Phillies Reinstate Bryce Harper, Designate Buddy Kennedy For Assignment
The Phillies announced Monday that first baseman Bryce Harper has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. To make room on the active roster, Philadelphia designated utilityman Buddy Kennedy for assignment.
Harper missed just under four weeks due to inflammation in his wrist. He’ll be back in the heart of the Phillies’ order starting Monday, looking to improve on a .258/.368/.446 slash. That’s quality output at the plate — 26% better than average, per wRC+ — but constitutes a “down” season relative to Harper’s lofty standards.
To his credit, Harper touted a more robust .276/.382/.470 line in late May but hit only .143/.273/.286 in eight games before landing on the injured list, so it seems his wrist had been bothering him for awhile before he finally sat down to let it heal up. Manager Rob Thomson said at the time of Harper’s IL placement that the wrist had been bothering the former NL MVP for “awhile” without specifying just how long. Harper was also plunked on the elbow by a Spencer Strider heater in the middle of the eight-game slump that preceded his IL placement and missed several games in the aftermath, so it’s likely that he was pretty banged up by the time Philadelphia pulled the trigger on an IL stint.
Kennedy, 26, has now been designated for assignment twice by the Phillies this year. He’s out of minor league options and didn’t make the club out of spring training, prompting a DFA and a quick return on a minor league deal after he briefly elected free agency. He was selected back to the majors just 11 days ago and appeared in only four games, going hitless with a walk in a small sample of eight plate appearances.
Kennedy has appeared in parts of four major league seasons between the D-backs, Tigers and Phillies, but he’s only tallied 157 plate appearances in that time. He’s a .193/.287/.296 hitter at the big league level but touts a nice .281/.391/.437 slash in nearly 1600 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s primarily played second base and third base in pro ball but does have more than 400 innings at first base and 93 innings of left field work under his belt.
The Phillies can trade or waive Kennedy at any point in the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so he’ll have a resolution on his DFA within a week’s time. If Kennedy clears waivers, he’ll have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.
Athletics Select Colby Thomas
The Athletics announced a series of roster moves Monday, notably selecting the contract of well-regarded outfield prospect Colby Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas. The A’s also reinstated Shea Langeliers from the 10-day injured list, recalled reliever Justin Sterner from Vegas and optioned outfielder JJ Bleday, righty Tyler Ferguson and catcher Willie MacIver to Triple-A.
Thomas, 24, was the Athletics’ third-round pick in 2022. He’s steadily climbed the minor league ranks and currently sports a .297/.365/.542 slash with Las Vegas, although given the extraordinarily hitter-friendly setting, that’s only about 11% better than league average (111 wRC+) when adjusted for home park and league run-scoring environment. Thomas’ 26.3% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and massive pop-up rate — a staggering 28% of his fly-balls are infield flies — aren’t ideal, but he’s also hitting plenty of line drives.
Baseball America and MLB.com both list Thomas among the system’s top-five prospects, whereas FanGraphs had Thomas way down at 27th in the system citing concerns over his hit tool and overaggressive approach at the plate. Both BA and MLB raise those flaws as well, but Thomas’ raw tools — above-average to plus grades on his power, speed, outfield defense and arm strength — lead to a more favorable overall rating at both outlets, questions in the batter’s box notwithstanding.
Thomas joins an outfield mix that includes Lawrence Butler in right field, defensive standout Denzel Clarke in center and slugger Tyler Soderstrom in left. Designated hitter Brent Rooker can cycle into the corners as well but has just 202 innings on defense dating back to Opening Day 2024. Thomas’ right-handed bat could serve as a complement to the lefty-swinging Soderstrom, who’s batting just .205/.235/.269 against lefties this year (81 plate appearances) but .268/.367/.485 versus righties.
Langeliers returns after missing nearly four weeks with an oblique strain. He batted .237/.300/.430 with 10 homers in 230 plate appearances prior to the injury, continuing his trend of providing low average/OBP marks with above-average pop.
Ferguson was solid for the A’s in 2024 but has seen his velocity, strikeout rate, swinging-strike rate, walk rate and home run rate all trend in the wrong direction in 2025. He’s currently sitting on a 6.69 ERA in 35 innings.
