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Reds Acquire Brian Van Belle

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The Reds and Red Sox have each announced that right-hander Brian Van Belle has been traded to Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations.  Boston designated Van Belle for assignment earlier this week, and he has now been assigned to Triple-A Louisville.

It has been a busy six days for Van Belle, who joined a big league roster for the first time on Monday when the Sox selected his contract from Triple-A.  Van Belle’s cup of coffee in Boston came and went without an official in-game appearance, so the 28-year-old is still awaiting his Major League debut.  Since Van Belle has experience as both a starter and a reliever, his first MLB game might well come with the Reds in a number of different roles if the club makes the call to Louisville.

Van Belle began his pro career with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2020, though he almost surely would’ve been selected if that year’s draft hadn’t been shortened to five rounds due to the pandemic.  Working his way up to Triple-A Worcester by the 2023 season, Van Belle has a 4.48 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate, and 6.97% walk rate over 205 career innings at the Triple-A level.  He has started 29 of his 55 Triple-A games, working primarily as a reliever in 2024 and getting most of action as a starter in 2023 and 2025.

On paper, Van Belle might fit best in the majors as a multi-inning reliever, though Cincinnati will probably consider him for at least spot-start duty should a need arise within the rotation.  Ace Hunter Greene is on the 15-day injured list and seems likely to miss the rest of June while dealing with a groin strain and back/hip tightness, leaving the Reds a bit short on rotation depth now that Wade Miley has joined the starting five in Greene’s place.

Astros Place Jacob Melton On 10-Day Injured List

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The Astros announced five roster moves today, including outfielder Jacob Melton’s placement on the 10-day injured list due to a right ankle sprain.  Shay Whitcomb was also optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land, and as reported earlier, Houston selected the contracts of both Cooper Hummel and Luis Guillorme from Triple-A to fill the two open spots on the active roster.  The Astros had one 40-man roster spot already available, and to create the other, Spencer Arrighetti was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.

Melton’s injury occurred in yesterday’s 10-3 Astros win over the Twins, spoiling what was looking like a great game for the rookie after he went 2-for-2 with three RBI in his first two plate appearances.  In the top of the fourth inning, however, Melton turned his ankle while preparing to field what ended up being a homer from Minnesota’s Willi Castro.

“When I realized that I wasn’t going to have a play on it, tried to back off the wall and get turned around and get squared up with where I thought it was going to hit and just kind of rolled it, landed on it a little awkward,” Melton told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters.  “Not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ll play the cards that I’m dealt.”

Melton finished the inning but was replaced in left field by Whitcomb prior to the top of the fifth.  Called up to make his MLB debut on June 1, Melton has hit only .241/.290/.310 over his first 31 PA against big league pitching, though he provided respectable defense and filled a hole amidst an injury-riddled outfield situation for Houston.  Unfortunately, Melton has now gone down to injury himself, joining fellow outfielders Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick, Zach Dezenzo, Taylor Trammell, and Pedro Leon on the 10-day IL.

If this wasn’t enough, Isaac Paredes is battling a mild hamstring strain, leaving the Astros temporarily without their starting third baseman.  Guillorme can play all over the infield and Hummel figures to get some time in both corner outfield slots as Houston figures out how to best juggle their roster and perhaps prepare for another call-up if Paredes also requires an IL stint.

Arrighetti fractured his right thumb more than two months ago, so he has already been sidelined for 60 days while remaining on the 15-day IL.  His move to the 60-day IL is therefore just a paper transaction that frees up a 40-man roster spot for the Astros, and Arrighetti is expected to be out for several weeks more, through he has resumed playing catch.

Trevor Richards Elects Free Agency

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The Royals announced that right-hander Trevor Richards has become a free agent after clearing outright waivers.  Kansas City designated Richards for assignment earlier this week, and since he has been previously outrighted in his career, Richards had the ability to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of re-entering the open market.

As a free agent this past winter, Richards signed a minor league contract with the Cubs that didn’t yield any MLB playing time, as Chicago released him in early May.  The veteran righty caught on with the Royals on another minors deal a few days later, and a 1.69 ERA over 10 2/3 innings with Triple-A Omaha earned Richards a ticket back to the big leagues last weekend.

Unfortunately, Richards allowed four runs over his three innings and three total appearances as a Royal, resulting in an ugly 12.00 ERA.  Most of the damage came on June 8, as Richards was charged with three runs when he couldn’t retire any of four White Sox batters faced.  While a total sample size of 18 batters isn’t that much to go on, Richards allowed two walks and threw three wild pitches during his brief time in K.C.

