White Sox Select Dominic Fletcher
The White Sox have selected the contract of outfielder Dominic Fletcher from Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated righty Dan Altavilla from the 15-day injured list, per a club announcement. Right-hander Jonathan Cannon and first baseman Tim Elko were optioned to Charlotte in a pair of corresponding transactions.
Fletcher, 28, was acquired from the D-backs in the 2023-24 offseason trade that sent pitching prospect Cristian Mena to Arizona. It hasn’t worked out particularly well for either team. Fletcher hit only .206/.252/.256 in 241 plate appearances with Chicago last year — a far cry from his strong .301/.350/.441 showing in 102 plate appearances during the 2023 season. The Sox designated him for assignment in spring training and passed him through waivers.
Fletcher has spent the entire 2025 season thus far in Triple-A, where he’s batted .260/.317/.453 with 17 home runs, 19 doubles, four triples and seven steals (in 11 attempts). He’s walked at just a 6.5% clip but also has a lower-than-average 19.5% strikeout rate.
Altavilla missed more than a month due to a lat strain but will return for the final few weeks of the season. He signed a big league deal with the ChiSox midseason after briefly opting out of a minor league deal with the club. In 26 2/3 innings, the 32-year-old righty (33 on Sunday) has posted a tidy 2.36 earned run average but with far less encouraging rate stats. He’s fanned only 15.5% of his opponents against a bloated 12.7% walk rate (leading to a 5.84 FIP and 5.08 SIERA).
Nationals Outright Darren Baker
The Nationals announced Friday that infielder/outfielder Darren Baker, whom they had designated for assignment earlier in the week, went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. He’ll remain with the organization but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
The 26-year-old Baker made his major league debut with Washington last September and went 7-for-14 with two doubles and five singles. The son of Hall of Famer and former Nats manager Dusty Baker, Darren has spent the bulk of the past three seasons in Rochester, hitting for solid batting averages that have helped fuel a solid on-base percentage. He has bottom-of-the-scale power, however, resulting in an ultimate .274/.345/.336 batting line in just shy of 1300 plate appearances. Baker runs well and has collected 83 steals in 99 attempts in his 309 games at the Triple-A level.
Baker has spent the majority of his professional career playing second base but has more than 900 innings in left field as well. He hasn’t been outrighted previously in his career and doesn’t have three years of big league service, so he doesn’t have the option to reject this assignment in favor of free agency. He’ll stick around as a depth option and hope to play his way back into another look at the big league level.
Twins Outright Noah Davis
The Twins announced Friday that they’ve passed right-hander Noah Davis through waivers and assigned him outright to Triple-A St. Paul. That’ll be the corresponding roster move for Pablo Lopez‘s previously reported reinstatement from the 60-day injured list, which is now official.
Davis landed in Minnesota back in July, coming over from the Dodgers in a cash swap after he’d been designated for assignment. The 2018 eleventh-rounder made four short relief appearances for the Twins and allowed multiple runs in all of them. He’s been tagged for 22 runs in 11 innings between Minnesota and L.A. this season, further inflating the already unsightly 7.71 ERA he logged in parts of three seasons with the Rockies (51 1/3 innings).
Though Davis has been hit exceptionally hard in the majors, he has a more encouraging track record in the upper minors. He’s pitched 176 2/3 innings in Triple-A, logging a 4.79 ERA despite most of his time being spent in an exorbitantly hitter-friendly setting (Colorado’s Albuquerque club in the Pacific Coast League). Davis has pitched 43 1/3 innings between the Triple-A clubs for the Dodgers and Twins this year and turned in a solid 3.95 ERA with a strong 26.1% strikeout rate.
This is the second career outright for Davis — the Rockies outrighted him last September — which gives him the right to reject the assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency, should he prefer to seek a change of scenery.
Orioles Outright Corbin Martin
The Orioles announced that Corbin Martin accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. The right-hander cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday. There has not yet been a resolution on Elvin Rodríguez, who was also DFA two days ago.
Martin spent a couple months in Tony Mansolino’s bullpen. He gave up 12 earned runs over 18 innings. Martin recorded a solid 25.8% strikeout rate but was plagued by walks and the home run ball. He gave up three runs apiece in his final two appearances against the Giants, though his defense let him down with a pair of errors in his last outing on August 31. While there was some poor luck in that appearance, Martin was pushed out when the O’s needed 40-man roster spots for Tyler Wells and Jorge Mateo.
