to a failed PED test. That’s left the Braves to try and get by with Jarred Kelenic, Stuart Fairchild, and Bryan De La Cruz in the outfield corners while Ronald Acuna Jr. heals up after suffering a torn ACL last May.

Verdugo should help to bolster that outfield mix somewhat, giving the Braves a more proven veteran to handle left field in place of Profar while he serves his suspension. While he posted a lackluster 83 wRC+ with the Yankees last year, he had been a consistently league average bat for the Red Sox in each of his four seasons with the club prior to that, hitting .281/.328/.444 (105 wRC+) overall during his time in Boston. Whether Verdugo will ultimately join the Braves in Toronto for their series against the Blue Jays or instead be called up next weekend for their series against the Twins remains to be seen, but O’Brien indicates that Verdugo’s return to the majors appears to be imminent.

Braves Acquire Rafael Montero From Astros

By | at

April 9: Houston is covering $7.7MM of Montero’s remaining salary, Charles Odum of the Associated Press reports. That’s on top of the $804K they’ve already paid him this year. In total, the Astros are paying about $8.5MM of Montero’s $11.5MM salary, leaving Atlanta on the hook for just a hair under $3MM. Montero joined the team today, per a club announcement, with Thompson optioned to open an active roster spot.

April 8: The Astros announced a trade sending reliever Rafael Montero and an undisclosed amount of cash to the Braves for a player to be named later. Houston recalled lefty reliever Bennett Sousa to take the vacated bullpen spot. Atlanta has not announced any corresponding moves. They had an opening on their 40-man roster after waiving Chadwick Tromp and do not need to make an active roster transaction until Montero reports to the team.

Montero, 34, is in the final season of a three-year free agent deal. He’s playing on an $11.5MM salary. The Astros are surely paying down the majority of that contract, though specifics on the cash have not been reported. Owner Jim Crane struck early in the 2022-23 offseason to re-sign Montero on a $34.5MM investment. That was in between the dismissal of former general manager James Click and the hiring of current GM Dana Brown. It did not work out.

The veteran right-hander was rocked for a 5.08 earned run average over 67 1/3 innings in the first season. He posted a 4.70 ERA while walking nearly as many hitters as he struck out last year. The Astros designated him for assignment around the trade deadline. That seemed like it would officially end his tenure in the organization. Montero had more than enough service time to elect free agency while collecting the rest of his contract.

Montero instead accepted an assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers. He tossed 16 1/3 frames of four-run ball there to finish the season. Houston didn’t call him up last season but brought him back to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Montero allowed six runs (five earned) with 10 strikeouts and seven walks across 8 2/3 innings to earn his way back onto the MLB roster. He has made three regular season appearances, working four frames of two-run ball with five punchouts.

The 11-year big league veteran sits in the 95-96 MPH range with his four-seam fastball. He tweaked his pitch mix this year, according to Statcast. Montero added a mid-80s splitter while scrapping his low-90s changeup. That’s now his top offspeed pitch against lefty hitters. It’s too early to glean much from the results, but opponents have whiffed on five of 12 swings against it.

Atlanta evaluators were intrigued enough by Montero’s form to plug him into the middle innings. Daysbel Hernández and long man Zach Thompson each have options remaining. Lefty José Suarez is out of options but has a pedestrian 5:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first four appearances. Montero figures to displace someone from that group — most likely Thompson — once he joins the team.

It’s purely a salary dump for Houston. They were never going to be able to shed the majority of Montero’s contract. Getting out from under even a small portion of the deal should give them more flexibility for deadline acquisitions. They’re within a few million dollars of the $241MM luxury tax threshold, which they seem disinclined to surpass. Whatever portion of Montero’s salary that the Braves assume will come off the Astros’ tax bill.

Image courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images.

Braves Designate Jesse Chavez For Assignment, Select Zach Thompson

By | at

The Braves announced that they have selected right-hander Zach Thompson to the major league roster. Fellow righty Jesse Chavez has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

The moves are seemingly a response to the club’s pitching staff getting heavily used early on. Atlanta is starting the year with seven straight games and lost the first five. On Sunday, AJ Smith-Shawver started and only lasted four innings. The club lost on the road, meaning the bullpen only had to cover four additional frames, but swingman José Suarez tossed three of them. Reliever Héctor Neris also tossed an inning and was designated for assignment afterwards.

Ahead of yesterday’s game, the club selected Chavez to take the place of Neris. Yesterday’s starter Grant Holmes also lasted just four innings. Losing on the road again, the bullpen needed to cover another four frames. Raisel Iglesias and Enyel De Los Santos each covered one. Chavez took two, throwing 41 pitches in the process.

