Rangers Claim Blaine Crim
The Rangers announced that first baseman Blaine Crim has been claimed off waivers from the Rockies. Crim has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, and right-hander Carter Baumler was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot.
A 19th-round pick for the Rangers in the 2019 draft, Crim spent his first six pro seasons in the Texas organization, and he made his Major League debut in a Rangers uniform in 2025. Crim was designated for assignment at last year’s trade deadline in the aftermath of the deal that brought Merrill Kelly to Arlington, and the Rockies then claimed Crim away on waivers. Crim’s 2025 campaign ended with a .200/.270/.462 slash line and five home runs over 74 plate appearances and 20 combined games with Texas and Colorado.
This remains Crim’s full MLB resume, as he began the season on the Rockies’ 10-day IL while recovering from an oblique strain and was then optioned to Triple-A after being activated. Colorado designated Crim for assignment earlier this week, and the 28-year-old now finds himself in the familiar environs of Round Rock.
Crim has spent parts of the last five seasons at the Triple-A level, and he hit .281/.370/.479 with 70 home runs over 1882 PA at the top rung of the minor league ladder. These impressive numbers come with the caveat that Crim’s entire Triple-A career has been spent in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and for his minor league career as a whole, Crim’s wRC+ is a relatively modest 113. Crim’s path to consistent MLB playing time has also been hampered by the fact that he has become a first base-only player in recent years, after getting some limited action as a third baseman and corner outfielder earlier in this minor league days.
From the Rangers’ perspective, Crim is a known quantity of a depth option. He is also in the second of his three minor league option years, giving Texas some flexibility in sending him back and forth from Triple-A if a need arises.
Baumler was a selection in this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft, as the Pirates took him out of the Orioles’ organization and then dealt the right-hander to Texas. Baumler posted a 3.18 ERA despite recording as many walks as strikeouts (six apiece) over 5 2/3 relief innings over four appearances, which represented his first taste of Major League action. A right intercostal strain sent him to the 15-day IL in early April, and it has now been almost a month since Baumler’s minor league rehab assignment was halted due to an injury setback.
The move to the 60-day IL now ensures that Baumler can’t return to the Rangers’ active roster until the first week of June at the earliest, and it’ll likely be a lot longer than that considering that his throwing progression may have to be restarted from scratch. The Rule 5 regulations require Baumler to be on Texas’ active roster for at least 90 days this season, and if not, the Rangers will again have to keep him on their 26-man for all of the 2027 campaign in order to officially secure his right from Baltimore.
Rockies Place Mickey Moniak On Injured List
The Rockies announced they’ve placed Mickey Moniak on the 10-day injured list with right ankle tendinitis. Rookie outfielder Sterlin Thompson is up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his spot on the roster. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the moves before the official announcement.
It’s the second IL stint of the season for Moniak, who missed the first week and a half with a finger sprain on his right hand. Manager Warren Schaeffer tells team reporter Kelsey Wingert-Linch that Moniak injured his ankle when he collided with the wall during a mid-May series against the Pirates. He has played through the injury for a couple weeks but will need some time on the shelf.
Moniak has probably not coincidentally been in a slump since that series. He’s 2-20 over his last seven games. Moniak had been one of the more productive hitters in the sport before that and still carries a strong .280/.335/.607 slash line across 164 plate appearances. He leads the team with 12 home runs, a top 10 mark in the National League.
The former first overall pick has found his stride since signing with the Rockies on the eve of Opening Day 2025. He’s a .272/.314/.541 hitter in 625 plate appearances over his year-plus in Colorado. That’s almost all against right-handed pitching and has disproportionately come at Coors Field, yet Moniak has certainly hit well enough to put himself on the radar as a midseason trade candidate. He’s making $4MM and under arbitration control through 2027. If he’s healthy, he could be a platoon corner outfield/designated hitter target for a contender.
Thompson, a supplemental first-rounder from the 2022 draft, is up for the second time in his MLB career. He went 1-8 in a three-game stretch last week before being optioned back to Triple-A. The Florida product is in the lineup at DH tonight against Arizona righty Michael Soroka. Colorado is shorthanded in the outfield with Moniak and Brenton Doyle landing on the injured list in consecutive days. Thompson should get fairly regular playing time as part of an outfield that also includes Jake McCarthy, Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman.
