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Mets To Designate Paul Blackburn For Assignment

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The Mets are going to designate right-hander Paul Blackburn for assignment, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. That will be the corresponding move for the promotion of Nolan McLean, a move that was previously reported.

Blackburn was acquired by the Mets at last year’s trade deadline. At the time, the Mets had lost both Kodai Senga and Christian Scott to the injured list and suddenly needed a bit of rotation depth. He made five starts for the Mets before he himself required a stint on the injured list. He hit the IL due to a right hand contusion. While on the IL, it was reported that he was dealing with a spinal fluid leak in his back. He didn’t make it back off the IL. He underwent a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repair procedure in October.

Despite the rough landing in Queens, the Mets tendered him a contract for 2025, his final arb season before reaching free agency. The Mets seemed interested in stockpiling rotation depth. They signed Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas and Griffin Canning, adding to a rotation mix which already included Senga, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Blackburn. The Mets and Blackburn avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $4.05MM salary for this year.

Unfortunately, it has turned into another season marred by injuries and the Mets seemingly never had much interest in putting him back into the rotation. He likely would have been off the roster long ago if not for other injuries, both to himself and others.

Blackburn started the season on the IL due to inflammation in his right knee. He was rehabbing throughout May, before being reinstated from the injured list in early June. By the middle of June, there was reporting that the Mets were fielding trade interest in Blackburn. At the time, they had a rotation of Senga, Peterson, Holmes, Canning and Megill, with both Montas and Manaea on rehab assignments. Blackburn appeared to be surplus to requirements. But moments after that report came out, Senga got injured and landed on the IL. Megill went on the shelf not long after.

That opened a window for Blackburn to stick around, but then he himself hit the IL again in early July due to a right shoulder impingement. He began a rehab assignment in the middle of July and got up to five innings by his second outing. But the Mets didn’t have a rotation spot for him behind Senga, Manaea, Holmes, Peterson and Montas. They let Blackburn throw a few more rehab starts, perhaps because they just wanted to keep him around in case someone else got injured.

In recent days, Montas was moved to the bullpen to open a rotation spot for McLean. Blackburn was reinstated from the IL and put in the bullpen as well. He tossed five innings of long relief on Wednesday after Peterson couldn’t get through the fourth inning. Now, he’s been bumped off the 40-man entirely.

This move ends a strange Mets tenure for Blackburn. He was technically with the club for over a year but only made 12 appearances in orange and blue. It often seemed like the Mets were on the verge of nudging him out the door before it finally happened.

He now heads into DFA limbo. With the trade deadline having passed, he will have to be placed on waivers. There is just under $1MM left to be paid out on his salary. His frequent injuries likely hurt his chances of being claimed, though he has had some decent results when healthy. With the Athletics in 2022 and 2023, he tossed a combined 215 innings with a 4.35 earned run average. His 20.7% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 44.5% ground ball rate were all fairly close to league averages.

Those cromulent results surely attracted the Mets in the first place but he wasn’t spared the injury bug even in those campaigns. Issues with his right middle finger prevented him from surpassing 115 innings in either of those seasons.

Still, decent starting pitching is hard to find after the deadline, so perhaps Blackburn will find some interest. If he clears waivers, the Mets will remain on the hook for the rest of his salary. At that point, another club could sign him and pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Mets pay.

Photo courtesy of Jason Parkhurst, Imagn Images

Angels Re-Sign Shaun Anderson To Minor League Deal

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The Angels have re-signed right-hander Shaun Anderson to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The veteran righty has been assigned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.

Anderson, 30, has essentially been the 27th man on the Angels’ active roster all season long. This is the fourth minor league deal he has signed with the club in 2025. The first three were all selected to the big league roster. Since Anderson is out of options, he was eventually designated for assignment once he got squeezed off the roster. In each instance, he cleared waivers, elected free agency and re-signed via a new minor league deal.

Presumably, both sides are comfortable with the arrangement. The Angels have an extra arm they can call upon when the rest of the staff is gassed. Anderson, meanwhile, gets occasional spurts of big league pay and service time.

