RotoFeed

Athletics Select Michael Stefanic

Darragh McDonald — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:04:43 +0000

The Athletics announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Michael Stefanic. He takes the active roster spot of fellow infielder Jacob Wilson, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list. First baseman Nick Kurtz has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. The A’s also made a swap on the pitching side, optioning Taylor Rashi to Triple-A Las Vegas and recalling righty Kade Morris.

The IL moves are not surprising. Kurtz hit the 10-day IL earlier this month with a strained right thumb. It was relayed by manager Mark Kotsay shortly thereafter that Kurtz would probably be unable to make it back this year. Today’s transaction confirms that. With Wilson, he has missed several games this week due to left shoulder soreness. It was reported yesterday that he would be placed on the 10-day IL and probably wouldn’t come back this year.

More to come.

Front Office Subscriber Chat With Anthony Franco

Anthony Franco — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:00:43 +0000

MLBTR’s Anthony Franco is holding a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

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Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg Reportedly A Candidate For Red Wings GM Job

Darragh McDonald — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:42:22 +0000

The NHL’s Detroit Red Wings are searching for a general manager. One of the potential candidates is already in Detroit but in a different league. Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg has some “buzz” in connection with the job opening. Earlier this month, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had connected Greenberg to the Red Wings in an appearance on NHL Tonight. Gabriel Foley of Pro Hockey Rumors, MLBTR’s sister site, covered the NHL angle on the news earlier today.

Executives switching sports is fairly rare but wouldn’t be shocking in this case. Greenberg has actually oscillated back and forth between the two sports throughout his life. He played hockey in both high school and college.

In his professional life, he started on the baseball path. While still an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, he interned for the Pirates. While attending Columbia Law School, he interned for the Diamondbacks. After graduating from Columbia, he got an intern job with the Cubs and worked his way up to assistant general manager. Scott Harris, who is now president of baseball operations with the Tigers, was also a Cubs AGM at that time.

Greenberg pivoted to hockey in 2022, getting hired as AGM with the Blackhawks. While he was doing that, Harris got the GM job with the Giants, working under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. In 2022, the Tigers moved on from general manager Al Avila and hired Harris to run the front office with the POBO title. One year later, in September of 2023, Harris brought Greenberg back to baseball by hiring him to be his GM.

In addition to that previous hockey experience, Greenberg’s hire could make some sense since he wouldn’t even really be changing employers. Both the Tigers and the Red Wings are owned by Ilitch Holdings, the company of the Ilitch family. Mike Ilitch purchased the Red Wings in 1982 and the Tigers in 1992. Mike passed away in 2017 and his son Christopher is now the CEO and President of Ilitch Holdings.

Perhaps Greenberg would be intrigued by jumping from being the #2 guy in a baseball front office to being the #1 guy in a hockey front office. He has some background in the hockey world and presumably wouldn’t even have to move in order to take this job.

If he ultimately is tapped for the position, the Tigers would presumably look for a new GM. That wouldn’t necessarily be an urgent search. Some MLB teams operate without anyone with the specific GM title, as the front office is often run by someone with a different title. For instance, the Red Sox were seemingly going to promote Paul Toboni from AGM to GM a few months ago, but then Toboni got the POBO job with the Nationals. Since then, the Red Sox have put their GM search on hold, with Craig Breslow running the front office as Chief Baseball Officer. For the Tigers, Harris is already the clear #1 guy and he could operate with no GM if he wanted. The Tigers currently have Ryan Garko and Rob Metzler in AGM roles.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

Fantasy Baseball Subscriber Chat With Nicklaus Gaut

Nicklaus Gaut — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:00:26 +0000

Nicklaus Gaut will be talking fantasy baseball with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers today at 1 PM Central Time. Get your question in early or participate in the live event at the link below!

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Front Office Subscriber Chat With Anthony Franco: TODAY At 2:00pm Central

Anthony Franco — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:35:43 +0000

MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be holding a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

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Royals Release Scott Barlow

Steve Adams — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:42:27 +0000

Scott Barlow‘s return to the Royals organization lasted about seven weeks. The former Kansas City closer, who signed a minor league deal with the Royals in early July after being cut loose by the A’s, was released yesterday, per the transaction log at MiLB.com.

The 33-year-old Barlow has had a bizarre season. He pitched poorly with the Athletics after signing a one-year, $2MM deal in free agency — but his struggles were entirely confined to the Athletics’ exorbitantly hitter-friendly home venue(s). Barlow was absolutely torched for 22 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings between West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park and the brief cameo the A’s made at their own Triple-A facility in Summerlin. Opponents belted six home runs in that time. On the road, however, Barlow yielded only two runs in 17 2/3 frames.

Barlow appeared to be a prime change-of-scenery candidate, but his work with the Royals’ top affiliate in Omaha has arguably been uglier than his home splits with the A’s. He’s pitched 14 1/3 innings for the Storm Chasers and been tagged for nine earned runs. His 5.65 ERA isn’t as rough as the numbers he posted in the Athletics’ home contests this season, but Barlow has walked 15 of the 67 batters he’s faced with Omaha (22.4%). He’s plunked another and also thrown three wild pitches. And while the ERA isn’t as inflated in Omaha as it was with the A’s, he’s still served up five homers (3.14 HR/9) in his 14 1/3 innings there.

Barlow’s velocity in Omaha is particularly alarming. In his career, he’s averaged 92.1 mph on his sinker and 93.4 mph on his four-seamer. Last year with the Reds, he sat at 92.5 mph and 92.2 mph, respectively, on those two pitches. But with the A’s, he sat 89 mph on both pitches — and he’s been at 89.6 mph on the sinker and 88.1 mph on his four-seamer with the Storm Chasers.

During his 2021-22 peak with the Royals, Barlow was genuinely excellent. He pitched 148 2/3 innings with a 2.30 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate, 40 saves and 20 holds. He’s since been more of a serviceable but command-challenged setup man, logging 191 1/3 innings with a 4.28 ERA and 13% walk rate in 2023-25. This is the first season he’s been unable even hold a roster spot in the majors.

Another club could scoop Barlow up on a minor league deal as a means of adding some depth before this year’s postseason eligibility deadline on Sept. 1. A contending club isn’t going to view Barlow as any sort of reliable answer, but playoff hopefuls routinely bring in veteran arms to safeguard against injury this time of year. Barlow’s big velocity drop and substantial command woes — both in terms of throwing strikes and avoiding the middle of the plate this year — will give plenty of clubs pause, however. It’s possible he’ll have to wait for the offseason (when he can focus on regaining some of that lost velo), but his track record should get him another look on a minor league deal at some point.

Ottoneu Starting Pitching Planner: August 24–30

Jake Mailhot — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:30:21 +0000

Ottoneu Starting Pitcher sit/start recommendations for the week of August 24–30.

Source

Yankees, Eli Morgan Agree To Minor League Deal

Steve Adams — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:10:08 +0000

The Yankees and reliever Eli Morgan are in agreement on a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The 30-year-old righty had been with the Royals organization but elected free agency after being designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’ll now head to the Yankees’ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple-A affiliate and provide some depth while New York gears up for the postseason. Morgan is represented by CAA.

Morgan got plenty of big league run with Kansas City this year, albeit in up-and-down fashion. He’s been recalled to the majors five different times and combined for 19 1/3 innings. Opponents dinged him for 11 runs (5.12 ERA) on 24 hits and nine walks with 16 strikeouts.

That performance follows a 2024-25 run that was impacted by elbow and shoulder injuries. Morgan was limited to 39 appearances and 49 1/3 innings across those two seasons, pitching to solid results with the Guardians and Cubs but spending two month-long stints on the 15-day IL and another four-month stay on the 60-day IL.

From 2022-24, Morgan was a solid middle-relief arm in Cleveland. He logged 176 innings with the Guardians over those three years and notched a 3.27 ERA, 25.1% strikeout rate and 6.6% walk rate. Morgan worked primarily medium- and low-leverage situations but was still a reliable source of quality innings in the Cleveland ‘pen.

Even with this year’s shaky major league results, Morgan has a 1.40 ERA in 25 2/3 Triple-A frames. The 5’10” righty has punched out 32.4% of his opponents there, albeit against a 13.9% walk rate. His once-excellent command had taken a step back since those elbow and shoulder issues surfaced, and this year’s 91.2 mph average four-seamer is down about a mile per hour from the 92.3 at which he sat in ’22-’24. He couples the pitch with a slider that’s averaged 85.4 mph and a changeup that has sat at 77 mph.

