Twins Place Royce Lewis, Cody Laweryson On Injured List
TODAY: The Twins officially announced the IL placements, with Laweryson retroactive to April 9 and Lewis to April 10. Kreidler and right-hander Andrew Morris were called up to take Lewis and Laweryson’s places on the active roster, and the 24-year-old Morris will be making his big league debut whenever he appears in his first game for Minnesota.
Morris was a fourth-round pick for the Twins in the 2022 draft, and he has a 3.78 ERA, 21.45% strikeout rate, and 7.27% walk rate over 135 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Morris started 28 of his 30 Triple-A appearances, though the scouting reports at both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America view Morris perhaps more as a swingman or multi-inning at the Major League level. Pipeline and BA each rank Morris as the 13th-best prospect in Minnesota’s system, and he has a five-pitch arsenal highlighted by a 55-grade slider and a fastball that can reach 99mph but usually sits in the 95-96mph range.
APRIL 10: The Twins will make a couple roster moves before tomorrow’s game at Rogers Centre. Manager Derek Shelton said tonight (relayed by Twins TV’s Audra Martin) that third baseman Royce Lewis and reliever Cody Laweryson are each headed to the injured list. Lewis has a left knee sprain, while Laweryson suffered a right forearm strain. Shelton didn’t specify return timelines for either player.
Lewis suffered his injury during Thursday’s win over Detroit. He came up limping after a swinging strike in his final at-bat of that game. Lewis was able to gut out the plate appearance and hit an infield single. He finished the contest but felt more discomfort today. Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star-Tribune writes that Lewis went for imaging this evening that revealed the sprain.
This will be the ninth injured list stint of Lewis’ four-year MLB career. He has twice torn the ACL in his right knee, once before his big league debut, and battled various left leg injuries. That included a pair of hamstring strains last year. Lewis narrowly topped 100 games for the first time in his career.
The former first overall pick had been out to a nice start. Although he’s only hitting .222, he has taken eight walks and collected four extra-base hits (two doubles and homers apiece). Lewis was at the hot corner for 12 of Minnesota’s first 14 games. Utilityman Tristan Gray has gotten the other two starts and projects as the regular there for the time being. Gray has a homer and a double in the early going but is a .220/.279/.394 hitter over 53 career contests.
Laweryson made his first Opening Day roster this year. The 27-year-old righty made five appearances last season as a September call-up. He has worked 6 1/3 frames of four-run ball (three earned) with eight strikeouts in five outings this year. Laweryson has a save and a hold as part of a wide open Minnesota bullpen.
Minnesota will announce their corresponding call-ups tomorrow. Ryan Kreidler and Eric Wagaman are on the 40-man roster as depth infielders. Kreidler offers more defensive value and is hitting better in Triple-A to begin the season. Zak Kent, who was optioned earlier in the week, seems likeliest to take the bullpen spot if the Twins don’t want to designate anyone for assignment.
Mets To Select Craig Kimbrel’s Contract
Craig Kimbrel is returning to the big leagues, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Mets will be selecting the veteran reliever’s contract. The Mets have two open spots on their 40-man roster, but will need to make a corresponding transaction to create space for Kimbrel on the 26-man active roster.
As per the terms of the minor league contract Kimbrel signed in January, the SportsMeter client will now earn $2.5MM by being added to the active roster. Kimbrel had more than enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, and thus his minors deal contained three built-in opt-out dates (five days before Opening Day, May 1, June 1). While New York didn’t include Kimbrel on its Opening Day roster, Kimbrel agreed to pass on his first opt-out opportunity and bide his time in the minors, which consisted of a single inning of work for the Mets’ A-level affiliate in St. Lucie.
Forty-six different players pitched for the Mets in 2025. That eye-popping number reflects both the team’s injury problems last year, and the Mets’ habit of cycling fresh arms up into the bullpen from Triple-A, and sending other relievers either to the minors (if they have options) or to DFA limbo.
Huascar Brazoban and Tobias Myers are the only pitchers in New York’s current bullpen who have minor league options remaining, and Myers tossed 36 pitches last night in a long relief outing after starter Clay Holmes left due to hamstring tightness. If Myers isn’t sent down, Richard Lovelady could be a candidate to be designated for assignment to make way for Kimbrel.
