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Pirates Claim Jack Little

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The Pirates announced that they have claimed right-hander Jack Little off waivers from the Dodgers and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Dodgers designated him for assignment two days ago. The Pirates had a couple of vacancies on their 40-man roster, with this move bumping their count to 39.

Little, 27, was called up to the big leagues for the first time less than two months ago. The Dodgers selected him to their 40-man on June 19th. Since then, he’s largely been on optional assignment. His big league track record consists of just three innings over two appearances. In those, Little allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two. He averaged 94 miles per hour on his fastball while also throwing a splitter and a slider.

Presumably, the Bucs are more interested in his larger sample of work as a minor leaguer. He was first promoted to the Triple-A level in June of last year. Since then, he has logged 79 innings for Oklahoma City with a 4.67 earned run average. It’s perhaps important to note that the Comets play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. While the 4.67 ERA may not be especially impressive, his 23.3% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rates are pretty close to typical big league averages.

Little still has a full slate of options and just a handful of service days, meaning he could be a cheap depth piece for the foreseeable future, if he can hang onto his roster spot. The Bucs had some open spots on that roster, so they can get a free look at him for now and see how things go in Indianapolis. They traded David Bednar and Caleb Ferguson ahead of the deadline, putting a dent in their bullpen depth, so Little backfills a bit of that.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin, Oncea-Imagn Images

Astros Reinstate Spencer Arrighetti, Transfer Isaac Paredes To 60-Day IL

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The Astros announced today that right-hander Spencer Arrighetti has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Righty AJ Blubaugh has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land as the corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, infielder Isaac Paredes has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Arrighetti had a decent debut with the Astros last year, tossing 145 innings with a 4.53 earned run average. His 10.3% walk rate was a bit high but he punched out 27.1% of batters faced. Ideally, he would have built on that foundation in 2025 but a freak injury got in the way. He was throwing on the field during pregame batting practice when an errant ball struck him and broke his thumb. He had made just two starts before landing on the IL and has been out of action until today.

That was one of many rotation injuries suffered by the Astros this year. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski required Tommy John surgery. Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and J.P. France are still trying to get healthy after surgeries in previous years. Brandon Walter is on the IL due to elbow inflammation while Lance McCullers Jr. is sidelined by a blister.

Despite all that, the Astros are having a great year, currently atop the American League West. That’s thanks in large part to huge contributions from Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez. Arrighetti can now join those two in the rotation, alongside Colton Gordon and Jason Alexander. Each of Javier, Garcia and France have begun rehab assignments, so they could be factors in the coming weeks.

As for Paredes, he landed on the 10-day IL on July 20th due to a right hamstring strain. All the reporting out of Houston has indicated the strain is significant and could perhaps end his season. Per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, surgery was a possibility, though that would have come with a six-month recovery period. Paredes is instead trying the rest-and-rehab approach, which gives him a chance to return late in the season.

Though it’s possible Paredes could be back, the Astros aren’t relying on it. They acquired old friend Carlos Correa from the Twins ahead of the trade deadline to take over for Paredes at third base. Today’s transfer indicates they don’t expect Paredes to be back before the middle of September, as the 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement. If he is able to come back, it’s unclear where he will play, but the club’s designated hitter spot is open for now with Yordan Alvarez also on the IL. Paredes could also perhaps slide over to second or first base, though it’s also possible future injuries will open playing time between now and the end of the season.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” general manager Dana Brown said, per McTaggart. “We have multiple infielders who can play multiple positions, and that’s very helpful. That would be a good decision to have to make.”

Photo courtesy of Jordan Johnson, Imagn Images

Padres Outright Trenton Brooks

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The Padres have sent first baseman/left fielder Trenton Brooks outright to Triple-A El Paso, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. He has the right to elect free agency though the log doesn’t indicate if he has done so.

Brooks, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Friars in the offseason. He was selected to the big league roster in the middle of June and held a spot for about six weeks but without playing much. He stepped to the plate 43 times with 13 strikeouts and two walks, leading to a .146/.186/.268 line.

