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Tigers To Place Reese Olson On 60-Day IL With Shoulder Strain

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The Tigers are placing right-hander Reese Olson on the 60-day injured list due to a shoulder strain. Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to relay the news. That will open up a 40-man roster spot for Chris Paddack, who is reportedly being acquired from the Twins. Beck adds that outfielder Parker Meadows has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a quad strain. Infielder/outfielders Andy Ibáñez and Ryan Kreidler have been recalled to take the active roster spots of Olson and Meadows.

The news on Olson sheds more light on the club’s decision to acquire Paddack. Olson had started against the Blue Jays on Thursday and gone 5 2/3 innings. Per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Olson first felt discomfort on Saturday during a bullpen session.

That meant that, coming into today, the Detroit rotation was down to Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. They recently called up prospect Troy Melton, but he allowed six earned runs in his first big league start. Keider Montero was recently optioned to the minors.

Paddack isn’t an ace but he’s a strike-throwing veteran who lengthens the overall group. The Tigers also have Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Jose Urquidy and Sawyer Gipson-Long on the IL. Adding Olson to that pile seemingly prompted them to go out and add Paddack.

What’s still unclear is if Olson will be available for the postseason. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the door is still open for that, though it depends on how things develop between now and then. Perhaps the Tigers will look to make another rotation addition in the coming days, depending on how things develop with Olson.

There’s also a bit of a position player shuffle today, with Meadows hitting the IL again. He missed the first couple of months of the season due to issues in the musculocutaneous nerve in his right arm. Since coming off the IL, he has hit just .200/.270/.296. Now his frustrating season continues with another injury setback, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Matt Vierling has also been playing some center field lately and could take over for Meadows, though he’s not having a great season either, currently sporting a .210/.306/.226 line. Javier Báez played some center earlier this year but has retaken the shortstop job more recently. If Báez were to go back out to the grass, Zach McKinstry could move from third to short, with guys like Ibáñez and Kreidler helping to fill in at the hot corner. Kreidler can also play a bit of center. Once Paddack reports to the team, the Tigers will need an active roster spot, so one of Ibáñez or Kreidler will probably be going right back down.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

Royals Sign Seth Lugo To Extension

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2:50pm: MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reports that the 2028 option will automatically vest at $20MM if Lugo pitches a combined 335 innings in 2026-27 or totals 190 innings in 2027.  If he falls shy of those totals, the Royals can still pick up a $17MM club option (or a $3MM buyout).  All told, the deal can max out at $63MM from 2026-28.

12:05pm: Seth Lugo has gone from a potential trade candidate to rotation cornerstone, as the Royals announced Monday that he’s signed a two-year extension covering the 2026-27 seasons with a club/vesting option for the 2028 campaign.  The new deal reportedly guarantees him a total of $46MM from 2026-27.  The money breaks down as a $3MM signing bonus for Lugo, $20MM salaries in both 2026 and 2027, and then a $17MM club option for 2028 with a $3MM buyout.  Should Lugo hit the vesting thresholds, that 2028 option will lock in another $20MM salary.  Lugo is represented by the Ballengee Group.

Lugo had the ability to opt out of the final season of his previous three-year, $45MM contract, but instead of facing an opt-out decision this winter, the right-hander will be staying put in Kansas City.  There wasn’t much doubt that Lugo (who turns 36 in November) was going to decline his player option and leave his final $15MM on the table in search of a larger and lengthier guarantee in free agency.

With the Royals also struggling to stay in the playoff race, there was some speculation that K.C. could look to move the veteran prior to Thursday’s deadline.  However, the most recent reporting suggested that not only did the Royals want to keep Lugo beyond July 31, but the club wanted to work out a new contract to convince Lugo to forego his opt-out clause.

Assuming the extension talks indeed cross the finish line, Lugo will join Cole Ragans and Michael Wacha as Royals starters under contract through at least the 2027 season, depending on the specifics of Lugo’s new deal.  Wacha’s three-year, $51MM deal signed last November also came under the specter of a player option, as Wacha had the ability to opt out of his $16MM salary for the 2025 season and test the market.  Ragans inked a three-year, $13.25MM extension last February that was more about cost certainty than team control, as the deal only covers the southpaw through his second arbitration-eligible year — Kansas City still has arb control on Ragan through the 2028 campaign.

