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Phillies Select Rafael Lantigua

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The Phillies announced they’ve selected infielder Rafael Lantigua onto the big league roster. He replaces Edmundo Sosa, who heads to the 10-day injured list (retroactive to September 13) with a right groin strain. Philly needed to create a spot on the 40-man roster, so they designated outfielder Brewer Hicklen for assignment.

Lantigua gets his first major league call at age 27. A 5’7″ infielder, he signed with the Blue Jays as an amateur from the Dominican Republic. The righty-hitting utilityman played in the Toronto system through the end of last season. He spent two and a half seasons at Triple-A Buffalo without getting a major league call. Lantigua departed the organization last winter as a minor league free agent, catching on with the Phils on a non-roster deal.

Philadelphia assigned Lantigua to their top minor league affiliate. He has hit .232/.359/.333 across 491 trips to the plate for Lehigh Valley. Lantigua’s batted ball metrics and power numbers are unimpressive, but he has a clear understanding of the strike zone. He has walked at a huge 15.7% clip while rarely chasing pitches off the plate. He pairs that with plus bat-to-ball skills and a tidy 14.3% strikeout percentage.

Lantigua is mostly a second baseman. He has logged 661 innings there while tallying a little over 300 frames at third base. He has made a handful of starts at shortstop and in left field as well. Last month, Baseball America surveyed minor league managers on the various tools for rookie-eligible players. Lantigua was named the International League’s top defensive second baseman.

It could be a brief stay on the big league roster. The Phils are without each of Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and Sosa for the time being. Turner has a Grade 1 hamstring strain and is trying to make it back before the end of the regular season. Sosa will miss at least a week. Bohm could be back by this weekend’s series in Arizona, however, which probably pushes an infielder back to the minors. Bryson Stott is at shortstop tonight, leaving Weston Wilson and Otto Kemp at second and third base, respectively. Lantigua and the out-of-options Donovan Walton are available off the bench.

Hicklen landed with Philly in late July in a DFA trade with the Tigers. The 29-year-old has been on optional assignment to Lehigh Valley for the past two and a half months. Hicklen has turned in a .218/.293/.437 slash with eight homers but a near-32% strikeout rate over 32 games. He owns a .221/.318/.403 line between the Detroit and Philadelphia farm systems this year overall. Hicklen made one appearance for the Tigers, going 2-3 with a walk and a stolen base at Coors Field on May 8. He’ll be placed on waivers this week.

Blue Jays Release Orelvis Martinez

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September 16: The Jays confirmed this evening that Martinez went unclaimed on release waivers. He’s officially a free agent.

September 15: The Blue Jays released former top infield prospect Orelvis Martinez, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Assuming he clears release waivers, he’ll be a free agent. The Jays had designated Martinez for assignment on Saturday when they needed a 40-man roster spot to activate Alek Manoah from the 60-day injured list in a procedural move.

Martinez was on optional assignment to Triple-A Buffalo and landed on the minor league injured list with an undisclosed injury last week. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers. Players on the 40-man roster can’t be traded after the deadline. Once the Jays designated Martinez for assignment, they had no choice but to release him.

Toronto could have placed Martinez on the MLB 60-day injured list rather than designating him for assignment in the first place. That also would have opened a 40-man roster spot but would have required paying him the prorated major league minimum salary for the final two weeks of the regular season. That the Jays preferred to release him rather than pay the roughly $70K to keep him on the IL is a testament to how far his stock has fallen. There’s a good chance they intended to run him through outright waivers at the beginning of the offseason.

The 23-year-old Martinez appeared in one major league game last season. He singled in three at-bats during his MLB debut. He had occupied a 40-man roster spot for the past three years and had otherwise been on optional assignment. He also missed 80 games last season following a failed performance-enhancing drug test. The PED ban was announced all of five days after Martinez received his first major league call in June 2024. He finished that year in Triple-A and has been in Buffalo for the entirety of this season.

