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White Sox, Keone Kela Agree To Minor League Contract

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The White Sox are in agreement with reliever Keone Kela on a minor league deal, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He’s been assigned to the team’s Arizona complex for the time being as he builds into game shape.

Kela is trying to return to the big league level for the first time in four seasons. He hasn’t pitched in the affiliated ranks since 2022. Kela’s most recent affiliated opportunity came on a minor league deal with the Dodgers late that year. He signed on with the Yakult Swallows in Japan in 2023, though his time there was limited to 14 innings for their minor league club. Kela had a better run in the Mexican League last season, firing 40 innings of 2.70 ERA ball while striking out a quarter of opposing hitters. He added 16 innings of five-run ball in the Mexican winter league.

The White Sox are intrigued enough by his form to give him a minor league chance. The 32-year-old Kela has pitched parts of seven seasons at the big league level. He had his best run early in his career with the Rangers, for whom he tossed 169 innings with a 3.45 earned run average. He worked to an even better 2.49 mark over parts of three seasons with the Pirates, though that came in a total of 47 innings. Kela’s most recent big league experience came when he allowed eight runs in 10 2/3 innings for the ’21 Padres.

At his best, Kela had a fastball that sat in the 96 MPH range and a swing-and-miss curveball. He has fanned nearly 30% of batters faced against a manageable 9.2% walk rate as a big leaguer. The rebuilding White Sox have very little in the way of established bullpen arms. It’s a decent landing spot as Kela tries to get back to the highest level. He’ll presumably spend a couple weeks at the complex before heading to Triple-A Charlotte.

Twins To Promote Luke Keaschall

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The Twins are going to promote prospect Luke Keaschall, reports Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. He is not yet on the 40-man roster, so the club will need to open a spot for him. The club is off today, so that corresponding move might not be reported until tomorrow.

Keaschall, 22, was selected by the Twins in the second round of the 2023 draft. Since then, he has been cruising through the minors, showing strong plate discipline. He has taken 662 plate appearances across 147 games for multiple minor league clubs since being drafted. In that time, his 13.6% walk rate is almost as high as his 17.5% strikeout rate. That has helped him produce a combined .297/.415/.470 batting line and 151 wRC+.

He has shown other attributes as well. He has 38 stolen bases in 45 tries. Defensively, he has played the three non-shortstop infield positions as well as center field. He required Tommy John surgery in August but has already returned to the field, since position players can return from that procedure much faster than pitchers.

That performance has made him a consensus top 100 prospect. Baseball America has him at #43, FanGraphs at #56, MLB Pipeline at #57, ESPN at #43 and Keith Law of The Athletic at #62. Scouting reports on him generally heap praise on his abilities at the plate, with bigger questions about his defense. He isn’t considered especially strong anywhere in the field. If he can stick at second, there will be less pressure on him to hit, whereas eventually getting bumped to first base or an outfield corner will give him a higher bar to clear offensively.

Despite his obvious skills, it’s a bit of an aggressive promotion, probably faster than the Twins had initially planned on. As mentioned, he just had Tommy John surgery not too long ago. He has been back on the field, playing second base and serving as the designated hitter, but has yet to play his other possible positions.

In an ideal world, the Twins probably would have given him more time to build up his post-surgery repertoire but the injury bug has hit them hard, particularly in the infield. Royce Lewis is on the major league injured list while Austin Martin and José Miranda are each on the minor league IL. Carlos Correa and Willi Castro are each still on the active roster but both are banged up. Correa didn’t start yesterday due to some wrist soreness, with Castro getting the nod at shortstop. However, Castro was removed with some oblique tightness, forcing Correa to sub in defensively. In addition to all those infield injuries, outfielder Matt Wallner also landed on the IL today.

Those injury issues have left the Twins scrambling a bit. They acquired infielder Jonah Bride, who had been designated for assignment by the Marlins, in a cash deal. He has experience at all the non-shortstop infield positions. The Twins have Ty France and Edouard Julien getting regular playing time at first and second base, respectively. Brooks Lee should be able to cover shortstop or third. If Correa or Castro feel better soon, they would obviously be in the mix.