Phillies Trade Andrew Baker To Rockies
The Phillies announced they’ve traded minor league reliever Andrew Baker to the Rockies for international bonus pool space. Baker is not on the 40-man roster.
It’s the second time in as many months that the Phils traded for bonus pool room, as they acquired $500K in allotments from the Dodgers for Griff McGarry. Matt Gelb of The Athletic notes that the Phillies are adding to their bonus pool to facilitate the signing of amateur pitcher Chan-min Park, a 17-year-old righty from South Korea.
The 26-year-old Baker was Philadelphia’s 11th-round pick out of junior college in 2021. He has spent parts of five seasons in Double-A. That includes some strong work this season, as the righty has worked to a 2.65 ERA across 17 innings. Baker has fanned 25 opponents against five walks. He has never had any trouble missing bats, but that kind of control would be the best of his career if he’s able to maintain it.
Baker has gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft a few times. Although he’s not a premium prospect, he’s a potential up-and-down bullpen arm for the Rox. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs gave him an honorable mention in his January writeup of the Philly system, writing that Baker has a 96-98 mph fastball and a plus slider with below-average control. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible again next offseason if the Rox don’t give him a 40-man roster spot.
Rockies Select Chad Stevens
The Rockies announced they’ve selected infielder Chad Stevens from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado placed outfielder Brenton Doyle on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 20, with a left oblique contusion. The Rox also recalled right-hander Blas Castaño and optioned lefty reliever Sammy Peralta to Triple-A. Colorado designated southpaw Carson Palmquist for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Stevens.
Stevens, who signed an offseason minor league contract, has been on a tear in the minors. He’s hitting .362/.435/.523 with three homers, 13 doubles and a triple over 40 games with Albuquerque. That’s carried by a .500 average on balls in play, as Stevens has struck out at an elevated 26.2% rate. The former 11th-rounder has a .300/.378/.473 line in just shy of 800 trips to the dish at the Triple-A level in his career.
The 27-year-old Stevens has played in five MLB games, all of which came with the Angels in early July. He went 2-14 with seven strikeouts. Los Angeles optioned him back to Triple-A after a week and designated him for assignment in September. He’ll provide an extra infielder behind Ezequiel Tovar, Willi Castro, Kyle Karros and Edouard Julien off Warren Schaeffer’s bench.
It’s a little odd that Colorado brought up an infielder to replace Doyle, as they’re operating with a rather thin outfield. Jake McCarthy is in the primary center field role, while Mickey Moniak occasionally moves into center. Tyler Freeman and designated hitter/corner bat Troy Johnston are the other outfield options on the active roster.
Stevens’ selection spells the end of Palmquist’s time on the roster. Colorado’s previous front office regime drafted the 6’3″ southpaw in the third round in 2022. The Miami product struggled over nine MLB appearances last year. The Rockies moved him to the bullpen late last summer. Palmquist has spent this season on optional assignment to Triple-A. He has started his past few times out but is still working 2-3 inning stints.
Palmquist has allowed 7.20 earned runs per nine over 25 frames with Albuquerque, walking 15% of opponents against a modest 19% strikeout rate. The Rockies will trade him or put him on waivers within the next five days. Palmquist has never been outrighted in his career, so he’d remain in the organization if he clears waivers.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the Stevens call-up before the team announcement.
Rockies Designate Blaine Crim For Assignment
The Rockies announced Wednesday that first baseman Blaine Crim has been designated for assignment. His 40-man roster spot goes to veteran righty Keegan Thompson, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado placed right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik on the 15-day injured list due to ulnar nerve inflammation in his right arm.
Crim joined the Rockies last August when they claimed him off waivers from the Rangers. He went on to rip five homers in only 15 games and 61 plate appearances, though his .295 on-base percentage and huge 36% strikeout rate both tamped down reason for optimism. This season’s .265/.339/.449 slash in Triple-A looks solid at first glance, but in the ultra-hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, it’s about 13% worse than league-average (by measure of wRC+).