Once Kimbrel makes an in-game appearance for the Mets, it will officially make it 10 different teams over 17 Major League seasons during the reliever’s storied career. A nine-time All-Star and the owner of 440 career saves, Kimbrel has still managed to show some flashes of his prime form in recent years, but he has had trouble sustaining solid results over a full season. Pitching with the Dodgers in 2022, Kimbrel struggled later in the year and ended up both losing the closer’s job and being left off Los Angeles’ playoff roster entirely. A rough 5.33 ERA season with the Orioles in 2024 resulted in Kimbrel being designated for assignment and released before the end of September.
The 2025 campaign saw Kimbrel sign with the Braves and Rangers on minor league contracts, and with the Astros on a big league contract in August after Texas released him. Kimbrel posted a 2.25 ERA and 34.7% strikeout rate over 12 innings in the majors with Houston and Atlanta, but with a gaudy 14.3% walk rate.
Control has been Kimbrel’s largest issue over the back half of his career, and he has also been much more homer-prone than during his All-Star heyday. Kimbrel’s fastball averaged a modest 93.5mph over his 12-inning sample size in 2025, but he has adjusted his repertoire by incorporating a changeup and slider more frequently into his arsenal.
It remains to be seen what Kimbrel still has in the tank as he approaches his 38th birthday next month, or if the Mets’ pitching development staff has perhaps found a fix to help the righty recapture some of his past magic. Devin Williams is firmly locked into the closer role, so Kimbrel won’t likely be garnering many save opportunities.
Given the nature of the Mets’ bullpen churn, it is an open question as to how long Kimbrel might even remain on the active roster. The $2.5MM salary does represent some extra level of commitment, and Kimbrel’s selection adds another boost to the Mets’ already sky-high payroll. Because the Mets have been luxury-tax payors for four years running and are already far over the highest level of luxury tax penalization, Kimbrel’s $2.5MM salary also comes with an additional $2.75MM tax bill.
Astros Select J.P. France, Taylor Trammell
April 10th: The Astros announced the expected moves today. Trammell and France have been added, with Blanco transferred to the 60-day IL. Javier’s injury was listed as a grate two shoulder strain and Meyers’ is a grade two oblique strain. Both are retroactive to April 9th.
April 9th, 11:13 am: Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that the Astros are also planning to select outfielder Taylor Trammell. This almost certainly indicates that fellow outfielder Jake Meyers is headed to the injured list. Meyers exited on Wednesday with lower back tightness. Like France, Trammell will require a spot on the 40-man roster, and currently, Houston only has one opening. That means the Astros will have to free up one more space to add both France and Trammell before tomorrow’s game. Ronel Blanco, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery last June, is a likely candidate to move from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
Trammell, 28, is a five-year MLB veteran. After bouncing from the Mariners to the Dodgers to the Yankees in 2024, he was traded to the Astros ahead of the 2025 campaign. A pair of IL stints limited him to 52 games for Houston, though that was still a career-high for the lefty batter. He slashed .197/.296/.333 with an 80 wRC+, mostly splitting his time between left and center field. He was DFA’d and sent outright to Triple-A after the season. However, a hot spring (.904 OPS, 136 wRC+) and an even hotter start for Sugar Land (1.003 OPS, 177 wRC+) have earned him another chance in the majors. He’s likely to serve as at least the strong half of a platoon in center field while Meyers is on the shelf.
10:00 am: The Astros will select J.P. France’s contract from Triple-A Sugar Land before tomorrow’s game against the Mariners, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. He will be able to take the 40-man roster spot left vacant after Roddery Muñoz was designated for assignment on Monday.
As for the 26-man roster, there’s a good chance France is replacing Cristian Javier, who exited his start on Wednesday with shoulder tightness. It’s also possible the Astros won’t be ready to make a decision about Javier by tomorrow, but that they still want a fresh arm for the bullpen, given the workload their relievers shouldered in yesterday’s 9-1 loss. In that case, they might consider optioning AJ Blubaugh, who has given up nine runs on nine hits in his last two outings. Meanwhile, Spencer Arrighetti is the most likely candidate for a call-up if Houston needs a longer-term replacement for Javier in the rotation. Jason Alexander is also available at Triple-A.
France, 31, made 23 starts for the Astros in 2023, his rookie campaign. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ruined his next two seasons. He made just seven appearances for Houston between 2024 and ’25 and struggled in a handful of minor league outings as well. The team designated him for assignment this past offseason and sent him outright to Triple-A. However, if the early results from 2026 are any indication, France seems to be throwing with a healthy shoulder again. He struck out 13 batters in 11.2 innings this spring and another eight in his first 5.1 frames for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. The righty has yet to allow a run at Triple-A, with just one walk and two hits allowed to the 19 batters he’s faced.
