Pirates Place Konnor Griffin On 10-Day IL, Activate Ryan O’Hearn
The Pirates are placing shortstop Konnor Griffin on the 10-day injured list, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Per Jason Mackey of MLB.com, Griffin has a flexor tendon strain and he’s expected to miss only a short time. Ryan O’Hearn is being activated off the injured list in his place.
Griffin was a Top-100 prospect entering 2026 and signed a nine-year, $140MM extension with Pittsburgh just a few days after making his debut. The 20-year-old’s numbers don’t leap off the page, but Griffin has more than held his own against big league pitching. In 208 plate appearances, he’s batted .270/.327/.402 with 14 stolen bases and a 104 wRC+. The latter figure is middle-of-the-pack among qualified shortstops, although there’s room for Griffin to cut back on his 26.9% strikeout rate.
Early reviews on Griffin’s defense have been mixed. On the one hand, he’s been worth 3 Defensive Runs Saved and boasts 78th percentile arm strength according to Statcast. At the same time, Griffin’s been worth -4 Outs Above Average and is in the 15th percentile of Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric. Defensive metrics are always tricky, and obviously there’s room to improve when the player in question is as young as Griffin. For now, the team can be happy that he is finding his footing in the Majors.
While Griffin is on the shelf, the Pirates will need a temporary replacement at shortstop. Jared Triolo is the next man up, but he’s struggled badly in 83 plate appearances as a backup infielder. Since the start of 2024, Triolo has a 76 wRC+ in just over 900 plate appearances. He also doesn’t fare well defensively at shortstop, with -6 DRS and -3 OAA in over 500 innings there. Triolo is a better fit at third base or second, where has 14 and 10 career DRS, respectively.
Tyler Callihan is the other backup infielder, but he’s barely played in the Majors and has played exactly zero professional innings at shortstop. Nick Gonzales has 254 innings of experience at short, but he currently occupies the hot corner, so moving him to short would create another problem. Nick Yorke and Jack Brannigan are on the 40-man roster. Yorke has a 64 wRC+ in the Majors, while Brannigan is only at Double-A and is striking out 37.5% of the time.
Given those options, the likeliest outcome is that the Pirates roll with Triolo at short for now and simply hope for a minimal absence for Griffin. The team’s 106 wRC+ is tied for seventh in the Majors. Brandon Lowe, Spencer Horwitz, and Bryan Reynolds all have a wRC+ over 140, and Oneil Cruz is no slouch at 120. Griffin and Gonzales are both hovering around league average.
O’Hearn belongs in the first group as a key contributor to the Pirates’ success on offense. The 32-year-old, who signed a two-year, $29MM pact over the offseason, returns after a two-week absence for a right quad muscle strain. In 182 plate appearances prior to his injury, O’Hearn was batting .289/.368/.459 with a 132 wRC+. The latter mark is fourth-best among Pirates hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, while O’Hearn’s overall output nearly matches last year, when he was worth 3.0 fWAR between the Orioles and Padres. Although a few weeks of Triolo as the starting shortstop won’t be ideal, O’Hearn’s return and the abundance of talented hitters leave the Pirates in a good position while Griffin is out.
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Twins Place Bailey Ober On Injured List, Select Mike Paredes
The Twins are placing right-hander Bailey Ober on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. They are also selecting the contract of Mike Paredes from Triple-A. He’ll be making his major league debut when he gets into a game. Meanwhile, Travis Adams has been recalled from Triple-A, while John Klein is being optioned in his place. The Twins’ 40-man roster is at 39 with Paredes’ selection, so no corresponding 40-man move is needed.
This is the fifth IL placement of Ober’s big league career. The previous four were due to hip and groin ailments, so this is Ober’s first elbow injury since 2019, when he missed two months with a right ulnar nerve subluxation. Ober’s timeline for returning should be made clearer in the coming days, though in any case, his absence comes at an unwelcome time for Minnesota.
Entering today, the Twins have a 27-32 record and are in third place in the AL Central. The club’s rotation has been middle of the pack, and that’s largely due to the excellence of Joe Ryan, who has a 2.94 ERA and 2.1 fWAR in 64 1/3 innings. Taj Bradley has a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts and is a solid No. 2 arm. Ober, despite leading the group with 66 2/3 innings, has merely been okay. He is striking out a career-low 16.4% of opposing hitters, and he’s already allowed 12 home runs, tied for ninth-highest among qualified starters.
