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Angels Select José Quijada

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The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander José Quijada. Fellow lefty Jake Eder has been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake as the corresponding active roster move. Righty Robert Stephenson has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

The Halos did a bullpen game yesterday, with Eder mopping up six innings, throwing 98 pitches in the process. They optioned Jack Kochanowicz prior to the All-Star break and haven’t found a permanent solution for that rotation hole yet. Eder wasn’t going to be available for a few days, so the club will bring in a fresh arm. They have Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks to start the next four games but will need to figure out something for Monday’s game. Perhaps some pre-deadline moves will shake up the roster or they will simply recall Kochanowicz. An optional assignment for a pitcher comes with a 15-day minimum. He was optioned on July 11th, so he’ll be eligible to be recalled in a few days.

Quijada, 29, designated for assignment just prior to Opening Day and outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. He didn’t pitch anywhere through the middle of May. He was added to the roster of the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas on May 10th. Per Chris Harris of MiLB.com, he had been on the development list prior to that. He told members of the media today, including Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, that he changed his diet at the club’s Arizona complex and has lost 30 pounds since spring training.

He has been putting up good numbers in Double-A since joining the Trash Pandas. He has logged 26 1/3 innings, allowing 2.73 earned runs per nine. He struck out a huge 37.1% of batters faced, while his 8.6% walk rate and 42.6% ground ball rate were around average.

Those numbers and the improved conditioning are perhaps encouraging, though getting major league hitters out is obviously different than Double-A opponents. He had a decent run with the Angels in 2021 and 2022, tossing 66 1/3 innings over those two seasons with a 4.21 ERA. His 12.9% walk rate was high but he struck out 32.3% of batters faced. The two subsequent years were mostly wiped out by Tommy John surgery.

He will give the Halos a fresh arm for now but is out of options, so he can’t be easily sent back to the farm. That was part of the reason why he was designated for assignment earlier this year. His service clock is between three and five years, which means he has the right to reject outright assignments but has to forfeit his remaining salary commitments when exercising that right. Since he’s making $1.075MM this year, he naturally accepted. If he were bumped off the roster again, it’s possible the same sequence of events would play out.

As for Stephenson, this shouldn’t impact his timeline. The 60-day count is retroactive to his initial placement on the 15-day IL, which was on May 31st due to right biceps inflammation, though he later said it’s due to a stretched nerve. It’s been almost 60 days already, so he’ll eligible for reinstatement once he’s healthy.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

Tigers Designate Carlos Hernández For Assignment, Select Geoff Hartlieb

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The Tigers announced that they have selected the contact of right-hander Geoff Hartlieb. Fellow righty Carlos Hernández has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Members of the Detroit beat, including Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, noticed earlier today that Hernández didn’t have a locker in the clubhouse.

Hernández, 28, was claimed off waivers from the Phillies just over a month ago. He got into 11 games for the Tigers but allowed 12 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. There was surely some small sample weirdness in there. His .412 batting average on balls in play and 35% strand rate were both far to the unfortunate side. He didn’t help himself by walking 11.3% of batters faced but his 24.5% strikeout rate was solid.

Ultimately, it’s not a lot to go on, but the Tigers decided to make a change. Hernández pitched in each of the past two games and may not have been available tonight, so they’ve swapped him out for a fresh arm.

He’s likely to end up on waivers again in the next few days. He has shown promise at times in his career but has been inconsistent. He averages in the upper-90s with his fastball and sinker while also featuring a splitter, slider and knuckle curve. He posted a 25.7% strikeout rate with the Royals in 2023 but that dropped to 20.9% last year and is at 20.5% here in 2025. Though as mentioned, his strikeout rate spiked a bit with Detroit more recently.

Kansas City burned his final option year in 2024 and put him on waivers just ahead of Opening Day this year. The Phils grabbed him but he posted a 5.26 ERA before getting put back on waivers in June, which is when the Tigers grabbed him.

