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IL Activations: Chapman, Yates

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Here’s a look at some of the more notable names to be activated from the injured list today…

  • The Giants activated third baseman Matt Chapman from the injured list today after spending just a week on the shelf due to inflammation in his right hand. Versatile infielder Tyler Fitzgerald was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Chapman on the active roster. Chapman has appeared in just 96 games for San Francisco this year after missing time due to a sprained right hand back in June. He missed nearly a month due to that injury, and after being activated in early July he hit just .200/.290/.365 over 31 games before heading back to the IL due to his ailing hand. Chapman received a cortisone shot during this latest stint on the shelf, and both he and the Giants are surely hoping he’ll be able to hit more like his first half self (.243/.360/.452 in 65 games) going forward. As for Fitzgerald, he’s hit just .217/.278/.327 (73 wRC+) in 72 games this year thanks primarily to vanishing power relative to his 15 homers in 341 plate appearances last year.
  • Elsewhere in the NL West, the Dodgers activated veteran relief arm Kirby Yates from the injured list today. He takes the roster spot of southpaw Blake Snell, who is headed to the paternity list. Yates was shelved on August 1 due to low back pain and hasn’t appeared in a game since July 26. He was placed on the shelf after a difficult month of July where he surrendered a 6.00 ERA and 5.95 FIP across eight appearances, but the Dodgers are surely hoping that his month-long layoff has helped him get healthy for the final weeks of the season. Yates was arguably the best reliever in baseball with the Rangers last year as he posted a 1.17 ERA with a 2.50 FIP and picked up 33 saves in 61 appearances. This year his ERA has ballooned to 4.31, but a 32.8% strikeout rate still offers some reason for optimism that he’ll be able to turn things around now that he’s healthy. Yates joins a Dodgers bullpen that is presently relying on Blake Treinen and Ben Casparius in the late innings from the right side.

Tigers Sign Kevin Newman To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have signed infielder Kevin Newman to a minor league deal, as noted this evening by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Newman has already reported to Triple-A Toledo and is in tonight’s lineup for the Mud Hens.

Newman, 32, was a first-round pick by the Pirates back in 2015 who made his big league debut during the 2018 season. He appeared in just 31 games during that first taste of the majors and didn’t hit much at all, but earned a regular role with the Pirates in his first full big league season the following year and hit quite well across 130 games. Then 25 years old, Newman impressed with an above-average .308/.353/.446 slash line (109 wRC+) in 531 plate appearances as Pittsburgh’s starting shortstop. Unfortunately, that excellent rookie season proved to be an outlier. Over his next three years with the organization, Newman hit just .240/.283/.323 (64 wRC+) in 270 games.

Newman’s lackluster work following his rookie campaign led the Pirates to part ways with Newman following the 2022 season. In November of that year, he was shipped to the Reds in a minor trade just before the non-tender deadline. With Cincinnati in 2023 and Arizona in 2024, Newman showed a form similar to the one he showed with the Pirates during the 2022 campaign as he hit a below average .267/.311/.370 (84 wRC+) with strong enough infield defense to be a quality bench bat and role player. His value was further augmented by his ability to put up respectable numbers (including a 114 wRC+ from 2022 to ’24) against left-handed pitching.

That solid work in a part-time role over the past few years was clearly enough to convince the Angels to sign Newman to a one-year, $2.75MM guarantee this past offseason. He was part of the club’s infield mix alongside a number of newcomers like Yoan Moncada, Scott Kingery, Tim Anderson, and J.D. Davis. The majority of those players are no longer on Anaheim’s roster, and Newman himself was designated for assignment on the day of the trade deadline after the Angels acquired Oswald Peraza in a trade with the Yankees. That DFA came after Newman appeared in just 33 games with the club and hit a paltry .202/.209/.272 (27 wRC+) in the 116 plate appearance he received during his time in California.

