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Braves Claim Jake Fraley

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The Braves announced that they have claimed outfielder Jake Fraley off waivers from the Reds. Cincinnati designated him for assignment a couple of days ago. Atlanta has multiple 40-man vacancies. They will need to open an active roster spot once Fraley reports to the team, as he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.

Fraley has had some major league success but isn’t having his best season. He has had a couple of stints on the injured list, one due to left calf tenderness and another due to a right shoulder sprain. Those injuries limited him to 67 games with the Reds. His .232/.332/.387 batting line translated to a 98 wRC+, indicating he was 2% below league average. He only stole four bases, despite getting at least 20 in the previous two seasons.

The Reds squeezed him off their roster, opting to give some of his playing time to Will Benson as they are trying to make a playoff push. Atlanta is in a different situation, as they are out of contention this year. Fraley can be retained for 2026, so they can give him some playing time down the stretch to see if he’s worth tendering a contract for next year.

His career has had ups and downs but there are things to like in his profile, particularly his ability to succeed with the platoon advantage. A left-handed hitter, he has a career .260/.344/.434 line and 112 wRC+ against righties. Against southpaws, that line is just .172/.269/.234, leading to a 45 wRC+. As mentioned, he can swipe a few bags as well. He only has four this year but got 21 in 2023 and 20 last year.

Defensively, the reviews are mixed. Playing all three spots, he’s been credited with four Outs Above Average in his career. Defensive Runs Saved gives him a far worse grade of -9. However, DRS hates his work in center and right field but likes him in left.

Fraley is making $3.125MM this year and, as mentioned, can be retained for next year via arbitration. This year’s injuries will limit his ability to earn a massive raise. Atlanta evidently feels there’s a possibility to him serving a role on next year’s club, so they have grabbed him today.

Atlanta’s current outfield mix includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris II, Eli White and Vidal Bruján. They have Marcell Ozuna as the designated hitter on a regular basis but he’s an impending free agent. It’s possible the club wants to use next year’s DH spot to get more at-bats for the catching duo of Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy, but they could also rotate some outfielders through there. It’s been speculated that they might make Murphy available in trades this winter to give the job to Baldwin and clear some payroll space. Others have speculated that they might make Profar available since he got hit with a PED suspension shortly after signing. Trading either would open up some more playing time for others.

Those are questions still to be answered in the long run. Atlanta is not committed to including Fraley in next year’s plans as they could always non-tender him after 2024. For now, Fraley will jump into the current outfield mix. Perhaps Acuña will get some time off his feet down the stretch since his health has been touch-and-go this year. He was still recovering from last year’s ACL tear at the start of the 2025 campaign. More recently, he missed a few weeks due to a calf strain.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Phillies Designate Josh Walker For Assignment, Activate José Alvarado

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The Phillies announced that left-hander José Alvarado has been reinstated from the restricted list. That move was expected as he had served his 80-game PED suspension. To make make room for him, the Phils optioned right-hander Nolan Hoffman to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and designated left-hander Josh Walker for assignment.

Walker, 30, was acquired from the Jays in exchange for cash back in May. He pitched five innings with Toronto but hasn’t appeared in the majors with Philadelphia. Rather, he’s spent his entire time with the Phillies organization in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’s logged 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate.

A towering 6’6″ left-hander, Walker has appeared in parts of three big league seasons — two with the Mets and earlier this year with the Jays. He’s pitched only 27 1/3 MLB frames, however, and sports a rocky 6.59 ERA in that limited sample of work. He’s fanned nearly one quarter of his opponents and has a sharp 12.4% swinging-strike rate, but command has been a struggle for him both in the majors and in the upper minors. That said, Walker does have a more palatable 4.46 ERA and 26% strikeout rate in 167 2/3 innings of Triple-A work.

Alvarado has been out since May 16 after receiving an 80-game ban following a positive PED test. His absence subtracted one of the Phillies’ top relief arms, and he’ll return to a new-look bullpen that suddenly looks like a powerhouse. In Alvarado’s absence, the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins and signed free agent David Robertson. That pair, combined with Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks and the returning Alvarado, makes the Phillies’ relief corps both exceptionally deep and dangerous for opposing lineups.

In 20 innings prior to his suspension, Alvarado pitched to a 2.70 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate and just a 4.8% walk rate. While he had some struggles last year (4.09 ERA), Alvarado has generally been a high-impact bullpen weapon for skipper Rob Thomson for the past several seasons. Dating back to 2022, he’s pitched 174 major league innings and logged a 3.10 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 50.5% grounder rate.

Despite being on the restricted list, Alvarado was allowed to pitch in a minor league rehab stint as a tune-up to return to the Philadelphia bullpen. He tossed five shutout innings, albeit with as many walks as strikeouts. Alvarado recorded a huge 62.9% ground-ball rate in that time. His average sinker dipped from 99.3 mph to 98 mph, though that’s not exactly a surprise given the lengthy layoff.