Richards has enough MLB service time (six years and 70 days heading into the 2025 campaign) that he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.  This makes his roster situation a little tricky going forward, and he’ll almost surely be limited to minor league offers in his latest trip to free agency.  It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Richards re-sign with the Royals on a new deal after he’s tested the market, or the 32-year-old might seek out another stop in what has been something of an itinerant career.  Richards has a 4.54 ERA over 563 innings with six different clubs in his eight Major League seasons, beginning as a starter and then moving into long relief or swingman roles in recent years.

Astros To Select Cooper Hummel

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The Astros will select the contract of outfielder/first baseman Cooper Hummel from Triple-A Sugar Land, according to KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander.  Now in his second stint in the Astros organization, Hummel rejoined the club on a minor league deal last week.

Hummel’s first stint ended when the Astros designated him for assignment on Opening Day, and Hummel rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers.  This set off a bit of a transactional whirlwind for Hummel over the next two-plus months until he returned to Houston, as Hummel signed a minor league contract with the Yankees and two separate contracts with the Orioles.  He triggered an out clause in his deal with New York when the Yankees didn’t include him on their active roster by late May, and Hummel twice elected free agency in lieu of outright assignments off of Baltimore’s 40-man roster.  Hummel is out of minor league options, resulting in this flurry of roster shuffles.

Through it all, Hummel’s actual on-field play in 2025 consists of a single at-bat with the Orioles (as a late-game sub on May 30 in a 2-1 win over the White Sox) and 16 games with the Yankees’ and Astros’ Triple-A affiliates.  Hummel has been hitting quite well in the minors, with a .273/.382/.473 slash line over 68 Triple-A plate appearances this season.  This solid performance is actually a step down from his usual numbers, as Hummel has a career .284/.418/.480 slash in 1487 trips to the dish against Triple-A pitching.

As much as Hummel has been crushing it in the minors, however, he hasn’t received much of a look at the big league level.  Hummel has hit .159/.254/.274 over 236 career PA in the majors, with 201 of those plate appearances coming in his 2022 rookie season with the Diamondbacks.  He began his career as a part-time catcher in addition to being a backup outfielder, though he hasn’t suited up behind the plate since 2023.  Hummel has also been limited to just corner outfield duty this season without any work at first base, and Christian Walker’s presence at first in Houston probably means Hummel will stick to the outfield during his time with the Astros.

Houston will need to make room on both the 26-man and 40-man roster to accommodate Hummel — the club has an open 40-man spot at the moment, but reports from yesterday indicated that Luis Guillorme’s contract is also being selected.  Taylor Trammell and Pedro Leon have each yet to play this season but have remained on the 10-day injured list, so the Astros could simply shift either of them to the 60-day IL to create space for Hummel.

In terms of the 26-man roster moves, both Isaac Paredes (hamstring strain) and Jacob Melton (ankle sprain) could be candidates for the 10-day injured list.  Manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that both players are considered day-to-day for now, but Espada indicated that Melton had the more severe injury of the two.  The Astros are also carrying three catchers on their active roster, so little-used backup Cesar Salazar could be optioned to Triple-A.

Nationals Place Andrew Chafin On 15-Day Injured List

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The Nationals announced that left-hander Andrew Chafin has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.  Chafin’s placement is retroactive to June 11.  Right-hander Ryan Loutos (who was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers earlier this week) was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding roster move.

Signed to a one-year, $1MM Major League deal at the start of May, Chafin has a 3.18 ERA over 11 1/3 relief innings for Washington.  The secondary metrics include a 25.9% strikeout rate that exactly matches Chafin’s career average, as well as a 57.1% groundball rate that harkens back to Chafin’s early-career model as more of a groundball specialist.  Chafin has yet to allow a home run this season, which partially explains why he has kept his ERA in check despite a huge .414 BABIP and an uncharacteristically huge 20.4% walk rate (almost double his career 10.3BB%).

Chafin has traditionally kept pretty even numbers against both left-handed and right-handed batters, though his splits are rather pronounced this year — right-handed hitters have an .871 OPS over 26 plate appearances and lefty batters have only a .607 OPS in 28 PA.  Chafin, Jose A. Ferrer, and Colin Poche (who is now in the Mets organization) are the only left-handers who have seen action in Washington’s bullpen this season, and Ferrer is now the last southpaw standing with Chafin sidelined.

The severity of the hamstring strain isn’t yet known, so for now there isn’t any reason to expect Chafin to be out of action for much more than the 15-day minimum.  The 30-39 Nationals will need to really heat up in order to avoid being sellers at the trade deadline, and a veteran rental pitcher like Chafin would seem like a prime candidate to be moved if healthy.