Martinez has endured a nightmare season in the minors. He’s batting .176/.288/.348 while striking out at a 28.4% clip through 394 plate appearances. He has taken a lot of walks and connected on 13 home runs, but both his power production and contact rates have backed up relative to last season. Martinez had turned in a far stronger .267/.346/.523 line with 17 homers in 319 trips at the Triple-A level a year ago.

The Jays could look to bring Martinez back on a minor league contract. That is fairly common in situations where a team DFAs and subsequently releases an injured minor leaguer. Martinez will have the ability to look elsewhere in free agency, though, and it’s possible a change of scenery is ideal given the way his career has gone over the past year-plus. His youth and one-time projection as a potential power-hitting second/third baseman will surely intrigue plenty of teams if he’s relegated to a minor league deal going into 2026.

Angels Select Carter Kieboom, Place Zach Neto On Injured List

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The Angels announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Carter Kieboom and placed shortstop Zach Neto on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand strain. The Halos had an open 40-man roster spot after previously outrighting utilityman Scott Kingery.

Kieboom, 28, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2023. The former top-100 prospect was once viewed as a potential long-term contributor with the Nationals but never found his footing in the big leagues. He’s a career .199/.297/.301 hitter in 508 plate appearances, all of which came with the Nationals, who selected him with the No. 28 overall pick back in 2016.

The 2025 season is Kieboom’s first away from the Nats. He’s had a fine year in Triple-A Salt Lake, slashing .319/.368/.449 with nine homers and 11 steals in 402 trips to the plate. It’s an impressive-looking stat line, though after weighting for home park and league run-scoring environment, Kieboom’s rate stats are about two percent better than league average in the overwhelmingly hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League (by measure of wRC+).

Neto, 24, returns to the injured list for the second time this season. The 2023 first-rounder missed the first few weeks of the year recovering from 2024 shoulder surgery but has largely matched his breakout 2024 form when healthy. In 128 games and 554 plate appearances, Neto has slashed .257.319/.474 with 26 homers and stolen bases apiece. He hit .249/.318/.443 with 23 homers and 30 steals in 155 games/603 plate appearances last season.

The Angels haven’t specified how long Neto will need to recover, although given how close we are to the end of the season, it’s obviously possible that he could miss the remainder of the year. With Neto sidelined, the Angels’ options at shortstop include Denzer Guzman and Oswald Peraza. Veteran utilityman Chris Taylor has plenty of career innings at shortstop under his belt as well, though he hasn’t played there at all since the 2023 season.

Orioles Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated infielder Emmanuel Rivera for assignment and reinstated Jordan Westburg from the 10-day injured list, per a team announcement. Baltimore also optioned lefty Grant Wolfram to Triple-A Norfolk, clearing a spot for the activation of lefty Jose Castillo, whom the O’s claimed off waivers yesterday.

Rivera, 29, came to the Orioles following a DFA in Miami last summer. He erupted for a .313/.370/.578 slash and four homers in 73 plate appearances down the stretch, prompting the O’s to tender him a $1MM contract in the offseason. He hasn’t replicated that output in 2025, however. Through 127 turns at the plate, Rivera has logged a tepid .250/.291/.283 slash that more closely resembles his career .245/.305/.360 output in 1169 plate appearances.

He’s still a quality defender at third base and has added some experience at first base, but Rivera is out of minor league options and thus couldn’t simply be sent to the minors without first being removed from the 40-man roster by way of a DFA. He’ll now be made available to the game’s 29 other teams via outright waivers. If and when he clears, Rivera would have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency (both by virtue of having more than three years of MLB service and a prior outright in his career).

It’s been a stop-and-start year for the 26-year-old Westburg. He’s been highly productive when healthy enough to take the field but has endured lengthy IL stints owing to both a hamstring strain and a right ankle sprain. He’s just now returning from the latter of those two maladies after spending nearly a month on the shelf.