The club didn’t use any of Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee, Pierce Johnson or Daysbel Hernández in the past two days but the rest of the group got a lot of work, particularly the multi-inning options. They also had to recall Bryce Elder to start tomorrow’s game when Reynaldo López landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

Surely, the club will be hoping for a good outing from Chris Sale tonight, but he’ll be facing a tough Dodger lineup. Whether it’s after Sale tonight or after Elder tomorrow, Thompson might be needed to cover some long relief innings before the club’s much-needed off-day on Thursday.

Thompson, 31, has some major league experience under his belt. He debuted with the Marlins in 2021 and posted a 3.24 earned run average, working both in the rotation and the bullpen. Prior to 2022, he was traded to the Pirates for Jacob Stallings but his ERA jumped to 5.18 with Pittsburgh that year.

He hasn’t been in the majors since then. The Bucs designated him for assignment and flipped him to the Blue Jays ahead of the 2023 season. The latter club kept him in the minors that year, where Thompson posted a 4.61 ERA in 24 Triple-A starts. He was outrighted off Toronto’s 40-man during that season and elected free agency at season’s end. He required flexor tendon surgery in October of that year and missed all of 2024 while recovering.

That led to a minor league deal with Atlanta a few months ago. He tossed nine innings over two spring appearances, allowing one earned run with five strikeouts and three walks. He’ll give the club another multi-inning arm for now, though the need for such a player could dissipate fairly quickly. As mentioned, they have an off-day on Thursday. They will have another on Monday, giving them some more breathing room. Spencer Strider could be reinstated from the IL in the next week or two and López could potentially be back in the mix if his issue proves to be minor. Thompson still has options and could potentially be sent to the minors while hanging onto his 40-man spot.

As for Chavez, he always seems to find his way back to Atlanta, even he gets pulled away from time to time. He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers this winter but was released when he wasn’t going to crack the Opening Day roster. That led to a minor league deal with Atlanta. Their tough start to the season meant they needed to quickly call him up. But after he tossed those two frames and 41 pitches last night, he was probably going to be unavailable for a day or two, so he’s been hastily bumped off as well.

Though he’s now 41 years old, Chavez has remained effective. From the start of 2021 to the present, he has a 2.93 ERA in 203 innings pitched. That includes a 24.3% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 42.4% ground ball rate. He’ll now be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any potential trade talks would have to happen in the next five days.

He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment, so he’d likely end up in free agency if he goes unclaimed on waivers. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back with Atlanta after that but he’s also been with the Pirates, Royals, Blue Jays, Athletics, Dodgers, Angels, Rangers and Cubs in his career.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Braves Sign Zach Thompson To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Braves signed right-hander Zach Thompson to a minor league deal earlier this week, according to the the transactions tracker on his MLB.com profile page. Thompson went on to confirm the signing on his personal Instagram account yesterday. Thompson, who celebrated his 31st birthday earlier this week, did not sign with a club in 2024 after undergoing surgery last October to repair a partially torn flexor tendon.

A fifth-round pick by the White Sox in the 2014 draft, Thompson made his big league debut as a member of the Marlins back in 2021. It was an impressive rookie campaign for the right-hander, as proved to be a pivotal swing man for Miami during his lone campaign with the club. He started 14 of the 26 games he appeared in and generally looked good over 75 innings of work with a 3.24 ERA and 3.69 FIP. He struck out 21% of opponents while walking 8.9%. That first season in the majors was attractive enough to the Pirates that Thompson was shipped to Pittsburgh as part of the trade that sent Jacob Stallings to the Marlins during the 2021-22 offseason.

Unfortunately, Thompson’s 2022 campaign in Pittsburgh did not go nearly as well as his rookie year with the Marlins did. The right-hander pitched 122 1/3 innings of work for the Pirates that year across 29 appearances (22 starts), but saw his results take a nosedive as he surrendered a 5.18 ERA with a 4.87 FIP. While Thompson’s walk rate held largely steady at 8.5%, his strikeout rate dipped to just 16.6% and his home run rate nearly doubled, taking him from a well-above average swing option to someone the Pirates were comfortable designating for assignment in January of 2023.

Thompson was dealt to the Blue Jays in a minor trade shortly thereafter but did not make the club’s roster out of camp and was ultimately DFA’d by Toronto in June. He spent virtually the entire 2023 season as a start at the Triple-A level for the Jays, and posted a fairly lackluster 4.61 ERA in 105 1/3 innings of work across 24 starts while striking out just 17.4% of his opponents before going under the knife in October and electing free agency shortly thereafter.