Last year, Bleday looked to have broken out as a quality hitter and potential core piece with the A’s. His glovework in center field was brutal, but Bleday slashed .243/.324/.437 with 20 homers in 642 plate appearances. He’s drawing tons of walks with slightly above-average power again in 2025, but Bleday’s contact rate, strikeout rate and infield fly rate have all trended the wrong way in ’25. This is now the second time he’s been optioned, and went just 5-for-37 between minor league stints before being sent back down. There’s still room for him to bounce back and reclaim a spot in the Athletics’ long-term plans, but right now his stock is down considerably relative to 2024.
White Sox Place Luis Robert Jr. On 10-Day Injured List
The White Sox announced this afternoon that they’ve placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to June 26. Chicago will make a corresponding roster move prior to Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers, but will have just 25 players available for this afternoon’s game against the Giants.
The fact that Robert needs an IL stint is hardly a surprise given that he’s missed each of the club’s last three games, but (as noted by Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun Times) the timing of the move is a bit unusual. Robert was participating in light baseball activities before today’s game against the Giants, and he was expected to be evaluated further on Monday in order to determine whether or not an IL stint would be necessary. Perhaps Robert’s pregame activities today made it clear to the Sox that a trip to the shelf would be needed. It’s also worth noting that IL stints can be backdated a maximum of three days, so any time spent waiting after today would’ve effectively lengthened the minimum amount of time that Chicago would be without their outfielder.
The White Sox are surely hoping this will be a minimum stint or close to it. The possibility for a Robert trade has been a major topic of the rumor mill for years now, and after the club declined to trade him at various other points throughout their rebuild for fear of selling low on their mercurial and oft-injured star, his value may now be at its lowest point ever.
Robert has hit just .185/.270/.313 across 73 games this year. While he’s swiped 23 bases and is walking at a career-high 10.2% clip, he’s striking out more than 30% of the time and has the worst power numbers of his career. Even his once-elite center field defense isn’t holding up quite as well as it has in previous years. While his +3 Outs Above Average is certainly a solid number, it’s a far cry from the +13 OAA Robert posted back in 2023.
Between Robert’s declining offense and high salary, it could be difficult for the White Sox to find takers on the outfielder this summer. Perhaps that’s why the Sox are reportedly willing to include cash alongside Robert in order to facilitate getting a deal done. Robert is due around $7.5MM for the remainder of this season, but if the White Sox were willing to pay a significant amount of that down it might be easier for them to work out a trade.
After all, Robert’s offensive potential is still immense even amid his recent stretch of injuries and ineffectiveness, and even if he doesn’t reach that ceiling adding a plus defensive center fielder with speed to the lineup could be valuable for a team like the Guardians or Braves that has struggled to find production in center field this year. Robert is also still hitting a robust .268/.406/.464 against left-handed pitching this year, so perhaps a team like the Rangers or Giants that struggles against southpaws could have interest in bringing him into the fold as well.
All of this, of course, will hinge on Robert returning in relatively short order with enough time to prove himself reasonably healthy and effective before the trade deadline. Even mild hamstring strains can often require at least a couple of weeks of recovery, and if Robert isn’t ready to go by the time the White Sox come back from the All-Star break that could leave the club in a bit of a bind as they try to get what they can for the former All-Star. In the meantime, they’ll continue turning to Michael A. Taylor to cover center field while Robert recovers.
Twins Designate Jonah Bride For Assignment
Following the Twins’ 3-0 loss to the Tigers tonight, Minnesota announced that infielder Jonah Bride has been designated for assignment. No corresponding move has been made yet, but several members of the Twins beat speculated that Royce Lewis will be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to the team’s next game on Tuesday in Miami.
By coincidence, Bride came to the Twins from Miami in a trade back in April. This is the third time Bride has been designated in his career, and the previous two DFAs resulted in trades — from the A’s to the Marlins in February 2024, and then the swap that brought Bride to the Twin Cities.
Multiple injuries around the Twins’ infield created the need for Bride’s versatility, and he ended up appearing in 33 games with Minnesota mostly at third base, but with a few cameos as a first baseman, second baseman, and even four outings as a mop-up pitcher in blowouts. While Bride hit better with Minnesota than he did in Miami, he still has only a .170/.248/.188 slash line over 125 total plate appearances with both clubs in 2025.
