Blue Jays Return Rule 5 Pick Angel Bastardo To Red Sox
The Blue Jays have returned Rule 5 pick Angel Bastardo to the Red Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. Toronto designated him for assignment a week ago when setting their Opening Day roster. This announcement indicates the other 28 clubs passed on grabbing Bastardo via waivers. The Sox do not need to put Bastardo on their 40-man roster.
Bastardo, 24 in June, was an international signing of the Red Sox out of Venezuela in 2018. He reached Double-A in 2023 and was still at that level in 2024 when he required Tommy John surgery. Since he was likely going to miss the 2025 season, the Sox left Bastardo off their roster in the fall of 2024, therefore leaving him exposed in the Rule 5 draft. The Blue Jays grabbed him in that draft and kept him on the injured list all throughout the 2025 season, hoping that Bastardo could perhaps earn a spot on their 2026 club.
Though he had already been on the roster for a whole year, a Rule 5 pick is still bound by the restrictions of that draft until he spends 90 days on the active roster. That meant the Jays would need to keep him in the big leagues for at least the first three months of the schedule.
Bastardo is now recovered from his surgery but showed some rust in camp. He faced 33 batters in spring training and walked seven of them, a 21.2% clip which is close to three times the regular season league average. He also threw four wild pitches in there. The Jays decided it couldn’t work and designated Bastardo for assignment. Another club could have grabbed him off waivers and absorbed the same Rule 5 situation but they all decided against it.
The Red Sox will now get to plug him back into their system, so Bastardo could be back at the Double-A level soon or perhaps get bumped up to Triple-A. It may have been strange for Bastardo to switch organizations for a year while rehabbing but he benefited by earning a year of big league pay and service time while on the IL in 2025.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Dodgers Acquire Jake Eder
11:07am: The two teams have announced the trade. Los Angeles is sending cash back to Washington. Righty Jake Cousins, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, heads to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot.
10:37am: The Dodgers are set to acquire left-hander Jake Eder from the Nationals, according to Spencer Nusbaum and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Eder was designated for assignment this past weekend when Washington acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the White Sox.
A fourth-round pick by the Marlins in 2020, the now-27-year-old Eder was a touted prospect in Miami’s system before requiring Tommy John surgery at the Double-A level. He was flipped from the Marlins to the White Sox in exchange for Jake Burger at the 2023 trade deadline, but things didn’t pan out in Chicago.
Eder only briefly made the majors with the ChiSox, tossing two innings of relief and allowing one run. He was sitting on a 3.94 ERA in 29 2/3 Double-A frames with the Marlins at the time of that swap before being shelled for 22 runs in 17 1/3 innings with the White Sox’ Double-A affiliate in Birmingham. Eder made another 24 starts with Birminham in 2024 but was torched for a 6.61 ERA.
The Sox traded Eder to the Angels for cash one year ago yesterday. He pitched 18 1/3 MLB frames (4.91 ERA, 19.2 K%, 11.5 BB%) before being traded to the Nationals as part of Washington’s return for veteran relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia. He pitched only seven innings in Washington’s system following that swap. Eder allowed only two earned runs in 6 2/3 spring innings with the Nats (2.70 ERA) but walked six batters in that time.
Eder has typically sat 92-94 mph with his four-seamer and complemented the pitch with a slider and changeup. His slider has graded out well in limited big league time, but opponents have teed off on that changeup, which is part of the reason righties have a .289/.407/.422 line against him in 54 plate appearances. During this spring’s small sample of work, he noticeably ramped up his slider usage and scaled back the frequency of his changeups.
Eder has a minor league option remaining, so the Dodgers don’t have to plug him right onto the big league roster. He can head to Oklahoma City and serve as Triple-A depth. Los Angeles currently has four lefties in its major league bullpen — Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, Justin Wrobleski — but Eder can provide some length, should the need arise. Of course, it also shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Dodgers try to quickly run Eder through waivers themselves the next time they need a 40-man roster spot, hoping that they can pass hum through unclaimed and retain him as non-roster depth.