Despite those shortcomings, Ober still holds value as a mid-rotation arm. His 4.59 ERA outpaces his 4.18 expected figure, which suggests that Ober has been somewhat unlucky. Ever the control artist, Ober is walking just 6.4% of hitters, which ranks in the 83rd percentile across the Majors. His breaking pitches have a run value of 7 according to Statcast, giving Ober lethal weapons to compensate for upper-90s fastball velocity.
All to say, Ober has been a reliable starter for the better part of six years. His absence doesn’t deprive the Twins of an ace, but it does strain the depth of the rotation behind Ryan and Bradley. Simeon Woods Richardson was designated for assignment yesterday after struggling to a 7.74 ERA in 12 appearances, 10 of which were starts. Zebby Matthews has three quality starts since being recalled on May 14th, but he had a 5.56 ERA in 16 starts last year. Connor Prielipp is Minnesota’s No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com, but he’s averaging less than five innings per start so far.
In the meantime, Paredes could be a short-term option for the rotation. The 25-year-old reached Triple-A for the first time in 2025 and has spent most of 2026 at that level. In 34 2/3 Triple-A innings across nine appearances (seven starts), Paredes has a solid 3.38 ERA. That mark comes with a sharp 5.7% walk rate and a 23.4% strikeout rate that would be better than average in the Majors. Paredes works off a 93.5 MPH four-seamer and also incorporates a slider and changeup, using those three pitches 85% of the time. FanGraphs’ RosterResource has Paredes as a long reliever, but given that he’s mostly started in the minors this year, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to get some starts.
Klein heads down to Triple-A only one day after being recalled. He threw 39 pitches over two scoreless innings yesterday, striking out one but walking three hitters. The pitch count would have made Klein unavailable for a couple days, so he is swapped out for a fresh arm in Adams. The latter has been optioned and recalled three times since being activated off the injured list at the end of April. Adams has only thrown ten innings in the Majors this year around those options, allowing eight earned runs in that small sample.
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Tigers Activate Kerry Carpenter From 10-Day Injured List
The Tigers have activated Kerry Carpenter from the 10-day injured list, per Tony Paul of The Detroit News. He will bat fourth and serve as the DH today against the White Sox. Gage Workman has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding active roster move.
Carpenter has been on the shelf since May 10th with a left AC joint sprain. Recent reporting indicated that he and Gleyber Torres were set to begin rehab assignments. In Carpenter’s case, that ended up lasting just two games. He now returns to the Tigers having missed exactly three weeks.
Carpenter, now in his fifth season in the Majors, recorded 117 plate appearances before his injury. He batted .216/.299/.451 in that small sample, good for a 107 wRC+. Carpenter was walking 9.4% of the time, a big step up from last year’s 3.9% walk rate. However, he was also striking out at a 34.2% clip, which would be a career high over a full season. Going forward, the club will bank on Carpenter cutting the strikeouts back to the mid-20s and resuming his place as a middle-of-the-order bat.
Detroit can use all the help they can get on offense. The team ranks 24th in the Majors with a 93 wRC+ and is also fourth-worst with a .367 slugging percentage. Riley Greene, Kevin McGonigle, and Dillon Dingler are all in the 116-138 wRC+ range. Spencer Torkelson is right around league average despite a .208 average and a massive 32.3% strikeout rate. Six other Tigers hitters have taken at least 100 plate appearances. Aside from Carpenter and Torres, Colt Keith (92 wRC+) is the only one approaching respectability. Matt Vierling (77 wRC+), Wenceel Pérez (52), and Zach McKinstry (29) have been dreadful.
All in all, the Tigers have a 22-37 record entering today’s game. That puts them dead last in the weak AL Central and at an 11.0% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. The return of Carpenter is not enough to solve their woes, which have been caused by rotation injuries in addition to the struggling offense. Adding Carpenter and his .502 career slugging percentage will certainly help, but even then, the club would need to play at a 92-win pace the rest of the way just to finish at .500.
The optioning of Workman to the minors is a neat reversal, as he was selected from Triple-A when Carpenter went down on May 10th. The 26-year-old Workman only made 38 plate appearances in those three weeks, and unfortunately, the results were ugly. Workman batted .158/.158/.395 with a 44 wRC+, striking out 16 times and failing to draw a walk. He’s faired much better in Triple-A this year, batting .358/.413/.590 with a 163 wRC+ in 150 plate appearances. That will give him more chances eventually, though he’ll obviously need to hit more if he wants to stick.