Yankees relievers rank second in the majors with a 3.00 ERA this season, and over the past month they’re fourth in MLB with a 2.69 earned run average. They don’t necessarily have a dire need for ‘pen help, but they have at least one spot somewhat up in the air. Bradley Hanner was only just promoted for his major league debut, and while 28-year-old Yerry de los Santos has been terrific in 14 big league innings (just one run allowed), he’s spent more of the season in Triple-A than in the majors and has only 99 2/3 big league innings under his belt overall.

Morgan joins Justin Topa as the second veteran reliever — and second former Royals/AL Central righty — to be scooped up by the Yankees in the past two weeks as they look to safeguard against any late injuries in the post-deadline push toward the playoffs.

The Opener: Holmes, deGrom, Misiorowski/Sale

Charlie Wright — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:06:31 +0000

The Cardinals and Reds had a wild one on Thursday. Cincinnati erased a four-run deficit with five runs in the sixth inning. The Reds had the victory in hand in the ninth inning, but a Dane Myers error extended the game. The Cardinals ended up scoring six times in the frame. Cincinnati’s comeback attempt fell just short, as Matt McLain lined out with the bases loaded.

1. Holmes loses no-hit bid in seventh

Braves right-hander Grant Holmes cruised through six frames with just a walk on the ledger against the White Sox on Thursday. He walked Miguel Vargas to lead off the seventh inning, then permitted a single to Andrew Benintendi. Didier Fuentes relieved Holmes and quelled the rally by striking out the side. It was the third time in four starts this month that Holmes has tossed six scoreless innings. There was a clunker in the middle (six earned runs vs. Arizona), but the righty has done enough to hold onto a rotation spot. Atlanta is currently rolling with a six-man look with AJ Smith-Shawver back in the majors.

2. deGrom reaches 2K strikeouts

Rangers righty Jacob deGrom was featured in this space yesterday because of the uncertainty around his health. Apparently, he’s good to go. The two-time Cy Young winner fired six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Nationals. deGrom punched out Daylen Lile to lead off the game, then got Abimelec Ortiz on a backfoot slider to secure strikeout No. 2,000. He’s the second-fastest pitcher to reach the milestone, behind only Chris Sale. “He’s 38 and he’s still throwing 100,” catcher Danny Jansen said (h/t Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). “It’s remarkable.”

3. Misiorowski vs. Sale

Speaking of Sale, he’ll get the ball in the first game of an intriguing series between the Braves and Brewers on Friday. Sale will be opposed by right-hander Jacob Misiorowski. The high-octane matchup could go a long way toward deciding which NL titan has to play in the first round of the postseason. Milwaukee is currently four games ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the National League. The Dodgers are sandwiched in between, two games back of the Brewers. The top two teams will earn first-round byes in the playoffs.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Starting Pitcher Chart – August 21st, 2026

Paul Sporer — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:56:50 +0000

Ace Day with Miz, Cam, Luzardo, Yoshi, Sale, Webb, and Melton pitching!

Source

Roto Riteup: August 21, 2026

Vlad Sedler — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:30:05 +0000

Getting ready for the weekend with the Roto Riteup

Source

Mariners To Promote Kade Anderson

Anthony Franco — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 04:54:12 +0000

The Mariners are calling up Kade Anderson to make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Cubs, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Bryan Woo had been slated to start that game and will be presumably be pushed back to Sunday.

Seattle will need to make an active roster move involving a pitcher. They’ll also need to open a spot on the 40-man roster, but they can do that by transferring Matt Brash to the 60-day injured list without impacting his timeline. Brash has already missed more than 60 days with a lat strain.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto teased an Anderson promotion earlier this month, saying they’d only do so when a rotation opportunity arose. “We’re not going to put Kade in the bullpen. He’s the best starting pitcher in the minor leagues,” Dipoto said in early August (link via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com). He went on to call Anderson “the next starter up” behind their front five after the M’s traded Luis Castillo to the White Sox.

This probably points to the Mariners adopting another six-man rotation. They’re not dealing with any injuries to their starting five. George Kirby and Bryce Miller have each gotten knocked around this month, so the M’s could kick one of them to the bullpen if they wanted to stay on a five-man schedule, but that’d be a surprise given their respective track records.

Anderson is viewed by most evaluators as the best pitching prospect in the game. Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him the #1 overall prospect in his most recent update shortly before the trade deadline. Seattle nabbed the 6’2″ southpaw with the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. He didn’t pitch professionally last year after throwing 119 innings in his sophomore season at LSU. The M’s assigned him to Double-A Arkansas this year and, as Dipoto mentioned, he has completely dominated the level.

In 18 starts, Anderson sports a 1.06 earned run average with a 41% strikeout rate. He has the best strikeout rate and ERA among all minor league pitchers with at least 80 innings. He’s coming off four consecutive scoreless outings while holding opposing batters to a laughable .147/.183/.216 slash line in 333 plate appearances.

Double-A hitters clearly can’t touch Anderson. Seattle is content to jump him past the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and test his stuff against MLB competition. Anderson has advanced command of a four-pitch mix (fastball, changeup, curveball, slider) that all rate as above-average to plus offerings. He’s viewed as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter.

Seattle has been among the game’s best teams at developing college pitchers. Their entire current rotation came via the draft and development route. Miller and Woo were mid-round selections, while Anderson joins Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Emerson Hancock as former first-round picks in the rotation. It’s one of the strongest groups in the majors on paper, but it has joined the offense and bullpen in underperforming of late.

Mariners starters entered Thursday’s game with a 4.46 ERA since the All-Star Break, the eighth-worst mark in the majors. Kirby got shelled for six runs in 3 1/3 innings in today’s loss in Milwaukee, which won’t do that mark any favors. It also dropped Seattle back eight games below .500 at 60-68, an astonishingly bad mark for a team that was one game away from the franchise’s first trip to the World Series a year ago.

That at least raised some question about whether the M’s would abandon their plans to call Anderson up this season. He would not have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The Mariners could’ve opted to keep Anderson off the 40-man roster and preserve his eligibility for minor league play in 2027 if the lockout results in cancelled MLB games. They’ve opted not to go that route, hoping Anderson can help turn their fortunes around this year.

The general mediocrity of the American League is the only reason the Mariners aren’t completely buried. They’re in third place in the AL West, 4.5 games behind the Astros and 2.5 back of the Rangers (pending those teams’ games on Thursday). They’re three games behind a 63-65 Twins team that now holds the last Wild Card spot, though there are five teams between them and Minnesota.

Seattle waited long enough in the season to preserve Anderson’s rookie eligibility going into 2027. He’d be eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive next year. If he breaks camp (or is called up by the middle of April), he could net them a draft pick down the line by either winning the ’27 Rookie of the Year award or finishing top three in Cy Young balloting within his first three full seasons. Anderson won’t be eligible for arbitration until the 2029-30 offseason and is under club control through the ’32 campaign if the service structure is unchanged in the next CBA.

Image courtesy of Steven Branscombe, Imagn Images.

Royals Likely To Place Maikel Garcia On Injured List

Anthony Franco — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 04:35:33 +0000

The Royals are likely to place Maikel Garcia on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (link via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). He was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain after going for an MRI on Thursday.

Garcia made an early exit from today’s win over the Athletics. He was on second and pulled up as he rounded third base on a single to left field. The A’s easily threw him out, though it didn’t stop Kansas City from completing a four-game sweep. Nick Loftin moved in from right field to play third base, while John Rave came off the bench to finish the game in right.

It has been a frustrating year for Garcia, who has only made it into 73 games. He went down in late June with a muscle strain in his left hand. K.C. activated him on Monday only to lose him three days later to a new injury. He has a league average .269/.324/.385 slash across 309 plate appearances, a step back from his .800 OPS and 16-homer season in 2025. Garcia has continued to play excellent defense at third base and would’ve garnered serious consideration for a second straight Gold Glove had he stayed healthy.

Josh Rojas, who consented to an optional assignment when Garcia was reinstated, will probably be recalled from Triple-A Omaha. He and Loftin can split the third base reps for as long as Garcia is down.

Diamondbacks To Transfer Ketel Marte To Injured List

Anthony Franco — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:49:19 +0000

The Diamondbacks are transferring Ketel Marte from the restricted list to the 10-day injured list, general manager Mike Hazen tells Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The GM added that the star second baseman is expected to resume playing once he’s healthy. John Gamabdoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports that Marte is dealing with inflammation in his upper hamstring and medial joint in his left knee.

Marte was surprisingly placed on the restricted list on Monday. The D-Backs initially announced that he was dealing with a personal issue after he failed to show up at Fenway Park for the series opener against the Red Sox. They said the next day that he was flying back to Phoenix for imaging on his knee, which had caused him to miss Saturday’s game in Atlanta.