Around the transactions, he has thrown 11 1/3 innings over seven big league appearances. He has allowed 13 earned runs on 20 hits and three walks while striking out 11. He now has a 6.39 earned run average in 163 1/3 innings dating back to his 2019 debut. He has also thrown 81 Triple-A innings this year with a 6.44 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson, Imagn Images

Dodgers To Place Max Muncy On IL With Oblique Strain, Claim Buddy Kennedy

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The Dodgers have claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy off waivers from the Blue Jays, per Dodger Blue. Right-hander Julian Fernández has been designated for assignment as the corresponding 40-man move. Toronto designated Kennedy for assignment last week. Manager Dave Roberts says that Kennedy will jump right onto the active roster as third baseman Max Muncy goes on the 10-day injured list due to a grade 1 oblique strain, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Muncy was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to right side soreness. The club was off yesterday and it seems further testing has determined that he needs at least a bit of a breather. It’s not clear exactly how long that breather will be. “I don’t think anybody expects it to be season-ending, but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later,” Roberts said, per Alden González of ESPN.

It’s an unfortunate development for the Dodgers. It’s been a real up-and-down season for Muncy but he’s been in good form lately. He started the year ice cold, slashing .190/.313/.286 through May 12th. Since then, he’s been red hot, hitting .314/.447/.660. That heater was interrupted by a monthlong stint on the IL due to a bone bruise in his left knee but that didn’t slow down his production. He came off the IL a little over a week ago and produced a .348/.531/.870 line in eight games between IL stints.

Despite Muncy’s production, the Dodgers have been in a bit of a skid lately. They went 10-14 in July and are 5-7 so far in August. Meanwhile, the Padres have gone on a tear and have taken over the lead in the American League West. The two clubs start a series against each other in Los Angeles tonight. Losing one of their hottest hitters is obviously less than ideal for the Dodgers as they move into the stretch run. Ideally, Muncy can return fairly quickly but oblique injuries are notoriously difficult.

It’s also not great when considering the club’s larger infield picture. Enrique Hernández, Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim are also on the IL, leaving the club a bit thin in that department. Alex Freeland will likely step in as the regular third baseman with Miguel Rojas taking over the keystone. The only healthy position player on the 40-man roster who is on optional assignment is outfielder Esteury Ruiz.

Claiming Kennedy gives the Dodgers a bench infielder, something they would have otherwise lacked. The 26-year-old has plenty of intriguing numbers in the minors but hasn’t yet clicked in the majors. That has led to him exhausting his options, which has pushed him into journeyman territory. Over the past few years, he has suited up for the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Phillies and Blue Jays. He has stepped to the plate 163 times scattered over the four most recent seasons but with just a .193/.288/.300 line to show for it.

As mentioned, his minor league work has been better. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has 1,262 Triple-A plate appearances. His 13.9% walk rate and 17.1% strikeout rate in that time are both solid figures. He produced a combined .284/.395/.443 line and 116 wRC+ over that span while playing all four infield spots and a bit of left field as well. Since he’s out of options, he may only hold his roster spot for as long as it takes for someone else to come off the IL. But he was out there on the wire when they needed an infielder, so he’ll get a shot with the Dodgers now.

Fernández, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason. He was selected to the 40-man roster on July 7th. He pitched two innings that day, allowing two earned runs, and was optioned back down to Triple-A the next day.

His major league track record is still limited, as he had just six appearances prior to his one with the Dodgers this year, but he’s been in good form in Triple-A this season. He has tossed 41 1/3 innings with the Oklahoma City Comets, pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, with a 3.05 earned run average, 8.8% walk rate and 28.7% strikeout rate.

With the trade deadline having passed, Fernández will end up on waivers. He can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season. Given his numbers this year and the fact that he can be stashed in the minors, it’s possible he gets claimed in the coming week by a club in search of extra bullpen depth.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

Athletics Designate Gio Urshela For Assignment, Claim Jared Shuster

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The Athletics announced that they have claimed left-hander Jared Shuster off waivers from the White Sox and sent him to Triple-A Las Vegas.. The latter club designated him for assignment earlier this week. To open a 40-man spot, the A’s designated infielder Gio Urshela for assignment. Infielder Brett Harris has been recalled to take Urshela’s active roster spot.

