Giants To Select Wilkin Ramos
The Giants are calling up right-hander Wilkin Ramos, reports Ari Alexander of 7News Boston. San Francisco will need to open space on both the active and 40-man rosters for Ramos, who will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Ramos, 25, was an international signing of the Athletics back in 2017. The following year, he was the player to be named later in the deal which sent righty Tanner Anderson to the A’s. By the end of 2022, Ramos was just about to turn 22 and hadn’t yet climbed higher than Single-A. The Mets then grabbed him in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft. He climbed to Triple-A in 2024 but posted a 5.40 earned run average at that level. He didn’t have a roster spot at the end of that season and became a minor league free agent. The Bucs brought him back by signing him to a minor league deal for 2025 but he had a 6.60 ERA in his Triple-A appearances last year.
He became a minor league free agent yet again and signed a minor league deal with the Giants for the 2026 season. He has been with Triple-A Sacramento and putting up good numbers in a multi-inning role. He has logged 27 frames over 17 appearances with a flat ERA of 2.00. His 23.5% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate are both a bit better than average while his 61.4% ground ball rate is massive. He is averaging over 94 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a high-70s curveball.
The Giants have been impressed by that performance and will give him a shot to face major league hitters. The San Francisco bullpen has been decent this year, despite a curious offseason. The club traded away Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers at last year’s deadline, then lost Randy Rodríguez to Tommy John surgery. To address those notable subtractions, their offseason additions were mostly injury reclamation types. Despite the strange tactic, the relief corps has a collective 3.69 ERA on the year, putting them 12th out of the 30 big league clubs.
They will inset Ramos into the mix to see if he can strengthen the group. Since this is his first MLB call, he has a full slate of options and can be easily sent back to Sacramento in the future if he struggles or if they simply need fresh arms at some point.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images
Reds Place Elly De La Cruz On Injured List, Promote Edwin Arroyo
2:12pm: Francona said De La Cruz will probably miss two to four weeks, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
11:36am: The Reds announced Monday that they’ve placed star shortstop Elly De La Cruz on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right hamstring and recalled top infield prospect Edwin Arroyo from Triple-A Louisville for his major league debut. Cincinnati also selected the contract of lefty Brandon Leibrandt and designated right-hander Yunior Marté for assignment in a corresponding move. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported that the Reds would place De La Cruz on the IL and promote Arroyo shortly before the formal team announcement.
De La Cruz suffered his hamstring injury in Sunday’s game. Upon driving a ball into the right-center field gap for what looked like an easy double — if not a triple, given his speed — he instead pulled up at first base in obvious pain (video link). A quick visit from the training staff concluded with an early exit from the game. He subsequently underwent an MRI that revealed the strain. Cincinnati has not yet provided a possible timeline for his potential return or revealed the grade of hamstring strain with which De La Cruz has been diagnosed. Manager Terry Francona will likely provide more details prior to tonight’s game against the visiting Royals.
An injury to the 24-year-old De La Cruz is about as impactful an injury absence as possible for Cincinnati. The switch-hitting dynamo was putting together perhaps the best season of his exciting young career, delivering a .280/.346/.509 slash (134 wRC+) with a dozen homers, 13 doubles (14, were it not for this injury), five triples and 10 steals. He’s hitting for power at the highest rate of his career, and after struggling immensely from the right-handed batter’s box through the first three seasons of his career, De La Cruz was having a breakout showing in that regard as well (.299/.342/.642 in 73 plate appearances versus southpaws).
If there’s a silver lining for Reds fans, it’s that the De La Cruz injury serves as a catalyst for the promotion of Arroyo — one of the hottest-hitting prospects in all of Minor League Baseball at the moment. A fellow switch-hitter, Arroyo is just 22 years old but was laying waste to Triple-A pitching with a .323/.383/.562 batting line through an even 250 plate appearances. He’s homered 11 times and added nine doubles, five triples and nine steals. He’s been hitting at a particularly absurd level over the past month: .368/.406/.705.
Originally drafted by the Mariners with the No. 48 overall pick back in 2021, Arroyo was traded to the Reds as part of the deal sending Luis Castillo back to Seattle. He was a consensus top-100 prospect at the time. His stock dipped in subsequent seasons, in no small part due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and wiped out his entire 2024 season. However, Arroyo’s torrid 2026 output has thrust onto the tail end of the top-100 lists at MLB.com and Baseball America. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel listed him as the top riser in Cincinnati’s system just this morning, noting that Arroyo’s power looks to be back in full force after an understandable dip last year in the return from that shoulder operation. Arroyo hit just three long balls in 120 games last year.
