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Nationals Place Orlando Ribalta On 15-Day IL, Promote Cole Henry

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The Nationals are calling up right-handed pitching prospect Cole Henry, according to Joe Will of 247Sports.  Henry will take the roster spot of fellow righty Orlando Ribalta, as the Nats announced that Ribalta has been placed (retroactive to April 10) on the 15-day injured list due to a right biceps strain.

After posting a 13.50 ERA over his first 3 1/3 MLB innings in 2024, Ribalta has a 5.87 ERA in 7 2/3 frames out of Washington’s bullpen this year.  Most of the damage came in his first outing of 2025, when the Phillies tagged Ribalta for four runs over two innings of work.  He last pitched on Tuesday, when Ribalta allowed a run over three innings and 58 pitches in a relief outing against the Dodgers.

More will be revealed about the severity of Ribalta’s biceps strain once manager Davey Martinez meets with reporters later today, but even in the best-case scenario, it would seem like the righty will be out for more than the 15-day minimum.  With Ribalta now sidelined, the Nationals have turned to the 25-year-old Henry as a fresh arm for the bullpen, and given Henry his first look at the MLB level.

A second-round pick for the Nats in the 2020 draft, Henry has logged only 130 1/3 innings over five pro seasons due to a variety of injuries.  Most recently, a lat strain limited him to 16 1/3 total innings with high-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg in 2024.  While Henry has started 34 of his 44 games in the minors, he transitioned into relief work this past spring, with an eye towards joining the Nationals bullpen as a long man.

Henry only threw two innings over two Triple-A appearances before his call-up, allowing a hit and three walks over those two scoreless frames.  While not the biggest sample size in the world, the Nats will now see if Henry can eat some innings and translate his strong strikeout numbers (30.34% strikeout rate in the minors) to success in the Show.

Red Sox Place Richard Fitts On 15-Day IL, Select Michael Fulmer

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The Red Sox are placing right-hander Richard Fitts on the 15-day injured list, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports, and Michael Fulmer’s contract has been selected from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  The club has now officially announced the move, and designated Fitts’ injury as a right pectoral strain.  The Sox have an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no further transaction is needed to bring Fulmer to the active roster.

It seemed inevitable that an IL stint was coming for Fitts given how he abruptly left yesterday’s game in clear discomfort after throwing a pitch in the sixth inning.  The Red Sox initially described his injury as “right shoulder pain,” so the fact that the issue has now been identified as a pec strain could be viewed as relatively good news.  Still, Fitts could be facing an absence of well beyond 15 days depending on the severity of the strain, and no recovery timeline has yet been announced.

Fitts is now the sixth starting pitcher on Boston’s injured list.  Chris Murphy (Tommy John surgery) and Patrick Sandoval (internal brace surgery) are out until at least midseason, and there hasn’t been much news on Kutter Crawford (patellar tendinopathy) since he began the season the 15-day IL.  Brayan Bello (shoulder strain) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring strain) have both thrown multiple Triple-A rehab outings and appear closest to returning, but both will get at least one more start in Worcester before a decision is made about their activation.  The Red Sox aren’t going to rush either back just in lieu of Fitts’ injury, as since the club has an off-day on Thursday, they don’t need a fifth starter until April 22 at the earliest.

The timing could allow Bello or Giolito to fit rather smoothly into Fitts’ place, though that doesn’t change the fact that the Red Sox pitching staff has been hit pretty hard by the injury bug in the early going.  All of the rotation absences opened the door for Fitts to join the starting five in the first place, as he won the job with an impressive Spring Training and then delivered a 3.18 ERA over his first three starts and 17 innings.

Between this season’s work and the 1.74 ERA Fitts posted in his first 20 2/3 big league innings in 2024, Fitts now has a 2.39 ERA over 37 2/3 frames at the MLB level.  His strikeout rate stands at only 14.2% and his 5.04 SIERA is far less flattering, but Fitts has good chase rates despite the lack of strikeouts and his 7.7% walk rate is solid.

Fulmer could also be utilized in the starting mix, as he has started two of his three games with Worcester this season.  Whatever the role, Fulmer is surely happy just to finally be back in the majors, following a a UCL revision procedure that sidelined him for the entire 2024 season.  The Red Sox signed Fulmer to a two-year minor league deal in October 2023, with the understanding that Fulmer would spend 2024 rehabbing and then be ready to go for this year.

