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RosterResource Chat - 6/26/25
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AvatarJason Martinez
2:01
Welcome to another RosterResource Live Chat! We're about halfway thru the season and only one month away from when teams must decide if they're a buyer or seller at the trade deadline. Never a dull moment. Here we go ...
diadem
2:02
When will Capsarius get put onto the rotation on a full time gig?
AvatarJon Becker
2:03
Probably not until Ohtani is stretched out to something closer to regular-length starts (maybe three innings?), since they've been paired together and Ohtani's only thrown an inning in each of his first two starts anyway, so he's basically just an opener. I could see him taking that opener + Wrobleski spot at that point, but they'll also have to work Glasnow in soon-ish, too.
Matt C.
2:04
Next top prospect to get the call?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:06
It has to be Chase DeLauter, although I don't know if we should really trust that Guardians will call him up soon. He's been hurt a lot but he's slashing .396/.507/.604 over his last 15 games in AAA. They need another bat. Need to find out if he's that guy.

A very good resource for this question is our MiLB Power Rankings leaderboard, set to AAA/last 14 days ...

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/minor-league-power-rankings?...
Guest
2:06
Do the Cubs stick with Shaw ROS or do they make a move for a 3B at
deadline?
AvatarJon Becker
2:09
The next month is going to be huge for him. The glove has been really good since he came back up but he's back to slumping at the plate; he's not hitting the ball hard (I think still the worst average exit velo in the league) and not making great swing decisions, either. If he comes around then they won't feel a need to make a move, of course, but if it's more of this they'll have options. All of these guys could/should/will be available: Paul DeJong, Eugenio Suárez, Ramón Urías, Yoán Moncada, Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
El Coffee
2:09
Ashcraft "started" for the pirates this week. Do you think they are going to build him back up to a full starter or is this a temporary 4ish inning type of thing.
AvatarJason Martinez
2:11
That was my assumption after Burrows pitched in relief yesterday and since Bubba Chandler has struggled as of late. Ashcraft pitched 3 innings in his MLB start a few days ago and he was built up to 6 innings in AAA before he was called up. So seems likely that he gets his shot in the rotation.
RoyalBlue
2:11
Will Lugo’s player option help or hurt his value?
AvatarJon Becker
2:12
Player options hurt trade value, as a general rule. Teams view it as a poison pill: if he's really good then he opts out and effectively retroactively became a rental, but if he's awful or has a bad injury (I think the latter is the only thing that could realistically prevent him opting out, since he's been so good since the start of last year), he's sticking around. It also makes it really hard to align on trade value.
Chris
2:13
Even though he's looked bad in rehab, I guess the Yanks will give Stroman another shot with Yarb out, but do you think itll be a short leash?  Any chance Schlittler gets a chance in that spot (he has to be added to 40 this offseason anyway)?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:15
Yes and yes. And it's actually turning out to be very good timing. Schlittler has only made 4 AAA starts so I don't think he's quite ready yet. I think they give Stroman about 3-4 starts to prove that he belongs in the rotation. If he struggles and Schlittler continues to be very good, I can see them making that change.
Larry
2:16
For the rest of the season, who would you prefer between K. Rocker, M. Abel, and G. Holmes? Thanks
AvatarJon Becker
2:18
I like all three of them, but Holmes is the only one of the three who's all but guaranteed to keep his starting rotation spot the rest of the year, assuming health. Abel will get plenty of run with Nola out but could lose his spot to Painter at some point anyway, and Eovaldi, Mahle, and Gray should all be rejoining the Rangers rotation at various points. I like what I've seem from Rocker the last couple starts but just not sure he can maintain it.
Guest
2:19
What do you look at if trying to stream an RP in the hopes of a stray save?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:21
I'd look at usage from the past week, which you can do on the Closer Depth Chart ...