Arroyo has primarily been a shortstop in his professional career, but he’s played some second base and third base in recent seasons as well — likely in recognition that shortstop isn’t going to be opening up in Cincinnati anytime soon, so long as De La Cruz remains healthy. He’ll step into De La Cruz’s shortstop spot for the time being, but if Arroyo hits the ground running, it’s not at all out of the question that he could parlay this initial call to the majors into a more prominent role at third base and/or second base once De La Cruz returns. Neither third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes nor second baseman Matt McLain has hit at all this season — and that’s egregiously true in the case of the former (.142/.195/.225 in 128 plate appearances). Hayes is currently on the injured list a disk injury in his back, continuing a long history of back ailments.
The 33-year-old Leibrandt is the son of former big league pitcher Charlie Leibrandt. He’s pitched in parts of two minor league seasons: the 2020 campaign with Miami and the 2024 season with Cincinnati. He’s allowed nine runs in 15 1/3 major league frames. The younger Leibrandt has been tagged for a 5.23 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts this season, though a disproportionate amount of the damage against him came in his most recent start. Leibrandt logged a solid enough 4.29 ERA through his first 10 starts before being tattooed for six runs in just 1 1/3 innings against the Twins’ Triple-A club last time out.
Injuries have thinned out both the Cincinnati bullpen and rotation. The Reds have Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson all on the injured list. Depth starters like Chase Petty, Julian Aguiar and Jose Franco have pitched poorly in Triple-A. The Reds already brought veteran Chris Paddack aboard following his release in Miami; he’s allowed a total of nine runs with eight strikeouts against seven walks across a trio of five-inning starts. In the bullpen, relievers Graham Ashcraft, Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson are on the injured list; Ashcraft was recently placed directly on the 60-day IL due to a UCL sprain.
Marté, 31, was just called up last Friday when Ashcraft hit the IL. The journeyman right-hander appeared in one game, faced six batters and allowed five of them to reach. He wound up being charged with four runs in one-third of an inning. Marté has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons, totaling 113 2/3 innings with a 5.94 ERA. He throws hard and can miss bats but has regularly shown shaky command while struggling to limit damage against left-handed hitters in particular. He’ll be traded, placed on waivers or released within the next five days.
Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves
The Marlins announced a handful of roster moves ahead of Monday’s game. Right-handers Zach Brzykcy (pronounced “brick-see”) and Tyler Zuber had their contracts selected from Triple-A Jacksonville and will be with the major league club tonight for their road game against the Nationals. To make room on the active roster, Miami optioned righty Josh White and placed righty Josh Ekness on the 15-day injured list with a calf strain. To create 40-man space for Brzykcy and Zuber, the Fish transferred left-hander Andrew Nardi and first baseman/outfielder Griffin Conine to the 60-day injured list.
Brzykcy, 26, will be facing off against the team that originally signed him and gave him his major league debut if he gets into a game this series. He’s pitched in parts of two seasons with the Nats and been tagged for an unsightly 10.05 ERA in 28 2/3 frames. He’s pitched 22 1/3 innings with Jacksonville since signing a minor league deal over the winter and has a 5.24 ERA with a strong 26.3% strikeout rate against a problematic 12.1% walk rate. Nine of the 13 earned runs he’s yielded have come across two of his most recent outings. Through Brzykcy’s first 15 1/3 innings this season, he allowed only one run on seven hits and eight walks with 18 punchouts.
The 30-year-old Zuber has a similarly nondescript big league track record with big minor league strikeout numbers. He’s pitched in parts of four major league seasons and surrendered a 6.26 ERA in 64 2/3 frames. He’s set down just under one quarter of his opponents on strikes but walked 15.2% of the batters he’s faced. This season in Triple-A, Zuber has a gaudy 33.9% strikeout rate in 27 2/3 innings but also a 12.6% walk rate. His fastball velocity is only a bit above average, but Zuber piles up swings and misses on a slider he’s been throwing at extreme levels (57.2%) in Triple-A so far.
Nardi hit the injured list recently due to a stress reaction in his ribcage. Manager Clayton McCullough said at the time of his 15-day IL placement that he could miss several months, so the quick shift to the 60-day IL comes as no surprise. He’s pitched to a 5.16 ERA in 22 2/3 innings this season.