Though his 6.69 ERA on the year isn’t attractive, teams might be attracted by the stuff. He’s making a modest $1.16MM this year and can be retained via arbitration for another two seasons after this one. Perhaps a club selling bullpen pieces ahead of the deadline might grab him for the stretch run, though he’s out of options and can’t be easily sent to the minors.

Hartlieb, 31, just signed a minor league deal with the Tigers less than two weeks ago. He has made two appearances for the Yankees this year but allowed three earned runs in each of them. He currently has a 40.50 ERA in 1 1/3 innings. Around those appearances, he’s been pretty good in Triple-A this year. He has 37 1/3 innings pitched at that level with a 3.13 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate and 42.1% ground ball rate.

Like Hernández, Hartlieb is out of options and likely has a tenuous hold on a roster spot. But for now, he’ll give them a fresh arm for a key four-game series against the Blue Jays which kicks off tonight. Those two clubs and the Astros are leading the three American League divisions and are currently neck-and-neck for the league lead. The Jays and Astros are both 60-42 with the Tigers half a game back at 60-43.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Rockies To Select Nick Anderson

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The Rockies are set to select the contract of right-hander Nick Anderson from Triple-A Albuquerque, as first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central. Colorado is off today while traveling to Baltimore for a three-game set against the Orioles, so the move might not be formally announced until tomorrow.

Anderson, 35, signed a minor league pact with Colorado back in late May. He spent the early portion of the season with the Cardinals’ Triple-A club after originally signing a minor league deal with St. Louis. He opted out of that deal before landing with the Rox.

A veteran of five big league seasons, Anderson has an outstanding track record of results in the majors but a poor track record of health. Dating back to the 2020 season, he’s missed time with a shoulder strain, an internal brace procedure on his right ulnar collateral ligament, plantar fasciitis, a back strain and forearm inflammation.

When healthy enough to take the field, Anderson has pitched 158 1/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA, a 31.6% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate. He boasts an excellent 34.1% opponents’ chase rate and 15.4% swinging-strike rate in his big league career.

Anderson has pitched 11 1/3 innings with the Rockies’ Triple-A club and allowed six runs on 13 hits and six walks (three intentional) with 15 strikeouts. It comes out to a 4.76 ERA, though nearly all of the damage against him came in one nightmare outing where he yielded four runs to the Padres’ Triple-A club without recording an out.

The Rockies’ 4.91 bullpen ERA is fifth-worst in the majors, and over the past month they’re at a 5.87 mark that ranks 28th in MLB. Jake Bird, their most effective reliever for much of the season, has run into a particularly rough patch over the past 30 days (10 runs in 8 2/3 frames). It’s not a surprise to see Colorado taking a look at a fresh arm.

Beyond that, it’s quite possible that some members of the bullpen will be shipped off to new clubs in the week between now and the July 31 trade deadline. Recent struggles notwithstanding, Bird stands as a logical trade candidate alongside veterans Tyler Kinley and Jimmy Herget. If the Rockies want to go a step further, controllable power arms like Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik would surely command prominent interest. Vodnik is controlled through 2029, however, while Halvorsen is controlled all the way through 2030.

Cubs, Zach Pop Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs reached agreement with reliever Zach Pop on a minor league contract, according to Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register. The right-hander was assigned to Triple-A Iowa.

Pop is on his fourth organization of the season. He has bounced between the Blue Jays, Mariners and Mets. Pop was on the injured list with Toronto and combined for five outings between Seattle and New York. He was tagged for 12 runs (11 earned) including four homers in 6 2/3 innings. Pop is out of minor league options, so teams couldn’t afford to give him much rope when he was struggling to that extent.

The 28-year-old has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons. He threw 48 1/3 frames for the Jays last year, working to a 5.59 ERA with a well below-average 15.8% strikeout percentage. Pop doesn’t have huge swing-and-miss stuff, but he sits around 96 MPH with his sinker and has posted a 55% ground-ball rate in his MLB career. He carries a 3.71 ERA in 80 career Triple-A innings.

