Rockies Claim Sammy Peralta From Brewers
The Rockies have claimed left-hander Sammy Peralta off the Brewers’ waiver wire, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Colorado has officially announced the move, and shifted right-hander McCade Brown to the 60-day injured list to create space for Peralta on the 40-man roster. Peralta has been optioned to the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate.
The Brew Crew designated Peralta for assignment earlier this week to open up a 40-man roster spot for the newly-acquired Luis Matos. Peralta’s tenure with the Brewers will end after two Triple-A appearances and zero big league games, as Milwaukee just claimed Peralta off waivers from the Angels last October.
Appearing in each of the last three MLB seasons, Peralta’s resume in the Show consists of 30 appearances and 45 2/3 innings with the White Sox and Angels from 2023-25. He has a 5.12 ERA, 17.3% strikeout rate, and 11.2% walk rate, and Peralta has averaged only 89.3mph on his fastball during his brief time in the majors.
Peralta drastically cut back on his fastball in 2025 and also cut back on his changeup usage, instead incorporating a sinker a third of the time and boosting his slider up to a 49% usage rate, without any real change in results. While his ERA jumped from 4.80 in 2024 with the Sox to 7.59 with the Angels in 2025, Peralta’s underlying metrics didn’t change much, so his change in pitch repertoire didn’t have any impact on his performance either under the hood or in terms of bottom-line results.
Peralta routinely pitches multiple innings in relief, making him a useful depth option for the Rockies’ bullpen. Brennan Bernardino is also the only left-hander in Colorado’s current relief mix, which could give Peralta some extra opportunity to stick with the team if and when he is eventually called up from Triple-A.
Brown started the season on Colorado’s 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, and the move to the 60-day IL ensures that his 2026 debut won’t come until at least the last week of May. 2025 marked Brown’s first taste of the big leagues, as he posted a 7.36 ERA over 25 2/3 innings and seven starts for the Rockies.
Blue Jays Place Alejandro Kirk On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Brandon Valenzuela
The Blue Jays are placing catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb fracture, according to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Catching prospect Brandon Valenzuela is being recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move, per Hazel Mae of MLB International. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com was first to report that Valenzuela is in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse this morning.
Kirk exited last night’s game against the White Sox in the tenth inning after taking an Austin Hays foul tip off his thumb. Tyler Heineman took over behind the plate, and Kirk was promptly sent for X-rays. Although the results weren’t known until this morning, some kind of IL placement was expected for Kirk. In the end, the X-rays revealed the fracture as well as a dislocation, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Kirk will meet with a specialist on Monday to determine whether surgery is necessary. Based on similar injuries, the Jays can expect to lose Kirk for at least six to eight weeks if he undergoes surgery.
Any extended absence would be a blow to the Jays as they look to make another deep postseason run. The team is currently 4-3 and in second place in the AL East, although they’ve been outscored by their opponents 33-31. In addition, Kirk is arguably the team’s second-most valuable player behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After below-average offensive seasons in 2023-24, he rebounded last year to post a 116 wRC+ along with career highs in home runs (15) and runs batted in (76). The 116 wRC+ was more in line with his 110 career wRC+ and makes him well above average for a catcher. Indeed, Kirk’s 4.7 fWAR was second only to AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh at that position.
As good as his offense is, Kirk is also an otherworldly defender. He was worth 9 Defensive Runs Saved in 2025, which tied for third among qualified catchers behind the Giants’ Patrick Bailey and the Red Sox’ Carlos Narváez. According to Statcast, he graded out in the 100th percentile in blocks above average (21) and in the 98th percentile for framing. While his caught stealing and pop time are closer to average, those are very minor points in what is otherwise an outstanding defensive profile. Altogether, Kirk was the second most-valuable defensive catcher in the majors last year, based on Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric.
Further updates will come after Monday’s visit with the specialist. Obviously, the club will hope that surgery is not needed and that Kirk’s absence will be kept to a minimum. In the meantime, Toronto will rely on Heineman and Valenzuela behind the plate.