There’s also the designated hitter spot, which has mostly been filled by Trevor Larnach this year. However, Wallner’s injury might push him into the outfield more regularly, alongside Byron Buxton and Harrison Bader, with DaShawn Keirsey Jr. around as well.

Time will tell exactly how the Twins want to arrange the defensive alignments, but with so many key contributors on the shelf or banged up, they can use all the help they can get. Perhaps Keaschall and Julien will platoon a bit at second, since Keaschall is a righty and Julien a lefty, though the Twins presumably prefer to have a key prospect like Keaschall playing more regularly than in a short-side platoon role.

At this point, it’s too late in the season for Keaschall to earn a full year of service time, at least in the traditional way. That means the Twins will not be eligible to receive an extra draft pick via the prospect promotion incentive. It will be possible for Keaschall to retroactively earn a full year if he finishes in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting, though guys like Kristian Campbell and Jacob Wilson already have a headstart on him. It’s also possible that the Twins get some guys healthy again in the coming weeks and return Keaschall to the minors. Though if he continues hitting the way he has on the farm, he might make that a tough call for them.

Photos courtesy of Chris Tilley, Imagn Images

Angels, Hector Neris Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Angels have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent reliever Hector Neris, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. The veteran righty opened the season with Atlanta but was cut loose after a couple rough appearances to begin the year. Neris, an Octagon client, would earn a prorated $1.5MM in the majors, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2.

Neris, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Braves and made the Opening Day roster despite signing in mid-March and only getting into three spring games. The extent to which the abbreviated ramp-up impacted him can’t be known, but Neris was shelled for five runs on five hits (one homer) and a walk in just one inning of work spanning two appearances. That was enough for Atlanta to designate him for assignment and move on.

Prior to this season, Neris was an established late-inning arm, albeit one who struggled in 2024. He finished out the season with a respectable 4.10 ERA in 59 1/3 innings between the Cubs and Astros, but he waffled enough in high-leverage spots with Chicago that he was designated for assignment and released midway through the season. Neris posted a 3.89 ERA but with rocky K-BB numbers during his time with the Cubs; it was the inverse in his return to Houston — a 4.70 ERA but a pristine 28.1% strikeout rate and 3.1% walk rate in 15 1/3 frames.

On the whole, Neris has a solid track record. From 2015-24, he pitched 599 2/3 innings with a 3.33 ERA, 29.5% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate, 107 saves and 118 holds. Last year’s 93 mph average on his fastball was a career-low, however, and he sat at just 91.9 mph in his two appearances with Atlanta earlier in the season.

Time will tell whether Neris can rediscover any of his prior form, but there’s no real harm for the Angels in taking a low-cost look and stashing Neris in Triple-A Salt Lake for the time being. The Halos recently placed flamethrower Ben Joyce on the injured list due to inflammation in his right shoulder, and they’re still without Robert Stephenson, who is on the mend from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Angels relievers currently have a 6.11 ERA, ranking 29th in the majors. Kenley Jansen, Reid Detmers and Ryan Zeferjahn have all pitched well, but the rest of the team’s relief corps has struggled immensely.

Twins Acquire Jonah Bride

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April 17: The Twins officially placed Wallner on the IL today, with Bride taking his spot on the active roster.

April 16: The Twins announced that they have acquired infielder Jonah Bride from the Marlins. Miami, who designated Bride for assignment yesterday, will receive cash considerations in return. Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those to report the move prior to the official announcement. The Twins have had an open 40-man spot since righty Scott Blewett was designated for assignment a few days ago. It was reported earlier today that outfielder Matt Wallner is heading to the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain, which will open an active roster spot. Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune was among those to relay the Wallner news.

Bride, 29, has a pretty good track record of minor league performance. Dating back to the start of the 2021 season, he has stepped to the plate 1,166 times on the farm with a 17.1% walk rate, higher than his 16% strikeout rate. That helped him produce a combined .289/.421/.489 batting line and 137 wRC+ in that time.