Athletics Select Ben Bowden, Designate Logan Davidson For Assignment

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The Athletics announced today that they have selected the contract of left-hander Ben Bowden. Fellow lefty Hogan Harris has been optioned as the corresponding active roster move. Infielder Logan Davidson has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

Bowden, 30, gets back to the big leagues for the first time in four years. He got into 39 games with the Rockies in 2021, allowing 6.56 earned runs per nine, but has been stuck in the minors since then. In early 2022, the Rays claimed him off waivers and later ran him through unclaimed. He then spent some time with the Giants, Phillies and Braves in a non-roster capacity without getting called up.

He signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason and has been pitching well in Triple-A this year. In 39 2/3 innings for the Aviators, he has only allowed 1.36 earned runs per nine. There’s surely a bit of good luck in there, as his .260 batting average on balls in play, 80.3% strand rate and 2.3% home run per flyball rate are all to the helpful side. However, he is striking out 25.6% of opponents, though also with a high walk rate of 11.3%.

The A’s will give him a shot to see if he can find some major league success. With Harris getting sent down, Bowden will be the second lefty in the big league bullpen, alongside Sean Newcomb. It’s possible Newcomb is traded in the next week, since he’s an impending free agent and pitching well. That could help Bowden stick around, though he does have one option remaining.

Davidson, 27, was the club’s first-round pick back in 2019. After the lost 2020 season, he struggled in the three following campaigns and fell off the prospect map. He regained a bit of form in 2024 by hitting .300/.366/.535 in 87 Triple-A contests, despite his strikeout rate remaining high at 30.5%. He then started his 2025 season with a .303/.452/.428 line in his first 186 Triple-A plate appearances, again working around a high strikeout rate of 31.2%.

That got him up to the big leagues for the first time in late May. He struck out 12 times in his first 24 plate appearances, producing a .150/.261/.200 line before getting optioned back down to Las Vegas. Since getting sent back down, he has slashed .221/.371/.372.

DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the A’s could take up to five days to explore trade interest. He is capable of playing all over the diamond and has occasionally shown some promise at the plate. He also has a full slate of options and could perhaps appeal to a club in need of some position player depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the A’s as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Cardinals Designate Erick Fedde For Assignment

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11:22am: The Cardinals have announced the moves.

11:17am: The Cardinals have designated struggling right-hander Erick Fedde for assignment, reports Katie Woo of The Athletic. Right-hander Andre Granillo is being recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot on the roster, MLB.com’s John Denton adds.

A year ago, the resurgent Fedde was one of the most sought-after arms on the trade market. A former first-round pick and top prospect with the Nationals, he’d struggled for several injury-marred years in the majors before reinventing himself with an MVP-winning season in the Korea Baseball Organization. The White Sox signed him to a two-year, $15MM contract and received excellent value, as Fedde posted a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts for them before being traded in a three-team deal that brought Miguel Vargas and prospects Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez. The Cardinals parted ways with utilityman Tommy Edman.

Fedde was solid but not quite as effective for the Cardinals down the stretch. Heading into the 2025 season, his $7.5MM salary looked like a bargain after he’d posted a combined 3.30 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate in 177 1/3 innings between St. Louis and Chicago. With the Cardinals announcing an intent to take a step back to focus on player development and give young players an opportunity, Fedde looked like an obvious offseason trade candidate.

Instead, St. Louis wound up holding onto Fedde in hopes of getting some first-half innings and flipping him at the deadline. It now represents a missed opportunity. The Cards still have five days to trade him for a nominal return, but the legitimate trade value that Fedde had in the offseason has dried up with a shaky season that’s had a few highlights but far more low points.

Even early in the season, when Fedde was sporting a solid earned run average, his rate stats told another story. The right-hander’s strikeout rate has plummeted this season, while his walk rate has crept up. Fedde was masterful in a May 9 shutout of the Nationals, wherein he allowed just six hits and no walks against eight punchouts. He followed that with 5 2/3 shutout frames against a tough Phillies lineup, albeit with four walks against three strikeouts.