Heineman is purely a backup at this stage of his career, but the club may give him the lion’s share of starts in the short term. His offense last year was surprisingly strong, with Heineman posting a 120 wRC+ in 174 plate appearances. That was far off from his career norms and partly the product of good luck, as evidenced by his .342 batting average on balls in play. On the other hand, Heineman accrued 10 DRS behind the plate, and he ranked in the 80th percentile or better for blocks, caught stealing, and framing. Thus, even if his offense regresses, his defense should help him out as a temporary starting catcher.
As for Valenzuela, the 25-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Padres last July and is one of Toronto’s top 30 prospects according to MLB.com. The team added him to the 40-man roster in November. Manager John Schneider said yesterday that Valenzuela would be called up if Kirk needed to miss time. That has now come to pass, and Valenzuela will get his first taste of the big leagues.
Valenzuela participated in major-league Spring Training this year and performed admirably, batting .304/.370/.478 with a home run and three runs scored in 27 plate appearances. He first reached Triple-A in 2024 with the Padres and returned to that level following his trade to the Blue Jays. Valenzuela was slightly above average at Double-A, though his performance at Triple-A has not been quite as strong. That’s largely due to contact issues. In 105 PA with Toronto’s top affiliate last year, he struck out at a 30.5% clip and graded out 23% worse than average by wRC+. He has shown some improvement early in 2026, cutting his strikeout rate to 17.6%. Still, his offense hasn’t been his strong suit at the top level of the minors.
Rather, Valenzuela’s value comes from his work behind the plate. His MLB.com scouting report gives him well-above-average arm strength and control of the running game. He has a 33.8% caught-stealing rate since the start of 2024, including a 35.7% rate at Triple-A, and he is also noted for his ability to work with a pitching staff. His offense may keep him from being a big-league starting catcher, but his glovework gives him a decent ceiling as a backup. For now, Heineman’s stronger recent offense probably gives him the starting job. Valenzuela has three option years remaining and could easily return to Triple-A when Kirk eventually returns.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images
White Sox Return Jedixson Paez To Red Sox
White Sox Rule 5 right-hander Jedixson Paez has cleared waivers and been returned to the Red Sox, per Gabrielle Starr of The Boston Herald. Chicago designated Paez for assignment earlier this week, and since Paez cleared waivers without being claimed, the White Sox had to offer him back to the Red Sox for a $50K fee.
Paez had never pitched beyond the high-A level before he made his Major League debut for the Southsiders on March 26. Unfortunately for Paez, his first taste of the Show didn’t go smoothly, as he was charged with three runs in two of his three outings. The end result was an 18.00 ERA over three total innings of work, with two homers and two walks allowed without any strikeouts.
Rebuilding teams like the White Sox often view the R5 as a way of taking fliers on young talent, and Chicago’s addition of Shane Smith in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft is a prime example of how much selections can pay off in a big way. The much more common result, of course, is that players taken from the lower minors like Paez often struggle after the big jump up to facing MLB talent. Since Rule 5 picks must stay on their new team’s active roster for the entire season in order for their rights to be officially secured, the White Sox felt giving Paez more opportunities over the next six months wasn’t going to help his development.
Paez now returns to Boston’s organization, and is likely ticketed for high-A ball or Double-A. The 22-year-old is still an interesting prospect to keep an eye on down the road, as Paez has shown outstanding command while posting a 3.22 ERA over 307 2/3 career minor league innings.
Mets, Luke Jackson Agree To Minor League Deal
The Mets and reliever Luke Jackson are in agreement on a minor league deal, per Will Sammon of The Athletic. The right-hander is a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Jackson debuted with the Rangers in 2015 and has played in parts of 10 big-league seasons through 2025. He spent 2017-21 with the Braves but underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2022, causing him to miss that season. He returned with the Giants in 2023 and split the following year between San Francisco and a return trip to Atlanta. He became more of a journeyman in 2025, pitching 51 innings over 52 appearances with the Rangers, Tigers, and Mariners. He had a 4.06 ERA overall but finished strong with a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings for the Mariners. He also appeared three times for Seattle in the postseason, allowing one earned run in three innings.