Now that Thompson appears to be recovered from his surgery last year, he’ll look tor re-establish himself as a credible big league option with the Braves. Atlanta has done well helping other arms who have struggled elsewhere find success with their club, including 2024 bullpen pieces Grant Holmes and Jesse Chavez. With Chavez and lefty A.J. Minter both ticketed for free agency, it’s possible that Thompson could earn a bullpen job out of camp this spring if the Braves prioritize other areas of the roster like the rotation, where the club figures to watch both Max Fried and Charlie Morton depart from this year’s staff.

Blue Jays Outright Zach Thompson

By | at

The Blue Jays have sent right-hander Zach Thompson outright to Triple-A Buffalo after he went unclaimed on waivers, tweets Mitch Bannon of Sports Illustrated. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday when the Jays brought up Bowden Francis.

Thompson hasn’t made an MLB appearance with Toronto. The Jays acquired him from the Pirates over the offseason for minor league outfielder Chavez Young. He’s spent the year on optional assignment, serving as rotation depth for a club that hadn’t gone beyond its top five starters until optioning Alek Manoah this week. Thompson has had a tough go with the Bisons, serving up nearly seven earned runs per nine in 47 innings across 11 starts.

It’s a tough follow-up to a disappointing lone season in Pittsburgh. Thompson had emerged as an interesting late-blooming starter with the Marlins in 2021, when he worked to a 3.24 ERA over 75 innings. Pittsburgh brought him in as part of the deal that sent catcher Jacob Stallings to South Florida. The Pirates gave Thompson 121 2/3 frames last season, but he stumbled to a 5.18 ERA while striking out a below-average 16.6% of opponents.

The swing-and-miss has dipped further this year. Thompson has a 14.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A, where he’s allowed over two homers per nine. The struggles were significant enough he’d been leapfrogged on the depth chart by Francis, who seems likely to get the first crack at replacing Manoah in the rotation.

Thompson has less than three years of major league service and has never previously cleared waivers. He therefore doesn’t have the ability to decline an outright assignment. Thompson will stick in Buffalo and try to pitch his way back into the MLB mix. If the Jays don’t add him back to the 40-man roster by season’s end, he’d reach minor league free agency to start the winter.

Blue Jays Option Alek Manoah

By | at

The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves today, the most notable of which is that right-hander Alek Manoah has been optioned to the Florida Complex League. The club also optioned right-hander Jay Jackson and infielder Ernie Clement. To fill those three roster spots, righty Chris Bassitt has been reinstated from the paternity list, infielder Santiago Espinal has been reinstated from the injured list and right-hander Bowden Francis has had his contract selected. To open a spot on the 40-man for Francis, righty Zach Thompson was designated for assignment.

The 2023 season has been a stunning fall from grace for Manoah, 25, who had previously been on a meteoric rise. The Jays selected him 11th overall in the 2019 draft and it didn’t take him long to make it up to the major leagues. He made six Low-A starts in his draft year, then the minor leagues were wiped out by the pandemic in 2020. In 2021, he was sent to Triple-A and allowed just a single earned run through three starts before getting the call to the majors.

It was an aggressive move given his lack of minor league innings but Manoah quickly justified it. He eventually posted a 3.22 ERA over 111 2/3 innings in that season, finishing eighth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. He took things to another level last year with a 2.24 ERA over 196 2/3 frames, striking out 22.9% of opponents against a 6.5% walk rate. He finished third in the AL Cy Young vote, trailing only Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease.

He seemed to be an ace in the making and was given the Opening Day nod for the Jays here in 2023. Unfortunately, just about everything has soured for him this year. His strikeout rate is down to 17% and his walk rate has more than doubled to 14.9%. His ERA on the year is 6.36, almost triple his earned run rate from last year. It’s been speculated for weeks as to whether some kind of action was necessary but he seemed to finally put the writing on the wall last night when he allowed six earned runs against the Astros while only recording a single out, forcing the bullpen to absorb 8 2/3 innings.

After that trouncing, manager John Schneider said that “everything is on the table” in how to move forward. It seems that wasn’t just bluster as the club will now send Manoah to their Florida Complex facilities to see if he can figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The length of that process could potentially have implications for Manoah’s future earning power. He came into this season with one year and 30 days of MLB service time. A new “year” flips over at 172 days, so he’s already gone over the two-year mark, but this move makes it less likely he’ll qualify for Super Two status at season’s end.

Of course, that’s likely just a minor detail right now. In the grand scheme of things, the long-term trajectory that once seemed so straightforward suddenly seems incredibly murky. Both Manoah and the Blue Jays will undoubtedly be keenly focused on figuring out how to get him back to being a viable major leaguer, for this season and for the rest of his career.

