Rockies Place Jose Quintana On Injured List
The Rockies announced they’ve placed starter Jose Quintana on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to March 30, meaning he’ll be eligible to return on April 14. Colorado recalled righty Valente Bellozo from Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move.
Colorado also optioned infielder Ryan Ritter this evening. They haven’t replaced him on the active roster but will do so tomorrow. Outfielder Mickey Moniak will be eligible for reinstatement from his 10-day injured list stint; he’ll presumably be the corresponding move.
The Rox are idle tonight before hosting Philadelphia for a three-game weekend series. Teams don’t typically announce minor transactions like this during off days. Injured list placements can be backdated by a maximum of three days, however, so the Rox would have delayed Quintana’s eligibility for reinstatement if they waited to make that move until tomorrow.
Quintana made his team debut on Monday against the Marlins. He allowed four hits and walked four batters in 4 1/3 innings. The veteran southpaw mostly managed to work around the traffic and only allowed two runs. He departed with a one-run lead, though Miami would win 4-3 on Owen Caissie’s walk-off two-run homer with two outs in the ninth.
There was no indication that Quintana was injured during the game. It’s unclear if the issue developed during a midweek throwing session. Michael Lorenzen will open the series against Aaron Nola tomorrow. Quintana was slated to oppose Jesús Luzardo on Saturday evening. Bellozo would be on six days rest after throwing three Triple-A frames on Sunday. He could step into Quintana’s rotation spot or work in long relief if they want to give Chase Dollander a couple turns as a starter.
Mariners Request Release Waivers On Ryan Loutos
April 2: The Mariners announced Thursday that they’ve requested release waivers on Loutos, who’s out with an undisclosed injury. Since injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, Seattle will opt for release waivers. It’s common in these situations for the player to quickly re-sign on a minor league deal, but that’s not a given. Loutos will be able to talk to all 29 other clubs now.
March 31: The Mariners announced they’ve designated reliever Ryan Loutos for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man roster move for the now official Colt Emerson extension. Although Emerson will remain in Triple-A on an optional assignment, the M’s needed to carry him on the 40-man once he signed a major league contract.
That roster quirk is an unfortunate development for Loutos, who gets pushed into DFA limbo as a result. The 27-year-old righty hasn’t pitched in a regular season game with Seattle. The Mariners claimed him off waivers from Washington at the beginning of the offseason. He made four appearances in Spring Training, allowing seven runs (six earned) through three innings.
A former undrafted free agent, Loutos has pitched for three teams at the MLB level. He has a total of 15 career appearances divided between the Cardinals, Dodgers and Nationals. Loutos had a tough go against MLB hitters, who have put up 21 runs with more walks than strikeouts across 14 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old righty has an ERA just under 5.00 while striking out 24% of opponents over parts of four Triple-A campaigns.
The M’s have five days to trade Loutos or place him on waivers. He sits in the 95 mph range with his four-seam fastball and sinker while mixing in a slider and changeup. Loutos has a minor league option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A if another team is willing to carry him on the 40-man roster.
Rockies Sign Andrew Knizner To Minor League Deal
The Rockies signed catcher Andrew Knizner to a minor league contract on Wednesday. Although the team didn’t announce the move, the 31-year-old jumped right into action tonight with Triple-A Albuquerque.
Knizner hit the market at the end of camp when he was released by the Mariners. He had signed a one-year, $1MM free agent deal with Seattle in December. Knizner surely felt he was the favorite to back up Cal Raleigh at the time, as he was the only other catcher on the M’s 40-man roster. They re-signed Mitch Garver on a minor league contract at the beginning of Spring Training.
Seattle opted to run it back with a Raleigh/Garver pairing. They also swung a trade for an optionable third catcher, Jhonny Pereda, in the interim. Knizner has over five years of service time, meaning he could refuse a minor league assignment while collecting his full salary. Rather than report to Triple-A Tacoma, he tested the market for a clearer path back to the big leagues.
That won’t come immediately, but there’s a decent chance he can play his way into an MLB look with Colorado. The Rox opted for light-hitting minor league signee Brett Sullivan as their backup catcher to begin the season. Third catcher Braxton Fulford still has a couple options remaining and has hit .221/.272/.354 in 41 big league contests. Hunter Goodman is going to be in the lineup almost every day, but no one has a firm hold on the backup job.
