Blue Jays, Joe Mantiply Agree To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Toronto also recently inked utilityman Buddy Kennedy to a minor league pact after he was released by the Phillies. He’s already made his debut with their Triple-A affiliate.
Mantiply was released by the Diamondbacks in early June after struggling considerably early in the year. The 34-year-old has a nice track record and was an important piece of Arizona’s bullpen from 2021-24, tossing 198 1/3 frames with a 3.63 earned run average, 22% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 51.9% ground-ball rate. He picked up three saves and 50 holds over that four-year run.
That track record feels like a distant memory after Mantiply was rocked for a 15.83 ERA in 9 2/3 big league innings this season. He’s never been a hard-thrower, but Mantiply’s 88.2 mph average fastball in 2025 was well shy of its 91.3 mph peak or even last year’s 89.5 mph average. Mantiply has struggled both in the majors and in Triple-A this season; he was tagged for a 5.56 ERA in 11/3 innings with the Diamondbacks’ Reno affiliate.
The Jays already have a pair of lefties in the big league bullpen: Justin Bruihl and breakout setup man Brendon Little. A third southpaw, Mason Fluharty, was just optioned to Triple-A Buffalo late in the season’s first half. Bruihl is a minor league signee who was just selected to the big league roster a few weeks ago. Fluharty was excellent up into early June but was rocked for a dozen runs in a span of 7 1/3 innings before being optioned back to Buffalo.
Mantiply will add some left-handed depth beyond that trio. He’ll join Amir Garrett — also with the Jays’ Triple-A club — as a veteran lefty reliever with some track record hoping to earn a look in Toronto.
Kennedy has appeared in parts of four major league seasons between the D-backs, Tigers and Phillies, but he’s only tallied 157 plate appearances in that time. He’s a .193/.287/.296 hitter at the big league level but touts a nice .279/.388/.432 slash in just over 1600 Triple-A plate appearances. Kennedy has already taken eight plate appearances in Buffalo, going 0-for-7 with a walk. He’s primarily played second base and third base in pro ball but does have more than 400 innings at first base and 93 innings of left field work under his belt.
Vinny Nittoli To Opt Out Of Brewers Deal
Reliever Vinny Nittoli plans to trigger the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Brewers, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2. The actual opt-out date is tomorrow and will give the Brewers 24 hours to add Nittoli to the big league roster, MLBTR has learned. If the Brewers choose not to select Nittoli to the roster, he’ll become a free agent.
The 34-year-old Nittoli pitched in the majors each season from 2021-24 but has totaled just 18 2/3 MLB frames in that time. He’s pitched to a sharp 2.41 ERA across those four seasons, which have been split between the Mariners, Phillies, Mets, A’s and Orioles. Nittoli has fanned 17.3% of his major league opponents against a 6.7% walk rate.
Nittoli has spent the 2025 season with the Brewers’ Triple-A club in Nashville, pitching to a 3.86 ERA with an impressive 28.9% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate. The journeyman right-hander doesn’t throw hard, sitting just 88-90 mph with his go-to cutter, but he’s induced chases on pitches off the plate at a strong 35.1% clip and recorded an excellent 14.3% swinging-strike rate during his time in Nashville this season.
The Brewers already have a strong bullpen. Milwaukee relievers rank 18th in the majors with a 4.00 ERA, but that includes some early struggles by Joel Payamps, swingman Tyler Alexander and righty Elvin Rodriguez — none of whom are on the 40-man roster at this point. Each of Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, Grant Anderson and DL Hall has an ERA of 3.69 or better. Five of those seven are under 3.00 (including a 1.66 mark for Ashby). The Brewers’ bullpen has a flat 3.00 ERA over the past calendar month — second-lowest in MLB.
Given the strength of that group, there’s no urgent need to add Nittoli, who’s out of minor league options and would need to stick in the big league bullpen if he’s selected. If the Brewers don’t want to lose the depth, they could select Nittoli to the 40-man roster and option Tobias Myers back to Nashville. (Myers was just recalled a few days before the All-Star break and didn’t get into a game.) The rest of the ‘pen is largely set, however, so the Brewers may wind up letting Nittoli explore opportunities elsewhere despite his solid results in Nashville.