The 34-year-old peaked with 18 saves and 1.3 fWAR for the Braves in 2019. He has not been especially dominant in the years since, but he has managed to stick around thanks to his talent for inducing groundballs. Since that 2019 season, Jackson has never posted a groundball rate below 50%. His 51.1% mark since the start of 2023 puts him in the top 20% of qualified relievers. That ability has helped him withstand a decline in velocity as well as a below-average walk rate as he pitches into his mid-30s. His strikeout rate also fell to 17.4% in 2025, although he has rebounded in that area before. Indeed, a look at his stats page shows a pattern of below-average strikeout seasons followed by a few above-average years.
Given his experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the Mets to select his contract at some point. With Devin Williams and Luke Weaver handling the late innings, the low and medium-leverage bullpen spots are covered by Huascar Brazobán, Tobias Myers, Richard Lovelady, and Sean Manaea. The latter has been a starter throughout his career and could regain that role in mid-April as the Mets shift to a six-man rotation. That would leave them with one less bullpen spot, so Jackson’s likeliest path to the roster is by replacing one of the other three relievers. Lovelady has been designated for assignment three times since September, including twice by the Mets. He could be the odd man out in a Jackson call-up, given his rough start to the year.
Photo courtesy of John Froschauer, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Sign Patrick Corbin
The Blue Jays announced that they have signed left-hander Patrick Corbin to a one-year deal and optioned him to Low-A Dunedin. It’s worth $1MM, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. There are also incentives worth $1MM, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Jays had 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move. Corbin has enough service time where he can’t be optioned without his consent, so he has presumably agreed to be sent down to get built up.
The signing is a response to the injury woes that have befallen the Toronto rotation in recent weeks. Shane Bieber is being built up slowly due to some offseason forearm fatigue. Trey Yesavage was slowed by a shoulder impingement. José Berríos was diagnosed with some elbow inflammation late in camp.
Those three started the season on the injured list, which left the Jays with a season-opening rotation of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer. Unfortunately, Ponce sprained the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in his first start. His timeline isn’t exactly clear but he seems to be slated for a lengthy absence.
Though Corbin missed spring training, he may be able to help the Jays relatively soon. Per Nicholson-Smith, he has been working out while unsigned and has gotten himself up to 80 pitches. He has agreed to head to Dunedin but it’s possible he may not need a full spring-style ramp-up of six weeks or so.
Corbin is a few years removed from his peak but is coming off a solid season with the Rangers. He made 30 starts and one relief appearance, logging 155 1/3 innings with a 4.40 earned run average. His 19.8% strikeout rate and 39.6% ground ball rate were both a couple of ticks below average but his 7.7% walk rate was a bit better than par.
At some point in the near future, Corbin could give the Jays a veteran back-end guy or could perhaps work as a long reliever. His role will presumably depend on how things develop with the other arms in the mix. Yesavage is making a rehab appearance in Dunedin tonight and doesn’t seem to be too far off. Berríos and Bieber are both throwing and could be back in the mix a bit later.
That could lead to some awkward decisions for the Jays, with perhaps Corbin or Lauer eventually getting pushed to the bullpen, but that’s a scenario they would presumably welcome at this point. They are planning a bullpen game started by Mason Fluharty tomorrow. Lauer was originally scheduled to take the ball for that game but he was pushed to Sunday by an illness. They then face the Dodgers for three, with Scherzer, Gausman and Cease likely to start those.
They may be able to breathe a bit easier after that, with off-days on both April 9th and 13th. But they then play nine straight followed by an off-day and then 13 straight, meaning they play 22 times in 23 days from April 14th to May 6th. Getting through that with a four-man rotation would put a strain on the staff so perhaps they could get Corbin and/or Yesavage into the mix by then.
Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
Jordan Lawlar To Miss Six To Eight Weeks With Broken Wrist
Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar has a right wrist fracture, manager Torey Lovullo tells reporters, including Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The Diamondbacks have placed him on the 10-day injured list. Catcher Adrian Del Castillo was reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. Arizona also made a move on the pitching side. They selected the contract of right-hander Taylor Rashi and designated fellow righty Joe Ross for assignment. Prior to the official announcement, Piecoro noted that Rashi had the locker previously occupied by Ross.