If France can get back to pitching the way he did in 2023 – whether he’s starting or working in long relief – the Astros will surely be grateful. Through 13 games, Houston’s pitchers have the highest ERA in the AL (6.05). Walks and home runs have both been serious problems. What’s more, two of the team’s most important arms are on the injured list: Hunter Brown (shoulder strain) and Josh Hader (biceps tendinitis). Losing Javier for any period of time would only further weaken a beleaguered staff. While the team still has depth arms to call on for the rotation and the bullpen, those options are starting to wear thin.
Brewers Sign Reiss Knehr to Minor League Deal
The Brewers signed right-handed pitcher Reiss Knehr to a minor league deal yesterday, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Brewers squad, likely in an effort to build up following an injury-shortened (yet still effective) showing at Triple-A El Paso in 2025. He would presumably fill out the upper minors of Milwaukee’s system as an emergency starter or long-relief depth option. Knehr is represented by ACES.
Knehr, a former 20th-round pick by the San Diego Padres, has seen only limited major league action. Across three seasons (2021-2023) for the big league club, Knehr appeared in 21 games and tossed 48 1/3-innings, primarily out of the bullpen. However, he did make seven starts; he could serve in a similar spot starter/opener role for the Brewers in the event of injuries to the Major League staff.
His 5.96 ERA is unsightly. MLB batters facing Knehr struck out at only a 15.5% clip, walked at an elevated 13.2% rate, and put the ball on the ground only 32.0% of the time (all well below-average metrics for an MLB pitcher). Knehr’s career 5.75 SIERA, a backwards-looking ERA estimator, is only slightly below his career ERA, suggesting his results are not due to misfortune or the flukiness of a small sample size.
Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery ended Knehr’s 2023 season prematurely and wiped out his 2024. He returned on a minor league deal with San Diego during the 2024 offseason and generated velocity improvements to his fastball (+1.2 MPH), cutter (+1.4 MPH), and sinker (+2.0 MPH), resulting in a career-high 36.9% K% in 16.2 Triple-A innings, but did not receive a call-up to the big league club. He spent the latter parts of the season on the minor league injured list, not making an appearance after May 21st.
After electing free agency at the end of the 2025 season, Knehr will continue his MLB comeback with an organization that has a knack for pitching development. And while Knehr is far from a sure thing for the Brewers, he represents a risk-free minor league signing. If he makes the team, he is out of options but can be retained for five years should he make an impact on the major league roster.
Yankees Designate Cade Winquest For Assignment
April 10th: The Yanks have made it officially, announcing that Gil has been recalled and Winquest has been designated for assignment.
April 9th: The Yankees are designating Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest for assignment, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The righty didn’t get into a game during his two weeks in New York’s bullpen.
That’ll evidently be the corresponding move for tomorrow’s recall of Luis Gil. Manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend that the Yankees would bring Gil up this week. He’s listed as the probable starter opposite Steven Matz for Friday’s series opener against the Rays. The 13-pitcher limit meant an arm from the MLB roster had to be squeezed out.
The Yankees had the luxury of running a four-man rotation for the first couple weeks based on their number of available off days. Gil joins Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers in the rotation. They needed to drop from nine to eight in the bullpen. Brent Headrick has pitched too well to be sent down. Jake Bird has been sharp as well aside from one ugly outing against Miami on Sunday. Fernando Cruz and Camilo Doval are their only other relievers with minor league options.
Rather than option a more trusted reliever in Bird, the Yankees move on from Winquest. The 25-year-old didn’t have a great spring, allowing nine runs (eight earned) with eight strikeouts and four walks across 10 innings. It was a surprise that he broke camp at all.
The Yankees clearly liked some of what they saw but didn’t find a scenario where Boone felt comfortable bringing him into a regular season game. Teams generally use Rule 5 picks as low-leverage relievers, especially early in the season before they’ve gained a manager’s trust. All four of New York’s losses have been by one run, games in which they could certainly have come back. They’ve had three blowout wins, but two came behind long outings from Fried and one followed an off day so the rest of the bullpen was fresh.
They’ll have five days to trade Winquest or place him on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be offered back to the Cardinals. The former eighth-round pick had previously spent his entire career in the St. Louis organization. He has worked as a minor league starting pitcher and combined for a 3.99 ERA across 106 innings between High-A and Double-A last year. Unless another team is willing to keep him on the MLB roster, he’ll head back to his original club without requiring a spot on the 40-man roster for St. Louis.