Tigers Sign Geoff Hartlieb To Minor League Contract
The Tigers signed Geoff Hartlieb to a minors contract and assigned the right-hander to Triple-A Toledo, as per Hartlieb’s MLB.com profile page. Hartlieb made his debut for Toledo today, tossing 1 1/3 relief innings and picking up the win in the Mud Hens’ 6-1 victory over Omaha (the Royals’ Triple-A club).
It was just two days ago that Hartlieb entered free agency, as he chose to test the market rather than an accept an outright assignment to the Yankees’ Triple-A club. Hartlieb has been DFA’ed and outrighted several times over the years, and thus has the right to decline any further outrights in favor of free agency. Just since the start of July, Hartlieb was twice designated for assignment by New York — his first trip to free agency saw him quickly re-sign with the Yankees, but this latest venture now sees Hartlieb land in Detroit.
The 30-year-old Hartlieb has pitched in parts of six Major League seasons, though with only 80 2/3 career innings in the Show. The first 57 1/3 of those frames came with the Pirates in 2019-20, and Hartlieb has since bounced around for sporadic duty with the Mets, Marlins, and Rockies in addition to his time in the Bronx. Hartlieb has a 7.92 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, and a very high 14.9% walk rate against big league hitters.
His Triple-A numbers are considerably better, as Hartlieb took a 4.17 career ERA in Triple-A ball into today’s outing against Omaha. This solid production in the minors has consistently gotten Hartlieb looks from clubs in need of relief depth, and the Tigers are the latest team to bring the right-hander aboard. Hartlieb is out of minor league options, which limits his flexibility if he gets called back up to the majors, and likely means he’ll face future trips to DFA limbo.
Brewers Designate Drew Avans For Assignment
The Brewers announced a trio of roster moves, including the news that outfielder Drew Avans has been designated for assignment. The DFA opens up a 40-man roster spot for Blake Perkins, who was returned from his minor league rehab assignment and optioned to Triple-A Nashville, after spending the entire season on the injured list. Right-hander Easton McGee was also optioned to Triple-A.
It was a little over a month ago that the Athletics designated Avans, which led to the Brewers obtaining the outfielder via waiver claim. Avans made his Major League debut in the form of seven games with the A’s this season, and his time in the Brewers organization has mostly been spent in Nashville, apart from a lone appearance on Milwaukee’s active roster back on June 15. Over 18 plate appearances at the big league level, Avans has two singles and only a .229 OPS.
The 29-year-old Avans has posted much more solid numbers during a minor league career that began when the Dodgers took him in the 33rd round of the 2018 draft. Avans had played only in the L.A. farm system before joining the A’s on a minors deal this past offseason, and he has a .275/.374/.408 slash line, 37 home runs, and 145 stolen bases over 2328 career PA at the Triple-A level.
Between his speed, decent hitting numbers, and an ability to play all three outfield positions, Avans could very well get claimed again by another club in need of outfield depth. If he clears waivers, he isn’t eligible to elect free agency, so the Brewers could either release Avans or just outright him off the 40-man roster and send him to Triple-A Nashville.
Perkins fouled a ball off himself during a Spring Training batting practice session back in February, resulting in a shin fracture that has cost the outfielder the entire 2025 campaign. He started his minor league rehab assignment on June 14 but was set back by a minor groin injury in early July that cost him about a week of action. Since his 30-day rehab window was up, Milwaukee had to make a decision on his status, and optioning Perkins to Triple-A allows him to keep playing throughout the All-Star break.
It is possible Perkins might be in line for his 2025 debut relatively soon, depending on Sal Frelick‘s health. Frelick is slated to undergo an MRI after the outfielder made an early exit from today’s game due to hamstring soreness. Emerging as Milwaukee’s everyday right fielder this season, Frelick has hit .294/.354/.404 with seven homers and 17 steals over 385 PA, while also delivering outstanding defense. Losing Frelick would be a blow to the Brewers’ playoff push, but the All-Star break will allow Frelick four days to rest up and hopefully avoid the IL.
Mariners Agree To Sign First-Round Pick Kade Anderson
The Mariners and third overall pick Kade Anderson have already reached an agreement, as Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton reports that the two sides have agreed to a deal with a bonus of roughly $8.8MM. That would represent a significantly below-slot signing, as the third pick comes with a slot price of $9,504,400.
Anderson rose to prominence over his two seasons at LSU, particularly in the 2025 season when he emerged as a full-time starter and arguably the best pitcher in college ball. Anderson posted a 3.18 ERA over 119 innings (with a 37.4% strikeout rate and 7.28% walk rate) and was named the most outstanding player of the College World Series as LSU captured their eighth NCAA title.