That weak offense wasn’t enough to keep a job on Anaheim’s big league staff, but Newman has now attracted interest from the Tigers as a minor league depth piece. By joining his new organization prior to the start of September, Newman remains eligible to play in the postseason for the Tigers in the event he gets added to the roster at some point. Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry, and Trey Sweeney have split time at shortstop this year for Detroit, but it’s possible that Newman could make his way into that group if one of that trio suffers an injury or the Tigers decide they’d prefer to get both Baez and McKinstry more time at other positions.

Astros Designate Shawn Dubin For Assignment

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The Astros have designated right-hander Shawn Dubin for assignment, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.  Righty AJ Blubaugh has been called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move (KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander reported earlier today that Blubaugh was on his way to the Astros’ active roster).

Dubin is out of minor league options, so Houston had to go the DFA route in order to remove him from its active roster.  Dubin doesn’t have the service time or the past outright necessary to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A, so chances are he’ll just remain in the Astros’ farm system if he clears waivers.  A pitching-needy team might consider claiming Dubin off the waiver wire, though is out-of-options status will probably scare off a few clubs, plus his case for sticking on a big league roster isn’t helped by his brutal month of August.

Dubin had a 1.33 ERA over his first 20 1/3 innings of 2025, even if that standout ERA wasn’t quite supported by his secondary metrics.  A forearm strain sent him to the 15-day injured list near the end of June, however, and since returning on August 12, Dubin simply hasn’t looked the same.  He has been torched for 13 earned runs over five appearances and 5 1/3 innings since being activated from the IL, inflating his ERA up to 5.61 over 25 2/3 total frames.

A bout of shoulder inflammation during Spring Training already put Dubin on the IL to begin the season, and he then didn’t make his 2025 debut until May 11 since an ankle injury set back his recovery.  Things seemed fine once he finally got onto the Astros’ mound, yet whether Dubin is just rusty or is still feeling some after-effects from his forearm issue, his recent performance has been too rough for Houston to ignore.

Selected in the 13th round of the 2018 draft, Dubin has spent his entire career in Houston’s organization, debuting in the Show with seven innings during the 2023 season.  He then had a 4.17 ERA over 45 1/3 innings in 2024, getting a couple of spot starts but primarily working out of the bullpen.  Dubin battled control problems last year but while his walk rate is vastly improved in 2025, his strikeout rate has dropped (from 23.7% to 18.9%).

The Astros’ bullpen has been strong for most of 2025, but the relief corps has hit some major roadblocks beyond just Dubin’s struggles.  Star closer Josh Hader will miss at least the rest of the regular season due to a capsule sprain, and southpaw Bennett Sousa (already on the 15-day IL) is now also a question mark, as he’ll be shut down for the next two weeks while dealing with a flexor/pronator strain.  Blubaugh is a rookie who has only nine MLB innings on his resume, but he’ll at least be a short-term fresh arm to act as a long man in the pen.

Twins Designate Jose Urena For Assignment

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10:51AM: Urena’s DFA and Abel’s call-up were both officially announced by the Twins.

7:09AM: The Twins designated right-hander Jose Urena for assignment yesterday, according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes.  Right-hander Mick Abel will be called up today in the corresponding move, and Abel will get the start in today’s game against the White Sox.

Urena was Thursday’s starter, and he was tagged for six earned runs over five innings in the Twins’ 8-3 loss to the Athletics.  This boosted Urena’s ERA to 4.58 over 17 2/3 innings since Minnesota selected his contract on August 1, as one of many roster moves the Twins made the day after their major selloff at the trade deadline.  Urena started three of his four appearances in a Twins uniform, and took a 2.13 ERA into Friday’s action, though neither his 12.8% strikeout rate or his 10.3% walk rate were anything impressive.

It was almost exactly two months ago that Urena signed a minor league contract with Minnesota, continuing a nomadic season that has seen the veteran log big league innings for four different teams.  Urena has a 5.00 ERA over 36 combined innings with the Mets, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Twins, with a 12.5% strikeout rate and 8.1BB%.

In all three of his previous stops, Urena was designated for assignment, outrighted off the 40-man roster, and he then elected free agency rather than accept that outright assignment to Triple-A.  With more than eight full years of MLB service time, Urena has more than enough experience to allow him to turn down outright assignments in favor of return trips to the open market.