A veteran of four big league seasons, Bride seemed to have a bit of a breakout with the Marlins in 2024, hitting .276/.357/.461 over 272 PA. It could be that rebuilding Miami never saw the 29-year-old Bride as more than a stopgap, however, and Bride’s lack of minor league options also reduced his flexibility in terms of roster shuffles.
That out-of-options status is why the Marlins and now the Twins have had to designate Bride and expose him to waivers before attempting to send him to the minors and outright him off their 40-man rosters. Bride doesn’t have a past outright on his record or the necessary MLB service time to reject an outright assignment, should he clear waivers this time and the Twins move him to Triple-A.
Giants Sign Austin Barnes To Minor League Deal
The Giants have signed catcher Austin Barnes to a minor league deal, as per Barnes’ MLB.com profile page (hat tip to FanSided’s Jeff Young). Barnes has been assigned not to Triple-A but to the Giants’ Arizona Complex League team, likely for a ramp-up period before heading to a higher affiliate.
The backstop’s 11-season run with the Dodgers ended when Los Angeles released Barnes back in May. Should Barnes make the Giants’ roster, San Francisco will owe him only the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary, and the Dodgers will be on the hook for the remainder of the $3.5MM salary Barnes was owed for the 2025 season.
San Francisco president of baseball operations Buster Posey knows a thing or two about catching, so the idea of adding another respected veteran to the team’s catching ranks behind the plate probably held some particular appeal for the Giants, especially at virtually no cost. Adding a former longtime member of the Giants’ arch-rival might also provide an added bonus if Barnes can share a few secrets from his long stint in Dodger Blue.
Starting catcher Patrick Bailey is an elite defender who has struggled badly with the bat this season, and Andrew Knizner has provided even less offense since his contract was selected to the big league roster earlier this month. Sam Huff and Logan Porter provided little in limited duty this season, and Porter remains on the Giants’ 40-man roster while Huff was outrighted following a DFA earlier this month. Max Stassi, Huff, and now Barnes are experienced catchers in the minor league pipeline that the Giants would have to add to the 40-man in order to bring them up to the Major League roster.
Barnes would likely not bring much in the way of offense himself, as the 35-year-old has a career slash line of .223/.322/.338 over 1757 career plate appearances in the Show. Barnes’ numbers dipped to just a .518 OPS over 44 PA this season when the Dodgers opted to designate and then release Barnes to make way for top prospect Dalton Rushing as Will Smith‘s new backup.
While Barnes has had his share of moments at the plate over the years, he has carved out his long career as a defensive specialist. Long regarded as a strong blocker, pitch-framer, and handler of pitchers, Barnes unofficially acted as Clayton Kershaw‘s personal catcher for years, even when such catchers as Smith or Yasmani Grandal were the established starters in L.A.
Assuming he is selected to the Giants active roster in due course, Barnes will go from working with Kershaw to another future Hall-of-Famer in Justin Verlander, not to mention ace Logan Webb and former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray. Barnes’ veteran knowhow might also be helpful in mentoring younger rotation arms like Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp, who have been tasked with greater responsibility in pitching key innings for a Giants team that is trying to contend for the playoffs.
Reds Release Jeimer Candelario
June 29: Candelario has officially cleared waivers and been released by the Reds, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
June 23: The Reds announced that infielder Jeimer Candelario has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and designated for assignment. He had been on a rehab assignment but the club has decided against adding him back to their active roster. The move drops their 40-man roster count from 39 to 38.
The Reds signed Candelario to a three-year, $45MM deal heading into last year and that pact will now go down as a big bust. He did hit 20 home runs last year but with a low batting average and on-base percentage. His .225/.279/.429 line translated to a wRC+ of 87, with poor defensive grades to boot. Here in 2025, it’s been even worse. Thanks to poor health, he has only played 22 games with a dismal .113/.198/.213 line. FanGraphs has credited him as being one win worse than replacement level since signing with the Reds.