The Padres made a number of notable upgrades ahead of the deadline, adding Ramón Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, Freddy Fermin and Will Wagner to the position player mix. Those moves bumped Brooks off the roster and onto the waiver wire, with no club claiming him. He was also outrighted by the Giants last year, which is why he has the right to elect free agency this time.

If he accepts his outright assignment, he could perhaps get more playing time in Triple-A but he wouldn’t have a great path back to the majors now that the San Diego roster has been bolstered. If he were to elect free agency, perhaps he could find interest from a club with more theoretical playing time available. His major league track record isn’t good but he has always hit in the minors. From the start of 2022 to the present day, he has a 14.5% walk rate, 15.3% strikeout rate, .292/.397/.501 line and 126 wRC+ in 1,540 Triple-A plate appearances.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Terrin Vavra Accepts Outright Assignment With Orioles

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The Orioles announced that infielder/outfielder Terrin Vavra has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency but the O’s say he has accepted and will report to the Tides.

Vavra, 28, signed a minor league deal with the O’s in the offseason. He has seemingly been the club’s “break glass in case of emergency” player. He was selected to the big league roster in May when Ramón Laureano hit the injured list. The next day, the O’s signed Cooper Hummel. Vavra did not appear in a game before being designated for assignment, clearing waivers and accepting an outright assignment.

Ahead of the deadline, the O’s traded Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Ramón Urías, opening up a lot of playing time on the position player side of things. Vavra got selected back to the roster on Friday. He got put into Saturday’s game as a pinch hitter, lining out in his one plate appearance. He was designated for assignment again on Sunday when the O’s grabbed Ryan Noda off waivers.

He’ll now return to his role as a non-roster depth player. He brings a bit of experience to the table, as he has appeared in 68 big league contests, though his recent lineout is his only action since 2023. He has a .252/.329/.302 batting line and 84 wRC+ in the big leagues.

He put up some strong numbers earlier in his minor league career but hasn’t been as impressive lately. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2023 and has a .241/.343/.342 line and 91 wRC+ on the farm since then. He has at least some experience at every position on the diamond, including one inning of Triple-A mop-up work on the mound.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Designate Ali Sánchez For Assignment, Select Buddy Kennedy

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The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy. In a corresponding move, catcher Ali Sánchez has been designated for assignment. The 40-man roster remains full.

Sánchez was selected to the roster a little over a week ago when Alejandro Kirk landed on the seven-day concussion-related injured list. Kirk was reinstated on Sunday but Tyler Heineman had been removed from Saturday’s contest after being struck by a foul ball. The Jays decided to keep all three catchers for a few days to buy some time as they evaluated Heineman.

In order to keep that catching depth, they had to cut into their infield group, as Leo Jiménez was optioned down to Triple-A Buffalo move as the corresponding move for Kirk’s activation. It now appears the club is satisfied with Heineman’s health enough to restore the previous balance, so they have swapped out a catcher for an infielder. Since Sánchez is out of options, he had to be removed from the 40-man roster. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Jays will have to place him on waivers.

It’s the second time this year that Sánchez has gotten a brief stint on the roster as an injury replacement. He was called up in May when Heineman was on the concussion IL. Sánchez was designated for assignment just over a week later when Heineman was reinstated. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and re-signed on a new minor league deal, which allowed him to get back to the big leagues again when Kirk got hurt. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.

Around the transactions, Sánchez has hit .238/.238/.333 in 21 big league plate appearances. He has a strong .279/.347/.419 line and 107 wRC+ in 199 Triple-A plate appearances this year. The Jays added some catching depth ahead of the deadline by sending Will Wagner to the Padres for Brandon Valenzuela, but Valenzuela has no big league experience and even limited time at Triple-A. The Jays would presumably be open to bringing Sánchez back in a non-roster capacity so he could again be the first man up if one of the big league catchers gets hurt.

Simply recalling Jiménez to retake his roster spot wasn’t a possibility since the ten-day minimum stint for an optional assignment hadn’t yet elapsed, so the Jays have tapped Kennedy instead. Kennedy signed a minor league deal with the Jays a few weeks ago after being cut loose by the Phillies. He has since played 16 games for the Bisons with a dismal .207/.309/.259 line.