Cubs To Activate Seiya Suzuki, Designate Dylan Carlson For Assignment
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is back from the injured list after missing the first two weeks of the season with a knee sprain, according to multiple reports. Dylan Carlson was designated for assignment to clear space for Suzuki’s return. Chicago is also placing Phil Maton on the IL with a knee injury. Ethan Roberts is expected to be recalled to take his spot.
Suzuki banged up his knee while playing with Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He opened the regular season on the IL, but it wasn’t expected to be an extended absence. Suzuki ultimately needed just five rehab games at Double-A to get up to speed. He hit .429 with a pair of doubles with Knoxville.
Manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, that Suzuki will not play every day once he rejoins the team. The veteran figures to be a fixture in the lineup once he’s reacclimated to the big-league schedule.
Matt Shaw has handled the majority of right field reps in Suzuki’s stead. It’s his first time playing the outfield as a professional. Shaw has held his own with the glove so far, recording 1 Defensive Run Saved over 81 innings. He’s posted a 108 wRC+ with two home runs in 39 plate appearances. Shaw will likely shift to more of a utility role with Suzuki back.
The Cubs added Carlson on a minor league deal in late January. He slashed .298/.421/.404 in 20 MLB Spring Training games to land a big-league roster spot. The former Cardinal appeared in just three games with Chicago. He went hitless in four at-bats.
Carlson has bounced around since his time in St. Louis came to an end. The Cardinals sent him to the Rays at the 2024 trade deadline for right-hander Shawn Armstrong. He landed with the Orioles last season, earning part-time work. Carlson struggled to a 74 wRC+ with Baltimore. The former top prospect has a .683 OPS in his MLB career.
Maton was the top acquisition in a bullpen overhaul that also included the additions of Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb. He signed a two-year, $14.5MM deal with the club. Maton opened his Chicago tenure with two scoreless outings, but struggled in recent appearances. The right-hander gave up two earned runs in each of his last three games.
Maton’s final outing before hitting the IL was a low-leverage spot against the Rays. He entered in the eighth inning of a game the Cubs were leading 7-0. Three hits and an HBP plated a pair of runs, requiring Counsell to go to Thielbar to secure the final out of the frame.
Roberts came up over the weekend as the 27th man for the doubleheader against the Guardians. He appeared in the second game, allowing an inherited runner to score before recording the last two outs of the eighth inning. The righty has now pitched in parts of four seasons with Chicago. Roberts has a 4.91 ERA across 44 innings as a big leaguer.
Patrick Mooney of The Athletic was first to report Suzuki’s activation and Carlson’s designation. Levine was first on Maton’s IL placement. Jesse Rogers of ESPN first reported Roberts’ recall.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Angels Re-Sign Joey Lucchesi To Minor League Deal
The Angels announced they’ve re-signed lefty reliever Joey Lucchesi to a minor league contract. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Lucchesi was designated for assignment over the weekend when the Halos needed a roster spot to promote George Klassen as a spot starter. He cleared waivers and elected free agency. After a brief return to the open market, he’ll circle back to the Halos. That’s a common outcome for veterans who have the service time to refuse an outright assignment.
The 32-year-old southpaw had a very brief stint with the MLB club. He signed a major league contract at the end of Spring Training and made three appearances. Lucchesi allowed five of six hitters to reach in his season debut. He followed up with a pair of scoreless outings but walked at least one batter in all of his appearances. He wound up issuing five free passes (four walks and a hit batter) across 2 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi spent last season with the Giants. He opened the year in Triple-A but was called up in the middle of June. He remained on the active roster for the final three and a half months, turning in a 3.76 ERA over 38 1/3 innings. Lucchesi got grounders at a 53% clip but had a modest 18.8% strikeout rate that led the Giants to drop him from the 40-man roster at season’s end. He returned on a minor league contract for Spring Training and was granted his release when the Giants picked up Ryan Borucki late in camp.
Drew Pomeranz and Brent Suter are locked into Kurt Suzuki’s bullpen as veteran southpaws. The Halos recently recalled a third lefty, Mitch Farris, as a long reliever. Farris will probably be up and down from Triple-A throughout the season. Tayler Saucedo and Angel Perdomo are also in the organization on minor league deals.
Josh Fleming, Austin Voth Elect Free Agency
Left-hander Josh Fleming and right-hander Austin Voth have both cleared waivers and elected free agency. Both were designated for assignment by the Blue Jays this week. Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet was among those to relay the news.
