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Cardinals Expected To Designate Garrett Hampson For Assignment

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The Cardinals are expected to designate utility man Garrett Hampson for assignment in a series of roster moves slated to become official tomorrow, according to a report from Katie Woo of The Athletic. Hampson’s active roster spot will go to Alec Burleson, who is slated to be activated from the injured list tomorrow. Hampson’s 40-man roster spot will go to left-hander Nick Raquet, who will have his contract selected to the major league roster tomorrow. Raquet will take the 40-man spot of right-hander Andre Granillo, who is expected to be optioned to Triple-A.

Hampson, 31 next month, opened the season as a member of the Diamondbacks after signing with the club on a minor league deal during the offseason. He was selected to the big league roster but ultimately appeared in just 18 games for the club before being designated for assignment in early May. Later that month, he was signed by the Reds to a major league deal and stuck with the organization until late June, when he was designated for assignment once again and plucked off waivers by the Cardinals.

Hampson was hitting just .167/.310/.188 across 24 games in the majors this year when he arrived in St. Louis, and his offense hasn’t really improved during his ten weeks with the organization. In fact, they’ve trended in the wrong direction, as he’ll finish his Cardinals career with a .103/.133/.138 slash line across 31 plate appearances. Hampson got less work at the dish in with St. Louis than he did with Arizona and Cincinnati, but he did actually end up appearing in more games due to his role as a defensive replacement and pinch runner late in games. He appeared in all three outfield spots for the Cardinals during his tenure with the organization and also played second base, third base, and shortstop.

That versatility has generally been Hampson’s calling card over the years. While he’s a career .235/.298/.353 hitter in spite of his offensive numbers being inflated by five years at Coors Field, he’s managed to generally stay in the majors thanks to his value as a versatile bench player. Prior to his three-team tour around the National League this year, he had played for the Marlins and Royals since leaving Colorado. Going forward, the Cardinals will have seven days after the move becomes official to try and pass Hampson through waivers. Perhaps he’ll be claimed by a team in need of bench depth down the stretch, but if he clears waivers he’ll have the option to either accept an outright assignment to Triple-A for the final few weeks of the season or elect free agency.

Hampson’s departure makes room for the return of Burleson, who last played on August 28 due to a bout of wrist inflammation. Burleson has enjoyed something of a breakout season with the Cardinals this year, as the 26-year-old has hit a solid .286/.337/.451 with 16 home runs in just 122 games. That’s far and away the best triple slash of his career, and while that won’t be enough to push the Cardinals into the postseason this year Burleson figures to once again split time between first base, DH, and the outfield corners with St. Louis next season.

As for Raquet, the 29-year-old lefty will actually be making his big league debut if he gets into a game with the Cardinals. A third-round pick by the Nationals all the way back in 2017, Raquet worked in the lower minors with the Nationals through the end of the 2019 season but fell off the map after the canceled minor league season in 2020 before resurfacing as a professional in the independent Atlantic League back in 2023. He posted a 3.71 ERA in 24 starts with the York Revolution that year, and caught on with the Cardinals on a minor league deal last season.

Raquet has been working his way up the minor league ladder ever since, and now that he’s posted a 1.68 ERA between Double- and Triple-A as a reliever for the Cardinals this year he’ll get the opportunity to show what he can do at the big league level. As for Granillo, the rookie right-hander has just 14 MLB appearances under his belt while working as a multi-inning reliever, with a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings of work. He’ll head to Triple-A, where he has a sterling 1.50 ERA in 24 outings, to wait for his next big league opportunity to arrive.

Braves Claim Alexis Diaz

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The Braves have claimed Alexis Diaz off waivers from the Dodgers, according to David O’Brien of The Athletic. Atlanta has space available on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary to bring Diaz into the organization.

Diaz, 29 later this month, was traded to the Dodgers by the Reds earlier this year after surrendering eight runs in six innings of work prior to the deal. Los Angeles stashed Diaz at Triple-A to try and get him right, but he struggled to an 8.10 ERA in 11 appearances with Oklahoma City and posted a 5.00 ERA in nine outings for the big league club before being designated for assignment last week to make room for Ben Rortvedt on the 40-man roster. In all, Diaz has made 15 appearances in the majors this year with a 7.80 ERA, a 16.9% strikeout rate, and a 9.9% walk rate across 15 innings of work with the Reds and Dodgers.

