Red Sox Place Justin Slaten On Injured List, Recall Tyler Samaniego
Red Sox right-hander Justin Slaten hit the IL with an oblique strain, the team announced. Left-hander Tyler Samaniego was recalled to take his spot in the bullpen. Samaniego was acquired from the Pirates as part of the trade that sent Jhostynxon Garcia to Pittsburgh. If he appears in a game, it will be his big-league debut.
Slaten has been a reliable member of Boston’s bullpen when healthy, but injuries have been a consistent issue. He missed time in 2024 with elbow inflammation. Shoulder inflammation cost him nearly three months last year. Slaten told reporters, including Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, that the oblique injury popped up during his outing on Saturday.
“This is the third year that I’ve had to miss time,” Slaten said. “I can promise you like no one’s more upset or feels worse about than me. Part of our job is to be healthy for 162.” The Red Sox do not believe it’s a significant injury and have not scheduled imaging for Slaten.
Samaniego came over from Pittsburgh along with right-hander Johan Oviedo and catcher Adonys Guzman in December. He made a case to break camp with Boston after cruising through 5 1/3 scoreless innings in MLB Spring Training, but ultimately began the year with Triple-A Worcester. Samaniego allowed two earned runs over three appearances with the WooSox prior to his promotion.
The Pirates took Samaniego with a 15th-round pick in 2021. He put together a strong first full season in the pro ranks, compiling a 2.45 ERA between High-A and Double-A. The lefty racked up 14 saves in 38 appearances. Samaniego scuffled in a repeat of Double-A in 2023, then went down with an elbow injury the following season. He bounced back with a healthy 2025, recording a 3.99 ERA across 38.1 innings spanning four minor league levels. Samaniego gives Boston a fourth lefty in the bullpen, along with closer Aroldis Chapman and middle relievers Danny Coulombe and Jovani Moran.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images
White Sox Option Shane Smith, Promote Tyler Schweitzer
The White Sox sent right-hander Shane Smith to Triple-A, the team announced. Left-hander Tyler Schweitzer was promoted to the big-league club. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Schweitzer, outfielder Brooks Baldwin was moved to the 60-day IL. Baldwin recently underwent an internal brace procedure and is expected to miss the entire season.
Smith was knocked around for 10 earned runs over 8 2/3 innings across three outings to begin the season. He tossed 3 2/3 scoreless frames against the Orioles on Tuesday, but it was far from an effective outing. Smith walked five and threw just 57 of his 99 pitches for strikes. He was able to dance around the traffic on the bases with the help of eight strikeouts, but the erratic showing ultimately cost him his roster spot.
It’s a swift fall from grace for Smith. The former Rule 5 pick was one of the few success stories from a forgettable 2025 campaign. The righty broke camp with the team and hit the ground running, allowing three earned runs or less in 13 straight starts to open the season. Smith faded as the innings piled up, but finished the year with a solid 3.81 ERA with just under a strikeout per inning. The solid effort earned Smith an All-Star selection and the Opening Day nod for 2026.
Smith hasn’t been hit particularly hard during this difficult three-start run, but he’s struggled to consistently find the strike zone. The righty has now issued nine free passes following Tuesday’s five-walk performance. He had similar challenges in MLB Spring Training, walking nine over 10 2/3 innings. Smith has frequently fallen behind opposing hitters, posting a 51% first-pitch strike rate. That mark was 60.4% in 2025. Heading to the minors will give him a chance to iron out the control issues.
Schweitzer was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. The lefty has steadily moved up the minor league ladder, reaching Triple-A by the end of last season. Schweitzer’s stint with Charlotte didn’t go so well (7.92 ERA over 50 IP), but he got off to a better start this year. The 25-year-old allowed just one earned run over five frames with the Knights before getting called up.
MLB Pipeline ranks Schweitzer at No. 23 among Chicago’s prospects. The southpaw boasts a mid-90s heater that reaches 98 mph, along with a changeup, slider, and curveball. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report identified the changeup as Schweitzer’s best pitch, given its movement and deception.
James Fegan of Sox Machine first reported Smith’s demotion. Elijah Evans of Just Baseball was first to report Schweitzer’s promotion.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
Pirates Sign Konnor Griffin To Nine-Year Extension
The Pirates have announced that they’ve signed Konnor Griffin to a nine-year extension. The news was first reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post this morning. The deal runs through the 2034 season, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that the deal is worth $140MM. Heyman adds that the deal includes incentives that could take the deal up to $150MM for the Excel client, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that there are no options or deferred money in the deal. Sherman adds that the deal’s incentives are based on MVP voting for the 2026-31 seasons. According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the deal includes a $12MM signing bonus. $5MM of that bonus will be paid out this year, followed by $3.5MM in 2027 and $3.5MM in 2028.
ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported that the sides were working on a deal in the range of nine years and $140MM last week, and now the deal is done. Even as the sides working on an extension has been common knowledge for a while now, it’s still surely a huge relief to Pirates fans that the deal is officially done. The consensus top prospect in the sport is now locked up through the end of the 2034 season, giving Pittsburgh three additional years of team control over their up-and-coming star. The term is convenient for Griffin as well. The youngster is still a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday, meaning that he’ll hit free agency ahead of his age-29 season when the deal wraps up in 2034. That should leave Griffin in line for a massive payday down the line, assuming he plays up to expectations.
Those expectations are certainly lofty. The youngster has gotten rave reviews from prospecting outlets across the board, and he’s viewed as a legitimate five-tool player with MVP-level upside. He’s certainly done everything he can to support those fawning evaluations so far. In his first professional season last year, he slashed .333/.415/.527 across three levels of the minors with 21 homers, 23 doubles, four triples, and a whopping 65 steals in just 122 games. He did all that while playing impressive defense at shortstop, and picked right back up where he left off upon starting the season at Triple-A. He went 7-for-16 (.438 average) with three steals, three doubles, and more walks than strikeouts in five games with the Pirates’ Indianapolis affiliate before they pulled the trigger and called him up to the majors.
Since being promoted to the majors, Griffin has struggled somewhat, with a .176/.300/.235 slash line in his first five games. There’s not much reason to put significant stock into a sample size that small, but it is worth noting that Griffin isn’t exactly guaranteed to hit the ground running in the majors. There’s a reason Juan Soto was the last hitter to reach the majors as a teenager before Griffin, and even Mike Trout was a below-average hitter in the majors at Griffin’s age. For the time being, Griffin’s exceptional speed on the base paths and strong defense at shortstop are already a big asset for the Pirates even if the star-level hitting contributions come later.
The extension makes Griffin the highest-paid Pirates player in franchise history, and puts a bow on a busy offseason where the club got aggressive in its efforts to contend. Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Marcell Ozuna were all brought in this winter by the Pirates after the club missed on some much bigger fish like Kyle Schwarber, Kazuma Okamoto, and Eugenio Suarez to whom they were linked. Even with those top-tier pieces signing elsewhere, Pittsburgh has undeniably upgraded their offense in a big way as they try to make the most of the time during which they’ll have both Griffin and reigning NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes in the same uniform. All that spending has raised the luxury tax payroll considerably, and RosterResource indicates that their figure sits just under $127MM for luxury tax purposes at the moment. That should rise to the $142MM range once Griffin’s extension is accounted for.
Marlins Release Daniel Johnson
The Marlins released outfielder Daniel Johnson, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He’d been at Triple-A Jacksonville on a minor league deal.
Johnson had only appeared in five minor league games. He started very slowly, striking out seven times with one hit through his first 16 trips to the plate. The lefty hitter had taken 23 plate appearances during big league Spring Training. He batted .222 with one home run.
The 30-year-old Johnson has played parts of four big league seasons. He got into a career-high 31 games last year, dividing that time between the Giants and Orioles. The New Mexico State product is a .196/.243/.322 hitter across 152 MLB plate appearances. Johnson owns a .255/.321/.448 line over parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level, including this year’s brief look.
Joey Lucchesi Elects Free Agency
Left-hander Joey Lucchesi elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, according to an announcement from the Angels. He was designated for assignment over the weekend.
Lucchesi was pushed off the roster after Sunday’s scheduled starter, Ryan Johnson, was scratched with a viral infection. The Halos tabbed prospect George Klassen for a spot start. They needed active and 40-man roster space to bring him up, leaving Lucchesi as a tough luck roster casualty.
The 32-year-old southpaw had a very brief stint with the club. He signed a major league contract at the end of Spring Training and made three appearances. Lucchesi allowed five of six hitters to reach in his season debut. He followed up with a pair of scoreless outings but walked at least one batter in all of his appearances. He wound up issuing five free passes (four walks and a hit batter) across 2 1/3 innings.