Fulmer began his big league career as a starter with the Tigers in 2016, and enjoyed immediate success as the AL Rookie of the Year.  An All-Star season in 2017 further seemed to cement his place as a big part of Detroit’s future, though his production took a step back in 2018, and he missed all of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery.  Fulmer struggled in his return to the Tigers rotation in 2020 but then transitioned to relief pitching, and seemed to find a second wind to his career.  Over 190 1/3 innings from 2021-23, Fulmer worked as a reliever for 172 of his 177 games with the Tigers, Twins, and Cubs, and delivered a 3.55 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 9.4% walk rate.

A return to rotation work in the context of Fulmer’s past struggles and his long injury layoff may seem unusual, but Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the team was viewing Fulmer as a possible candidate for at least bulk innings (if not a full starting job) even before signing him to that minor league deal.  It will be interesting to see how Fulmer is deployed now that he is part of the 26-man roster, and whether or not manager Alex Cora could get creative with Fulmer in a variety of roles to best maximize his potential.

Yankees Place Marcus Stroman On 15-Day IL, Select Allan Winans

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TODAY: Stroman’s MRI revealed swelling but no structural damage, Boone told the New York Post’s Greg Joyce and other reporters.  Stroman received a cortisone shot to help deal with the inflammation.

APRIL 12: The Yankees announced that right-hander Marcus Stroman was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left knee inflammation.  Right-hander Allan Winans is taking Stroman’s spot on the active roster, after Winans’ contract was selected from Triple-A.

It has been a brutal start to the season for Stroman, who has an 11.57 ERA over three starts and 9 1/3 innings.  The lowest point came in the Yankees’ 9-1 loss to the Giants yesterday, as Stroman was charged with five earned runs over an abbreviated start that lasted only two-thirds of an inning.  Following the game, New York manager Aaron Boone said Stroman was dealing with some knee soreness and had undergone x-rays.

Since the issue is being described just as inflammation, it appears as though Stroman has avoided any type of structural damage, even if an IL stint is still necessary.  If the injury ends up being relatively minor and Stroman misses around the 15-day minimum, the absence could essentially act as an unofficial reset to his difficult year.

Missing any time at all could heavily impact Stroman’s contractual future, as he has a vesting option in his contract for the 2026 season.  Stroman is in the final guaranteed season of his two-year, $37MM deal with the Yankees, but he’ll lock in an $18MM player option for 2026 if he pitches at least 140 innings this year.  Stroman logged 154 2/3 innings in 2024, while posting a 4.31 ERA, 49.2% grounder rate, 8.9% walk rate, and a 16.7% strikeout rate that was well below his career norm.

Between this so-so production and up to two years of salary commitments on the way, the Yankees made Stroman available on the trade market last winter, but no takers were found.  New York also seemingly had a rotation surplus that made Stroman expendable, but the Yankees’ pitching depth was quickly reduced when Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery), Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and JT Brubaker were all lost to the IL.  Schmidt is expected back this coming week, but his return just as Stroman hits the injured list only adds to the Yankees’ difficulties in finding enough healthy arms to cover the rotation workload.

Winans was claimed off waivers from the Braves in January, and was then designated for assignment and outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster in February.  Winans has started all eight of his career MLB games (all with Atlanta in 2023-24) but seems much likelier to take on a long relief role in the Yankees’ bullpen.  Over 40 big league innings, Winans has an ungainly 7.20 ERA, but his minor league numbers are far more impressive.  The righty has a 3.20 ERA in 258 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, perhaps hinting at some late breakout potential as he enters his age-29 season.

Royals Place Sam Long On 15-Day IL, Call Up Evan Sisk

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The Royals announced that left-hander Sam Long has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.  Fellow southpaw Evan Sisk was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Sisk will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in his first game.

Something has clearly seemed amiss with Long this season, as the reliever has been rocked for 10 earned runs over seven appearances.  The end result is an ugly 12.86 ERA over seven innings, with five walks and three wild pitches indicating a lack of control in the early going.  Long’s struggles are a stark contrast to his solid 3.16 ERA, 25% strikeout rate, and 9.7% walk rate over 42 2/3 relief innings last season, as the Royals got a nice bargain after inking Long to a minor league deal in the 2023-24 offseason.

It isn’t known if Long was trying to pitch through his elbow discomfort or not, though that could explain his lack of production in 2025.  The diagnosis of inflammation probably means that an initial round of tests didn’t reveal anything too severe, though naturally the Royals will be cautious with any elbow-related injury.