It seems probable that he’ll elect free agency again here in the likely event that he clears waivers, though Urena might prefer some stability after bouncing around the league in 2025, and his options are more limited given the lack of time remaining in the regular season.  Another team in search of innings could also potentially just claim Urena off the waiver wire and insert him into their bullpen as a swingman, or into the rotation.

Abel made his Major League debut earlier this season in the form of six starts and 25 innings with the Phillies, posting a 5.04 ERA in his first taste of action against big league hitters.  In perhaps the largest of Minnesota’s many deadline moves, Abel and Eduardo Tait were acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for Jhoan Duran, as the Twins opted to part ways with the closer in exchange for a top catching prospect in Tait and a big league-ready starter in Abel who is himself a former top-100 prospect.

Now in line to make his official Twins debut today, Abel has already shone in the minors, with a 1.76 ERA over three starts and 15 1/3 innings for Triple-A St. Paul.  Minnesota president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told Hayes and other reporters earlier this month that the Twins wanted to deploy both Abel and fellow deadline pickup Taj Bradley at Triple-A to begin their tenure with the team, since “sometimes you need to get your legs under you in a new organization before you take that next step.”  Bradley also figures to be called up relatively soon, with Hayes speculating that Bradley might also be promoted to start Sunday’s game in Chicago.

Astros Outright Tayler Scott

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TODAY: Scott has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, according to Scott’s MLB.com profile page.  There isn’t yet any indication if Scott will accept the assignment, or elect free agency.

AUGUST 19: The Astros have designated right-hander Tayler Scott for assignment, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Righty Logan VanWey has been recalled as the corresponding move. Houston’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Scott was only just selected to Houston’s roster yesterday and has now been quickly bumped off. That’s a reflection of the club getting trounced two games in a row. On Sunday, they lost 12-0 to the Orioles. Yesterday, it was a 10-0 defeat at the hand of the Tigers.

They used six pitchers in Sunday’s game, not including outfielder Chas McCormick coming in for some mop-up duty. Scott was added prior to last night’s game, to give them a fresh arm. Starter Spencer Arrighetti allowed five runs in five innings last night, putting the Astros in a hole. They put in Scott at that point but he couldn’t stop the bleeding. He allowed five more runs to score, recording five outs in the process.

He threw 42 pitches and likely wasn’t going to be available for a day or two, so the Astros have bumped him off the roster. Since he’s out of options, he had to be removed from the 40-man and sent into DFA limbo.

With the trade deadline having passed, Scott will be placed on waivers. He has cleared waivers a couple of times already this year, so it’s fair to expect that he will do so again. He was able to post a 2.23 earned run average last year but that has ballooned to 7.90 here in 2025. The other times he cleared waivers, he elected free agency and signed minor league deals, one with the Diamondbacks and one with the Astros. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him back with the Astros on a fresh minor league deal a few days from now.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Mariners Sign Luke Jackson To Minors Contract

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The Mariners signed Luke Jackson to a minor league deal on Thursday, as per the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  Jackson (who turns 34 tomorrow) made his debut with Triple-A Tacoma last night, allowing two runs in an inning of relief work.

The Rangers signed Jackson to a one-year, $1.5MM free agent deal back in February, plus he added another $450K to his salary by reaching innings-based incentives thresholds.  Jackson was designated for assignment and then released in late July, then quickly joined the Tigers on another guaranteed deal.  This tenure in Motown lasted just three appearances and 4 1/3 innings before Jackson was DFA’ed again, and he elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Should the Mariners call Jackson up to the active roster, Seattle will owe him just a prorated minimum salary, which will be subtracted from what remains of his original salary.  With Texas still responsible for the bulk of Jackson’s owed money, there’s no risk for the M’s in adding a veteran depth arm to the ranks.