When he’s been able to take the field, Westburg has popped 25 extra-base hits (15 homers, nine doubles, one triple) and recorded a stout .276/.326/.473 batting line while splitting his time between third base and second base. Dating back to last season, Westburg has belted 33 home runs in just 751 plate appearances — despite being a right-handed hitter in a ballpark that overwhelmingly sapped right-handed power in 2024 (before altering their left field dimensions this past offseason).

Westburg is controllable for another four seasons in Baltimore and won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2026 season. He’s been limited to just 73 games this season, but he’s demonstrated potential 30-homer pop if he can remain healthy for a full year. He’ll enter the offseason lined up as the Orioles’ starter at third base, joining shortstop Gunnar Henderson and second baseman Jackson Holliday as locks in the infield at Camden Yards.

Former top prospect Coby Mayo is currently getting plenty of run at first base but has yet to solidify himself as a credible hitter at the MLB level. Samuel Basallo, another touted prospect (whom the Orioles recently extended), will also be in the mix for reps at first base. Longtime O’s slugger Ryan Mountcastle is also still in the picture, but he’s slumping badly to close out a down year overall and will be owed a raise on this year’s $6.78MM salary ahead of his final season of club control, making him a non-tender or trade candidate.

Pirates Select Rafael Flores

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The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores. In a corresponding active roster move, infielder Liover Peguero has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The 40-man roster had a vacancy but is now full.

Flores, 24, was just acquired from the Yankees as part of the deadline deal sending David Bednar to the Bronx. He was going to be available in the upcoming Rule 5 draft if not added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster. They were surely planning to give him a roster spot in order to him from that draft. Doing so a few months early allows them to get a look at him in the big leagues before the offseason arrives.

The youngster took an unusual path to being a notable prospect. He attended Rio Honda, a community college outside Los Angeles, and was playing summer ball for the Alaska Goldpanners when the Yanks found him and signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He was roughly league average at the plate in 2023 while playing at the High-A level.

Flores seemed to take a big step forward last year, both offensively and defensively. He stepped to the plate 506 times between High-A and Double-A, producing a combined .279/.379/.495 line and 152 wRC+. FanGraphs ranked him 34th in the system prior to that campaign, noting that his work behind the plate was improving. Baseball America ranked him tenth among New York farmhands heading into the current season.

The 2025 season has seen Flores boost his stock even further. The righty-swinging 24-year-old clobbered Double-A pitching at a .287/.346/.496 pace (145 wRC+) in 370 plate appearances and has hit .281/.363/.459 (119 wRC+) in 157 Triple-A plate appearances with the Pirates following the trade. He’s not great when it comes to controlling the running game, but Baseball Prospectus gives him above-average framing and blocking grades in the minors this year. At the very least, he has the makings of a bat-first option behind the plate — an area of dire need for the Pirates for the past several years.

Catcher has been a revolving door in Pittsburgh ever since the Bucs traded Jacob Stallings to the Marlins after the 2021 season. They’ve since used a combination of Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez, Joey Bart, Jason Delay, Yasmani Grandal, Tyler Heineman, Austin Hedges, Michael Perez, Andrew Knapp and Roberto Perez — among others — and received disastrous results with the bat. Only the Guardians have received less offensive output from their catchers than Pittsburgh’s combined .208/.285/.314 since Opening Day 2022.

The hope moving forward will be that Flores can turn that tide — or at least play a meaningful role in a catching committee that begins to right the ship. The Pirates’ offense, in general, is among the most anemic in baseball on an annual basis. If Flores can provide even average offense (or slightly above), he ought to receive plenty of looks moving forward, given the difficulty the Bucs have had when it comes to scoring runs year over year.

Braves Select Jose Suarez

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The Braves announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of lefty José Suarez from Triple-A Gwinnett. Catcher Sean Murphy, who underwent season-ending hip surgery recently, was moved to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Atlanta also recalled righty Nathan Wiles from Gwinnett and optioned righties Connor Seabold and Alexis Díaz to Triple-A in a series of corresponding moves.