Those lackluster numbers are a major fall from grace for the right-hander, who burst onto the scene with Cincinnati back in 2022 when he posted a dazzling 1.84 ERA in 59 outings and finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He followed that up by making an All-Star appearance and recording 37 saves as the Reds’ primary closer in 2023, and after two seasons in the big leagues Diaz had an exceptional 2.47 ERA with a 3.42 FIP, a 31.2% strikeout rate, and a 12.8% walk rate. Despite that shaky control, Diaz’s overpowering strikeout stuff was enough to blow past hitters and get elite results.

All of that made him one of the most impressive young relievers in the sport during the first few years of his career, but cracks began to show last season. Diaz surrendered three runs while recording just one out in his first outing of the year, and things didn’t improve much from there as he posted an 8.68 ERA in the month of May. A strong September where he did not allow an earned run helped to salvage his overall season numbers, and he finished the year with a 3.99 ERA and 4.28 FIP. Even that final month of the year saw him strike out just 24.2% of his opponents, however, and his season-long strikeout rate of 22.7% suggested a real step backwards in terms of raw stuff.

Given the question marks raised over the past two years, it’s fair to wonder whether the right-hander will eventually be able to turn things around and live up to the promise he showed in his first years with the Reds. The Braves will try to unlock that previous form through he rest of the year ahead of the offseason, when Diaz will be eligible for arbitration for the second time after making $4.5MM last season. Perhaps Diaz will wind up being a non-tender candidate, though it’s also certainly possible that Atlanta will be intrigued enough by his track record to keep him in the organization. Atlanta has been quite active on the waiver wire this year as they look to add talent in the midst of a lost season, with Ha-Seong Kim standing out as their most notable addition by far.

Angels Select Sammy Peralta, Designate Chad Stevens

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The Angels announced that left-hander Sammy Peralta’s contract has been selected from Triple-A Salt Lake.  In corresponding moves for the 28-man and 40-man rosters, righty Chase Silseth was optioned to Triple-A, and infielder Chad Stevens was designated for assignment.

After beginning his season in the Mexican League and posting a 2.53 ERA over 21 1/3 innings with El Aguila de Veracruz, Peralta inked a minors deal with the Angels in May.  His 4.33 ERA over 70 2/3 innings with Salt Lake is pretty good for the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, plus Peralta has a solid 24.1% strikeout rate and an excellent 4.8% walk rate.

The southpaw’s control has generally been a plus over his minor league career, but he has only an 11.1% walk rate over his 35 career MLB innings, along with a 4.37 ERA and 17.9K% with the White Sox during the 2023-24 seasons.  Those two years in Chicago saw Peralta shuffled up and down from Triple-A and on and off the roster in a flurry of transactions, which even included a couple of months in the Mariners organization before he was claimed back by the Sox.

Peralta will now get his first taste of big league action in 2025, adding a fresh arm to a Los Angeles pitching staff that has been pulverized by the Athletics over the last two days.  The Angels have been outscored 27-8 in the first two games of their series with the A’s, and Silseth allowed a run in 1 2/3 of relief work in Saturday’s 17-4 rout.

Stevens made his Major League debut earlier this season, hitting .154 in 14 plate appearances during a five-game cup of coffee with Los Angeles in July.  An 11th-round pick for the Astros in the 2021 draft, Stevens’ first full Triple-A season has been a triumph, with a .291/.372/.494 slash line over 478 PA with Salt Lake this year.

Given that production, it’s a little surprising that the Angels chose Stevens as the odd man out of the 40-man roster mix.  As noted, the PCL environment is quite favorable for hitters, so Stevens’ big numbers translated to a solid but unspectacular 111 wRC+.  Stevens has primarily played shortstop in the minors but has a lot of experience at second and third base, plus a smattering of time as a first baseman and corner outfielder.  A team in need of versatility could potentially put a claim in for Stevens, who has multiple minor league option years remaining.

