Colin Poche Elects Free Agency
Veteran reliever Colin Poche elected free agency after being outrighted by the Mets, relays Laura Albanese of Newsday. Fellow southpaw José Castillo also went unclaimed and was outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Castillo has the right to elect free agency as well, though it’s unclear if he intends to do so.
Poche and Castillo are part of a revolving door of Mets’ lefty relievers. That role has been in flux since the A.J. Minter and Danny Young injuries. They’re now operating with Richard Lovelady and Brandon Waddell in that capacity. Poche, who signed a minor league contract in early May, was only on the MLB roster for a few days. He made one appearance, retiring two of six batters faced and giving up a pair of runs. Poche spent the first month of the season with the Nationals, allowing 12 runs with more walks than strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.
This has been a frustrating season for the 31-year-old in both MLB and (to a lesser extent) at the Triple-A level. He was a decent middle reliever for the Rays as recently as last year. Poche turned in a 3.86 ERA across 37 1/3 frames with Tampa Bay in 2024. The Mets could look to bring him back on a new minor league contract given their lack of depth from the left side.
Castillo landed in Queens in a DFA trade with the Diamondbacks. He got a longer run in Carlos Mendoza’s relief corps than Poche had. The 29-year-old made 13 appearances and allowed five runs (three earned) across 11 1/3 innings. He punched out 14 but issued six walks and plunked another four hitters. This has been Castillo’s first significant stretch of MLB action since he made 37 appearances during his 2018 rookie season with the Padres, largely because of various intervening injuries.
Trey Mancini Opts Out Of D-Backs Deal
Veteran first baseman Trey Mancini has opted out of his minor league contract with the Diamondbacks, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Arizona evidently opted not to select him onto the MLB roster and he has returned to free agency. Utility infielder Nicky Lopez did the same this morning.
Mancini, 33, played three months with Triple-A Reno after signing an offseason non-roster deal. He’s had a nice season, batting .308/.373/.522 with 16 homers through 74 games. While that’s in a very hitter-friendly setting, Mancini has above-average numbers overall and had a particularly big showing in June.
The D-Backs have a first base/designated hitter tandem of Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith, leaving them without much room to accommodate Mancini. Smith has slumped since a scorching April, but he’s still carrying a .260/.369/.447 slash for the season. Arizona’s bench already skews right-handed, so Mancini would have been an imperfect fit as a bench bat.
Mancini will now look elsewhere for his first big league opportunity since 2023. He hasn’t been especially productive at the MLB level since being traded by the Orioles at the ’22 deadline. His numbers in Reno will at least allow him to find minor league interest elsewhere, presumably with a club that has a better path to first base playing time.
Padres To Select Eduarniel Nunez
The Padres will call up reliever Eduarniel Núñez for tomorrow’s doubleheader in Philadelphia, reports Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Matt Waldron is being optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The Padres will be able to recall another player tomorrow as the 27th man for the twin bill. They’ll need to select Nuñez onto the 40-man roster and already have an opening after designating Logan Gillaspie for assignment yesterday.
It’s the first MLB call for the 26-year-old Núñez. The 6’2″ righty is a former Cubs prospect who joined the Friars as a minor league free agent last offseason. He has spent the bulk of the season in Double-A, working to a 3.57 earned run average over 22 2/3 innings. He struck out more than 40% of opposing hitters while getting swinging strikes on 21% of his pitches. That earned him a bump to Triple-A El Paso in the middle of June. Núñez has rattled off 7 1/3 scoreless frames with 11 more punchouts over seven appearances.
Núñez is now up to a combined 30 innings of 2.70 ERA ball with a 41.9% strikeout percentage on the season. That’s elite swing-and-miss ability backed up by high-octane stuff. Núñez has averaged north of 99 MPH on his heater since getting bumped to Triple-A. He has been a two-pitch pitcher this season, using the fastball slightly more often than he turns to his upper-80s breaking ball. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him the #32 prospect in the San Diego system last month, crediting him with plus or better grades on both offerings.
That it nevertheless took him parts of eight minor league seasons to get an MLB look reflects his well below-average control. Núñez has walked nearly 15% of opponents over his professional career. He has been a little better in that regard this season, cutting the free passes to a somewhat more manageable 12% clip. He’ll be a volatile but intriguing middle innings option for skipper Mike Shildt.