That got him some brief major league opportunities with the Athletics in 2022 and 2023, but he didn’t hit will in those, slashing .192/.296/.232. He was acquired by the Marlins going into 2024 and seemed to show some promise. He got into 71 games for the Fish last year, hitting 11 home runs and walking at an 11% pace. That led to a .276/.357/.461 line and 123 wRC+.

But he got out to a rough start here in 2025, with a .100/.200/.100 line and 33.3% strikeout rate through 45 plate appearances. Now out of options, he got bumped off Miami’s 40-man roster this week when Jesús Sánchez returned from the injured list.

Though the Twins are going to put Wallner on the injured list, they need more help on the infield, particularly on the left side. In terms of outfielders, without Wallner, they have Byron Buxton, Harrison Bader, Trevor Larnach and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. on the active roster and prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez on optional assignment.

The infield mix is pretty banged up, however. Shortstop Carlos Correa was removed from yesterday’s game with some left wrist soreness. He told Nightengale that he’s been dealing with it since late last year. He’s out to a rough start this season, hitting .164/.227/.246 thus far.

Correa didn’t start this afternoon’s contest, with Willi Castro plugging in at short. However, Castro was removed with some tightness in his right oblique, per Hayes. Correa was subbed in defensively in the ninth but the Twins were not planning to let him hit if that spot in the order came around, per Matthew Leach of MLB.com. The Twins walked off the Mets in the tenth, so manager Rocco Baldelli didn’t have to figure out a plan for what to do once Correa’s spot in the order came up.

The Twins are already without Royce Lewis, who is on the IL with a strained hamstring. They optioned the struggling José Miranda to the minors recently and he got hurt almost immediately after in a strange accident. Per Nightengale, Miranda was shopping at Target and dropped a case of water. He caught it and suffered a left hand strain in the process, getting placed on the minor league seven-day IL. Austin Martin is also on the minor league IL, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com, getting put on the shelf with a right hamstring strain on April 11.

The Twins have Ty France and Edouard Julien at first and second but shortstop and third are more up in the air with Lewis, Correa, Castro, Martin and Miranda all banged up or out of commission. Bride has played all of the non-shortstop infield positions, so he will give them another guy capable of playing third. Perhaps Brooks Lee will then cover shortstop while Correa and Castro get some time off to heal up.

The Twins are off tomorrow, so they have a bit of time to assess how things go before the weekend, but Bride was available and fits nicely with their current predicament. As mentioned, he is out of options, but he has less than two years of service time. That means he can be affordably retained well into the future if he manages to hold onto a roster spot.

Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images

White Sox Designate Omar Narvaez For Assignment

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The White Sox announced Thursday that they’ve designated veteran catcher Omar Narvaez for assignment. His spot on the 40-man and active rosters will go to top catching prospect Edgar Quero, whose previously reported promotion to the majors is now official; his contract has been formally selected. Chicago also reinstated outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the injured list and optioned fellow outfielder Greg Jones to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move.

Narvaez returned to the White Sox — the team with which he made his major league debut — when he signed a minor league contract back in January. He was selected to the 40-man roster earlier this month when Korey Lee suffered an injury, but with the presence of top catching prospects Quero and Kyle Teel in Triple-A, the potential for the reunion to be short-lived was always present. The 33-year-old Narvaez wound up appearing in only four games, during which he went 2-for-7 with a pair of singles and a couple of walks.

Narvaez’s days as a regular behind the plate look to be in the past. He was a solid option behind the dish from 2017-21, batting a combined .266/.351/.403 in 1670 plate appearances. That was effectively league-average offense (101 wRC+), but catchers tend to be well below-average hitters. Relative to his position, Narvaez was a comfortably better-than-average hitter. Though he posted below-average defensive grades early in his career, his glovework — framing in particular — has improved considerably over the years.

Since a nice showing with the 2021 Brewers, however, Narvaez’s production has tanked. He struggled with Milwaukee in 2022, signed a two-year contract with the Mets the following offseason, and wasn’t able to right the ship. Overall, he’s posted a .201/.278/.286 line in his past 521 plate appearances (including his brief look with the ChiSox this year).