His agent, Charisse Dash of The Movement Baseball, provided a statement to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on Wednesday morning. “He is currently managing a personal matter and will be undergoing an MRI on his knee (Thursday). Ketel appreciates the unwavering support from fans, teammates, the Diamondbacks organization and Torey Lovullo during this time. He remains optimistic about his recovery and looks forward to returning to the field to contribute to the team as soon as possible.”

Hazen appeared on The Wolf & Luke Show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM later in the day Wednesday and noted that the sides had an in-person meeting scheduled today at the team’s Arizona complex. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports that Hazen, Lovullo, Marte and Dash all participated.

“We are fully committed to helping, in any way that we can, figure out how this gets better and moves forward,” Hazen told Wolf & Luke yesterday. “We have been that way since day one. Players go through things. It’s a long season, things happen. We deal with stuff that you never hear about.”

Hazen then offered a passionate defense of Lovullo’s work with players. “I know there’s some boomerang back on the manager and how he handles things in our clubhouse. This guy treats our players with respect. He handles situations not just with kid gloves. He gets in the dirt with these guys and lays it out there to them too, but he doesn’t go out there publicly and talk about it because that’s not the professionalism required to maintain a steady clubhouse and a consistently competing baseball team.”

D-Backs president/CEO Derrick Hall also addressed the situation on Thursday morning in his own appearance on 98.7 FM. He suggested the relationship between player and team is reparable. “We’re going to have to get explanations from him and apologies from him. Hopefully we can pick up the pieces, move on and turn the page. … But obviously he is a great talent, a great player, and we’ve always said we’re a better team with him. So, hoping that we can get some answers and we can see him back on the field here soon.”

Hall also addressed the possibility of a knee injury. “If a player’s hurt, they need to go in and get treatment. We’re not sure what it is. That’s why we want to hear the results of the MRI right away, and still, ‘if you were feeling sore and hurting, why didn’t you go in and have treatment?’ That’s what you do. So yeah, personally, I’m disappointed that a player didn’t show up and go where he was supposed to, but I can get past it if I hear a reason why.”

Those comments came before the in-person meeting this afternoon that apparently smoothed things over. Hazen declined to provide specifics beyond calling it a “productive” conversation. D-Backs fans are encouraged to listen to both interviews in full.

Arizona is one game behind the Padres in the Wild Card race. Ildemaro Vargas moved to second base with Tim Tawa at first base during the Boston series. Rookie infielder Jose Fernandez is in the infield mix as well. The Snakes also added glove-first utility player Santiago Espinal on a minor league contract this evening. Marte is signed through 2031 and has full no-trade rights after reaching 10 years of service time in April.

The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1532 – 2027 Meatball Draft Review Pt. 1

Paul Sporer — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:03:19 +0000

Paul, Justin, and Joe get together to discuss some key takeaways from an early 2027 draft conducted with several top players

Source

D-Backs Sign Santiago Espinal To Minor League Deal

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:30:32 +0000

The Diamondbacks signed veteran infielder Santiago Espinal to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Reno. The move was announced by the Aces. Espinal has been a free agent for the past three weeks after being released by Texas in late July.

More to come.

Phillies Sign Nestor Cortes

Charlie Wright — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:25:53 +0000

August 20: It’s a split contract that pays Cortes a prorated $1.5MM salary for his time on the MLB roster, The Associated Press reports. He’ll be paid at a $250K rate while he’s in the minors.

August 19: Veteran lefty Nestor Cortes is heading to the Phillies on a major league deal, per Robert Murray of FanSided. Cortes is working his way back from arm surgery. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com was among the first to report that the sides were in talks on a deal. Philadelphia officially announced Cortes’ signing. Righty Brian Keller was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Cortes agreed to be optioned to Low-A Clearwater to build up.

Cortes made eight starts in the big leagues last season. He pitched in two games with the Brewers before going down with a left elbow flexor strain. Milwaukee shipped him to the Padres for Brandon Lockridge at the trade deadline. Cortes made a half dozen starts for San Diego. His season was cut short by left biceps tendinitis. He chose free agency at the end of the year.

The 31-year-old Cortes spent several seasons as a stable member of the Yankees’ rotation. He notched a 3.77 ERA across a career-high 174 1/3 innings in 2024. New York sent him to the Brewers that offseason, along with infielder Caleb Durbin, in the trade that netted closer Devin Williams. The swap didn’t pan out for either side. Williams struggled in the Bronx and eventually lost the closer role. Cortes was healthy for eight innings in Milwaukee. Durbin was dealt again after one season (though he did bring back breakout lefty Kyle Harrison).

The Red Sox, Yankees, and White Sox were among the teams interested in Cortes, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. The lefty threw for scouts on Tuesday. He ultimately lands with a Philadelphia squad that could use some depth in the rotation.

The Phillies made a few notable acquisitions at the trade deadline, but none of them included a starting pitcher. The club decided to bring back Andrew Painter to take the No. 5 spot in the rotation. The former top prospect had pitched better in his return to the majors until he permitted five earned runs on Sunday in Minnesota. Painter has added a new changeup and increased the usage of his breaking balls. The recent results suggest he could stick in the rotation, though it’s just a four-start sample.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Astros Designate Nelson Velázquez For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:55:17 +0000

The Astros announced that they have recalled infielder Raynel Delgado from Triple-A Sugar Land. Outfielder Nelson Velázquez has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

These moves appear to be related to the status of shortstop Jeremy Peña. Last night, he was hit by a pitch on his hand, as seen in this clip from Baseball Savant. Manager Joe Espada informed reporters today, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that an MRI didn’t find any structural damage. Peña is still sore but the club hopes he won’t need a stint on the injured list.

Nick Allen is covering shortstop tonight but the Astros came into today without anyone else on the roster capable of playing the position. If they hadn’t made any roster moves, Allen would have had no cover for as long as Peña was nursing his hand injury, so they have recalled Delgado to put a proper backup on the roster.

Adding an extra infielder has nudged off an outfielder. Velázquez is out of options, so he has been pushed off the 40-man. Houston just claimed him off waivers ten days ago. Since that claim, he has gone hitless in five plate appearances. That’s less than ideal but, as mentioned, this move was surely more about roster maneuvering than that tiny sample of playing time.

Since the trade deadline has passed, Velázquez will have to be placed on waivers. It’s possible he garners interest as a platoon bat, as that was seemingly why the Astros grabbed him. In 88 plate appearances this year, mostly with the Cardinals, he has a subpar .205/.273/.410 line on the whole. However, the righty-swinging Velázquez has four homers on the year, all against lefties. His .186/.269/.441 line against southpaws for the season looks bad but is held down by a tiny .194 batting average on balls in play. Even with that bad luck, the power is enough for a 94 wRC+.

Velázquez doesn’t have huge splits in his career, with a .205/.297/.431 line and 102 wRC+ against lefties compared to a .215/.277/.430 line and 93 wRC+ against righties. He’s a poor defender, so the middling offense has pushed him to fringe roster status. He has exhausted his options and had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cards coming into this year. He has a previous career outright and would have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers this time.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Jon Berti Retires

Steve Adams — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:24:19 +0000

Veteran utilityman Jon Berti is calling it a career. The 36-year-old speedster made the announcement today on Instagram. Berti thanked his former teams, teammates, coaches, agents and fans in a heartfelt statement:

After a lot of thought and consideration, I have decided to retire from professional baseball. It’s been a hell of a journey, full of ups and downs. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities and lessons that baseball has given me over the last 15+ years.

I want to thank the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, and Chicago Cubs for giving me a chance to play the game I love professionally. It was an honor to represent such great MLB organizations. Thank you to the Canberra Cavalry for an amazing time playing in Australia. Thank you to Team Italy for allowing me the opportunity to represent my heritage in the 2026 WBC.

Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, and staff. I was very blessed to have so many who helped me throughout my career.

Thank you to all the fans who supported me throughout my journey. I worked hard to represent the organization and city I was playing for. I appreciate all the love along the way.

Thank you to my agent Storm Kirschenbaum and [Ball Players Agency] for all of their support throughout my career. Nick Pietrykowski and Peak Physique Fitness for always preparing me for the next season to come. Couldn’t have done it without you guys.

Last but not least, thank you to all my family and friends who joined me for the ride. All the love and support from my amazing wife, parents, and brothers. I couldn’t have had all the success I did without you all in my corner.

Not bad for an undersized kid from Michigan. I’m excited for what’s to come. Until next time!