Shuster, 27, was once a notable prospect in Atlanta’s system. He hasn’t yet delivered at the major league level, with a 5.27 earned run average in 141 2/3 innings. His minor league track record has been better overall but has been trending in the wrong direction lately. He tossed 212 1/3 minor league innings over 2021 and 2022 with a 3.69 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate. But since then, he has 114 innings with a 5.37 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate.

For the A’s, it’s understandable they’d grab him off waivers. They’re out of contention here in 2025 and can prioritize the long term. Shuster is in his final option year. He’ll be out of options next year but he can be stashed in Triple-A for now. The A’s can get a close-up look at him and see if he can get back on track in the next few weeks. If not, they can perhaps run him through waivers in the offseason and keep him as non-roster depth next year.

One way or another, if he clicks while in the system, there would be long-term benefits. He has just over two years of service time, meaning he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration and could theoretically be controlled for four seasons after this one.

Urshela, on the other hand, doesn’t have any long-term benefit to the A’s. His 34th birthday is just over the horizon. He was signed in the offseason to a one-year deal with a $2.15MM guarantee to provide a stable veteran presence in an infield with a lot of youth and uncertainty. Unfortunately, he has hit just .238/.287/.326 this season. His wRC+ has dropped for a third consecutive year and is now down to 68. His previously-excellent defensive metrics have slid below the mean.

By claiming Shuster and bumping out Urshela, the A’s add a younger pitcher who could potentially help them in the future. Meanwhile, Urshela’s playing time at third base can go to younger guys like Harris or Max Schuemann.

With the trade deadline having passed, Urshela will end up on waivers in the coming days. Given his performance this year and his salary, he’s sure to clear. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while still collecting the remainder of that salary. The A’s might skip that formality and release him. Once on the open market, they will still be on the hook for that money. If Urshela ends up on another big league roster, the signing club would only owe him the prorated portion of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the A’s pay.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images

Guardians Outright Trevor Stephan

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The Guardians passed right-handed reliever Trevor Stephan through outright waivers and assigned him to Triple-A Columbus, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. That removes him from the 40-man roster, but Stephan will remain with the organization.

While Stephan could have rejected the assignment, doing so would’ve meant forfeiting the remainder of this season’s $2.3MM salary, all of next year’s $3.5MM salary and the $1.25MM buyout on his 2027 club option. Stephan is about a month shy of reaching the necessary service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency but still retain his salary.

The now-29-year-old was a breakout reliever for the 2022 Guardians, tossing 63 2/3 innings with a 2.69 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 19 holds. Cleveland signed him to a four-year, $10MM extension with a pair of club options prior to the 2023 season. He tallied 28 holds that year but saw his rate stats and velocity dip. In spring of 2024, Stephan was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery. He’s yet to make it back to a major league mound.

Stephan has had his rehab assignment stopped and restarted a couple times this summer. Cleveland activated him from the 60-day IL in late July and optioned him to Columbus. He’s pitched 13 2/3 innings in the minors this year and been rocked for a 9.22 ERA, although nine of the runs against him came in a brutal pair of back-to-back outings around the All-Star break. Over his past five appearances, Stephan has looked more like himself. He’s tossed five shutout frames and fanned five opponents — albeit with four walks issued in that time as well.

Stephan’s outright is the latest in an overhaul of a Cleveland bullpen that looked almost unbeatable when he and Emmanuel Clase were regularly handling the eighth and ninth innings. Stephan’s future is at least somewhat up in the air, in light of his injuries and struggles during rehab work, while Clase’s outlook is even cloudier. He’s been on administrative leave since July 28 in connection with an MLB investigation into violations of the league’s sports-betting policy. Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz are on leave through Aug. 31, though if the investigation hasn’t concluded at that point, the leave can be extended even further.

Righties Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis now stand as the top two leverage options in manager Stephen Vogt’s bullpen.

Braves Activate Ronald Acuña Jr., Outright Sandy León

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The Braves announced Friday that they’ve reinstated star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. from the injured list. In order to open a roster spot, veteran catcher Sandy León was assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett after clearing waivers.