While Alvarado will provide a major boost to the Phillies down the stretch, he’ll be a non-factor when the postseason rolls around. Players who are suspended for PED usage are ruled ineligible for the playoffs during the year in which they served their suspension. Thomson will have Alvarado at his disposal for the next six weeks, but in October, it’ll be Duran, Robertson, Strahm, Banks and Kerkering anchoring the bullpen — perhaps alongside one of the current rotation members, depending on the health and performance of the group between now and late September.

Greg Allen Elects Free Agency

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The Orioles announced that outfielder Greg Allen declined a minor league assignment in favor of free agency. He’d cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment on Saturday when the O’s called up prospect Dylan Beavers.

Allen had a brief stay with Baltimore. He’d signed a big league contract on August 8, a couple days after being granted his release from a minor league deal with the Cubs. He made seven appearances but went 0-14, striking out five times while grounding into a pair of double plays. Allen probably wouldn’t have been long for the roster even if he’d played well in a tiny sample.

The O’s were planning to promote Beavers around the middle of August. At that point, he’d spend fewer than 45 days on the MLB roster and would remain rookie eligible next season — potentially allowing the team to recoup a draft pick if they carry him for a full service year and he plays well enough to earn awards consideration. Baltimore also welcomed Colton Cowser back from a minimal injured list stint on Sunday. Allen was always going to be a stopgap outfielder.

This marked Allen’s first MLB action in two years. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Yankees, suiting up 22 times during the ’23 season. Allen’s speed and ability to cover all three outfield positions has gotten him to the majors in parts of eight seasons, almost always as a fourth or fifth outfielder. He was hitting .270/.355/.440 in Triple-A with the Cubs earlier in the year and should land elsewhere on a minor league deal.

Pirates Release Ryan Borucki

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The Pirates released veteran reliever Ryan Borucki, according to the MLB.com transaction log. That was the expected outcome after Pittsburgh designated the southpaw for assignment on Friday. Borucki has more than five years of service time and had the right to refuse a minor league assignment, making the release a formality.

Assuming no team claims Borucki off release waivers, he’ll be a free agent. The Pirates will remain on the hook for the rest of his $1.15MM salary, while a signing team would pay him the prorated $760K league minimum rate if he gets an MLB opportunity. If he does sign somewhere, it’d likely come before the beginning of September. Players need to be in an organization by September 1 to be eligible for postseason play. They don’t need to be on the 40-man roster by that point, so Borucki would be playoff eligible even if he signs a minor league contract within the next two weeks.

The 31-year-old would be a long shot to make a postseason roster but should get attention from teams seeking left-handed relief depth. While he has struggled to a 5.28 earned run average through 30 2/3 innings, his underlying marks are a little more intriguing. Borucki has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 55% clip while posting slightly worse than average strikeout and walk marks.

Borucki recently returned from a six-week absence due to a lower back injury. He reeled off five straight scoreless outings upon coming off the IL, but he gave up three runs in an inning of work in Milwaukee last week. The Pirates designated him for assignment after that, calling up lefty Evan Sisk to take his spot in the bullpen. Sisk is a 28-year-old rookie reliever, so the ceiling isn’t exactly high, but the Pirates liked him enough to acquire him from Kansas City in the Bailey Falter deadline deal. It’s understandable they’d rather take a look at Sisk for the final six weeks of the season than continue pitching Borucki, who was headed for free agency at season’s end.

Tigers Reinstate Alex Lange From 60-Day Injured List

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The Tigers announced that right-hander Alex Lange has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Left-hander Bailey Horn has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had a vacancy but is now full.

It’s been quite an odyssey for Lange in recent years. He took over the closer’s role in Detroit in 2023, recording 26 saves that year. He tossed 66 innings with a 3.68 earned run average. His 15.6% walk rate was awful but he struck out 27.4% of batters faced while getting grounders on 50.6% of balls in play.

His results backed up early in 2024. He started the season with a 4.34 ERA through 18 2/3 innings. His 23.3% strikeout rate, 18.9% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate all moved in the wrong direction relative to the year before.

The Tigers optioned him to the minors in late May. He injured himself a few weeks later, requiring lat surgery in mid-June. The Tigers didn’t announce an expected recovery timeline but it has taken Lange 14 months to get back to the majors. They put him on the major league 60-day IL when they signed John Brebbia back in February.