Originally drafted by the Blue Jays back in 2011, Berti was an 11th-round pick out of Bowling Green State. The 559th overall selection in that year’s draft, Berti grinded through seven minor league seasons and reached minor league free agency before making his debut. He re-upped with Toronto on a minor league deal in the 2017-18 season, was traded to Cleveland for cash that April, and then was traded back to Toronto for cash a couple months later. Berti finally got the call to the majors that September. He played in four games, was designated for assignment and again became a minor league free agent that winter.

A change of scenery finally brought the opportunity Berti had sought. After signing a minor league deal with the Marlins, Berti had his contract selected to the majors in April of 2019. It proved to be the beginning of a solid run as a big league utility player.

Berti was a fixture on Miami’s roster for the next five seasons, hitting .258/.338/.367 (95 wRC+) with 23 homers and 91 stolen bases in 1535 plate appearances. Along the way, he played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions, drawing solid or better marks at the three infield spots and in left field. Berti never hit for much power, but he walked at a nearly 10% clip, had a roughly league-average strikeout rate, provided plus speed and was capable of playing just about anywhere on the diamond.

That versatility and steady output prompted the Yankees to trade for Berti just prior to the season opener in 2024. Groin and calf injuries wiped out most of his season, however. He posted a decent .273/.342/.318 batting line when on the field but only managed to get into 25 games (74 plate appearances). Berti played 53 games with the Cubs last season, too, but logged a career-worst .210/.262/.230 batting line in that time.

Berti’s career will conclude with a .256/.333/.337 batting line across 514 major league games. He came to the plate 1731 times and hit 24 homers, 65 doubles and nine triples. Berti swiped 108 bags, scored 232 runs and plated 128 runners.

While Berti may never have been a star, he was a late-blooming jack of all trades who had some quality all-around seasons in Miami and was twice named the recipient of the Jeff Conine Award for Heart and Professionalism by the Miami chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (as noted by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). Few 18th-round picks make it to the majors for even a cup of coffee — let alone eight seasons with nearly seven full years of MLB service. Baseball-Reference values Berti’s career at just shy of nine wins above replacement, and he took home about $10MM in total career salary. Best wishes to Berti and his family in whatever the next chapter holds.

Austin Wynns Elects Free Agency

Steve Adams — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:00:11 +0000

Veteran catcher Austin Wynns cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rangers, the team announced. He rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock and has instead chosen to become a free agent.

Wynns has the right to do so both by virtue of that fact that he’s been outrighted in the past and due to his service time (five-plus years). The 35-year-old has played a combined 34 games and taken 89 plate appearances between the A’s, Braves and Rangers this season. He’s posted a .146/.195/.183 slash in that small sample.

Taking a broader look at his career, Wynns has produced at the level one would expect from a journeyman backup catcher. He’s a lifetime .230/.274/.334 hitter in 871 major league plate appearances split between the Orioles, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Reds, A’s, Braves and Rangers.

Wynns drew poor framing grades early in his career but has been about average in that regard over the past five seasons. He’s also solid when it comes to blocking balls in the dirt and is typically adept at controlling the running game (as evidenced by a career 29% caught-stealing rate). Wynns is just 4-for-28 in throwing out runners this season, but as recently as 2025 he went 11-for-27 — a 40.7% caught-stealing rate.

There are plenty of clubs looking for catching depth this time of year, and Wynns is a fine veteran option for a club to stash in Triple-A as a No. 3 catcher — or for a club with a current injury to bring aboard as a potential backup option. He’ll likely latch on with another club on a minor league deal before long.

Big Kid Adds (Week 21)

Jeff Zimmerman — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:30:55 +0000

A couple hitters and a closer.

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Schedule Tracker: Best and Worst Matchups Til’ the End

Jack Martin — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:30:21 +0000

Which hitter and pitcher matchups can we target from now until the end of the season?

Source

Kent Emanuel Accepts Outright Assignment With Reds

Steve Adams — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:18:46 +0000

Aug. 20: The Reds announced that Emanuel cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Louisville. He accepted the assignment rather than opting for free agency.

Aug. 17: Major League Baseball can be a tough gig at times. The Reds announced today that lefty Kent Emanuel, whose contract was just selected from Triple-A Louisville this morning, has been designated for assignment. Righty Zach Maxwell was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to take his spot on the roster.

The 34-year-old Emanuel started the first half of today’s twin bill against St. Louis and pitched well. The Cards pushed two runs across but were limited to five hits and three walks. Emanuel punched out four batters. It’s as strong a showing as one could’ve reasonably expected from a journeyman lefty who was pitching in the independent Atlantic League just a few weeks ago. He kept the Reds in the game and spared the bullpen ahead of tonight’s encore. Cincinnati didn’t win, but that falls more on an offense that only managed one run against rookie left-hander Quinn Mathews & Co. than it does on Emanuel.

Solid as today’s showing was, Emanuel probably went into it knowing it’d be a one-off appearance barring something truly extreme. He’s not going to be available to pitch for the next four days. The Reds will need fresh arms. Such is the life of an out-of-options journeyman/veteran who’s called to the big leagues for a spot start.

With today’s appearance in the books, Emanuel can now officially say he’s pitched in parts of three major league seasons. He’s pitched briefly with the Astros and Marlins, tossing exactly 17 2/3 innings with each club (Houston in ’21, Miami in ’24). The 6’4″ UNC product has logged a 4.46 ERA, 16.8% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 51.2% ground-ball rate in that time. He typically works off a three-pitch mix fronted by an 89-90 mph sinker. Emanuel complements that heavy sinker with a slider in the upper 70s and a changeup in the low 80s.

With the trade deadline behind us, the Reds have no choice but to put Emanuel on waivers. It’s quite likely that he’ll clear but perhaps today’s performance piqued the interest of a club in need of a long man or a spot starter this coming weekend. Failing that, he’ll be outrighted back to Louisville and have the option to either accept the assignment or reject in favor of free agency — which is his right as a player who’s previously been outrighted in the past.

Athletics Claim Johnathan Rodríguez

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:25:08 +0000

The Athletics announced that they have claimed outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez off waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas. Pittsburgh designated him for assignment earlier this week. Outfielder Tyler Soderstrom has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. It was revealed earlier this week that Soderstrom will undergo season-ending hip surgery on Friday.

Rodríguez, 26, has been bouncing around the league this year. A Guardians draftee from 2017, he was designated for assignment by Cleveland in March of this year. He was traded to the Orioles but that club designated him for assignment in July. He was traded to the Pirates but lasted only a few weeks on that club’s roster before getting designated for assignment, which led to this waiver claim.

All the movement is surely related to the fact that Rodríguez has put up massive minor league numbers but hasn’t yet hit in the majors. Over the past few seasons, he has stepped to the plate 1,403 times at the Triple-A level. In that time, he has hit 62 home runs and drawn walks at a strong 12.5% clip. That has led to a combined line of .298/.388/.508 line and a 135 wRC+.

However, in his 132 big league plate appearances, he has a rough .177/.288/.301 line and a 31.8% strikeout rate. Scouting reports from Baseball America suggest that may not just be a small-sample fluke. Rodríguez apparently struggles with spin, so big league pitchers can just stay away from the fastball. That is something that minor leaguers will generally find more difficult, as they usually have less command with their secondary stuff.

For the A’s, they effectively had an open roster spot with Soderstrom out for the year. Since Rodríguez is still optionable for the rest of this year, it’s understandable for the A’s to claim him and stash him at Triple-A for now. If he can finally break out at the major league level, he would be cheaply controllable for years to come since he still has under a year of service time. He will be out of options next year, which should more of a squeeze on his already-tenuous roster status.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Jacob Wilson Likely Done For Season

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:10:24 +0000

The Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson is headed back to the injured list and is probably done for the year, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. Wilson has been dealing with left shoulder issues this year and is headed to Sacramento to see a doctor. No move was announced before this afternoon’s game in Kansas City, so it appears the A’s are playing short-handed. They start a series in Houston tomorrow and should add someone else to the roster in Wilson’s place before then.

Wilson suffered a left shoulder subluxation in May and was placed on the IL at that time. He was able to come back a month later but then right thumb inflammation put him back on the shelf a few weeks later. The thumb issue led to a fairly minimal stint on the shelf but the shoulder problems have returned, as soreness has caused him to miss the club’s past four games, including today’s contest.

The next steps aren’t entirely clear, as Wilson is still going for more evaluation, but it seems 2026 will go down as an injury-induced step back for him. Last year, he cemented himself as a big leaguer. He doesn’t walk much or have a ton of power but is tough to strike out, in a Luis Arraez-style profile. He hit .311/.355/.444 for a 121 wRC+. This year, around the injuries, his line is down to .266/.298/.388 and an 88 wRC+.