The 29-year-old Crim has played in parts of five Triple-A seasons, slashing a combined .281/.370/.479 in 1882 trips to the plate. It’s about 11% better than average, and Crim has turned in encouraging strikeout and walk rates of 18.4% and 11.5%, respectively, along the way. Crim, however, has well below-average speed (21st percentile in 2025, per Statcast) and is limited to first base and designated hitter. He’s been passed over in multiple Rule 5 Drafts and has now been designated for assignment twice in the past eight months, so it seems many big league clubs are skeptical of his ability to carry that production over to the majors.
The Rockies might have had an opening for Crim at first base this year, but offseason acquisitions of TJ Rumfield (from the Yankees for reliever Angel Chivilli) and Edouard Julien (from the Twins for prospect Jace Kaminska) pushed him down the depth chart.
Crim’s solid track record in the upper minors could potentially hold appeal to other clubs in need of some right-handed punch and/or help at first base/designated hitter. He’s in the second of three minor league option years, so a new club wouldn’t need to carry him on the major league roster right away. He’ll be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days, and we’ll know the outcome of his DFA within a week’s time.
The 31-year-old Thompson, another waiver claim (from the Reds), cleared waivers earlier this season but now joins the big league roster after a nice run in Albuquerque. He’s appeared in 11 games, five of them starts, and posted a 3.34 ERA in 32 1/3 innings. He’s only struck out 13.1% of his opponents, which is a concern, but his 7.1% walk rate is strong and his 43.6% ground-ball rate is a hair north of average.
Thompson has pitched in four big league seasons, all with the Cubs. He owns a career 3.64 ERA, 23% strikeout rate and 11.3% walk rate in 227 2/3 major league innings. He’s sitting 92.2 mph on his four-seamer this season, down from his 93.9 peak as a rookie in 2021.
Thompson adds some length to a Rockies bullpen that could use extra innings. Starters Chase Dollander and Ryan Feltner are both on the injured list, which has pushed Tanner Gordon, at least in effect. Gordon hasn’t started a game but has worked behind an opener his past couple times out. He’s sitting on a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 frames this season, however. Looking up and down the rest of Colorado’s rotation, Tomoyuki Sugano is the only starter who’s averaged even five innings per start. Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Kyle Freeland are all averaging about 4 2/3 frames per trip the mound, underscoring the need for a reliever like Thompson who can work several innings at a time.
As for the 26-year-old Vodnik, he started the season well, yielding only two runs in his first nine innings. He’s been rocked over the past month, however. In his past 10 appearances, he’s totaled only nine innings and been shelled for 14 runs on 15 hits and nine walks with 11 strikeouts. The flamethrowing righty has been far better in the past couple seasons, logging 124 1/3 innings of 3.76 ERA ball.
Vodnik doesn’t miss as many bats as one might expect for a reliever who averages nearly 99 mph on his heater, but he’s a clearly talented righty who’s been in the Rox’ late-inning mix since 2024. If a trip to the injured list helps him right the ship, he’ll likely factor back into the closer committee alongside Antonio Senzatela and Juan Mejia.
Rockies Place Chase Dollander On IL With Elbow Sprain
The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today. Most notably, right-hander Chase Dollander has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow sprain. (The Rockies initially said it was a strain but later issued a correction.) Left-hander Sammy Peralta has been recalled to take his spot on the roster. The Rockies also placed infielder/outfielder Tyler Freeman on the paternity list. Outfielder Sterlin Thompson has been recalled for Freeman and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
To this point, not a lot of details have been made public regarding Dollander, but the signs are a bit ominous. Dollander departed yesterday’s start in the second inning, with the team providing a vague diagnosis of arm tightness. Quickly placing him on the IL might not necessarily be any kind of flag, since it makes sense that they would be cautious with their prized young righty. But a sprain, by definition, means there is some degree of tearing or stretching involving a ligament.
Perhaps the team will have more information on his status later. At the very least, they will be proceeding without Dollander in the rotation for the next couple of weeks. Dollander has technically been working as a reliever for the most part this year, but his relief outings have seen him pitch multiple innings behind an opener, effectively a starter’s workload. Four spots in the rotation are taken by Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano. They don’t have an off-day until May 28th, so some kind of solution will be needed for the fifth spot.