The White Sox can place Narvaez on waivers or trade him at any point in the next five days. Waivers themselves are another 48-hour process, meaning the max length of his stay in DFA limbo will be one week. While he’s struggled quite a bit in recent seasons, Narvaez could still hold appeal to clubs seeking catching depth in the wake of injuries. The Red Sox (who currently roster his cousin, fellow catcher Carlos Narvaez) are without Connor Wong for the foreseeable future due to a broken finger. The Tigers (Jake Rogers), Reds (Tyler Stephenson) and Marlins (Nick Fortes) have all seen their starting catchers go down with an oblique strain — quite recently in the case of Detroit and Miami.

The Sox won’t get a prospect back for Narvaez, but he could be flipped for cash or claimed off waivers. If he clears waivers, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

Quero will be the first of Chicago’s touted catching prospects to get a look in the big leagues. He’s out to a terrific start in Charlotte, having slashed .333/.444/.412 through his first 63 trips to the plate. That performance follows up last year’s stout .286/.366/.463 batting line in a combined 402 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. The switch-hitting Quero isn’t considered a plus defender, but he has the chance to be a bat-first regular behind the plate. He and Teel have big enough offensive ceilings to envision a scenario where both are on the same roster and splitting time between catcher and designated hitter.

Benintendi’s stay on the injured list due to an adductor strain proved minimal. That’s good news for the Sox, as the former All-Star has gotten back on track in a major way dating back to the midpoint of last season. Benitendi caught fire last summer and closed out the year with a .251/.325/.473 slash over his final 317 trips to the plate. Coupled with an even stronger start to his 2025 season, he’s now hitting .255/.326/.475 with 18 homers, a 9.4% walk rate and a 19.1% strikeout rate over his past 350 plate appearances.

Benintendi’s contract once looked immovable, but if he continues to produce along these lines for another couple months, he could emerge as a viable summer trade candidate. He’s being paid $16.5MM in 2025 and is owed a total of $31MM in 2026-27 as part of his five-year, $75MM contract.

Padres, Pirates Swap Brett Sullivan, Bryce Johnson

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The Padres announced that they have acquired outfielder Bryce Johnson and cash considerations in exchange for catcher Brett Sullivan. Neither player was on a 40-man roster at the time of the deal and they won’t immediately take roster spots with their new clubs. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the deal prior to the official announcement.

Sullivan, 31, was outrighted off San Diego’s roster just prior to Opening Day. His big league experience is pretty minimal, with a .206/.243/.299 line in 103 plate appearances. He’s done better in the minors, with a .271/.342/.449 line and 97 wRC+ in 1,594 Triple-A appearances dating back to the start of the 2021 season.

His glovework has been more of a mixed bag. Baseball Prospectus has given him negative grades for his framing in the majors but with better marks in Triple-A. His blocking numbers are a bit middling but his throwing grades are decent.

The Bucs have had seen a number of changes in their catching group recently. They designated Jason Delay for assignment and traded him to Atlanta earlier this month. Shortly after that, both Joey Bart and Endy Rodríguez got hurt. Bart has been dealing with a back issue while Rodríguez suffered a finger laceration and was placed on the injured list. Bart has not yet been placed on the IL but hasn’t played since April 11.

On the active roster, the Bucs are down to just Henry Davis and a banged-up Bart. Abrahan Gutierrez has been with the club on the taxi squad, just in case the club wants him to take Bart’s place. Sullivan will give them another non-roster guy with some big league experience. Perhaps he will join the taxi squad and Gutierrez will head back down to Triple-A, or maybe Sullivan will go to Indianapolis.

The Padres have less need for Sullivan as a depth catcher. They are going with veterans Martín Maldonado and Elias Díaz on the big league roster, while Luis Campusano is on optional assignment at Triple-A. That has allowed them to exchange Sullivan for a bit of cash and another player at a position of greater need.