Now Lange finally gets a chance to get things back on track after all those challenges. For what it’s worth, his recent rehab numbers have been similar to his previous performance. He tossed 13 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.73 ERA, 31.5% strikeout rate, 13% walk rate and 62.1% ground ball rate.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Astros Select Tayler Scott, Designate Jordan Weems For Assignment

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The Astros have selected righty Tayler Scott to the roster, with fellow righty Jordan Weems designated for assignment. Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle was among those to relay the moves.

Weems was just selected to Houston’s roster a few days ago. Since then, he has made two appearances for the club. The first one went fine, as he tossed a scoreless inning against the Orioles on Friday. The Astros put him back on the mound yesterday, which led to a far worse outing. They were already losing 7-0 to the O’s through seven innings when they sent Weems in there. He faced seven batters but only retired one of them, surrendering three walks and three hits. Five runs came around to score as the club eventually lost 12-0.

The Astros used six pitchers, plus a mop-up inning from Chas McCormick, by the time that game was done. They have brought up a fresh arm today and bumped out Weems. Since he is out of options, he’s been bumped off the 40-man entirely.

With the trade deadline having passed, Weems will have to be placed on waivers. He was sent through waivers unclaimed in July. His recent performance presumably didn’t raise his stock much, so he might do so again. The last time he cleared waivers, he elected free agency and re-signed with the Astros on a new minor league deal. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out again in the coming days.

As for Scott, he is also out of options and has been a fringe bullpen arm this year. He opened the year with the Astros but struggled and lost his roster spot. He ended up with the Diamondbacks for a spell but lost his spot with that club as well. That led him back to the Astros on a minor league deal about six weeks ago. Since then, he has tossed 11 Triple-A innings with a 4.91 earned run average.

It hasn’t been amazing year overall for Scott, as he has a 6.66 ERA in his 25 2/3 major league innings. However, he was much better in 2024, with a 2.23 ERA. He got some help from a .230 batting average on balls in play and 84.9% strand rate but his 4.13 FIP and 4.80 SIERA were still better than what he’s managed to do here in 2025. Due to his aforementioned out-of-options status, his grip on a roster spot could be tenuous, but he’ll give Houston a fresh arm and try to make the most of the opportunity.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Phillies Place Zack Wheeler On Injured List With Blood Clot

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August 18: The Phils announced today that Wheeler “underwent a successful thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot in his right upper extremity this morning by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Further treatment and a subsequent timeline of recovery for Wheeler is to be determined.”

August 16: The Phillies announced that Zack Wheeler has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right upper extremity blood clot. According to Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic, the clot is near his throwing shoulder. The team has not announced a timetable for his return.

Philadelphia will activate Aaron Nola from the 60-day IL tomorrow. He’s listed as the probable starter for their series finale in Washington. They initially intended to go with a six-man rotation. Instead, Nola will take Wheeler’s spot in a five-man staff that also includes Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker. They’ll still need to open a 40-man roster spot for Nola and make an active roster transaction to clear space for Alec Bohm, who is expected back from a 10-day IL stint tomorrow.

The immediate roster considerations take a back seat to concern about Wheeler’s future. The Phils should be able to withstand a short-term absence, at least with regard to the division. They’ve built a five-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. Their hold on the #2 seed in the National League and the associated first-round bye is tenuous. They’re only half a game up on the Dodgers and Padres, who enter play Saturday night tied for the NL West lead. (San Diego and L.A. are playing one another, so one of them will tie Philly this evening.) The scorching hot Brewers have pulled well ahead of the pack for the NL’s top seed.

If this requires a longer-term absence, it’d obviously be a massive blow. Wheeler remains on the short list for the title of MLB’s best pitcher. He has a 2.71 earned run average and leads the majors with 195 strikeouts. He’s averaging more than six innings per start. This will probably be Wheeler’s second consecutive sub-3.00 ERA showing and his fifth time allowing fewer than three earned runs per nine over his six seasons in Philadelphia. Wheeler has been exceptionally durable. This is just his second IL stint as a Phillie, with the other being a month-long absence due to forearm tendinitis in 2022.

A healthy Wheeler would be Philadelphia’s Game 1 starter. There’s no indication that the team is concerned about his playoff availability, but a blood clot comes with a level of uncertainty. The Phillies will presumably provide more specifics in the next few days.

Red Sox Designate Ali Sánchez For Assignment

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1:57pm: The Sox have now officially signed Lowe and designated Sanchez for assignment. They also placed outfielder Rob Refsnyder on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 15th, due to a left oblique strain and recalled infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton.

1:26pm: The Red Sox will designate catcher Ali Sánchez for assignment today, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The team has yet to announce the move, but they’ll need roster space for their reported agreement with veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.

Sánchez, 28, appeared in only one game with the Red Sox and was hitless in his lone plate appearance. He was 5-for-21 with a couple doubles as a member of the Blue Jays before landing in Boston via waivers after being designated for assignment. Sánchez has appeared in parts of four major league seasons and suited up for five teams but has just 132 plate appearances in 47 games overall. He’s a .185/.222/.235 hitter in that tiny sample of scattershot playing time.