Tanner Gordon has been pitching three- and four-inning stints out of the bullpen, including four frames following Dollander yesterday, so he is perhaps the simplest guy to slot in. Ryan Feltner is currently on the IL and doesn’t appear close to a return, though he could be a factor down the line. In Triple-A, the Rockies have Gabriel Hughes, Carson Palmquist, Valente Bellozo and Blas Castaño, who are all on the 40-man roster, so one of them could be recalled.
Thompson, 25 next month, was drafted 31st overall in 2022. He has since been climbing the minor league ladder. The Rockies added him to their 40-man roster in November of last year, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
He has a tremendous .344/.491/.496 line in Triple-A this year. That’s surely a bit misleading since he’s been playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and also has an unsustainable .419 batting average on balls in play. Still, his 18.6% walk rate is massive and higher than his 17.4% strikeout rate. However, the offensive part of his game has never really been the concern. Some evaluators think he’ll be a below average defender, even in an outfield corner. That means he’ll really have to hit to provide value.
It’s possible this will just be a brief call for Thompson. Stints on the paternity list last for one to three days, so Freeman should be back relatively quickly. The Rockies have Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy, Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck getting playing time in their outfield at the moment. If Thompson doesn’t have a path to regular at-bats, it makes sense for him to go back down when Freeman returns, but he can get a taste of big league life now.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
Rockies Notes: Dollander, Herget, Criswell
The Rockies are dealing with an injury concern for their top young pitcher. Chase Dollander left this afternoon’s start in Pittsburgh in the second inning on account of right arm tightness.
Dollander told Thomas Harding of MLB.com postgame that the club had not scheduled any imaging. “I don’t know; I’m not sure,” he replied when asked about his level of concern. “I don’t want to say too much before anything else happens – not to freak myself out or anyone else.”
The ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Dollander struggled at Coors Field as a rookie last season. He has taken a major step forward this year, entering today’s outing with a 3.35 ERA across 43 innings. He’d punched out 26% of opponents while averaging 99 mph on his four-seam fastball. Pittsburgh rocked him for five hits and three runs in an inning-plus today, although it’s fair to attribute the ugly start to the arm discomfort.
Dollander tells Harding he first felt some arm discomfort coming out of last Friday’s start in Philadelphia. He had a slight velocity dip this afternoon, sitting 97-98 mph with the heater instead of his usual 99. That’s not much of a concern in itself — it was the first inning and the game temperature was in the high 40s — but becomes more alarming in conjunction with the arm discomfort.
The Rox haven’t revealed whether Dollander will go on the injured list. It’d behoove them to exercise caution with the most important member of their pitching staff. Today’s loss dropped Colorado to an NL-worst 17-27 record. They’re still early in what’ll be a long-term rebuild, so the focus should be on Dollander’s health.
Tanner Gordon helped preserve the bullpen by tossing four innings of one-run ball in mop-up work. Gordon wasn’t even on the active roster until this morning, as Colorado recalled him from Triple-A Albuquerque before the game. That came as the corresponding move for reliever Jimmy Herget, who landed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder impingement.
A waiver claim after the 2024 season, Herget provided the Rox 83 1/3 innings of 2.48 ERA ball a year ago. He has a less impressive 5.06 mark through 16 frames this year, albeit with similar strikeout and walk rates as he posted last season. Herget has always attacked the strike zone. He doesn’t have huge stuff but is missing a decent number of bats with a heavy dose of breaking balls from a sidearm delivery.
Herget is playing on a $1.55MM arbitration salary and has one year of control after this one. He’s not going to be any contender’s top bullpen target but could draw deadline interest as a deception-based middle reliever if he’s healthy. The Rockies would presumably be happy to move him for a lottery ticket prospect if the opportunity presents itself.
In other injury news, reliever Jeff Criswell was assigned to Albuquerque this week as he continues his rehab assignment. The righty is working back from Tommy John surgery which he underwent in Spring Training 2025. That interrupted a promising start to Criswell’s MLB career. The University of Michigan product struck out 31% of opponents with a 2.75 ERA over his first 19 2/3 innings back in 2024.