In the meantime, the Jays will now have to patch over a hole in their rotation. Kevin Gausman, Bassitt, José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi should have the next four days spoken for but the Jays figure to require another starter by Saturday. It’s possible that Francis, 27, could be a factor there, either as a traditional starter or part of a bullpen game of some kind. Drafted by the Brewers in 2017, he came over to the Blue Jays alongside Trevor Richards in the 2021 deal that sent Rowdy Tellez to Milwaukee.

Between those two organizations, Francis posted a 3.93 ERA in the minors in 2021, split between Double-A and Triple-A. That got him a spot on Toronto’s 40-man roster in the winter to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He struggled in 2022 and lost his roster spot, posting a 6.59 ERA in Triple-A, though he did make his major league debut with a scoreless outing that lasted two thirds of an inning.

Despite that rough year, he’s had some decent momentum since. He joined Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico for some time in winter ball, posting a 1.51 ERA in 35 2/3 innings there. He then had a 1.08 ERA in 13 Spring Training innings before heading to Triple-A Buffalo. He made a couple of starts before going on the minor league injured list but has been back in action for a couple of weeks now and has a 2.89 ERA in the minors so far this year. The Jays haven’t made any announcements about their future rotation plans, but it’s possible that it could be contingent on whether or not Francis is needed before Saturday. With the bullpen fairly taxed after Manoah’s start last night, he could be pushed into action sooner if another starter struggles this week.

One player who apparently won’t be an option to join the rotation is Thompson. He came over to the Blue Jays from the Pirates in an offseason trade but has a 6.89 ERA through 11 Triple-A starts on the year so far. His 8.8% walk rate is fairly average but his 14.4% strikeout rate is well below. He seemed to break out as a viable big league pitcher with the Marlins in 2021, posting a 3.24 ERA in 75 innings that year. But he struggled in 2022 after getting traded to the Pirates, registering a 5.18 ERA last year.

The Jays will now have one week to trade Thompson or pass him through waivers. His poor results both last year and this year will obviously temper interest, but he has past major league success and a full slate of options. With many teams around the league dealing with injuries and in need of pitching depth, he could still find some interest. If he were to clear waivers, he would not have the right to elect free agency since he doesn’t have three years of service time or a previous career outright.

Blue Jays Notes: White, Bullpen, Pearson

By | at

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters today, including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, that right-hander Mitch White is dealing with elbow inflammation. The injury seems likely to force White to start the season on the injured list, as he had already been slowed earlier this spring by a shoulder impingement.

White, 28, was acquired by Toronto in a deal with the Dodgers last summer and struggled down the stretch, posting a 7.74 ERA in 43 big league innings with the Blue Jays last year. Despite those concerning numbers, White pitched a fair bit better than they would indicate. A sky-high BABIP of .368 and a strand rate of just 54.3% during his time pitching for Toronto last year help to explain his solid 3.76 FIP even as his strikeout rate dropped to just 15.3% with the Blue Jays. White also looked better in the first half of the year with Los Angeles, posting a 3.70 ERA with a 19.8% strikeout rate in 56 innings of work for the Dodgers.

Given his success with the Dodgers and unfortunate luck in his first stint with the Blue Jays, White seemed likely to make the bullpen as the primary long relief option for the club. With that no longer feasible, Matheson notes that right-hander Zach Pop appears poised to make the Opening Day roster. Pop impressed in 39 innings of work in 2022 split between Toronto and Miami, recording a sterling 2.77 ERA largely backed up by his 2.96 FIP.

While this set-up would leave the Blue Jays without a traditional long reliever in their bullpen, Schneider seems unperturbed by this, telling reporters that both Pop and fellow righty Trevor Richards, who opened four games for the Jays last year as a spot starter, can both be options to go multiple innings if necessary.

Schneider’s comments come on the heels of another round of cuts from Blue Jays camp, including former top prospect Nate Pearson. The right-handed Pearson, now 26, missed most of the 2022 season with mononucleosis after struggling to a 5.18 ERA in 33 big league innings across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Now a full-time reliever, Pearson figures to get another chance in the big leagues at some point this season, but that opportunity will not come on Opening Day.

Also among today’s cuts was right-hander Zach Thompson, who Toronto acquired from the Pirates earlier this offseason after pitching to a 5.18 ERA in 121 2/3 innings in a swing role for Pittsburgh last year. Thompson figures to be a depth option for the Blue Jays’s rotation this year alongside players like Thomas Hatch and Bowden Francis, who were also among today’s cuts from big league camp.

AJAX Loader
Load More Posts
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top