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Marlins Place Janson Junk On 15-Day IL, Recall Josh White
The Marlins placed right-hander Janson Junk on the 15-day injured list with right shin inflammation, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Right-hander Josh White was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move, and White will be making his big league debut whenever he appears in a game.
Now in his second season with Miami, Junk emerged as a rotation option last season by posting a 4.17 ERA over 110 innings and a 2.9% walk rate that ranked among the league’s very best. Junk’s 5.1BB% this season is still excellent but his recipe of great control without many strikeouts hasn’t been quite as effective, as he has an 4.80 ERA over 11 starts and 60 innings. Most of the damage against Junk came against two of baseball’s top clubs, as the Rays and Braves combined to torch Junk for 15 runs over 10 2/3 innings in starts on May 15 and 20.
Junk was scratched from today’s scheduled start against the Mets, and as per De Nicola, he’ll need 2-3 weeks of recovery. While the injury doesn’t appear to be all that serious, it leaves the Marlins scrambling for a bullpen game today, and down yet another starting pitcher. In a little over a week, the Fish have lost Robby Snelling for the season (due to an internal brace procedure) and Eury Perez to a right gracilis strain that will sideline Perez for about two months.
Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer are the only full-fledged starters remaining in the Miami rotation, and long reliever Tyler Phillips is now being stretched out for a starting role. Braxton Garrett was hit hard in two previous starts this season but might earn another look in the majors out of sheer necessity. The Marlins could also turn to other 40-man options like Ryan Gusto, Dax Fulton, or Bradley Blalock. Top prospect Thomas White isn’t an option to make his Major League debut since the left-hander is currently on the Triple-A injured list.
Off-days on June 4 and 8 give the Marlins some time to try and figure things out, or to at least provide the relief corps with a break over what might be a heavy workload. The bullpen also took a hit with Andrew Nardi‘s placement on the 15-day injured list yesterday due to a stress reaction his rib cage, and the injury will cost Nardi most of the season. Manager Clayton McCullough told De Nicola and other reporters today and Nardi will need three months of recovery time.
Josh White’s call-up brings a fresh arm to the relief mix, and gives the 25-year-old his first taste of MLB action. A fifth-round pick for the Marlins in the 2022 draft, White was added to Miami’s 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. Baseball America ranks White 21st on their list of Marlins prospects, and credits him with an outstanding curveball and a plus slider.
Now in his second year of Triple-A ball, White has a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings with Jacksonville, but a .155 BABIP and a 96.6% strand rate are the primary reasons for that sparkling ERA. White’s strikeout rate of 26.7% is down considerably from last year’s 40.8% mark, while his walk rate has spiked to 14.3%.
Brewers Activate Rob Zastryzny, Transfer Angel Zerpa To 60-Day IL
The Brewers have activated left-hander Rob Zastryzny off the 60-day injured list to rejoin their bullpen, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Righty Carlos Rodriguez is being optioned to Triple-A. Angel Zerpa has been shifted to the 60-day IL in Zastryzny’s place.
Zastryzny pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic but suffered a left shoulder strain in spring training with Milwaukee. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 25th and transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-April. That ruled out Zastryzny through the end of May, though he’s now healthy and returning for his third season with the Brewers.
Zastryzny’s had three extended injury absences since joining the Brewers for the 2024 season, so he’s only thrown 29 2/3 innings for them. His results in that sample have been solid. Zastryzny has a 2.12 ERA while allowing just a .580 OPS to opposing hitters since 2024. At the same time, Zastryzny’s fastball sits in the low 90s, and his 4.09 FIP since 2024 shows he benefitted from good luck (and good defense behind him).
That said, the Brewers only need Zastryzny to be a serviceable arm, not a premium back-end reliever. The club’s bullpen is in the Top 10 in the Majors by most metrics, including strikeout rate (24.3%), K-BB rate (13.9%), groundball rate (45.9%), and ERA (3.28). Among eight qualified Brewers relievers, only Trevor Megill and Jake Woodford have ERAs over 4.50. Megill has a a 2.88 expected ERA and strong peripherals, so he’s due for positive regression. Led by the nine-win Aaron Ashby, the other relievers have ranged from solid to excellent. Zastryzny is out of options, so he’ll need to re-establish himself quickly, as he can only be taken off the roster by a DFA.
