RotoFeed

Cardinals To Promote Leo Bernal

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:03:38 +0000

The Cardinals will call up catching prospect Leo Bernal from Triple-A on Tuesday prior to their game with the Dodgers, Francys Romero reports. Bernal was already added to the 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, and he’ll take one of the two extra spots when the 26-man roster expands to 28 men on September 1.

It would seem like some kind of corresponding move will need to take place, however, as Bernal would be the fourth catcher on the St. Louis active roster. Ivan Herrera is used more regularly as a DH, but Pedro Pages has handled the bulk of catching duties this season, and Jimmy Crooks also getting a good deal of playing time since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis at the end of May.

The Cardinals could just make Herrera a full-time DH in September and continue with a three-player split of the work behind the plate, though Crooks could also get sent down to Memphis since he hasn’t been hitting. The 22-year-old Bernal has also gotten some action as a first baseman, so he could perhaps spell Alec Burleson on occasion in order to get him more at-bats.

However the playing time will slice out, Bernal’s bat has earned him his first look at the Major League level. The 2021 international signing is hitting .279/.364/.469 with 16 homers over 431 plate appearances for Memphis, which marked his first exposure to Triple-A pitching. The numbers indicate he has adjusted quite nicely, and he has an 11.8% walk rate and a 20% strikeout rate to go along with his counting stats.

MLB Pipeline ranked Bernal 98th on their preseason top-prospect list, though he has since dipped out of the top 100 and is now rated seventh just among Cardinals prospects. Baseball America puts Bernal fifth in their ranking of the top 30 St. Louis minor leaguers. Both evaluators are high on Bernal’s defense, as his framing and strong throwing arm outweigh some concerns over his blocking ability. The switch-hitting Bernal is a better overall hitter from the right side in terms of power and contact, though as a left-handed hitter he makes more contact.

The identity of the Cardinals’ next true “catcher of the future” has been asked since Yadier Molina retired, and it is possible the answer is Rainiel Rodriguez, who is tearing up Double-A Pitching and could well receive a promotion to Triple-A once Bernal is in the Show. Pages is an excellent defender who offers next to nothing as a hitter, while Herrera’s numbers have declined enough from 2025 that he is only an offensive plus as a catcher, not as a DH. Bernal and Crooks are both noted prospects in their own right, but their future roles in St. Louis are up in the air since Rodriguez should be making his own MLB debut before 2027 is over.

The situation leaves the Cards with a nice problem to have, given how catching is such a thin position around the league. St. Louis can use September as an audition for Bernal and Crooks, as the club evaluates who to keep for itself and who could possibly be dangled as trade chips this offseason. Bernal or Crooks would open a lot of doors in trade talks, Herrera could be moved if the Cardinals are wary of his power dropoff, and Pages even has some limited trade value for teams looking for defensive help.

Posey: Tony Vitello Will Return As Giants’ Manager In 2027

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 04:04:23 +0000

The Giants’ 56-81 record is the fourth-worst in baseball, and their .409 winning percentage projects as their lowest in a season since their .395 mark (64-98) in 2017. It hasn’t at all been an ideal debut season for manger Tony Vitello, yet Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey made it clear that he isn’t laying much of the blame at Vitello’s door. Posey told both the San Francisco Standard’s John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that Vitello will be returning as the team’s manager next year.

The only way a managerial change is seemingly possible is if Vitello himself wanted out, yet the skipper told Slusser that “when you get somewhere, you always want to leave it better, and I’m personally willing to go through hell or high water to do that.” Likewise, Posey told the Chronicle that “I haven’t felt once in any conversation that we’ve had that there’s any thoughts about jumping ship. All of our conversations are future-oriented, like, ‘What do we have to do to get this right?’”

Furthermore, Posey said the Giants could retain their whole coaching staff, though that will be Vitello’s call. “It’s always a hard thing because people are like, ‘Well, you’re 25 games or whatever under, how can you say they did a nice job?’ But I’m watching them every day and the work that they’re putting in, some of the improvements that [players] are making,” Posey told Slusser. “From my vantage point, they’ve done a nice job. Ultimately, my belief is you leave it up to the manager to set it how he wants to set it. Those are conversations that we’ll have with Tony for the remainder of the year and into the offseason.”

It doesn’t come as any great surprise that Vitello is staying put, as he has $7MM remaining over the final two years of his initial three-year contract. Slusser notes that the money probably isn’t the largest factor, as if Vitello chose to return to coaching NCAA baseball, an agreement could easily be worked out between the Giants and Vitello’s new school to cover his remaining salary.

The greater issue would be the question of stability, as isn’t often that managers get shown the door after just one season. The Giants themselves have been looking for more continuity in the dugout following Bruce Bochy’s 13-season run in San Francisco. Bochy’s successor Gabe Kapler lasted just short of four seasons, and Bob Melvin just two seasons before he was fired.

Moving on from Vitello so soon would surely lead ownership to ask some questions about Posey’s own decision-making process. Beyond the uniqueness of Vitello being hired out of the college ranks to steward a Major League dugout, firing any manager after just one year would increase the heat on Posey, and make it harder for the Giants to attract other top managers who would (rightly) wonder how much job security they’d receive if hired.

Vitello had never played, coached, or managed at any level of pro baseball before being hired by the Giants last October. His career had been spent entirely at the collegiate level, working as an assistant coach for 15 seasons before being hired by the University of Tennessee to coach its baseball program. Vitello turned the Volunteers into a powerhouse program and a regular contender for the College World Series, and Tennessee won the national title in 2024.

The early returns on Vitello’s hiring in San Francisco haven’t been great, as the Giants’ record is the bottom line. In fairness to Vitello, however, he is far from the only manager to post a mediocre record in his first year on the job. Vitello was also working with an imperfect roster, as the front office didn’t do much last winter to address a rotation and bullpen that needed more than a few tweaks. This lack of pitching combined with down years from Matt Chapman and Willy Adames, plus the Giants were hit with a wave of injuries all across the roster.

Bay Area fans impatient for a contender surely aren’t happy about viewing 2026 as something of a learning-curve year for Vitello, but an adjustment period was inevitable given this unique jump from NCAA ball to the majors. A year of experience should help Vitello make some adjustments, and a clearer assessment could be made about Vitello and the organization as a whole in 2027 if Posey (and team ownership) make more substantive upgrades this offseason.

Mariners To Promote Lazaro Montes

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 02:16:21 +0000

The Mariners are calling outfield prospect Lazaro Montes up for his MLB debut, according to reporter Francys Romero. Montes will join the team on Tuesday in Boston when rosters expand to 28 players, as per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, plus another transaction will need to be made to create space for Montes on the 40-man roster.

An international signing for the M’s in January 2022, Montes has steadily mashed his way up the minor league ladder, with increasingly impressive power numbers. Montes hit .234/.369/.550 with 25 homers over 339 plate appearances with Double-A Arkansas this season and earned himself a Triple-A promotion in July, then kept the big hits coming with 13 home runs and a .267/.359/.564 slash line in 198 PA for Tacoma.

At 6’5″ and 210 pounds at age 21, Montes profiles as a classic slugger who isn’t quite a three-true-outcomes type. He has a 30.7% strikeout rate across both minor league levels in 2026, so while big league pitchers are likely to find holes in Montes’ swing, the Mariners are hoping Montes can do plenty of damage when he does make contact.

MLB Pipeline ranks Montes as the 56th-best prospect in the game, and Baseball America is right behind with a #58 ranking in its most recent midseason top-100 update. Evaluators praise Montes’ approach at the plate and also give his throwing arm a 60-grade, lending credence to the idea that Montes can stick as a right fielder. While a DH role is probably in Montes’ future, his arm gives him some defensive value even if his fielding is overall subpar.

It’s safe to guess that the Mariners couldn’t care less about Montes’ glovework at this point, as the club is badly in need of some offensive help. Seattle ranks in the middle of the pack in home runs, but rank dead last in the league in runs (540) and near the bottom in slugging percentage (.372), on-base percentage (.307), and average (.227). The lack of offense is the biggest reason why the M’s are 64-73, and five games behind in both the AL West and wild card races.

While it’s unfair to expect a rookie to suddenly turn a season around, the Mariners have nothing to lose in seeing if Montes getting some at-bats at DH or in right field. Taylor Ward‘s offense has cratered since being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline, so since regular DH Dominic Canzone has been hitting well, Ward is the likelier candidate to lose playing time once Montes joins the roster.

Montes will retain his rookie eligibility into 2027, as he won’t amass the minimum 130 plate appearances or 45 days on an active roster. This leaves him eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive and the Mariners eligible for an extra pick in the 2028, assuming the PPI system isn’t altered in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

As to what other player could be joining the M’s on September 1, MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer writes that Michael Arroyo won’t be called up to join Montes or Kade Anderson as top prospects now on the Seattle roster. The Mariners may not make their next decision on a 28th man until Tuesday, when they’ll have more time to access Brendan Donovan‘s recovery from a concussion.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 02:08:29 +0000

Mark P

After avoiding the Walker Jenkins call-up, watch this….NOW the chat will be interrupted by some other breaking news.As I continue to tempt fate, let’s take some questions!

My name?

With JJW in the IL, Stewart is going to be ROY isn’t he?

Mark P

Seems like this might be the turning point for Stewart in the race. Wetherholt has the sizable WAR lead, but if he misses too much time on the IL, it allows Stewart to entrench himself in the minds of voters. It would’ve been a close vote anyway if both guys had remained healthy.

Squints

Jake Bauers needs more love. Does he get a multi year deal in the off-season?

Mark P

Bauers is entering his age-31 season and he strikes out a lot, plus the market isn’t always friendly to first base-centric players.But, Bauers has been crushing the ball all year, the advanced metrics love him, he’s productive against both lefties and righties, and he can play some corner outfield.
So he’s absolutely scoring a multi-year commitment, but it’s just a question of how many years. A three-year deal seems reasonable given how I suspect a lot of teams will still have some questions about Bauers as a longer-term lineup add.

Woodruff

What kind of deal do I sign this off-season? Will I be back in MIL again or elsewhere?

Mark P

If Woodruff keeps pitching, he’ll likely stay in Milwaukee. Something like a one-year, $8MM deal with a club option for 2028 seems feasible

Spaghetti Marinera

A lot of the rage from Mariner fandom seems to be aimed at Julio Rodriguez. My theory is that his performance is being weighed — perhaps unfairly — against the entrenched narrative that he is a superstar, or at least one in the making. Is it time to abandon that narrative, or is it too soon to lower expectations about his future?

Mark P

The top prospect hype and the big extension automatically put a lot of the spotlight on J-Rod, so anything that isn’t an MVP candidate type of year will draw criticism. The Mariners have had a lot more pressing issues this year than Rodriguez having just an okay season.
Now, if he keeps delivering several “okay” seasons, that’s not ideal given his salary. Rodriguez is on pace for something like a 2.6 fWAR season and there’s nothing at all wrong with that, but the M’s (and Rodriguez himself) will obviously expect more in 2027

David

Parker Messick top 3 CY?

Mark P

One of the more underrated players in baseball this season, Messick is currently seventh in the league in pitcher fWAR. Among AL pitchers, he’s behind only Cease and Schlittler, so yeah, warm up that bronze medal.
The Cleveland pitching factory does it again

mcg

Garver a Yankee or another team

Mark P

My guess is another team. Garver has more offensive upside, but he hasn’t actually shown any of that upside in a while, even at Triple-A
Ergo, the Yankees might just stand pat at catcher

Josh

You have to choose Mark Grace or Joey Votto as your first baseman – who are you going with?

Mark P

Mark Grace was a terrific player, but the answer is clearly Votto.

PCA

Right now PCAs extension looks like an absolute bargain. What do you think his chances are of winning the NL MVP?

Mark P

That extension was six years and $115MM, which covered his final four years of team control and his first two free agent years. Needless to say, this extension is a candidate for “move of the year” given how PCA has absolutely broken out. He’s the clear NL MVP favorite at this point.

You can’t spell Pete Best without

Bees?

Mark P

I wonder if some promoter in Liverpool once asked if it was spelled “Beadles” or “Beetles.”

Tom

I’m a little surprised no one has claimed John Schreiber off waivers. It’s not a ton of money, and teams always need arms. Not worth a shot?

Mark P

The advanced metrics aren’t fans of Schreiber’s work. Someone could still put in a claim because teams always need pitching, but if he goes unclaimed, it’s easy to see why

Does John Mozeliak stay with the Angels past this season? In some short advisory role? Or VP of Baseball operations?