In the short term, the injury doesn’t mean too much. The A’s are playing out the string on an awful season. They flirted with contention for a while but a huge chunk of the team was felled by injuries, causing them to nosedive in the standings. They are now 49-78, the worst record in the majors. They will likely cover short with guys like Darell Hernaiz, Alika Williams and Donovan Walton to wind down the campaign.

If the injury requires surgery and a long-term recovery, that would obviously be more notable. Time will tell on that. Even if Wilson is healthy by next year’s spring training, it’s possible there are some shake-ups coming in the club’s infield. Wilson’s defensive metrics at short have not been strong. He has minus-21 Defensive Runs Saved in his career, including minus-7 this year. Outs Above Average had him at minus-3 last year but a strong 9 OAA this year.

The A’s have one of the top prospects in the league in Leo De Vries, acquired from the Padres as part of last year’s Mason Miller deal. He is only 19 years old but has been at Double-A for all of this year. A promotion to Triple-A in the near future wouldn’t be shocking. Though he’ll only be 20 next year, a big league call-up in 2027 seems feasible.

Defensively, evaluators consider De Vries athletic enough to cover short. His work still needs some refinement, though that’s not surprising for such a young player. The A’s will presumably give him a shot at the big league level when he is called up.

Given Wilson’s shaky marks, he could perhaps be moved to second or third base to accommodate De Vries at some point down the line. At second base, Jeff McNeil has received most of the playing time this year. He’s a 34-year-old having a down season. He has a 2027 club option that will surely be bought out. At third, Zack Gelof might be the answer, but he also has experience at second base and in the outfield. In short, there’s room for Wilson and De Vries to co-exist in the infield together going forward.

Photo courtesy of Scott Marshall, Imagn Images

Phillies Claim Andrew Hoffmann

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:20:11 +0000

The Phillies announced that they have claimed right-hander Andrew Hoffmann off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He had been designated for assignment by Arizona earlier this week. As of yesterday, the transactions tracker at MLB.com listed him as released. With this claim, it now appears that he had been placed on release waivers but had not cleared. To open a 40-man spot for Hoffmann, the Phils recalled infielder/outfielder Félix Reyes and placed him on the 60-day injured list with a right wrist fracture.

Once a player has been designated for assignment, a team has three options for what to do next: trade, outright waivers or release waivers. A trade of Hoffmann wasn’t possible because the deadline passed a few weeks ago. Outright waivers were also not possible because Hoffmann was on the minor league injured list when he was designated for assignment. By rule, injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers. The Snakes therefore had only one option, which was release waivers.

Though Hoffmann is not currently healthy, the Phils decided to grab him from release waivers regardless. His major league numbers thus far aren’t great, as he has a 6.85 earned run average in 23 2/3 innings. The Phils are probably intrigued by last year’s minor league numbers. 2025 was his first year as a full-time reliever, as he had initially been working as a starter. The move seemed to pay off, as he finished last year with a 3.19 ERA in 42 1/3 Triple-A innings. He struck out 31.7% of batters faced, limited walks to a 7.2% pace and also induced grounders on 54.2% of balls in play.

He hasn’t been able to carry that over into 2026. He started the year in the big leagues but put up a 7.71 ERA in 11 2/3 innings and got sent to the minors. With Triple-A Reno, he had a 6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings before hitting the IL with an undisclosed injury. Though this year has been a challenge, the Phils presumably feel there’s a chance for Hoffmann to get back on track, either later this year or perhaps going forward. He has less than a year of service time and can be controlled until he gets his service clock up to six years. He will still have an option remaining after this season.

Reyes, 25, was just added to the 40-man roster in April. He hit .158/.158/.263 in 12 games before getting optioned back to the IronPigs. He hit the minor league injured list a few days ago. The Phils apparently weren’t expecting him back this year, so they have recalled him and put him on the 60-day IL in order to open a roster spot for the Hoffmann claim.

While he is surely not pleased to be injured, the silver lining for Reyes is he’ll get a few weeks of big league pay and service time between now and the end of the regular season. The IL goes away five days after the World Series, so Reyes and all other players on the 60-day IL will need to retake roster spots at that time.

Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Giants Place Keaton Winn On IL With Elbow Neuritis

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:37:16 +0000

The Giants announced that right-hander Keaton Winn has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 19, with right elbow neuritis. Left-hander Reiver Sanmartin has been recalled as the corresponding move.

In the short term, Winn’s absence isn’t a notable loss for the Giants, as they are playing out the string on a lost season. They are 52-74 and 15 games out of a playoff spot. Subtracting Winn from the bullpen for a few weeks won’t change that.

Zooming out to a wider view, it’s part of the ongoing saga of arm issues for Winn. He missed the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery. In 2024, he required nerve transposition surgery in June and missed the second half of that season.

Since then, the Giants have moved him from the rotation to the bullpen, hoping that would help him stay healthy. There have been mixed results there. He spent most of last year in the minors, only pitching ten innings in the big leagues. Here in 2026, he has thrown 43 innings in the majors but an elbow strain put him on the IL for about a month from mid-June to mid-July and now another elbow issue has put him back on the shelf again.

His results this year have been decent. His 18.8% strikeout rate is subpar but his 9.7% walk rate is close to average while his 50% ground ball rate is quite strong. He has a 3.35 earned run average. He is still under club control for four more seasons after this one and won’t qualify for arbitration until after 2027. He could be a key part of the San Francisco bullpen for quite a while but the elbow issues remain a concern.

Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images

Royals Release Starling Marte

Charlie Wright — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:49:29 +0000

The Royals moved on from veteran outfielder Starling Marte, per his MLB.com transactions tracker. Marte’s release comes after he was designated for assignment on Monday. He had the right to reject an outright assignment given his service time, but Kansas City opted to skip that step.

The 37-year-old Marte is now free to sign with any team. The Royals still owe him the remaining portion of his $1MM contract. If another club signs Marte, they will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for the time he’s on the roster, which would be subtracted from Kansas City’s figure.

Marte picked up another $1MM in bonuses for hitting thresholds related to plate appearances and days on the active roster. Those incentives will not transfer to his new team if he finds a taker in free agency.

After delivering above-average production well into his 30s, Marte has finally slowed down this year. He slashed .242/.298/.314 across 59 games as a part-time player in Kansas City. Marte chipped in two homers and a pair of steals. His sprint speed ranked in the 11th percentile, the worst of his career in the Statcast era. Marte posted -2 Defensive Runs Saved over 34 games in the outfield.

The Royals mostly leaned on Marte against left-handed pitching. The right-handed hitter had 113 at-bats against southpaws, compared to 40 at-bats against same-handed pitching. Marte was better against lefties, but that’s not saying much. He had a .630 OPS vs. lefties and a .563 mark against righties.

Marte is just a year removed from notching a 112 wRC+ with the Mets. He could draw interest as an inexpensive platoon bat, though that’s what the Royals were hoping for, and it didn’t pan out.

Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images

Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (August 17 - August 23)

Nick Mariano — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:08:48 +0000

Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of our Starting Pitcher Starts and Sits column for the week ahead - Monday August 17 through Sunday August 23. As you've come to expect, this article will cover who is pitching, their opponent, and a confidence/startability score based on our tools. This supplies you with a useful start/sit […]

Roto Riteup: August 20, 2026

Vlad Sedler — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:30:31 +0000

It's time for the Roto Riteup!

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Starting Pitcher Chart – August 20th, 2026

Paul Sporer — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 06:35:33 +0000

Cole and Bradish square off in a key AL East battle, Jump hops out of Sacramento, and Kirby faces a tough task at Milwaukee

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MLBTR Podcast: The Athletics’ Unclear Future, The Reds Without Hunter Greene, The Yankees’ Infield, And More!

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 04:59:35 +0000

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

The Athletics parting ways with general manager David Forst (1:40)
The Nationals moving CJ Abrams off shortstop (18:05)
The Reds losing Hunter Greene to Tommy John surgery (29:25)
The Yankees putting Max Fried on the injured list and promoting George Lombard Jr. (34:35)
The Rockies extending Mickey Moniak and the state of the franchise almost a year into a new front office regime (48:35)
The Cardinals promoting Joshua Báez (58:40)

Check out our past episodes!

Diving Deep Into MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker – listen here
Trade Deadline Recap – listen here
Trade Deadline Preview – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images

What Are The Next Steps For The A’s?

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 04:49:35 +0000

The A’s stand alone at the bottom of the MLB standings after Wednesday’s loss to Kansas City (combined with an Angels win over Houston). Their 49-77 showing has them on a 63-win pace. Given their injuries and how poorly they’ve played over the last two months, there’s a decent chance they won’t even get to 60 wins. This will probably be their third 100-loss season in the last five years.