Lucchesi spent last season with the Giants. He opened the year in Triple-A but was called up in the middle of June. He remained on the active roster for the final three and a half months, turning in a 3.76 ERA over 38 1/3 innings. Lucchesi got grounders at a 53% clip but had a modest 18.8% strikeout rate that led the Giants to drop him from the 40-man roster at season’s end. He returned on a minor league contract for Spring Training and was granted his release when the Giants picked up Ryan Borucki late in camp.
Blue Jays Designate Josh Fleming For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves today. Left-hander Patrick Corbin and infielder Tyler Fitzgerald have been recalled to the active roster. Infielder/outfielder Addison Barger has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 6th, due to a left ankle sprain. That opened a spot for Fitzgerald, while Corbin takes the spot of left-hander Josh Fleming, who has been designated for assignment.
The Jays have recently been cycling through pitchers due to a few notable setbacks. Cody Ponce sprained the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week, opening a hole in their rotation. Eric Lauer has also been battling the flu lately, which pushed his Saturday start to Sunday.
The Jays recalled Lazaro Estrada when Ponce landed on the IL. He covered four innings as part of a bullpen game on Saturday but then got optioned right after that, alongside lefty Brendon Little. The Jays added Joe Mantiply and Austin Voth to replace those two. Lauer tried to gut through his illness on Sunday but could only stomach two innings, forcing Voth to absorb 2 2/3.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Fleming was added to the roster with Voth designated for assignment. Max Scherzer started yesterday but was held back by some right forearm tendinitis. It’s possible he may be fine enough to make his next start, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, but he was pulled after just two innings last night. Fleming was called in to soak up three innings, allowing four earned runs as the Jays were eventually trounced by the Dodgers 14-2.
It’s presumably not the return to the majors that Fleming hoped for. After being stuck in the minors in 2025, he got back to the show last night and was thrown into the proverbial lion’s den, having to face Shohei Ohtani and the dangerous Dodger lineup. The Jays surely appreciate the nine outs he gave them but it took him 77 pitches and he wasn’t going to be available for a few days. Since he’s out of options, he’s been bumped into DFA limbo. The Jays will likely place him on waivers in the coming days. If he clears, he’ll have the right to elect free agency.
The Jays only signed Corbin a few days ago, as he lingered unsigned in free agency beyond Opening Day. Though he missed spring training, he had been getting stretched out privately. He agreed to be optioned to Low-A Dunedin and tossed five innings at that level on Saturday. Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, Corbin will join the Jays tomorrow and will start Friday’s game.
The Jays have Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease lined up to pitch the final two games of the series against the Dodgers. The Jays are off on Thursday and then start a series against the Twins, with Corbin taking the ball the first time through. Assuming Lauer and Scherzer are healthy, they could follow Corbin.
That may be the rotation plan, at least for the short term. Trey Yesavage is on a rehab assignment, working his way back from his shoulder impingement, and should be back in the mix in the coming weeks. José Berríos and Shane Bieber are also on the mend from their injuries, though they are a bit behind Yesavage. Eventually, someone may get pushed to the bullpen or off the roster, depending on health outcomes in the near future.
The injury bug hasn’t just bit the Toronto pitching staff. Outfielder Anthony Santander required shoulder surgery and will miss several months. Catcher Alejandro Kirk required thumb surgery and is slated to miss the next six weeks. Now Barger is also on the shelf, though this issue seems far more minor. Per Zwelling, the Jays are hoping it could be a minimal stint and he might not even need a rehab assignment.
Barger has mostly been playing right field this year. With him now subtracted from the outfield mix, the corners should be covered by some combination of Jesús Sánchez, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider and Myles Straw. It’s possible platoon matchups will be the plan, as Sánchez and Lukes are lefties while Schneider and Straw are righties. Fitzgerald, acquired in a cash deal a few days ago, has experience at every spot on the diamond except catcher, so he’ll give them some extra depth all over.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks Select Luken Baker
The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of first baseman Luken Baker. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow first baseman Carlos Santana. Santana has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 6th, with a strained right adductor. To open a 40-man spot for Baker, outfielder Jordan Lawlar has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic previously reported that Baker had a locker in the Arizona clubhouse.
