Brewers Re-Sign Jake Woodford To Minor League Deal
The Brewers are re-signing righty Jake Woodford on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. He’ll head to Triple-A Nashville after going unclaimed on waivers and electing free agency yesterday. Woodford, an Excel Sports Management client, can opt out and retest free agency on July 1 or August 4 if the Brewers don’t add him back to the big league roster.
The 29-year-old had previously spent the season in Pat Murphy’s relief group. Woodford is a low-leverage arm who logged 23 1/3 innings across 16 appearances. He allowed just under seven earned runs per nine innings with a bel0w-average 17.9% strikeout rate. Woodford has never missed bats but is willing to attack the strike zone and can cover multiple innings.
It’s the seventh straight season in which Woodford has picked up a decent amount of big league work. His rate metrics have been well below-average for the past few seasons, but he’s been a durable depth arm. Woodford has a 5.25 earned run average in a little under 300 big league innings. He owns a 4.07 mark across parts of seven Triple-A campaigns. Woodford has been a starter for most of his minor league career and could work from the rotation in Nashville.
D-Backs Trade Taylor Rashi To Twins
The Diamondbacks announced they’ve traded reliever Taylor Rashi to the Twins for cash considerations. Arizona designated him for assignment on Friday to open a 40-man roster spot for infield prospect LuJames Groover.
Minnesota has an opening on the 40-man after designating outfielder James Outman for assignment on Saturday. Rashi has a full slate of minor league options, so the Twins wouldn’t need to make any corresponding moves if they assign him to Triple-A St. Paul.
It’s the latest bullpen dart-throw for a team trying to cheaply build a functional relief group. The Twins have also acquired Yoendrys Gómez and Justin Lawrence via in-season trades. They added mostly reclamation targets or minor trade pickups over the winter, taking a volume approach after tearing down an excellent bullpen at the 2025 deadline.
Rashi is a 30-year-old righty who has appeared in 13 MLB games over the past two seasons. He owns a 5.40 earned run average despite a near-30% strikeout rate over 20 big league frames. Rashi has a stellar 1.03 ERA over 26 1/3 innings with Triple-A Reno this year. He has fanned an above-average 25.5% of batters faced but walked nearly 12% of opponents.
Despite the Triple-A production, an Arizona team light on bullpen depth dropped Rashi from the roster. That’s explained mostly by his below-average velocity, as he averages around 91 mph with his fastball. He leans heavily on his secondary stuff as a result, mixing a slider, curveball and splitter.
The Twins have the sixth-highest bullpen ERA in MLB. They’ve been better of late, ranking 14th over the past month, but that has come in spite of the third-highest walk rate. Gómez and Anthony Banda have worked around some free passes to manage strong recent results as part of a committee approach to leverage spots.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic first reported the trade.
Chadwick Tromp Elects Free Agency
Catcher Chadwick Tromp elected free agency over the weekend, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He was designated for assignment by the Braves on Thursday when they acquired Austin Wynns in a minor trade with the Angels.
Tromp spent a couple weeks on Atlanta’s active roster. He was called up in mid-May when Drake Baldwin went on the injured list. Atlanta lost Sean Murphy and Baldwin in quick succession almost immediately after they’d squeezed Jonah Heim off the roster. Murphy had returned from hip surgery but quickly broke his finger. Baldwin then strained his oblique, leaving the Braves with a light-hitting catching duo of Tromp and Sandy León.
It’s now León and Wynns. Tromp started six of his 12 appearances during his brief MLB stint. He went 5-25 with a double. Tromp didn’t walk and struck out seven times. He was charged with a couple errors and a passed ball while throwing out one of six attempted base stealers. Tromp has now played at the highest level in each of the last seven seasons. He has yet to top the 64 plate appearances he logged as a rookie with the 2020 Giants.
The Braves like the out-of-options Tromp enough as a third or fourth catcher that they’ve given him some MLB time every year since 2022. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they look to bring him back on a minor league deal despite his .169/.253/.325 showing over 24 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Atlanta is light on healthy organizational catching depth. Jair Camargo and 25-year-old Adam Zebrowski are the current catching tandem for the Stripers, who placed Maverick Handley on the injured list last week. Handley is on the 40-man roster. Camargo and Zebrowski, who have a combined five games of MLB experience, are not. Baldwin could be back within the next two weeks but Murphy will likely be down beyond the All-Star Break.