Rangers Select Carl Edwards Jr., Designate Caleb Boushley

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The Rangers have selected the contract of right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. from Triple-A Round Rock, according to multiple beat writers.  To create space on both the 28-man and 40-man rosters, Texas designed right-hander Caleb Boushley for assignment.

Edwards’ 2025 season has consisted of two big league games with the Angels, a brief stint in the Mexican League, and 15 games (and 50 2/3 total innings) at the Triple-A level with the Angels’ and Rangers’ top affiliates.  His time in Mexico ended when the Rangers inked Edwards to a minor league contract in July, and today’s selection is something of a full circle moment in the veteran’s career.  Texas drafted Edwards in the 48th round of the 2011 draft, but he has never appeared in a big league game in a Rangers uniform, as the team dealt him to the Cubs in advance of the 2013 trade deadline.

After making his MLB debut with Chicago in 2015, Edwards became a staple of the Cubs’ bullpen during the 2016-18 seasons, but success has been much more sporadic for Edwards in the intervening years.  Since Opening Day 2019, Edwards has pitched for seven different teams at the Major League level, with a 4.28 ERA over 124 innings in that nomadic stretch.  The righty’s contributions to the last two seasons consisted of just a single game with the Padres in 2024, and then his two games with the Angels earlier this year.

Edwards’ 5.31 ERA over 39 innings at Round Rock doesn’t jump off the page, but his 26% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate, and 53.6% grounder rate are more palatable.  The grounder-heavy arsenal has contributed to that inflated ERA, as Edwards has an unlucky .362 BABIP with the Rangers’ Triple-A club.  Though Edwards is best known as a reliever, he has been trying to reinvent himself as a starter during his time in the Mexican League and in the minors, and he has started seven of his eight games in Round Rock.

The Rangers used six different pitchers in yesterday’s 11-0 loss to the Astros, so Edwards is very likely being brought up as an innings-eating long relief option rather than as a candidate for the rotation.  If Edwards does happen to make a spot start, it would make the first start of his 11-year Major League career.

Boushley was one of the pitchers who took the mound in yesterday’s rout and was hit the hardest, allowing five runs to the Astros in an inning of relief work.  If this DFA marks the end of Boushley’s time with the Rangers, he’ll have bookended his stint with five-run appearances, as he was also touched up for five ER over 3 2/3 innings in his Texas debut on April 12.

Over 43 2/3 innings this season, Boushley has an ugly 6.02 ERA but a much more respectable 3.81 SIERA.  Some bad batted-ball luck (.358 BABIP) is to blame, not to mention a 58.7% strand rate.  Boushley’s 7.3% walk rate and 21.2% strikeout rate have been decent, so a rival team exploring the waiver wire might have interest in the righty’s services.  Boushley has two minor league option years remaining, so a waiver claim now could be more designed towards adding some relief depth for 2026 than the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

Boushley had pitched just 6 1/3 big league innings prior to 2025, and he has a 4.60 ERA across 503 1/3 innings (starting 97 of 105 games) at the Triple-A level.  He has a prior outright on his resume, so if he clears waivers, Boushley has the right to reject an outright assignment to Round Rock and instead choose free agency.

Mets Activate Reed Garrett, Designate Justin Garza

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The Mets announced five roster moves in advance of today’s game with the Reds, including their official selection of Brandon Sproat’s contract from Triple-A.  Sproat will make his MLB debut as today’s Mets starter, and New York is also welcoming right-hander Reed Garrett back from the 15-day injured list.  In corresponding 28-man and 40-man roster moves, right-handers Kevin Herget and Wander Suero were optioned to Triple-A, and righty Justin Garza was designated for assignment.

Garza was acquired in a trade with the Giants in June, and his five appearances with the Mets marked the righty’s first Major League action since the 2023 season when he pitched with the Red Sox.  While Garza’s first four Mets outings were scoreless, he was torched for four runs in his last game on June 20, and he was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse the next day.  His Triple-A work has been far from stellar, as Garza has an 8.17 ERA over 25 1/3 innings in Syracuse.