White Sox, Brewers Swap Aaron Civale, Andrew Vaughn

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The White Sox acquired right-hander Aaron Civale and cash considerations from Milwaukee for first baseman Andrew Vaughn. The Brewers optioned Vaughn to Triple-A Nashville, while Civale will step directly into Chicago’s rotation. The Brewers are reportedly sending cash to offset the difference in remaining salary between Civale’s $8MM sum and Vaughn’s $5.85MM figure.

It’s a quick turnaround after Civale requested a trade away from Milwaukee on Thursday. Civale’s trade request came on the heels of the club’s decision earlier this week to bump him from the rotation in order to call up top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski. Civale, a free agent after the 2025 campaign who struggled a bit last year but has pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 3.92 FIP in four starts since returning from the injured list last month, evidently wants to hold onto a rotation job to set himself up for success in free agency this winter as much as possible.

The 30-year-old’s wish was promptly granted, as he’s now headed for the White Sox. The South Siders have no real hope of competing for a playoff spot this year, but with a patchwork rotation that features multiple Rule 5 draftees it’s not hard to see Civale as a potentially substantial upgrade for their starting rotation. While a team headed for their second-consecutive 100-loss campaign acquiring a rental starting pitcher in the middle of the season is a rare occurrence, one can see the logic from Chicago’s perspective given that they’ll have the opportunity to flip Civale to a club with postseason aspirations closer to the trade deadline.

The logic is particularly sound for the White Sox given the player they’re giving up in return. Vaughn was the third-overall pick in the 2019 draft and a longtime top 100 prospect, but his major league career has been a disappointment so far. He entered the 2025 season with a career .253/.310/.415 (102 wRC+) slash line at the major league level and has had just one season where he had hit at a clip substantially better than league average. Things took a more pronounced nosedive this year, as he’s slashed just .189/.218/.314 (44 wRC+) across 48 games for the White Sox in 2025. It’s the lowest on-base percentage of any player with at least 120 plate appearances in the majors this year, and his -1.3 fWAR this season is dead last among all hitters who have stepped up to the plate in the majors this season. The Sox optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte a few weeks ago and he has hit .211/.328/.351 in 15 games for the Knights since then.

That’s not a player the White Sox could expect to get a substantial prospect return for this summer, and while Vaughn has one year of control remaining after this one he currently has the look of a clear non-tender candidate. That surely made the opportunity to roll the dice on flipping a veteran starting pitcher a very attractive option for Chicago.

With all that being said, it’s not as though the deal doesn’t make sense for the Brewers. Civale no longer fit in an increasingly deep Brewers rotation mix, and his roster spot is likely better used on other arms more suited for bullpen duty than a veteran starter with zero career relief appearances. What’s more, Vaughn’s underlying numbers paint the picture of a player whose actual performance isn’t all that different from his previous seasons as a league average hitter. While he’s walking at a career-low 3.6% clip, he was never an especially patient hitter. His 22.3% strikeout rate is only a tick higher than last year, and his 13.3% barrel rate this season is actually the best of his career and four points better than last season. Vaughn’s ghastly .217 BABIP should improve with time, and with incumbent first baseman Rhys Hoskins likely ticketed for free agency this winter getting Vaughn on board as a much cheaper possible replacement makes sense.

In the shorter term, Vaughn will serve as minor league depth. The Brewers reportedly view him as a full-time first baseman/DH even though he has experience in the outfield.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Milwaukee was trading Civale to the White Sox. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported that Vaughn was headed back to the Brewers. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported the cash exchange.

Astros To Select Luis Guillorme

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The Astros will select infielder Luis Guillorme onto the MLB roster tomorrow, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Houston has an open 40-man roster spot after designating Forrest Whitley for assignment and trading him to Tampa Bay. They’ll need to make an active roster move.

Guillorme has spent the entire season at Triple-A Sugar Land on a minor league contract. The lefty-hitting infielder owns a .245/.376/.310 line across 242 plate appearances. He has walked in 17% of his trips against a 19% strikeout rate, but he only has a pair of home runs. That’s in line with Guillorme’s track record. He’s a patient hitter with good contact skills and bottom-of-the-scale power.

A career .251/.336/.322 hitter over parts of seven MLB seasons, Guillorme is valued most highly for his defense. He has ample experience at each of the three infield spots to the left of first base. He hasn’t played much shortstop this year in the minors, though he won’t be needed there in the majors either because of Jeremy Peña. Guillorme can push Brendan Rodgers for playing time at the keystone while offering short-term insurance as Isaac Paredes navigates an injury.

Paredes left last night’s game with left hamstring discomfort. He didn’t play tonight; Mauricio Dubón drew into the lineup at the hot corner. Manager Joe Espada told the Houston beat that Paredes has been diagnosed with a strain but it’s seemingly mild, as he added that the team believes the infielder will avoid the injured list (relayed by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

The corresponding active roster move may be an IL stint for rookie outfielder Jacob Melton. The 24-year-old sprained his right ankle during tonight’s game, Espada said. Houston will have Jose Altuve, Jake Meyers and Cam Smith as their starting outfield but may need to use Dubón more often as a fourth outfielder with Melton out.