It’s yet another unfortunate chapter in the Lawlar story. The youngster has been one of Arizona’s top prospects for years but hasn’t been able to cement himself in the big leagues. He has often been blocked by more established players. When an opening would appear, Lawlar would himself be hurt or would struggle. He finished 2025 with a .165/.241/.237 line in 108 big league appearances.
The club grew impatient with his infield defense and moved him to the outfield for 2026. He earned an Opening Day spot and was hitting well. He hit his first major league home run last night, pushing his season-long batting line to .333/.400/.556 by the end of the game. Unfortunately, he was hit on his wrist by a pitch in the seventh inning. He stayed in the game to run the bases but was replaced defensively in the top of the eighth. Now Lawlar is slated for another notable absence, once again delaying his path to becoming an established big leaguer.
For the Snakes, their outfield takes a hit. They still have Corbin Carroll in right and Alek Thomas in center but Lawlar’s injury means they will have to figure out what to do in left. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Pavin Smith could be part of the solution down the road but both are currently on the IL. Del Castillo is unlikely to help, as his outfield experience consists of two Triple-A innings back in 2023. He was likely only called up because the Diamondbacks have no one else to turn to. Every position player on the 40-man roster is either on the active roster or injured list.
For now, they will likely use some combination of Jorge Barrosa, Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas. Piecoro says they decided against calling up prospect Ryan Waldschmidt because that would require a 40-man spot and Gurriel is expected back soon.
Turning to the pitching staff, the Diamondbacks signed Ross to a minor league deal in the offseason. The veteran swingman cracked the Opening Day roster but has been lit up so far. He has allowed eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, giving him an unsightly 19.64 earned run average. That’s obviously a small sample size but Ross also issued four walks compared to just two strikeouts.
Arizona was crushed last night, losing 17-2 to Atlanta. Ross did what he could to spare the staff, tossing two innings, but he threw 52 pitches in the process and likely wasn’t going to be available for a few days. He’ll now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so Arizona could spend as long as five days exploring trade interest. If Ross clears waivers, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.
Rashi, 30, got to make his major league debut with the Diamondbacks last year. He posted a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings. His 11.1% walk rate was high but he struck out 30.6% of batters faced and induced grounders on 42.9% of balls in play. He was non-tendered at the end of the season but then was re-signed via a minor league deal. He began the season at Triple-A Reno and made one scoreless appearance of an inning and two thirds.
Photo courtesy of Arianna Grainey, Imagn Images
Braves Acquire Víctor Mederos
The Angels have traded right-hander Víctor Mederos to the Braves in exchange for international bonus pool space, according to announcements from both clubs. The righty was designated for assignment a few days ago when the Angels added Shaun Anderson to their roster. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR says the pool space changing hands is $250K. By rule, pool space can only be traded in $250K increments. Atlanta transferred righty AJ Smith-Shawver to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Mederos was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Mederos, 25 in June, has a small and unimpressive major league track record to this point. He has tossed 25 1/3 innings over the previous three seasons with an 8.53 earned run average. Atlanta is presumably more interested in his minor league work. Last year, he made 16 starts at the Triple-A level, posting a 3.39 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He got some help from a 78.4% strand rate and only struck out 18.6% of batters faced but he features mid-90s velocity and a five-pitch mix.
The Halos nudged him off the roster but found enough interest on the trade block to net some international pool space in return. Atlanta gave up that pool space because they could use some extra pitching depth. In the past few weeks, they have lost Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and Spencer Strider to injuries.
They currently have a rotation featuring Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez. Sale has a lengthy injury history and is now 37 years old. López only made one start last year due to shoulder surgery. Holmes was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament last year and is healthy now but it wouldn’t be a shock for that injury to flare up again. Elder had a 5.30 ERA last year. Pérez is a soft-tossing veteran.
Atlanta does have Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie in Triple-A but those two are fairly lacking in experience. Ritchie still hasn’t cracked the majors. Fuentes has made it to the show but has allowed 21 earned runs in 17 innings. Mederos will give them some extra Triple-A depth and could be called up to the big leagues at some point, if needed.