Even if the A’s didn’t expect a playoff berth, they clearly didn’t anticipate being this bad. They moved on from GM David Forst earlier this month — albeit with a semantic discrepancy between the organization and outside reporting about whether that split was mutual or a firing. In either case, it’s safe to assume there wouldn’t have been a mid-August GM change if things were going well. Longtime assistant GM Dan Feinstein is running the front office on an interim basis. It seems likely owner John Fisher will go outside the organization for a permanent hire.

What should be the incoming group’s priorities for getting the A’s on track?

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Cubs To Activate Daniel Palencia

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 04:10:07 +0000

The Cubs will reinstate Daniel Palencia from the 60-day injured list before Friday’s series opener in Seattle, reports Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago will need to open a spot on the pitching staff and 40-man rosters after tomorrow’s off day.

Palencia was just transferred to the 60-day IL on Monday in a procedural move that allowed them to call up Owen Miller as an extra infielder. Palencia has been out since June 16 and had already spent 60 days on the shelf, so that transaction didn’t have any bearing on his rehab progression. The righty had also missed a couple weeks in April with an oblique strain and has been limited to 19 appearances on the year.

The 26-year-old Palencia is Chicago’s best reliever when he’s fully healthy. He has allowed five runs in 16 2/3 innings, recording 19 strikeouts behind a 99-100 mph heater. Palencia recorded 22 saves and had a 2.91 ERA across 52 2/3 frames a year ago. He also had a dominant showing in the World Baseball Classic and recorded the save in the championship game for his native Venezuela.

Jacob Webb, who consistently churns out good numbers despite bouncing from team to team on modest free agent deals, has four of the team’s six saves this month. Webb hasn’t given up a run since June 20. He’s riding a 23-game scoreless streak that is tied for the longest by any pitcher this season. The Cubs can continue using him as the primary closer while mixing Palencia into leverage situations alongside Trent Thornton, Ryan Rolison and Caleb Thielbar.

The Cubs should have a few more bullpen reinforcements coming. Hoby Milner is rehabbing from an appendectomy. Edward Cabrera will move to the bullpen once he’s ready to return from the blister that led to his third IL stint of the season.

Most interestingly, Shelby Miller also began a rehab assignment this month and might be a factor in September. The veteran righty is working back from last October’s elbow surgery, which was initially expected to cost him the entire 2026 season. Miller started throwing again earlier this summer and has been in the 95-96 mph range on his fastball with Iowa.

Ron Marinaccio Elects Free Agency

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 02:17:36 +0000

Former Reds reliever Ron Marinaccio cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, according to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Cincinnati also signed right-hander Darius Vines to a minor league contract.

Marinaccio had a brief run with the Reds. They claimed him off waivers shortly after the trade deadline. He spent two weeks in their bullpen and was shelled for 10 runs across 5 1/3 innings. He’s out of options and has now been designated for assignment three times this year. This is the first time he’s gotten through waivers.

The Delaware product crossed the three-year service threshold this summer, giving him the right to elect free agency. He hadn’t qualified for arbitration before this year, so he’s not leaving any guaranteed salary behind. Marinaccio will look for other opportunities but probably needs to take a minor league contract at this point.

Marinaccio has combined for 57 2/3 innings between the Padres, Pirates and Reds. He’s sitting on a career-high 6.09 earned run average with a subpar 18.5% strikeout rate. Marinaccio had decent numbers in middle relief with San Diego through the end of May. The wheels have fallen off since then, as he’s been blitzed for 25 runs in his past 26 2/3 innings. He has walked 18 batters and hit seven more in that stretch. The recent form has been rough, but he was a decent reliever early in his career with the Yankees and shouldn’t have any trouble finding a non-roster deal.

Vines, 28, made nine appearances with the Braves between 2023-24. He missed all of last year with an undisclosed injury in the minor leagues. He has spent this season in Mexico, turning in a 3.32 ERA with a 23% strikeout rate over 15 starts. That’s very strong production for the Mexican League, a hitter’s paradise where the league average ERA is north of 5.00. Vines will report to Triple-A Louisville and try to earn a late-season big league return.

Rockies Release Michael Lorenzen

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:53:15 +0000

August 19: As was inevitable following the DFA, Lorenzen has been released. The move is reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. He’s a free agent who can sign with any club for the prorated league minimum.

August 17: The Rockies announced that they have recalled right-hander TJ Shook from Triple-A Albuquerque. Fellow righty Michael Lorenzen has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Lorenzen, 34, was one of several veterans the Rockies added to their rotation in the offseason. In an attempt to build a more respectable pitching staff, they gave Lorenzen $8MM, Jose Quintana $6MM and Tomoyuki Sugano $5.1MM on one-year deals.

In the case of Lorenzen, it was an interesting marriage from both perspectives. For the team, there was seemingly some hope that his diverse arsenal would help him navigate the difficulties of pitching at altitude, as he throws seven distinct pitches and doesn’t throw any of them more than a quarter of the time. From Lorenzen’s point of view, he probably felt he would get some decent run as a starter. He had posted some decent results with other clubs in previous seasons but often found himself kicked to the bullpen against his will.

Unfortunately, the experiment hasn’t worked out. Lorenzen has made 26 appearances this year, logging 115 2/3 innings, allowing 7.08 earned runs per nine. His 45.2% ground ball rate and 8.7% walk rate are fine figures but he has only punched out 14.6% of opponents, well shy of league average. The pitch mix didn’t help him at Coors Field, as he has a 9.12 ERA at home this year, compared to a 5.61 ERA on the road.

The Rockies went into the deadline as sellers. Lorenzen would have been a logical trade candidate as an impending free agent on a poor team but this year’s numbers surely tamped down interest. He stayed in Colorado past the deadline but the club has now decided to move on. Since the deadline has passed, Lorenzen will be on waivers soon. As a veteran with at least five years of service, he can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while keeping his money. The Rockies might skip that step and release him.

Colorado will remain on the hook for the money Lorenzen is still owed. Once he is a free agent, another club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum salary, with that amount subtracted from what the Rockies pay.

Perhaps that arrangement would be of interest to some clubs. Lorenzen has a 3.73 ERA as a reliever in his career, almost a full run better than his 4.71 starter ERA. Upgrades are hard to find at this time of year, with the deadline in the rear-view. Though Lorenzen isn’t having a good year, perhaps some club feels a move away from Coors Field and a shift to the bullpen could get him back on track. It wouldn’t be expensive to take a shot.

For the Rockies, they will now have a rotation spot to fill as they limp to the finish line of another lost season. Sugano, Ryan Feltner and Kyle Freeland are listed as the starters for the next three games. Gabriel Hughes has been holding down a spot for over a month now. Tanner Gordon has been in long relief and could perhaps slide into Lorenzen’s spot. Quintana is on the 60-day injured list with an elbow sprain and hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. Eiberson Castellano is on the 40-man roster. Keegan Thompson, Valente Bellozo, Jack Mahoney and Mason Adams are some non-roster options.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Cardinals, Josh Fleming Agree To Minor League Deal

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:44:33 +0000

The Cardinals are in agreement with left-hander Josh Fleming on a minor league contract, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They also announced they’ve re-signed first baseman/outfielder Bligh Madris and assigned him to Triple-A Memphis.

Fleming is a St. Louis area native who was drafted by the Rays when Cards’ president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom was still in the Tampa Bay front office. He was released from a minor league deal with the Cubs this week.

The 30-year-old southpaw had spent six weeks in the Chicago system, working 18 1/3 innings with a 3.44 ERA. Fleming began the season on a minor league contract with the Blue Jays and earned the briefest of MLB calls in early April. He tossed three innings of four-run ball against the Dodgers on April 6 and was designated for assignment one day later.

That marked Fleming’s first MLB work since 2024. He has appeared in six big league campaigns, spending most of his time in a swing role with the Rays. Fleming has a 4.86 ERA across 257 2/3 innings at the major league level. He has combined for a 3.16 mark over 82 2/3 Triple-A frames this year. Fleming sits around 90 mph with his sinker and rarely strikes hitters out, but he attacks the zone and gets ground balls. He’ll slot as non-roster rotation depth with the Redbirds.

Madris makes his return to the organization after a brief run in the KBO. The lefty-hitting outfielder was mashing at a .277/.389/.519 clip with 14 home runs in 284 plate appearances before being granted his release. He was unable to carry that form over for the SSG Landers, as he hit .175 with four homers in 17 games as an injury replacement for Guillermo Heredia.

