Tigers Select Zack Short, Designate Grant Holman For Assignment
The Tigers announced that they are selecting the contract of infielder Zack Short for tonight’s game with the Rangers. Fellow infielder Jace Jung was optioned to Triple-A Toledo, and right-hander Grant Holman was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man for Short. (Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press was among those to relay the moves before the Tigers’ official announcement.)
Short was acquired in a trade from the Nationals two days ago, and the infielder is now poised to get his first big league action of the 2026 season. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for Short, who spent his first three Major League seasons in Detroit after debuting in 2021. Short hasn’t hit much (.172/.271/.296) over his 594 career plate appearances, yet his ability to play multiple positions brings depth to a Tigers club that is dealing with a rash of injuries.
Gleyber Torres is day to day with side tightness, while Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry, and Parker Meadows have all gone to the injured list over the last few weeks. Shortstop Trey Sweeney also has yet to play this season due to a shoulder strain. It would seem like Short’s primary backup role will be shortstop since the Tigers currently have nobody behind Kevin McGonigle, though it doesn’t look like the hot-hitting McGonigle will be coming out of the lineup any time soon.
This is the fourth time in less than three months that Holman has been DFA’ed, as the righty has gone from the A’s to the Diamondbacks to the Dodgers and finally to the Tigers on a series of waiver claims. Amidst all of these moves, Holman hasn’t gotten any looks in the majors this season, and a 6.75 ERA over four innings and three appearances for Toledo didn’t turn any heads in Detroit.
Holman has two minor league options remaining, and he delivered a sparkling 0.47 ERA over 58 minor league innings in 2024-25. His 4.66 ERA, 18.8% strikeout rate, and 10.2% walk rate over 38 2/3 career MLB innings with the Athletics over those two seasons is less impressive, but it is easy to see why teams keep stepping up to claim Holman as a depth arm. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Holman changes organizations yet again during the DFA period, though if he does clear waivers, the Tigers can outright him to Triple-A.
Nationals Claim Zak Kent
The Nationals claimed right-hander Zak Kent off waivers from the Twins, the team announced. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Washington had an opening on the 40-man roster after lefty Cionel Perez was outrighted on Saturday.
Minnesota designated Kent for assignment earlier this week to clear a spot for right-hander Luis García, who was added to the bullpen after Garrett Acton went down with a shoulder strain. Kent is no stranger to the DFA carousel. In a span of three months this offseason, he was claimed by the Cardinals, Rangers, Cardinals (again), and Twins.
Kent finally found a home in Minnesota. He broke camp with the club and made two appearances in early April. The righty allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings, though only two of the tallies were earned. Kent posted an unsightly 2:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was sent to Triple-A after less than two weeks on the big-league club.
The 28-year-old Kent has notched a 3.38 ERA across 10 2/3 innings with St. Paul. He has a solid 26.1% strikeout rate, but a concerning 13% walk rate. Kent briefly debuted in the majors last season with the Guardians.
The new regime in Washington hasn’t been shy about shuffling arms in and out of the bullpen. The Nats have already used 16 different relievers this season. That number doesn’t include relief outings for Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell, who have operated behind openers at times.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Mets Select Vidal Brujan, Designate Eric Wagaman For Assignment
The Mets are filling their void at shortstop with Vidal Brujan, who had his contract selected ahead of Sunday’s game against the Angels. The club announced first baseman Eric Wagaman has been designated for assignment to clear a 40-man spot for Brujan. Infielder Ronny Mauricio was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured thumb, opening up room on the big-league club.
Brujan bounced around this offseason, landing with the Mets after getting DFAed by the Twins and then the Braves. He met the same fate with New York after falling short of an Opening Day roster spot, but snuck through waivers this time. The 28-year-old had a 62 wRC+ in 24 games at Triple-A Syracuse.
It’s been several years, but Brujan was once a top prospect in the Rays’ system. He debuted with Tampa Bay in 2021 and spent parts of three seasons with the club. Brujan failed to provide much more than defensive versatility and a bit of speed during his time as a Ray. He was dealt to the Marlins in a small trade in November 2023. Miami gave the infielder his longest look to date in the majors. Brujan slashed .222/.303/.319 in a career-high 278 plate appearances in 2024.
Brujan has major league experience at all four infield positions and all three outfield spots. He’s even made four appearances on the mound. The Mets need him in the infield, specifically at shortstop, and he’s been solid there. Brujan has accrued 4 Defensive Runs Saved in 363 1/3 MLB innings at the position. He posted 2 DRS in his short stint with Atlanta last season. The Mets are without star shortstop Francisco Lindor for the foreseeable future as he deals with a calf strain. Mauricio was set to take over, but now he’s injured himself.