This breakout made the southpaw one of the top prospects of the 2025 draft class, and the top pitching prospect in the eyes of some evaluators. Kiley McDaniel had Anderson as the best prospect overall on ESPN’s board, while MLB Pipeline had Anderson second, Fangraphs and Keith Law each had the left-hander third, and Baseball America had Anderson fourth in their rankings.
Anderson’s fastball, slider, and curveball each received at least a 55 from Pipeline and Baseball America on the 20-80 scouting scale, and Pipeline’s scouting report also put a 60 grade on Anderson’s changeup. He throws a lot of strikes with all of his pitches, and Anderson’s fastball is usually in the 92-94 range with the occasional top-out up to 97mph, and this relatively modest velocity is enhanced by plenty of movement. Health is a bit of a question, as Anderson underwent a Tommy John surgery in high school and is of around average size at 6’2″ and 179 pounds.
While Anderson doesn’t have a lot of college innings under his belt, it might not take him too long to start knocking on the door for a promotion to the majors. The Mariners are already deep in pitching, and their draft-lottery luck in landing the third pick has now brought a high-level young arm into the organization.
Cardinals Activate Ivan Herrera, Place Lars Nootbaar On 10-Day IL
Prior to today’s game, the Cardinals activated catcher Ivan Herrera from the 10-day injured list. The corresponding move saw another regular hit the 10-day IL, as outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been sidelined by what the Cards described as a left costochondral sprain.
Herrera hasn’t played since June 19 due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, though the fact that he was able to return from a more severe strain within a month’s time is a positive sign. This was the second IL stint of the year for Herrera, who missed a month due to left knee inflammation in April and early May. As a result, Herrera’s 2025 campaign has been limited to 43 games, counting his appearance as the designated hitter in today’s contest with the Braves.
Despite the injuries, Herrera has swung a hot bat when he has been able to play, as he hit .320/.392/.533 with eight homers over his first 171 trips to the plate. In order to keep Herrera healthy, the Cardinals aren’t expected to use him much as a catcher over the remainder of the year, so Herrera will mostly act as a DH.
In an interesting wrinkle, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that the Cards also had Herrera go through some workouts as an outfielder, so he could potentially contribute in the field without entirely locking up the DH spot. A career catcher, Herrera has never played in the outfield as a professional, as his only other positional experience consists of a few games as a first baseman during winter ball action.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol downplayed the idea of Herrera getting any significant time as an outfielder, simply saying “we’re going to see what that looks like. We know catching is a stressor. We want to do whatever allows him to stay healthy all the way through, and if we feel at any point that it’s strictly DH, then it’s well worth it to keep his bat in the lineup and give him days off when we need the flexibility of moving someone into that spot.”
Speaking of outfielders, Nootbaar will get a full IL stint to heal up after dealing with a side problem for the last few days. The costochondral joints connect the ribs to costal cartilage, so while the situation certainly isn’t pleasant for Nootbaar, he has at least avoided an oblique strain that might’ve led to a much longer absence. Nootbaar missed about seven weeks of the 2024 season due to a pair of IL stints related to an oblique strain and a rib contusion.
Nootbaar is hitting .227/.332/.381 with 12 homers over 386 plate appearances this year, translating to a 104 wRC+ that is just above the league average. The left-handed hitting Nootbaar has played almost every day for St. Louis, playing mostly left field while chipping in at the other two outfield positions. After injuries hampered him in both 2023 and 2024, it was a good sign that Nootbaar had at least been able to stay on the field until now, and the hope is that he won’t miss too much more time to get back to playing condition. Brendan Donovan, Jose Fermin, or Garrett Hampson figure to be used in left field while Nootbaar is out.
Mets Activate Sean Manaea From 60-Day Injured List
The Mets have activated left-hander Sean Manaea from the 60-day injured list for his season debut. Right-hander Austin Warren was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, and the Mets already had a vacant 40-man spot for Manaea to take over.
Manaea, 33, has been sidelined all season by an oblique strain and a loose body in his left elbow. He’s now back and ready to resume pitching for a Mets club that’s in a tight battle with the Phillies over control for the NL East, though as noted by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo he’s slated to pitch in relief of Clay Holmes in his return to the mound today before shifting into a rotation role in the future. The lefty’s rehab starts this season have left something to be desired, as he’s pitched to a 6.27 ERA in 18 2/3 innings of work. Even so, his return should be a major boost for the Mets rotation given that he was their major expenditure on the starting pitching market this past offseason.