If Garza clears waivers and is outrighted off the Mets’ 40-man roster, he has the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency, since Garza has already been outrighted earlier in his career.  Given the late date on the regular-season calendar and the frequency of the Mets’ bullpen shuffles, Garza might prefer to just stick in the organization if he thinks another call back to the majors might still be in the cards.

A waiver claim is a possibility, if another team is willing to look past Garza’s lack of success in 2025.  He has added some velocity to his fastball this season and is now averaging better than 96.1mph in the big leagues and in Triple-A, even if that added heat has actually led to a downturn in his strikeout rate.  Garza has also been a lot more homer-prone in 2025 than in past seasons.

Garrett was retroactively placed on the IL on August 23, and he’ll return in short order since his bout of elbow inflammation fortunately didn’t turn out to be too serious.  The time off could also act as a bit of a reset, as Garrett struggled to a 15.43 ERA over his last 4 2/3 innings prior to hitting the injured list.

Garrett ranks second on the Mets with 54 appearances, and he’ll resume his role as one of the few true regulars within New York’s revolving door of a bullpen.  Over 52 1/3 innings, Garrett has a 3.61 ERA and a strong 28.3% strikeout rate, even if his 11% walk rate is on the high side.

Rays Place Mason Englert On 15-Day Injured List

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The Rays announced that right-hander Mason Englert has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to an impingement in his throwing shoulder.  The placement is retroactive to September 4.  Righty Cole Sulser was called up from Triple-A to take Englert’s spot on the active roster.

After posting a 5.45 ERA in 77 2/3 innings with the Tigers in his first two Major League seasons, Englert has had a semi-breakout year since being dealt to the Rays in February.  The righty has a 3.83 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, and a particularly solid 5.9% walk rate across 44 2/3 innings and 29 appearances for Tampa Bay.  Fifteen of Englert’s 29 outings have been longer than one inning, adding to his value as a bullpen weapon.

Since impingements can vary greatly in severity, it isn’t yet known whether or not Englert’s season could be in jeopardy.  A minimal 15-day absence would allow Englert to still contribute to Tampa’s final nine games of the regular season, which could be important given how the Rays’ recent hot streak has brought the club back into the wild card race.

Englert is the second Rays reliever to hit the 15-day IL in as many days, as fellow righty Brian Van Belle was also sidelined by elbow inflammation yesterday.  Van Belle was slated to undergo an MRI yesterday to look for any structural damage.

Twins Place Ryan Jeffers On 7-Day IL, Designate Brooks Kriske

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The Twins announced that catcher Ryan Jeffers has been placed (retroactive to September 5) on the seven-day injured list for concussion-related injuries.  Right-hander Brooks Kriske was designated for assignment in another move, and the two open roster spots will be filled by Triple-A call-ups Pierson Ohl and Carson McCusker.

Jeffers hasn’t played since he left Thursday’s game after taking a foul ball off his mask.  The move to the seven-day IL will allow him at least a full week to recover from any lingering symptoms, and gives the Twins a bit of roster flexibility so they aren’t short-handed behind the plate.  Jhonny Pereda was already called up from Triple-A on Friday, and Pereda and Mickey Gasper will assume catching duties while Jeffers is sidelined.

One of the few experienced Twins players that wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline, Jeffers has hit .262/.353/.394 with nine home runs over 442 plate appearances this season.  This translates to a 111 wRC+, which ranks Jeffers sixth of the 10 catchers who have played enough in 2025 to count as qualified hitters.  Jeffers’ power has dropped rather sharply over the last two seasons, yet the 2025 campaign has seen the backstop post career bests in both strikeout and walk rates.

It was just over a month ago that Kriske was claimed off the Cubs’ waiver wire, as Minnesota was looking to add some arms to a bullpen depleted by the team’s many deadline moves.  Unfortunately, Kriske’s brief time in the Twin Cities didn’t yield many positive results, as he was pounded to the tune of an 11.25 ERA over 12 innings, with almost as many walks (14) as strikeouts (15).  The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman notes that Kriske posted the second-highest ERA of any Twins pitcher in franchise history with at least 10 innings pitched.