It’s a tough blow for Mauricio, who’s also a former prospect of note. The 25-year-old didn’t make the team out of Spring Training, but made a brief cameo in early April. He came back up after the Lindor injury and assumed the everyday shortstop gig. Mauricio launched his first home run of the season on Friday. He had another hit on Saturday, an infield single that loaded the bases in a tie game. Mauricio dove headfirst into the bag on the play, resulting in the thumb injury.
Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that Mauricio is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Bo Bichette slid over to shortstop yesterday after Mauricio was removed, with Brett Baty moving to third base. The former Blue Jays shortstop has played 17 innings at the position this season.
The Mets picked up Wagaman off waivers from the Twins earlier this week. He was bumped up to the big-league squad on Thursday after Luis Robert Jr. hit the injured list. Wagaman was sent right back down on Friday, with recently claimed Andy Ibáñez joining the club.
Wagaman briefly debuted with the Angels in 2024. He signed with the Marlins heading into 2025 and stumbled into a full-time gig at first base. Wagaman posted an underwhelming 85 wRC+ in 140 games with Miami. He struck out at a below-average rate and chipped in four steals, but didn’t provide the power typically associated with corner infielders, with just nine home runs and a .128 ISO. Wagaman posted a -1 DRS across 862 1/3 innings at the cold corner. The Mets have five days to trade Wagaman or place him on waivers. Wagaman is still in the first of his three minor league option years, which may encourage another team to submit a claim or work out a trade.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Padres Activate Griffin Canning
May 3: San Diego officially activated Canning to start today against the White Sox. Right-hander German Marquez went to the 15-day IL in a corresponding move. Marquez is dealing with right forearm nerve inflammation. Chicago tagged him for seven earned runs over five innings on Friday.
May 2: The Padres are planning to activate right-hander Griffin Canning on Sunday, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The righty will be making his 2026 and Padres debut in the series finale against the White Sox.
Canning joined the Padres in February on a one-year, $2.5MM guarantee. He underwent surgery last June to repair a ruptured left Achilles, which wiped out the remainder of his season with the Mets. Upon signing with San Diego, it was thought that Canning could be ready for Opening Day, though he ultimately required a rehab assignment at Triple-A. He made his final appearance in that assignment on Tuesday, reaching 68 pitches over five innings. Based on that progression, Canning might be on a pitch limit in his debut before assuming a full starter’s workload next time around.
Although the Achilles injury limited Canning to just 76 1/3 innings with the Mets last year, he showed some improvement over his career numbers. For one thing, he did a better job of keeping the ball in the yard. After surrendering 31 home runs in 171 2/3 innings with the Angels in 2024, or 1.63 per nine innings, Canning cut that to 0.93 HR/9 in 2025. He also showed a marked increase in groundball rate, hitting an above average 50.9% after sitting around average in 2023-24. It wasn’t all positive, as Canning’s 21.3% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate were both worse than average. Altogether, though, it was enough for the Padres to sign him to a major-league deal as a back-of-the-rotation arm.
Canning’s arrival could potentially lead to changes in the Padres’ rotation. Michael King and the emergent Randy Vásquez have the first two spots locked in, with Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez, and Matt Waldron rounding out the group. The latter three have not been good so far in 2026. While Buehler’s 5.40 ERA is nearly two runs higher than his 3.42 FIP, his lackluster performance in 2024-25 gives little hope for a turnaround. Márquez and Waldron are similarly ineffective options. Márquez is giving up more than two home runs per nine innings, and Waldron has an unsightly 9.88 ERA in three starts.
If the Padres wanted to stick with a traditional five-man rotation, a case could be made for any one of Buehler, Márquez, and Waldron to get cut based on their performance. However, reports from yesterday indicated that the club may consider a six-man rotation. In that scenario, the trio could hold onto their spots for one or two more turns until the recently-signed Lucas Giolito is brought up from his optional assignment.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Cubs Reinstate Daniel Palencia, Designate Yacksel Rios For Assignment
Cubs right-hander Daniel Palencia has been activated from the 15-day IL, the team announced. The closer missed three weeks with a lat strain. Fellow righty Yacksel Rios was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Palencia initially went down with what was labeled a left oblique strain. Additional testing showed a mild lat strain. He’ll return to the big-league club after just one rehab appearance. Palencia tossed 19 pitches for Triple-A Iowa on Friday.