That three-year, $75MM guarantee from the Mets is more than justified by his performance last year. The veteran lefty delivered a sterling performance in his first season with New York, where he pitched to a 3.47 ERA in 181 2/3 innings of work while making 32 starts and striking out 24.9% of his opponents. Manaea’s return means that the Mets’ on-paper starting rotation entering the 2025 campaign will be fully healthy for the first time when they return from the All-Star break, as Kodai Senga and Frankie Montas have both recently returned from their IL stints of their own that kept them sidelined for much of the first half.
That trio joins Clay Holmes and David Peterson to round out the Mets’ rotation, and now that the group is fully healthy the club’s need for additional starting pitching help is greatly reduced. Even so, the losses of Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn, and Tylor Megill to the injured list mean that the Mets are likely to be in the market for some sort of starting pitching help, whether it’s a front-of-the-rotation arm who allows them to utilize a six-man rotation or a depth starter who can swing between the bullpen and rotation as needed. There figures to be plenty of demand for starting pitching, however, and with other clubs like the Cubs, Astros, and Blue Jays likely to be very aggressive on that front it could behoove the Mets to look more towards other areas of the roster as they look for upgrades this trade season, so long as they’re confident in the health of their current group of starters.
As for Warren, the 29-year-old righty has a 1.69 ERA in four appearances for the Mets this season. He’s pitched for the Angels and Giants as well across his five seasons in the majors, and has totaled a 3.00 ERA in 54 innings of work since making his debut back in 2021. He’ll head back to the minor leagues, where he has a career 3.98 ERA and a 26.1% strikeout rate in five seasons of work at Triple-A, and wait for his next opportunity.
Braves Select Wander Suero
The Braves announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Wander Suero. To make room for Suero on the 40-man and active rosters, right-hander Michael Petersen was designated for assignment while right-hander Daysbel Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A.
Suero, 33, is being called up to pitch in his seventh major league season. He made his big league debut with the Nationals back in 2018 and enjoyed a solid three-year run where he pitched to a 4.10 ERA (108 ERA+) with a 3.20 FIP and a 26.1% strikeout rate across 142 2/3 innings of work from 2018 to 2020. That stretch included D.C.’s 2019 World Series championship, for which Suero was on the postseason roster and made three scoreless appearances during the World Series. Unfortunately, the good times came to an abrupt halt in 2021 as he turned in a brutal 6.33 ERA with a FIP of 5.80 in 45 appearances.
It was a bad enough performance that he was non-tendered by Washington during the 2021-22 offseason, and in the years since then Suero has largely been relegated to work in the minor leagues. He’s pitched for the Angels, Dodgers, Astros, and Braves in the upper minors over the past four seasons, and though he made it to the majors in both Los Angeles and Houston he sports a lackluster 7.88 ERA across six appearances. Despite that lackluster recent track record, Suero has looked nothing short of excellent at Triple-A Gwinnett for the Braves this year with a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings to go along with a 33.6% strikeout rate. He’ll now get the opportunity to show himself to be a capable big league relief arm once again in a Braves bullpen that could certainly use reinforcements, especially ahead of a trade deadline where rental arms Raisel Iglesias and Pierce Johnson could be dangled.
Making room for Suero on the roster is Petersen, who has made four appearances for the Braves this year. The 31-year-old made his MLB debut last year and pitched for the Dodgers and Marlins before joining Atlanta. He has a 5.47 ERA in 26 1/3 innings of work over the past two seasons to go with a career 2.84 ERA at the Triple-A level. It’s a solid enough resume that, when combined with the fact that Petersen has minor league options remaining, it wouldn’t be a shock if he winds up plucked off waivers by a rival club. Atlanta will have one week to either trade Petersen or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed, they’ll have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues as non-roster depth. Hernandez, meanwhile has been nothing short of excellent for the Braves over the past two seasons with a 2.25 ERA and 3.10 FIP, but has struggled to stay on the big league roster due to being one of only a few bullpen arms at Atlanta’s disposal with minor league options remaining. He’ll surely be back up with the big league club at some point this season.
