July 17, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander
Mitch Keller is known to have multiple teams pursuing him in advance of the July 31 trade deadline. Add the New York Yankees to the list of interested clubs, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. It's a logical fit: Keller could be among the top starters on the move in the next two weeks, and the injury-riddled Yankees are in the market for established rotation help. The 29-year-old has at least shown to be a competent innings-eater in recent seasons, including 2025. Despite a 3-10 record, he held his own in the first half of the season, tallying 14 quality starts with a 3.48 ERA (3.81 xERA), a 1.14 WHIP, and 92:27 K:BB over 119 frames. Keller is on a $15 million salary and in the second season of a five-year, $77 million contract. That's reasonable compensation for what Keller brings to the table, but he could prove too pricey for the Yankees if they're determined to limit luxury tax penalties.
--Connor ByrneSource: Noah Hiles - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
July
17,
2025
All-Star
right-hander
Hunter
Brown
is
not
part
of
the
Houston
Astros'
weekend
rotation
plans
for
their
road
series
against
the
division-rival
Seattle
Mariners.
They'll
go
with
left-hander
Brandon
Walter
on
Friday,
read more...
July 17, 2025
The Kansas City Royals expect second baseman/outfielder
Michael Massey (ankle, hand) to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Friday, the team announced. The Royals have gone over a month without Massey, who sprained his ankle June 7 and hasn't played since. Massey had been rehabbing the injury in the minors, but he suffered a hairline wrist fracture on a hit by pitch on June 29 and had to be shut down. Between the poor injury luck and his woeful numbers, this has been a season to forget for Massey. The 27-year-old has only managed to hit .202/.221/.258 with two home runs in 209 plate appearances, which is a key reason why the Royals rank toward the bottom of the majors in second base production.
--Connor ByrneSource: Kansas City Royals
July 17, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals have optioned infielder
Thomas Saggese to Triple-A Memphis. The team hasn't made a corresponding move yet, though it could signal the return of outfielder
Jordan Walker (appendectomy) from the 10-day injured list. The 23-year-old Saggese impressed in May with 14 hits and seven RBI in 41 at-bats, but his production has dropped off considerably since then. Dating back to June 20, Saggese has gone 6-for-45 (.133) with a double, three RBI, 12 strikeouts, and one walk in 14 games. Overall, Saggese has batted .233/.256/.326 with one home run and 10 RBI across 90 trips to the plate. He has been far more productive this year in Triple-A, where he owns a .317/.402/.445 line with five long balls, 24 RBI, 34 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 189 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: Jeff Jones - Belleville News-Democrat
July 17, 2025
Texas Rangers right-hander
Jon Gray (forearm) is expected to make one more rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday before returning to the majors late next week. It's not yet clear whether the Rangers will use Gray as a starter or reliever when he comes back. The 33-year-old has missed the entire season to this point after suffering a fractured forearm in spring training. Gray made 19 starts in 23 appearances last season and pitched to a 4.47 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and 86:28 K:BB in 102 2/3 innings. While Gray has totaled just five career relief appearances out of 228, the Rangers could stick with their current rotation and ease him back into the mix via the bullpen. Gray has only combined for five frames in two rehab outings, so he may not be ready for a traditional starter's workload yet.
--Connor ByrneSource: Jeff Wilson - Star Telegram
July 17, 2025
Free-agent starting pitcher
Kyle Gibson has announced that he is retiring from professional baseball on Thursday. Most recently, Gibson pitched in Triple-A with the Tampa Bay Rays before opting out of his deal in mid-June. Gibson pitched well during his stint with the Rays, but he wasn't able to draw any interest from other organizations. Now, Gibson has decided to retire after 13 seasons in the big leagues. He won 112 games with a 4.60 ERA, 1.39 WHIP over 334 appearances with five different organizations. Most notably, Gibson earned an All-Star nod during the 2021 season with the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. He posted a 3.71 ERA that season across 31 appearances. It was a good career for Gibson and best of luck to him on whatever is next in his life.
--Andy WebbSource: Jim Hayes
July 17, 2025
Texas Rangers infielder
Justin Foscue was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. Foscue is back on the big league roster after being sent down on July 5 due to a lack of playing time. The assumption is that Foscue will be a platoon option at first base with
Jake Burger (quad) still sidelined. Foscue is slashing .252/.344/.453 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI across 55 games in Triple-A this season. The former first-round pick hasn't been given much of a chance at the big league level. Hopefully, Foscue will get a chance to prove himself this time around.