Kriske probably won’t get a chance to improve on his standing, if he is released after clearing waivers.  Because teams are always in need of pitching depth, there’s a chance he could be claimed off waivers again, though Kriske’s recent results may not drum up much interest.  He also has a 9.56 ERA over 37 2/3 career innings in the majors, but the right-hander posted far better numbers during his minor league career and during a two-season stint in Japan in 2022-23.  Since Kriske has been outrighted before, he has the right to reject another outright assignment if he clears waivers, and instead opt for free agency.

Cubs Sign Billy Hamilton To Minors Contract

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The Cubs signed Billy Hamilton to a minor league contract last week, according to Hamilton’s MLB.com profile page.  The signing specifically took place on August 31, which means that Hamilton is eligible for a spot on Chicago’s postseason roster.

Hamilton (who turns 35 in two days) was assigned to the Cubs’ Arizona Complex League team and hasn’t yet seen any game action.  It could be that Hamilton is simply being ramped up in a Spring Training-esque environment given that he hasn’t played much in 2025, and hasn’t taken part in affiliated baseball since 2023.  The outfielder appeared in 132 games in 2024 between stints in the Mexican League and in winter league action, but he has played in just 10 games during the 2025 Mexican League season.

A veteran of 11 Major League seasons from 2013-23, Hamilton is known for his excellent defense and incredible speed, with 326 career stolen bases (out of 398 attempts).  Only Starling Marte has more steals since the start of the 2013 season, and Marte amassed his 349 steals with the benefit of over 500 more games than Hamilton.  Despite those elite tools, Hamilton has never been much of a hitter, with only a .239/.292/.325 slash line to show for 3285 career plate appearances in the Show.

After beginning his career as the Reds’ regular center fielder, Hamilton’s last few Major League seasons were largely spent bouncing around between several teams as defensive depth and as a pinch-running specialist.  This includes a prior stint with the Cubs, and it was exactly five years ago today that Chicago claimed Hamilton off waivers from the Mets.  Hamilton started only one of his 14 regular-season games in a Cubs uniform, and came off the bench again in one playoff game, as the Cubs were swept in two games during their wild card series with the Marlins.

A similar role is surely in store for Hamilton if the Cubs decide to add him to their active roster.  The Cubs have a sizeable lead in the NL wild card race and are looking like a virtual lock to reach the playoffs, allowing the team some flexibility in using September as a chance to get healthy and to decide on its optimal postseason roster.  Chicago isn’t exactly hurting for speed (ranking third in baseball with 142 steals) or outfield depth, but having Hamilton in the organization gives the Cubs yet another option to consider, especially if an injury arises.

Mariners Outright Joe Jacques

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The Mariners outrighted left-hander Joe Jacques to Triple-A yesterday, according to the transactions log on his MLB.com profile page. Jacques was designated for assignment by the club earlier this week when southpaw Jose Castillo was claimed off waivers from the Mets.

Jacques, 30, was a 33rd-round pick by the Pirates all the way back in 2018. He climbed the minor league ladder with Pittsburgh but ultimately departed the organization following the 2022 season without making it to the big leagues. He signed on with the Red Sox and made his major league debut with the club in 2023, but posted a lackluster 5.06 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work. He remained on Boston’s 40-man roster throughout the 2023-24 offseason, but ultimately made just one appearance at the big league level in 2024 before he was designated for assignment and plucked off waivers by the Diamondbacks. He made only one appearance with Arizona as well before he was once again DFA’d.

He elected minor league free agency during the offseason and landed with the Dodgers on a non-roster deal last November. His 6.04 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City left much to be desired and prevented him from making it to the big leagues in L.A., but the Mariners were sufficiently intrigued by his solid underlying metrics to roll the dice on him back in June and acquire him in a minor trade with the Dodgers. His performance at the Triple-A level did not improve with the move to Tacoma, as he has struggled to a 6.93 ERA in 24 appearances with the Rainiers this year. Seattle added him to their 40-man roster a month later, but he was never recalled from Tacoma to make his Mariners debut before being DFA’d earlier this week.