Baltimore also ran Martin through outright waivers around the All-Star Break. He elected free agency that time but re-signed one day later. The 29-year-old decided not to try his luck on the open market this time around. It would’ve been too late into the season to be playoff eligible elsewhere. He’d likely have been looking at a minor league contract with a non-contender. It made more sense to stick with the O’s for the final weeks of the regular season. He’ll elect minor league free agency going into the offseason if the Orioles don’t call him back up this month.
Twins To Activate Pablo Lopez
The Twins will activate Pablo López to start tomorrow’s series opener against the Royals, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. He’ll be activated from the 60-day injured list. Minnesota already has two vacancies on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to option a pitcher to create an active roster spot.
López has been out of action for three months. He suffered a Grade 2 teres major strain in his throwing shoulder during his start on June 3. That injury was arguably the turning point of Minnesota’s season. The Twins were seven games above .500 and in possession of a Wild Card spot at the time. Minnesota’s rotation collapsed over the next few weeks. That wasn’t all about López’s injury, as the struggles extended beyond call-up David Festa, but their season never recovered.
The Twins went 9-18 in June. A month later, they traded almost everyone from their bullpen and pulled off the surprising Carlos Correa salary dump. A healthy López would’ve been a target for contenders as well. The Twins had no reason to trade him halfway through an injury, but it’s not out of the question that they hear teams out this offseason.
López was off to what might’ve been a career season. He posted a 2.82 ERA in 60 2/3 frames spanning 11 starts. He fanned a quarter of opponents against a 5.7% walk rate. López has been an above-average starter for a few years but has yet to post a sub-3.00 ERA over a full season. He might have been on that trajectory had he not gotten hurt.
Minnesota’s sell-off and fall down the standings raised some question about whether it’d be prudent to shut López down entirely. The veteran righty remained committed to making it back for a few turns through the rotation. That’ll allow him to go into the offseason with more confidence than he would have had coming off a season-ending shoulder injury. It’ll also give opposing clubs a few looks as they consider whether to make a big push to try to pull López in an offseason trade.
López is wrapping up the second season of a four-year, $73.5MM extension. He’ll make $21.5MM per season between 2026-27. That’s below market value for a #2 caliber starter. López would have trade value if the Twins shop him, but they could prefer to hold him as a veteran anchor of a young rotation while looking ahead to a potential deadline deal in 2026. Joe Ryan, who is down to his last two seasons of arbitration control, will also be one of the offseason’s top trade candidates.
Dodgers Designate Alexis Díaz For Assignment
The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Ben Rortvedt, a move that was previously reported. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Alex Freeland and designated right-hander Alexis Díaz for assignment.
Díaz, 28, was Cincinnati’s closer not too long ago but has fallen on hards times lately. In 2023, he racked up 37 saves for the Reds. He posted a 3.07 earned run average over his 67 1/3 innings. His 12.6% walk rate was too high but he struck out 30.1% of batters faced. He kept it going in 2024 but with some signs of worry. He added another 28 saves with a 3.99 ERA but his strikeout rate dropped all the way to 22.7%.
Despite the trend lines moving the wrong direction, the Reds still tendered him a contract. He had qualified for arbitration for the first time going into 2025, with exactly three years of service. He and the Reds avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $4.5MM salary.
Things have gone from bad to worse this year. He started the season on the injured list due to a hamstring strain. He was reinstated by mid-April but the Reds had Emilio Pagán closing games and didn’t commit to Díaz retaking the ninth inning job. Díaz then allowed eight earned runs in his first six innings with just three strikeouts but five walks, in addition to hitting two batters.
The Reds optioned him to the minors at the start of May. Things didn’t get much better down on the farm. In 13 2/3 innings for Louisville, he had a 22.9% strikeout rate but walked 12 opponents, a 17.1% clip. He hit another two batters and also uncorked two wild pitches. The Reds then traded him to the Dodgers in what was essentially a salary dump deal. The player they got back, right-hander Mike Villani, was a 22-year-old with just two professional innings under his belt at the time.
The Dodgers initially sent Díaz to their Arizona facilities to try to get him back on track. His small sample of major league work since then has been decent enough. In nine innings, he has allowed five earned runs via seven hits, two walks and hitting two batters while striking out nine. But he has also thrown ten Triple-A innings, allowing nine earned runs via seven hits, eight walks and hitting three batters while striking out ten.
It seems that the Dodgers have seen enough and are willing to risk losing Díaz to another club. It will be interesting to see if there’s any interest in a claim. The short-term benefits would be minimal. Now that it’s September, Díaz wouldn’t be postseason eligible with a claiming club. He’s a likely non-tender candidate, given this year’s struggles.