Zerpa’s move to the 60-day IL is entirely expected. He underwent Tommy John surgery a few weeks ago and will therefore miss all of 2026 and a good chunk of 2027. Zerpa will likely repeat his $1.095MM salary in arbitration as a result. The left-hander had a 4.03 ERA in 118 1/3 innings with Kansas City from 2024-25, along with a staggering 60.5% groundball rate that was fifth-best among qualified relievers. With Zerpa’s current timeline, he’ll have the opportunity to provide a year and a half of serviceable relief before hitting free agency after 2028.
Rodriguez heads back to Triple-A having only made two appearances in his latest stint in the Majors. He was recalled on May 24th and threw two scoreless innings against the Dodgers that same day. Rodriguez’s next appearance on May 30th was less fortunate, as he allowed three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Astros. He’s only 24 and has been optioned and recalled several times this year, so Rodriguez will certainly get more chances in the Brewers’ bullpen.
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Orioles Outright Dietrich Enns
TODAY: Per Roch Kubatko, Enns has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
May 26th: The Orioles announced that they have recalled left-hander Nick Raquet from Triple-A Norfolk, a move that was reported by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com earlier. In a corresponding move, the O’s designated fellow lefty Dietrich Enns for assignment.
Enns, now 35, had an intriguing comeback season in 2025. He had made his major league debut a few years prior but wound up pitching overseas from 2022 to 2024. He was back in North America last year and logged 46 1/3 innings between the Tigers and Orioles. He allowed 4.08 earned runs per nine. His 24.5% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate were both a bit better than average. He may have even had better results without a .338 batting average on balls in play, which is why his 3.54 SIERA was a bit lower than his ERA.
The O’s signed Enns for the 2026 season, a one-year deal with a $2.625MM guarantee and a club option for 2027. Here in 2026, a left foot infection put him on the IL for about a month, from early April to early May. Around that IL stint, he has given Baltimore 16 innings with a 3.94 ERA but with worse numbers under the hood. His 18.6% strikeout rate and 15.7% walk rate are both subpar figures. His BABIP and strand rate are now to the lucky side, so his 5.24 SIERA suggests he’s been worse than last year, even though he ERA is slightly better.
The Rays and Orioles went to 13 innings last night. Baltimore ultimately came out on top but it was a bit of a pyrrhic victory, as they had to use six relievers in the process. One of them was Enns, who was pitching for a second straight day. It’s likely that Baltimore’s decision to cut Enns came from a combination of the pitching staff being taxed, him being unavailable, and his uninspiring results this year. He is out of options and needed to be bumped off the 40-man entirely to open an active roster spot.
Enns now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Orioles could take five days to explore trade interest. Given this year’s results and salary, they may not find much interest. If Enns were to clear waivers, he would likely stick around as non-roster depth. He has a previous career outright and would technically have the right to elect free agency in that scenario. But since he has less than five years of big league service time, he would have to walk away from the money he is still owed on his current deal.
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Rays Place Craig Kimbrel On 15-Day IL, Announce Other Moves
The Rays have placed right-hander Craig Kimbrel on the 15-day injured list with a right wrist strain, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to May 28th. The club is also recalling lefty Cam Booser and righty Trevor Martin from Triple-A. In addition, righty Andrew Wantz is being designated for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster.
Kimbrel joined Tampa Bay on a major league deal last week. That came after he was designated for assignment by the Mets and elected free agency. Kimbrel only got into one game with his new club, striking out two hitters in a scoreless inning on May 26th. Now, he’ll be on the shelf for two weeks, continuing a frustrating age-38 season for the once-great closer.
Kimbrel had a 6.00 ERA in 15 innings with the Mets before joining the Rays. Although his 4.39 expected ERA was much better, that’s obviously still not a good mark and shows that Kimbrel is a shell of his old self even accounting for poor luck. Kimbrel is averaging 93.6 MPH on his four-seamer in 2026, continuing his decline from 2023, when the pitch averaged 95.8 MPH. Dating back to the start of 2025, Kimbrel has a 4.18 ERA in 28 innings, with opposing hitters putting up an .806 OPS against him.