Mark P

There hasn’t been a lot of public info about the Angels’ plans, which probably makes sense given how Mozeliak’s hire similarly came out of nowhere.At this point it would seem a little odd if Mo didn’t stay on in some capacity. He’s a pretty big-name exec who oversaw the Angels’ most notable trade deadline in years, and then he’d just dust his hands off triumphantly and leave the rest to the next guy? If I had to guess, Mozeliak stays as PBO and he hires a GM as the second-in-command (and possible successor)

Dodgers fan

What about Edmonds batting lead off and moving othani down a few spots

Mark P

I don’t think 56-year-old Jim Edmonds should supplant Ohtani as leadoff man, and neither should Tommy Edman.

White Sox world beaters

Can the hitting make up for the lack of stars on the pitching staff?

Mark P

It’s been a rough stretch for the rotation but the bullpen is hanging in there. Chicago has overachieved so much this season that I think they’ll still pull it off and get into the playoffs, if perhaps not necessarily as a division champ.

Rico

Is Lawler’s future with the Diamondbacks? I get that he’s injured a lot, but they seem averse to really using him full time.

Mark P

2026 was supposed to be the year when the D’Backs saw what they had in Lawlar, but unfortunately he was against mostly sidelined by injuries. There’s nothing stopping the team from giving it another shot in 2027 since the potential is clearly there.

Luis Robert Jr.

Do you think I have a new team this Tuesday?

Mark P

Yeah, I think someone will make the move

Philly A’s

Chances Click becomes the A’s GM?

Mark P

So far he’s the only known candidate, so…maybe? It’s very likely that several more names will surface before a hire is actually made, though we’re kind of in uncharted waters here since John Fisher has never had to do a front office search before.

Sgt. Pepper

Is anyone from the AL besides the Rays truly a World Series contender?

Mark P

Anyone has a chance in a short series. The Yankees and Red Sox have the pitching to be extremely dangerous playoff opponents. The White Sox may be a team of destiny.

Nick

When David blitzer takes over majority ownership of the guardians this fall do you see a house cleaning of the front office and vogt gone ?

Mark P

Blitzer has the option of becoming majority owner after the 2027 season, not after this year.And why would Blitzer want to toss out a front office and manager who have been able to field consistently competitive teams on low payrolls?

Christian

Moments ago, in tonight’s nationally televised Cubs/Reds game, Joey Votto made the claim he’s never eaten nachos in his entire life. I don’t see how that’s something that’s possible. Your reaction to Joey’s claim?

Mark P

…..what?
You to tell me that I’ve eaten more nachos during this very chat than Votto has eaten in this whole life?Is it too late to change my answer to Mark Grace?!

Middle money

Is Ketel Marte going to be available at a discount this off-season ? Could I swap a bad contract Nola for him ?

Mark P

As noted in last week’s chat, the main issue in trading for Marte is that a lot of teams are going to be wary of bringing him into a clubhouse. The issue isn’t what Marte can do as a player, but rather whatever is going on with this off-the-field situation. Maybe the Phillies are a team willing to take such a risk, but also if you’re Arizona, dumping Marte just to get Nola (last month notwithstanding) isn’t great from a roster-building perspective

Restless baseball fan

if you had to put a percent on it, what are the chances the season gets cancelled?

Mark P

Zero. A fully lost season would be devastating to the sport, and neither the league or the players want that. I’m not even yet convinced any games will be lost at all.

Tony Fernandez

Nola has 10 & 5 rights and would have to agree to Arizona or anywhere else. Moving on, do you think the Blue Jays bring in a starter this offseason to compete with Aringhetti for the fifth spot in the rotation?

Mark P

Aha, good point, I forgot about both Nola and Marte having full no-trade protection.The Jays will absolutely be bringing in one or two more starters, as after this season, they’ll want as much rotation depth as possible

Roster improvements for 2027

With the success of the White Sox this season and the obvious need for a quality starter or two. Do you see Reinsdorf breaking the bank with a big signing, or Getz trying to use some of the INF prospect depth to land an ace that has a few years of control?

Mark P

If my options are “A: Jerry Reinsdorf spends a lot of money” and anything else, the default answer is always B. Not to say that Chicago might not sign a starter, but a mid-tier veteran seems far more likely than a real splashy free agent.
So sure, swinging a trade would be a more feasible way for the Sox to add some pitching

Chris Getz

If we get the 2 seed, do we get the winner of the 3 vs 6? If so, I’d say we’d have a punchers chance in that series. Thoughts?

Mark P

Baseball does indeed run its playoff with a strict bracket, without reseeding between rounds. So yeah, it lines up pretty well for the #2 seed if they get either the AL West champs or the last wild card, both of whom might be barely at .500

CardinalRed

When does a team option have to be made, right after the season is over? Was thinking of the timing for the team option on Robert, Jr

Mark P

Teams have until five days after the World Series to decide on contract options

Baby Jesus

Duran will not be on the Red Sox next year. Agree or disagree?

Mark P

Agreed. They’ll need room for Anthony as an everyday player.

Brandon

Good evening mark do you see a scenario where buster Posey would be fired

Mark P

Nope. Posey will get more time than just two seasons.

Jasson Dominguez

Are my Yankee days done?

Mark P

Why does it feel like this is another case of the Yankees having a top prospect, moving him back and forth between the majors and minors without much watching success, and watching his trade value whittle down to nil?
So to answer your question, the Yankees are probably more likely to hang onto Dominguez for two more years and then trade him. Maybe the outfield picture is shaken up without Grisham, but that still leaves Dominguez as more of a part-time player at best in the corners.

Buck Martinez

Luis Robert Jr. would be a nice pickup for the Jays to take a flyer on. But I am not sure about their tax situation. Did they manage to get under one of the tax thresholds at the trade deadline such that taking a chance on LRJ would just be too expensive?

Mark P

The MLBTR payroll tracker has the Jays’ tax number at just under $315MM, so still well over the top penalty tier of $304MM. Money wasn’t an object for the Jays in a season where they were all-in on winning, so it won’t stop them if they have interest in Robert

Murakami extension

Or do the Sox try to lock up players such as Peters, Antonnaci and Meidroth? All 3 have had really good seasons and seem to gel well with the team. Murakami could walk after 2027, does trading him for a starter in the offseason bring back a #2-#3 starter?

Mark P

Getz is on record saying that the two sides have had some talks about a Murakami extension, so he might well be the one staying. Plus, if Murakami is only under control through 2027, that’s going to make it hard for Chicago to bring back a frontline kind of starter in a trade.https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/08/white-sox-rumors-munetaka-murak…
As to the trio you mentioned, they’re all at least one full season away even from arb eligibility, so there’s no real rush for the Sox to pursue extensions. Particularly with Meidroth, locking him up doesn’t seem likely when the White Sox have so many intriguing infield prospects in the pipeline

Benintendi

Best year he’s had for the White Sox in the 5 seasons he was signed for? He’s got almost 70 rbi and has many big hits for the Sox. Do you think he’d take a team friendly contract to return for another 1 or 2 seasons?

Mark P

He’s a free agent after 2027, not after this season. And while he is indeed having a decent year, it would take some mammoth numbers in 2027 for the Sox to even consider another contract.

MLBTR Live Chat

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:26:29 +0000

Click here to submit questions and follow along with tonight’s live baseball chat

Sunday Night Waiver Wire & FAAB Chat

Jeff Zimmerman — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:15:20 +0000

The grind continues.

Source

Xavier Edwards Leaves Game Due To Possible Thumb Sprain

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:06:42 +0000

The Marlins scored six runs in the ninth inning to secure a 6-2 comeback win over the Nationals on Sunday, but may have lost one of their key players in the process. Second baseman Xavier Edwards left the game in the fifth inning due to an injury that “right now we’re thinking it’s a left thumb sprain,” as manager Clayton McCullough told MLB.com’s Ian Nicholas Quillen and other reporters after the game.

A more specific diagnosis should be available after Edwards undergoes testing tomorrow, and he told Quillen and company that “I feel okay.” It’s possible this sprain is minor enough that Edwards is able to avoid the injured list entirely, though trying to tough out thumb discomfort often has an adverse impact on a hitter’s numbers. A minor sprain could see Edwards back after a minimal 10-day IL stint, but a Grade 2 sprain would likely mark the end of the infielder’s regular season.

It’s probably a good sign that Edwards was already feeling better in the aftermath of what looked like an ugly injury on the field. On a steal of second base, Washington’s Jorbit Vivas slid headfirst into Edwards’ left arm, leaving Edwards removing his glove in pain and heading towards the dugout even as the play was still ongoing (the throw went into center field, allowing Vivas to advance to third base).

After hitting .311/.396/.468 with six homers in his first 269 plate appearances of the season, Edwards has cooled off considerably, with a far more modest .258/.329/.295 slash and zero home runs in his last 303 trips to the dish. His overall .282/.361/.376 slash line still translates to a 105 wRC+, and Edwards’ speed (20 steals in 25 attempts) makes him a threat on the basepaths.

Today’s victory brought Miami back over the .500 mark to 69-68, and the Fish are 3.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for the final NL card berth. Needless to say, Edwards isn’t the kind of player the Marlins can afford to lose for any amount of time as the club tries to chase down a playoff spot. Leo Jimenez is probably the likeliest candidate to cover second base if Edwards is out, assuming Miami wants to keep super-utilityman Javier Sanoja in his current role as the top option at third base.

Mitch Garver Exercises Assignment Clause In Yankees Contract

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 22:32:18 +0000

Mitch Garver joined the Yankees on a minor league deal earlier this month, and it was reported at the time that the contract contained an opt-out clause. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman writes that the opt-out provision is an assignment clause (or upward mobility clause) that Garver has now triggered, establishing a 2pm CT deadline on Monday for the next step of the catcher’s career.

The other 29 teams have until that deadline to let the Yankees know if they would put Garver on their active roster. If at least one team is willing to add Garver, the Yankees then have 48 hours to either add Garver to their own active roster or trade him to that interested team. (This type of deal is still allowed after the trade deadline since Garver hasn’t been on New York’s 40-man roster since signing his current minor league contract.) If no teams are willing to add Garver, he simply remains in the Yankees’ farm system.

Garver was the AL Silver Slugger winner with the 2019 Twins and a key part of the Rangers’ World Series team in 2023, but his numbers have sharply declined since that championship year. Since Opening Day 2024, Garver has hit only .185/.292/.333 with 28 homers over 869 plate appearances for the Mariners, including a .175/.302/.294 slash in 149 PA this year. The first two of those seasons were on a two-year, $24MM deal, and Seattle brought Garver back this season on a minors contract that earned him a guaranteed $2.25MM once he made the Opening Day roster.

A few weeks at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hasn’t done anything to spark Garver’s bat. He is hitting .179/.324/.214 over 34 plate appearances for SWB, without any home runs. Any interested teams would be looking more on Garver’s track record than his 2026 performance, or perhaps simply at the fact that it’s hard to add experienced backup catching at this late date in the baseball calendar. Adding Garver before September 1 would also give teams the ability to include him on a postseason roster.

New York could make the assignment clause irrelevant by simply adding Garver to its own active roster, which is something the team is “seriously contemplating,” as per Sherman. Unless the Yankees are willing to carry three catchers, selecting Garver would mean backup Ali Sanchez would have to be designated for assignment, since Sanchez is out of minor league options.

The Yankees rank 25th in catcher bWAR, as starter Austin Wells and backups Sanchez and J.C. Escarra (who is currently in the minors) have combined for just 0.4 bWAR. Wells has the most offensive upside of the group but is struggling through a brutal year at the plate. Defense is perhaps the key factor, as Sherman notes that “the Yankees put a lot of weight on framing” — Wells and Sanchez are both very good in this department, whereas Statcast ranks Garver as a below-average framer for the last three seasons.

Cardinals Release Caleb Ferguson

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 22:08:28 +0000

TODAY: The Cardinals released Ferguson after he cleared waivers, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

AUGUST 29: The Cardinals announced that left-hander Caleb Ferguson has been designated for assignment. Fellow southpaw Brycen Mautz was called up from Triple-A Memphis to take Ferguson’s spot on the 26-man roster, and St. Louis now has a vacancy on its 40-man roster since Mautz is already on the 40-man.