Between this trio, breakout rookie Noah Cameron, and the Royals’ remaining year of arbitration control on Kris Bubic, Kansas City’s 2026 rotation may already be set.  This doesn’t include such injured pitchers as Kyle Wright and Alec Marsh, so K.C. has a good deal of pitching depth in place as the club tries to figure out the greater issue of its lack of offense.

Lugo’s career-opening seven-year stint with the Mets saw the righty begin as a starter, before moving into more of a part-time starter/swingman role and then finally as a full-time reliever in 2021-22.  Heading into free agency following the 2022 campaign, Lugo was looking to make a return to the rotation, and landed a two-year, $15MM free agent deal with the Padres that included a player option on the 2024 season.  After a solid year in San Diego, Lugo declined that option and returned to free agency to find his three-year commitment with Kansas City.

Over two-plus seasons since his return to starting pitching, Lugo’s ERA has dropped from 3.57 in 2023 to 3.00 in 2024 and to 2.95 this year.  His SIERAs have remained almost identical in that span, averaging out to a 3.98 number that is probably a fairer reflection of his production than his 3.17 ERA over 466 innings since Opening Day 2023.  Despite allowing a lot of hard contact and posting subpar strikeout rates, Lugo has consistently outperformed his peripherals by limiting walks (6.2BB% in the last three seasons) and an elite curveball spin rate, not to mention a fastball that also has plenty of spin despite its modest 91.6mph velocity.

Lugo has gotten a fair amount of batted-ball luck to support his numbers, yet as he is now in his third productive year as a starter, the veteran is clearly doing more than just relying on good fortune to retire batters.  He has also answered all questions about whether he was durable enough to hold up in a rotation by pitching 206 2/3 innings in 2024, which was a key reason why Lugo finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting.

It was enough for the Royals to commit an additional $31MM to Lugo on top of the $15MM they had already agreed to pay him through 2026.  It’s a significant chunk of change for pitcher’s age 36-37 seasons, yet obviously the Royals have loved what they’ve gotten from Lugo to date and believe he can keep it up deeper into his 30’s.  The $23MM in average annual value is a little eye-opening, though as MLBTR’s Contract Tracker tells us, 11 pitchers of age 30 or higher have topped that AAV in free agency over the last three offseasons.

It is also noteworthy than the idea of Kansas City signing a player to such a contract is no longer as surprising as it would’ve been even a few years ago.  Now that the Royals have moved out of a rebuild period, owner John Sherman has greenlit higher spending, most notably Bobby Witt Jr.’s long-term mega-contract.  The Royals’ playoff appearance in 2024 was evidence that the team’s roster-building is paying dividends, and while their 2025 record has disappointed, there is enough of a pitching core in place to suggest that even league-average hitting could get K.C. back to the postseason.  The club’s recent additions of Adam Frazier and Randal Grichuk suggest that the Royals haven’t given up on making a late run this year, even if bigger lineup upgrades will probably be saved for the winter.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report that the two sides were closing in on an extension.  MLB.com’s Anne Rogers (multiple links) had the details about the two-year length of the deal and the financial breakdown, while the New York Post’s Jon Heyman was the first to report that Lugo would be receiving a guarantee in the ballpark of $46MM.

Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images

Rays Outright Coco Montes, Release Jacob Waguespack

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The Rays announced this afternoon that they’ve assigned infielder Coco Montes outright to Triple-A. In addition, right-hander Jacob Waguespack has been released. Both players had previously been designated for assignment by the club last week.

Montes, 28, appeared in five games for the Rays this year. The infielder went 2-10 with three strikeouts and one RBI during that limited exposure to the majors while playing both second and third base as well as left field. He’d previously slashed a meager .221/.272/.344 for the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham this year and last made the big leagues with the Rockies back in 2023. He appeared in 18 games with Colorado where he slashed .184/.244/.316 with two doubles and a home run across 41 plate appearances. Between his two stints in the majors, Montes played for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yoimiuri Giants. He slashed a somewhat pedestrian .272/.308/.391 for the Giants in 46 Central League games during the 2024 season. He’ll now return to Triple-A Durham as non-roster depth for the Rays going forward this year.

As for Waguespack, the 31-year-old was a 37th-round pick by the Pirates all the way back in 2012 who made his big league debut back in 2019 as a member of the Blue Jays. He pitched in parts of two seasons with Toronto and posted a 5.08 ERA in 95 2/3 innings of work split between 13 starts and 14 relief appearances. He struck out just 18.6% of his opponents while walking 8.9%, and after spending the 2021 season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo he moved on to NPB’s Orix Buffaloes. Waguespack posted an impressive 2.97 ERA in 72 2/3 innings of work during his first year of Pacific League play, but his production cratered in 2023.