Daniel Lynch IV and Angel Zerpa are the other left-handers in Kansas City’s bullpen, and Sisk now takes Long’s place as the third southpaw in the mix.  The side-arming Sisk turns 28 on April 23, so he’ll get a great early birthday present in the form of his first call to the Show.

A 16th-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2018 draft, Sisk pitched in the St. Louis and Minnesota farm systems before he joined the Royals organization prior to the 2023 season.  Working almost exclusively as a reliever during his minor league career, Sisk is a grounder specialist who can also miss bats, as evidenced by his 27.86% strikeout rate over 157 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level.  Sisk also has a 3.48 ERA and a more troubling 12.32% walk rate, as control has been something of an issue throughout his career.

Sisk struggled with Triple-A Omaha in 2023 before blossoming to a 1.57 ERA over 57 1/3 innings with Omaha last season.  This performance still didn’t give Sisk a look on the Royals’ big league roster, but K.C. did add him to the 40-man roster last November as a way of keeping him from minor league free agency.

Twins Option Jose Miranda, Activate Brooks Lee

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TODAY: The Twins officially announced Lee’s reinstatement from the IL, and Miranda being optioned to Triple-A.

APRIL 12: The Twins are set to option infielder Jose Miranda to the minor leagues, according to a report from Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Gleeman goes on to suggest that Miranda’s departure will make way for the return of infielder Brooks Lee, who he reports is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list after missing the start of the season due to a bout of lower back tightness.

The demotion for Miranda comes after a baserunning blunder in today’s loss to the Tigers. The Tigers’ defense set up a force out at second base for Miranda, but second baseman Colt Keith failed to touch the bag, leaving the umpire to initially call Miranda safe. However, Miranda began walking back to the dugout before ever touching second base himself under the assumption he had been called out, allowing Keith to tag him for the out and costing Minnesota an opportunity to bat with a runner in scoring position. As noted by Gleeman, manager Rocco Baldelli was candid in his comments on the mistake after the game.

“Jose has to do better on that play,” Baldelli said. “The guy on the other side of the field was not on the bag and Jose didn’t make it to the bag on the slide either way. And the umpire was clearly signaling safe. We have to be paying attention, to say the least. We have to be paying attention there and never allow something like that to happen.”

While the timing of the move can’t be ignored, it’s fair to point out that the decision may have come strictly for performance reasons even ignoring today’s blunder. After all, Miranda has struggled badly this year with a lackluster .143/.143/.229 slash line in 11 games entering play today. That slash line comes with a massive 37.1% strikeout rate and zero walks taken, suggesting the infielder’s swing decisions may not be where they need to be in order for him to succeed in the majors at the moment. Miranda has never walked especially often, but he struck out just 15.4% of the time last season.

While Miranda had only gotten 35 plate appearances this year entering play today, his struggles date back to the 2024 season as well. His overall slash line was good for a 115 wRC+, but Miranda struggled quite badly in August and September with a .217/.243/.312 slash line over his final 144 plate appearances last year. That lengthy period of issues at the plate stretching back to midway through last season suggests the infielder might need a reset in the minors, where he can focus on getting right without the pressure of trying to help lift an 4-11 ballclub out of its early-season hole.

Regardless of the reasoning behind Miranda’s departure, his spot on the active roster will go to Lee. The Twins’ first-round pick in the 2022 draft, Lee made his big league debut last year. His 50 games in the majors weren’t exactly what Minnesota was hoping for, as he hit just .221/.265/.320. He struck out just 14.6% of the time, but walked at a clip of just 5.9% and showed little power, though he did play solid defense all around the infield. In his return to the roster, Lee will likely be tasked handling either second or third base on a regular basis. Edouard Julien is currently handling the keystone while Willi Castro covers the hot corner, though Julien could work his way into the first base and DH mix if bumped off of second base while Castro has the versatility to play anywhere but catcher.

Pirates Call Up Henry Davis From Triple-A

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5:01pm: The Pirates announced this evening that right-hander Chase Shugart was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Davis on the club’s roster. That will leave Pittsburgh to carry three catchers on the big league roster for the time being, with Davis joining Bart and Rodriguez.

10:41am: The Pirates are calling catcher Henry Davis up from Triple-A Indianapolis, MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf reports.  No corresponding move is yet known, though Davis’ arrival is likely related to Joey Bart leaving yesterday’s game due to lower back discomfort.