On the other hand, there is theoretical upside. Due to spending most of this year in the minors, Díaz can still be controlled for another three years after this one. It also means he won’t be able to command a notable arbitration raise for the 2026 season. If some club out there sees a path to getting him back on track, perhaps they would consider grabbing him now. Tendering him a contract for $4-5MM next year would be akin to signing someone like Ryne Stanek or Jonathan Loáisiga, who signed one-year deals in that range last offseason.
Though if the Dodgers can’t figure him out, that doesn’t leave a lot of hope for other clubs. And he is still owed about $580K this year, which is a decent amount for a struggling reliever who can’t even help in the postseason. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he will almost certainly stick with the Dodgers as non-roster depth. Since he has three years of service, he will have the right to elect free agency. But since he has less than five, he would have to forfeit that remaining money in exercising that right.
Freeland came into the year as one of the club’s top prospects. He got called up in late July as several infielders were dealing with injuries. He slashed just .190/.292/.310 in his first 97 plate appearances and a few infielders have come off the IL in the interim. He’ll make way for the club to carry three catchers, at least for as long as Will Smith is injured. It’s not uncommon for prospects to struggle when first promoted, so Freeland could still be a big part of the club’s future, but he’ll head back to the minors for now.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images
Dodgers To Select Ben Rortvedt
The Dodgers are going to select catcher Ben Rortvedt to their roster, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. That’s to give the club another catcher for the next few days as it’s unlikely Will Smith will play this weekend. Ardaya noted earlier that Dalton Rushing will start tonight, so Rortvedt will presumably back him up while Smith rests. Corresponding moves will be required to add Rortvedt to the active and 40-man rosters.
The issue stems from last night, when Smith was struck by a foul ball on his throwing hand, as seen in this video from MLB.com. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Smith is getting a CT scan today which will determine if he needs to go on the injured list. Even if he avoids the IL, he’s going to miss a few days. The Dodgers naturally don’t want to play with Rushing as their only catcher, so they are adding Rortvedt to give them a bit of cover.
Losing Smith for any amount of time is a blow. He has a .296/.405/.497 batting line and 153 wRC+ this year. His glovework isn’t particularly well regarded but he has nonetheless been credited with 4.1 wins above replacement this year by FanGraphs. Naturally, the Dodgers will be hoping he can be back after a few days. At this time of year, anything longer than a day-to-day issue runs the risk of pushing through the end of the regular season.
Rushing will try to make up some of the slack. He has only hit .190/.256/.293 in his first 129 big league plate appearances but in sporadic playing time while backing up Smith. He has far better minor league numbers and it’s possible he could get into a better groove with more reps. Though if Smith is back in a few days, that may be a moot point.
Rortvedt, 27, seemed to establish himself as a legit big league catcher with the Rays last year. He got into 112 games and slashed .228/.317/.303 in 328 plate appearances. His 87 wRC+ indicates he was 13% below the league average hitter, but backstops are usually about 10% below par, so that’s decent enough for a backup. Given his solid defensive grades, he was credited with 1.4 fWAR last year.
Unfortunately, he didn’t carry that over into 2025. Through late May, he had a .095/.186/.111 slash line. He was designated for assignment and no club claimed him off waivers. A couple of months later, the Dodgers picked up him as part of a three-team trade with the Rays and Reds. The Dodgers subtracted some catching depth in that deal by sending Hunter Feduccia to Tampa but got back prospect Adam Serwinowski and reliever Paul Gervase.
Rortvedt effectively replaced Feduccia as the Dodgers’ #3 catcher. He hasn’t been having a good season in the minors either, with a combined .205/.299/.333 line and 66 wRC+ between the Triple-A clubs of the Rays and Dodgers, but he’s a competent defender who’s been in the big leagues for a few years. If the Dodgers want to cut him from the roster later, he is out of options.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
White Sox Designate Bryse Wilson For Assignment
The White Sox announced that right-hander Jonathan Cannon and left-hander Tyler Gilbert have been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Left-hander Bryan Hudson has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a lower back strain and righty Bryse Wilson has been designated for assignment as the corresponding moves.
Wilson, 27, signed with the Sox this winter. He was outrighted by the Brewers and elected free agency, which led to a one-year deal with the Sox worth $1.05MM. He worked in a swing role for the first few months of the season but didn’t have great results, so he was passed through waivers in June. Since he has less than five years of service time, he would have had to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in electing free agency again, so he accepted the assignment.