White Sox Acquire Blake Sabol
The White Sox have acquired catcher Blake Sabol from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, according to an announcement from the Worcester WooSox. Sabol was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster earlier this month, so no corresponding transaction was necessary for Chicago to acquire him.
Sabol, 27, has now been traded for the second time in seven months. Acquired by the Red Sox from the Giants back in January, the former Rule 5 pick appeared in just eight games for Boston this year. He hit a paltry .125/.167/.188 in that limited time and didn’t perform much better at Triple-A Worcester, where he batted .167 with a .281 on-base percentage and slugged .299. That weak performance was enough to convince the Red Sox to risk losing Sabol on waivers when they designated him for assignment earlier this month, but he cleared waivers successfully and was outrighted to Triple-A.
Now that he no longer requires a dedicated 40-man roster spot, it seems the White Sox had interest in him as a depth option. The combination of Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Korey Lee leave Chicago fairly well set up in terms of catching options on the 40-man roster, but the addition of a non-roster veteran like Sabol could be helpful given the youth of that trio. If two of those three young catchers need more seasoning in the minors at some point, Sabol could step in to help fill the gap at the big league level. The same could be said for the possibility of injury; one look at the Orioles this year shows you can never have too much catching depth.
It’s also worth noting that Sabol has had at least some level of offensive success in the majors before. While 2025 has been disastrous for him so far, Sabol did enter the year with a .243/.313/.392 slash line at the big league level across 121 games with the Giants. That’s a roughly league average showing, and it’s not impossible to imagine that his numbers could improve if he stopped spitting time between catching and the outfield and focused on one position full-time, particularly given the fact that Sabol remains in his prime.
Sabol is theoretically controllable until after the 2030 season, though it must be noted that he’ll be eligible to elect free agency following the 2025 season unless the White Sox add him back to their 40-man roster. Even so, that potential for longer-term team control gives the acquisition of Sabol more upside than the typical depth addition. As for the Red Sox, the emergence of Carlos Narvaez has more or less solved their issues behind the plate, as he and Connor Wong have managed to form a formidable tandem. Seby Zavala is likely the next man up on the catching depth chart for Boston, and that figured to be the case even before Sabol’s departure.
Orioles Designate Corbin Martin For Assignment
The Orioles announced this morning that they have recalled left-hander Grant Wolfram to the major league roster. Right-hander Corbin Martin was designated for assignment to make room for Wolfram on the club’s active roster. Baltimore’s 40-man roster now stands at 39 players.
Martin, 29, was a second-round pick by the Astros back in 2017 and received some attention as a top-100 prospect prior to the 2019 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the first half that year, and early in his recovery found himself traded to the Diamondbacks on the day of the trade deadline as part of the Zack Greinke blockbuster alongside Josh Rojas, Seth Beer, and JB Bukauskas. Martin didn’t return to a mound until 2021, and once he did so the results left much to be desired. He surrendered a 10.69 ERA in 16 innings of work during his first season with the Diamondbacks at the big league level, and while he showed some signs of improvement during his age-26 season in 2022 he suffered a number of additional injuries.
That includes a lat tear in his shoulder that required surgery and cost him his 2023 campaign. Martin was ultimately designated for assignment by the Snakes in early 2024, and after a brief stint in the Brewers’ minor league system last year he found himself claimed off waivers by the Orioles last May. He pitched at Triple-A for Baltimore’s Norfolk affiliate last year and was eventually removed from the 40-man roster, but remained with the organization and was brought back up to the majors earlier this month. This latest stint in the majors proved to be a brief one, as he remained on the roster for less than two weeks and made just one appearance. The appearance was an impressive one, however, as he struck out two and allowed just one hit in 1 1/3 innings of work against the Rangers.
Going forward, the Orioles will have one week to either work out a trade involving Martin or attempt to pass him through waivers. Should he clear waivers successfully, he would have the opportunity to either accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues or elect free agency in search of a better opportunity elsewhere. It wouldn’t be a shock to see some team take a chance on him now that he’s healthy, though his 5.29 ERA at Triple-A this year still raises some questions about his effectiveness even after his strong return to the majors earlier this month. As for Wolfram, the rookie made his big league debut with the Orioles earlier this year and has a 31.3% strikeout rate in three appearances at the big league level so far this season. With Keegan Akin on the injured list, Wolfram’s return to the bullpen should take some pressure off of fellow lefty Gregory Soto going forward.