Today’s transaction very likely ends his time with the organization. The Reds could take five days to explore trade talks but won’t find much interest. As mentioned, his performance has been rough this year. Even on his recent rehab assignment, he hit just .211/.318/.333 in his 15 Triple-A games, production that translates to a wRC+ of 80. He is making $15MM this year and will be owed $12MM next year, plus a $3MM buyout on a 2027 club option.
Candelario has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while keeping all that money coming to him. It’s possible the Reds will skip that formality and release him. Either way, he’s likely to be a free agent in a few days. At that point, any club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum salary, which would be subtracted from what the Reds pay.
At that price point, some clubs may be interested in taking a flier. Candelario was a solid player before joining the Reds, which is why they gave him that hefty deal in the first place. With the Tigers over 2020 and 2021, he slashed .278/.356/.458 for a wRC+ of 124. His production dipped in 2022, as he hit .217/.272/.361 for a wRC+ of 80 and got non-tendered. He signed with the Nationals for 2023 and bounced back, getting flipped to the Cubs at that year’s deadline. He finished that campaign with a .251/.336/.471 line and 118 wRC+.
Whether he can bounce back to something resembling that kind of production is anyone’s guess. The most charitable explanation for his recent struggles is that he hasn’t been healthy. On June 21st of last year, it was reported that Candelario had been battling knee tendinitis. He had a .255/.310/.506 batting line and 118 wRC+ on that date, very much in line with his previous good seasons. He had already hit 14 of the 20 home runs he would finish the season with.
After the news of that knee issue, he hit .182/.233/.318 the rest of the year. He finished the campaign on the IL due to a toe fracture. As mentioned, his performance has been bad here in 2025 as well, but he landed on the IL due to a lumbar spine strain after just 22 games. He hasn’t been hitting much on his recent rehab but that could be a bit of rust after his injury layoff.
The Reds clearly ran out of patience with waiting for a bounceback. He was coming to the end of his 20-day rehab window and they opted to give up on him, as opposed to adding him back on the roster and hoping for the best. That’s a little bit of a curious decision. Their corner infield playing time is currently being shared by Gavin Lux, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Santiago Espinal. Lux is providing league-average offense but none of the other three has a wRC+ of 72.
Cincinnati could have reinstated Candelario and optioned Steer or Encarnacion-Strand to the minor for regular at-bats. CES, in particular, is hitting just .202/.229/.384 for a 58 wRC+ this year. But the club has decided that they want to move on from Candelario and stick with those other guys. They will be eating a little under $23MM in the process.
There are other clubs out there who might be more willing to take a chance on Candelario and hope for that bounceback. Teams with holes at the infield corners don’t have many options for addressing those deficiencies right now, with the trade deadline still over a month away. Those clubs could try out Candelario for a few weeks at no real cost, then move on and acquire someone else at the deadline if it’s not working out.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
Dodgers Designate Luis Garcia For Assignment
The Dodgers announced today that they’ve designated right-hander Luis Garcia for assignment. His spot on the active roster will go to right-hander Noah Davis, who has been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Garcia’s 40-man roster spot was used to activate right-hander Edgardo Henriquez from the 60-day injured list, though he was optioned to Triple-A rather than added to the big league roster.
Garcia, 38, is in his 13th season as a big leaguer. He’s pitched for the Phillies, Angels, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres, Red Sox, and now Dodgers across his lengthy career, though he’s never spent a significant amount of time as a high leverage reliever with just 15 total saves across his 573 career appearances. Taken together, Garcia has been just about league average over the course of his career with a 4.20 ERA (98 ERA+) with a 3.97 FIP. He’s taken a step backwards in recent seasons, however, with a 4.62 ERA in 146 innings of work with a 4.06 FIP.
Zooming in on just this year, Garcia’s time with the Dodgers has been uneven. His 5.27 ERA in 27 1/3 innings this year has certainly been lackluster, and his peripherals are a mixed bag. His 19.0% strikeout rate is lackluster, especially when compared to his elevated 12.7% walk rate. With that being said, it does seem as though there’s some poor fortune baked in. His .388 BABIP allowed is extremely elevated, and a 54.1% ground ball rate suggests his relatively low home run rate should be able to remain static. Garcia has a 3.54 FIP and 4.24 SIERA, which when taken together suggest he hasn’t been all that different from his usual self. The Dodgers will have one week to either trade Garcia or attempt to pass him through waivers, though he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.