Reds To Sign Buck Farmer To Minor League Deal
The Reds and right-hander Buck Farmer are in agreement on a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Farmer was with the Angels on a minor league deal but was released a couple of weeks ago, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He will presumably report to Triple-A Louisville in the future but Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Farmer will report to the Arizona Complex League for now.
Farmer, 34, is a familiar face for the Reds and their fans. He pitched for Cincinnati from 2022 to 2024, generally producing solid results. He logged 193 innings over those three seasons with a 3.68 earned run average, 24% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate.
Things haven’t gone as smoothly here in 2025. He has been stuck in Triple-A, having signed minor league deals with Atlanta and the Angels, getting released from both. Between those two organizations, he has tossed 16 2/3 innings with an 8.64 ERA. There appears to be lots of bad luck in there, however, with a .423 batting average on balls in play and 50.6% strand rate. His 21.7% strikeout rate is around average, though his 13.3% walk rate is on the high side. His 4.61 FIP on the year isn’t an outstanding number but suggests his ERA isn’t sustainably atrocious.
In the past month, the Reds have lost Graham Ashcraft and Ian Gibaut to the injured list, subtracting a couple of arms from their bullpen mix. Additionally, starters Hunter Greene and Wade Miley hit the IL in June, putting more pressure on the pitching staff more broadly. Farmer will try to get into a nice groove so that he can perhaps be the next man up when the club needs a fresh arm.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images
Pirates Trade Hunter Stratton To Braves
The Braves acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for minor league outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash, the teams announced Tuesday. Pittsburgh had designated Stratton for assignment last week. Atlanta transferred Chris Sale to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Stratton, who has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Stratton, 28, has an unsightly 23.63 earned run average in the majors this year. However, that has come in a tiny sample of 2 2/3 innings. Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he had a combined 3.26 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. His 21% strikeout rate and 41% ground ball rate were both around average while his 4.9% walk rate was quite strong.
Though his major league ERA is through the roof this year, his minor league work has largely been in line with his pre-2025 results. In 24 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 3.65 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate. He still has a full slate of options, though is burning through the first of those here in 2025.
For a pitcher with solid results and roster flexibility, it was a bit surprising that the Pirates gave up on him. But unsurprisingly, there has been enough interest that Atlanta has forfeited a prospect in order to skip the waiver line and add some bullpen depth.
Dumitru, 22, was selected by Atlanta in the 16th-round of last year’s draft. He played at the Single-A level last year and has been at High-A this year. Put together, he has played in 91 professional games with a .227/.314/.324 line and 97 wRC+.
Sale was placed on the 15-day IL a little over a week ago due to a rib cage fracture. The club didn’t provide many details about his expected absence at that time, but it seemed fair to expect he wouldn’t be back anytime soon. Today’s transfer confirms that the club doesn’t expect him back until mid-August at the earliest.
For now, Atlanta is operating with a rotation consisting of Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes. Adding to that group would be a priority for the club if they plan on being deadline buyers. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is hoping to bolster the club rather than subtract from it but they are currently in a tough spot, 7.5 games back of a playoff spot. They have some time to climb but doing so without Sale, Reynaldo López and AJ Smith-Shawver will be a challenge. On the other hand, if they hang in there, it’s possible Sale and López could be back later in the year.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images
Rockies Designate Sam Hilliard For Assignment, Select Austin Nola
The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today. They have recalled outfielder Yanquiel Fernández from Triple-A Albuquerque, a move that was previously reported, and also selected the contract of catcher Austin Nola. In corresponding moves, they have optioned backstop Braxton Fulford and designated outfielder Sam Hilliard for assignment.
Hilliard, 31, was added to Colorado’s roster just over a month ago. He has since been sent to the plate 61 times, with a huge 37.7% strikeout rate but also a strong 16.4% walk rate. The result is a lopsided line of .196/.328/.412.
He has occasionally shown promise as a big leaguer but often with his penchant for punchouts getting in the way. He now has 936 big league plate appearances over seven seasons with 44 home runs but a 34.3% strikeout rate. Since he’s out of options and the Rockies want to get a look at Fernández, Hilliard has been bumped off the 40-man roster.
Hilliard was also outrighted off the roster at the end of March. As a player with between three and five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, but has to forfeit his remaining salary in order to do so. He is making $1MM this year, so he accepted an outright assignment the last time he was sent through waivers. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.
Nola, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in the offseason. He has spent a decent amount of this year on the minor league injured list but has been healthy for the past month or so. He has 116 minor league plate appearances this year with a strong .330/.397/.456 line, though most of that has been in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, so it only translates to a 107 wRC+.