As for Smith-Shawver, his transfer to the 60-day IL was inevitable. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He could return at some point in 2026 but presumably not until after the All-Star break.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Hui, Imagn Images
Brewers Designate Steward Berroa For Assignment
The Brewers have designated outfielder Steward Berroa for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to top infield prospect Cooper Pratt, whose contract has been selected to the 40-man roster now that his previously reported eight-year extension has been finalized. Pratt will remain in Triple-A Nashville for the time being, according to the Brewers.
Berroa, 26, came to the Brewers in a cash swap with the Dodgers back in July. He appeared in two games with Milwaukee last summer, going hitless in six plate appearances but contributing a stolen base after he drew a walk. He’s totaled only 51 major league plate appearances between the Brew Crew and Blue Jays — the team that originally signed him. In that fleeting cup of coffee, Berroa is 6-for-42 (.167/.314/.190) with a double, eight walks and six steals.
In parts of four Triple-A seasons, the switch-hitting Berroa is a .255/.353/.373 hitter. That production has come in a sample of 673 plate appearances, during which he’s popped a dozen homers, tallied 25 doubles and three triples, and gone 69-for-86 (80.2%) in stolen base attempts. Statcast credits the 5’9″, 193-pound burner with 89th percentile sprint speed. Berroa has primarily been a center fielder in the minors but has more than 1000 innings in each corner outfield spot over the course of nine professional seasons. He’s drawn above-average grades for his range and arm during his limited MLB run in the outfield (5 Defensive Runs Saved, 3 Outs Above Average in only 120 innings).
This is Berroa’s final minor league option year. A team looking for some speed and/or outfield depth could be drawn to Berroa’s wheels, defensive versatility and knack for drawing walks. Anyone who picks him up would be able to send him to Triple-A without exposing him to waivers. Milwaukee can trade Berroa or place him on waivers at any point within the next five days. Since waivers are a 48-hour process, we’ll know the result of his DFA by this time next week.
Brewers Sign Top Prospect Cooper Pratt To Eight-Year Extension
April 3: The Brewers announced Friday that Pratt has signed his eight-year extension. He’s been selected to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Outfielder Steward Berroa was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
March 30: The Brewers and prospect Cooper Pratt are reportedly on the verge of finalizing an eight-year contract worth $50.75MM. There will also be two club options worth about $15MM per year, though the value of those options can increase via escalators. The Brewers will need to make a corresponding move to add the Boras Corporation client to their 40-man roster.
It’s a surprising, out-of-nowhere extension. Pratt is 21 years old and hasn’t made it to the majors yet. He only just made his Triple-A debut a few days ago. He wasn’t even going to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until December of 2027.
Extensions for players with no major league experience are becoming more common but this one feels even a bit more extreme than some of the others. Most pre-debut extensions have been for guys very close to cracking the big leagues. The Brewers themselves did one with Jackson Chourio just over two years ago, an $82MM guarantee, though that one was a bit less surprising. Chourio had finished the prior season at the Triple-A level and seemed highly likely to break camp with Milwaukee in 2024 as he was one of the top three prospects in the sport.
Pratt, on the other hand, mostly features on the back of top 100 prospect lists. Baseball America is the high outlet, putting him at #50. MLB Pipeline has him at #62, ESPN at #70, The Athletic at #99 and he’s not even on the FanGraphs list. He had an okay season at Double-A last year, with a .238/.343/.348 line and 107 wRC+, and only just cracked the Triple-A level to start this season.
Perhaps it speaks to the Brewers being quite high on Pratt’s future. Though his offense was middling last year, the plate discipline was clearly good. His 12.7% walk rate and 15.2% strikeout rate were both strong figures. He only hit eight home runs but could perhaps add more power in time. He stole 31 bags last year and is considered a solid defender at shortstop.
If the Brewers have faith in Pratt’s long-term future, there’s sense in locking him up now. That’s especially true with him being a Boras client. That agency isn’t quite as extension-averse as its reputation but the extensions they have done have almost always been for guys who have reached their arbitration years. According to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, which has data going back to 2006, the Carlos González deal from back in 2011 is the only pre-arbitration extension for a Boras client.