Garcia’s spot on the active roster will go to Davis, who had a 7.71 ERA in 51 1/3 innings with the Rockies across parts of three seasons with the club. He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox over the offseason and was traded to the Dodgers just before Opening Day. He’s made four appearances for the Dodgers since then and has surrendered four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings of work after walking two and hitting three batters to go with five strikeouts. His 40-man roster spot is set to go to Henriquez, who had been rehabbing at Triple-A. Henriquez made his big league debut last year and posted a 2.70 ERA and five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work. It would hardly be a shock to see Henriquez join the big league club at some point this year, though he’ll need more time to shake off the rust after posting a 6.75 ERA in 12 rehab innings at Triple-A this year.
Orioles Select Matt Bowman
The Orioles selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bowman this morning, according to a team announcement. Right-hander Kade Strowd was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Bowman on the active roster, while right-hander Luis Castillo was activated from the minor league injured list and designated for assignment.
Bowman, 34, made his big league debut in 2016 and spent four seasons with the Cardinals and Reds before injuries sidelined him for several years. He returned to the majors in 2023 and bounced between four other teams before settling with the Orioles in 2024. He’s been a frequent rider on the shuttle between Triple-A Norfolk and the big league club in Baltimore since then, and this is the fourth time Bowman’s had his contract selected by the Orioles this season alone. In total, he’s pitched to a roughly league average 4.10 ERA with a 4.22 FIP across 37 1/3 innings of work as a member of the Orioles over the past two seasons.
This latest stint for Bowman in the majors comes at the expense of Castillo, who departs the Orioles organization without making an appearance for the big league club. The 30-year-old righty was acquired from the Mariners in early May after he was designated for assignment by Seattle, but he was optioned to the minors immediately and has spent most of his time in the organization on the injured list with just two appearances at even the minor league level. Castillo began his pro career in the Diamondbacks organization and briefly pitched in the Tigers organization as well before departing affiliated ball for Nippon Professional Baseball. He spent two years in Japan and pitched to a 3.01 ERA across 143 1/3 innings of work before returning stateside to sign with the Mariners on a minor league deal prior to the 2025 season.
Going forward, the Orioles will have one week to either work out a trade involving Castillo or place him on release waivers. Castillo was on the injured list at the time of his DFA today, meaning that the Orioles cannot attempt to outright him to the minor leagues and that he will have to be released when his DFA window expires. That makes a trade somewhat unlikely, and if the Orioles do end up releasing Castillo he’ll have the opportunity to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs. His 7.71 ERA in the majors this year isn’t exactly inspiring, but it’s a sample of just seven innings of work. It’s not at all difficult to imagine clubs having interest in getting Castillo into their organization on a minor league deal given his success overseas.
As for Strowd, the right-hander made his debut earlier this year and has looked solid in three appearances for the Orioles, with a 4.15 ERA in 4 1/3 innings. He’ll head to Triple-A as an optionable depth piece for Baltimore going forward and seems likely to get another opportunity in the majors at some point. If the Orioles opt to sell this summer, that could open up spots in the club’s bullpen and offer players like Strowd and Yaramil Hiraldo more regular opportunities at the big league level.
Mets Sign Richard Lovelady To Major League Deal
The Mets announced a pair of roster moves this morning. Southpaw Richard Lovelady has signed with the club on a one-year deal. Lefty Colin Poche was designated for assignment to create room for Lovelady on both the 40-man and active rosters.
Lovelady returns to the Mets after being designated for assignment by the club last week and electing free agency shortly thereafter. The 29-year-old has pitched in parts of six MLB seasons but has not yet had an extended period of substantial success. A career 5.35 ERA pitcher in 102 2/3 innings, Lovelady’s surrendered six runs in 3 1/3 innings of work with the Blue Jays and Mets this year with four walks and four strikeouts. It’s not an especially inspiring profile, but Lovelady has long been viewed as an intriguing, high-ceiling arm given his quality stuff from the left side. He’s shown flashes of that potential in the past, most recently when he pitched to a 3.77 ERA in 28 2/3 innings of work for the Rays last year.