He’s spent the past two seasons in the Rays organization, primarily at the minor league level, but posted a 5.40 ERA in ten appearances with the big league club this year. He’ll now head into free agency in search of another opportunity, though it seems he’ll be limited to minor league offers unless he once again ventures outside of affiliated ball to pitch elsewhere. Waguespack had been on the minor league injured list, meaning he could not be outrighted to the minor leagues after being designated for assignment.

Orioles Designate Jacob Stallings For Assignment

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The Orioles announced a series of roster moves today. Left-hander Keegan Akin and catcher Adley Rutschman have each been reinstated from the injured list. In corresponding moves, the O’s optioned right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo to Triple-A Norfolk and designated catcher Jacob Stallings for assignment.

Stallings, 35, was released by the Rockies last month. The O’s were dealing with a few injuries to their catching corps and brought him into the fold via a minor league deal to add some veteran depth behind the plate.

They called Stallings up to the big league squad at the start of July when Chadwick Tromp hit the injured list, joining Rutschman and Maverick Handley on the shelf. Gary Sánchez also hit the IL a few days later, which got Alex Jackson onto the roster.

Stallings got into 14 games for the O’s this month and stepped to the plate 36 times but produced a .114/.139/.143 line in that time. He has a solid reputation for his defense and work with a pitching staff but hasn’t been hitting all year. He now has a combined .134/.195/.168 line in 129 plate appearances between the Rockies and O’s this season. Jackson, meanwhile, has hit three homers in 26 plate appearances for a .269/.269/.769 line. He won’t keep that going forever but he’s been better than Stallings and is several years younger as well.

Jackson will hang onto his roster spot and form the catching duo with Rutschman while Stallings heads into DFA limbo. Given his performance this year, Stallings should clear waivers and will be able to elect free agency. The Rockies signed him to a $2.5MM deal for this year and remain on the hook for the majority of that because they released him. Any other club could sign Stallings and pay him just the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, as the O’s just did.

The return of Akin is also somewhat notable as he is a theoretical trade candidate. He can be retained via arbitration for 2026 and isn’t a strict rental but the O’s could be open to trading in the next few days. Dating back to the start of 2022, Akin has thrown 222 innings for Baltimore with a 3.65 earned run average, 26.1% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. He has earned three saves and 24 holds in that span.

That performance on its own would make Akin an attractive arm. The fact that he’s left-handed, making just $1.475MM this year and controllable for another season only adds to the appeal. On the other hand, his strikeout and walk rates are down to 23.3% and 11% this year, respectively. He’s been on the IL for almost a month due to left shoulder inflammation. Perhaps that injury explains his struggles but also might tamp down trade interest. The Orioles could put him into a few games over the next few days to demonstrate his health to potential suitors.

Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images

Twins Designate Connor Gillispie For Assignment

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The Twins announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Connor Gillispie for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to fellow righty Michael Tonkin, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A St. Paul. Right-hander Travis Adams was optioned back to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Gillispie was a waiver claim out of the Marlins organization last month. He appeared in four games (three starts) with the Twins’ top minor league affiliate but was shredded for 22 runs in 13 2/3 innings. Prior to landing in Minnesota, he’d won a spot in Miami’s Opening Day rotation. Gillisipe made six starts with the Fish, the first three of which went fairly well (3.86 ERA in 14 innings), before being pummeled for 19 runs over his next dozen innings. The Marlins optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville at that point, and he hasn’t pitched in the majors since, leaving Gillispie with a bleak 8.65 ERA in 26 MLB frames this season.

The 27-year-old Gillispie (28 in November) spent last season in the Guardians organization. He pitched fairly well, logging 113 1/3 innings with their Triple-A club en route to a 4.05 ERA, a 25% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. That led to a brief big league debut, wherein Gillispie tossed eight innings of relief and held opponents to two runs with an 8-to-5 K/BB ratio. Cleveland non-tendered him nonetheless, after which he signed a major league deal with the Braves and bounced to the Marlins after Atlanta tried to pass him through waivers.

Tonkin, 35, was a 30th-round selection by the Twins back in 2008. He returned to the organization last year when Minnesota claimed him off waivers from the Yankees. He’s pitched in parts of seven major league seasons (in addition to a solid 2018 season in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball). Tonkin has tossed 305 2/3 innings in the majors and carries a 4.18 ERA with solid strikeout and walk rates of 23.6% and 8.2%, respectively.