The Sox recently added him back to the roster to replace Aaron Civale, who was lost off waivers to the Cubs. Wilson made one more appearance for the Sox in recent days but is now bumped off the roster yet again.
On the whole, Wilson has a 6.65 earned run average in the majors this year. His 12.5% strikeout rate is well below league average and his own previous rate from earlier in his career. His minor league work has been decent. He has thrown 39 2/3 innings for the Knights with a 3.86 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate and 56.1% ground ball rate.
He has come somewhat close to that level of performance in the majors before. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 297 innings in the big leagues with a 4.24 ERA, 17.5% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 40% ground ball rate.
Though his minor league numbers have been decent this year, he is out of options, which could make it hard for clubs to claim him. If he goes unclaimed on waivers again, he will likely accept a second time, in order to continue collecting what remains of this year’s salary. He would be eligible to elect free agency at season’s end if he’s not on the 40-man.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images
Mets Claim Wander Suero
The Mets have claimed right-hander Wander Suero off waivers from the Braves, according to announcements from both clubs. Atlanta had designated him for assignment earlier this week. The Mets had an open spot on the 40-man roster, though it is now full.
Suero, 33, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason. That club selected him to their roster in July but he has mostly been kept on optional assignment since then. He has only thrown 6 1/3 innings in the big leagues this year, allowing eight earned runs on four walks and ten hits while striking out seven.
His work in the minors this year has been greater in quality and quantity. He has thrown 46 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 1.35 earned run average. His 31.2% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate are both strong figures. He has likely benefited from an 81.3% strand rate but his 2.63 FIP suggests he would still be putting up good numbers with more neutral sequencing luck.
The major league work this year has obviously not been good but in a very tiny sample. He has some past major league success, though he’s a few years removed from it now. Over the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he gave the Nationals 95 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. But since then, he has a 7.11 ERA in 57 innings.
For the Mets, it’s a sensible claim. They have a number of pitchers on the injured list. They have had an open 40-man spot since José Castillo was designated for assignment last week. In the post-deadline part of the calendar, it’s more difficult to add talent. Suero has a major league track record and is pitching well in the minors this year.
He can still be optioned to the minors for the remainder of this season but it’s also possible he gets bumped off the 40-man soon. The Mets are reportedly going to promote prospect Brandon Sproat to start Sunday’s game, so they will need to open a 40-man spot for him in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Braves Release Cal Quantrill, Designate Luke Williams
The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve released right-hander Cal Quantrill and designated infielder/outfielder Luke Williams for assignment. That duo’s roster spots will go to outfielder Jurickson Profar, who’s returning from the paternity list, and righty Daysbel Hernandez, who has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Quantrill’s time with Atlanta will last all of two weeks. The Braves claimed the righty off waivers from the Marlins on Aug. 21, absorbing the remaining $715K on his $3.5MM salary in the process. They’ll end up getting just two starts for that roll of the dice; Quantrill allowed three runs on five hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings against the Mets on Aug. 23 before being shelled for nine runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Phillies five days later. His Atlanta stint concludes with a grisly 13.50 ERA in eight innings.
It’s been a rough year on the whole for the veteran Quantrill, whose Braves struggles pushed his ERA to 6.04 in 117 2/3 innings. That unsightly endpoint masks what was a decent run midseason. Quantrill struggled immensely in April but posted a 3.55 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 14 starts from May 1 through the end of July.
A team in need of innings could sign Quantrill for the final three weeks of the regular season and would only owe him the prorated minimum, but there’s also a chance this will be the end of his season. He’ll be a free agent this winter regardless, but with a 5.39 ERA dating back to 2023, he’ll likely be limited to minor league offers in free agency.
Williams, 29, has been with the Braves since they claimed him off waivers in June 2023, but he’s spent the bulk of his time in Gwinnett. Atlanta has given Williams a total of 94 plate appearances in the majors, during which he’s slashed .153/.215/.212. (He’s also held opponents to four runs in 10 innings of mop-up relief.)
A third-round pick of the Phillies back in 2015, Williams has never hit much in the majors. He’s a career .213/.271/.281 batter in 348 turns at the plate but carries a steadier .259/.338/.406 slash in parts of five Triple-A seasons. Williams has primarily been a third baseman since turning pro but has more than 300 innings at each of the four infield positions and in both outfield corners.
Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Williams will head to outright waivers. Assuming he clears, he’ll be able to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s previously ben outrighted in his career.