Knizner hasn’t provided much offensively at the MLB level either. He’s a career .211/.281/.316 hitter in just under 1000 plate appearances. The former seventh-round pick owns a much stronger .292/.387/.443 line over parts of four Triple-A campaigns. He’ll pair with Fulford behind the dish in Albuquerque with Kyle McCann on the injured list.
Braves Outright Brett Wisely
Braves infielder Brett Wisely cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. He’ll remain in the organization in a non-roster capacity, as he doesn’t have the previous career outright or three years of service time to elect free agency.
Wisely was designated for assignment as part of Atlanta’s Opening Day roster shuffle. He’s out of minor league options and needed to win a spot on the season-opening bench or go on waivers. Atlanta carried Kyle Farmer as their final bench piece to squeeze Wisely off the roster. The Braves had already designated him for assignment once over the offseason. They traded him to Tampa Bay, then reacquired him a month later for cash.
The 26-year-old Wisely has appeared at the big league level in each of the past three seasons. He spent the majority of that time with the Giants, who lost him on waivers to Atlanta in the waning days of the 2025 campaign. Wisely is a .214/.265/.319 hitter in a little under 500 trips to the plate at the MLB level. He has been a much more productive offensive player in the minors, batting .275/.372/.433 over 835 Triple-A plate appearances.
Wisely joins Nacho Alvarez Jr., Rowdy Tellez, Luke Williams and Aaron Schunk among depth infielders with Gwinnett. Alvarez is the only one of that group who occupies a 40-man spot. He’s their only healthy rostered position player below the MLB level, though the Braves have three or four players who could go on the 60-day injured list if they need to create 40-man space following any injuries.
Giants Re-Sign Eric Haase To Minor League Deal
The Giants have apparently re-signed catcher Eric Haase to a minor league contract. The Warner Sports Management client is in the lineup tonight for Triple-A Sacramento. Haase had been released from his previous minor league deal at the end of Spring Training.
He was competing with Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac and prospect Jesús Rodríguez for the backup job behind Patrick Bailey. The 33-year-old Haase hit .286 with a couple home runs while striking out 14 times in 32 plate appearances this spring. San Francisco stuck with Susac in the backup role. They optioned Rodríguez while granting Haase his release.
After a few days on the open market, Haase returns to the club. He’ll work alongside Rodríguez and Logan Porter as part of the Triple-A catching group. Haase has easily the most MLB experience of any catcher in the organization aside from Bailey. He has just over four years of service time and has taken more than 1200 plate appearances in a little under 400 games.
Haase is a lifetime .228/.278/.396 hitter at the big league level. He has plus power from the right side that comes with a lot of swing and miss. Haase has always been a bat-first option who probably profiles best in the third catcher role he’ll play now that he’s back with San Francisco.
Dodgers Claim Grant Holman From D-Backs
The Dodgers announced they’ve claimed reliever Grant Holman off waivers from the Diamondbacks. Arizona designated the righty for assignment on Opening Day when they needed a roster spot for a trio of minor league signees who broke camp. Los Angeles moved Gavin Stone from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Holman spent six weeks in the Arizona organization. The D-Backs had claimed him off waivers from the A’s at the beginning of camp. The UC Berkeley product has pitched parts of two seasons in green and gold. Holman combined for 40 appearances from 2024-25, turning in a 4.66 earned run average over 38 2/3 innings. He struck out 18.8% of opponents against a 10.2% walk percentage.
The 25-year-old Holman has missed more bats in the minors, fanning 27.3% of batters faced while allowing exactly three earned runs per nine over five seasons. That includes a 0.70 ERA over 38 2/3 frames at the Triple-A level despite pitching in the Pacific Coast League. Holman has a 94-95 mph fastball and leans mostly on a split as his best secondary offering. He also occasionally mixes in a slider against right-handed hitters.
It’s the second depth acquisition of the day for the Dodgers. They brought in lefty Jake Eder in a cash trade this morning. Both pitchers have a minor league option year and can head to Triple-A Oklahoma City for the time being.