Angels Select Trey Mancini
For the first time in three years, Trey Mancini is in the big leagues. The Angels selected the veteran first baseman onto the MLB roster before tonight’s series opener with the Astros. Mancini is starting at first base and batting seventh against his old team, who are sending Spencer Arrighetti to the mound.
The Halos also confirmed their previously reported call-up of rookie infielder Denzer Guzman, who’ll make his season debut tonight with a start at third base. In corresponding moves, they placed Vaughn Grissom (left oblique strain) and Adam Frazier (right elbow inflammation) on the 10-day injured list. Grissom’s placement is retroactive to June 5, while Frazier’s is retroactive to June 6. Yoán Moncada moves from the 10-day to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot for Mancini.
Mancini signed an offseason minor league contract. He had sat out the 2024 campaign and only played a half-season in Triple-A with the Diamondbacks last year. Mancini never seemed likely to break camp as a result. Assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake, he has hit .273/.377/.464 with six home runs across 224 plate appearances. Mancini has walked at a huge 14.3% clip against an average 22% strikeout rate.
They’re not dominant numbers but are a little better than those of the average Pacific Coast League hitter. Mancini struggled in his most recent look at big league pitching, as he posted a .234/.299/.336 slash over 79 games for the Cubs in 2023. He hasn’t been an above-average MLB hitter since he was traded from the Orioles at the ’22 deadline, but he made a couple strong defensive plays to help the Astros win that year’s World Series.
The Angels welcomed Nolan Schanuel back from the injured list over the weekend. Schanuel missed a couple weeks with left ankle inflammation. He played on Saturday and Sunday but will get a day off tonight after reporting lingering soreness (relayed by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). Schanuel said he does not expect to need another stint on the injured list.
Moncada has been on the injured list since May 22. He has battled right knee discomfort going back to last summer. He’s now officially out into the middle of July, all but removing any chance the Angels could find a trade partner at the deadline willing to assume any portion of his $4MM salary.
Jake Woodford Elects Free Agency
The Brewers designated Jake Woodford for assignment on Friday. As of today, he has cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency (per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).
Woodford, 29, signed a minor league contract with the Rays this offseason. The deal included an upward mobility clause, which he triggered before Opening Day, prompting a trade to the Brewers. They added him to their active roster, and he pitched in 16 games for the club, tossing 23 1/3 innings with a 6.94 ERA. Woodford has never been a strikeout arm, which means he needs to generate groundballs and limit hard contact to succeed. He wasn’t doing that for Milwaukee. Indeed, it’s now been several years since the right-hander was a solid swingman for the Cardinals from 2021-22. Over the last four seasons, he’s 3-13 with a 6.83 ERA in 142 1/3 innings pitched.
Despite that, Woodford shouldn’t have much trouble finding another minor league contract. He has seven years of MLB experience with the Cardinals, White Sox, Pirates, Diamondbacks, and Brewers, and he’ll still be under 30 for the rest of the season. His arsenal is deep and diverse, highlighted by a sweeper with good movement and a sinker he consistently throws for strikes. Perhaps there’s another team that wants to tinker with his pitch mix, and even if there isn’t, there’s always someone looking for inexpensive bullpen depth.
Rangers Trade Richie Martin Jr. To Rockies
The Rangers have traded Richie Martin Jr. to the Rockies, according to the infielder’s transaction log on MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque. There’s no word on what Colorado is sending Texas in return, although it’s likely cash considerations.
Martin, now 31, was the Athletics’ first-round pick in the 2015 draft. Three years later, the Orioles took him with the first pick in the 2018 Rule 5 draft. He would play 120 games for Baltimore in his rookie season and another 50 between 2021 and ’22. Throughout his time with the O’s, he hit .212 with seven home runs and a .572 OPS, swiping 13 bases on 17 attempts. In the field, he mostly played shortstop, though he also started a handful of games at second base. Defensive metrics like DRS and OAA rated him as a well-below-average glove. All told, Martin produced -1.1 fWAR in 170 games from 2019-22. He has not played in the majors since.