Ferguson has pitched on three of the last four days, and yesterday’s one-third of an inning of scoreless ball was just the fourth time Ferguson hadn’t been charged with at least one earned run over his nine games in a St. Louis uniform. The Cardinals acquired Ferguson from the Reds at the trade deadline but the veteran has struggled badly since the move, posting an 8.64 ERA over 8 1/3 innings with almost as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (nine).

With Ferguson simply not performing, the Cards have chosen to utilize his roster spot on a fresher arm in Mautz. Since trades are no longer permitted past the deadline, Ferguson can only change teams via the DFA process if he is claimed off the waiver wire. Claiming Ferguson would put a new club on the hook for the roughly $750K remaining of Ferguson’s $4.5MM salary for the 2026 season.

It’s not a huge sum for a team in need of bullpen help, but Ferguson’s lack of recent results may give any interested clubs pause, especially if they think they can just sign Ferguson to a minor league contract as a free agent. Should Ferguson indeed clear waivers, he has more than enough MLB service time to decline a minor league assignment and opt for free agency, so the 30-year-old could soon be back on the open market. If this scenario plays out, the Cardinals would be responsible for most of the remaining $750K, minus the prorated portion of a Major League minimum salary (that would be covered by Ferguson’s new team).

While the big spike in walk rate is a red flag, interested teams could view Ferguson’s struggles in St. Louis as a by-product of a .409 BABIP as a Cardinal, or just a small-sample size blip altogether. Before the trade, Ferguson had a more respectable 4.01 ERA, 20.2K%, and 10.2BB% in 24 2/3 innings with Cincinnati.

Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 21:49:32 +0000

There hasn’t been much buzz about the Athletics’ GM search since the team parted ways with David Forst earlier this month, but a former rival executive from the AL West appears to be on the radar. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that James Click “has emerged as a serious candidate” to become the Athletics’ new front office boss.

Click was the Astros’ general manager from January 2020 to November 2022, and his three seasons in charge saw Houston reach the ALCS in 2020, win the AL pennant in 2021, and win the World Series in 2022. Despite this success, Click was still let go after his initial three-year contract expired, as he turned down a one-year extension from Astros owner Jim Crane that was widely seen as a token offer. Reports of friction between Crane and Click emerged during the 2022 season, and the unusual outcome was a championship team making a GM change within a week of winning the Fall Classic.

It didn’t take long for Click to find a new job, as he has been working in the Blue Jays’ front office since February 2023 under a title of “vice president of baseball strategy.” The Red Sox had interest in Click when they were looking for a new front office boss after the 2023 season but he pulled himself from consideration, and Click was also interviewed for the Rockies’ head of baseball operations job last winter before Colorado hired Paul DePodesta.

The 48-year-old Click got started in baseball as an intern with the Rays in 2005, which began a 15-year stretch in Tampa Bay that saw Click promoted to the role of VP of baseball operations in 2017. Click’s tenure in Houston both began and ended under strange circumstances, as Click was hired in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal that saw former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow fired.

Being hired by the A’s would also represent something of a unique challenge for Click or any executive, as the team is just a year away from completing its move to Las Vegas. The A’s have one more season to go at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento before their new ballpark in Vegas is completed, and the expectation (though Oakland fans are justified in rolling their eyes) is that owner John Fisher will boost the team’s payroll once the A’s are in their new city. The Athletics have indeed already started spending more in the last couple of years — Luis Severino was signed to a $67MM free agent deal, and such in-house players as Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson were all signed to contract extensions.

Unfortunately, the extra spending hasn’t translated to the franchise’s first winning season since 2021. The A’s had brutal starts in both 2024 and 2025 before playing respectable baseball after the All-Star break, leading to some thought that this year’s team could be a darkhorse wild card contender. The Athletics were hanging in there with a 38-38 record on June 19 before the bottom fell out, as several lineup injuries and a continued lack of pitching has left the club with a miserable 53-83 mark entering today’s action.

Click’s time in Tampa Bay has given him plenty of experience working within limited payrolls, if Fisher’s spending increase still leaves the A’s as a mid-tier payroll team at best. He also naturally brings some championship pedigree to the table, and the fact that Dana Brown (Click’s successor as Astros GM) has already been let go adds credence to the idea that Crane’s heavy hand in baseball operations decisions was the larger factor in Click’s dismissal than anything Click did or didn’t do.

Click is the first name linked to the A’s vacancy, and it is widely expected that Fisher will go outside the organization for the hire. Before Forst became the Athletics’ official lead of baseball ops in November 2022, he was the longtime chief lieutenant of former GM Billy Beane, who became general manager in 1997 after becoming an assistant GM since 1993. The continuity of the Beane/Forst era led to lots of on-field success for the Athletics, but a new voice is now expected to take charge as the club prepares for its new era in Las Vegas.

Giants Place Sam Hentges On 15-Day Injured List

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 20:39:05 +0000

The Giants announced that left-hander Sam Hentges has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left forearm strain. The placement is retroactive to August 27. Left-hander Matt Wilkinson was officially recalled from Triple-A to take Hentges’ place on the active roster, though Wilkinson was already in the clubhouse as the 27th man for yesterday’s doubleheader.

Unless the strain is the mildest possible variety, the IL placement probably marks the end of Hentges’ 2026 season. The Giants are out of contention and have no reason to rush Hentges back, and Hentges himself may prefer to err on the side of caution in regards to a forearm issue given how injuries have already kept him on the shelf for most of the last few seasons.

Breaking into the majors with Cleveland in 2021, Hentges became a reliable member of the Guardians’ bullpen before shoulder problems emerged midway through the 2024 season. He underwent shoulder surgery in September of that year, and then in September 2025 had an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The Guards chose to non-tender Hentges in the wake of these injuries, and the Giants stepped in to sign the southpaw to a one-year, $1.4MM free agent deal.

The knee rehab pushed back Hentges’ offseason throwing progression and delayed his season debut until May 10, which marked his first MLB game since July 10, 2024. Once finally getting back to action, Hentges didn’t really miss a beat, posting a 3.27 ERA, 22.7% strikeout rate, and 46.1% grounder rate over 33 innings. His hard-contact and barrel rates were also excellent, and Hentges has yet to allow a home run all year. The only red flag is a garish 14.9% walk rate, as Hentges had just an 8.4BB% in 206 2/3 innings prior to this season.

Hentges has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility, so the Giants can retain him for 2027 for a salary not far beyond his $1.4MM number this year (he previously earned $1.337M for 2025 after avoiding arbitration with Cleveland). If the forearm strain is a precursor to a more serious elbow issue, however, Hentges could find himself non-tendered again.

Buddy Kennedy Elects Free Agency

Darragh McDonald — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 20:10:15 +0000

TODAY: Kennedy cleared waivers, and the Giants announced that the infielder has chosen to become a free agent instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A.

AUGUST 27: The Giants announced that first baseman Bryce Eldridge has been reinstated from the bereavement list. Infielder Buddy Kennedy has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to relay the information.

Kennedy, 27, is a journeyman infielder. He started this season with the Giants on a minor league deal. He was selected to the big league roster at the start of June but was designated for assignment a few weeks later. He was flipped to the Mariners for cash but then the Giants brought him back via a waiver claim at the start of August.

The Giants have been working around a number of injuries to their infield group this year. At the moment, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Marcelo Mayer and Casey Schmitt are all on the injured list. San Francisco has also brought up players like Nate Furman, Shay Whitcomb and Osleivis Basabe this year. Those guys have options and could have been easily sent to the minors for Eldridge today but the Giants have instead gone for the out-of-options Kennedy. That’s not really surprising, since he has an awful .116/.224/.140 batting line this year.

Kennedy has bounced around the league throughout his career, generally getting chances because he continually puts up good numbers in the minors and has some defensive versatility. However, he hasn’t yet been able to have major league success and has exhausted his option years, so he doesn’t usually stay with one club for long.

He now has 230 big league plate appearances under his belt, spread across five different seasons, with a .165/.261/.245 line. That’s in stark contrast to his Triple-A work. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has a .292/.400/.457 line in 1,528 plate appearances at that level. If he could hit like that in the majors, he would be a useful utility guy, since he has lots of experience at first, second and third base. He has also briefly dabbled at shortstop and in left field.

Since the trade deadline has passed, he’ll be on waivers again in the coming days. Perhaps he’ll get another shot somewhere else based on his potential. If he clears waivers, he will have the right to elect free agency since he has been previously outrighted in his career.

Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard, Imagn Images

Angels Designate Shaun Anderson For Assignment

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 17:50:34 +0000

The Angels announced several roster moves today, mostly on the pitching side. Left-handers Mitch Farris and Blake Weiman are being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, while righty Trevor Martin is being optioned down. Right-hander George Klassen heads to the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 27th) with left low back inflammation. Catcher Sebastian Rivero was reinstated from the IL and optioned to Salt Lake along with Martin. Finally, righty Shaun Anderson was reinstated from the IL, then designated for assignment. The Angels’ 40-man roster is full after these moves.

More to come.

Mariners Place Emerson Hancock On 15-Day IL With Adductor Strain

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 17:04:57 +0000

The Mariners are placing right-hander Emerson Hancock on the 15-day injured list, according to a team announcement. Hancock, whose placement is retroactive to August 29th, has a left adductor strain. Fellow righty Nick Davila is being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move.

Hancock drew the loss in Friday’s game against the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old surrendered eight hits, including two home runs, in a five-inning effort while striking out just one batter. In the first inning, Hancock fielded a ground ball up the first base line and made a diving tag to retire Nathan Lukes (video courtesy of MLB.com). The righty shook his head while getting up, which prompted manager Dan Wilson and the team trainer to check on Hancock on the mound. He remained in the game after a few warmup pitches but now heads to the IL.

Evidently, Hancock injured his adductor on the play, and the Mariners felt the strain was severe enough to warrant a period of rest. While he is out, the team could shift Bryce Miller back into the rotation. It was reported two days ago that the team was moving the struggling Miller to the bullpen temporarily, though he has not yet made an appearance in that role. According to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, Miller is considered an option to start on Wednesday in Boston. He’ll have had nine days of rest at that point.

Hancock has put it together this year after replacement-level production from 2024-25. In 138 2/3 innings over 25 starts, he has a strong 3.57 ERA. Hancock is walking a career-low 5.7% of opposing hitters, and his 22.3% strikeout rate is above league average for the first time in his career. He is still somewhat homer-prone, having allowed 20 long balls on the season. Nonetheless, the righty’s 3.98 expected ERA and 3.81 SIERA back up his performance and suggest the former first-round draft pick is at last rounding into form at the big league level.

More to come.

Joey Pollizze's Week 23 Waiver Wire Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

Joey Pollizze — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:58:25 +0000

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Twins Place Byron Buxton On 10-Day IL With Hip Impingement

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:28:30 +0000

The Twins announced that center fielder Byron Buxton is once again being placed on the 10-day injured list. Buxton has a right hip impingement, the same injury that forced him to the IL last month. Outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez is being recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding active roster move.

More to come.

Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (August 31 - September 6)

Nick Mariano — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:15:17 +0000

Let's dig into another edition of our Starting Pitcher Starts and Sits column for the week ahead - Monday, August 31 through Sunday, September 6. Our article will cover who is pitching, their opponent, and a confidence/startability score based on our tools. This article is designed to supply you with a useful start/sit decision-making tool […]

Padres Place Luis Rengifo, Gavin Sheets on Injured List

Connor Byrne — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:43:49 +0000

TODAY: Rengifo will be placed on the injured list, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Taylor is being activated off the IL in Rengifo’s place. In another move, the Padres are placing Gavin Sheets on the IL with a left foot sprain and recalling Sung-Mun Song from Triple-A El Paso.

Sheets is batting .212/.313/.388 in 412 plate appearances, which rates as exactly league average by wRC+. He has slumped a bit in August to the tune of an 89 wRC+ in 54 PA, though he remains a steady contributor overall, particularly against right-handed pitching. It’s unclear how long he will be out. The club will provide more details on the severity of his sprain soon.

August 29: The Padres announced that outfielder/infielder Luis Rengifo sprained his right knee in their 7-6 loss to the Rays on Saturday. He will fly back to San Diego for further evaluation, but manager Craig Stammen said after the game that it “doesn’t look good,” per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Rengifo suffered the non-contact injury when his knee buckled on an errant seventh-inning throw home from the area between third base and shortstop (video via Joey Johnston of MLB.com). After Rengifo remained on the field for a few minutes, he left on a cart. The Padres brought shortstop Xander Bogaerts off the bench to replace Rengifo and moved Jake Cronenworth from short to second base. It was just the third start Rengifo has made at the keystone since the Padres selected his contract on July 8. He has spent most of his Padres tenure in left field, where he has gotten the lion’s share of starts over Jase Bowen, Austin Hays and Dustin Harris.