Mariners Select Zach Pop

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The Mariners announced they’ve selected righty reliever Zach Pop onto the big league roster. Rookie starter Logan Evans was optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma to create an active roster spot. Seattle had two openings on the 40-man roster.

Pop will make his team debut whenever he gets into a game. He joined Seattle in mid-April on a minor league deal. That came after he was released by the Blue Jays. Pop was battling elbow inflammation at the time, but he got back on the mound by the middle of May. He made two rehab appearances in the complex league before reporting to Tacoma. Pop has made 11 appearances and tossed 9 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (though only three were earned). He has fanned nine against five walks.

The 28-year-old Pop has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons. He threw 48 1/3 frames for the Jays last season, 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 gaudy 55% ground-ball rate in his career. He’ll add a grounder specialist to Dan Wilson’s middle relief corps for the time being. He’s out of minor league options, though, so the M’s would need to designate him for assignment to take him off the big league roster.

Seattle can operate with an extra reliever for this weekend’s series against the Guardians. Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock are lined up to start those games. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times writes that Logan Gilbert is expected to return from the injured list during next week’s series against the Red Sox, at which point Seattle will go back to five starters and an eight-man bullpen. Gilbert has been down since late April with a flexor strain. He has made a trio of rehab starts with Tacoma, combining for 9 2/3 innings of three-run ball.

Jose Urena Elects Free Agency

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Veteran righty José Ureña elected free agency, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He evidently went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Ureña made two appearances after signing with L.A. on June 3. He tossed three innings of one-run ball, recording two strikeouts with one walk. Ureña has now suited up for three MLB teams this season. He has also logged time with the Mets and Blue Jays, managing 18 1/3 innings over a combined nine appearances. Ureña has punched out 10 against five walks while recording a 5.40 earned run average in that time.

The 33-year-old righty will again look for an opportunity to pitch in a swing capacity. While he has bounced around this year, Ureña held a spot on the Texas pitching staff throughout the ’24 season. He posted a 3.80 ERA while getting ground-balls at a 50% clip in 109 innings for the Rangers. Ureña has never had good strikeout and walk numbers, but his sinker averages 96-97 MPH and he’s capable of covering multiple innings.

White Sox Claim Ryan Noda, Designate Joshua Palacios For Assignment

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The White Sox announced that they have claimed first baseman Ryan Noda off waivers from the Red Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Boston had designated him for assignment a few days ago. Outfielder Joshua Palacios has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Infielder Brooks Baldwin has been recalled to take the active roster spot of Palacios. There was also a swap on the pitching side, with left-hander Tyler Gilbert reinstated from the injured list and righty Owen White optioned as the corresponding move.

Noda, 29, has an extreme profile. He strikes out a lot but also draws plenty of walks and has some pop. He has done that all throughout his minor league career and then showed it at the big league level in 2023 after the A’s grabbed him from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft. He got into 128 games and stepped to the plate 495 times. He struck out in 34.3% of those plate appearances but also walked at a massive 15.6% clip and hit 16 home runs. That all added up to a .229/.364/.406 line and 122 wRC+.

Last year, he got out to a rough start and ended up getting optioned to the minors for most of the year. The A’s put him on waivers at the end of the season, with the Angels putting in a claim. He was designated for assignment about a month ago and got flipped to the Red Sox in a cash deal. Both the Angels and the Red Sox kept him on optional assignment.

His minor league numbers have continued along with Noda’s usual style. Dating back to the start of last year, he has 655 Triple-A plate appearances with 29 homers, a 20.2% walk rate and a 30.4% strikeout rate.

The White Sox came into this year with Andrew Vaughn as their primary first baseman. He struggled badly enough to get optioned to the minors a few weeks back. Earlier today, the Sox flipped him to the Brewers for Aaron Civale and cash. Tim Elko has been getting a lot of the playing time at first lately but is hitting .155/.222/.379. If that continues, perhaps the Sox will make a switch.

Palacios, 29, signed a minor league deal and then was added to the roster in April. He has 145 plate appearances so far this year with a .203/.292/.305 line. That now gives him a career .223/.287/.349 batting line and 75 wRC+.

Since he’s out of options, he can’t be easily sent down to the minors. He’ll now be in DFA limbo, which can last for at most a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Sox could take five days to try to line up a trade. He cleared waivers back in March and hasn’t done much to improve his stock since then, so the level of interest should be low. If he clears waivers, he will have the right to elect free agency.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

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