Before the injury, Palencia had fired five scoreless innings as the unquestioned closer for Chicago. The strong relief work had only resulted in one save, though. Since Palencia went down, the Cubs generated six saves, which went to five different relievers. Caleb Thielbar, Ben Brown, Jacob Webb, Corbin Martin, and Hoby Milner all stepped in to close out games.
Brown and Webb recorded two-inning saves in the first two games of this weekend’s series against the Diamondbacks, part of a patchwork approach with Chicago dealing with several reliever injuries. Even with Palencia back, the Cubs still have Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, Ethan Roberts, and Thielbar on the IL. Porter Hodge was lost for the season.
The extensive bullpen injuries helped Rios return to the big leagues for the first time since 2023. He got the call along with Charlie Barnes after Martin went to the IL and Vince Velasquez was designated for assignment. The 32-year-old recorded five outs in a blowout loss to the Dodgers in his lone appearance. Rios hadn’t pitched in a week.
The Cubs have five days to trade Rios or put him on waivers. If he makes it through the process without another team grabbing him, he could be outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. Rios was outrighted by the A’s after his last big-league stint, so he could forego the minor league assignment and head to free agency. He averaged a career-best 98.2 mph on his fastball during his one game with the Cubs, which might be enough to attract another team.
Rios has pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons with six different organizations. The righty was a semi-regular member of the Phillies bullpen after debuting in 2017. After getting DFAed by Philadelphia in 2019, he bounced to the Pirates, Mariners, Red Sox, and A’s in subsequent seasons. Rios has never averaged even 97 mph with his heater, so the jump in velocity is interesting, especially given his age. It’s a tiny sample, though.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
Eloy Jiménez Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Jiménez has cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
April 29: The Blue Jays have reinstated outfielder/designated hitter George Springer from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, designated hitter Eloy Jiménez has been designated for assignment. Hazel Mae of Sportsnet was first to report the moves.
It’s the inverse of a transaction from a couple of weeks ago. Springer fractured a bone in his left big toe when he fouled a ball off of his foot. On April 12th, he was placed on the IL, with Jiménez selected to take his place on the roster. Now that Springer is healthy enough to return, Jiménez has been bumped off.
In the meantime, Jiménez wasn’t able to do much to secure a longer look. He didn’t play the field, continuing a recent trend of his. He only played eight innings in the outfield in 2024 and none in 2025. As a bat-only player, he needs to hit to provide value, but he wasn’t able to do much of that. His .290 batting average looks nice but he didn’t produce an extra-base hit, leading to a .290/.343/.290 slash line and 82 wRC+, indicating he was 18% worse than league average at the plate overall.
That’s a small sample size of 35 plate appearances but continues a trend that began a few years ago. Though Jiménez was potent slugger for much of the 2019 to 2023 window, he hasn’t been in good form since. In 2024, he hit just six home runs in 98 games, leading to a .238/.289/.336 line and 78 wRC+. He didn’t play in the majors last year, spending the season in the minors, where he hit a combined .247/.326/.347 between the Triple-A teams of the Rays and the Jays.
There was a bit of optimism among some Jays fans when Jiménez put up a decent .286/.333/.524 line in spring training this year, followed by a .257/.372/.371 line in 11 Triple-A games. But as mentioned, his big league numbers were uninspiring. With Springer now back and likely to be in the DH spot most of the time, there wasn’t going to be much use for Jiménez.
Jiménez now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays could take as long as five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner if they so choose. Given his recent track record, it’s likely he will clear waivers. As a veteran with at least five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and instead elect free agency. It’s possible the Jays will skip that step and just release him.
For the Jays, their hope is that greater health can steady the ship for them. They are out to a shaky 13-16 start as they have been battling a large number of injuries. They just got Trey Yesavage back in the mix yesterday and now Springer has rejoined the roster as well. José Berríos and Addison Barger could be next, with guys like Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk ideally returning to the club in the not-too-distant future as well.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Tigers Place Will Vest On 15-Day IL, DFA Yoniel Curet, Select Ricky Vanasco
The Tigers have placed right-hander Will Vest on the 15-day injured list due to right lateral forearm inflammation. Righty Ricky Vanasco‘s contract was selected from Triple-A Toledo in the corresponding move, and right-hander Yoniel Curet was designated for assignment to create space for Vanasco on the Tigers’ 40-man roster.