Rengifo, an Angel for his first seven seasons, joined the Brewers for a guaranteed $3.5MM last winter. However, after Rengifo got off to a poor start over the first two-plus months of the season, the Brewers released him in June. He signed a minor league pact with the Padres a few days later. It didn’t look like a needle-moving transaction at the time, as Rengifo batted an awful .205/.280/.254 over 209 homer-less plate appearances with the Brewers. But the switch-hitting 29-year-old at least showed some positive signs as a Brewer. He recorded encouraging walk, strikeout and Statcast numbers, and his .233 batting average on balls in play looked likely to rise.

The Rengifo signing did not go as planned for the Brewers, but the Padres’ low-cost flier on him has worked out. Although Rengifo has slumped to a .663 OPS in August, he went into Saturday hitting a strong .296/.376/.416 with four homers in 142 trips to the plate as a Padre. He has been a solid contributor on a team that came out of the All-Star break a game under .500 but is now 72-64.

Currently a half-game back of the division-rival Diamondbacks for the NL’s last Wild Card spot, the Padres may have to place Rengifo on the IL. They are already without Opening Day left fielder Ramón Laureano (hip surgery), DH/infielder Miguel Andujar (fractured wrist) and outfielder Samad Taylor (oblique strain). Laureano is a long shot to return this year, but the Padres’ injury tracker at MLB.com suggests Andujar and Taylor could make it back in the next couple of weeks.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Cardinals Place JJ Wetherholt On 10-Day Injured List

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:06:58 +0000

The Cardinals are placing infielder JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list with right wrist tendinitis, according to a team announcement. Infielder Cesar Prieto is being recalled from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move.

According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Wetherholt has experienced pain in his wrist for the last month or so, which he chalked up to a career-high workload. He attempted a rest-and-recovery approach to no affect, as the pain increased in recent days. Wetherholt, who went 0-for-4 in yesterday’s 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh, is scheduled to see a specialist in Arizona and hopes for a minimal IL stint.

St. Louis is one game under .500 at 68-69. They are 4.5 games back of the Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot, and the Diamondbacks and Marlins stand between the two clubs. FanGraphs gives the Redbirds just a 1.6% chance of making the playoffs, which is not too surprising considering they sold off a few players at the deadline. Recent injuries have only worsened those slim chances.

In the past two weeks, right-handers Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins landed on the IL for elbow inflammation and forearm tightness, respectively. The position players have been affected as well. Shortstop Masyn Winn went on the IL on August 25th (retroactive to the 22nd) with a left thumb fracture. Just yesterday, third baseman Blaze Jordan was placed on the IL for a left ankle sprain, which he suffered in Thursday’s game. He is out for a few weeks at a minimum.

Along with Winn and Jordan, Wetherholt is now the third starting infielder the Cardinals have lost to injury in the last week. He is also the most valuable player of the three. Having entered the season as a Top-100 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Wetherholt has batted .242/.343/.370 with 17 home runs, 14 steals, and a 104 wRC+ that checks in slightly above average. That’s a solid performance by any measure, and he’s backed it up with stellar defense. Wetherholt’s +21 Outs Above Average are well ahead of the Brewers’ Brice Turang (+12) for the best mark among second basemen.

In Wetherholt’s absence, the Cardinals can turn to José Fermín at the keystone. The 27-year-old utility player has more reps in left field and at third base, though he does have 11 games at second base this year. He avoids strikeouts pretty well and walks at a near-average 8.6% clip, though he doesn’t offer much in the way of power. Prieto and Ramón Urías may also factor in. Both struggled at the dish in limited samples.

Aside from the impact on his team, Wetherholt may also fall behind in the NL Rookie of the Year race. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern polled readers last week on that very race, and 40% of readers predicted the Reds’ Sal Stewart would win, compared to 39% voting for Wetherholt. While Stewart’s 2.6 fWAR lags behind Wetherholt’s 4.4, the former is a more productive hitter (120 wRC+ to Wetherholt’s 104) and leads the Senior Circuit with 104 runs batted in. With Wetherholt now set to miss time, Stewart could pull ahead in that race.

Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Red Sox Activate Roman Anthony, Trevor Story Off 60-Day IL

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:40:06 +0000

The Red Sox are getting a pair of injured players back from the injured list, as the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey reports that outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Trevor Story have been activated off the 60-day IL. Boston has two open spots on its 40-man roster, so only active roster moves are needed to accommodate Anthony and Story. That will come in the form of options for Mickey Gasper and Anthony Seigler, whom Healey reports are heading back to Triple-A Worcester.

Anthony’s return is the more impactful of the two. He has been out since early May with a right wrist sprain. Although he had a below-average 95 wRC+ in 130 plate appearances before the sprain, Anthony batted .292/.396/.463 in 303 PA last year, good for a 141 wRC+. An extremely high .404 average on balls in play contributed to that line, so some regression was always due in his sophomore campaign. That said, the Sox aren’t counting on a full repeat. They’ll be happy if Anthony can simply be average or better now that his wrist has healed.

Boston has Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu lined up from left to right field. Rafaela and Abreu are both having excellent seasons, but Duran is struggling mightily. He is striking out more and walking less than last year en route to a 70 wRC+, well below last year’s 112 wRC+ and easily a career-worst mark for Duran in a full season.

Masataka Yoshida had been the primary designated hitter since Anthony went on the IL, though he himself is now out with a left hamstring strain and might not return by the end of the regular season. Gasper was filling in at DH in the meantime, so with him heading to Worcester, Anthony will slot in primarily at DH and make the occasional appearance in left field. For now, that means Duran’s starting job in left field is safe, though he is a non-tender candidate after the season.

Story, meanwhile, is having a dreadful season at the plate. In 176 plate appearances, he is batting .206/.244/.303 with a wRC+ of 48, or 52% worse than league average. He was an average hitter as recently as last year, but this time around, Story is striking out at a 32.4% clip while walking a career-low 4.5% of the time. Both Defensive Runs Saved (-2) and Outs Above Average (-3) view him negatively at shortstop. A sports hernia led to Story undergoing surgery in May, and he now returns after three and a half months.

While his lack of offense this year doesn’t inspire confidence, Story is at least a known quantity who theoretically stabilizes the middle infield mix. Deadline acquisition Curtis Mead suffered a fractured wrist in his first game with the team. He avoided surgery but is not expected back until mid-September at best. Seigler, Nick Sogard, and Andruw Monasterio have seen time up the middle. Sogard has a 119 wRC+ in 177 plate appearances on the season, including a 124 wRC+ in 134 PA since being recalled on July 29th. He seems to have a hold on the second base spot. Seigler was just above average in limited time before getting optioned, while Monasterio has been a replacement-level player.

Gasper had taken 37 plate appearances since being recalled on August 16th, hitting five home runs in that stretch. He owns a 136 wRC+ in 156 PA overall, so he might get called up for a backup catcher/DH role next month, by which time active rosters will have expanded to 28. Barring an injury, Gasper will need to stay in Worcester until September 9th before being recalled. The other roster spot will go to a pitcher.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 23 (August 31 - September 6)

Mike Carter — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:25:10 +0000

Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 23 of the 2026 season (August 31 - September 6). In this piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues. For deeper leagues, we find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues. […]

Konnor Griffin To Begin Rehab Assignment

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:07:38 +0000

Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin has been down since early July with a sagittal band injury in his left ring finger. His original placement was retroactive to July 6th, and the team transferred him to the 60-day injured list a few days later. Tomorrow will mark eight weeks since the start of Griffin’s placement, right in line with the team’s prediction of an eight- to ten-week absence. Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates’ senior director of sports medicine, told reporters a week ago that Griffin might be activated as soon as he’s eligible on September 4th.

That will now come to pass, as Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Griffin will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona today. That will give him five games of tune-up work before rejoining the Pirates on Friday, which marks the start of a home series against the Angels. Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move to bring Griffin off the 60-day IL. Endy Rodriguez, who is out for seven to nine months following Wednesday’s hip surgery, figures to move to the 60-day IL.

Griffin previously missed a month with a right elbow strain. Outside of the two IL stints, he has batted .276/.332/.404 in 247 plate appearances. That amounts to a wRC+ of 101, indicating he is right around league average at the plate despite only turning 20 on April 24th. Griffin is striking out at a 26.3% clip and walking 6.5% of the time. Both marks are worse than league average. However, he has shown impressive speed by swiping 20 bases, and the Pirates are happy to get even average production as their now former prospect acclimates himself to the Majors.

Pittsburgh had a 46-45 record on July 6th. They’ve gone 20-26 since Griffin went on the IL, leaving them 6.5 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot. Barring a September surge and a collapse by the Padres and three other teams, the Pirates will likely be on the outside looking in come October. Bringing Griffin back as planned won’t have much of an impact on those chances, but it will at least give the youngster some additional reps before the end of the season.

Jared Triolo and Jacob Gonzalez have filled in at shortstop the last two months. Neither one is playing well. Triolo provides adequate defense on the left side of the infield but not much with the bat, as he has a 76 wRC+ in 317 plate appearances overall. Gonzalez, whom the Pirates acquired in a minor trade on July 10th, has fared even worse. In a small sample of 96 PA with Pittsburgh, he is batting .183/.198/.344 with a miniscule 1.0% walk rate. That makes him 61% worse than the average hitter by wRC+.

Both players can be optioned to the minors if needed, though Triolo has not been optioned in over one calendar year. Between his defensive versatility and Gonzalez’s more severe struggles at the plate, Gonzalez is more likely to get sent down to accommodate Griffin. Nick Yorke can also be optioned, but his .279 on-base percentage is far more palatable for a backup infielder than Gonzalez’s .198 OBP.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Waiver Wire and FAAB Report (Week 23)

Jeff Zimmerman — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:30:34 +0000

There are six starters I like going forward.

Source

The Opener: Crow-Armstrong, Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox

AJ Eustace — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:53:53 +0000

Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio reached 20 home runs for the third consecutive season in yesterday’s 5-3 win over the Rangers. Facing Cal Quantrill in the bottom of the first, Chourio took an 89 mph cutter out to right center field for a solo shot, opening the scoring for Milwaukee. Chourio is one of only 17 players in history with at least three 20-homer seasons by their age-22 season (h/t to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy). The list also includes fellow active players Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa, and Juan Soto.

1. PCA builds on MVP case with 3-HR game

Pete Crow-Armstrong led the charge in the Cubs’ win over the Reds. He went 4-for-6 and drove in six runs, all via home runs. PCA led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot off the Reds’ Andrew Abbott. He then tagged Abbott again for a two-run shot in the second inning. That provided the deciding run early in what would become a 17-5 blowout win. After singling in the fourth and popping out in the fifth, PCA homered for the third time in the bottom of the seventh, this time hitting a three-run shot. The three-homer performance brought PCA up to 9.1 fWAR on the season, adding to his case as he looks to dethrone Shohei Ohtani as the National League’s MVP.

2. Tigers walk off the Dodgers

In a much closer game than the Cubs-Reds matchup, the Tigers walked off the Dodgers on a 2-1 score yesterday afternoon. Both Keider Montero and Blake Snell turned in strong starts, with Snell striking out ten hitters in his five innings of work. The two bullpens held serve in the late innings, and Detroit entered the bottom of the ninth with the score tied at 1-1. Facing Dodgers reliever Jack Dreyer, Javier Báez led off with a double to left, then Max Clark sacrificed him over to third with a bunt. After two walks to load the bases, Kevin McGonigle delivered a walk-off single to score Báez from third. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern looked at McGonigle’s case for the AL Rookie of the Year award a few days ago, and two-thirds of MLBTR readers predicted he will win it.