Conine suffered a hamstring strain in early April, necessitating surgery. He was given a timetable of six to eight weeks for recovery, though the process has played out a bit more slowly. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported over the weekend that Conine was probably still a week or two from going out on a rehab assignment. Given that he’s been on the IL since April 11, he wasn’t going to make it back to the roster within 60 days anyhow. His shift to the lengthier injured list is merely a formality, then. A return at some point later this month still seems to be in play.
Rangers To Select Robby Ahlstrom
The Rangers are selecting the contract of left-hander Robby Ahlstrom from Triple-A Round Rock, MLBTR has learned. The 26-year-old lefty will make his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game. Texas has a full 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make at least one corresponding transaction once the move is officially announced.
Texas originally acquired Ahlstrom alongside righty Albert Abreu in the 2022 trade sending catcher Jose Trevino to the Yankees. He’s regularly turned in solid ERAs and quality strikeout rates with shaky command — at least until this season. In 2026, Ahlstrom has taken his overall game to new levels. He’s sitting on a 2.76 ERA in 29 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and has fanned 28.4% of his opponents against a tidy 6.9% walk rate.
In the past, Ahlstrom has worked primarily off a four-seamer sitting 93-94 mph. This year, he’s begun to feature a sinker as well, throwing the pitch at a 21% clip thus far (in addition to a 35% clip for his four-seamer). Both fastballs are averaging 94.8 mph — the best mark of the mustachioed southpaw’s career. Ahlstrom also features an 85 mph slider, an 87 mph changeup and a show-me curveball that sits in the upper 70s (but has only been thrown at a 4% clip this year).
The Rangers have carried three lefties in the bullpen this season: Jacob Latz, Tyler Alexander and Jalen Beeks. All three have posted solid earned run averages, though the latter’s rate stats don’t really support his 3.86 ERA. If they plan to continue carrying all three, an optionable rookie like Peyton Gray or Gavin Collyer could be sent out in order to get Ahlstrom into the mix, though that wouldn’t clear a 40-man spot. Fellow lefty Robert Garcia, currently on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, has already missed more than six weeks and isn’t yet on a minor league rehab assignment, so moving him to the 60-day IL could potentially accommodate Ahlstrom’s promotion.
Rangers Sign Jarred Kelenic To Minor League Deal
The Rangers announced that they have signed outfielder Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal. The client of THE·TEAM will report to Triple-A Round Rock. Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News was among those who passed the news along.
Kelenic, 26, just elected free agency a couple of days ago after being outrighted by the White Sox. He began the year on a minor league deal with that club and posted some encouraging Triple-A numbers. That got him a shot in the majors that he wasn’t able to take advantage of. He struck out in 33.9% of his plate appearances with the Sox and slashed .226/.305/.321 for a wRC+ of 79.
That came in a very small sample of 59 plate appearances but continued a career-long trend for Kelenic. A former sixth overall pick and ballyhooed prospect, he has often put up big numbers on the farm. That has led to many big league chances that he hasn’t capitalized on. He has 1,547 major league plate appearances to this point in his career with a 30.7% strikeout rate. His .211/.283/.374 line translates to an 84 wRC+, indicating he’s been 16% worse than league average on the whole.
That performance has led to him exhausting his option years, which has pushed him into fringe roster territory. He was outrighted by Atlanta at the end of last season and had to settle for a minor league deal with the White Sox. The other 29 clubs just passed on the chance to grab him from the waiver wire and he has been left to sign a minor league deal yet again.
For the Rangers, there’s little harm in adding some extra outfield depth without using a roster spot. They currently have Evan Carter, Brandon Nimmo and Alejandro Osuna taking up most of the outfield playing time, with Michael Helman and Sam Haggerty also in the mix. Carter has missed the past two games after getting hit on the foot by a pitch. Nimmo has battled hamstring and ankle injuries this year.