--Andy WebbSource: Adam Morris
July 17, 2025
According to Chris Cotillo, the Boston Red Sox have signed catcher
Ronaldo Hernandez to a minor-league deal. This looks like a depth move for Boston after they recently traded
Blake Sabol to the Chicago White Sox. Hernandez is slashing .221/.287/.351 with two home runs and 13 RBI across 25 games in Triple-A with the New York Yankees. Hernandez has shown good flashes as he hit over .300 across 63 games in the minors with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. He figures to spend most of his time at Triple-A and possibly head to Boston as emergency depth.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
July 17, 2025
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher
Josh Winckowski (elbow) is currently in the early stages of a throwing program, according to Chris Cotillo. Winckowski suffered a right flexor strain in Triple-A during mid-May. He has been sidelined since then, but is eligible to return from the injured list in early August. Winckowski has only pitched in six games for the Red Sox this season. However, Winckowski has been a solid swingman option for Boston over the last few seasons. The right-hander could be an option for Boston down the stretch of the season.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
July 17, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher
Andre Pallante is scheduled to take the ball versus the Arizona Diamondbacks for the beginning of the second half on Friday. This is an interesting decision to give Pallante the start to kick off the second half of the season. Pallante most recently gave up seven earned runs in a start against the Washington Nationals on July 9. He holds a 4.49 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 64/32 K/BB ratio across 18 starts this season. He won't be a recommended streaming option for this game. Following Pallante,
Sonny Gray will get the ball on Saturday while
Miles Mikolas is set to pitch on Sunday.
--Andy WebbSource: Derrick Goold
July 17, 2025
MLB.com's Jason Beck speculates that the Detroit Tigers could call up right-handed pitching prospect
Troy Melton down the stretch this year, much like they did in their aggressive promotion of
Jackson Jobe late last year. Melton, who is considered Detroit's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has lots of swing-and-miss stuff and has posted a 3.15 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 93 punchouts and 19 walks in 71 1/3 innings over 17 appearances (16 starts) between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo in 2025. It's purely speculation from Beck right now, but a high-octane arm like Melton's could make noise late in the regular season or the postseason. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has impressive raw stuff on the mound and gets most of his swings and misses with a fastball-changeup combination. Because of the Tigers' starting depth, Melton might not get an extended run as a starter in the big leagues until sometime next year.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jason Beck
July 17, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-handed pitching prospect Chen-Wei Lin (undisclosed) on the seven-day minor-league injured list at High-A Peoria on Thursday with an undisclosed injury. Lin has struggled in 2025 at Peoria and Single-A Palm Beach, but he was especially bad in his last five starts for Peoria, posting a 7.27 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 18 walks in 17 1/3 innings pitched. In all, the 23-year-old Taiwanese hurler has gone 0-2 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 24 walks in 33 1/3 innings over 10 starts at the two minor-league levels. It's unclear how long Lin might be sidelined. Per MLB Pipeline, he's St. Louis' No. 13-ranked prospect. Lin hit 100 mph or over 12 times last year and also features a pretty nasty changeup that induces lots of swings and misses, but he's going to need to improve his control to move up the ladder in the minors.
--Keith HernandezSource: Cardinals Player Development
July 17, 2025
Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Enrique Bradfield Jr. (hamstring) has been placed on the seven-day injured list with Double-A Chesapeake with a right-hamstring strain, according to The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka. Bradfield aggravated his hamstring during the All-Star Futures game last weekend. The 23-year-old has dealt with injuries to both of his hamstrings this year and also missed a month-plus with a left-hamstring injury. It's not great for an outfielder that primarily relies on his speed. In 36 games this year for Chesapeake, Bradfield has hit .257/.396/.372 with a homer, eight RBI, 21 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. He's ranked as the team's No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, but given his hamstring troubles in 2025, he almost certainly won't make his MLB debut until 2026. Bradfield, a former first-rounder, has game-changing speed.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka
July 17, 2025
Pittsburgh PG's Noah Hiles doesn't believe that the Pittsburgh Pirates will skip any of right-hander
Paul Skenes' starts in the second half, but he does expect more low-volume outings and a fw start days being pushed back later in the week as the team looks to preserve him for the future. Hiles still believes that the 23-year-old phenom will finish around 200 innings, a number that only four pitchers surpassed in 2024. Skenes threw 160 1/3 innings between the majors and minors a year ago. While this news isn't great for Skenes' overall fantasy upside in the second half of the 2025 season, it also shouldn't be a reason for fantasy managers to panic at all. To close out the first half of the year, Skenes threw fewer than 80 pitches in three of his last four starts, so it might have already started happening. Regardless, he's still a must-start every time he toes the rubber.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
July 17, 2025
Pittsburgh PG's Noah Hiles writes that the Chicago Cubs seem to have a decent amount of interest in trading for Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman
Ke'Bryan Hayes. Hiles doesn't think Hayes is Chicago's top choice, but multiple sources have said that he's on the Cubs' radar with the trade deadline approaching. The first-place Cubs are very clearly going to be buyers this summer, although their top priorities on the trade market will be starting and relief pitching. Still, they are definitely looking for an upgrade over rookie
Matt Shaw at third base after he's gotten off to a slow start to his big-league career with a .198/.276/.280 slash line, only two home runs, 15 RBI, 28 runs and 11 steals in 207 at-bats. Hayes hasn't all that much better, hitting .238 (78-for-328) with two homers and 10 steals, but the 28-year-old is also strong defensively.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
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