The Twins tendered Tonkin a $1MM contract over the winter, but he opened the season on the injured list due to a strained rotator cuff. Minnesota passed Tonkin through waivers last month while he was on a rehab assignment. He went unclaimed and accepted his assignment back to Triple-A, keeping him with the organization but removing him from the 40-man roster.

He’s now back on the 40-man after a strong run with the Saints. In 20 1/3 innings since coming back from that shoulder issue, Tonkin has turned in a 3.10 ERA and punched out 24 of 80 batters faced (30%) against just three walks (3.8%). His command hasn’t been quite as sharp as that rate might suggest, as he’s also plunked four batters, but it’s a been a nice run all the same. He’ll give the Twins a fresh arm after Adams tossed 3 1/3 innings in long relief yesterday (and thus would not have been available for several days).

Giants To Promote Carson Whisenhunt

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Giants pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt will make his Major League debut on Monday as San Francisco’s scheduled starter against the Pirates.  The move seemed to be in the cards since Whisenhunt was scratched from a planned Triple-A start on Saturday, and he arrived in the Oracle Park clubhouse today as a member of the Giants’ taxi squad.  The corresponding transaction(s) will be announced tomorrow to add the left-hander to both the active roster and the 40-man roster.

Manager Bob Melvin officially confirmed the call-up when speaking with reporters (including Justice delos Santos of the San Jose Mercury News) after tonight’s 5-3 loss to the Mets.  “We’ve been waiting for this for a little bit now,” Melvin said.  “We thought maybe he’d be here last year, too.  He’s our top pitching prospect, I believe.  With what’s going on with the injury and [Hayden Birdsong] going down, there’s a need for it.”

Birdsong was optioned to the minors earlier this week, and Landen Roupp was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday due to right elbow inflammation.  This dropped the Giants’ rotation down to just Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Justin Verlander, and the club had to deploy a bullpen game for tonight’s contest with New York.  The loss was the Giants’ ninth in their last 11 games, and the 54-52 team is now three games back of the Padres for the final NL wild card berth.

Starting pitching is a target area for the Giants as the deadline approaches, but getting some quality results from Whisenhunt at the beginning of his MLB career would be an enormous help for the club.  A second-round pick for San Francisco in the 2022 draft, Whisenhunt was garnering top-100 attention prior to a 2024 season that saw him post a 5.42 ERA over 104 2/3 innings at Triple-A Sacramento.  Whisenhunt hasn’t been a ton better this year, with a 4.42 ERA in 97 2/3 IP.  While the southpaw has reduced his ERA and walk rate, his strikeout rate has also dropped from 28.4% in 2024 to 21% this year.

Pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League could very well be a factor in Whisenhunt’s struggles, yet he’ll face additional challenges by moving up to face big league hitters.  Whisenhunt’s signature pitch is a 70-grade changeup that has drawn raves from evaluators, and his 92-94mph fastball is considered a plus pitch with enough sink to overcome somewhat average velocity.  That fastball is a little inconsistent, however, which is an issue since the lefty doesn’t have a reliable third pitch in his arsenal.  The development of Whisenhunt’s slider could be the determining factor whether or not he can stick as a starting pitcher or if a move to the bullpen could be in his MLB future.

As much as San Francisco’s lack of offense has been the team’s biggest obstacle, the lack of reliable rotation depth behind Webb and Ray is another issue for the playoff push.  Adding a veteran arm to support the big two starters would help at the deadline, and is perhaps a more readily fixable problem given how the Giants may not need to add bats as much as they need several of their slumping hitters to get rolling.  There’s plenty of opportunity here for Whisenhunt to carve out a niche for himself in the rotation and set himself up for a starting job heading into next season.

Dodgers Release Lou Trivino

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TODAY: Trivino cleared waivers and he has been released, as per his MLB.com profile page.

JULY 21: The Dodgers designated veteran reliever Lou Trivino for assignment this evening. That creates an active roster spot for Edgardo Henriquez, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The team’s 40-man roster count drops to 38.

Trivino signed a minor league contract in the second week of May. The Dodgers called him up a week later. He spent around two months on the roster and pitched fairly well overall, working to a 3.76 ERA through 26 1/3 innings. That came with a well below-average 15.7% strikeout rate, though he showed good control and did well at avoiding hard contact.