Acuña missed nearly three weeks with a Grade 1 strain in his right calf. It’s the second IL stint of the season for the five-time All-Star and former National League MVP. He opened the season on the shelf while finishing off the rehab from last year’s surgery to repair a torn left ACL.

Between those two IL stints, Acuña was in vintage form. He came to the plate 238 times and slashed a sensational .306/.429/.577 with 14 home runs, nine doubles, a triple and four stolen bases. Acuña walked in a massive 17.6% of his plate appearances, averaged 92.3 mph off the bat and logged a massive 53% hard-hit rate. By measure of wRC+, he was 78% better than the league-average hitter at the plate.

It’s a generally lost season for the Braves, but Acuña surely wants to get a healthy finish under his belt so he can feel good heading into next season. Injuries have hobbled him repeatedly in recent years. He averaged only 102 games per season from 2021-24.

As for the veteran León, he’s been on the roster since July 21 but appeared in only two games and took just one plate appearance. He’s been an emergency third catching option for manager Brian Snitker, but Atlanta has been plugging catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy into the lineup on a daily basis, rotating that pair between the catcher and designated hitter spot. That’s left minimal opportunity for the 36-year-old León, who hit .183/.250/.379 in 169 Triple-A plate appearances this season.

León is a veteran of 13 major league seasons. He’s rarely provided much help with the bat in that time — evidenced by a career .208/.276/.310 batting line in the majors — but has nonetheless carved out a lengthy career on the strength of his defensive acumen, game-calling skills and leadership. He has the right to reject his outright assignment if he chooses.

Rays Release Logan Driscoll

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The Rays announced Friday that they’ve released catcher Logan Driscoll, who’d been on the 40-man roster in Triple-A. Driscoll suffered an ankle injury back in March and hasn’t played yet in 2025. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, so the Rays — needing a roster spot for the selection of first baseman Bob Seymour — will cut Driscoll loose entirely. Seymour’s previously reported promotion has now been made official, and Tampa Bay optioned outfielder Tristan Peters to clear a spot on the 26-man roster.

Driscoll, 27, made his big league debut with Tampa Bay last September, appearing in 15 games and taking 37 plate appearances. He batted .171/.189/.257 in that tiny sample. The former No. 73 overall pick (Padres, 2019) was far better in the minors, hitting .292/.367/.473 with seven homers, 24 doubles and a triple in 294 Triple-A plate appearances.

Driscoll originally came to the Rays alongside Manuel Margot in the 2020 trade sending righty Emilio Pagan to San Diego. He’s a career .269/.348/.437 hitter in parts of five minor league seasons. Given that he hasn’t suited up for a game all season, it’s hard to imagine Driscoll getting onto the field in 2025, but his former draft status and solid minor league track record make him an interesting option for teams eyeing catching help in the 2026 season.

Cooper Hummel Elects Free Agency

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Catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Astros and will reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2.

Hummel, 30, has appeared in 37 games between the Astros and Orioles this season, taking 105 plate appearances and posting a combined .170/.298/.273 slash with three homers, a 13.3% walk rate and a problematic 29.5% strikeout rate. He’s been better in a small sample of 68 Triple-A plate appearances.

Part of the reason for that limited work is a dizzying sequence of transactions. Hummel has now been designated for assignment four times since the season began. He’s elected free agency each time and signed four minor league deals — two with the Orioles, one with the Astros and one with the Yankees.

Though Hummel has never hit much in the majors (.163/.268/.275 in 340 plate appearances), he’s an accomplished Triple-A hitter with uncommon defensive versatility. The former 18th-round pick is a .284/.418/.480 hitter in nearly 1500 trips to the plate at Triple-A in his decade-long pro career, and he’s experienced behind the plate, in the outfield corners and at first base.

It’s an understandably appealing skill set, but Hummel has frequently found himself as the effective 26th man on teams’ 26-man rosters, and his lack of minor league options has resulted in him changing hands more than most players. He’ll presumably sign a fifth minor league deal of the season in the days ahead. It seems likely that the Orioles and Astros, who’ve both acquired him multiple times over the past two calendar years, will show some level of interest, but he’ll have the chance to talk to all 30 teams once he’s formally elected free agency and returned to the open market.