Phillies To Designate Brian Keller For Assignment

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:11:10 +0000

The Phillies are designating right-hander Brian Keller for assignment, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. That’ll open the necessary 40-man roster spot to finalize their agreement with lefty Nestor Cortes Jr.

Keller is a 32-year-old organizational depth arm who made his MLB debut on July 25. He tossed three innings behind an opener in an appearance against the Yankees, allowing an Austin Wells home run but otherwise keeping a clean sheet. The Phillies optioned him a few days later.

Philadelphia signed Keller to a minor league contract in May. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee product hadn’t been in affiliated ball in four years. Keller had intended to pitch in Japan in the intervening seasons but essentially lost all three to injuries, including Tommy John surgery. Keller has done a decent job with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in his return to health, turning in a 3.86 ERA with a solid 23.2% strikeout rate and 9% walk percentage.

As one might expect for a pitcher with this late bloomer profile, Keller doesn’t have huge stuff. He averaged 92 mph on his fastball and leaned most heavily on a mid-80s cutter during his lone big league outing. The Phillies were clearly skeptical that repertoire would play over an extended run against MLB competition. Keller didn’t get much of a look despite their ongoing struggle to find a viable fifth starter.

Philadelphia will place the former 39th-round pick on waivers this week. He has a full slate of options, so another team could stash him in Triple-A if they’re willing to carry him on the 40-man roster. If Keller clears waivers, the Phils would keep him in the system on an outright assignment.

Phillies Designate Brian Keller For Assignment

Anthony Franco — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:11:10 +0000

Diamondbacks Release Andrew Hoffmann

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:54:46 +0000

August 19: Hoffman has been released, according to the MLB.com transaction log. As mentioned, that was inevitable after the DFA because of the injury.

August 17: The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Andrew Hoffmann has been designated for assignment. That opens a 40-man move for fellow righty Justin Martínez to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list, a move that was previously reported.

Hoffmann, 26, was acquired from the Royals just over a year ago. The Snakes sent outfielder Randal Grichuk to Kansas City ahead of last year’s deadline, getting Hoffmann in return. He has mostly been kept on optional assignment. Between the Royals and Diamondbacks, he has 23 2/3 big league innings under his belt, allowing 6.85 earned runs per nine. His 20% strikeout rate, 15% walk rate and 32.4% ground ball rate are all subpar figures.

He has shown more potential in the minors but this year’s trends are not good. In 2025, his first season as a full-time reliever, he logged 42 1/3 innings in Triple-A with a 3.19 ERA. His 31.7% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 54.2% ground ball rate were all above average.

He started this year in the majors but didn’t fare well and was optioned before the end of April. He put up a 6.07 ERA, 16.9% strikeout rate and 13.8% walk rate in 13 1/3 Triple-A innings before hitting the minor league injured list with an undisclosed ailment in June. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in July. He was still on the IL at the time of this transaction. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers and the trade deadline has passed, so Hoffmann will have to be placed on release waivers in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Brewers Activate Cooper Pratt, Outright Jihwan Bae

Anthony Franco — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:22:27 +0000

The Brewers activated rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. Milwaukee optioned outfielder Brandon Lockridge to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. Utility player Jihwan Bae also cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend.

Pratt is back in the lineup after a minimal absence due to a right hamstring strain. He’ll look to build on a solid start to his career, as the 22-year-old has a .272 average and .352 on-base percentage in his first 44 games. Pratt hasn’t hit for much power but is getting on base and playing strong defense, the crux of his prospect profile.

Joey Ortiz stepped in at shortstop in Pratt’s absence. Ortiz has been on fire offensively since the start of July, a dramatic turnaround from an ugly first three months at the plate. He’s an excellent defender on the left side of the infield and playing too well to push out of the lineup. Ortiz should play regularly at third base and kick David Hamilton into a utility role.

Bae stepped onto the MLB roster when Pratt went on the shelf. Milwaukee dropped him less than a week later after trading for Jonathan Ornelas. Bae got into four games, including one start at second base while Brice Turang was battling minor knee discomfort. He singled and was hit by a pitch in four plate appearances. Bae, who was hitting .257/.360/.368 with 36 stolen bases in Triple-A for the Mets before the Brewers signed him, has the right to elect free agency in lieu of an assignment to Nashville.

Cubs Claim Gabriel Arias

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:20:33 +0000

The Cubs announced that they have claimed infielder Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Mets. New York designated him for assignment earlier this week. Right-hander Phil Maton has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Arias is out of options and will also need an active roster spot once he reports to the team.

Arias, 26, was once a prospect of note but he hasn’t been able to click in the majors yet. He got a lot of run with the Guardians but never really capitalized on it. He finally wore out his welcome on the Cleveland roster earlier this month, getting designated for assignment. The Mets claimed him but he got the DFA treatment yet again after just ten days on the New York roster.

To this point, Arias has stepped to the plate 1,173 times in the big leagues. His 6.5% walk rate is a couple of ticks below league average while his 34.3% strikeout rate is more than ten points worse than par. He has a combined line of .218/.274/.358 over five seasons, leading to a 76 wRC+ which indicates he has been 24% worse than average at the plate overall.

There is some appeal in the other parts of his game, mainly in his defensive versatility. He has played every position on the diamond apart from the battery. His outfield experience is fairly limited but he has almost 1500 shortstop innings, over 500 at third base, and roughly 200 at both second and first base. He has generally received good grades for his glovework, having been credited with seven Outs Above Average at short.

The Cubs just put Dansby Swanson on the injured list with an oblique strain. Nico Hoerner will move over from second base and cover short while Swanson is out. Pedro Ramírez will likely get the bulk of second base playing time for now. Ramírez has no major league experience at shortstop and it’s been years since he saw regular action there in the minors.

The Cubs selected Owen Miller earlier this week when Swanson hit the IL in order to give Hoerner a proper shortstop backup, but even Miller isn’t ideal for that role. He has extensive minor league experience at short but only eight big league innings. Arias gives the Cubs a sturdier fallback at shortstop, so he could perhaps replace Miller on the bench, or the Cubs could option outfielder Kevin Alcántara while keeping both Miller and Arias on the bench. Miller is out of options and would need to be bumped off the 40-man if he’s not holding his active roster spot.

As for Maton, he has a partially torn patellar tendon in his knee and it’s unclear if he will be able to return this season. With this transaction, he is officially ruled out until at least the middle of September.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Mariners Select Jhonathan Díaz

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:05:15 +0000

The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Jhonathan Díaz. Fellow lefty Josh Simpson has been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, infielder/outfielder Luke Raley has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Raley underwent season-ending flexor surgery earlier this month.

Díaz, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in the offseason. He has spent this year in the Triple-A Tacoma rotation, throwing 111 1/3 innings with a 6.22 earned run average. His 16.5% strikeout rate is subpar but his 8.3% walk rate and 43% ground ball rate are both close to average. He has 46 1/3 big league innings under his belt with a 4.66 ERA, 15.1% strikeout rate, 12.3% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate.

His selection is likely related to last night’s embarrassing loss. The Brewers crushed the Mariners 22-0, the most lopsided shutout in the majors since 1887. Simpson played a role in that, allowing five earned runs while only recording two outs, throwing 33 pitches in the process.

The M’s decided to send Simpson down and have brought Díaz in to serve as a fresh arm. Since he is stretched out, Díaz will probably be used in long relief, if needed. He has an option remaining and could be easily sent back to Tacoma if he logs some innings and is going to be unavailable for a few days.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Pirates Release Dominic Fletcher

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:34:42 +0000

Outfielder Dominic Fletcher triggered a release clause in his minor league deal with the Pirates and has been granted his release, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is now a free agent and can sign with any club.

It’s the second time this year that Fletcher and the Bucs have gone down this road. He began this year with the club on a minor league deal. He was released in July but re-signed via a new deal shortly thereafter. Now he has been released again.

The cycle likely stems from the fact that Fletcher is having a good season but the Pirates don’t have a spot for him. In 237 Triple-A plate appearances this year, he has an 11% walk rate and 14.3% strikeout rate, both strong numbers. He has eight home runs, a .301/.386/.485 line and a 130 wRC+, indicating he has been 30% better than league average at the plate. He also has three stolen bases and has lined up at all three outfield slots.

But the Pirates, even with Ryan O’Hearn on the injured list, have an outfield group consisting of Oneil Cruz, Esmerlyn Valdéz, Bryan Reynolds and Jake Mangum. They also have Billy Cook on the bench and Jhostynxon García, Tyler Callihan and Ronny Simón on optional assignment.