If they need to reach into their depth, Kelenic could get the call, though guys like Jonah Bride and Nick Pratto are also in the system as non-roster depth. Down the line, they may get pushed down the depth chart, as Wyatt Langford began a rehab assignment this weekend. He has been on the injured list for a little over a month due to a flexor strain. That was initially expected to require a minimal IL stint but has lingered longer than hoped. It’s unclear how long the Rangers want to have him rehabbing but such assignments for position players have a 20-day maximum.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
Marlins To Select Zach Brzykcy
The Marlins will select the contract of right-hander Zach Brzykcy prior to tomorrow’s game with the Nationals, Fish On First’s Kevin Barral reports. Miami will have to open a spot on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters for Brzykcy, but 40-man space could be found by moving Andrew Nardi to the 60-day IL, since Nardi will miss around three months due to a stress reaction in his left ribcage. Right-hander Josh Ekness could potentially be headed to the 15-day IL, as Ekness was seen on crutches during the Marlins’ team train ride from New York to Washington today. (Hat tip to reporter Noah Berger and MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola.)
Brzykcy will be making his official Marlins debut the first time he appears in a game, and an appearance in the upcoming series in D.C. would pit the right-hander against his former team. The Nationals signed Brzykcy as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and he posted a 10.05 ERA over 28 2/3 innings with the club during the 2024-25 seasons. The Marlins claimed Brzykcy off waivers last November, and outrighted him off their own 40-man roster in December.
Over 22 1/3 innings with Triple-A Jacksonville, Brzykcy has a 5.24 ERA and 12.1% walk rate, though his 26.3% rate is pretty solid. Strikeout ability and control issues have basically been the story of Brzykcy’s pro career, and he isn’t exactly heading to the Show on a high note — twelve of the 13 earned runs Brzykcy has allowed this season in Jacksonville have come over his last five outings.
The call-up may be more based on the Marlins’ need for a fresh arm, as the club was forced into an unexpected bullpen game today. Scheduled starter Janson Junk was a late scratch due to a shin problem that resulted in a 15-day IL placement, and Miami used seven pitchers and utilityman Javier Sanoja for mop-up duty in a 10-1 loss to the Mets. Just within the last week, the Marlins have lost three starters (Junk, Eury Perez, Robby Snelling) to the injured list, as well as Nardi and perhaps Ekness from the bullpen mix. With the staff stretched so thin, there’s opportunity for Brzykcy to stick around for more than a cup of coffee if he performs well and eats some innings.
White Sox Re-Acquire Peyton Pallette From Guardians
TODAY: Pallette cleared waivers and was offered back to the White Sox, with MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins writing that Chicago has accepted the right-hander back into the fold. The Sox have assigned Pallette to Triple-A Charlotte.
MAY 24: Right-hander Peyton Pallette has been designated for assignment, the Guardians announced. Lefty Logan Allen is rejoining the big-league club to take his spot in the bullpen.
Cleveland picked up Pallette from the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. As part of the standard DFA process, the club has five days to trade him or place him on waivers. If another team makes a move to add Pallette, they’ll take on the Rule 5 requirements. If Pallette passes through waivers, he’ll be offered back to Chicago.
Pallette scuffled to a 5.23 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with the Guardians. He punched out opponents at a decent 22.7% clip, but it came with an untenable 16.5% walk rate. The righty led with a 95 mph four-seamer, accompanied by a pair of breaking balls. He threw the occasional changeup. Pallette’s curveball and slider both performed well, generating decent whiffs and preventing hits. The fastball was an issue. Pallette’s heater ceded a 51.6% hard-hit rate and a .410 wOBA.
The White Sox took Pallette in the second round of the 2022 draft. He posted strong strikeout numbers in each level of the minors, which is what likely drew Cleveland’s interest. Walks were becoming a problem before Pallette moved to his new organization. The righty had a 9.9% walk rate last season at Double-A, and it jumped to 10.9% after he was moved to Triple-A.
Allen has pitched in parts of the last three seasons with the Guardians. He’s worked almost exclusively as a starter in the big leagues, posting a 4.48 ERA in 74 appearances (73 starts). Allen has struggled from a run prevention perspective through eight Triple-A outings this season, but he’s notched a solid 25.4% strikeout rate. He’ll likely step into a long relief role with Cleveland. Allen could also operate as a sixth starter if the club wants to get some extra rest for the rotation. The Guardians are playing their 10th straight game on Sunday during a two-week stretch without an off-day.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
Cardinals Designate Matt Pushard, Recall Hunter Dobbins
The Cardinals are designating reliever Matt Pushard for assignment, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Pushard was a Rule 5 pick and will need to be offered back to the Marlins if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Hunter Dobbins is being recalled from Triple-A in Pushard’s place. The team’s 40-man roster is now at 39.