The Dodgers leaned heavily on the 33-year-old righty during last weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Brewers. Trivino pitched on three straight days and didn’t have his sharpest stuff in any of them. He allowed two hits and a walk while only retiring two batters on Friday. Joey Ortiz took him deep on Saturday. The Dodgers nevertheless called on him again yesterday. He gave up consecutive hits to Eric Haase and Jackson Chourio, struck out William Contreras, then walked Andrew Vaughn. That’ll very likely be his final work as a Dodger.

Los Angeles has five days to try to trade Trivino. It’s likelier that he’ll decline an outright assignment or simply be released this week. Trivino also had a brief run with the Giants earlier in the year. He has a combined 4.42 ERA across 38 2/3 frames in his first year back from consecutive seasons lost to elbow and shoulder injuries.

Braves Acquire Erick Fedde, Place Grant Holmes On 60-Day IL

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The Braves have acquired right-hander Erick Fedde in a trade with the Cardinals, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports.  Some money is also headed to Atlanta in the deal, with ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez reporting the Cards will be covering the approximately $2.7MM remaining on Fedde’s $7.5MM salary for the 2025 season.  The deal has been officially announced by the Braves, including the detail that the Cards will receive cash considerations or a player to be named later in return.

The corresponding move to fit Fedde into Atlanta’s roster is also noteworthy, as the Braves announced that right-hander Grant Holmes was shifted to the 60-day injured list.  Holmes was placed on the 15-day IL just earlier today due to right elbow inflammation, and the move to the 60-day will effectively end Holmes’ season.

This news adds context to the trade, as while the Braves are well out of contention, Fedde provides Atlanta with a healthy arm in the wake of a multitude of pitching injuries.  Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and now Holmes are all on the IL for the foreseeable future, leaving the Braves with a skeleton crew rotation and plenty of innings to fill over the two remaining months on the schedule.

St. Louis designated Fedde for assignment earlier this week, and the trade allows the Cardinals to get at least some modicum of a return rather than just eating Fedde’s salary anyway if he’d cleared waivers.  Still, swapping Fedde for this bare-bones return has to be a disappointment for the Cards given how they could’ve landed a much higher trade package by moving Fedde last winter, or even earlier in the 2025 campaign.

It was almost exactly a year ago that the Cards themselves landed Fedde as part of a three-team trade involving the White Sox (Fedde’s previous club) and the Dodgers.  The intent was to add starting help both for the remainder of the 2024 season and into this year, as Fedde is playing on a two-year, $15MM contract signed with Chicago in December 2023.  Fedde posted a 3.30 ERA over 177 1/3 combined innings with the Sox and Cards in 2024, and drew plenty of speculation as a trade candidate during the offseason since the Cardinals were ostensibly looking to get younger.

While the Cards at least considered moving Fedde, they ultimately held onto the righty in order to preserve rotation depth.  It was one non-move of many in a curiously quiet St. Louis offseason, yet the team’s decision to perhaps give it one more go with most of its veteran core has kept the team on the outskirts of contention.  However, the Cards have lost seven of their last 10 games, and with only a 54-53 record, the Fedde DFA was the first clear signal that the team will be looking to sell moreso than buy at the deadline.

Fedde has a 5.22 ERA and a host of dismal advanced metrics over his 101 2/3 innings for St. Louis this season.  The righty was at least delivering solid bottom-line results as recently as mid-June, but his production has fallen off a cliff in the form of a 13.25 ERA over his last five starts and 17 2/3 innings.  Fedde is allowing far more walks and hard contact than he did in 2024, hence the significant dropoff from his solid performance a year ago.

There hasn’t been much to like about the righty’s performance this year, but the trade allows Fedde a change of scenery and perhaps a chance to salvage something from a lost season.  A better showing over the final two months would help Fedde’s case for his next contract on the open market this offseason, and even eating some innings for Atlanta’s rotation could get him on the Braves’ radar for a return visit in 2026, depending on the long-term health of the club’s other starters.

Mets Designate Jose Castillo For Assignment

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The Mets have designated left-hander Jose Castillo for assignment, per a club announcement. The move makes room for the addition of lefty Gregory Soto to the active roster. Soto was acquired from the Orioles on Friday.

Castillo, 29, debuted with the Padres all the way back in 2018. That rookie year saw him pitch to a 3.29 ERA with a 2.64 FIP in 38 1/3 innings of work while striking out opponents at a 34.7% clip. It was an impressive showing, but injuries and ineffectiveness limited Castillo to just three total outings in the majors over the next six seasons. He surrendered five runs on four walks while striking out three in two innings of work during those outings, though he posted decent numbers at the Triple-A level with a 4.32 ERA in 125 innings of work with a 29.1% strikeout rate during that time.

