MLB Player News
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Bryan Mata RP | BOS
Red Sox's Bryan Mata: Cast off 40-man
The Red Sox designated Mata (elbow/lat) for assignment Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Mata missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury and missed the final three months due to shoulder and elbow soreness and never got surgery, which likely contributed to him getting squeezed off the 40-man roster. He is 25 and hasn't thrown more than 30 innings in a season since he threw 83 innings in 2022. Mata has a career 4.87 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 61 innings at Triple-A, and his best path forward is likely as a reliever who can just let it rip with his fastball and slider in short bursts.
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Isaiah Campbell RP | BOS
Red Sox's Isaiah Campbell: Loses 40-man roster spot
The Red Sox designated Campbell (elbow) for assignment Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Campbell missed the second half of 2024 with elbow inflammation and never got surgery, so the injury may have played a role in him losing his spot on the 40-man roster as Boston looked to protect some prospects from the Rule 5 draft. Campbell had a 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 19:5 K:BB in 14 appearances at Triple-A, but he gave up 12 earned runs in 6.2 MLB innings and his fastball velocity was down to 93.8 mph from the 95.0 mph he averaged in 2023 with Seattle.
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George Valera CF | CLE
Guardians' George Valera: Loses spot on 40-man roster
The Guardians designated Valera (knee) for assignment Tuesday.
Valera underwent surgery in September to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, and his absence is expected to extend into the first portion of the 2025 campaign. Rather than keeping him on the 40-man roster until then, the Guardians will attempt to pass the 24-year-old through waivers and hand his roster spot to fellow outfielder Petey Halpin.
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Connor Gillispie P | CLE
Guardians' Connor Gillispie: Booted from 40-man
The Guardians designated Gillispie for assignment Tuesday.
Gillispie yielded just two earned runs over eight MLB innings in 2024, but he also logged a 4.05 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 113.1 Triple-A frames. His 40-man spot will be handed to Nic Enright, who consequentially is protected from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
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Peter Strzelecki RP | PIT
Guardians' Peter Strzelecki: Ousted from 40-man roster
The Guardians designated Strzelecki for assignment Tuesday.
Strzelecki was effective during his time in the majors last season, allowing just three runs over 11.2 innings with the Guardians. However, his 5.01 ERA at Triple-A Columbus makes him significantly less reliable than his MLB stat line would suggest, so the team will strip him of his 40-man spot and use it to protect fellow right-hander Franco Aleman from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
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Doug Nikhazy SP | CLE
Guardians' Doug Nikhazy: Joins 40-man roster
The Guardians selected Nikhazy to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Nikhazy's addition to Cleveland's 40-man will prevent him from being selected during the Rule 5 Draft in December. The 25-year-old southpaw split time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus last season, posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 123.2 total innings. If he's able to find similar success to start the new season, Nikhazy could be called up for his MLB debut at some point in 2025.
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Brendan White RP | DET
Tigers' Brendan White: Removed from 40-man roster
The Tigers designated White for assignment Tuesday.
White missed most of the 2024 season due to injury, and he most recently underwent an elbow procedure in August. White started throwing sessions at the end of September, but his spot on the 40-man roster was needed for several players that were added Tuesday in order to protect them from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
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Ricky Vanasco RP | DET
Tigers' Ricky Vanasco: Ousted from 40-man
The Tigers designated Vanasco for assignment Tuesday.
Vanasco was optioned to Triple-A Toledo in September after making two scoreless appearances for the Tigers out of the bullpen. He made 11 total appearances in Toledo in 2024, allowing just two earned runs across 17 innings. The 26-year-old is being designated for assignment in order to create room for one of the three pitchers being added to the 40-man Tuesday.
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Tyler Owens SP | DET
Tigers' Tyler Owens: Shielded from Rule 5 Draft
The Tigers selected Owens from Double-A Erie on Tuesday.
Owens started the year with Double-A Frisco for the Rangers, but he was traded to the Tigers in July. He resumed play with Double-A Erie, where he notched a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 innings of work. The 23-year-old is now protected from the Rule 5 Draft.