Suarez will make a spot start in Game 1 of today’s doubleheader in Washington. He’ll be opposed by Nationals righty Jake Irvin, who has struggled to a 5.70 ERA over 30 starts. There’s a much more exciting pitching matchup with Chris Sale and MacKenzie Gore squaring off in the nightcap.

Atlanta acquired Suarez from the Angels in a swap for Ian Anderson at the end of Spring Training. The 27-year-old southpaw began the season in Brian Snitker’s bullpen. He tossed 7 1/3 innings over three appearances, allowing three runs (two earned) with seven walks and five strikeouts. Atlanta designated him for assignment and ran him through outright waivers at the end of April.

Suarez has spent most of the season on the minor league injured list. He has been limited to nine appearances (eight starts) with Gwinnett, where he has pitched to a 3.53 ERA over 43 1/3 frames. Suarez has punched out 28% of opponents with a sub-5% walk rate. That earns him at least his first MLB start of the season, and it’s possible he’ll stick on the big league roster in long relief for the last two weeks. Suarez will be controllable through arbitration if he finishes the season on the 40-man roster, though he’d likely be non-tendered.

Matt Strahm Triggers Vesting Option

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Phillies reliever Matt Strahm completed a perfect eighth inning for a hold tonight against the Dodgers. In the process, he crossed the 60-inning threshold and vested a $7.5MM option for the 2026 season. The southpaw will still need to pass a postseason physical for the option to go into effect.

Strahm initially joined the Phils on a two-year, $15MM free agent contract during the 2022-23 offseason. That has turned into an excellent value for Dave Dombrowski’s front office. Strahm turned in a 3.29 ERA across 87 2/3 innings during his first season with the club. Philadelphia signed him to a one-year extension for the 2025 season before the ’24 campaign even got underway.

The 33-year-old Strahm has responded with arguably the best two years of his career. He worked to a 1.87 ERA over 66 appearances a year ago and holds a 2.83 mark in 60 1/3 frames this season. His velocity has ticked down, but he’s still punching out 28% of batters faced against an 8% walk rate. He carried a solid 11.7% swinging strike percentage into tonight’s performance.

Philly has increasingly leaned on Strahm as one of their top bullpen weapons. He has a career-best 21 holds. In the second half, only closer Jhoan Duran has entered in higher-leverage situations on average. Strahm is alongside David Robertson and Orion Kerkering as the Phils’ top setup arms going into the playoffs. José Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason because of his failed performance-enhancing drug test. Strahm and Tanner Banks will go into October as manager Rob Thomson’s top two southpaws, while waiver pickup Tim Mayza looks like a borderline candidate to make the playoff roster.

The Phillies would very likely have exercised Strahm’s option even if he had fallen shy of the 60-inning mark. Philadelphia will be happy to retain him on an affordable salary for a leverage reliever. Duran will be back in the ninth inning, while Kerkering and Banks remain under control for multiple seasons. The Phils hold a $9MM option on Alvarado, whose season ended last week when he was diagnosed with a forearm strain.

Giants Designate Brett Wisely For Assignment

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The Giants officially announced the previously reported promotion of top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge. San Francisco optioned outfielder Luis Matos to clear a spot on the big league roster. They designated utility infielder Brett Wisely for assignment to open the necessary 40-man roster spot.

Eldridge, who is still a month away from his 21st birthday, steps right into the fire in a pennant race. He’s batting fifth and serving as the designated hitter against Zac Gallen (relayed by Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News). The Giants are keeping Rafael Devers at first base tonight. San Francisco is half a game ahead of the Diamondbacks and trails the Mets by a game and a half for the National League’s last Wild Card spot.

Wisely has been on San Francisco’s 40-man roster for the past three seasons. Farhan Zaidi was running baseball operations when the Giants acquired him from the Rays early in the 2022-23 offseason. Wisely would have qualified for the Rule 5 draft, but San Francisco selected his contract to ensure they retained his rights. The former 15th-round pick has been up and down between Oracle Park and Triple-A for the last three seasons.