3. Rubber match in the Bronx

After shutting out the Yankees 6-0 in the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader, the Red Sox were downed by a 9-2 score in the nightcap. After 3 2/3 innings from the returning Max Fried, New York’s bullpen allowed just one earned run over the next 5 1/3 innings, while their lineup teed off on Boston’s Brayan Bello and Raymond Burgos. The two clubs are now tied at six games apiece in their season series. Whichever team wins today will own the tiebreaker if they finish with the same regular-season record. The Red Sox will send Ranger Suarez to the hill to try to win that advantage, while the Yankees counter with Will Warren.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (August 24 - August 30)

Nick Mariano — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:28:30 +0000

Gather around for another edition of our Starting Pitcher Starts and Sits column for the week ahead - Monday August 24 through Sunday August 30. As you know by now, this article will cover who is pitching, their opponent, and a confidence/startability score based on our tools. This provides you with a useful start/sit decision-making […]

Yankees Notes: Lombard, Judge, Schmidt, McMahon

Connor Byrne — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 03:34:30 +0000

The Yankees and Red Sox split their doubleheader on Saturday. While New York won the nightcap, 9-2, rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. exited early with an apparent right knee injury. Lombard tweaked it during an at-bat in the second inning (video via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). He stayed in the game for a little while longer, but the Yankees replaced him in the top of the fourth. José Caballero moved from third base to short, and Amed Rosario came in to man the hot corner.

Lombard underwent imaging after the Yankees pulled him, but it appears he dodged a significant injury. Speaking with Hoch and other reporters after the game, manager Aaron Boone said that “it looks like a day-to-day situation.”

Lombard has started every game at short since the Yankees promoted him on Aug. 4, though that streak could now be in jeopardy. The 21-year-old prized prospect got off to a dream start in the majors, even slugging a home run in his debut, but his bat has cooled over the past couple weeks.

After a 1-for-5 performance on Saturday, Lombard is hitting .253/.310/.367 (90 wRC+) with two homers over a 23-game, 87-plate appearance span. As a shortstop, defensive metrics have given Lombard mixed reviews (6 DRS, minus-1 OAA, minus-1 FRV). Although he recently put together a streak of six consecutive games with an error, tying an unwanted franchise record, the Yankees aren’t hitting the panic button.

“The good thing about George is, he’s so skilled and gifted out there, and foundationally he’s really good, too,” Boone said (via Hoch). “He will get through it. You’ve just got to get a few going and then start playing carefree and easy a little bit.”

Turning to the Yankees’ best player, injured right fielder Aaron Judge, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports he could come off the IL during the club’s Sept. 8-13 homestand. For now, the Yankees are still determining whether Judge will require a rehab assignment. The three-time AL MVP has been on the shelf with a stress fracture in his rib since June 2. If Judge returns in the first half of September, he will have at least a couple of weeks to ramp up in major league games before the playoffs. At 77-59, the Yankees are nine games up on a Wild Card spot and all but assured of a postseason berth.

Speaking of rehab assignments, right-hander Clarke Schmidt and third baseman Ryan McMahon began theirs with Double-A Somerset on Saturday. Schmidt, who is working back from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, threw 20 pitches (16 strikes) and gave up a pair of runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Barring any setbacks, Schmidt could factor into the Yankees’ bullpen down the stretch. McMahon, out since Aug. 20 with a sprained left thumb, went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. He should rejoin the Yankees in the next couple of days.

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Giants Select Yunior Marte For MLB Debut

Connor Byrne — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 01:40:14 +0000

The Giants have selected right-hander Yunior Marte from Double-A Richmond, the team announced. Marte will make his major league debut on Saturday and start the second game of a doubleheader against the Diamondbacks. To make room for Marte, the Giants optioned lefty Seth Lonsway to Triple-A Sacramento and transferred infielder/outfielder Casey Schmitt to the 60-day injured list.

Marte, not to be confused with the Yunior Marté who pitched for the Giants in 2022, joined the organization in a trade last summer. Shortly before the July 31 deadline, the Giants sent outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to the Royals for Marte. The 23-year-old now ranks as one of the Giants’ 30 best prospects at FanGraphs (No. 20), MLB Pipeline (No. 24) and Baseball America (No. 27). Despite Marte’s “ugly delivery,” Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs gives the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder a chance to carve out a career as a major league starter. He brings a high-90s fastball to the table and mixes it with a promising splitter/slider combination.

Marte began this season with High-A Eugene, where he pitched to a 3.74 ERA with a 22.8% strikeout rate and a 10.6% walk rate in 43 1/3 innings. The results have been similar since the Giants bumped him up a level in the first week of June. Across 64 1/3 frames with Richmond, he owns a 3.92 ERA with improved strikeout and walk rates of 26.4% and 8.1%, respectively. Marte may end up going right back to Richmond after the game, but the Giants will get at least one look at him and add him to their 40-man roster ahead of the offseason. He otherwise would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft during the winter.

Schmitt went on the 10-day IL with a torn left meniscus on July 28. Manager Tony Vitello announced then that Schmitt would undergo surgery and likely miss the rest of the season. Schmitt’s move to the 60-day IL all but confirms he is done for the year.

Royals Place John Schreiber On Waivers

Connor Byrne — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:58:47 +0000

The Royals have placed right-handed reliever John Schreiber on waivers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Teams will have 48 hours to claim Schreiber. He is eligible to continue playing for the Royals in the meantime.

This is the third known instance of a non-contender putting at least one player on waivers this week. The Reds did it with third baseman Eugenio Suárez and outfielder TJ Friedl, who went unclaimed. The Mets did the same on Saturday with outfielder Luis Robert Jr. Schreiber is now joining Robert in limbo. The 32-year-old hurler is owed about $600K through the rest of 2026, his last season of team control.

Formerly with Detroit and Boston, Schreiber had the best season of his career with the Red Sox in 2022. Over 65 innings that year, he notched a 2.22 ERA with a 28.8% strikeout rate, a 7.4% walk rate and 22 holds. Two years later, after a solid but injury-shortened 2023 campaign, the Red Sox traded Schreiber to the Royals. He tallied 23 holds in his each of his first two seasons in Kansas City and has logged ERAs in the upper threes every year with the club, including 3.65 in 49 1/3 frames in 2026.

Schreiber is running a 45.4% ground-ball rate, one of the highest of his career, though his strikeout (18%) and walk (11%) numbers have gone in the wrong direction. Fielding-independent metrics such as xFIP (4.52), SIERA (4.56), xERA (4.56) and FIP (4.87) are all similarly low on Schreiber, who has benefited from a .254 batting average on balls in play. Those red flags help explain why the Royals did not find a taker for Schreiber ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. Perhaps that will change now that an acquiring team would not have to give up any compensation for him. If it does, Schreiber would join a new club by Sept. 1, which would make him eligible to participate in the playoffs.

The Royals, who beat the Guardians on Saturday, have gone a jaw-dropping 12-1 since Aug. 16. Despite that tremendous stretch of play, they still own the third-worst record in the American League (62-75). Still 11 games back in the AL Central and 6 1/2 out of a Wild Card spot, they are willing to move on from Schneider with a month left in the season. If he goes unclaimed and finishes 2026 with the Royals, it seems likely they will let him walk in free agency during the offseason.

Luis Rengifo Suffers Knee Sprain

Connor Byrne — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:42:49 +0000

The Padres announced that outfielder/infielder Luis Rengifo sprained his right knee in their 7-6 loss to the Rays on Saturday. He will fly back to San Diego for further evaluation, but manager Craig Stammen said after the game that it “doesn’t look good,” per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Angels Sign Cade Marlowe To Minor League Deal

Anthony Franco — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:07:46 +0000

August 29: Marlowe is back with the Angels on new minor league contract, per their player development account.

August 28: The Angels announced, through their official player development account, that Marlowe has now been released.

August 27: Outfielder Cade Marlowe has exercised the opt-out in his minor league deal with the Angels, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. The Halos will either need to select him onto the 40-man roster or grant him a release.

Marlowe has split this season between minor league contracts with the A’s and Angels. He has put up big numbers in the Pacific Coast League, batting .313/.389/.508 with 11 home runs across 453 plate appearances. That’s above-average production even in a PCL context, though Marlowe’s numbers dipped a little after he changed organizations. He’d hit .317/.394/.521 with a 20% strikeout rate for the A’s top affiliate; that’s down to a league average .296/.370/.457 showing and 28% strikeout percentage in 23 games with the Halos’ farm team in Salt Lake.

The 29-year-old Marlowe has 42 games of MLB experience under his belt, all of which came with the Mariners from 2023-24. He’s a career .240/.330/.406 hitter with 34 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances. Marlowe is a good athlete who can cover all three outfield spots but has a below-average pure hit tool.

Mike Trout is locked into center field. The Angels are using Jose Siri and Josh Lowe in the corners. Siri is having a decent season overall, but he’s a journeyman whose bat has collapsed in August. Lowe is hitting .214/.273/.361 over 277 plate appearances on the season.

Mets Place Luis Robert Jr. On Waivers

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:29:08 +0000

The Mets have placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on outright waivers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. The league’s other 29 teams have 48 hours to claim Robert, who is eligible to continue playing for the Mets during the process.

The Reds took the same tack earlier this week with third baseman Eugenio Suárez and outfielder TJ Friedl, though they remain with the team after going unclaimed. The same fate may await Robert, who is still owed about $4.89MM (including a $2MM offseason buyout). A claiming team would take on all that money, leaving the out-of-contention Mets with some salary relief. The Mets would also save 110% in luxury taxes (an additional $5.4MM), as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco noted in a piece identifying Robert as a candidate to hit waivers.

Robert, who debuted as a prized prospect in 2020, opened his career with the White Sox and put together a few quality seasons. He made his lone All-Star team in 2023, a year in which he slashed .264/.315/.542 (129 wRC+) with 38 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 5.0 fWAR over 595 plate appearances. Robert struggled to stay healthy from 2024-25, however, and his offensive production plummeted.

The White Sox cut the cord on Robert when they traded him to the Mets last winter. New York made that move (and several others) with the belief it would contend for a World Series this year, but the team got off to a horrid start and never recovered. Now 60-75, the Mets are a dozen games out of a Wild Card spot with a month left in the season.

Then sitting a miserable 10-20, the Mets placed Robert on the IL with lumbar disc herniation on April 30. Robert did not return until July 20, which gave the Mets two weeks to find a taker before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. They received little interest, however, and were unable to find a trade partner.

Robert was hitting a woeful .197/.290/.320 when deadline day rolled around, but he has produced more like his All-Star self since then. The 29-year-old has hit an excellent .286/.342/.557 (143 wRC+) over 79 plate appearances in August. Thanks to his hot streak this month, he owns a league-average line of .228/.308/.407 with 10 homers in 214 PA this season.

Robert has only stolen two bases, but he continues to possess 90th-percentile sprint speed. The athleticism has helped the one-time Gold Glover continue to earn passing grades in the field this year. Over 46 games and 382 1/3 innings in center, Robert has been credited with 2 Fielding Run Value, 1 Defensive Runs Saved and a neutral Outs Above Average mark.

In the event Robert has boosted his stock enough for a contender to claim him, he will be able to participate in the playoffs with a new club. This situation will be resolved by the Sept. 1 postseason eligibility deadline. If Roberts goes unclaimed and finishes 2026 with the Mets, they will likely decline his $20MM option in favor of the buyout after the season.

Cubs Designate Hoby Milner For Assignment

Darragh McDonald — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:22:26 +0000

AUGUST 29: The Cubs have now designated Miller for assignment, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports.

AUGUST 28, 5:00pm: Feinsand has now issued a correction, saying that Milner has been placed on waivers but has not been designated for assignment. It is possible for a player to be placed on waivers while he still holds a roster spot. This week, the Reds put both Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl on waivers. Both went unclaimed and are still with the Reds.

Teams to do this hoping that the player is claimed. Since the claiming team takes on the contract, it would lead to cost savings for the waiving club. This time of year is popular for such moves since it’s a sweet spot of the calendar. Contracts are down to less than a month remaining, minimizing the amount of money changing hands. Also, if a player is claimed by September 1, he is still postseason eligible with the new club.

2:15pm: The Cubs have designated left-hander Hoby Milner for assignment, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Milner was on the 15-day injured list. Chicago’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Milner, 35, signed with the Cubs this offseason. It’s a one-year deal with a $3.75MM salary. The lefty made 38 appearances for the club before hitting the IL in June due to an appendectomy. He started a rehab assignment at the end of July. A rehab assignment for a pitcher has a 30-day limit. With that window coming to a close, it seems the Cubs have decided they don’t want to put Milner back on the roster.

With the trade deadline having passed, Milner will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. It’s possible he could garner some interest based on his track record. He has generally been a solid lefty reliever for a few seasons but this year’s numbers are down a bit.

From 2022 to 2025, Milner tossed 264 innings between the Brewers and Rangers, allowing 3.55 earned runs per nine. He doesn’t have huge velocity, with his four-seamer and sinker both averaging below 90 miles per hour, but got good results nonetheless. In that four-year span, his 22.6% strikeout rate was around average but his 5.8% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate were both really strong.