Over the last few years, Martin has signed minor league contracts with the Reds, Nationals, Angels, and Rangers. He also spent time in the independent Atlantic League. In a total of 316 games at the Triple-A level, he owns a .238/.339/.352 slash line with 12 home runs, 95 stolen bases, and an 84 wRC+. He will now offer the Rockies some infield depth with MLB experience.
Brewers Acquire Joel Kuhnel From Athletics
Today: The Brewers have added Kuhnel to their active roster ahead of tonight’s game against his former team. In a corresponding move, right-hander Craig Yoho was optioned to Triple-A.
June 6: Right-hander Joel Kuhnel is heading to the Brewers for cash considerations. The A’s designated him for assignment on Friday. Both teams have announced the deal. Milwaukee moved Quinn Priester to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot for Kuhnel.
The 31-year-old Kuhnel was one of manager Mark Kotsay‘s top options in the ninth inning early in the season. He picked up four saves in his first seven appearances. Kuhnel remained in the high-leverage mix through May, but struggled to close the month, permitting three earned runs over his final two outings.
The final blow came on Thursday against the Cubs. Kuhnel was called upon to preserve a three-run lead in the ninth inning. He gave up four earned runs on five hits while recording just two outs. Righty Luis Medina was unable to put out Kuhnel’s fire, allowing a pair of hits, including a walk-off single to Pete Crow-Armstrong. The disastrous outing raised Kuhnel’s ERA from 2.88 to 4.21.
Kuhnel has pitched for four teams across parts of six big-league seasons. He spent all of 2025 at Triple-A in the Yankees’ and Phillies’ systems. The veteran righty came to the A’s on a minor league deal in December. He didn’t break camp with the team, but reached the majors after just two minor league outings.
Milwaukee is missing several key pieces in the bullpen. Offseason trade acquisition Angel Zerpa was lost to Tommy John surgery. Lefty DL Hall just went down with a pectoral injury. Veterans Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny have missed the majority of the season. Kuhnel, being a righty, wouldn’t necessarily alleviate those absences, but he could provide value in a lower-leverage role.
Priester is dealing with symptoms related to thoracic outlet syndrome. He has avoided surgery up to this point. The righty recently had his rehab assignment bumped to Rookie ball after a stretch of poor performances. Priester has 19 walks in 13 1/3 innings across seven minor league outings. Manager Pat Murphy recently said Priester could need another month of rehab.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Designate Yariel Rodríguez For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Yariel Rodríguez for assignment, as first reported by Francys Romero. Taking his spot in the major league bullpen is Tommy Nance, returning from a three-week stint on the injured list. This leaves the Blue Jays with an open spot on their 40-man roster.
Rodríguez signed a five-year, $32MM contract with Toronto during the 2023-24 offseason. He started 21 games for the Jays in 2024 before transitioning to a bullpen role the following season. The righty led the team with 73 innings pitched out of the bullpen, finishing with a 3.08 ERA and a 4.27 SIERA. However, he ran into problems in the latter half of the year, with a 4.58 ERA and 5.46 SIERA over his final 20 regular season appearances, plus another three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work in October. This prompted Toronto to remove him from its 40-man roster over the offseason. Due to his poor second half and the $21MM remaining on his contract, he passed through waivers, and the Blue Jays sent him outright to Triple-A Buffalo.
In 11 appearances for the Buffalo Bisons to start the year, Rodríguez pitched to a 2.63 ERA. He struck out 43.1% of his opponents, generated grounders on 47.8% of balls in play, and didn’t allow a home run. Six weeks into the season, he got the call back to Toronto. Since then, however, the 29-year-old has looked a lot less like the arm that dominated Triple-A hitters and a lot more like the pitcher who struggled down the stretch in 2025. In 9 1/3 innings, he gave up 11 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits, seven walks, and a hit-by-pitch. He only struck out six of the 45 batters he faced.
Presumably, Toronto is hoping for a similar situation to last time: Rodríguez and his contract pass through waivers unclaimed, and he stays in the organization. Despite his recent issues, he has flashed promising stuff in NPB, Triple-A, and occasionally in MLB. In a best-case scenario, the Blue Jays finally figure out how to help him thrive in the majors. In a worst-case scenario, he’s endlessly DFA-able bullpen depth.