Making room for Lovelady on the roster is Poche, who is not too far removed from substantial success as a member of the Rays organization himself. He posted a strong 3.27 ERA in 156 2/3 innings of work for Tampa during the 2022-24 seasons, though he posted pedestrian peripherals in two of those three years. His 2023 was utterly dominant, as he posted a sterling 2.23 ERA with a 24.8% strikeout rate and a barrel rate of just 5.6%, though he did walk opponents at an elevated 9.8% clip. Those peripherals regressed last year, however, and the Rays non-tendered him over the offseason as a result.
Since being non-tendered, Poche has signed with both the Nationals and the Mets but has struggled badly with both teams. Poche made 13 appearances in D.C. but left the nation’s capital with 12 runs (11 earned) allowed in just 8 2/3 innings that saw him walk (12) as many batters as he struck out (10). His stay with the Mets was much briefer, as he made just one appearance and surrendered two runs in two-thirds of an inning of work while walking two and striking out one. The Mets will now have one week to either work out a trade involving Poche or pass him through waivers, at which point he would have the option to either accept an outright assignment to the minors or elect free agency. Perhaps Poche’s past success with the Rays will keep getting him attention from big league clubs despite his deep struggles with his command this year, but it seems likely he’ll remain limited to minor league deals until he can turn things around.
Yankees Activate Marcus Stroman
June 29: Stroman has officially been activated by the Yankees, per a team announcement.
June 28: The Yankees are planning to activate right-hander Marcus Stroman to start Sunday’s game against the Athletics, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Larry Fleisher of the Associated Press) last night. Stroman has been on the 15-day injured list since mid-April due to a knee injury. As Stroman has remained on the 40-man roster and right-hander Allan Winans was optioned to Triple-A following the club’s game this afternoon, no additional corresponding moves will be necessary to activate Stroman tomorrow.
Stroman, 34, signed with the Yankees on a two-year guarantee that came with a third year vesting option prior to the 2024 campaign. Coming off a three-year run with the Mets and Cubs where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA (120 ERA+) with a 3.60 FIP and earned the second All-Star appearance of his career, Stroman seemed like a solid mid-rotation veteran addition for the Bronx Bombers when he signed for $37MM guaranteed. Unfortunately, his work last year wound up being fairly pedestrian. His 154 2/3 innings of work was good for his highest figure since 2021, but he surrendered a pedestrian 4.31 ERA (95 ERA+) and paired it with lackluster peripherals. He struck out a career-low 16.7% of his opponents, an 8.9% walk rate nearly matched his career high, and he generated ground balls at a clip below 50% (49.2%) for the first time in his career.
All those red flags led the Yankees to try and shed Stroman’s salary this offseason, but they quickly found themselves unable to do so. That led to the possibility of Stroman starting the season in the club’s bullpen after they signed Max Fried earlier in the winter, something Stroman seemed to push back against upon arriving in camp for Spring Training. Injuries to Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole quickly opened a path to a rotation job for the veteran, but he struggled badly in three starts with 12 runs allowed in 9 1/3 innings prior to his placement on the shelf. Now ten weeks removed from his last big league action, Stroman is ticketed for another shot at a rotation job in New York.
It’s unclear how long Stroman will have the opportunity to keep making starts. Cole will miss the entire 2025 season and as such won’t be a consideration, but both Gil and Ryan Yarbrough are expected back from the injured list this year and could be ahead of Stroman on the rotation totem pole unless he manages to turn his season around. What’s more, the trade deadline is just over a month away and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Yankees look to make an addition to their starting staff after they’ve dealt with so many injuries in the rotation all throughout the season. That could make Stroman’s first few starts off the injured list crucial if he wants to remain a starter, although he has seemed more open to a role change in the months since he declared himself a starter back in February.
Making room for Stroman on the active roster figures to be Winans, who surrendered three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out two in today’s 7-0 loss to the Athletics. It was his second outing of the year for the big league Yankees after allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings of work during a start earlier this week. He’s now set to head back to Triple-A, where he had been dominating to the tune of a 0.90 ERA in 50 frames. Winans figures to be leaned on again in the future if the Yankees are in need of a spot starter or long relief option out of the bullpen.