The lefty eventually resurfaced this year and has split his time between the Mets and Diamondbacks. His five outings in Arizona went quite poorly, as he surrendered eight runs on ten hits and three walks while striking out just three in 6 1/3 frames, but since joining the Mets back in May he’s looked much better with a 2.19 ERA and 2.76 FIP in 14 appearances. Castillo has already been designated for assignment and outrighted off New York’s roster once this season. He’ll now go through the waiver process again unless the Mets are able to work out a trade involving him prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. If he goes unclaimed on waivers once again, he’ll have the opportunity to either accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues from the Mets or elect free agency, at which point he would be free to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs on a fresh contract.

Replacing Castillo on the roster is Soto who the Mets dealt a pair of prospects to Baltimore in order to acquire. The southpaw has a 3.96 ERA in 36 1/3 innings of work for the Orioles this year, with a 27.5% strikeout rate and a 3.28 FIP. A two time All-Star with the Tigers in 2021 and ’22, Soto was shipped to the Phillies prior to the 2023 season and has struggled during his time with Philadelphia and Baltimore since then, with a lackluster 4.53 ERA across the 2023 and ’24 seasons despite a tidy 3.63 FIP. The Mets will surely help that they can help him return to his prior All-Star caliber form so he can join the late-inning mix alongside closer Edwin Diaz, but even if Soto is little more than a league average middle relief arm for the club he’ll offer much-needed depth to a bullpen that has lost a half dozen relievers to the injured list already.

Blue Jays Place Alejandro Kirk On 7-Day Concussion IL

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The Blue Jays are placing catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 7-day concussion injured list this morning, according to a report from Arden Zwelling of Sportnet. Catcher Ali Sanchez is being selected to the roster to replace Kirk. No corresponding 40-man move was necessary for Sanchez, as the Blue Jays had an open spot on their 40-man roster to work with.

Kirk took a foul ball off of his face mask during the second inning of yesterday’s game, and evidently he was shaken up enough by the incident that the Blue Jays have opted to place him on the injured list for the next week. The severity of Kirk’s symptoms aren’t known at this point, and it’s unclear if he’s ticketed for a lengthier stay on the injured list than a minimum stint of seven days. Regardless, losing Kirk for any amount of time is a major blow. The 26-year-old has been in the midst of a resurgent season where he’s managed to combine the above-average offense he offered earlier in his career with the stalwart defense he’s provided in more recent seasons. He’s slashing .304/.361/.413 (117 wRC+) across 88 games for Toronto this year and he’s received top-of-the-scale marks from advanced metrics on all aspects of his defense behind the plate.

With Kirk out of commission, the Blue Jays will have to turn to a combination of Tyler Heineman and Sanchez. Toronto’s strong play in recent weeks has afforded the club the best record in not just the AL East, but all of baseball. With a 6.5-game lead in the division over the Yankees, the Jays have the benefit of some breathing room as they wait for Kirk to recover. It also surely helps ease any concerns about Kirk’s status that Heineman has enjoyed a breakout season as the primary backup to Kirk this year. In 37 games, the 34-year-old has posted a sensational .330/.394/.495 slash line (149 wRC+) to go with strong defensive numbers behind the plate. Heineman can’t reasonably be expected to keep that production up forever given his sky-high .391 BABIP, but even a major step back would still make him a worthy fill-in option for the Jays while Kirk is out.

As for Sanchez, it will be the 28-year-old’s second stint with the Blue Jays this year after he appeared in five games earlier this season. Sanchez has never offered much production with the bat, slashing just .176/.217/.222 over 43 career games in the majors since he made his debut back in 2020. Sanchez makes up for that poor offensive production with well-respected defense behind the plate, however, and should be a serviceable short-term backup for Heineman for the time being.

With Toronto clearly in win-now position and the trade deadline just days away, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Jays could consider making a move behind the plate if they think Kirk could be facing an extended absence. Old friend Danny Jansen is rumored to be available in the event that the Rays decide to sell off in the coming days and is already quite familiar with many of Toronto’s pitchers after seven seasons in the organization, though such an acquisition would likely only make sense if the Blue Jays were anticipating being without Kirk for quite some time. If Kirk can return to action in relatively short order, upgrading other parts of the roster such as the starting rotation should surely be a better use of the club’s resources.

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