That will seemingly be enough to Nola a shot at the backup catcher job. The Rockies released Jacob Stallings last month, with Hunter Goodman and Fulford left in charge of the catching duties. Fulford will now presumably get everyday playing time in Triple-A while Nola returns to the majors.
Nola has 345 big league games under his belt with a .249/.326/.370 line and 95 wRC+. That’s a solid mark for a catcher though his framing hasn’t received good marks from outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast or Baseball Prospectus. He is out of options and would therefore have to be removed from the 40-man roster if the Rockies decide to bump him from the active roster at any point.
Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images
Orioles Select Jacob Stallings, Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment
The Orioles announced that they have placed catcher Chadwick Tromp on the 10-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Fellow backstop Jacob Stallings has been selected to take his place on the roster. To open a 40-man spot for Stallings, infielder Emmanuel Rivera has been designated for assignment. Outfielder Dylan Carlson has been recalled to take Rivera’s active roster spot. The O’s also announced that right-hander Kyle Tyler, who was recently designated for assignment, has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency.
Baltimore has been hit with a barrage of catcher injuries in recent weeks. Adley Rutschman went to the injured list with an oblique strain in the middle of June. A few days later, Maverick Handley landed on the concussion-related IL. Those injuries got Tromp to the big leagues but now he himself has landed on the shelf.
At the same time Tromp was getting called up, the O’s signed Stallings for some experienced catching depth. The 35-year-old had just been released by the Rockies after getting out to an awful start this year, hitting .143/.217/.179. But he has a solid reputation for his glovework and veteran leadership behind the plate. His offense was also better as recently as last year, when he slashed .263/.357/.453.
His solid performance in 2024 prompted the Rockies to re-sign him to a one-year deal with a $2.5MM guarantee. But now that they’ve released him, they are on the hook for the majority of that money. The O’s will only have to pay him the prorated version of the league minimum salary for any time he spends on the roster. He should serve as backup to Gary Sánchez, at least until Rutschman or the other backstops are able to come off the IL.
Rivera, 29, was just added to the roster a few days ago. That move was seemingly prompted by Jordan Westburg dealing with a finger injury. Westburg has missed the past three games and is out of the lineup again today, but presumably the finger has healed up enough that he could be back in there soon, which has allowed them to sacrifice some infield depth in order to address their catching situation.
This is the third time Rivera has been designated for assignment by the Orioles. In each case, he has gone unclaimed on waivers and accepted an outright assignment. He has between three and five years of service time, meaning he has the right to elect free agency when outrighted but has to forfeit his remaining salary in order to exercise that right. He is making $1MM this year, making it understandable that he keeps accepting. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.
Tyler, 28, never pitched for the Orioles at the big league level. He was claimed off waivers from the Phillies a couple of weeks ago but kept on optional assignment. Since he has been previously outrighted in his career, he has the right to elect free agency and has done so.
His major league experience consists of 48 innings thrown across three separate seasons with a 4.31 earned run average, 15.9% strikeout rate, 12% walk rate and 48.3% ground ball rate. From 2021 to 2025, he tossed 397 minor league innings with a 4.65 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and grounders on almost half the balls in play he allowed.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
Rangers Select Billy McKinney, Transfer Tyler Mahle To 60-Day IL
The Rangers have selected the contract of outfielder Billy McKinney and placed outfielder Evan Carter on the bereavement list, per a team announcement. Injured righty Tyler Mahle moves from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. That move was largely a formality in the wake of the revelation that Mahle will be sidelined beyond the July 31 trade deadline due to his current rotator cuff strain. Texas also recalled righty Dane Dunning from Triple-A Round Rock and and optioned fellow righty Cole Winn to Round Rock in his place.
McKinney, 31 next month, is a former first-round pick and top prospect who has moved into a journeyman phase of his career. He opened the season on a minor league deal with the Mets but was released in mid-May after some considerable struggles with their Triple-A club in Syracuse. He caught on with the Rangers and has clobbered Triple-A pitching in his new environs, slashing .295/.433/.487 in 24 games and 97 plate appearances in the organization.
The Rangers, McKinney’s eighth big league team, represent a homecoming opportunity for McKinney. He’s not only a Texas native but a graduate of Plano West High School, located just about 30 miles northeast of Globe Life Field. It could be a short stay with his hometown club, as Carter is eligible to be reinstated as soon as Friday.