Pushard, 28, made his big league debut on March 29th, allowing three earned runs on 31 pitches. He then spent a month and a half on the injured list with right knee patellar tendinitis. Since being activated on May 16th, Pushard has made five more appearances, allowing a single earned run in six innings. That brings Pushard’s total output with the Cardinals to a 5.14 ERA in seven innings, plus six strikeouts against four walks.
It’s hard to analyze that small of a sample, but Pushard’s raw stuff may nonetheless be intriguing to other clubs. He uses a mid-90s four-seamer 45.0% of the time, and Pushard’s upper-80s slider and low-80s cutter give him decent secondary options. The Cardinals are in third place in the NL Central with a 30-26 record and have a 22.7% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. Their bullpen is a clear area for improvement, as Cardinals relievers have combined for -0.1 fWAR and a 4.26 ERA.
In the end, Pushard may have been too much of an unknown to keep on the roster, especially if St. Louis adds to the bullpen as the season goes on. Now that he’s designated, Pushard will be offered up to other clubs on the waiver wire. If he is claimed, he would need to remain on that club’s active roster or big league IL through the end of the season. At any point, Pushard can be offered back to the Marlins for a $50k fee. If the Marlins decline, he could be outrighted to the minors instead.
Meanwhile, Dobbins returns to the Majors after spending a month at Triple-A on optional assignment. He arrived in St. Louis alongside Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita via trade in December, with Willson Contreras heading to Boston. Dobbins missed the first month of the season recovering from last year’s season-ending ACL tear. He made one start for the Cardinals on April 30th before being optioned, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. If he sticks in the Majors, Dobbins can be controlled via arbitration through the 2031 season.
As with their bullpen, the Cardinals’ rotation is a Bottom-10 unit this year. The group has a 4.17 ERA, and their 4.90 expected ERA suggests a bit of luck in that output. Cardinals starters have struck out just 19.3% of opposing hitters, ranking fourth-worst in the league in that regard. Michael McGreevy‘s 2.98 ERA comes with a 5.63 expected figure. Dustin May, Andre Pallante, and Matthew Liberatore have been serviceable at best. Dobbins won’t be a game-changer by any means, but he had a 3.94 xERA in 13 appearances (11 starts) last year with Boston and holds long-term promise. Per Jones, Dobbins is available out of the ‘pen today in a bulk role and figures to join the rotation if he doesn’t get used.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Le, Imagn Images
Pirates Place Konnor Griffin On 10-Day IL, Activate Ryan O’Hearn
The Pirates are placing shortstop Konnor Griffin on the 10-day injured list, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Per Jason Mackey of MLB.com, Griffin has a flexor tendon strain and he’s expected to miss only a short time. Ryan O’Hearn is being activated off the injured list in his place.
Griffin was a Top-100 prospect entering 2026 and signed a nine-year, $140MM extension with Pittsburgh just a few days after making his debut. The 20-year-old’s numbers don’t leap off the page, but Griffin has more than held his own against big league pitching. In 208 plate appearances, he’s batted .270/.327/.402 with 14 stolen bases and a 104 wRC+. The latter figure is middle-of-the-pack among qualified shortstops, although there’s room for Griffin to cut back on his 26.9% strikeout rate.
Early reviews on Griffin’s defense have been mixed. On the one hand, he’s been worth 3 Defensive Runs Saved and boasts 78th percentile arm strength according to Statcast. At the same time, Griffin’s been worth -4 Outs Above Average and is in the 15th percentile of Statcast’s Fielding Run Value metric. Defensive metrics are always tricky, and obviously there’s room to improve when the player in question is as young as Griffin. For now, the team can be happy that he is finding his footing in the Majors.
While Griffin is on the shelf, the Pirates will need a temporary replacement at shortstop. Jared Triolo is the next man up, but he’s struggled badly in 83 plate appearances as a backup infielder. Since the start of 2024, Triolo has a 76 wRC+ in just over 900 plate appearances. He also doesn’t fare well defensively at shortstop, with -6 DRS and -3 OAA in over 500 innings there. Triolo is a better fit at third base or second, where has 14 and 10 career DRS, respectively.
Tyler Callihan is the other backup infielder, but he’s barely played in the Majors and has played exactly zero professional innings at shortstop. Nick Gonzales has 254 innings of experience at short, but he currently occupies the hot corner, so moving him to short would create another problem. Nick Yorke and Jack Brannigan are on the 40-man roster. Yorke has a 64 wRC+ in the Majors, while Brannigan is only at Double-A and is striking out 37.5% of the time.