Vest last pitched on April 26, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold) that “there were times in the last three or four days that we thought we were going to get a breakthrough and have him available. [But], he continues to report the same soreness despite our efforts to get him back on the field.” Tests haven’t revealed any structural issues with Vest’s forearm, so the reliever may just be playing the waiting game until the inflammation subsides.
It would seem like Vest probably tried to work through or wait out the soreness, but without enough improvement to ensure a quick return to the mound, the decision was made to let Vest fully heal up with a proper IL trip. More details on the specifics of Vest’s forearm issue should come from Hinch today when the skipper meets with the media.
Vest has been a key part of the Tigers’ “pitching chaos” approach to relief pitching since 2022, and earned 23 saves as the team’s closer in 2025. While he has an uncharacteristic 6.17 ERA over 11 2/3 innings this season, Vest’s SIERA is a much more respectable 3.30 and his Statcast numbers are largely above average.
The only real red flag is an 11.5% walk rate that is much worse than Vest’s 7.8% career average. Vest’s .313 BABIP isn’t overtly high, yet it carries extra weight since Vest is generating grounders at a whopping 66.7% rate, so even a bit of bad batted-ball luck is having an impact.
On top of Vest’s absence, the Tigers also noted that Kenley Jansen is day-to-day due to a problem with his right groin/abdominal area. Jansen has been tagged for two runs in each of his last two outings, rocketing his ERA from 1.35 up to 6.14. The closer hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, and it may be that Detroit will have to put Jansen on the IL as well to keep the team from being too short-handed in the bullpen.
Kyle Finnegan looks to now be the Tigers’ top high-leverage arm almost by default, depending on how long Jansen is sidelined. Finnegan and Brant Hurter have both posted strong ERAs this season but with shaky secondary metrics, in an inverse of Vest’s situation. With the starting rotation also hit even harder by injuries, Vest is the ninth pitcher on Detroit’s IL.
Vanasco can at least cover some innings, as the righty has gone longer than an inning in six of his 10 Triple-A outings this season. The length is only one aspect of a video game-esque set of results in Toledo, as Vanasco has a spotless 0.00 ERA over 15 innings, a 6.8% walk rate, and a 47.5% strikeout rate (whiffing 28 of 59 batters faced).
Inducing strikeouts has never been an issue for Vanasco, but he has battled control problems during his eight minor league seasons. Injuries have also been a frequent obstacle over Vanasco’s career, and his MLB resume consists of only four games and three innings with the Dodgers and Tigers during the 2024 season.
Curet is still waiting for his first taste of the majors after spending his first five pro seasons in the Rays’ farm system and the 2026 campaign at Toledo. In between, the Phillies acquired Curet from the Rays in a trade back in December, and Detroit claimed Curet off waivers in mid-April. Curet has pitched in only one game for Triple-A Toledo, and he was charged with one earned run on three walks over two-thirds of an inning on Thursday.
Twins Place Cole Sands On 15-Day IL, Promote John Klein
1:54PM: Sands’ strain doesn’t appear to be too serious, as the MRI results indicated “probably some of the better news you could have gotten out of the whole thing,” as the reliever told the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale and other reporters.
9:18AM: The Twins announced that right-hander Cole Sands has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain. The placement is retroactive to April 29. Right-hander John Klein was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Klein was already added to Minnesota’s 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 draft.
More information on the severity of Sands’ injury should be known later today when Twins manager Derek Shelton speaks to the media. Some forearm strains are very minor, but naturally teams tend to proceed with caution when a pitcher has any sort of forearm or elbow-related issue.
Sands has a 4.63 ERA, 22% strikeout rate, and eight percent walk rate over 11 2/3 bullpen innings for Minnesota this season, and batters have a hefty 51.4% hard-hit ball rate against his offerings. Sands’ fastball is averaging 93.1mph, down from the 95mph velocity he posted in 2025. His 3.65 SIERA is almost a full run better than his real-world ERA, however, and the fact that Sands allowed two runs in his most recent appearance (two-thirds of an inning against the Mariners on April 28) could imply that his forearm issue had something to do with that tough outing.
While Sands hasn’t been as sharp this year, he has been a workhorse reliever for the Twins since the start of the 2024 season. His absence is another hit to a Minnesota bullpen that has been pretty ineffective, and the Twins now have another hole to fill in covering Sands’ high-leverage innings.