Bart was the starting catcher in Pittsburgh’s 5-3 loss to the Reds, but he was replaced in the field prior to the bottom of the second inning.  The Pirates described Bart’s status as day-to-day, yet having Davis on hand is a wise move even in the short term, so the team wouldn’t be entirely shorthanded behind the plate if backup catcher Endy Rodriguez also picked up an injury.  More will be known later today on Bart’s status, and whether or not he might be headed to the 10-day injured list.

In any case, the situation has led to another big-league look for Davis, the first overall pick of the 2021 draft.  Heralded for his batting ability at the University of Louisville, Davis has yet to show anything at the plate at the MLB level.  After hitting .213/.302/.351 in 255 plate appearances in his 2023 rookie season, Davis had only a .144/.242/.212 slash line in 122 PA last year.  His 2024 campaign was also marred by a pair of IL stints — one on the concussion-related injured list, and another due to hand inflammation.

Davis’ development has taken a few twists and turns, chiefly due to the Bucs’ experiment with Davis as an outfielder, as the team looked for ways to fit both Davis and another top catching prospect in Rodriguez into the lineup at the same time.  This long-term view hit some immediate roadblocks, however, as Rodriguez missed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery, plus Bart (also a former top prospect during his time with the Giants) also broke out with solid numbers last year to claim the starting catching job.

The Pirates have now recommitted Davis to a catching-only path, while Rodriguez has seen a good chunk of action at first base in addition to serving as Bart’s backup this season.  Perhaps regardless of how the fielding situation might develop, Davis isn’t going to stick in the Show unless he can hit, and it is still far too early to write Davis off at age 25.  His minor league numbers also hint at the potential, as Davis has a .316/.417/.548 slash line and 15 homers over 346 career PA at the Triple-A level.

Reds Activate Andrew Abbott From Injured List

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The Reds activated southpaw Andrew Abbott from the injured list earlier today, as noted by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Abbott will be starting tonight’s game against the Pirates. Outfielder Will Benson was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Abbott, 26 in June, emerged as a regular rotation option for the Reds when he was a rookie back in 2023. He posted a strong 3.87 ERA (120 ERA+) in 21 starts that year while striking 26.1% of his opponents, but his sophomore campaign saw him take something of a step backwards. While the southpaw’s 3.72 ERA and 118 ERA+ were largely unchanged from his rookie campaign, his peripheral numbers suffered as he posted a well below-average 5.02 FIP across 25 starts. Much of that can be attributed to his lackluster 19.5% strikeout rate in his follow-up season, though a sizable increase in his home run rate also played a role.

The lefty mostly looked good during Spring Training, with a 2.57 ERA and five strikeouts against just one walk in seven innings of work across two outings. Those sorts of numbers would normally put Abbott in a good place to improve upon his work in 2025 this year, but a slow build up to the season after last year was cut short by a shoulder strain meant that he actually started out on the injured list rather than breaking camp with the club. Fortunately, it proved to be a relatively brief IL stint as he finished building up with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville with a 3.60 ERA in two starts.

With Abbott now back in the majors, he’ll be tasked with sliding into the back of the Cincinnati rotation alongside Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer. It’s a strong group that the Reds figure to lean on heavily this year as they look to fight their way back into the postseason for the first time since 2020, though the eventual return of youngster Rhett Lowder from the injured list could push someone out of the mix. Abbott could be a candidate to move out of the rotation depending on his performance, though perhaps the most sensible choice would be Martinez given his past experience (and success) in a bullpen role.

Moving off the roster to make room for Abbott is Benson, who appeared in just one game after being called up from the minors earlier this week. That lone appearance left much to be desired, as Benson struck out four times in four trips to the plate, but that he’s been in the minors at all this year while the Reds rely on players like Blake Dunn and Jacob Hurtubise to fill in while Austin Hays is on the injured list is telling of how far his stock has fallen in the organization’s eyes. It wasn’t long ago, after all, that Benson was one of the team’s best hitters with a .275/.365/.498 slash line back in 2023.

A lackluster 2024 season that saw him strikeout out in 39.7% of his plate appearances with a subpar 75 wRC+ was enough to push him out of the club’s roster plans for this year despite that impressive history, and while he’s raked in nine games at Triple-A this season it seems he’ll need to show more improvement to get a substantial opportunity in the majors this year. In the meantime, Gavin Lux has joined Dunn, Hurtubise, and Jake Fraley in the corner outfield mix while Hays is out of commission, while TJ Friedl remains the club’s everyday center fielder.

Mariners Outright Jesse Hahn

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Jesse Hahn has been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma.  Hahn cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  Since Hahn has more than three years’ worth of MLB service time, he has the right to reject that outright assignment in favor of free agency, but there isn’t yet any word on whether or not Hahn will test the market or stick in Seattle’s organization.