https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/closer-depth-chart

For a pitcher to be unavailable, I usually assume 20+ pitches the previous day, used in back-to-back days, or 3 of last 4. Check out the Astros, for example. Hader has gone back-to-back and 3 of 4. Bryan Abreu didn't pitch yesterday. That's a decent bet that Hader is down and Abreu is next up.
Joey
2:22
What are the chances that Harry Ford gets called up by the Mariners this season?
AvatarJon Becker
2:23
If he keeps hitting, a really good chance, especially when rosters expand in September and they can make him the extra guy. Garver ultimately getting DFA'd and Ford being on the Dalton Rushing program of catching a couple times a week while learning the ropes from a veteran is very possible, too.
Martin G.
2:24
Best guess for who will be in the Dodgers starting rotation when the playoffs begin?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:26
I think it's pretty straightforward and the Dodgers have to feel very confident about their chances as long as these 4 are healthy ... Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani. They won the World Series with a lot of bullpen games and rookies throwing multiple innings. Seems like their goal is to get those 4 guys healthy and ready for October.
lance mannion
2:26
Speaking Painter when could or should we expect him?
AvatarJon Becker
2:28
I think three things dictate that: how healthy the current starting five is, how stretched out/efficient Painter is, and how Abel is pitching. Abel's had a rough couple starts so that's in Painter's favor, but Painter did need 89 pitches to complete five innings his last time out, with four walks. That's a blip that doesn't make them think any less highly of him but they might want to see him throw six innings in 90ish pitches just to check another box in terms of up-downs.
Ross
2:29
How much longer until Tyler Freeman gets an everyday player-ish playing time projection?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:30
He was in the 25-30% range earlier in the season and I've moved him up gradually so he's at around 65% now. But, yeah, probably should be over 80% at this point. No longer a small sample. He has a 152 wRC+ over the last month while playing just about every day. The production might not be sustainable but he's done enough to assume he'll be in the starting lineup for good.
RAGBRAI
2:31
Does Murphy get moved n the offseason to give Baldwin more PT or does he become the backup and Baldwin gets the lion’s share of PT? Or does it happen this year?
AvatarJon Becker
2:33
Murphy's already essentially a backup who plays a little more than the typical backup (it's been two games on, one game off for Baldwin for nine games now), so my best guess is they'll stick with that. And whoever the backup is that day tends to get in as a pinch-hitter so they're both staying pretty fresh. Maaaaaaaaaybe they make a move in the offseason from a payroll standpoint but from a roster construction standpoint it's working great for them.
SteveS
2:34
Thoughts on Wenceel Perez? Does he hold a spot in the OF all year? If he had more ABs, his Statcast page would be mostly red.
AvatarJason Martinez
2:36
Hinch has done a good job getting everyone at-bats. They use everyone. Wenceel seems like he'd be the odd man out at some point but he's forcing his way into becoming a regular. Will be interesting once Vierling is ready to return from the IL. He might have to go to AAA since he has options remaining and Wenceel is too productive to send him back.
Galen
2:37
Sam Haggerty strictly a platoon bat? Or is there room for more playing time for him?
AvatarJon Becker
2:38
I think he's one of those platoon bats who will play against every lefty but he hasn't been fully shielded from righties, either, and in fact hit second against a couple righties when Langford had to miss a couple games. His versatility is really helpful and that team is so starved for offense that they'll take what they can get from anyone, and he's been one of the few bright spots since he got brought up.
Rob
2:38
Does Jack Perkins get into the A's rotation this season or will he be stuck in long relief?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:41
The emergence of Jacob Lopez makes it a bit challenging and Mitch Spence has also been pretty good since returning to the rotation. Might take an injury or a trade but, at the least, I think they'll want to see how Perkins looks as a starting pitcher before season's end. Would be easy enough to move Spence back to the bullpen later in the season. In any case, I think Perkins' AAA performance ensures that he goes into Spring Training 2026 as a rotation candidate.
Ice Cream Helmet
2:41
For a playoff-caliber team, what is the minimum value at the plate they must get from glove-first types, below which the glove just can't carry the bat? Call it the Kiermaier line. I'm looking at Michael Harris II (53 wRC+) and Nick Allen (64wRC+) and thinking no amount of defensive wizardry can keep those bats in the lineup.
AvatarJon Becker
2:44
I wish there was a super clear answer I could give you here, but ultimately there's not because there are just so many factors. How good of a fielder? How bad of a hitter (and vice versa for the bad defenders!)? What are the options in Triple-A and in trade? How much money is the player making? Etc., etc., etc. To use Denzel Clarke as an example, he's been a full win more valuable than Harris despite basically the same wRC+ because he's just that good of a fielder, and it seems like the A's are perfectly fine with that right now. The vice-versa players might not get talked about quite as much but Nick Castellanos (really bad fielding metrics, 110 wRC+) is right around replacement level, too.
Lowe Distribution System
2:45
The Orioles are missing their starting 1B and C.  Basallo continues to crush AAA.  Are they just gonna hold him there to preserve rookie status for next year?
AvatarJason Martinez
2:48
It's a tricky one. He's only 20 years old so I understand why they don't want to rush him to the big leagues as a catcher. Being a MLB catcher is really difficult. Hitting MLB pitching is very difficult.

My assumption is that they want to continue developing him as a catcher, which will end if they decide that they just need his bat in the big league lineup. And since they're currently not a contender and don't seem like they will be in a month, I think the priority is to continue with his development in AAA.
Guest
2:48
no Walcott homers since 2 on may 30. ways to go this season but how risky that he's still in AA in April? obviously at his age it wouldn't be a total killer though
AvatarJon Becker
2:50
I don't think a month without a homer is that big a deal for a 19-year-old in Double-A, no. He's still walking almost as much as he's striking out and it's not like he's hitting .150 or something, so I'd just chalk it up to "stuff happens."
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