White Sox Designate Rule 5 Pick Jedixson Páez For Assignment
The White Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Jedixson Páez for assignment, clearing a spot on the roster for veteran reliever Lucas Sims, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Charlotte. Páez was a Rule 5 Draft selection out of the Red Sox organization.
Páez, 22, appeared in three games for the White Sox. He retired the only batter he faced in one of the three, but in each of the other two he was tagged for three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings with a home run allowed and multiple walks. Overall, Páez yielded six runs on four hits (two homers) and three walks without a strikeout in a total of three innings.
It’s not exactly a surprise to see Páez struggle. He’d never pitched above the High-A level when the White Sox scooped him up in December’s Rule 5 Draft, and he was knocked around for eight earned runs in 11 1/3 spring innings.
Chicago understandably was intrigued by Páez despite his lack of upper-level experience. He’s shown plus command in the minors, and he draws average or better grades for both his changeup and slider. Páez sits between 91-92 mph with both his sinker and his four-seamer, so the velocity is below average, but he’s posted terrific numbers up through High-A when healthy and would likely have spent considerable time at Double-A last year, were it not for a partial calf tear that sidelined him for around four months.
Now that he’s been designated for assignment, Páez will be placed on waivers and made available to the 28 clubs other than the White Sox and Red Sox. If another club claims him, he’ll have to go right onto the active roster. Páez’s Rule 5 restrictions would transfer over to that new club, and he would not be able to be optioned to the minors at any point.
If Páez passes through waivers unclaimed, Chicago will have to offer him back to Boston for a nominal sum of $50K. Boston would not need to put Páez on its 40-man roster and could assign him directly to a minor league affiliate (likely Double-A Portland).
The 31-year-old Sims signed a minor league deal over the winter and had a nice spring, firing six shutout innings with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. He’s fired one scoreless inning so far in Charlotte.
A veteran of nine partial major league seasons, Sims comes to the South Siders with more than six years of service time. He was a useful middle relief and eventual setup arm at his peak in Cincinnati, pitching to a combined 3.93 ERA in 183 1/3 innings from 2019-23. Sims punched out a hearty 31.9% of opponents in that time but was far too prone to free passes, issuing walks at a 12.2% clip.
Sims collected 39 holds and four saves in 2023-24, but a 2025 stint with the Nationals saw his shaky command erode to untenable levels. Sims walked more than 19% of his opponents (14 of 72) and plunked another seven batters in his short time with the Nats before being cut loose last year.
Orioles Transfer Jordan Westburg To 60-Day IL
The Orioles announced this morning that infielder Jordan Westburg has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. That opens a spot on the 40-man roster for righty Albert Suarez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Norfolk — a move first reported to be in the works last night. Right-hander Zach Eflin heads to the 15-day IL, as expected. He and the O’s are awaiting MRI results to determine the source of Eflin’s elbow discomfort.
Westburg himself is dealing with a severe elbow issue. Baltimore’s third baseman experienced elbow discomfort early in spring training and was found to have a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is attempting to rehab the injury without surgery. The Orioles had previously indicated that Westburg would miss all of April, but the move to the 60-day IL pushes his earliest possible return date out to May 21. (Westburg’s original IL placement on March 25 was backdated the maximum three days to March 22.)
Today’s move to the 60-day IL doesn’t necessarily represent a setback, nor does it indicate that surgery is any likelier now than it was at the time of Westburg’s original diagnosis back in February. To the contrary, manager Craig Albernaz tells the O’s beat that Westburg is continuing his rehab progression and has been cleared to swing a bat and begin playing catch (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun). That’s a fairly encouraging update, though Westburg obviously isn’t out of the woods entirely.
The injury to Westburg has opened the door for former top prospect Coby Mayo to get a legitimate look at his original position. Westburg’s presence in the infield had previously pushed Mayo across the diamond to first base, and that spot was filled over the winter when Baltimore signed Pete Alonso to a five-year deal. Entering camp, it wasn’t clear that Mayo would have a path to regular at-bats — at least not until news of Westburg’s elbow dropped.