Much of the season has been a tightrope walk for Fedde due to his worsened command and diminished ability to miss bats, but the wheels really came off beginning in late June. Fedde served up seven runs in back-to-back starts on June 25 and 30. His results have only worsened since. Over his past five starts, he’s been shelled for 26 runs on 33 hits and 11 walks with only eight strikeouts through 17 2/3 innings.

Fedde is being paid $7.5MM this season. He still has about $2.7MM of that sum yet to be paid out. No team is going to claim his salary if he’s placed on waivers. The Cardinals will have five days to try to trade him, though they’ve presumably already been looking for matches and haven’t lined up on anything. If they’re willing to eat the rest of that salary, perhaps a team will take a low-risk flier on Fedde, but there’s a real chance he’ll simply be released. At that point, he’d be free to sign with any team and would only cost his new club the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the major league roster.

With Fedde out the door, the Cardinals will clear a permanent rotation spot for prospect Michael McGreevy. The 2021 first-rounder has pitched 28 1/3 MLB frames this year and logged a 3.49 ERA with a minuscule 2.7% walk rate. McGreevy’s 15.2% strikeout rate is one of the lowest in baseball, although he’s punched out 25.5% of his Triple-A opponents, so there’s clear upside for more missed bats. Add in that he’s also sporting a tidy 4.9% walk rate in Memphis, and it’s not hard to see why St. Louis is keen on getting him a look. The hope had been to trade Fedde for some minor league talent but that seems quite unlikely given the extent of the veteran’s struggles.

Royals To Acquire Joey Krehbiel

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10:26am: The Royals are sending cash to the Rays, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

10:16am: The Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever Joey Krehbiel from the Rays, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 32-year-old Krehbiel is not on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster. He’s been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Durham after signing a minor league deal back in January.

Krehbiel has a 3.65 ERA in 74 big league innings spread across parts of four seasons. He most recently pitched in the majors for the 2022-23 Orioles. He’s posted an ugly 6.11 earned run average with Durham this season but has far more encouraging rate stats: 20.6% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate, 53.8% ground-ball rate. Krehbiel has been dogged by a .371 average on balls in play and a 57% strand rate, both of which seem ripe for positive regression. Fielding-independent metrics feel he’s been far better than his ERA would otherwise indicate (3.99 FIP, 3.96 xFIP).

Krehbiel is averaging 93.8 mph on his four-seamer this season and has coupled that pitch with a cutter sitting 89.6 mph, a sinker at 92.6 mph and a changeup that’s averaged 85.4 mph. Unsightly earned run average notwithstanding, he’s done a nice job avoiding hard contact, limiting opponents to an 88.3 mph average exit velocity with just a 33.3% overall hard-hit rate.

Since Krehbiel isn’t on the 40-man roster, the Royals don’t need to make a corresponding move — unless the plan is to immediately select him to the majors. If that’s the case, they’d need to open a 40-man spot. Krehbiel has one minor league option year remaining and is technically controllable for another five seasons, though that’s not much of a consideration at this time, given his age and lack of track record.

Tigers Designate Brewer Hicklen For Assignment

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The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Brewer Hicklen for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-handed pitching prospect Troy Melton, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Toledo (as was previously reported). In order to open a 26-man roster spot for Melton, ace Tarik Skubal was placed on the paternity list. Skubal can be absent for up to 72 hours.

Detroit picked up Hicklen in a March 28 trade sending cash back to the Brewers. He’s appeared in just one game for the Tigers in 2025, going 2-for-3 with a walk in that lone appearance. The bulk of Hicklen’s season has come in Triple-A, where he’s carrying a .227/.335/.394 batting line (99 wRC+) with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. He’s walked at a strong 11.4% clip but also fanned in more than 30% of his plate appearances.