Johnson, 29, is an outfielder who is known more for his speed and defense than his hitting. He was non-tendered by the Padres at the end of last year and then signed a minor league deal with the Pirates. He has a .177/.248/.226 batting line in 140 big league plate appearances but he has better minor league numbers and some wheels. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has hit .282/.377/.423 on the farm while stealing 100 bases in 116 tries.

The Padres have been scrambling in the outfield a bit lately. Center fielder Jackson Merrill landed on the IL just over a week ago due to a right hamstring strain. Brandon Lockridge took over that spot but suffered a left hamstring strain and followed Merrill to the IL. Lately, they’ve been using utility guy Tyler Wade and veteran Jason Heyward to cover that spot.

The Pirates have an outfield mix consisting of Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Alexander Canario and Adam Frazier. Reynolds hasn’t been playing the field lately due to triceps soreness but has been serving as the designated hitter.

In short, both players were more needed by their new clubs than their previous ones, so each will land in a spot where they have a better chance of helping out a big league club.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images.

Casey Lawrence Elects Free Agency

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April 16: The Mariners announced that Lawrence cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma. MLBTR has learned that Lawrence will elect free agency rather than accept that assignment.

April 14: The Mariners announced Monday that right-hander Casey Lawrence has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to righty Troy Taylor, who’s being reinstated from the 15-day injured list. It’s also worth noting that right-hander Jesse Hahn, whom Seattle outrighted to Triple-A over the weekend, has rejected that assignment in favor of free agency, according to the transaction log at MiLB.com.

Lawrence, 37, was called to the big leagues last week for a return stint with Seattle. He pitched the final three innings of their April 9 game against the Astros and was credited with a win after allowing a pair of runs on four hits and a walk (no strikeouts). It’s the third season in which the well-traveled Lawrence has suited up for the Mariners. He also pitched with Seattle in 2017 and 2018, in addition to spending the entire 2024 season with their Triple-A club. In 127 big league innings, Lawrence has a 6.73 ERA with a 16.6% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate.

The Mariners clearly like Lawrence and have a good relationship with him. Since 2017, they’ve claimed him off waivers and signed him to three minor league contracts. He can be placed on waivers or traded at any point in the next five days. Waivers would be another 48-hour process.

Within a week’s time, we’ll know the outcome of his DFA, although given his track record and history with the organization, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he accepted an outright assignment or quickly re-signed on a new minor league deal after clearing waivers and electing free agency. He’s already spent the past year-plus living and pitching in the Seattle/Tacoma area, after all, and he could be called upon in similar situations if the Mariners decide they need a fresh arm in the ’pen once again.

Taylor, 23, was a quick-to-the-majors reliever who impressed during his 2024 MLB debut. A 12th-round pick by the M’s in 2022, Taylor logged 19 1/3 innings last year and turned in a 3.72 ERA with a huge 30.9% strikeout rate against a solid 8.6% walk rate. That performance came on the heels of 42 2/3 minor league innings during which the UC-Irvine product recorded a stellar 1.27 ERA with a 27.6% strikeout rate and identical 8.6% walk rate.

Taylor missed the first two-plus weeks of the season with a minor lat strain. He made five rehab appearances and was torched for six runs on nine hits (one homer) and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. Most of that damage came in one outing where he was tagged for three runs without recording an out, however. Clearly, the Mariners are encouraged by the current state of his stuff and his previously ailing lat, as they could’ve simply optioned Taylor to Triple-A rather than reinstate him to the big league roster.

Hahn, 35, pitched in the majors for the first time since 2021 earlier this year when he tossed four frames for the Mariners. Injuries have continually plagued the right-hander, who’s been limited to 29 1/3 MLB frames (and 85 innings overall) since 2019. He’s continued grinding through rehab after rehab, however, and was rewarded with a brief big league return. Hahn could get another look with the M’s on a new minor league deal or latch on elsewhere as a minor league depth option now that he’s once again a free agent.

Rangers Release JT Chargois

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The Rangers have released right-hander JT Chargois, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d been pitching for their Triple-A affiliate after signing a minor league deal in the offseason.