Should Jacques accept his outright assignment, he’ll remain in Tacoma for the remainder of the year as a non-roster depth piece for Seattle before having another chance to elect minor league free agency after the season concludes, if he isn’t added back to Seattle’s 40-man roster before then. If he decides to elect minor league free agency, perhaps he can catch on somewhere as a depth option for the stretch run, though he might also look to get a head start on the offseason market and begin searching for a place to play in 2026.

As for the Mariners, they now have Castillo to join Gabe Speier and Caleb Ferguson as left-handed options in their bullpen at the big league level. Tayler Saucedo is in Triple-A and already on the 40-man roster, likely making him the club’s top depth option for filling that role, but if Jacques remains in the organization he could compete with Austin Kitchen to be the next man up after that quartet.

Dodgers Place Dalton Rushing On 10-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers placed catcher Dalton Rushing on the 10-day injured list this evening due to a right shin contusion, per a team announcement. Rushing’s spot on the active roster will go to catcher Chuckie Robinson, who the Dodgers have selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Robinson will take the 40-man roster spot of right-hander Matt Sauer, who was designated for assignment.

Rushing, 24, appeared likely to get some runway behind the plate with L.A. while Will Smith is out of commission due to a bone bruise in his throwing hand. After Rushing fouled a ball of his leg earlier this week, he too found himself sidelined. Rushing told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) earlier today that a CT scan revealed that he had avoided a fracture in his shin, but is still suffering from a deep bone bruise. While Smith’s bone bruise is something the club has felt they could avoid placing him on the IL over, that did not end up being the case for Rushing, who will now head to the IL for at least the next ten days. Depending on the severity of the bruise, he could of course be sidelined for much longer than that.

While losing Rushing from the roster would be unfortunate, it’s not the massive blow that losing a top prospect might normally be expected to be. The 2022 second-rounder hasn’t hit much in his first taste of the majors this year, with a lackluster .190/.254/.298 (54 wRC+) slash line across 45 games. That poor performance has come with a massive 38.8% strikeout rate, though it of course must be acknowledged that taking to the majors is easier said than done for any rookie, much less one stepping into a backup catcher role that has afforded Rushing only 134 plate appearances across his first three-and-a-half months in the majors.

Regardless of Rushing’s results, however, the injury only serves to compound the issues L.A. is facing behind the plate with Smith not presently available. Ben Rortvedt was called up to serve as a third catcher on the roster while Smith is unavailable, and he’ll now step into regular catching duties for the short-term, with Robinson now poised to be his backup. Rortvedt’s .092/181/.108 slash line in the majors between the Rays and Dodgers this year is nothing to write home about, but he was a passable (87 wRC+) hitter while working behind the plate for the Rays last year thanks to a solid 10.7% walk rate. That’s more success than Robinson has had in the majors, offensively speaking. Robinson has 51 games in the big leagues to his name and in that time has hit just .132/.170/.194 with a career wRC+ of -3, meaning he’s 103% worse than a league average hitter.

Now in his age-30 season, Robinson’s value comes entirely from his ability as a quality defender behind the plate, and with Rortvedt’s own strong resume in that regard the Dodgers should have a solid defensive tandem at catcher even if the duo won’t offer much of anything in terms of offense. L.A.’s bats have been slumping, and their 193 runs scored is a bottom-ten figure since the All-Star break. Smith’s 154 wRC+ exiting the lineup for the time being is the most significant loss, of course, but downgrading from Rushing’s below-average numbers to the pitcher-level offensive production offered by Rortvedt and Robinson surely won’t help matters either. It’s hard to say for sure which of Robinson and Rortvedt will stick around on the roster once Smith is fully healthy and can resume primary catching duties, and perhaps if one or the other shows signs offensively over the next few days that could be a deciding factor.

As for Sauer, the right-hander made his big league debut with the Royals last year but struggled to a 7.71 ERA in 14 appearances. Now with the Dodgers, he’s pitched 29 2/3 innings of work in ten games at the big league level but has struggled to a 6.32 ERA in that time despite solid enough peripheral numbers, including a 4.24 xFIP and a 4.02 SIERA. He’ll now be available on waivers to be claimed by another club, and if he goes unclaimed the Dodgers will have the opportunity to outright him to Triple-A as non-roster depth.

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