In that context, perhaps the Brewers felt it was worth it to take a gamble on Pratt, even though he is still so early in his career. If they waited until he had been in the big leagues for a few years, the price would go up if he had any kind of success. From the perspective of Pratt, this is a chance for him to lock up some notable earnings and stave off any chance of a bust. Perhaps he will find himself underpaid if he becomes a star, but he’s not the level of surefire, can’t-miss prospect that Chourio was. He could play out this contract, including the options, and still reach free agency after his age-30 season.
What remains to be seen is how this impacts Milwaukee’s short-term plans. Even if Pratt is signed to a big league deal, he doesn’t need to be on the active roster, as he could still be kept in the minors on optional assignment. Joey Ortiz was their everyday shortstop last year. He put up a rough .230/.276/.317 line at the plate but stole 14 bases and was credited with 12 Outs Above Average. He is still in that job and has a massive .455/.500/.455 line so far this year but in a tiny sample of 12 plate appearances.
Ortiz is still under club control for many years but the club may pivot away from him at some point if he can’t post better offense over a sustained stretch of time. He does have options and could be sent to the minors, or perhaps be moved into a utility role since he has experience at second and third base. Pratt has fairly limited experience off the shortstop position but could presumably handle second or third if the Brewers asked him to. For now, Brice Turang is a strong option at the keystone. Third base is a bit more open, with David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo in the mix at the moment.
Looking further down the road, most of those guys still have lots of club control. Rengifo is on a one-year deal but Ortiz, Turang and Hamilton aren’t slated for free agency until after 2029. Prospects Jett Williams, Jesús Made and Luis Peña are generally considered top 100 guys who will be in the mix at some point. Williams has already played at the Triple-A level, Made at Double-A and Pena at High-A. At some point over the horizon, the infield could feel quite crowded, which could perhaps lead to a trade.
In the near term, the deal could have other notable impacts. With the deal in place, the Brewers may not worry about Pratt’s service time, since he would be under club control for the ten years regardless. The Prospect Promotion Incentive could also be interesting here. Pratt would be PPI eligible since he is on the aforementioned prospect lists. Even though he missed the first few games of the season, it’s still early enough for the Brewers to call him up for a full year of service time.
However, a player who signs an extension prior to his major league debut is not eligible to earn PPI picks for his team. Unless the two sides agree to the deal in principle and then don’t officially sign it until after Pratt’s debut, then PPI is off the table.
Altogether, it’s a surprising and curious extension, one that seemingly leads to more questions than it answers. Perhaps the coming days will provide some more clarity on the deal and what it means for all the other moving pieces in Milwaukee.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that the two sides were working on an eight-year deal worth more than $50MM, including those club options. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported the specific guarantee. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that there are escalators on the options. Photos courtesy of Dave Kallmann, Imagn Images.
Pirates Promote Konnor Griffin
April 3: Pittsburgh has formally selected Griffin’s contract, per a club announcement. Infielder Enmanuel Valdez was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.
April 2: The Pirates are calling up shortstop Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in all of baseball, to make his major league debut in tomorrow’s home opener, Pirates insider Jason Mackey reports. The team has confirmed Griffin’s promotion but has not yet formally selected his contract to the 40-man roster. They’ll need to do so and make corresponding 26-man and 40-man transactions prior to first pitch tomorrow.
Griffin was in the mix to break camp on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster but was reassigned to minor league camp late in spring training. The two parties have continued talks on what would be a record-setting contract extension — expected to be both the largest ever for a player with little to no major league service time (surpassing Colt Emerson‘s recent eight-year $95MM deal with the Mariners) and the Pirates’ franchise-record contract ($100MM for Bryan Reynolds).
It’s possible the Bucs simply wanted Griffin to make his debut at home, popping ticket sales throughout the weekend and further boosting excitement for fans after an uncharacteristically aggressive offseason. It’s also feasible that the two parties have become close enough on a long-term contract that the Pirates are making the move to promote him now and will announce an extension not long after his debut. The benefits in that scenario are straightforward. Players who sign extensions before making their MLB debut are not eligible to net draft picks for their club under MLB’s prospect promotion incentives; players who sign extensions after debuting remain PPI eligible. So long as any contract is finalized after Griffin has debuted, he’d net the Pirates an extra draft pick either by winning 2026 NL Rookie of the Year honors or with a top-three finish in MVP voting in 2026-28. (A player can only generate one total PPI pick for his team.)