As a Cub, before hitting the IL, he posted a solid 3.53 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. However, he may have been a bit lucky there. His 6% walk rate this year is still good but his 43.6% ground ball rate is closer to average and his strikeout rate has fallen all the way to 12.1%. If it weren’t for a fortunate .261 batting average on balls in play and 79.2% strand rate, he would have allowed more runs to cross the plate. His 4.54 FIP and 4.66 SIERA suggest there’s some reason for pessimism regarding the ERA.

Milner is still owed about $600K on this year’s deal. Though his numbers are down a bit this year, perhaps some club would be willing to grab him from the wire since it’s hard to add talent after the deadline. If he clears waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency while still being paid the remainder of that salary. If he is with another club by September 1, he would be postseason eligible with that team, even if it’s just a minor league deal.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani Will Not Pitch Sunday; Dodgers Determining Next Steps

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:57:34 +0000

Knee and biceps issues have prevented the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani from pitching since July 3, and a return to the mound is not imminent. The Dodgers hoped to start Ohtani against the Tigers on Sunday, but they have scrapped those plans after he came out of Friday’s bullpen session feeling discomfort in his knee, Alden González of ESPN reports.

“If any pitcher was feeling like this, we wouldn’t run him out there,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.

Ohtani’s bullpen session included 20 pitches, which González notes is 10 to 15 fewer than his usual routine between starts. Roberts revealed on Saturday that Ohtani is not 100%, saying his “overall body” is sore and adding: “His value offensively is hugely important, and so we can’t compromise that in any fashion. If throwing potentially cuts into that, that’s not worth the squeeze.”

Ohtani would have only pitched one inning had he started on Sunday. Righty Tyler Glasnow, who just returned this week after missing three-plus months with a back injury, would have followed Ohtani. Glasnow will instead get the start in Ohtani’s place.

The NL West-leading Dodgers planned to gradually stretch Ohtani out over a handful of starts before the postseason, but it is possible the two-way superstar will not take the mound again this year. The Dodgers have not made a decision on that yet, according to González. They want to see how Ohtani feels when they return to Los Angeles during the upcoming week. They will begin a series against the Cardinals on Tuesday, but Ohtani will not pitch in that game either, Katie Woo of The Athletic relays.

Ohtani, who made a brilliant return to pitching last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery as an Angel in 2023, has been stellar again this season. The flamethrowing right-hander has put up a microscopic 1.79 ERA with a 27.9% strikeout rate, a 7.6% walk rate and a 51.2% ground-ball mark in 85 2/3 innings. That’s elite-level production, but the Dodgers’ staff is so deep that they may be able to get by without him in their attempt to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.

The Dodgers acquired back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Skubal is now at the front of a rotation that also includes Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Eric Lauer. They also have several injured pitchers – including Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Kris Bubic, Edwin Díaz and Blake Treinen – trending toward returning in September.

While the Dodgers may have enough to survive without Ohtani the pitcher, they need Ohtani the hitter. The four-time MVP has not been as otherworldly as he was from 2023-25, but he remains one of the game’s fiercest sluggers. Ohtani has slashed .283/.383/.535 (146 wRC+) with 30 homers, 80 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 577 plate appearances. The 32-year-old has accounted for 4.0 fWAR as an offensive player in 2026, but he may not be able to build on the 2.9 fWAR he has racked up on the mound.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin, Oncea-Imagn Images

Yankees Designate Justin Topa For Assignment

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 20:56:29 +0000

The Yankees have designated right-handed reliever Justin Topa for assignment, per a team announcement. They activated lefty Max Fried from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. New York now has two open spots on its 40-man roster.

Topa, who previously spent time with the Twins, Royals and Blue Jays this season, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in mid-August. They added him to their roster on Aug. 25, but he is now in limbo a few days later. Before the Yankees cut him, Topa made two appearances – including in a 6-0 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon – and threw three innings of four-hit, one-run ball. That run was unearned for Topa, who totaled three strikeouts against one walk.

While Topa did decent work over a small sample with the Yankees, he got off to such a rough start this season that the Twins released him in May after two-plus years in the organization. The 35-year-old surrendered 17 earned runs on 27 hits, including four homers, and 11 walks in 19 innings. At the time, Topa owned an 8.05 ERA – a far cry from the 3.90 mark he posted over 60 innings last year. Topa has continued to see the velocity drop on his sinker, which is his primary pitch, since then. Now sitting at 93.4, he has lost about 2 mph on that offering since a career year with the Mariners in 2023. They traded him to the Twins in the teams’ Jorge Polanco deal during the ensuing winter.

Also a former Brewer, Topa has registered a 4.22 ERA with a 19.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and a strong 52.8 ground-ball percentage in 170 2/3 innings in the majors. As someone who has more than five years of service time and cannot be optioned, Topa is now at the beginning of a 48-hour waiver process.

Tigers Notes: Greene, Verlander, Flaherty, Vierling

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 19:40:00 +0000

A right hamstring strain has kept Riley Greene off the field since August 11, but the Tigers outfielder will begin a minor league rehab assignment today. According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck, Greene will be the DH for Triple-A Toledo in today’s game and then play left field on Sunday, assuming everything goes smoothly in his first rehab outing.

Since the Mud Hens don’t play on Monday, that could be the date for Greene’s return to Detroit’s lineup. The Tigers begin a series with the Twins on that day, and having the three-time All-Star back would be a huge boost to the Tigers as they try to chase down one of the many teams ahead of them in the AL wild card race.

Detroit was 59-60 and 2.5 games out of first place in the AL Central after August 11, but the Tigers have since gone only 3-12 since Greene went on the IL. The collapse underscores Greene’s key role within the otherwise inconsistent Detroit offense, as the outfielder is hitting .273/.366/.450 with 16 homers in 492 plate appearances. It isn’t a reach to say that Greene’s absence may have been the last straw for the Tigers’ season, even though losing only around three weeks to a hamstring strain isn’t an bad outcome given how such injuries can tend to linger.

For instance, Justin Verlander has now missed well over two months since a more severe hamstring strain shut down the right-hander’s rehab process in mid-June. Between a 60-day IL stint due to hip inflammation and then this hamstring strain, Verlander’s 2026 season has consisted of just one game, when he allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings on March 30.

It isn’t yet clear when Verlander will be back for the last games of what will be his final season, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that Verlander has started throwing off sloped ground. “The way he described it, it’s almost a bullpen [session]. He’s letting it go a little and he’s getting off the slope, which is important because it changes the angle of everything. It is a step forward from just playing catch,” Hinch explained.

While Verlander may be close to a proper bullpen session, “but right now, we’re just not at the point where we can pencil anything in,” Hinch said. “And even when we can, we’re going to wait some extra time just to make sure there’s not another setback.” As fluid as things still are with Verlander’s status, Hinch said “I sense him building toward something positive and he is going to be able to make at least one appearance” before the Tigers’ season is over.

Somewhat more immediate rotation help could be coming in the form of Jack Flaherty, as Hinch said the right-hander may throw another bullpen this week, and then potentially advance to facing live batters. Flaherty hasn’t pitched since July 20 due to flexor inflammation, and this latest update from Hinch keeps Flaherty on pace for a projected return by the middle of September.

Matt Vierling‘s recovery plan has hit a snag, with Hinch saying that Vierling has been temporarily shut down due to heel soreness. It isn’t yet known when Vierling could resume baseball activities. The utilityman was sent to the 10-day IL on July 30 due to an adductor strain, and McCosky writes that Vierling was trending towards soon starting a rehab assignment before this setback.

Jacob Wilson To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 18:45:43 +0000

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson will undergo a left shoulder surgery on September 16, MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos reports. The news comes after Gallegos’ report nine days ago that Wilson’s season was likely going to be ended by his lingering shoulder problem, and the A’s made things official by placing Wilson first on the 10-day injured list and then on the 60-day IL within the last week.

Some type of rehab timeline should be established once the procedure actually happens, and Gallegos noted that Zach Gelof underwent a similar type of surgery last September. Gelof’s recovery process didn’t cost him much of the 2026 campaign, as he was able to start Spring Training game action by mid-March and was called up from Triple-A early in April after the A’s started him in the minors to complete the ramp-up process.

Every player recovers at their own pace, of course, so there’s no guarantee that Wilson will be able to return as relatively smoothly as Gelof. Wilson’s timeline could also be impacted by the longer-term nature of his shoulder problem, which began in May when Wilson suffered a sprain while diving to cut off a Gunnar Henderson grounder. The A’s activated Wilson from the IL after about a month, but more shoulder soreness developed in August, and Wilson hasn’t played since August 16.

Wilson also had a minimal 10-day IL stint in late June and early July while dealing with right thumb inflammation, so he appeared in only 80 games and took 337 trips to the plate in his abbreviated 2026 campaign. It is easy to point to Wilson’s injuries for his underwhelming numbers, as he followed up his All-Star rookie season in 2025 by hitting a modest .266/.298/.388 in his 337 PA this year, even while playing home games at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.

It wasn’t what the A’s were hoping for after Wilson signed a $70MM contract extension last winter, though Wilson is only one of several Athletics hitters to get hurt during another losing year for the franchise. The hope is that this surgery will correct Wilson’s shoulder issues for good, paving the way for better health and a return to form in 2027.

Diamondbacks Select Derek Law’s Contract

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 18:09:55 +0000

The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected Derek Law‘s contract from Triple-A Reno. Left-hander Mitch Bratt was also called up from Reno to be the 27th man for today’s doubleheader with the Giants, and southpaw Kohl Drake was optioned to Reno in the corresponding move for Law. No 40-man roster was required since Arizona had only 39 players on its 40-man.

More to come…

Yankees Sign Jarred Kelenic To Minors Contract

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 17:36:23 +0000

The Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (the Yankees’ top affiliate) announced that outfielder Jarred Kelenic has signed a contract with the club. Kelenic became a free agent earlier this week after clearing waivers and rejecting an outright assignment to the Rangers’ Triple-A club.

The Yankees become the latest team to take a look at Kelenic, who now indirectly returns to New York after the Mets took him with the sixth overall pick of the 2018 draft. Six months after that selection, Kelenic was sent to the Mariners as part of the blockbuster deal that brought Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to Queens, but Kelenic never blossomed as expected in Seattle. Apart from a solid 2023 campaign, Kelenic has struggled to hit MLB pitching, posting a .211/.283/.371 slash line across 1571 career plate appearances for the Mariners, Braves, White Sox, and Rangers.

In 2026, Kelenic has hit .219/.313/.288 in 83 PA with Chicago and Texas, and the White Sox designated Kelenic for assignment in late May. He quickly elected free agency and signed with the Rangers on another minors deal, and this process repeated itself with three more DFAs and two subsequent re-signings with Texas on new contracts. The third DFA finally led to a change of scenery, as Kelenic heads to SWB looking for another fresh start.

Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Spencer Jones have become New York’s regular outfield grouping, with Heliot Ramos in a fourth outfield role and Jasson Dominguez at Triple-A. Aaron Judge‘s return from a rib fracture will further crowd the outfield picture, though Judge might get some usage at DH as the Yankees ease the superstar back into action. In short, it might take another injury to create any real opportunity for Kelenic to crack the active roster, even after rosters expand on September 1.

Giants Select Seth Lonsway

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:55:51 +0000

The Giants announced three moves prior to today’s doubleheader with the Diamondbacks. Matt Wilkinson will start Game 1 after being called up from Triple-A Sacramento, and Wilkinson is the official 27th man for today’s twin bill. San Francisco also optioned right-hander Spencer Bivens to Sacramento and selected the contract of left-hander Seth Lonsway, with no further roster moves needed to add Lonsway since the Giants had an open spot on their 40-man roster.

Lonsway will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game, which could very well happen today given that plenty of pitchers will likely be needed to get through the doubleheader. The 27-year-old Lonsway was a sixth-round pick for the Giants in the 2021 draft out of Ohio State.

A grounder specialist, Lonsway has a 57.7% groundball rate over 75 2/3 combined innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season. He doesn’t amass many strikeouts and he doesn’t throw with much velocity, as Lonsway rarely throws a traditional fastball. A 90.4mph sinker is Lonsway’s primary pitch, with a cutter, changeup, and slider also included in the arsenal to keep batters off-balance.