Baker, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Snakes in the offseason. His profile is limited, since he only plays first base and isn’t a burner on the basepaths. His time in the minors has shown that he can hit, however. From the start of 2023 to the present, he has taken 1,284 Triple-A plate appearances with 84 home runs. His 23.5% strikeout rate in that time is pretty close to average while his 15% walk rate is huge. For that span, he has a combined line of .259/.371/.555 and a 131 wRC+.
The Cardinals gave him minimal big league playing time over the past three years. In 189 plate appearances, he produced an underwhelming .206/.317/.338 line and 87 wRC+. He was put on waivers in August. The Dodgers claimed him and quickly outrighted him. He became a free agent at season’s end, which led to his deal with the Diamondbacks.
Arizona has a large number of players on the injured list already, with their first base depth having been hit particularly hard. Tyler Locklear injured his left elbow and shoulder late last year and is still recovering from surgery performed in October. Pavin Smith hit the IL a few days into the season due to left elbow inflammation. A couple of days ago, Santana was removed from a game with groin discomfort, which led to today’s IL placement.
Utility guys José Fernández and Ildemaro Vargas have each picked up starts at first base in recent days, while catcher Adrian Del Castillo has picked up some starts in the designated hitter slot. Baker gives the club a more straightforward first baseman, which could allow Fernández and/or Vargas to play elsewhere. Baker’s right-handed bat could also be a nice complement for the lefty-swinging Del Castillo. Baker’s big league numbers aren’t impressive overall but he has a .244/.357/.390 line and 113 wRC+ against lefties.
Baker is out of options, which could lead to a squeeze in the future. Santana, Smith, Locklear and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will be coming off the injured list in the future, meaning other guys will have to make room.
As for Lawlar, he landed on the 10-day IL a few days ago after he was hit by a pitch and suffered a right wrist fracture. Manager Torey Lovullo said Lawlar would miss six to eight weeks. This 60-day IL placement will extend that timeline slightly. If he is healthy before the 60 days are up, he can go on a minor league rehab assignment for a maximum of 20 days.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
A’s Option Luis Morales
April 7th: The A’s officially announced today that they have selected Kuhnel and optioned Morales, while Hoglund was transferred to the 60-day IL. That means Hoglund won’t be eligible for reinstatement until late May.
April 6th: The Athletics optioned rookie righty Luis Morales to Triple-A Las Vegas this evening, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The A’s are off tonight and haven’t officially announced the transaction.
Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reports that reliever Joel Kuhnel will be selected onto the big league roster tomorrow as the corresponding move. That will require a spot on the 40-man roster. That’s at capacity and Gunnar Hoglund (lumbar spine strain) is their only player on the injured list. They’ll either transfer Hoglund to the 60-day IL or designate someone for assignment before their series opener in the Bronx.
Morales broke camp in the starting five. The Cuban-born hurler made a solid first impression last season, working to a 3.14 earned run average through 48 2/3 innings. He has had a brutal time the first two turns through the rotation this year. Morales allowed five runs in both appearances without completing five innings either time. His start against the Astros on Saturday was particularly poor, as he walked six batters and allowed eight hits without recording a strikeout.
The 23-year-old will spend at least a couple weeks in Triple-A in an attempt to get on track. Morales had also struggled to find the strike zone this spring, when he issued 14 walks across 19 frames. He was one of the A’s top pitching prospects throughout his time in the minors. Morales sits in the 96-97 mph range and has a power four-pitch mix that the A’s hope will lead to a future as a mid-rotation starter.
The A’s will need to call up a starter this weekend unless they plan to move J.T. Ginn from long relief back to the rotation. They’ve already announced it’ll be Aaron Civale, Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs for their three-game set against the Yankees. Tonight’s off day means they could theoretically bring Jacob Lopez back on regular rest on Friday for their series opener against the Mets. However, they’d need a fifth starter by Saturday at the latest and are kicking off a run of 16 straight game days.
They’ll probably prefer to give Lopez the extra day and bring up someone else to step into what would’ve been Morales’ turn on Friday. Mason Barnett, Joey Estes and prospect Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang are on the 40-man roster and working out of the rotation in Vegas. Zhuang is scheduled to start tomorrow and probably not under consideration for an MLB call.
Jack Perkins, who started four MLB games late last season, is also on the 40-man and has worked 2-3 inning stints out of the bullpen in the minors. Top prospect Gage Jump is not yet on the roster but opened the season in the Triple-A rotation. He has been inefficient in his first two starts but has managed a combined six innings of three-run ball with eight strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches yesterday and would be on regular rest if the A’s wanted to bring him up on Friday.