As one might expect from the three-team tour, it hasn’t been a terribly productive year for Jackson on the mound.  Jackson has a 4.54 ERA over 39 2/3 combined innings with Texas and Detroit, with almost as many walks (24) as strikeouts (28).  The lack of results have come despite Jackson’s usual success at keeping the ball on the ground, as he has a 52.5% grounder rate and a favorable .267 BABIP.

It has now been more two years since Jackson’ last productive MLB season, as he also had a 5.09 ERA across 53 innings with the Giants and Braves in 2024.  While walks have always been an issue for Jackson, he posted very strong numbers in both the 2021 and 2023 seasons, with the 2022 campaign a writeoff due to a Tommy John surgery.  If he can recapture any of his old form, Jackson could bring some postseason experience to a Mariners team that has hopes of making some noise in October.

Orioles Extend Samuel Basallo

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The Orioles locked up a key piece of their future on Friday afternoon, signing rookie catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year extension. The deal, which covers the 2026-33 seasons and comes with a 2034 club option, reportedly guarantees the CAA Baseball client $67MM. Basallo, who celebrated his 21st birthday just nine days ago, receives a $5MM signing bonus and can max out the contract at $88.5MM via various escalators. Baltimore buys out at least two would-be free agent seasons with the option for a third.

The salary breaks down as follows:

  • $1MM annually between 2026-28
  • $4MM in 2029
  • $7MM in 2030
  • $11MM in 2031
  • $15MM annually between 2032-33
  • $18MM club option ($7MM buyout) for 2034

It’s a testament to Basallo’s status as one of the most impressive prospects in the entire league. He was a consensus top-15 prospect in the sport entering the 2025 season and has only improved his stock since then after slashing .270/.377/.589 (151 wRC+) in 76 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season with 23 homers and a 13.7% walk rate. He did all that while being the youngest qualified hitter in the International League this year. That sort of sensational production left nothing for Basallo to prove at Triple-A in terms of his bat, and while his time in the majors has barely begun he’s already gotten off to a hot start by going 3-for-10 with a double, a run scored, five RBI, a hit-by-pitch and just one strikeout across his first 11 plate appearances in the majors.

With that said, questions have been raised about his defensive ability behind the plate by outside prospect evaluation services. Even GM Mike Elias himself acknowledged that he felt Basallo’s skills behind the plate needed more work before he came to the majors back in June, though the fact that he’s not only been called up since then but has now inked a massive extension certainly suggests that Elias and the rest of the Orioles’ brass have liked what they’ve seen. Just yesterday, Adley Rutschman was placed on the injured list due to an oblique strain which figures to have the secondary effect of opening up plenty of playing time for Basallo behind the plate down the stretch. That should give the Orioles plenty of opportunity to see how he handles the rigors of the position at the big league level and make an informed decision about how he’ll be used in 2026.

Whether Basallo winds up behind the plate or at first base, however, the deal is a reasonable enough sum that the Orioles can feel comfortable with the investment. Basallo’s $67MM guarantee is seventh-highest figure among 12 hitters who have extended with their clubs after making their big league debut but prior to reaching one year of MLB service time, according to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. Two such players have signed extensions this year: #1 overall prospect Roman Anthony, who had 38 days of MLB service time when the Red Sox locked him up on a $130MM guarantee over eight seasons, and Anthony’s teammate Kristian Campbell, who had just six days of MLB service time when he landed an eight-year, $60MM extension that guaranteed him $59.2MM over seven years in new money.

Basallo, who is also signing an extension less than a week after his major league debut, wound up receiving a contract that narrowly beats out Campbell’s in terms of total guarantee. Of course, it can be somewhat fairly argued that both Basallo and Campbell fit better with the group of six players who have signed pre-debut extensions in the past decade given how shortly after their MLB debuts both players signed an extension. After all, players like Julio Rodriguez and Ronald Acuna Jr. signed nine-figure deals during their rookie seasons, but only did so after they had already accumulated more than 100 days of MLB service time and put up performances that would go on to win them their league’s Rookie of the Year award. If compared to the pre-debut group, only Jackson Chourio’s $82MM guarantee from the Brewers prior to the 2024 season was higher, as Basallo eclipses both Campbell’s aforementioned deal and the $50MM pact Luis Robert Jr. landed with the White Sox.