Over 114 career innings at the Triple-A, Lonsway has posted a 5.37 ERA while starting 25 of 29 games. As always, the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League must be mentioned in any discussion of Giants prospects, and Lonsway’s grounder-heavy approach has also left him hampered by some unlucky batted-ball luck while pitching for Sacramento. Lonsway has a 3.02 ERA plus better control numbers over 128 1/3 Double-A innings, starting 24 of his 26 games for the Richmond affiliate.

The Giants could use Lonsway as a starter in the Show, but long relief may be his likelier path to sticking around on a big league roster. It remains to be seen if Lonsway’s tenure in the majors could last even beyond this weekend, but a good performance might earn him some consideration for a job in next year’s bullpen picture.

Cardinals Designate Caleb Ferguson For Assignment

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:15:28 +0000

The Cardinals announced that left-hander Caleb Ferguson has been designated for assignment. Fellow southpaw Brycen Mautz was called up from Triple-A Memphis to take Ferguson’s spot on the 26-man roster, and St. Louis now has a vacancy on its 40-man roster since Mautz is already on the 40-man.

Mets Activate Juan Soto From Injured List

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:07:01 +0000

The Mets announced that Juan Soto has been activated from the 10-day injured list, with infielder Eric Wagaman optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move. Soto returns after a little more than a month on the IL due to a left calf strain.

After a right calf strain cost Soto a little under three weeks of time in April, he started to develop soreness in his left calf after the All-Star break, resulting in an IL placement on July 25. The slugger will make it back well within the estimated 4-to-6 recovery timeline, and Soto didn’t require any minor league rehab games.

As was the case following his first calf injury, New York will probably use Soto primarily as a DH in order to save his legs in the season’s final month. There is no point in risking any further injury with the Mets so far out of the playoff race, and so Soto will play out the string looking to add some more numbers to what has been another impressive performance when Soto has been healthy.

Over 359 plate appearances, Soto is hitting .283/.408/.539 with 21 homers. His 158 wRC+ exactly matches his career average from his first eight seasons, so Soto is still looking as dangerous as ever two seasons into his record-breaking 15-year, $765MM contract. While the Mets have yet to reach the postseason during Soto’s tenure, it is hard to place much or any blame on Soto for his team’s lack of success.

Red Sox Activate Garrett Whitlock From 15-Day Injured List

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 15:37:35 +0000

The Red Sox announced that right-hander Garrett Whitlock has been activated from the club’s 15-day injured list. Whitlock will take the place of righty Wyatt Olds, who was optioned to Triple-A Worcester in the corresponding move. Left-hander Raymond Burgos was also called up from Triple-A as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader with the Yankees.

Whitlock last pitched on August 9 and has since been sidelined by elbow inflammation. This was the second IL stint of the year for Whitlock, who missed the minimum 15 days in late May and early June due to some left knee inflammation. This elbow issue also proved to be minor enough that Whitlock is back in under three weeks, which is great news considering his importance within Boston’s bullpen.

Whitlock has a 2.05 ERA, 29.2% strikeout rate, and 4.2% walk rate over 44 innings this season. Beyond those elite metrics, Whitlock is also among the league’s best in barrel rate (3.6%) and chase rate (an absurd 42.2%). Boston’s relief corps is the best in baseball by most stats, as Whitlock, Tyron Guerrero, Jovani Moran, Greg Weissert, and more have been locking things down in front of star closer Aroldis Chapman.

This excellent bullpen was a key reason behind the 32-5 record the Red Sox posted from the last week of June through the first week of August. That incredible 37-game run took Boston from last place in the AL East to a firm grasp on a playoff spot, as the Sox enter today’s play as the second wild card team.

Cardinals Place Blaze Jordan On 10-Day Injured List

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 15:12:28 +0000

Prior to Friday’s game, the Cardinals placed third baseman Blaze Jordan on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain. Utilityman Thomas Saggese was called up from Triple-A to take Jordan’s spot on the active roster.

The IL placement was no surprise given that Jordan was forced out of Thursday’s 7-5 win over the Orioles. In the eighth inning, Gunnar Henderson headed from second to third on a grounder back to the mound, and pitcher George Soriano threw to Jordan at third base to complete the fielder’s choice out. Jordan had to make an awkward pivot to corral the throw and remain on the bag, and the result was the ankle sprain that now puts the rest of his rookie season in jeopardy.

Jordan told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters that tests didn’t reveal any structural damage. More will be known about Jordan’s potential recovery timeline once his swelling subsides in a few days, but Goold wrote that Jordan is “expected to miss several weeks.” With less than a month left in the regular season, chances are that Jordan won’t have enough runway left to get back into a few more games before the Cards conclude their schedule.

A third-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2020 draft, Jordan made his MLB debut on June 12, after Nolan Gorman was optioned to Triple-A in a shakeup of the team’s third base picture. Jordan has hit .247/.276/.382 with three homers over his first 199 plate appearances in the majors, and the right-handed hitter has performed much better against left-handed pitching (.823 OPS) than against righties (.556 OPS).

St. Louis is 68-68 and remains on the outskirts of the wild card race in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the team. Jordan was one of many young players who got an extended dose of playing time, and between his splits and his respectable defensive work at third base, Jordan had made a case for himself as at least a backup option heading into 2027. Beyond his work at the hot corner, Jordan has also gotten some action at first base, making him an interesting platoon option since Alec Burleson has continued to struggle against southpaws.

Cardinals third basemen have combined for just -0.1 bWAR in 2026, as the Phillies (-0.2 bWAR) are the only team in baseball to receive less from the hot corner. With none of Gorman, Jordan, Saggese, or Jose Fermin stepping up as an everyday option, St. Louis could look to re-sign Ramon Urias or bring in another veteran to help solidify the position, particularly if the Cards think their respectable 2026 record is a sign that they can contend next year.

Giants Notes: Adames, Mayer, Bullpen

Steve Adams — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 14:12:33 +0000

Giants shortstop Willy Adames was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his non-throwing elbow earlier this week. Rather than surgery, Adames received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Thursday and will go with a rest-and-rehab approach to his recovery, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The projected rehab timeline of 3-4 weeks obviously calls into question Adames’ availability for the remainder of the season. Even if he is cleared for baseball activity on the shorter end of that range, Adames will have little to no time for a minor league rehab assignment since the minor league schedule concludes on September 20.

Speaking with Slusser and other reporters, Adames said “I’m hoping that I can play in the last week [but] I don’t know how many days we’re going to have. But if I’m not 100 percent, I don’t think I’m going to push it. It would be different if we were in a different position, but even though I want to be out there every day, I have to feel 100 percent.”

With the Giants out of contention, Adames’ season seems likely to end with a .230/.289/.424 slash line and 21 homers in 505 plate appearances. Between the 97 wRC+ and some very poor defensive metrics at shortstop, Adames generated only 0.4 fWAR in the second season of his seven-year, $182MM contract. Adames described his year as “disappointing,” saying that “it felt like I couldn’t get it right this year, on defense or offense. So I’ll work on reevaluating what I was doing this year and then focus on all the points that I have to adjust and go about it in the offseason.”

Another player who’ll be firmly in the mix for 2027 infield work is new to the organization and still hasn’t yet made his Giants debut. Deadline acquisition Marcelo Mayer hasn’t played since June 25 due to a stress reaction in his left forearm, and just as it seemed Mayer was on the verge of being activated from the 10-day IL, his rehab assignment was halted last week due to a bone bruise in his right foot.

It doesn’t seem like Mayer’s setback will threaten to end his season, as Giants manager Tony Vitello told Slusser and company that Mayer is no longer wearing a walking boot, and is expected to start to ramp up baseball activity over the weekend. Because it has been over 60 days since Mayer’s last MLB game, the Giants can move him to the 60-day IL at any point if the club needs a 40-man roster spot.

The Mayer trade was one of the topics addressed by San Francisco GM Zack Minasian during a recent appearance on the Murph & Markus podcast. Reliever Erik Miller is controlled through the 2029 and “we didn’t necessarily have Erik as someone we were looking to move” as the deadline approached, Minasian said. The Giants therefore set a high asking price when the Red Sox came calling about Miller, and Mayer “wasn’t really made available in this type of deal until just a couple of hours before the trade deadline.”

The fourth overall pick of the 2021 draft has played in only 114 big league games since making his debut in 2025, as injuries have impacted both Mayer’s availability and likely his performance, as he has a modest .223/.278/.346 slash line to show for 364 PA for the Red Sox. Naturally that isn’t nearly a large enough sample size to close the door on a player who is still only 23 years old, and Mayer will now see if he can break out in a new environment. As Minasian put it, Mayer has “the type of upside we just felt like we had to take a chance on.”

Trading Miller removed another arm from a Giants bullpen that figures to be a clear target area this winter. Minasian noted that the relief corps has pitched decently well outside of the ninth inning itself, yet locking down games has been a major issue this season — San Francisco has almost as many blown saves (21) as saves (25).

“I know as a front office, we don’t feel comfortable obviously resting on what we have,” Minasian said. “You always want more talent. I don’t necessarily want to take away from some of the guys that we have that I think can be part of a really good bullpen,” yet the team would like to find a “bullpen ace” type to solidify late-game situations.

The Giants could go after one of the top free agent closers available (i.e. David Bednar or Raisel Iglesias), or such relievers as Adrian Morejon or Jason Adam have less full-time closing experience but would be fits if the Giants pursue just high-leverage arms rather than strict closers. Bounce-back candidates such as Evan Phillips or Kenley Jansen could also be on San Francisco’s radar. However the Giants choose to approach things, it certainly seems like the club will make the bullpen much more of a priority this winter after little relief help was added last offseason.

Tigers Re-Sign Nick Sandlin

Steve Adams — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 13:13:06 +0000

TODAY: The Tigers have re-signed Sandlin to a new minor league contract, as per the righty’s MLB.com profile page.

AUGUST 26: Right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin was released from the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. It’s possible the righty had an opt-out provision in his deal, as he’d been pitching pretty well over the past couple months.

From 2021-24, Sandlin was a staple in the Guardians’ bullpen. He worked a combined 195 1/3 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, 11.4% walk rate and 43.6% ground-ball rate in that time. Metrics like SIERA (3.70) and xFIP (4.11) felt he was a bit fortunate, surely due to a .232 average on balls in play and an elevated 77.7% strand rate, but Sandlin was a generally solid middle reliever for several years in Cleveland.

In the two years since, however, Sandlin hasn’t come close to his prior levels of production. Cleveland shipped him to Toronto alongside Andres Gimenez in the trade that briefly brought Spencer Horwitz to the Guardians (before he was immediately flipped to Pittsburgh for Luis Ortiz). Lat and elbow injuries tanked Sandlin’s 2025 season. He managed only 16 1/3 innings, though he at least logged a sharp 2.20 ERA in that time.

Sandlin’s pair of 2025 injuries likely contributed to a career-low 91.4 mph average velocity on his four-seamer last year — three full miles per hour shy of the 94.4 mph at which he sat as a rookie in 2021. Between that velocity loss and the fact that he finished out the season on the injured list owing to elbow inflammation, Toronto opted to drop him from the 40-man roster rather than give him a raise in arbitration.

Sandlin became a free agent and signed with the Angels. He tossed 8 2/3 innings with Anaheim this season but was roughed up for 11 runs on nine hits and five walks. The right-hander also plunked three opponents and only punched out six of the 40 batters he faced upon being cut loose. His four-seamer and sinker sat at the same levels as 2025 — three mph off their peak velocities.

The 29-year-old Sandlin went on to sign a minor league deal with Detroit. After a rocky start to his time with the Tigers’ top affiliate in Toledo, he settled into a groove. Over his past 20 1/3 innings (dating back to June 24), Sandlin touts a 2.21 ERA. He’s fanned 24 of the 81 batters he’s faced (29.6%), albeit against a 14.8% walk rate (12 of 81). He’s also hit a pair of batters.

Sandlin’s velocity is still sitting around 91.5 mph in Triple-A, and his command is still clearly sub-par. However, every contending club is looking for bullpen depth this time of season, and options are few and far between. Sandlin has a decent track record in the majors and has been throwing well in Toledo for the better part of two months now. It wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see a playoff hopeful scoop him up and stash him in Triple-A.

The Opener: White Sox, Skubal, Sosa, Doubleheaders

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 12:42:32 +0000

The White Sox improved to 71-63 after Friday’s 7-4 victory over the Twins, making some unique history in the process. As per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the 71 wins are the most of any team in history coming off at least three consecutive 100-loss seasons. Chicago’s unlikely rise from doormat to division leader has been one of the top stories of 2026, and between the Sox victory and the Guardians’ 3-0 loss to the Royals, the White Sox now lead the AL Central by 3.5 games.