Chargois pitched well for the Rangers in spring training, rattling off 4 2/3 shutout frames, but he didn’t make the initial cut and opened the season in Round Rock. It’s been a nightmare showing for him there, with 10 earned runs allowed through 4 2/3 frames (19.29 ERA) on the strength of 11 hits (five homers) and three walks. He’s fanned seven of 29 opponents (24.1%).

Brutal as that showing was, the 34-year-old Chargois has a nice big league track record — particularly in recent seasons. Dating back to 2021, the journeyman righty has totaled 154 2/3 innings of 2.73 ERA ball. His 21.7% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in that time are both worse than league average, but Chargois has done a nice job keeping the ball in the yard (0.99 HR/9) and on the ground (47.4%).

In parts of seven major league seasons, Chargois has picked up 5.101 years of service time and pitched to a 3.35 ERA in 231 1/3 innings. Even though the Rangers stint didn’t work out, his track record should earn him a look elsewhere on another minor league contract.

Braves Activate Spencer Strider

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April 16: Strider has been activated ahead of his start against the Blue Jays this afternoon, per a team announcement. Right-hander Zach Thompson was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

April 13: Prior to today’s game against the Rays, the Braves announced that the club had optioned right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to the minor leagues. In the short-term, the move made room for righty Michael Petersen to join the club. More important than that move, however, is the impending shift in the rotation Smith-Shawver’s departure portends. As noted by multiple reporters, including David O’Brien of The Athletic, Smith-Shawver’s departure from the active roster will make way for the highly-anticipated return of right-hander Spencer Strider to the rotation on April 16 against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Strider, 26, hasn’t pitched in just over a year after undergoing internal brace surgery on his UCL early last season. The right-hander has just two full MLB seasons under his belt, in 2022 and ’23, but in that time he posted a 3.36 ERA with a 2.43 FIP and a 37.4% strikeout rate. Those incredible stats were enough to get Strider a second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting, an All-Star appearance, and a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting across the two seasons, and the decorated fireballer now figures to return to lead Atlanta’s rotation once again now that he’s healthy. It couldn’t come at a better time, as the Braves have struggled badly out of the gate with a 4-11 start to open the season. Those struggles are due in large part to a rotation that has lost Reynaldo Lopez for much of the 2025 season to shoulder surgery and has seen reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale scuffle to a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings of work across his first four starts this season.

Strider’s long-awaited return to the big league mound means the end of Smith-Shawver’s stint in the rotation to open the year. The right-hander was generally serviceable for Atlanta across three starts, with a 4.61 ERA that clocks in just below league average and a 4.16 FIP. While Smith-Shawver’s 26.2% strikeout rate in those starts was solid, a 12.3% walk rate raised enough concerns that the club has opted to stick with Bryce Elder in the rotation despite his ugly 7.20 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers and Rays. That leaves Elder to pair with Grant Holmes at the back of the club’s rotation for the time being, though Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, and Dylan Dodd all remain available at Triple-A as potential rotation options if Elder fails to improve.

Strider may not be the only reinforcement the Braves are getting from Triple-A this week. O’Brien suggests that “all signs are pointing to” an impending call-up for outfielder Alex Verdugo, who was signed to a $1.5MM deal three weeks ago but has spent that time in the minor leagues catching up after missing most of Spring Training. It’s possible he would’ve spent the entire month of April at Triple-A, but things changed when Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80-games due to a failed PED test. That’s left the Braves to try and get by with Jarred Kelenic, Stuart Fairchild, and Bryan De La Cruz in the outfield corners while Ronald Acuna Jr. heals up after suffering a torn ACL last May.

Verdugo should help to bolster that outfield mix somewhat, giving the Braves a more proven veteran to handle left field in place of Profar while he serves his suspension. While he posted a lackluster 83 wRC+ with the Yankees last year, he had been a consistently league average bat for the Red Sox in each of his four seasons with the club prior to that, hitting .281/.328/.444 (105 wRC+) overall during his time in Boston. Whether Verdugo will ultimately join the Braves in Toronto for their series against the Blue Jays or instead be called up next weekend for their series against the Twins remains to be seen, but O’Brien indicates that Verdugo’s return to the majors appears to be imminent.