Because Basallo’s extension came after his MLB debut, he’s eligible to earn a draft pick for the organization via the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Because Basallo debuted too late in the 2025 season to exhaust his rookie eligibility, if he earns a full year of service time in 2026 the Orioles could stand to gain a PPI pick in the event that he wins the 2026 AL Rookie of the Year award or is a finalist for the AL MVP award in the years before he would become arbitration-eligible. Players who sign pre-debut extensions like Chourio are not eligible for the PPI, but that’s not the case for players who sign extensions following their MLB debut. Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carroll have both netted their teams PPI draft picks even after signing extensions, for example. It’s at least plausible that those rules regarding PPI picks contributed to Baltimore’s decision to wait until after Basallo’s big league debut to finalize their extension with the youngster.

While Basallo’s guarantee is hardly onerous even for a low-spending club like the Orioles, the deal is surely both exciting and encouraging for fans in Baltimore. Previous star prospects produced by the farm system like Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson have developed into star players ticketed for large paydays without signing an extension, and the lack of extensions for that first wave of youngsters has led to pessimism in some circles about the possibility of extending up-and-coming prospects from the next wave like Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo. Considering that Basallo’s deal is the first long-term extension for an Orioles player since they locked up Adam Jones all the way back in 2012, it serves as much-needed assurance for fans that the organization is willing to commit to its homegrown talent long-term.

Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner first reported that the Orioles and Basallo were nearing an eight-year, $67MM deal with a club option and a max value of $88.5MM. Noah Trister of The Associated Press reported the specific salary structure.

Angels Activate Robert Stephenson

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The Angels announced they’ve reinstated reliever Robert Stephenson from the 60-day injured list. They optioned righty Chase Silseth in a corresponding move. Los Angeles already had a couple openings on the 40-man roster after recently designating Connor Brogdon and Shaun Anderson for assignment.

Stephenson returns after losing almost three months to a biceps injury. He’d missed all of last season rehabbing elbow surgery. That carried over into late May this year. Stephenson has spent a total of three days on the Angels’ active roster. He tossed a perfect inning with two strikeouts in his team debut on May 28. Two days later, the biceps injury knocked him out of action before he finished an at-bat.

The Halos signed Stephenson to a three-year, $33MM free agent deal going into 2024. While the elbow injury wiped out the entire first season, it triggered a conditional $2.5MM club option for 2027. Stephenson was dominant down the stretch two seasons back, striking out 43% of opponents with a 2.35 ERA in 42 appearances for the Rays. His arm hasn’t given him a chance to repeat that performance.

The Halos have dropped five games under .500 and are very likely going to miss the playoffs. They’ll hope Stephenson looks like his old self in the final five weeks of the regular season. That’d at least allow them to pencil him in as a high-leverage arm as they construct their 2026 bullpen.

Kenley Jansen is an impending free agent. Ben Joyce will be working back from shoulder surgery. Reid Detmers is a quality reliever but might get a chance to compete for a rotation spot next spring. Ryan Zeferjahn has strikeout stuff with wildly inconsistent command. Stephenson and Brock Burke may be the only locks for next year’s season-opening bullpen right now, and that’s obviously conditional on the former staying healthy after two injury-wrecked years.

Astros Sign Craig Kimbrel

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August 22: Houston finalized their one-year deal with Kimbrel this afternoon. They also activated Lance McCullers Jr. from the 15-day injured list to start tonight’s game in Baltimore. They cleared active roster space by optioning rookie Logan VanWey to Triple-A and placing southpaw Bennett Sousa on the 15-day injured list. Brandon Walter, who has been out for a month with elbow inflammation, was moved to the 60-day IL in the necessary 40-man move.

Sousa is dealing with elbow inflammation himself. Manager Joe Espada said Sousa reported discomfort after Tuesday’s appearance and has not progressed as hoped. He’s flying back to Houston for further evaluation while the team continues its road trip (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic).