Nance hit the IL on May 17 with forearm discomfort. Thankfully for Toronto, it seems to have been relatively minor. The 35-year-old has been surprisingly reliable for the Blue Jays over the past two seasons, pitching to a 2.73 ERA and 2.86 SIERA in 52 2/3 innings of mostly lower-leverage work. Injuries have hit Toronto’s rotation harder than its bullpen this season, but there’s no question the team is glad to have Nance back in the fold. His return means the Blue Jays now only have nine pitchers on their big league IL.
Cubs Claim Eduarniel Núñez
The Cubs have claimed right-hander Eduarniel Núñez off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported the claim prior to the official announcement. The Cubs optioned Núñez to the Arizona Complex League and don’t need to make a corresponding active roster move. Their 40-man roster had two vacancies due to reliever Ty Blach and infielder Nicky Lopez being designated for assignment last month, so Núñez can fill one of those spots.
Núñez, now 27, is a known commodity to the Cubs. They signed him as an international amateur almost a decade ago. By the end of the 2024 season, he didn’t have a roster spot and became a minor league free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Padres and got added to that club’s roster in the summer of 2025. He was sent to the Athletics in the Mason Miller trade but was designated for assignment in May of this year. He went to the O’s in a cash deal but Baltimore designated him for assignment a few weeks later, which has allowed his original club to scoop him back up.
The righty has shown some strikeout potential but with a lot of room for improvement in terms of control. His four-seamer averages in the upper-90s and he also throws a mid-80s slider and curveball. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has thrown 171 innings on the farm with a 3.42 earned run average. He struck out 29.4% of the batters he faced in that time but while also giving out walks at a massive 15.4% pace. He also made ten appearances in the big leagues for the A’s last year and walked 18.3% of opponents.
With the Cubs sending Núñez to their Arizona complex, they presumably have some plan in mind to get him on track, perhaps with some kind of mechanical adjustment. He can remain on optional assignment for the rest of this year and one additional season, so the Cubs could be patient with him. They don’t have short-term pressure on the 40-man as they still have a vacancy after this move. Though whether he can hold his roster spot in the long term will depend on what the team sees in the coming weeks as they get a close-up look at him
Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images
Rays To Select Austin Slater
1:20pm: The Rays have officially announced Slater’s addition to the roster. Heasley was transferred to the 60-day IL as the corresponding 40-man move. To open an active roster spot, infielder Oliver Dunn has been optioned to Triple-A Durham.
9:55am: The Rays will select the contract of outfielder Austin Slater from Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Slater signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay late last month but is now headed to the major league club as the Rays gear up for a slate of left-handed pitchers.
Tampa Bay will need to open a 40-man spot for Slater. Righty Jon Heasley, who was recently diagnosed with a stress reaction in his elbow and placed on the 15-day IL, seems like a potential 60-day IL candidate. Outfielder Jake Fraley underwent a hernia procedure last month that came with a recovery timetable of six to eight weeks and could be a candidate as well, if the team feels his recovery will skew toward the lengthier end of that window.
Slater, 33, has already played with two different teams this season and seven over the past three seasons combined. He’s been hitting well in Durham, going 8-for-23 with five doubles, a homer, five walks and six strikeouts in 28 trips to the plate (.348/.464/.696).
Slater has taken 49 major league plate appearances between the Marlins and Mets this season, and they haven’t gone well. He’s 8-for-43 with only one extra-base hit (a double) and three times as many strikeouts (15) as walks (five). Broadly speaking, his past three seasons in the majors have been a struggle — hence the frequent changes of address. He’s taken 421 plate appearances in the bigs since Opening Day 2024 and slashed just .212/.298/.304.
Even with that lackluster run, however, Slater is still a lifetime .263/.352/.420 hitter in 1067 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. The Rays will face Red Sox left-hander Connelly Early tonight and are slated to face fellow southpaw Payton Tolle tomorrow. The Angels’ rotation is in disarray, so it’s hard to gauge exactly who’ll be starting for them next weekend when the Rays visit Anaheim. They’ll miss lefty Reid Detmers, barring a shuffle of the current order, but the Halos currently have five lefties in the bullpen. That should lead to plenty of chances for Slater to contribute off the bench or perhaps in the starting lineup if the Angels opt for bullpen games with a lefty opener and/or bulk reliever (e.g. Mitch Farris, Sam Aldegheri).