That’s not too far off from the .193/.287/.296 line he has in his major league career, but his larger body of work at the Triple-A level is better. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has a .268/.372/.408 line and 111 wRC+ at the top minor league level. He has big league experience at the non-shortstop infield positions.

Kennedy is out of options and may have a tenuous grip on a roster spot. Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, both Andrés Giménez and George Springer are beginning rehab assignments this week, so the Jays will need to open some more roster spots soon.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Angels Outright José Quijada

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The Angels have sent left-hander José Quijada outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week.

Quijada, 29, has the right to elect free agency but it’s unlikely he will do so. Players with at least three years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments and head to the open market. But if they have less than five years, they have to forfeit any remaining salary commitments in order to exercise that right. Quijada is in that three-to-five-year window. He and the Angels avoided arbitration in the offseason by agreeing to a $1.075MM salary. There’s a little over $300K still to be paid out. Presumably, he’ll want to collect that money and will report to Salt Lake.

That sequence of events played out in March, leaving Quijada as non-roster depth for the Halos. He was selected back to the big league roster a week before the deadline. He made two scoreless appearances but was bumped back off the roster when the Angels acquired Andrew Chafin and Luis García from the Nationals.

Quijada now returns to the depth role he’s been in for most of this year. He had some good results for the Angels earlier in his career but missed most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to Tommy John surgery. This year, the Angels had him with the Double-A Trash Pandas prior to his promotion. He put up good numbers there, with a 2.73 earned run average in 26 1/3 innings. His 8.6% walk rate and 42.6% ground ball rate were both decent figures, while his 37.1% strikeout rate was quite strong.

He’ll now report to Salt Lake, which should be more of a challenge. In addition to simply being one level closer to the majors, the Bees play in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He’ll try to put up some good numbers there and position himself to be called back up when the Angels next need a fresh arm in the big leagues.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

Astros Outright Zack Short

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Infielder Zack Short has been sent outright to Triple-A Sugar Land, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. He has the right to elect free agency though the log doesn’t say he will do so. Infielder Luis Guillorme has been released by the Space Cowboys, according to his transactions tracker.

Short, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Astros in the offseason. He was selected to the big league roster in early July as the club was dealing with injuries to Jeremy Peña, Brendan Rodgers, Zach Dezenzo and Guillorme.

Short got into 22 games, taking up a lot of Peña’s shortstop playing time. He hit .220/.291/.380 in 56 plate appearances, hitting two home runs but also striking out at 32.1% clip. The Astros bolstered their infield at the deadline by acquiring old friend Carlos Correa as well as Ramón Urías. In addition to that, Peña was able to come off the IL the day after the deadline.

All of those developments nudged Short off the roster. Since he’s out of options, he got pushed onto the waiver wire and has passed through unclaimed. If he decides to accept the assignment, he’ll provide the Astros with some non-roster depth. He hasn’t hit much in his big league career but can play the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as a bit of outfield.

Guillorme’s release is a bit curious since he was just re-signed to a new minor league deal five days ago. Perhaps he received a big league offer with another club or maybe the Space Cowboys needed to open a roster spot for Short.

He has generally been a subpar hitter in his career but has received strong grades for his second base defense while also having the ability to play shortstop and third base. He should be able to find another landing spot shortly, if he hasn’t already.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Twins Claim Brooks Kriske, Designate Darren McCaughan For Assignment

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The Twins announced that they have claimed right-hander Brooks Kriske off waivers from the Cubs. They also announced their claim of Thomas Hatch from the Royals and their reinstatement of Luke Keaschall from the 60-day injured list, moves which were previously reported. To open spots for those three, they optioned outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and righty Noah Davis to Triple-A St. Paul while righty Darren McCaughan has been designated for assignment.

Kriske, 31, has 27 2/3 innings of major league experience with an 8.78 earned run average. That ERA was even higher not too long ago, as Kriske has lowered it by throwing six scoreless innings for the Cubs this year. While putting up zeroes is nice, he worked around five walks while striking out four in that time.

It’s a small sample of work but Kriske has been really good in Triple-A this year. In 31 2/3 innings for Iowa, he has a 3.13 ERA, 39.4% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate. Those strikeouts aren’t really new for him but he’s usually paired them with more walks. From 2021 to 2024, he struck out 35.5% of minor league opponents but also gave out free passes at a 13.3% clip. He also spent some time pitching in Japan with a 26.9% strikeout rate and 15.2% walk rate.