Cubs Option Matt Shaw

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The Cubs have optioned third baseman Matt Shaw to Triple-A Iowa, reports Keith Law of The Athletic. That’s part of a larger slate of moves, relayed by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Infielder Vidal Bruján has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. On the pitching side, the club recalled left-hander Luke Little and right-hander Daniel Palencia. To make room for those two, righty Nate Pearson has been optioned to Iowa as well, while righty Eli Morgan has been placed on the 15-day IL due to an elbow impingement.

Shaw, 23, came into the season as one of the top prospects in the league. The club clearly believed he was worthy of a shot at the majors, as they traded Isaac Paredes to the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker deal in the offseason. That didn’t guarantee Shaw a spot on the Opening Day roster but it opened a door for him, which he walked through. He cracked the club’s roster ahead of the Tokyo Series and has been serving as their regular third baseman up until this point.

The results have been mixed. Across his 68 plate appearances thus far, he has drawn a walk in 14.7% of them, but he’s also been struck out at a 26.5% clip. He has a tepid .172/.294/.241 batting line, though with a .231 batting average on balls in play. That number is on the unlucky side but Shaw hasn’t been doing himself many favors in terms of putting good wood on the ball. His 82.7 mile per hour average exit velocity in the second percentile of qualified MLB hitters, per Statcast. His hard-hit rate is in the fifth percentile, his bat speed in the tenth and his barrel rate 15th. His defense has also been a bit of a question mark. In 141 innings at third base thus far, he already has four errors.

All of that is surely less than the Cubs were hoping for, as he destroyed minor league pitching. After getting selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Shaw got into 159 minor league games between that draft selection and the end of the 2024 season. He had solid walk and strikeout rates of 10.2% and 17.3% respectively while slashing .303/.384/.522 for a 157 wRC+. 35 of those games were at the Triple-A level last year and he hit .298/.395/.534 in those, building the case that he was ready for a major league debut.

Shaw is yet another example of a top prospect who didn’t immediately click at the major league level. While some may jump to declare Shaw a “bust”, this sort of thing is actually quite common. A classic example is Mike Trout, who hit .220/.281/.390 in his first 135 plate appearances back in 2011. It can’t be assumed that a prospect will immediately succeed when reaching the majors for the first time, nor does it mean that they won’t ever find success down the line.

Sending Shaw down is defensible in a vacuum, given his struggles. But outside the vacuum, it’s unclear who the Cubs can turn to as a better option for the hot corner. Bruján has a .189/.261/.270 batting line in his career. Justin Turner has lots of third base experience but is now 40 years old. He’s been more of a first base/designated hitter type in recent years, with just 90 innings at the hot corner since the end of the 2022 season. He’s also having his own struggles at the plate this year, with a .172/.286/.172 line thus far. Jon Berti is a 35-year-old veteran utility guy. Gage Workman is a Rule 5 guy who has received just ten plate appearances thus far this year and has been punched out in five of them.

It’s possible this is just a short-term situation and Shaw will be back up with the big league club soon. How long it takes for his return will be significant for him and the club. By cracking the Opening Day roster, he was on pace to get a full year of service time in 2025. That would have meant qualifying for arbitration after 2027 and free agency after 2030. A quick return to the majors could still make those targets viable. A major league season is 187 days long but a player needs just 172 days in the big leagues or on the injured list to get credited with a full year. It’s also possible for Shaw to qualify for arbitration after 2027 even with less than three years of service time, as he could reach Super Two status.

If Shaw doesn’t return fairly quickly, those timelines will be pushed one year into the future. It will also take off the possibility of the Cubs earning an extra draft pick via the prospect promotion incentive. Under the PPI rules, teams can earn an extra pick by carrying a top prospect on the roster long enough to earn a full service year. The Cubs put that on the table initially by giving Shaw an Opening Day job but it will no longer apply if he’s down for a few weeks.

Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images

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