Mayo had a big spring showing but has started slowly, going 2-for-13 in four games — all at third base. Utilityman Blaze Alexander has also logged one game at the hot corner. They’ll continue as the primary options at third base. It’s conceivable that Alexander could leapfrog Mayo for playing time there if Mayo struggles once Jackson Holliday returns from the IL and bumps Alexander out of the mix for playing time at second base. For now, the O’s are hoping that Mayo can make good on his productive Triple-A track record and tap into the form he showed this spring (.378/.405/.622 in 42 plate appearances).
Mariners Sign Colt Emerson To Eight-Year Extension
The Mariners announced the signing of top shortstop prospect Colt Emerson to an eight-year extension that includes a club option for the 2034 campaign. Emerson, an ACES client, is reportedly guaranteed $95MM — a record for a player who has yet to make his MLB debut.
The signing comes with a full no-trade clause and includes another $35MM+ in escalators. There’s reportedly an $8MM signing bonus. Emerson will make $1MM and $2MM respective salaries over the next two seasons. That’ll climb to $9MM in 2028 and between $12-18MM per season from 2029-32. The club option is valued at $25MM.
Emerson will remain in Triple-A, where he has nine games of experience. Seattle needed to select him onto the 40-man roster to finalize his major league contract but immediately optioned him back to the Triple-A level. The 20-year-old’s deal tops the previous record guarantee for a player without any MLB service time (previously held by Jackson Chourio) by $13MM.
It’s not hard to see why the Mariners are giving him a guarantee that nearly reaches nine-figures before even seeing him take a single MLB at-bat, however. The youngster is a consensus top-15 prospect in the sport and rocketed through the minors last year. After starting 2025 at the High-A level, he walked at an excellent 13.1% clip and swatted 32 extra-base hits in just 90 games. That forced the issue enough to earn him a promotion to the upper minors and, across 40 games between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, Emerson slashed .293/.383/.470 in 188 plate appearances. That would be an impressive slash line for any player, but even more so for a 19-year-old who plays quality defense all over the infield.
The Mariners made the decision to let Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco depart in free agency over the offseason, and Emerson’s emergence was surely part of that calculus. For now, the club has an infield mix that appears full on paper, with J.P. Crawford at shortstop, Cole Young at second base, and the recently-acquired Brendan Donovan at third base.
Crawford is currently on the injured list with a bout of shoulder inflammation, but he’s expected to return relatively quickly from that injury. The Mariners preferred to use utilityman Leo Rivas as a fill-in rather than call Emerson up for a week or two only to option him back to Tacoma. With Crawford on track to hit free agency after the 2026 season, the position will probably belong to Emerson in the long term.
That’s not to say he’ll need to wait until 2027 to make his MLB debut. Young is a former top prospect himself and is well-regarded by the Mariners, but he’s ultimately unproven at the big league level and could open up playing time at the keystone if he struggles or sits against tough lefties. Donovan was acquired in no small part thanks to his elite versatility. The super-utility man is primarily an infielder but has plenty of experience on the outfield grass as well. Emerson could assume the regular third base job at some point this season. That would bump Donovan to right field, thereby displacing either Dominic Canzone or Luke Raley from the starting lineup.
While a spot could be made for Emerson in the majors, it’s understandable that the club is holding off on promoting him for now. This extension is a big bet on his ability and removes the consideration of service time from the equation, but Emerson’s development must still be considered. While MLB Pipeline notes that his defensive metrics last year suggested he was an above-average defender at short, he has just 111 1/3 innings of work at third base for his career and just 75 at the keystone, so it would be understandable if the team wanted to get him additional looks at those positions before giving him a full-time role in the majors.
As for his offense, Emerson has just 43 total games in the upper minors. That’s not a lot of time afforded for his development, and while some top prospects are able to jump right in at the big league level with minimal minor league experience, the Mariners should remember all too well the struggles that outfielder Jarred Kelenic faced when he was promoted to the majors after just 51 games in the upper minors (including 30 at Triple-A). The front office surely has no interest in risking Emerson’s development on calling him up before he’s ready, particularly given the fact that Emerson is now slated to receive the fourth-largest guarantee on Seattle’s entire roster behind Julio Rodriguez, Luis Castillo, and Cal Raleigh.