At best, low-leverage relief is what the Rays can expect from Kimbrel when he gets back. Tampa’s starters rank third in the Majors with a 3.11 ERA, but their bullpen ranks 25th with a 4.74 mark. Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly have both been excellent, especially Baker in the closer role. In contrast, Jesse Scholtens is underperforming his 4.99 expected ERA by two runs, and he’s now on the injured list himself. The other qualified relievers have a 4.67 ERA or higher. Lengthy track record aside, Kimbrel probably has a short leash when he returns from injury, as the Rays won’t risk worsening their bullpen long-term with only a slim lead over the Yankees in the AL East.
In the meantime, Booser and Martin are back in the Majors as fresh arms. Booser was optioned before Opening Day and hasn’t appeared in the Majors this season, though he has a sharp 1.80 ERA in 20 innings at Triple-A. That mark comes with a 6.3% walk rate, so the Rays might be counting on improved control from Booser in the big league bullpen, at least over his 13.3% walk rate last year with the White Sox. The same can be said of Martin, who’s allowed eight walks in 15 innings at Triple-A this year but has generally limited free passes in the minors.
Wantz loses his roster spot after a single game with the Rays. He allowed five earned runs on 54 pitches in 1 2/3 innings yesterday’s 14-3 loss to the Angels. Wantz was only selected the day before, though he was out of options and needed to be designated to be taken off the roster. Wantz has been outrighted before and can technically reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers. However, he’s only thrown three innings in the Majors since the start of 2024, so it’s possible Wantz remains in the organization and waits for a call-up to re-establish himself.
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Luis Severino Placed On 15-Day IL With Shoulder Strain
4:45pm: The A’s have placed Severino on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain. Right-hander Michael Kelly was recalled to take his spot on the roster. Kelly broke camp with the club but was optioned to Triple-A in early April.
8:52am: Luis Severino threw only 23 pitches in an inning of work during his start in the Athletics’ 8-2 loss to the Yankees on Friday. While warming up for the top of the second, Severino was visited by the team trainer and eventually left the mound due to what the A’s later announced was a bout of arm soreness.
The issue has bothered Severino for the last week, as the right-hander told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters that he came out of his previous start on May 21 with some right triceps tightness. After a bullpen session on Tuesday went well, the A’s still opted to push Severino’s next start to Friday to provide for a little extra rest through the club’s Thursday off-day.
At this point, however, it seems likely that Severino will require a 15-day IL stint to fully recover. No decision has been made yet, as Severino is set to undergo more tests today to further explore the problem. “The biggest [concern] for me is not even my next start. It’s finding something that is going to keep me out for a long time,” Severino said. “If the worst-case scenario is missing one or two starts, I’m happy with that.”
Following the weekend series with New York, the A’s have another off-day on Monday before playing nine games in nine days. The team won’t have to address Severino’s next turn in the rotation until Thursday, yet it looks like the A’s will again have to dip into their rotation depth chart after already losing Aaron Civale to the injured list (with a bout of shoulder tendinitis) earlier this week.
Gallegos suggests that prospect Kade Morris could be called up from Triple-A to make his MLB debut, should the Athletics need a starter to fill in for Severino. Morris isn’t on the 40-man roster, however, so Joey Estes or Mason Barnett could get the call if roster considerations are a factor. Luis Morales is also on the 40-man but has been moved a relief role in Triple-A as the right-hander has continued to struggle.
The A’s remain just 1.5 games out of both first place in the AL West and an AL wild card slot, yet that has more to do with the American League’s parity than it does with the Athletics’ modest 27-30 record. As expected going into the season, the Athletics have been carried by their offense, though the team’s lineup has been more okay than elite. The A’s have gotten okay-ish results from Jeffrey Springs, J.T. Ginn, Civale, and Severino in the rotation, though naturally more is expected from Severino given the three-year, $67MM free agent deal he signed during the 2024-25 offseason.
Severino’s second year in West Sacramento has seen the right-hander improve his ERA to 4.16 and his strikeout rate to 24%, though his 11.4% walk rate is on pace to be the second-highest total of his 11 Major League seasons. Severino was public with his displeasure last year over pitching at Sutter Health Park, and his home/away splits continue to markedly differ. In 2026, Severino has a 3.38 ERA over 37 1/3 innings on the road, and a 5.33 ERA over 25 1/3 innings at home.
Reds Designate Kyle Nicolas For Assignment, Select Lyon Richardson
The Reds are shuffling the bullpen. Right-hander Pierce Johnson is headed to the injured list with right elbow inflammation, the club announced. Righty Lyon Richardson is returning to the big-league club to take his spot. To open up room on the 40-man for Richardson, Cincinnati designated right-hander Kyle Nicolas for assignment.