As of a few days ago, both pitchers were with the Jays on minor league deals. The club’s pitching staff suffered a few notable blows, forcing them to cycle through some depth. Cody Ponce suffered a knee injury that eventually required surgery. Lazaro Estrada was recalled when Ponce landed on the injured list. Estrada made one appearance in a bullpen game on Saturday, logging four innings, then got optioned back to the minors.
Voth was one of the pitchers who came up when Estrada went down. Eric Lauer, battling through the flu, started on Sunday but only went two innings. Voth tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief. He was designated for assignment the next day when Fleming was selected. On Monday, Max Scherzer started but he was pulled after two innings due to some right forearm tendinitis, which led to Fleming coming in to pitch three frames. Fleming was designated for assignment when the Jays recalled Patrick Corbin, who will start tomorrow’s game.
A player has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if he has a previous career outright or at least three years of service time. Each of Voth and Fleming qualify on both accounts. The two of them now head into free agency to see what offers await them.
Both pitchers generally have passable career numbers in swing roles. Voth has thrown 363 big league innings over 208 games, including 39 starts. He has a 4.69 earned run average, 22% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate and 34.4% ground ball rate. Fleming has thrown 257 2/3 innings in 81 games, including 25 starts. He has a 4.86 ERA, 14.4% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 58.5% ground ball rate.
It’s possible that one or both pitchers will re-sign with the Jays, as that’s a common outcome in these situations, but they can explore alternatives. The Jays do have Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Shane Bieber working back from injuries but their depth is a bit perilous in the short term and Scherzer’s status is still up in the air, meaning the pitchers would have decent paths back to the majors. Estrada is now on the minor league IL, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com, so that’s one fewer competitor with the Jays. Though on the other hand, they’re certainly not the only club dealing with pitching injuries.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Dodgers Release Nick Nastrini
The Dodgers have released Nick Nastrini, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The right-hander made one appearance for the Tulsa Drillers, L.A.’s Double-A affiliate, earlier this season. He failed to record an out and walked all three batters he faced.
Nastrini, 26, began his professional career in the Dodgers organization. They took him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, and he worked his way up to Double-A Tulsa. He was traded to the White Sox ahead of the deadline in 2023, along with Trayce Thompson and Jordan Leasure, in the deal that sent Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly back to L.A.
The following season, Nastrini made his MLB debut for the White Sox, pitching in nine games (eight starts). Unfortunately, the righty went 0-7 with a 7.07 ERA. He finished with more walks (36), hits (32), and earned runs (28) than strikeouts (26).
Nastrini has not appeared in the majors since September 2024. He started the 2025 season down at Triple-A Charlotte. The Marlins and then the Dodgers claimed him off waivers in quick succession last July, and he finished the 2025 Triple-A season with an 8.56 ERA in 47.1 innings for three organizations. Once again, he walked more batters (50) than he struck out (49). Now a free agent, he is eligible to sign with a new organization that can hopefully help him improve his command and get back to the big leagues.
Pirates Outright Enmanuel Valdez
The Pirates sent utility infielder Enmanuel Valdez outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, per the MLB.com transaction log. He evidently cleared waivers after being designated for assignment when the Bucs called up Konnor Griffin last week.
Pittsburgh acquired Valdez from Boston over the 2024-25 offseason in a DFA trade that sent minor league pitcher Joe Vogatsky to the Sox. He spent a month as Pittsburgh’s primary first baseman while Spencer Horwitz was working back from wrist surgery. Valdez hit .209/.294/.363 across 31 games before sustaining a season-ending dislocation of his left shoulder, which required surgery.
Valdez is healthy but no longer had much of a path to playing time on the Pittsburgh infield. Horwitz has established himself as the primary first baseman. They acquired Brandon Lowe to play second and have Griffin up at shortstop. Third base is still a question mark, especially with Jared Triolo shelved by a knee injury, but Valdez had dropped below Nick Yorke and Nick Gonzales on the infield depth chart.
The 27-year-old Valdez owns a .230/.288/.392 batting line in a little less than 500 MLB plate appearances. He didn’t hit during Spring Training and is out to an 0-10 start with five punchouts through four Triple-A games. He doesn’t have the service time or previous career outright to elect free agency. Valdez will remain at Indianapolis, where he’d begun the season on optional assignment, and try to shake off the rust offensively. He’d qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season if the Bucs don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.