Klein may be able to at least help in the depth department, as the 24-year-old has been a starter for most of his five minor league seasons. Klein has had a rough go of things in 2026, posting a 7.48 ERA and allowing 10 homers over only 21 2/3 innings (starting six of seven games) for Triple-A St. Paul. This extreme difficulty at keeping the ball in the park is a new issue and maybe even just a fluke for Klein, who has posted solid homer rates over the rest of his career.
Klein will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in his first game, and pitching for the Twins carries some extra hometown weight for the native of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. An undrafted free agent who signed with the Twins in 2022, Klein has been hit hard at the Triple-A level in both 2025 and 2026, but he has a respectable 24.17% strikeout rate and 8.32% walk rate over the entirety of his 288 2/3 career innings in the minors.
MLB Pipeline ranks Klein 20th on their list of Twins prospects, and Baseball America has the right-hander 24th on their list. Both outlets project Klein more as a swingman or long reliever than as a starter at the big league level, as Klein lacks any plus secondary pitches. Klein’s top pitch is a mid-90s fastball that has topped out at 97mph, but there could be a higher ceiling given how Klein has added a couple of miles of velocity within the last two seasons.
Rays Designate Yoendrys Gomez, Activate Garrett Cleavinger
The Rays have designated right-hander Yoendrys Gomez for assignment, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writes. The move opens up a space on the 40-man roster to be used at a later date, and also creates 26-man roster space for Garrett Cleavinger‘s activation from the 15-day injured list.
Gomez is out of minor league options, and the Rays had to DFA the righty and expose him to waivers before they could potentially send him down to Triple-A via an outright assignment. Because Gomez has previously been outrighted in his career, however, he has the ability to reject any other outrights and become a free agent, so it is possible today’s move could mark the end of his time in a Tampa uniform.
Tampa Bay just acquired Gomez from the White Sox last November, as Gomez and Steven Wilson were brought into the fold in exchange for Everson Pereira and Tanner Murray. The trade hasn’t helped the Rays much to date, as Wilson is on the 60-day IL due to back problems and Gomez posted a 6.23 ERA over 17 1/3 relief innings.
Gomez’s 15.9% strikeout rate isn’t much higher than his 12.2% walk rate, and control has been an issue for the right-hander throughout his time in the minors and majors. Once a notable pitching prospect in the Yankees’ farm system, Gomez hasn’t yet turned that promise into results at the MLB level, as he has a 5.11 ERA over 93 1/3 innings with the Rays, White Sox, Dodgers, and Yankees over parts of the last four seasons.
Another team might have interest in Gomez’s ability to work as a multi-inning reliever, or could still see him as a late breakout candidate. This could mean Gomez is claimed off waivers, or Gomez could test the market directly by opting for free agency.
Cleavinger had an ugly 7.71 ERA over his first 2 1/3 innings and three games of the 2026 campaign, but the southpaw has been a reliable member of Tampa’s bullpen since the 2022 season. Cleavinger will now step back into his former role as the top left-handed option in the Rays’ bullpen, with the struggling Ian Seymour still in the mix as the other lefty.
Phillies Designate Dylan Moore For Assignment
The Phillies announced that J.T. Realmuto was activated from the 10-day injured list, as the catcher returns after a minimal stint due to back spasms. To create room on the active roster, utilityman Dylan Moore was designated for assignment.
Moore is still looking for his first hit of the 2026 season, as he has gone 0-for-12 with three walks over 15 plate appearances. Moore started only one of his 15 games for Philadelphia, with most of his action coming as a late-game pinch-hitter, defensive sub, or even two mop-up appearances on the mound.
Without much playing time to be offered, Moore became expendable upon Realmuto’s return, even if the Phillies now have three catchers on the 26-man roster. Backup catchers Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs are both out of minor league options, so rather than DFA either and risk losing them on waivers, the Phils preferred to designate Moore.
Signed to a minor league contract during the offseason, Moore triggered the opt-out clause at the end of Spring Training. The Phillies retained the utilityman by signing Moore to a one-year Major League deal worth $1.45MM in guaranteed money, and the Phils will remain on the hook for the roughly $1.19MM remaining unless Moore is claimed on waivers. If Moore clears waivers, he has enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Should he then sign elsewhere, his new team would owe him only a prorated MLB minimum salary for any time spent on a 26-man roster, and that minimum salary would be subtracted from Philadelphia’s $1.19MM total.
Moore’s defensive versatility makes him an interesting potential waiver claim, and it wasn’t long ago that he was also posting above-average offensive numbers in a part-time capacity with the Mariners. Since Opening Day 2025, however, Moore has hit only .190/.264/.355 over 258 PA for the Mariners, Rangers, and Phillies.