Stone opened the season on the 15-day injured list after experiencing shoulder inflammation at the start of camp. He has avoided any structural damage but didn’t pitch again during Spring Training. Stone missed the entire 2025 season following a labrum and rotator cuff repair on that shoulder in October ’24. The Dodgers will approach the situation with caution.
Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Stone recently restarted his throwing program (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’s essentially beginning a new Spring Training build from scratch and is weeks away from a minor league rehab assignment. Stone’s 60-day clock backdates to Opening Day. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement on May 24.
Cardinals Have Shown Interest In JJ Wetherholt Extension
The Cardinals have interest in an extension with JJ Wetherholt, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. There’s no indication talks have gotten far, though it’s understandable that St. Louis would like to keep the rookie beyond his six-year window of club control.
Wetherholt was the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft. The University of West Virginia product mashed throughout his first full minor league season, batting .306/.421/.510 between the top two levels. He’s a consensus top prospect whom the Cardinals carried on the Opening Day roster and have immediately plugged in as their leadoff hitter. Wetherholt can play shortstop but is ticketed for second base work in St. Louis thanks to Masyn Winn.
The 23-year-old has had a nice first week in the big leagues, collecting six hits (including a homer) with two walks and three strikeouts through 23 plate appearances. A five-game sample isn’t going to have much bearing on extension talks. The Cardinals’ interest in a long-term deal is rooted more in his college and minor league excellence. By and large, there’s a strong track record for elite position player prospects who have performed as well as Wetherholt has at every stop.
Colt Emerson set a new record for the largest pre-debut extension in MLB history this morning. The Mariners shortstop/third base prospect signed an eight-year, $95MM guarantee with a club option for a ninth season. It’s not a perfect parallel to Wetherholt, who is already at the MLB level. That said, Wetherholt’s camp at Covenant Sports Group is surely aware of the Emerson deal establishing a new standard for an early-career contract. The two are in a similar prospect tier. As a college draftee, Wetherholt is a couple years older.
Emerson’s deal handily beat the $60MM extension that Kristian Campbell signed during his first week in the majors last April. Roman Anthony signed for $130MM last August when he had a little under 200 big league plate appearances. The Cardinals are probably reluctant to go that far a week into Wetherholt’s career, but his camp may already look for nine figures.
The Prospect Promotion Incentive is among the reasons Wetherholt broke camp. St. Louis would receive a bonus draft choice after the first round if he wins Rookie of the Year or finishes top three in MVP voting within his first three seasons. The PPI does not apply to players who sign extensions before their debut (e.g. Emerson) but would remain in place if the Cards get a long-term deal done with Wetherholt now that he has MLB time under his belt.
Orioles To Select Albert Suárez
The Orioles will select swingman Albert Suárez onto the big league roster, reports Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. Manager Craig Albernaz confirmed this evening that the O’s expect Zach Eflin to land on the injured list after he left tonight’s start with elbow discomfort.
Suárez will need to be added to the 40-man roster. That’s at capacity, so they’ll either designate someone for assignment or place an injured player on the 60-day injured list. Jordan Westburg is a borderline 60-day IL candidate. Eflin could be as well depending on the results of tomorrow’s MRI. Otherwise, recent DFA trade pickups Johnathan Rodríguez and Jayvien Sandridge probably occupy the final two spots on the 40-man roster.
Dean Kremer seems likely to step into the open rotation spot. Baltimore can operate with a four-man rotation in the interim. Trevor Rogers goes tomorrow opposite Nathan Eovaldi as they look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rangers. The O’s are off on Thursday before heading to Pittsburgh for a weekend series. They’ll need to replace Eflin in the rotation by next week’s series against the White Sox.
Suárez adds a multi-inning arm to Albernaz’s bullpen. The O’s used three relievers — Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia for multiple innings — after Chris Bassitt was knocked out by the fifth inning on Monday. Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, Yaramil Hiraldo and Anthony Nunez all pitched tonight due to Eflin’s fourth-inning injury. Closer Ryan Helsley is their only reliever who hasn’t been called upon yet in the series.