The lefty-hitting Wisely hasn’t produced much against big league pitching. He owns a .217/.263/.324 line with seven home runs across 457 plate appearances. He hit very well in Triple-A between 2023-24, but his minor league numbers this year have also been underwhelming. Wisely carries a .253/.332/.387 line with seven longballs and 12 steals in 80 games at Triple-A Sacramento this season. He has only appeared in 22 MLB contests as a result, hitting .208 with one homer in 54 trips to the plate.

While this hasn’t been a good season, Wisely has some positive attributes that could get interest on the waiver wire. He grades as a solid defender at second base and has experience at every position aside from catcher. He’s never going to hit for much power, but he has shown solid on-base skills in the minors. He owns a .274/.371/.433 line in nearly 200 career Triple-A games across four seasons.

San Francisco will place Wisely on outright waivers within the next few days. He’s in his last minor league option year. Another team may put in a claim and stash him in Triple-A for the rest of the season. He’ll be out of options next year. If he sticks on a 40-man roster into Spring Training, he’d need to break camp and remain in the majors or again be designated for assignment.

Phillies Outright Matt Manning

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The Phillies announced that Matt Manning has been outrighted to Double-A Reading. He cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Saturday as the corresponding move for Walker Buehler’s promotion.

It’s the first career outright assignment for Manning, the ninth overall pick in 2016. The Tigers draftee was part of a touted contingent of pitching prospects that also included Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Manning hasn’t had anywhere near the same level of success as Mize, much less approached Skubal’s ace form. The lanky right-hander started 50 games for Detroit between 2021-24. He pitched to a 4.43 earned run average with a well below-average 16.4% strikeout rate across 254 innings.

Manning has not spent any time in the majors this season. Detroit optioned him fairly early in Spring Training. They’d used him mostly out of the bullpen in Triple-A, but that didn’t spur much success. He was carrying a 6.04 ERA over 31 appearances when the Tigers designated him for assignment at the trade deadline. They flipped him to Philly for a low minors outfielder (Josueth Quinonez). The Phils sent Manning back to Double-A, where he walked seven batters and allowed six runs in five innings over a pair of starts.

The 27-year-old Manning will finish the season in the Phils organization. He’ll become a minor league free agent at the end of the season unless Philadelphia adds him back to the 40-man roster within the next few weeks. He should be able to find a minor league contract somewhere over the winter.

Diamondbacks Designate Anthony DeSclafani For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced that veteran righty Anthony DeSclafani has been designated for assignment. His spot in the bullpen goes to hard-throwing righty Juan Morillo, who has been recalled from Triple-A Reno. Arizona’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

DeSclafani was pitching in Triple-A with the Yankees when Arizona signed him to a big league contract in the middle of June. He initially worked out of long relief and was promoted to the rotation when the Snakes traded Merrill Kelly at the deadline. That lasted only three starts, as DeSclafani suffered a thumb injury in the middle of August and was sent to the injured list. He missed a month and has been pushed back to the bullpen since returning. Nabil Crismatt has stepped into the fifth starter job.

The 35-year-old DeSclafani has pitched twice since coming back from injury. He has given up five home runs (six runs overall) in 5 2/3 frames over those two outings. He carries a 5.12 ERA across 38 2/3 innings on the season overall. While his strikeout and walk numbers are serviceable, the recent home run barrage led the Snakes to make a change. DeSclafani will very likely be released this week.

Morillo also represents a fresher arm for Torey Lovullo’s bullpen. He hasn’t pitched since Thursday. DeSclafani tossed 2 2/3 frames and threw 59 pitches yesterday. He would not have been available for at least the first two games of what is probably a must-win series if Arizona is to snag a surprise playoff berth. The D-Backs host the Giants for a three-game set. They’re half a game behind San Francisco and two games back of the reeling Mets for the National League’s last Wild Card spot.

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