Given those options, the likeliest outcome is that the Pirates roll with Triolo at short for now and simply hope for a minimal absence for Griffin. The team’s 106 wRC+ is tied for seventh in the Majors. Brandon Lowe, Spencer Horwitz, and Bryan Reynolds all have a wRC+ over 140, and Oneil Cruz is no slouch at 120. Griffin and Gonzales are both hovering around league average.
O’Hearn belongs in the first group as a key contributor to the Pirates’ success on offense. The 32-year-old, who signed a two-year, $29MM pact over the offseason, returns after a two-week absence for a right quad muscle strain. In 182 plate appearances prior to his injury, O’Hearn was batting .289/.368/.459 with a 132 wRC+. The latter mark is fourth-best among Pirates hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, while O’Hearn’s overall output nearly matches last year, when he was worth 3.0 fWAR between the Orioles and Padres. Although a few weeks of Triolo as the starting shortstop won’t be ideal, O’Hearn’s return and the abundance of talented hitters leave the Pirates in a good position while Griffin is out.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Twins Place Bailey Ober On Injured List, Select Mike Paredes
The Twins are placing right-hander Bailey Ober on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. They are also selecting the contract of Mike Paredes from Triple-A. He’ll be making his major league debut when he gets into a game. Meanwhile, Travis Adams has been recalled from Triple-A, while John Klein is being optioned in his place. The Twins’ 40-man roster is at 39 with Paredes’ selection, so no corresponding 40-man move is needed.
This is the fifth IL placement of Ober’s big league career. The previous four were due to hip and groin ailments, so this is Ober’s first elbow injury since 2019, when he missed two months with a right ulnar nerve subluxation. Ober’s timeline for returning should be made clearer in the coming days, though in any case, his absence comes at an unwelcome time for Minnesota.
Entering today, the Twins have a 27-32 record and are in third place in the AL Central. The club’s rotation has been middle of the pack, and that’s largely due to the excellence of Joe Ryan, who has a 2.94 ERA and 2.1 fWAR in 64 1/3 innings. Taj Bradley has a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts and is a solid No. 2 arm. Ober, despite leading the group with 66 2/3 innings, has merely been okay. He is striking out a career-low 16.4% of opposing hitters, and he’s already allowed 12 home runs, tied for ninth-highest among qualified starters.
Despite those shortcomings, Ober still holds value as a mid-rotation arm. His 4.59 ERA outpaces his 4.18 expected figure, which suggests that Ober has been somewhat unlucky. Ever the control artist, Ober is walking just 6.4% of hitters, which ranks in the 83rd percentile across the Majors. His breaking pitches have a run value of 7 according to Statcast, giving Ober lethal weapons to compensate for upper-90s fastball velocity.
All to say, Ober has been a reliable starter for the better part of six years. His absence doesn’t deprive the Twins of an ace, but it does strain the depth of the rotation behind Ryan and Bradley. Simeon Woods Richardson was designated for assignment yesterday after struggling to a 7.74 ERA in 12 appearances, 10 of which were starts. Zebby Matthews has three quality starts since being recalled on May 14th, but he had a 5.56 ERA in 16 starts last year. Connor Prielipp is Minnesota’s No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com, but he’s averaging less than five innings per start so far.
In the meantime, Paredes could be a short-term option for the rotation. The 25-year-old reached Triple-A for the first time in 2025 and has spent most of 2026 at that level. In 34 2/3 Triple-A innings across nine appearances (seven starts), Paredes has a solid 3.38 ERA. That mark comes with a sharp 5.7% walk rate and a 23.4% strikeout rate that would be better than average in the Majors. Paredes works off a 93.5 MPH four-seamer and also incorporates a slider and changeup, using those three pitches 85% of the time. FanGraphs’ RosterResource has Paredes as a long reliever, but given that he’s mostly started in the minors this year, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to get some starts.
Klein heads down to Triple-A only one day after being recalled. He threw 39 pitches over two scoreless innings yesterday, striking out one but walking three hitters. The pitch count would have made Klein unavailable for a couple days, so he is swapped out for a fresh arm in Adams. The latter has been optioned and recalled three times since being activated off the injured list at the end of April. Adams has only thrown ten innings in the Majors this year around those options, allowing eight earned runs in that small sample.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images