August 21: The Astros are in agreement with Craig Kimbrel on a major league contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The SportsMeter client was just granted his release from a minor league deal with Texas, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Houston will need to create space on both the active and 40-man rosters.

Kimbrel spent a little more than two months in Triple-A with Texas. He signed in June one day after electing free agency from the Braves. That followed a bizarre sequence in which Kimbrel’s initial team called him up for one day. The nine-time All-Star labored through a scoreless inning in his lone appearance. That remains his only MLB outing this season. Kimbrel has otherwise divided the year between the upper minors affiliates of Atlanta and Texas.

Between the two organizations, Kimbrel carries a flat 3.00 earned run average in 39 minor league innings. He has recorded an excellent 31.5% strikeout percentage but has walked nearly 13% of batters faced. It’s a similar profile as Kimbrel has shown in the big leagues in recent seasons. He had a strikeout rate in the 31-34% range while issuing free passes between 10-13% of the time in both 2023 and ’24. Kimbrel remained effective with the Orioles in the first half of the ’24 season, but he melted down after the All-Star Break (20 earned runs in 17 innings) and has barely gotten an MLB look since then.

While the Triple-A results are solid, Kimbrel’s raw stuff hasn’t been as sharp this year. His fastball has been in the 92-93 MPH range in Triple-A; he averaged less than 92 on the heater in his only big league outing. He’d sat closer to 94 last year and was up to 96 as recently as 2023. He missed enough bats against minor league hitters to intrigue the Astros, whose bullpen has struggled of late.

Only the Rockies, Blue Jays and Nationals have a higher bullpen ERA than Houston does over the past month. The Astros lost Josh Hader for at least the remainder of the regular season to a capsule strain in his shoulder. Bryan Abreu is an elite back-end arm in his own right, and they have a strong left-handed trio of Steven Okert, Bryan King and Bennett Sousa. Abreu is essentially their only reliable righty reliever. Kimbrel’s command makes him a volatile bullpen piece as well, but he has more swing-and-miss upside than Enyel De Los Santos or Shawn Dubin provide in the middle innings.

The signing is expected to become official on Friday. Getting the deal done before September 1 means Kimbrel will be eligible for postseason play if the Astros qualify. He’ll have a little over five weeks of regular season action to convince the front office and coaching staff he’s worth carrying in October. Houston leads the Mariners by 1.5 games in the AL West. They’re 3.5 games clear of the Royals, the top team that is not currently in playoff position.

Image courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images.

Mets, Ali Sanchez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mets are in agreement with catcher Ali Sánchez on a minor league contract, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. He’d elected free agency after being outrighted by the Red Sox.

It was only a matter of hours before Sánchez found a new landing spot. The Mets placed Francisco Alvarez on the injured list this week. He’s dealing with a thumb injury that’ll require surgery at some point, though he and the team are holding out hope that can be delayed until the offseason. That leaves them with a catching duo of Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger.

Torrens had his own brief injury scare on Wednesday after being struck on the glove hand by a swing in a catcher’s interference. He was able to finish the game and said afterwards that he believes he’s avoided any real injury, though he conceded he felt some soreness while gripping the bat (link via Tom Hanslin of SNY).

Senger started yesterday and is back in the lineup tonight. Torrens is capable of playing. Otherwise, the Mets would’ve made a roster move for another catcher in case Senger is knocked out of the game early. It nevertheless highlights how tenuous their catching depth is after the Alvarez injury. Neither of their current Triple-A catchers, Matt O’Neill and Onix Vega, appear to be viable big league options. Sánchez would very likely be the next man up if Torrens or Senger requires an injured list stint.

The 28-year-old Sánchez played in the Mets’ farm system between 2014-20. He had a very brief big league stint five years ago and was traded to the Cardinals during the 2020-21 offseason. He has since been a member of seven different organizations, reaching the big leagues with four of them. He’s a .185/.222/.235 hitter in 47 career MLB contests. It’s a very light bat, but Sánchez has a solid defensive reputation that makes him a capable third or fourth catcher on the depth chart.

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