Rockies Sign Erasmo Ramirez To Minor League Deal
The Rockies have signed veteran righty Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league contract, as announced by his now-former Mexican League club, los Algodoneros del Unión Laguna. He’ll presumably start his Rockies tenure with their Triple-A club in Albuquerque. Ramirez is represented by NPG Sports.
Ramirez opened the season in Mexico and was hit hard, surrendering 11 runs on 17 hits and a pair of walks with nine punchouts in a dozen innings. Poor small-sample results notwithstanding, the Rockies were clearly intrigued by Ramirez’s stuff. He’ll hope to pitch his way into what would be a 15th season with some big league experience.
The Nicaraguan-born Ramirez debuted with the Mariners back in 2012. He’s pitched for seven teams — Mariners, Rays, Nationals, Tigers, Twins, Mets, Red Sox — most recently suiting up for Minnesota late last season. Ramirez tossed 11 innings as a Twin and held opponents to three runs (2.45 ERA) on 10 hits and a pair of walks with five strikeouts.
Ramirez has never been a hard thrower, but a heater that averaged 92-94 mph earlier in his career sat 90.4 mph with Minnesota in 2025. In 860 career innings, he has a 4.34 earned run average with an 18% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 43.8% grounder rate. He’s worked as both a starter and reliever and stands as a possible swingman option for a Rockies staff that ranks 25th in the majors with a 4.59 ERA.
MLBTR Podcast: Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Tigers ace Tarik Skubal requiring elbow surgery (1:25)
- The Marlins calling up Joe Mack, optioning Agustín Ramírez and designating Chris Paddack for assignment (8:35)
- The Giants calling up Bryce Eldridge (21:50)
- The Yankees optioning Anthony Volpe (33:15)
- The Red Sox dealing with injuries to Garrett Crochet and others (41:55)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- What kind of package could the Rockies get if they traded Chase Dollander? (46:20)
- What can the Brewers do to address the left side of the infield? (56:50)
- Instead of using guys like Scott Kingery or Nicky Lopez on the bench, shouldn’t the Cubs call up a better player from the minors? (59:35)
Check out our past episodes!
- The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson – listen here
- Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time – listen here
- Lenyn Sosa Traded, And Injury Concerns For The Astros, Cubs And Orioles – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Evan Petzold, Imagn Images
Rockies, Jordan Romano Agree To Minor League Deal
The Rockies are in agreement with veteran reliever Jordan Romano on a minor league contract, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He’d been released by the Angels last week. The VC Sports Group client will report to the organization’s Arizona complex before being assigned to a minor league affiliate, Harding adds.
Romano signed a $2MM free agent deal with the Halos in December. It was a rebound flier on the two-time All-Star, who was coming off an ugly 8.23 ERA showing with the Phillies last year. Season-opening injuries to Robert Stephenson and Kirby Yates — plus Ben Joyce’s rehab from shoulder surgery — pushed Romano into the closer role.
Things started promisingly. Romano reeled off six straight scoreless appearances to begin the year, nailing down four saves in the process. A trip to the Bronx proved his undoing, however, as Romano allowed five runs while retiring one of nine opponents and taking two losses in that series. He rebounded with two straight scoreless outings with five strikeouts before surrendering four runs in a blowout loss in Kansas City on April 25. The Angels then designated him for assignment.
Romano wound up allowing nine runs over eight innings. He fanned 12 while recording a strong 13% swinging strike rate but issued six walks and hit a batter. His fastball averaged 94.5 mph and slider sat around 85 mph, down a tick from last season’s velocity. Both pitches were around three miles per hour harder during his peak years as one of the American League’s best closers in Toronto.
The 33-year-old has battled injuries in the interim. Romano missed time in 2023 with back inflammation and battled elbow injuries in ’24, eventually culminating in arthroscopic surgery. His 2025 season was cut short by inflammation and numbness in his right middle finger.
Colorado will take a low-risk flier to see if they can get Romano on track. The assignment to the complex indicates the Rockies will try to work out some mechanical or pitch mix tweaks before sending him back to game action.
The Rox have had a solid bullpen overall, though that’s skewed to an extent by the team using Chase Dollander behind an opener. Antonio Senzatela and Brennan Bernardino have had excellent starts to the year. The rest of the group has been up and down. Senzatela and Jimmy Herget are the only Colorado relievers who can’t be optioned.