Hahn already quickly re-signed with the Mariners on a fresh minor league deal after they released him from a previous minors contract at the end of March, which might hint that Hahn will again stick around in Triple-A.  Hahn’s return to the M’s ended up landing the righty his first taste of Major League action since 2021, after the Mariners selected his contract and deployed him in two games last week.  Hahn threw four scoreless frames in those two appearances, albeit with three hits and four walks in that limited sample.

The 35-year-old Hahn has a 4.17 ERA over 315 1/3 career innings with the Padres, A’s, Royals, and Mariners.  Health issues have cost him big chunks of his career, as Hahn has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, and he also didn’t pitch at all in 2022-23 while recovering from a shoulder issue.  He returned to action to post a 4.29 ERA across 50 1/3 frames at the Triple-A level for the Dodgers and Mariners, as control issues continued to limit Hahn’s effectiveness.

White Sox Place Austin Slater On 10-Day IL Due To Right Meniscus Tear

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The White Sox announced that outfielder Austin Slater has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a meniscus tear in his right knee.  The IL placement is retroactive to April 11.  Outfielder Greg Jones was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

With Andrew Benintendi (groin strain) and Mike Tauchman (hamstring strain) already on the IL, Chicago’s outfield has now been further reduced by Slater’s injury, which looks to be significantly longer term in nature depending on the severity of the tear.  The best-case scenario could see Slater back on the field in a few weeks’ time, while he might be shelved for a couple of months if surgery is required.  Manager Will Venable told SoxMachine’s JamesFegan and other reporters that the team doesn’t have a timeline yet for Slater.

This is actually the second injury Slater has suffered during his brief tenure with the White Sox, after an oblique issue cost him a couple of weeks during Spring Training.  Slater signed a one-year contract worth $1.75MM in guaranteed money back in November, as the Sox aimed to use the right-handed hitting Slater in a platoon capacity in one or both of the corner outfield positions.  Now, all of Chicago’s planned corner outfield candidates are on the IL, leaving Michael A. Taylor, Brooks Baldwin, Joshua Palacios, and now Jones as the makeshift group flanking center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

Slater posted solid to very good numbers as a part-timer with San Francisco from 2020-23, but his production cratered badly last year, as he slashed just .209/.321/.266 over 212 combined plate appearances with the Giants, Reds, and Orioles.  He has actually logged more big league innings as a center fielder than he has in left or right field, though defensive metrics indicate that Slater is much better suited to corner outfield work.

Nationals Place CJ Abrams On 10-Day Injured List

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The Nationals announced that shortstop CJ Abrams has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hip flexor strain.  Infielder Nasim Nunez was called up from Triple-A to take Abrams’ spot on the active roster.

Abrams’ injury has been bothering him for the better part of a week, as he didn’t play on Monday or Tuesday before returning to action on Wednesday.  The Nationals didn’t play on Thursday, but that extra day of rest didn’t help Abrams, as he made an early exit during the fourth inning of Friday’s game with the Marlins.  Manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including MLB.com’s Santos Perez) that Abrams had hip discomfort while trying to steal a base in the top of the third, and then again when fielding a grounder in the bottom half of the inning.

Given the lingering nature of the injury, it isn’t surprising that the Nats decided to shut Abrams down entirely for at least 10 days to let him fully shake the hip issue.  Paul DeJong will likely shift over from third base to take over most of the starting duties at shortstop, with Amed Rosario and Jose Tena probably handling things at third.  Nunez also has a lot of shortstop experience in the minor leagues, and the former Rule 5 Draft pick figures to get some playing time in his second MLB season.

Not that there’s ever a great time to visit the IL, but the placement cuts short Abrams’ heavy-hitting start to the 2025 campaign.  Abrams has already hit four homers and delivered a .585 slugging percentage in his first 46 trips to the plate, even if his batting average (.244) and OBP (.289) are far more modest.

Abrams also had a big first half in 2024, earning the shortstop a spot on the NL All-Star team.  Just when it looked like Abrams was having a proper breakout year, however, his production tailed off in the second half, and he was optioned to Triple-A for the last week of the season as a disciplinary response to an off-the-field issue.  Washington president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo made a point of confirming his team’s commitment and belief in Abrams during the Nats’ end-of-season press conference, and the matter might end up being a footnote if Abrams continues as a cornerstone piece for a Nationals team that is emerging from the end of a rebuild.

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