Fletcher can head to the open market to see if there’s a better path to playing time somewhere else. The last time he tried, he ended up circling back to the Pirates. Perhaps he could find more interest now that the trade deadline has passed. That makes it harder for clubs to address roster needs, so maybe he’ll get some calls from clubs looking for outfield depth. If he gets a roster spot somewhere, he still has an option year remaining. He has a .233/.280/.325 line and 67 wRC+ in 377 big league plate appearances.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Mining the News (8/19/26)

Jeff Zimmerman — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:30:57 +0000

Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Note: Any noted rostership rates come from the NFBC RotoWire Online Championship, the same rates we use on the FanGraphs Player Rater. For reference, these leagues are 12-team Roto leagues with 30-man rosters (2 C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, MI, CI, 5 OF, UT, 9 P) and weekly add/drops. This rate can […]

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Dodgers Designate Jonathan Hernández For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:30:46 +0000

The Dodgers announced that right-hander Brock Stewart has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Fellow righty Jonathan Hernández has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Hernández, 30, has been the unofficial 41st man on the Los Angeles 40-man roster this year. He began the campaign with the Phillies on a minor league deal. He opted out of that deal in May and landed a big league deal with the Dodgers. Since then, he has been bounced on and off the roster whenever the club has looked to get a fresh arm into the mix.

Since Hernández is out of options, he has been designated for assignment three times this year. After the first DFA, he cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City, which allowed the Dodgers to add him back to the roster. The second time he was designated for assignment, he cleared waivers again and elected free agency, but was quickly-resigned.

Around the transactions, Hernández has tossed 25 1/3 innings for the Dodgers over 16 appearances, allowing 5.68 earned runs per nine frames. He has a 20.2% strikeout rate, 11.9% walk rate and 40.5% ground ball rate.

Since the trade deadline has passed, Hernández will have to be back on waivers in the coming days, if he’s not already. Assuming he clears once more, he will again have the right to elect free agency. Based on how things have gone this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s with Triple-A Oklahoma City or back with the big league club in the near future.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Rockies Designate Parker Mushinski For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:20:24 +0000

The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Mark Manfredi, a move that was previously reported. They also reinstated right-hander Jaden Hill from the 15-day injured list. To open active roster spots for those two, the Rockies optioned righty TJ Shook to Triple-A and designated lefty Parker Mushinski for assignment.

Mushinski, 30, was selected to the Colorado roster earlier this month. He made eight appearances for the Rockies, logging 6 2/3 innings. He only allowed two earned runs but worked around nine hits, five walks and a wild pitch without striking out a batter. It seems the Rockies decided to quickly move on. Manfredi will replace Mushinski as the club’s second bullpen lefty behind Brennan Bernardino. Mushinski is out of options and needed to be pushed off the 40-man once the Rockies decided he wasn’t going to stay on the active roster.

With the trade deadline in the rear-view, Mushinski will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. His big league track record now consists of 39 2/3 innings with a 4.99 earned run average, 14.2% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 43.6% ground ball rate.

Prior to getting called up this year, he was putting up some decent numbers in the minors. He had thrown 48 Triple-A innings with a 23.4% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 48.1% ground ball rate, leading to a 3.38 ERA. That was enough to get him up to the big leagues but his numbers after the call-up weren’t nearly as impressive. If Mushinski clears waivers in the coming days, he will have the right to elect free agency.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian, Imagn Images

Nationals Select Erik Tolman

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:50:39 +0000

The Nationals announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Erik Tolman. Right-hander Yovanny Cruz has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man had a vacancy but is now full.

Tolman, 27, took a winding road to this moment. Earlier this year, he spoke to David Laurila of FanGraphs about it. He had Tommy John surgery in 2021 while at Arizona State University. The Nats drafted him that summer anyway, taking him with a 14th-round pick. After 14 months of rehab, he tore his ulnar collateral ligament again and required yet another surgery.

He was back on the mound in 2023 but then suffered a significant lower body injury. At the beginning of a game, he went to jump over the foul line but his foot got stuck in the turf. “It was a torn ACL, a torn PCL, a torn LCL, the hamstring tore off the bone,” Tolman said. “And then the more serious damage was the nerve damage in my right foot. The peroneal nerve ruptured, which resulted in a foot drop. It was paralyzed for over a year. I had surgery to fix it, so now I’m only limited in my mobility. I can only go up and down. I can’t go in or out at all, and I still can’t feel the top of my foot. I had to teach myself to walk again. I basically had to rewire my brain in order to walk, run, or even drive.”

Tolman had logged 28 minor league innings in 2023 but missed the entire 2024 season during that ordeal related to his foot and leg. Last year, he was healthy enough to throw 95 2/3 innings on the farm over 33 appearances, 13 of those being starts. Splitting his time between Hugh-A and Double-A, he allowed 3.67 earned runs per nine while striking out 24.1% of opponents. His 13.5% walk rate was fairly high but perhaps not surprising for a guy who had missed so much time.

He has been kept in a relief role this year. He has made 32 appearances at the Triple-A level. One of those was officially a start but he only went one inning as an opener. In 31 innings on the whole, he has a 5.23 ERA. His 16.3% walk rate is quite high but he has punched out 29.8% of batters faced and induced grounders on 53.3% of balls in play.

He has a full slate of options and might end up getting shuttled to Triple-A and back for a while. But for now, after overcoming many obstacles, Tolman will get a shot to take the mound in the big leagues.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

Giants Claim Philip Abner

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:30:36 +0000

The Giants have claimed left-hander Philip Abner off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento, per Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com. Arizona designated him for assignment a few days ago. The Giants also selected lefty Matt Wilkinson, a move that was previously reported. Fellow lefty Reiver Sanmartin has been optioned to Sacramento to open an active roster spot for Wilkinson. To open 40-man spots for Abner and Wilkinson, catcher Daniel Susac and outfielder Harrison Bader have been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Abner, 24, has a limited big league track record thus far. He has thrown 18 innings with the Snakes, allowing 6.00 earned runs per nine. He has matching walk and strikeout rates of 13.4%, both poor figures.

The Giants are presumably more intrigued by Abner’s larger body of work in the minors. At the Triple-A level, he has thrown 40 2/3 innings with a 3.98 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. Abner still has a full slate of options and the Giants had roster space to work with, so there’s little harm in placing a claim and sending him to Sacramento. They can get a close-up look at him and see how it goes.

The moves for Susac and Bader are not surprising. Bader has been on the IL since May due to plantar fasciitis. He has already been out more than 60 days and is technically eligible for reinstatement right away but his timeline is unclear after a recent scooter accident. Susac was diagnosed with a patellar fracture just over a week ago. This transaction confirms that he won’t come back this season, which was already the expectation.

Photo courtesy of Colin Hubbard, Imagn Images

Astros Select Ethan Pecko

Anthony Franco — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:47:51 +0000

August 19: Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, infielder/outfielder Brice Matthews has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot for Pecko. Matthews was placed on the 10-day IL July 14 with a left knee sprain. His current status is unclear but he won’t be eligible for reinstatement until September. Right-hander Miguel Ullola has been optioned to open an active roster move, per the Astros.

August 17: The Astros will promote pitching prospect Ethan Pecko on Wednesday, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The 23-year-old will make his MLB debut against the Angels in the second game of this week’s series. Houston will need to open space on the big league pitching staff and 40-man roster in a couple days.

Pecko has gone from relatively unheralded sixth-round pick to one of Houston’s better pitching prospects. The 6’2″ righty has a five-pitch arsenal with slightly above-average control that should allow him to slot at the back of a rotation. Pecko lands sixth among Astros prospects at Baseball America and ninth at MLB Pipeline, with both outlets projecting him as an MLB-ready #4/5 starter.

The Towson product has missed some time in each of the last two seasons. Pecko missed the first month this year but has been in the Triple-A rotation since the final week of April. He has a 4.94 earned run average across 74 2/3 innings. That’s about the expectation for a pitcher in the Pacific Coast League.

Pecko has a league average strikeout and walk profile while working in the 94-95 mph range with his four-seam fastball. He also has a sinker, cutter, slider and curveball but rarely uses a changeup. None of those are necessarily plus offerings, but it’s a deep enough arsenal that he could be a serviceable MLB starter right away.

Houston could certainly use stability at the back of the rotation. Ronel Blanco only completed five innings in one of his first five starts since coming back from Tommy John surgery. The Astros optioned him after the Mariners tagged him for five runs across four innings on Saturday. Pecko could compete with Tatsuya Imai (recently demoted to the bullpen) for that rotation job behind Hunter Brown, Peter Lambert, Cristian Javier and Hayden Wesneski.