Pirates Designate Ryan Borucki For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki for assignment, manager Don Kelly announced to reporters prior to this afternoon’s game (link via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Pittsburgh also recalled righty Colin Holderman and lefty Evan Sisk from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned righty Cam Sanders.

The 31-year-old Borucki has had a second straight rough season with the Bucs. Back in 2023, he turned in a sharp 2.45 ERA with a 21.7% strikeout rate and superlative 2.6% walk rate through 40 1/3 frames. He’s since turned in successive ERAs of 7.36 and 5.28 over a combined 41 2/3 frames while navigating multiple injuries. Borucki was out for more than a month due to a lower back injury earlier this summer, and a triceps injury limited him to just 11 innings in 2024.

Even with that rough stretch, Borucki still carries a career 4.38 ERA in 252 big league innings. He’s set down 19.6% of his career opponents on strikes and walked 8.7% of them. Neither is a plus mark, but neither is too far from league average. Borucki’s career 48.3% ground-ball rate (55% in 2025) is several percentage points north of average.

Borucki’s minor league deal with the Pirates contained a $1.15MM base salary that locked in when he was added to the big league roster. Any team that claims him off waivers — he obviously cannot be traded now that the deadline has passed — would be responsible for the prorated remainder of that sum, about $272K through season’s end. Since Borucki has more than five years of big league service, it doesn’t make much of a difference whether he’s placed on outright waivers or release waivers. He has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency and still retain the remainder of his guaranteed money.

For the Pirates, it’s an understandable decision to move on. Borucki allowed three runs in his most recent outing and has struggled for much of the season when healthy. He’d have been a free agent at season’s end, so they’ll instead give his innings to younger arms who can be controlled beyond the current season. If a team claims the remaining $272K that’s on his contract, it’s all the better, but either way his departure will allow the Pirates more opportunity to evaluate potential future pieces in the ’pen.

Austin Nola Elects Free Agency

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Aug. 15: Nola has indeed elected free agency, per the transaction log at MiLB.com.

Aug. 13: Nola has cleared waivers, and the Rockies have sent him outright to Triple-A Albuquerque, according to the transaction log on his MLB.com player page. He has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but he can also choose to accept the assignment and rejoin the Isotopes. He is currently listed on their roster on MiLB.com.

Aug. 11: The Rockies announced Monday that they’ve designated catcher Austin Nola for assignment. His roster spot will go to righty Chase Dollander, who’s been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque and will start tonight’s game versus the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Nola, 35, has spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A Albuquerque after signing a minor league contract over the winter but had his contract selected to the big league roster in early July. He’s gotten into 15 games for the Rox but turned in a lackluster .184/.225/.211 batting line in a small sample of 41 plate appearances. He was far better in 26 Triple-A games, slashing .347/.411/.474 in 106 trips to the plate.

The older brother of longtime Phillies starter Aaron Nola, Austin has appeared in parts of six big league seasons. He was excellent early on after breaking through with the Mariners as a 29-year-old rookie. The older Nola brother hit .280/.351/.476 in 377 plate appearances with the M’s in 2019-20, pairing that plus offensive output with the ability to play not only catcher but multiple infield and outfield spots.

The Padres coveted Nola’s production and versatility enough to surrender a package of prospects that included Andres Munoz, Ty France and Taylor Trammell to pry Nola and relievers Dan Altavilla and Austin Adams away from Seattle in 2020. Nola’s bat fell off to about league-average levels from 2020-22 following the trade before cratering in 2023. The Friars cut him loose after the ’23 season and he’s since bounced to the Brewers, Royals and now Rockies.

With the trade deadline behind us, the Rockies’ only course of action will be to place Nola on waivers. He’ll be made available to all 29 other teams, beginning with the worst record in the league and climbing through the best. Nola is out of minor league options, so any team that claims him would need to add him right to the big league roster. If he goes unclaimed, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment to the minors in favor of free agency.

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