Regardless of when Emerson ultimately reaches the majors, this deal locks up a key piece of Seattle’s core for the future. With Emerson now under club control through the end of the 2034 season, he joins Raleigh, Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Young as key players under control through at least 2030. That positional core is complemented by impact pieces like Donovan, star closer Andres Munoz, and of course the club’s vaunted starting rotation of Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller. All five of those starters are set to hit free agency between the 2027-28 offseason and the 2029-30 offseason, so perhaps the club’s long-term planning can now focus on the future of the rotation now that key positional assets like Raleigh and Emerson are locked up for the long haul.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported that Emerson and the Mariners had agreed to an eight-year, $95MM contract with a club option, more than $35MM in escalators, and a no-trade clause. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Emerson would be optioned back to Triple-A. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times had the signing bonus and salary range. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reported the $25MM option value and more salary specifics.
Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.
Orioles To Select Albert Suárez
The Orioles will select swingman Albert Suárez onto the big league roster, reports Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. Manager Craig Albernaz confirmed this evening that the O’s expect Zach Eflin to land on the injured list after he left tonight’s start with elbow discomfort.
Suárez will need to be added to the 40-man roster. That’s at capacity, so they’ll either designate someone for assignment or place an injured player on the 60-day injured list. Jordan Westburg is a borderline 60-day IL candidate. Eflin could be as well depending on the results of tomorrow’s MRI. Otherwise, recent DFA trade pickups Johnathan Rodríguez and Jayvien Sandridge probably occupy the final two spots on the 40-man roster.
Dean Kremer seems likely to step into the open rotation spot. Baltimore can operate with a four-man rotation in the interim. Trevor Rogers goes tomorrow opposite Nathan Eovaldi as they look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rangers. The O’s are off on Thursday before heading to Pittsburgh for a weekend series. They’ll need to replace Eflin in the rotation by next week’s series against the White Sox.
Suárez adds a multi-inning arm to Albernaz’s bullpen. The O’s used three relievers — Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia for multiple innings — after Chris Bassitt was knocked out by the fifth inning on Monday. Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, Yaramil Hiraldo and Anthony Nunez all pitched tonight due to Eflin’s fourth-inning injury. Closer Ryan Helsley is their only reliever who hasn’t been called upon yet in the series.
The 36-year-old Suárez will be appearing in his third straight season with the Orioles. He was a nice find out of the KBO and turned in a 3.70 ERA across 133 2/3 innings two years ago. Shoulder and elbow injuries limited him to five appearances and 11 2/3 frames last season.
That cost him his 40-man roster spot at season’s end, but the O’s brought him back on a minor league deal. Suárez had a tough spring, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) with nine strikeouts and five walks through 10 2/3 innings. He began the season with Triple-A Norfolk but hasn’t made an appearance through their first four games.
Brewers, Cooper Pratt Reportedly Working On Extension
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.
Jorge López, Austin Adams Sign With Mexican League Teams
A pair of longtime MLB relievers recently joined teams in the Mexican League. The Saraperos de Saltillo announced a deal with former All-Star closer Jorge López last week. Meanwhile, righty Austin Adams — a veteran of parts of eight MLB seasons — recently signed with the Tecos de los Dos Laredos. Mexican League contracts typically come with an out clause that allows the player to sign a minor league deal if they perform well enough to attract interest from an affiliated club.
López was pitching in the big leagues as recently as last season. The 33-year-old righty signed a $3MM free agent contract with the Nationals going into the ’25 campaign. He made 26 appearances but was rocked for a 6.57 earned run average with a career-low 16% strikeout rate. It was a marked dip from a sub-3.00 ERA with a 23% strikeout percentage between the Mets and Cubs a year earlier.
Washington designated López for assignment at the end of May. He was released a few days later and remained unsigned for the rest of the year. López returned to the mound in his native Puerto Rico over the winter. He also made an appearance for his home country during the World Baseball Classic, recording one out while allowing two hits.