Griffin is still three weeks away from his 20th birthday, but the 19-year-old phenom will get his chance to prove he’s ready for the big time. A physical beast already standing 6’3″ and weighing 225 pounds, Griffin is perhaps the most touted No. 1 overall prospect in recent memory. He draws plus (60) to plus-plus (70) grades on the 20-80 scale for all of his tools across the board. Griffin is an elite runner who scouts believe can stick at shortstop while hitting for both average and power.
Selected with the No. 9 overall pick in 2024, Griffin has played just one full professional season, and the results were borderline comical. He sprinted through the minors last year, climbing from Low-A to Double-A and absolutely raking at each of his three stops. Griffin totaled 563 plate appearances overall and slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs, 23 doubles, four triples and an eye-popping 65 stolen bases in 78 tries (83.3%). He walked at an 8.9% clip and struck out at a 21.7% rate.
Those numbers are staggering on their own. By measure of wRC+, Griffin was 65% better than an average hitter across those three levels. That ignores the context that the Mississippi native was among the youngest players — if not the youngest player — at all of those stops. Griffin hit just .171 in 46 spring plate appearances with the Pirates but still popped four home runs. He’s taken 21 plate appearances in Triple-A to begin this season and gone 7-for-16 with three doubles, three steals, five walks and only four strikeouts.
With the Pirates, Griffin will immediately step in as the team’s everyday shortstop. That’ll push Jared Triolo to a bench role for which he’s probably better suited. Triolo is an adept defender at multiple infield spots but carries just a .234/.319/.343 slash in 1054 plate appearances at the major league level. He can mix in at any of the four infield spots now, though he’s not going to supplant starters Spencer Horwitz (first base), Brandon Lowe (second base) or Nick Gonzales (third base) unless there’s an injury or a prolonged stretch of poor play from Gonzales as he acclimates to the hot corner.
Griffin steps into a big league lineup that has been substantially revamped since last season. The Pirates didn’t get the biggest fish they pursued this winter (e.g. Kyle Schwarber, Josh Naylor, Kazuma Okamoto), but they still brought in several established veteran bats who’ve unequivocally bolstered the offense. Lowe and outfielder Jake Mangum came over from the Rays alongside lefty reliever Mason Montgomery in a three-team trade sending young righty Mike Burrows to Houston. Ryan O’Hearn signed a two-year, $29MM in free agency. Marcell Ozuna later came aboard for a year and $12MM. Griffin now joins newcomers like Lowe, O’Hearn and Ozuna in the heart of a vastly improved lineup that Pirates hopes will better support the team’s excellent young pitching staff.
Service time considerations seemingly weren’t a factor in Griffin’s promotion. He’s still being called up in time to get a full year of major league service even without a Rookie of the Year win. His timelines for reaching arbitration and free agency would be rendered moot if Griffin eventually signs an extension, as many expect, but as things currently stand he’d be on track for arbitration eligibility following the 2028 season and free agency following the 2031 season, when he’d be just 25 years old (and going into his age-26 season). Griffin is so young that even a record-setting extension could still position him to reach the open market well ahead of his 30th birthday.
Griffin is the first of many young Pirates hitters who could impact the team this season. Pittsburgh also picked up touted outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia in a trade with the Red Sox, and he should get a look in the majors before too long. Infielder Termarr Johnson‘s stock has dipped in recent seasons, but he’s still just 21 years old and coming off a nice 2025 showing in Double-A. Catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr., another trade acquisition (from the Yankees in last summer’s David Bednar swap) had a big season between Double-A and Triple-A last year and could hit his way into a bigger audition in 2026 as well.
For now, all eyes are on Griffin — both to witness the debut of one of the best prospects in recent memory and also to see whether he signs a franchise-altering extension that’d lock him in beyond his original six seasons of club control.