They’ll carry a ninth reliever in the interim. Kuhnel, 31, gets back to the big leagues for the first time since 2024. The 6’5″ righty worked 11 2/3 innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts as a non-roster invitee this spring. He carried that into the minor leagues, striking out six of 10 batters faced over three hitless innings with Las Vegas.
Kuhnel adds a power arm to Mark Kotsay’s middle relief group. He’s primarily a sinker-slider pitcher whose fastball checks in around 96 mph on average. Kuhnel owns a 5.86 ERA with a middling 19% strikeout rate and stronger 52% grounder percentage over 93 2/3 career innings. He’s out of options and needs to stick on the MLB roster or be designated for assignment.
White Sox Place Austin Hays On IL, Select Dustin Harris
As manager Will Venable told reporters last night (including James Fegan of Sox Machine), the White Sox have placed Austin Hays on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. In a corresponding move, they selected the contract of Dustin Harris from Triple-A Charlotte. Mike Vasil has been transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to free up space on the 40-man roster.
Hays, 30, signed a one-year, $6MM contract with the White Sox this offseason. He started in left field in eight of Chicago’s first 10 games, though he was off to a slow start, with a .586 OPS and a 56 wRC+ through 33 trips to the plate. During the fourth inning of yesterday’s game, Hays injured his hamstring while tracking down a fly ball. It was immediately apparent he was hurt as he hopped the last several feet toward the ball, and he exited after the play. The White Sox have not yet revealed the severity of the strain.
With no more healthy position players left on their 40-man roster, the White Sox called on Harris to replace Hays. The 26-year-old signed a minor league contract with Chicago this past winter. He appeared in 21 games with the Rangers from 2024-25, playing all three outfield positions and slugging two home runs and four doubles. While his days as a top-10 organizational prospect for Texas are behind him, he runs well and once flashed promising power with his lefty swing. Unfortunately for Harris, the fact that he’s a lefty batter could make it difficult for Venable to get him in the lineup; fellow White Sox outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters also bat left-handed.
As for Vasil, this move was inevitable. The right-hander recently underwent Tommy John surgery and will sit out the 2026 season. After they swapped Harris in for Vasil, the White Sox’s 40-man roster remains full, though they will be able to move Brooks Baldwin to the 60-day IL the next time they need a 40-man spot. Baldwin recently underwent a season-ending internal brace procedure.
Cardinals Trade Nick Raquet To Orioles
Today: The Orioles have announced the trade and activated Raquet. Brandon Young has been optioned to Triple-A. To make space for Raquet on their 40-man roster, Baltimore transferred Eflin to the 60-day IL. Elbow discomfort forced Eflin to make an early exit during his season debut on March 31, and he is going for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister later today. At the very least, he will now miss April and May.
April 6, 9:27 pm: Baltimore is sending minor league outfielder Brayden Smith to St. Louis in return, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The lefty-hitting Smith was the O’s 13th-round pick last year after spending one season at Oklahoma State. He hit .200 with one home run while drawing 12 walks in 16 games at Low-A Delmarva to begin his pro career.
April 6, 9:08 pm: The Orioles are acquiring reliever Nick Raquet from the Cardinals, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. St. Louis designated the lefty for assignment yesterday. Baltimore will need to create a 40-man roster spot once the trade is final; Heston Kjerstad and Zach Eflin are potential 60-day injured list candidates.
Raquet debuted last September and tossed two scoreless appearances of one inning apiece. That’s the entirety of the 30-year-old lefty’s big league experience to date. Raquet held his spot on the 40-man roster over the offseason but was optioned early in Spring Training. He has worked three innings of one-run ball with a trio of strikeouts for Triple-A Memphis to begin the season.
It has been a long climb to the big leagues for Raquet. The 6’0″ hurler was a third-round pick by the Nationals out of William & Mary in 2017. He never made it beyond A-ball in the Washington system and was released in 2020. Raquet was out of baseball for a few seasons before turning independent and Dominican Winter League work into a new minor league opportunity with St. Louis in 2024.
Raquet spent most of last season in the upper levels of the minor leagues. He combined for a 2.24 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate over 52 1/3 frames, excelling in Double-A before struggling at the top minor league level. He’s a slider specialist whose breaking ball sits in the 82-84 mph range. Raquet’s fastball only lands around 90-91, but he has a full slate of minor league options and can head to Triple-A Norfolk.