The 36-year-old Suárez will be appearing in his third straight season with the Orioles. He was a nice find out of the KBO and turned in a 3.70 ERA across 133 2/3 innings two years ago. Shoulder and elbow injuries limited him to five appearances and 11 2/3 frames last season.
That cost him his 40-man roster spot at season’s end, but the O’s brought him back on a minor league deal. Suárez had a tough spring, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) with nine strikeouts and five walks through 10 2/3 innings. He began the season with Triple-A Norfolk but hasn’t made an appearance through their first four games.
Zach Eflin Going For MRI With Elbow Discomfort
8:36pm: Manager Craig Albernaz confirmed the O’s anticipate placing Eflin on the 15-day injured list (via Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner). The team will know more after he goes for imaging tomorrow. Baltimore is off Thursday and could operate with an extra reliever for a few games. They’ll presumably recall Kremer to step into the rotation by the middle of next week.
8:31pm: Orioles righty Zach Eflin left his season debut tonight in the fourth inning after a visit from the trainers. The team announced the issue as elbow discomfort and will surely have more details over the next few days.
The injury seemingly occurred on a 76 mph curveball to Texas third baseman Ezequiel Duran. Eflin had pitched well before the injury, striking out seven while allowing one run across 3 2/3 frames. His velocity was fine throughout the appearance and there was no indication the veteran righty was struggling physically until his last pitch. Baltimore’s bullpen would give up seven runs over the final 4 1/3 innings and take an 8-5 loss.
Eflin has unfortunately battled a number of injuries throughout his career. Knee issues were the main concern during his early days with the Phillies. Over the past couple seasons, he had been bothered more frequently by back and arm issues. Eflin had brief injured list stints related to his lower back in both 2023 and ’24. He had three trips to the IL last year, a season in which he was limited to 14 starts.
The 31-year-old suffered a lat strain in April, knocking him out for a month. The back flared up not long after he returned. A second back injury resulted in a lumbar microdiscectomy that ended his season. Eflin returned to the O’s on a one-year, $10MM free agent deal midway through the rehab. That went without issue, but his return for the start of the season is clouded by possible concern about the elbow.
If Eflin hits the injured list, the O’s would presumably turn to Dean Kremer to round out the rotation. Baltimore optioned him to Triple-A to begin the season. It was a numbers game more than anything, as they would have needed to go to a six-man rotation if they didn’t want to use Kremer out of the bullpen. He’s a perfectly capable fifth starter who’d slot behind Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt.
Astros’ Zach Cole Suffers Broken Toe
Astros outfielder Zach Cole broke a toe on his right foot while playing in a Triple-A game, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. He was hit by a pitch from Rangers’ non-roster reliever Mason Thompson in the fourth inning on Sunday. He’s out indefinitely, according to McTaggart.
It’s a hit to an already thin Houston outfield. Cole entered Spring Training with a strong chance to secure his first Opening Day roster spot. He’s a left-handed hitter in an outfield that leans very heavily to the right side. The Astros didn’t find a trade for lefty-batting outfielder despite general manager Dana Brown repeatedly citing that as an offseason goal.
The 25-year-old Cole had a rough Spring Training, however, ultimately playing his way off the MLB roster. He struck out 20 times in 50 trips to the plate. The pure hitting ability has been the big question throughout Cole’s career. He has fanned at more than a 30% rate at virtually every stop. That includes 20 strikeouts over 52 MLB plate appearances as a September call-up last year.
Cole also connected on four home runs and a pair of doubles in his first 15 major league games. He hit 19 homers and stole 16 bases while batting .279/.377/.539 in the minors last year. Cole’s power and ability to play anywhere in the outfield could make him an intriguing fourth or fifth outfielder even if he’s unlikely to make enough contact to profile as an everyday player.
There’s no immediate change to Houston’s big league outfield picture. Cam Smith is playing every day in right field. Jake Meyers is the primary center fielder, while Joey Loperfido and Brice Matthews are working in a left field platoon. With Zach Dezenzo opening the season on the injured list, third baseman/corner outfielder Shay Whitcomb is their only healthy position player on optional assignment. He’d presumably be recalled if any of Houston’s big league hitters require an IL stint.