1. Skubal shines in Detroit return

Less than a month removed from the blockbuster trade that sent Tarik Skubal from the Tigers to the Dodgers, the ace made his return to Comerica Park on Friday and soaked in some cheers from the Detroit fans. Skubal also delivered a quality start for the fourth time in five outings as a Dodger, as he held the Tigers to one run on four hits while striking out seven over six innings. It was only enough for a no-decision, since Los Angeles didn’t take the lead until Freddie Freeman‘s RBI single in the eighth inning proved to be the deciding hit in a 2-1 L.A. win. The Dodgers hold a nine-game lead over the Padres in the NL West, while the fading Tigers are 2-11 in their last 13 games and are now 5.5 games back of the last AL wild card slot.

2. Phillies score another wild late win

Wade Meckler (just activated from the seven-day concussion IL) made a spectacular catch to rob Bryson Stott of a three-run homer in the ninth inning of last night’s game between the Angels and Phillies. Stott was the second out of the inning, so it seemed like the Halos had avoided the crisis…until two batters later, when Edmundo Sosa‘s pinch-hit grand slam put Philadelphia ahead for good in an eventual 5-3 victory. This type of late drama is becoming almost routine for the Phillies, as The Athletic’s Jayson Stark notes that this was the fourth time this season Philadelphia has hit a go-ahead home run with two outs in the ninth. The Phillies are 11-2 in their last 13 games and comfortably hold a wild card position, but the club remains five games back in the NL East race since the first-place Braves have won five in a row.

3. Double the twin bills

Somewhere, Ernie Banks is smiling. Two doubleheaders are scheduled for today’s action, as the Red Sox face the Yankees twice and the Diamondbacks will play two against the Giants. The nightcap in the Bronx will feature the return of Max Fried, as the southpaw is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list after missing just the minimum amount of time recovering from a bone bruise in his left elbow. The two bitter rivals are both in wild card positions, with the Yankees holding a three-game lead over Boston following Friday’s 1-0 win. Over in San Francisco, the Diamondbacks improved to 9-2 over the Giants this season with a 10-6 victory on Friday. Merrill Kelly and Mitch Bratt are the scheduled starters for an Arizona team that is just a half-game behind the Padres for the final NL wild card berth.

Byron Buxton Could Undergo Offseason Hip Surgery

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 04:18:32 +0000

Owing to a litany of injuries, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has only played three seasons of 100-plus games since he debuted in 2015. The former No. 2 overall pick is pacing toward a fourth this year, having appeared in 93 games, but a nagging hip injury has hampered him. Buxton undergoing hip surgery in the offseason “is definitely a potential option as we sort through everything,” general manager Jeremy Zoll told Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com and other reporters on Friday.

Buxton avoided the injured list this year until a right hip strain sent him to the shelf on July 7. The 32-year-old came back two weeks later, only to return to the IL with a right hip impingement on July 29. The Twins activated Buxton on Aug. 13, but hip discomfort forced him to exit early in Tuesday’s loss to the Athletics. Although Buxton has not played since, the hope is he will avoid a third hip-related IL stint this season.

Buxton’s hip problems have likely contributed to a massive decline in production over the past couple months. He earned his fourth All-Star selection after slashing .271/.328/.525 with 25 home runs and a 148 wRC+ in 306 pre-break plate appearances. However, dating to his initial IL trip this season, Buxton has gone homer-less in 64 PA and hit a lifeless .172/.274/.203 (38 wRC+).

Standout prospect Walker Jenkins, whom the Twins promoted this week, made his debut Friday and covered center in Buxton’s absence. Jenkins went 1 for 3 with a walk, but the Twins were on the wrong end of a 7-4 outcome against the AL Central rival White Sox. Having lost six of seven, Minnesota is 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading White Sox and four out of a Wild Card spot. Their playoff odds are down to 8%, per FanGraphs. If Buxton goes back to the IL and the Twins continue to slide, it is fair to wonder if they will shut him down for the year. For now, Buxton is “still truly day to day,” Zoll said.

In better news for the Twins, right-hander Joe Ryan confirmed to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News he is progressing toward a return. Ryan, out since Aug. 7 with a mild left glute strain, will throw a bullpen session on Sunday. If that goes well, he might be ready for a rehab assignment. The 30-year-old has thrown 125 2/3 innings of 3.65 ERA ball with a 26.4% strikeout rate and a 5.2% walk rate this season. Among 108 pitchers who have amassed at least 100 innings, Ryan ranks 16th in K-BB percentage (21.2).

Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Becker, Imagn Images

Mariners Temporarily Move Bryce Miller To Bullpen

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 03:06:48 +0000

The Mariners are temporarily moving struggling right-hander Bryce Miller to the bullpen, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. Manager Dan Wilson called it a “short-term” switch, though it is unclear if Miller will return to the rotation this season.

This continues a tough couple of years for Miller, who has fallen short of expectations since he notched a sterling 2.94 ERA in 180 1/3 innings in 2024. While battling elbow troubles last year, Miller threw just 90 1/3 innings, slumped to a 5.68 ERA and saw his strikeout and walk numbers decline to notable degrees. Miller bounced back to allow just four earned runs in 14 1/3 frames in the playoffs, though he only combined for nine strikeouts in those three outings.

After falling one victory shy of winning their first pennant in 2025, the Mariners came into this year with World Series aspirations. They have instead posted a dismal 64-71 record during what has been a Murphy’s Law season. Miller is among several Mariners who have not performed as hoped, but that’s not to suggest he has been a liability. After missing the first month and a half with an oblique injury, the 28-year-old delivered superb results between his mid-May debut and the end of July.

Miller came into August with a 2.80 ERA and excellent strikeout and walk numbers (26.1% and 4.6%, respectively) over 74 innings. However, the wheels have come off over the past few weeks. He coughed up between four and six earned runs in all four August starts, including a 4 1/3-inning, six-ER performance in a 19-2 drubbing against the Cubs last Sunday. Miller walked seven in that game, upping his free pass total to 12 in 20 innings this month and contributing to a 9.00 ERA.

Miller’s ugly stretch has left him with a still-decent 4.12 ERA in 94 frames, and he continues to boast above-average K/BB numbers. To no surprise, general manager Justin Hollander expressed confidence that Miller will regain form.

“He’s been a very good major league starting pitcher for a long time, and he’s going to be one again,” Hollander said Friday.

Hollander added that the Mariners want to “let [Miller] focus for an inning or two at a time.” As a career-long starter since he came up in 2023, Miller is understandably disappointed. Hollander called breaking the news to Miller a “hard conversation,” but the hurler declared his goal remains to “put up a zero” whenever he gets the ball. The bullpen isn’t foreign to Miller, who Divish notes worked in relief at Texas A&M during his sophomore and junior seasons.

Miller is preparing to move back to the bullpen for the first time since his Aggies days, though a potential injury to righty Emerson Hancock could affect the M’s plans. After throwing five innings of five-run ball in an 8-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday, Hancock said he tweaked his left groin. The Mariners will see how Hancock is doing on Saturday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com relays.

Unless Hancock misses time, he will continue to team with Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Kade Anderson in Seattle’s rotation. That group may be talented enough to lead the Mariners on a late-season charge to the playoffs, but time is running out. On the heels of their latest loss, the Mariners are four games back in both the AL West and Wild Card races.

Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images

Larry Christenson Passes Away

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 01:48:58 +0000

Former Phillies right-hander Larry Christenson passed away unexpectedly on Friday, the team announced. Christenson was 72 years old.

“It is with great sadness that we just learned of the passing of Larry Christenson who was a friend for 50 years,” Hall of Famer and longtime teammate Mike Schmidt said. “Larry was very special, the guy that kept in touch with all of us, he always had a smile on his face, he never forgot a moment he spent with you. His passing will leave a hole in all of our hearts. May he rest in peace.”

Christenson, the third overall pick in the 1972 draft, debuted as a 19-year-old the next season and became the youngest player in the majors. Making the first of 220 starts in the bigs, Christenson fired a complete game and stifled the Mets in a 7-1 victory. It was the beginning of a highly successful career for Christenson, who spent all 11 of his seasons with the Phillies.

Christenson enjoyed his best stretch from 1975-78, a 128-appearance, 122-start run in which he tossed 787 2/3 innings of 3.66 ERA ball and went 56-34. With Steve Carlton, Jim Kaat, Jim Lonborg and Tom Underwood also in their rotation for most of that period, the Phillies made the playoffs in three of those four years. Christenson set single-season bests in innings (228; 1978), ERA (3.24; 1978) and wins (19; 1977) along the way.

Aside from a 33-start, 223-inning 1982 season in which Christenson posted a 3.47 ERA, injuries were a frequent problem from 1979 onward. Christenson made just 14 starts and threw 73 2/3 innings of 4.03 ERA ball during the regular season in 1980, but his contributions helped the Phillies earn another playoff berth. They went on to win their first World Series title that fall, upending the Royals in six games.

Christenson underwent elbow surgery in 1983, limiting him to nine starts and 48 1/3 frames. The Phillies released him after the season, and he never pitched again. Christenson wrapped up his career with an 83-71 regular-season record and a 3.79 ERA over 243 appearances and 1,402 2/3 innings. He also hit 11 home runs, tied with Rick Wise for most among pitchers in franchise history. He remained active in Phillies charities and other nonprofits in Philadelphia in his post-playing days.

“My heart is heavy today,” Phillies icon Larry Bowa stated. “LC was a tremendous teammate, an outstanding pitcher and a true friend. Win or lose, he was always the life of the clubhouse. He loved the game and enjoyed every minute of his big league career. He will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

MLBTR sends our condolences to Christenson’s family, friends, fans and former Phillies teammates.

Jack Leiter Suffers Setback In Rehab

Connor Byrne — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:54:03 +0000

Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter had been working back from the arthroscopic ankle surgery he underwent in late June, but a potential return is now on hold. The Rangers are temporarily shutting Leiter down as a result of biceps soreness, per Zach Sweat of MLB.com. Manager Skip Schumaker said the Rangers will “reevaluate what that looks like in the next couple of days.”

The hard-throwing Leiter hasn’t taken the mound for the Rangers since June 18, when he yielded six earned runs over four innings in a 9-3 loss to the Twins. It was the third straight rough start for the 26-year-old, who has recorded a bloated 5.29 ERA across 15 starts and 80 innings in 2026. Leiter put up a much better 3.86 mark in 29 starts and 152 2/3 frames in 2025, the former second overall pick’s first full season.

Fielding-independent metrics like SIERA (4.21), xFIP (4.24), FIP (4.75) and xERA (4.83) each suggest positive regression is on the way for Leiter if he returns this year. Whether he does will depend on the severity of his latest injury.

Leiter’s biceps discomfort cropped up during a one-inning rehab appearance with Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, Schumaker revealed. The issue figures to decrease the odds of Leiter rejoining the Rangers’ rotation in September, and it comes at a time when they were already considering using him as a reliever. When discussing Leiter earlier this week, Schumaker said that “there is a 50-50 chance that he’s going to be out of the bullpen,” per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

On Aug. 9, several weeks after Leiter underwent surgery, the Rangers sent fellow starter Nathan Eovaldi to the IL with elbow inflammation. Eovaldi remains out, leaving the Rangers with a rotation of Jacob deGrom, MacKenzie Gore, Cody Bradford, Cal Quantrill and Kumar Rocker. The 38-year-old deGrom, who has had a couple of blowups over the past several weeks, has seen his ERA climb from 3.48 to 4.21 since the beginning of July. Gore (4.40) and Rocker (4.41) have been slightly worse at keeping runs off the board, though Bradford and Quantrill have been effective in that department.

Bradford, who missed all of last year with elbow problems and made his 2026 debut on Aug. 5, entered Friday with a stingy 3.05 ERA over a limited sample of 20 2/3 innings. Quantrill has only made 10 starts in 27 appearances, but the 31-year-old journeyman has delivered shockingly strong results. After combining for 13 shutout innings in his two most recent starts (wins against the Nationals and Angels), he owns a 2.90 ERA through 83 2/3 frames. Quantrill brings below-average velocity to the table and has struck out just 17.3% of hitters, but his contributions have helped the Rangers stay in the AL West race. Despite a lackluster 66-68 record, they are just one game behind the division-leading Astros.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images