The 29-year-old Hicklen has just 13 major league plate appearances under his belt. The two hits he collected with Tigers were the first of his major league career. Hicklen has played in parts of four Triple-A seasons and has a .242/.351/.466 slash through 1598 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in his career and has good speed to go along with a solid track record in Triple-A (contact issues notwithstanding). He’s in the second of three minor league option years.

The Tigers will trade Hicklen or place him on waivers within the next five days. If he’s placed on waivers, that’ll be another 48-hour process. His DFA will be resolved within a week’s time. He hasn’t been outrighted to this point in his career and doesn’t have three years of big league service, so if he clears waivers Hicklen will stick with the Tigers as a depth option who’s no longer on the 40-man roster.

Sergio Alcantara Accepts Outright Assignment With D-backs

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July 22: Alcantara cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Reno, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com.

July 20: The Diamondbacks announced that infielder Sergio Alcantara has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up roster space for the return of Ketel Marte, who has been activated from the restricted list.

Alcantara was just signed by the D’Backs on Friday, but his brief time on the roster didn’t result in any playing time.  Because Alcantara is out of minor league options, he must be passed through waivers whenever his team wants to send him to Triple-A and outright him off the 40-man roster.  Because Alcantara has been outrighted in the past, he has the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

The infielder used this exact mechanism just over a week ago, opting for the open market after the Giants DFA’ed him and attempted to outright him to Triple-A.  It seems possible Alcantara could be more open to staying in Arizona’s organization since he only just arrived, but time will tell if Alcantara might prefer to join a club that has more infield vacancies than the fairly loaded Diamondbacks.

Alcantara made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2020 and then saw semi-regular work as a depth option with the Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Padres during the 2021-22 seasons.  He spent the 2023-24 seasons at the minor league level with three clubs (the D’Backs, Cubs, and Pirates) without seeing any more action in the Show, and after signing a minors deal with San Francisco last offseason, his tenure in San Francisco did result in a single Major League game.  Alcantara was the starting shortstop in the Giants’ 11-2 loss to the Athletics on July 4.

With only a .207/.278/.340 slash line to show for 506 career plate appearances in the majors, Alcantara is much better known for his multi-positional glove than his bat.  Alcantara is a good defender at shortstop, second and third base, so a club in need of some infield depth might consider putting in a waiver claim.

Marte missed the Diamondbacks’ first two games after the All-Star break due to a personal matter, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reporting that Marte’s home was robbed during the break.  The second baseman will return to the lineup today and look to continue what has been another tremendous season (290/.394/.567 over 297 PA) for the three-time All-Star.

Royals Designate Tyler Gentry For Assignment

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The Royals announced Tuesday that they’ve designated outfielder Tyler Gentry for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to left-hander Rich Hill, whose previously reported promotion from Triple-A Omaha is now official. Righty Andrew Hoffmann was optioned to Omaha to open an active roster spot for the 45-year-old Hill.

Gentry, 26, made his big league debut last year but went hitless in his five plate appearances. He’s spent the 2025 season in Triple-A, where he’s struggled to a .205/.277/.365 batting line with five homers, 16 doubles, two triples, a 7.6% walk rate and a 28.5% strikeout rate in 249 plate appearances. This is his third season in Triple-A and also his least-productive. The 2020 third-round pick posted big numbers in High-A and Double-A as he climbed the minor league ladder but has struggled at the top level.

Gentry is a right-handed hitter who has had good success against lefties in the past. He’s a corner outfielder who’s played primarily right field but does have 461 career innings in left field as well. This is his second of three minor league option years.

The Royals will either trade Gentry or place him on outright waivers within the next five days. Waivers would require an additional 48 hours to process. He hasn’t been outrighted in the past and doesn’t have three years of major league service time, so if Gentry goes unclaimed on waivers, the Royals can assign him outright to Omaha and keep him as a depth option while no longer dedicating a 40-man roster spot to him.

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