The Twins are looking for warm bodies for their bullpen. Ahead of the deadline, they traded Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe. They have since called up various minor leaguers to fill the void and have also now grabbed Kriske and Hatch. They are both out of options, which led to them ending up on waivers, so the Twins may bump them back off the roster later in the year. But for now, they provide the club with some fresh arms and add some extra depth.

McCaughan, 29, was also one of those fresh arms. The Twins selected him to the big league roster just yesterday. He didn’t pitch in yesterday’s game but the club apparently liked Kriske and/or Hatch better. Since McCaughan is also out of options, he has been bumped off the 40-man spot that he just got a bit more than 24 hours ago.

He now heads into DFA limbo. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Twins will have to put him on waivers. He has 61 1/3 major league innings on his track record with a 6.02 ERA, 16.2% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 37.7% ground ball rate. He has thrown 72 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 5.35 ERA, 20.1% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 34.1% ground ball rate.

Photo courtesy of Lily Smith, Imagn Images

Nationals Activate PJ Poulin For MLB Debut

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The Nationals announced today that left-hander PJ Poulin, recently claimed off waivers from the Tigers, has been added to the active roster. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. The club also recalled right-hander Clayton Beeter and optioned righties Zach Brzykcy and Ryan Loutos in corresponding moves. TalkNats reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

It’s been a long journey to the big leagues for the lefty Poulin, now 29 years old, who was drafted by the Rockies back in 2018. With that organization, he reached Triple-A in 2022 and pitched at that level in 2023 as well. However, his results weren’t great for the Isotopes. He had a 6.20 earned run average in 69 2/3 innings for Albuquerque over those two seasons.

In March of 2024, the Rockies flipped him to the Tigers for cash. He was sent to Double-A after that trade but worked his way back up to Triple-A by July of 2024. In the year-plus since that promotion, he has thrown 68 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.54 ERA, 31.9% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and grounders on about half the balls in play he’s allowed.

The Tigers selected him to their 40-man roster a month ago but immediately optioned him back to Triple-A Toledo. He had an upward mobility clause in his contract and the Tigers didn’t want him to get away. However, they made a number of additions to their roster ahead of the deadline, squeezing Poulin onto the waiver wire.

The Nats gave him a roster spot and could give him a significant big league audition as well. Ahead of the deadline, they sent out Kyle Finnegan, Luis García and Andrew Chafin, opening some bullpen spots. They also moved Brad Lord to the rotation a few weeks ago to replace the injured Trevor Williams. The trade of Michael Soroka opened another rotation spot.

In short, there are a lot of innings to cover down the stretch, so guys like Poulin and Beeter could earn roles on next year’s club by putting up some decent numbers before the offseason. Poulin becomes the fourth lefty in the big league bullpen alongside Jose A. Ferrer, Konnor Pilkington and Shinnosuke Ogasawara.

Photo courtesy of Dave Nelson, Imagn Images

Tigers Re-Sign Tyler Owens To Minor League Deal

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Right-hander Tyler Owens has re-signed with the Tigers on a minor league deal, reports Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group. Detroit recently released Owens but the two sides have quickly reunited.

Owens, 24, was designated for assignment a week ago when the Tigers acquired Rafael Montero. At the time he was designated for assignment, Owens was on the minor league injured list due to a hip injury. Teams aren’t allowed to place injured players on outright waivers. Once Owens was in DFA limbo, the club had to either trade him or release him.

They eventually went with the latter option. Owens had a few days to field interest from all 30 clubs but decided to return to the Tigers on a new pact, a fairly common sequence of events in situations like this. He gets to stay in a familiar place while the Tigers get to keep the player without him taking up a roster spot.

Owens had a limited major league track record. He made his big league debut earlier this year by pitching three innings for Detroit, allowing one earned run. His recent minor league numbers have been solid. From the start of 2023 to the present, he has tossed 147 1/3 innings on the farm with a 3.73 earned run average, 23.1% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and grounders on about half the balls in play he allowed.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

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