Adams, 35 in May, most recently pitched in the majors with the Athletics in 2024. He had a decent year, allowing just under four earned runs per nine while striking out 28% of batters faced across 41 1/3 frames. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox for the ’25 campaign. He couldn’t find the strike zone, walking 21 batters and hitting three more in 23 2/3 Triple-A innings. Boston released him at the end of July. A slider specialist, Adams has always missed bats but has struggled with his control.
Guardians Designate Doug Nikhazy For Assignment
The Guardians announced that they have selected left-hander Kolby Allard to the 40-man roster. To open an active roster spot, right-hander Colin Holderman has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. In a corresponding 40-man move, left-hander Doug Nikhazy has been designated for assignment.
Allard, 28, bounced on and off Cleveland’s roster last year in a swing role. He tossed 65 innings over 33 appearances, including two starts, with an excellent 2.63 earned run average. Maintaining an ERA in that range was likely not possible. He benefited from a 79.2% strand rate with only 5.6% of his fly balls leaving the yard. His 5.3% walk rate was good but his 15.8% strikeout rate and 38% ground ball rate were subpar. His 4.41 SIERA suggested his ERA may have been almost two full runs to the lucky side.
The Guards outrighted him off the roster at season’s end but then re-signed him to a new minor league deal. Though it’s only a few days into the season, the Guardians are probably adding Allard in case they need some length to spare the bullpen. They are in Los Angeles for three games against a tough Dodger lineup, making it possible one of their starters gets knocked out early. On top of that, there’s some concern around Tanner Bibee. The righty departed his Opening Day start after five innings due to shoulder inflammation.
Parker Messick is starting the first game against the Dodgers tonight. Manager Stephen Vogt recently said Bibee could make his scheduled start in the second game, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Gavin Williams is scheduled for the third game. If someone gets knocked out early or Bibee’s shoulder flares up, Allard could be called upon to eat some innings.
The move will cost Nikhazy his spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft. He generally posted solid numbers on his way up the ladder. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 328 innings over 70 starts and five relief appearances with a 3.90 ERA. His 26.8% strikeout rate was quite strong but his 14.5% walk rate was not.
The Guards added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2024, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. His results backed up last year. He posted a 5.02 ERA at the Triple-A level. His 11.1% walk rate was an improvement but still a high figure, while his 22.5% strikeout rate was a drop from his previous seasons. He made his major league debut allowed six earned runs in four innings.
Nikhazy is now bumped into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Guards could take as long as five days to see if there’s any trade interest. Nikhazy is still optionable for another two seasons, which could add to his appeal for a club looking to add depth to the minor league system. Despite his underwhelming 2025, Baseball America still ranked him as the club’s #28 prospect coming into this year.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Astros Select Cody Bolton
The Astros announced they’ve selected pitcher Cody Bolton onto the big league roster. Reliever Christian Roa has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to open an active roster spot. Hayden Wesneski, who’ll miss the majority of the season rehabbing Tommy John surgery, moves to the 60-day injured list to clear space on the 40-man roster.
Bolton returns to the majors for the first time since last April. The 27-year-old righty made one MLB appearance for Cleveland, tossing two innings of three-run ball. Cleveland optioned Bolton to Triple-A after that outing. He was injured in a car accident shortly thereafter, and the Guardians released him in June. Bolton signed a minor league contract with Houston at the end of July.
The 6’2″ hurler was still injured at the time. He made his organizational debut towards the end of August. Bolton pitched 13 2/3 innings with Sugar Land to close the year, allowing three runs. He struck out 15 while issuing eight walks. Bolton remained in the system over the offseason, pitching once this spring. It wasn’t a good outing, as he walked four of the six batters he faced, but the Astros will bring him back up as a long reliever.
Roa has worked as a single-inning reliever this spring and for his first two appearances with Houston. The Astros swap in Bolton to add a long reliever behind Lance McCullers Jr. for tonight’s start against the Red Sox. Houston used six relievers, including Roa, yesterday after Tatsuya Imai failed to escape the third inning in his big league debut.