Unsurprisingly, Sánchez’s work in the upper minors has been far better. He’s played in parts of six Triple-A seasons and carries a .269/.340/.399 slash in 1266 trips to the plate. He’s a better-than-average defender who excels at blocking balls in the dirt and boasts a superlative 39% caught-stealing rate in his 12-year professional career.

Sánchez is out of minor league options, so any team that claims him off waivers will have to plug him right onto the big league roster. Waivers are the Red Sox’ only possible course of action with Sánchez, now that the trade deadline has passed. He’ll be placed on outright or release waivers within the next five days (very likely the former). He’s been outrighted multiple times in his career, so if Sánchez clears waivers, he’d be able to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency

Phillies Recall Nolan Hoffman For MLB Debut

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Max Lazar has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Fellow righty Nolan Hoffman has been recalled to take his roster spot. Hoffman will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Hoffman, 28, was acquired from the Rangers in mid-June. The Phils sent cash to Texas to get him. The Phillies added Hoffman to their 40-man roster but optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It’s likely that Hoffman had some kind of opt-out or upward mobility clause in his deal with the Rangers. The Phils were willing to give him a 40-man spot but didn’t call him up to the active roster until today.

Since coming over in that trade, the submariner has been posting decent numbers. He often gets strikeouts and grounders but also gives out walks, which has been the case since joining the Phils. In 19 Triple-A innings since the trade, he has a 3.32 earned run average. His 31.8% strikeout rate and 51.1% ground ball are strong but he’s also given out free passes to 12.9% of batters faced. Last year, he was in the Orioles’ system and tossed 58 Triple-A innings with a 3.88 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, 52% grounder rate and 13.6% walk rate.

It’s possible that Hoffman will be quickly optioned back to the IronPigs. As noted by Paul Casella of MLB.com, lefty José Alvarado will be able to return from his 80-game PED suspension tomorrow. Perhaps that means Hoffman is just up to provide a fresh arm for tonight’s game.

The Phils used five relievers last night. One of them was Lazar, who pitched two nights in a row. It’s possible that Lazar was going to be the corresponding move for Alvarado tomorrow, but since he tossed a combined 40 pitches over the past two games and might have needed a night off anyway, he’s been sent out today. Time will tell if it’s actually just a one-day stint for Hoffman or not. Either way, he’s up in the show for the first time. The Phils will also need to open a 40-man roster spot for Alvarado’s activation.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Marlins Promote Max Acosta, Place Graham Pauley On Injured List

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Aug. 18: The Marlins announced that Acosta has indeed been recalled for his MLB debut. Pauley will head to the 10-day injured list, as the side discomfort that kept him out of yesterday’s game was due to what’s now been diagnosed as a strained oblique.

Aug. 17: The Marlins are calling up middle infield prospect Max Acosta from Triple-A Jacksonville, El Extra Base’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes reports.  Only a 26-man roster will need to be made prior to tomorrow’s game between the Cardinals and Marlins, since the 22-year-old Acosta is already on Miami’s 40-man roster.

Acosta will be making his MLB debut whenever he makes his first appearance with the Fish.  Playing almost exclusively as the everyday shortstop in Jacksonville, Acosta has hit .232/.319/.376 over 430 plate appearances in his first taste of Triple-A ball, while stealing 28 bases in 35 attempts.  It took him some time to adjust to the higher level, as Acosta’s season is split between a .215/.316/.269 slash line over his first 215 plate appearances, and a much improved .247/.321/479 slash line in his last 215 PA.

This power boost over the last two and a half months provides some answer to evaluators’ doubts about his ability to hit at the big league level, though it runs counter to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, which felt Acosta’s ability to hit for average could be his offensive calling card rather than his modest power.  His speed is fairly average but he is an effective base stealer, and Acosta provides at least average defense at shortstop and second base (the other position he has played during his pro career).  Pipeline ranks Acosta as the 25th-best prospect in Miami’s farm system, while Baseball America has the infielder 28th.

An international signing for the Rangers in 2019, Acosta was added to Texas’ 40-man roster for the first time last November in advance of the Rule 5 draft.  The Rangers then dealt Acosta and two other prospects to the Marlins in December in the trade that brought Jake Burger to Arlington.

Otto Lopez has been struggling badly at the plate since the start of July, and while Lopez remains an excellent defensive shortstop, the Marlins might want to give him a bit more time in the outfield or at third base while seeing what they have in Acosta.  MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports that Graham Pauley didn’t play today due to side tightness, so if Pauley needs to go on the injured list, that opens up third base for Lopez to share time with Eric Wagaman.

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