MLB Player News

Clarke offers plenty of power and patience, but that came with a .241 average and a 29.2% strikeout rate in Double-A last year. That he could serve as a third catcher and a first baseman or DH against lefties might make him viable as a bench guy, but he’s one of those guys who should be strenuously rooting for MLB to act on those rumors of mandating a 12-pitcher/14-hitter roster split.

The Red Sox had to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to accommodate their megadeal with the Giants on Sunday and unfortunately that left Penrod out in the cold. The 27-year-old southpaw has registered a 2.84 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and an 8/4 K/BB ratio over 6 1/3 innings in the minor leagues this season after missing the first few months with a left elbow strain. There’s a chance that he passes through waivers unclaimed and continues to serve as extra depth for the Red Sox.

The Giants’ biggest deficiency was their lack of a left-handed power option in the middle of their lineup and they went out and got one of the best in all of baseball. It will be fascinating to see how Devers is deployed — will he cover third base while Matt Chapman is sidelined, will he be willing to play first base, will he simply be stationed as the team’s designated hitter — but regardless of where he plays he represents a dramatic upgrade to the Giants’ lineup. The fantasy value of his entire supporting cast improves with this addition.

The one real unknown in this mega deal is Jose Bello. The 20-year-old right-hander was signed out of the Dominican Republic and has spent the past three seasons pitching in the lowest levels of the minor leagues. He has registered a 2.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and a 28/3 K/BB ratio over 18 innings for the Giants’ affiliate in the Arizona Complex League this season. He’s a very intriguing young arm but a long way from potentially helping out at the major league level.

Tibbs was the Giants’ first-round pick (13th overall) from the 2024 draft class. He’s off to a solid start at High-A Eugene this season, slashing .245/.377/.480 with 12 long balls, 32 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. How the Red Sox ultimately get judged on this mega deal may come down to how big of an impact Tibbs makes in the big leagues upon his ultimate arrival.

The hard-throwing right-hander is currently stationed on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right big toe. He has already been throwing bullpen sessions over the past week and could be ready to jump right into the Red Sox’ bullpen in relatively short order without requiring a minor league rehab assignment.

Harrison was then inexplicably optioned to Triple-A Worcester which surely Red Sox’ nation won’t overreact to at all. The 23-year-old southpaw has made eight appearances (four starts) for the Giants this season, compiling a 4.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 25/9 K/BB ratio over 23 2/3 innings. It shouldn’t take him long to get a real shot in the Red Sox’ starting rotation.

This is an interesting one. The Giants didn’t announce any roster moves prior to Sunday night’s game against the Dodgers, though there were reports that Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were going to be dealt to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers deal. Then Lucchesi suddenly shows up and starts warming up in the bullpen, only to enter in the fifth inning without announcement that he was ever on the roster. We’ll assume that means the Red Sox’ deal is pretty far along and will be announced shortly, but who knows at this point.

Schmitt had already been wearing a wrap on his foot after fouling a ball off of his foot a couple earlier in the series. He finished the at-bat but was ultimately replaced defensively. Presumably he’ll head for X-rays just to make sure there’s no structural damage. Expect the Giants to provide an update on his status once that imaging is complete.

Jose Tena was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday’s game to free up a spot on the active roster. The 22-year-old infielder was tearing it up at the Triple-A level, slashing .301/.349/.516 with 13 homers, 39 RBI and a 75/19 K/BB ratio over his first 278 plate appearances. House has been playing third base exclusively at Triple-A and the expectation is that he’ll be given an opportunity to function as the team’s regular third baseman going forward. He makes for an interesting addition in deeper mixed leagues.

Tena has struggled to make any meaningful contributions to the Nationals’ offense during his time in the big leagues this season, slashing a meager .248/.325/.365 with zero homers, 13 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. Brady House will be promoted from Triple-A Rochester on Monday to take his place on the club’s active roster.