Nicolas joined the organization via trade from the Pirates in March. Outfielder Tyler Callihan went to Pittsburgh in the deal. Nicolas didn’t break camp with the club, but made his team debut in early April. He was knocked around for seven earned runs over seven appearances. The righty piled up 13 walks over 7 1/3 frames.
The 27-year-old Nicolas struggled in his first outing with the Reds. He ceded three earned runs in mop-up duty and had to be relieved by a position player. Nicolas settled in for four scoreless appearances after the ugly debut. He was tagged for four earned runs in a late April outing against the Rays and was optioned back to Triple-A shortly after.
Throwing strikes has been the main issue for Nicolas. He’s pitched in parts of four seasons in the majors and has yet to post a sub-10% walk rate. The righty has an underwhelming 59.5% strike rate across 93 MLB outings. Nicolas posted a career-worst 38.4% zone rate in his brief stint with the Reds.
After two short stretches with the Reds in 2023 and 2024, Richardson was a regular in the bullpen last season. He pitched to a 4.54 ERA across 37 appearances. The Reds used Richardson in a variety of roles, including occasional late-inning appearances. He picked up three holds, but also covered more than an inning on 14 occasions.
Richardson came up as a starter, and his first four games with the Reds were starts. He struggled to an 8.64 ERA as a rookie in 2023. Richardson began transitioning to a relief role in 2024. He pitched out of the bullpen six times at Triple-A. His lone appearance with the Reds that season came as a reliever. Richardson has been almost exclusively used out of the bullpen since then.
Cincinnati added Johnson on a one-year, $6.5MM deal in January. He delivered a 3.27 ERA across 24 appearances. Johnson picked up four holds and a save. The 35-year-old was removed during an outing against the Mets on Tuesday. He allowed a hit and recorded two outs before getting pulled.
Johnson is the latest high-leverage reliever to go down for the Reds. The club lost closer Emilio Pagan to a significant hamstring strain in early May. He’s about three weeks into his initial four-to-eight week recovery timeline. Right-hander Graham Ashcraft went to the 60-day IL with a UCL sprain on Friday. He hasn’t been ruled out for the season, but he’ll be sidelined for at least a couple of months.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene of the Enquirer via Imagn Images
Jarred Kelenic Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Kelenic cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment, according to Brooke Fletcher of the Chicago Sports Network.
MAY 25: The White Sox announced that outfielder Jarred Kelenic has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move for them to select infielder/outfielder Rikuu Nishida, a move that was reported yesterday.
Kelenic, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Sox in the offseason. He began the season at Triple-A and put up some encouraging numbers. In 26 games, he slashed .202/.346/.464. That batting average is obviously not pleasant but was held back by an unfortunate .224 batting average on balls in play. The on-base percentage was buoyed by a huge 18.3% walk rate. His six home runs in 104 plate appearances boosted the slugging percentage. The batting line translated to a subpar 97 wRC+ but would have been above average with a bit more batted ball luck.
The White Sox decided to give him another shot in the big leagues, which didn’t work out. He got into 19 games and stepped to the plate 59 times. His 10.2% walk rate was strong but he also struck out at a huge 33.9% clip. Though his .344 BABIP was actually a help in this sample, he nonetheless put up a .226/.305/.321 line and 81 wRC+.
These are fairly small data sets but they do roughly mirror Kelenic’s larger career arc. A former sixth overall pick and top prospect, he has often put up huge numbers in the minors without finding success in the majors. Including this year’s stint with the Sox, he now has 1,547 big league plate appearances. He has been punched out in 30.7% of those and has a .211/.283/.374 line, which leads to an 84 wRC+. He has stolen some bases but hasn’t received strong grades for his glovework.
The overall performance has pushed him into fringe roster status. As mentioned, he had to settle for a minor league deal coming into this season. He has exhausted his option years, so the Sox had to bump him off the 40-man since they no longer want him on the active roster.
Kelenic is now in DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Sox could take five days to explore trade interest. The most likely outcome is Kelenic ending up on waivers and clearing. He just cleared waivers in October of last year and he hasn’t done much to raise his stock since then. Players with a previous career outright or three years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of electing free agency. Kelenic qualifies on both counts and can head to the open market if he clears waivers in the next week.
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