McKinney has also played with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Brewers, Dodgers, A’s and Pirates. He’s appeared in 321 major league games and tallied 943 plate appearances, slashing .209/.284/.386 with 34 homers, a 9% walk rate and a 26.8% strikeout rate in that time.
Mahle hasn’t pitched since June 10, when he yielded four runs against his former Twins teammates. He’s had a strong season in terms of bottom-line run prevention numbers, with a 2.34 ERA in 77 frames. However, Mahle’s subpar 18.2% strikeout rate, .253 average on balls in play, 4.6% homer-to-flyball rate and 82.3% strand rate all point to some potential regression; his 4.61 SIERA is more than two runs higher than his actual ERA.
Regardless, Mahle was a dependable arm for the Rangers when healthy and would either have been a key member of the rotation in the season’s second half or a trade chip of some note heading into the deadline — depending on which direction the Rangers choose. It’s still possible he’ll be traded if the Rangers sell off, given his status as a free agent at season’s end, but the injury creates plenty of uncertainty surrounding his status and hampers Texas’ ability to extract a return of much note.
Marlins Claim Nick Nastrini
The Marlins have claimed right-hander Nick Nastrini off waivers from the White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville, reports Kevin Barral of Fish on First. Righty Max Meyer, who recently underwent season-ending hip surgery, was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot.
There wasn’t any previous indication that the White Sox had removed Nastrini from their 40-man roster, but it appears they quietly put him on waivers recently. Presumably, they hoped to pass him through unclaimed but the Marlins swooped in to grab him. Chicago’s 40-man roster count drops to 38.
The young righty has not been putting up good numbers this year, which is perhaps why the Sox felt there was a chance no one would claim him. He has thrown 44 1/3 Triple-A innings on the year with a 7.51 earned run average. His 22.7% strikeout rate is fine but he has walked opponents at a massive 18.5% clip.
The Marlins bumped him from the rotation to the bullpen in May. That didn’t help matters much. In his most recent 17 innings, he has a 7.94 ERA and massive 23.2% walk rate, though with an intriguing 30.5% strikeout rate.
Despite this year’s rough results, the Marlins have grabbed him. They had a roster spot open and Nastrini has shown promise at times, though mostly in that high-strikeout, high-walk style. From 2022 to 2024, he threw 316 1/3 minor league innings with a 4.35 ERA, 29.6% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. He also tossed 35 2/3 major league innings for the Sox last year, though with poor results. He had a 7.07 ERA, 14.9% strikeout rate and 20.9% walk rate.
He can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season. The Marlins are one of the few clubs clearly not in contention at the moment, so they are an understandable landing spot for a project like Nastrini.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images
Reds Select Sam Benschoter
The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Sam Benschoter from Triple-A Louisville. Cincinnati also recalled southpaw Sam Moll from Louisville. Left-hander Joe La Sorsa and righty Connor Phillips were optioned to Triple-A in their place. The Reds already had an open 40-man roster spot after releasing Jeimer Candelario. Their 40-man roster is now at capacity.
Benschoter, 27, was an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State back in 2021. He’s spent the past four seasons climbing Cincinnati’s minor league ranks, reaching Triple-A late last season. That first run at the top minor league level didn’t go well, but the 6’3″, 215-pound righty has had a better showing in 2025. Benschoter has pitched 51 innings — 17 relief appearances, four starts — and logged a 4.06 ERA with a 21.6% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 51% ground-ball rate.
Benschoter relies heavily on a four-seamer that’s averaged 93.4 mph in 2025, combining that pitch with a sinker, slider, cutter and seldom-used curveball to round out his arsenal. He worked primarily out of the rotation in the lower minors but moved into more of a hybrid role in 2024. He’s progressively moved more and more toward a multi-inning relief role in 2025. Even in his four “starts” this season, Benschoter has pitched a combined 12 1/3 innings. He’s most commonly been used in relief for two to four innings at a time.
Top prospect Chase Burns lasted only one-third of an inning in yesterday’s drubbing at the hands of the Red Sox, forcing the Cincinnati bullpen to cover the rest of the game. The Reds turned to Brent Suter and the now-optioned La Sorsa and Phillips for two-plus innings apiece. All three men threw at least 31 pitches. That understandably prompted some moves to freshen up the relief corps. If today’s game gets out of hand one way or another, Benschoter would seemingly be an option for a long relief stint. He last pitched a week ago and should be able to cover several innings if need be.