Happy All-Star break everybody! With a pause in the constant action of the major league season, this week is a great time to take a deep breath and evaluate where our teams are at before the championship push.
With that, it’s a good moment to make the potential risky play of stashing a minor leaguer or injured player who can be ready to help us over the next few weeks.
The streaking Red Sox have vaulted into playoff contention while the Brewers continue to climb the ranks.
D.J. Short
Here are my three favorite players to stash right now.
At the end of this piece, there is a more exhaustive list of all possible stash options for all league types and sizes.
Bubba Chandler, SP Pirates
The eternal stash, Chandler seemed to be on the doorstep for a call-up much earlier this season. On May 1st, he had a 1.42 ERA through six starts at Triple-A with 36 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings with just seven walks.
His fastball was touching 100 mph and that pitch along with a devastating slider and burgeoning changeup gave him a major league quality repertoire. The minors seemed too easy and it felt like he was on a similar timeline to Paul Skenes from the season before.
Then, the promotion never came and his performance cratered. Over Chandler’s next 36 innings through the end of June, he had a 4.75 ERA and walked 26 batters. That translated to a 15.0% walk rate.
Walks had been a bit of a problem for Chandler through the lower minors. A problem he solved over the last few years though and during this period, the zone rates on his individual pitches remained mostly steady. So, it was strange to watch that walk rate sharply tick up.
Trying to read between the lines a bit, Chandler is known to be tenaciously competitive.
He was an accomplished high school quarterback recruit verbally committed to Clemson when the Pirates drafted him and after Paul Skenes was named the opening day starter this season, he basically told him to enjoy it while it lasts.
Not that it’s any type of excuse, but maybe he let those feelings that he deserved a promotion distract him a bit during that rough patch.
He’d dominated Triple-A over nearly 40 innings last season, came out of the gate firing again this season, and clearly seemed deserving of a spot in the major league rotation. Then, it’s possible the idea that the Pirates may have been manipulating his service time could’ve crept in and suddenly, his focus was gone.
More recently, Chandler has gotten back on track. He’s completed six innings of each of his last two starts and not allowed a run over that span with 13 strikeouts and four walks. Also, it was telling to see the emotion with which he’s been pitching with.
Clearly, he’s let some demons out and seems ready to rip again. Trade rumors have been swirling around Mitch Keller all summer and there’s a good chance Andrew Heaney is on the move as well. When a rotation spot opens, Chandler will get it and has a chance to be a high-level pitcher down the stretch.
Zebby Matthews, SP Twins
This past Sunday, Matthews made his first rehab start since going on the injured list with a shoulder strain in early June. He struck out nine over four scoreless innings with Triple-A St. Paul.
Apart from the results, his stuff was sharp. He touched 99 mph with his fastball and sat between 97-98 mph over his 56 total pitches. Of the 15 swings-and-misses he forced, eight were with his hard slider that he commanded well low in the zone.
Also, after his four scoreless innings, the Iowa Cubs put up eight runs on St. Paul’s bullpen over the final five innings of that game.
There are reports that this could be the only rehab start for Matthews too. The Twins’ rotation has been crushed by injuries this season with Pablo López on the shelf with a serious shoulder strain, Matthews missing the last six weeks, and Bailey Ober out right now with a hip impingement.
Not to mention, the trio of David Festa, Chris Paddack, and Simeon Woods-Richardson have not pitched well themselves while flanking All-Star Joe Ryan in this staff.
So, there’s a need for Matthews at the big league level the moment he’s deemed ready. It’s telling that the Twins started his rehab at Triple-A too, rather than having him build himself up in the lower minors.
It seems likely he makes his next start in the majors and while he’ll likely be capped around 75 or so pitches in that one, he is a must-roster player through the second half with huge strikeout upside and the stuff to be a clear top-40 or so pitcher for the rest of the season.
Spencer Arrighetti, SP Astros
A less-talked about stash than injured stars like Shane McClanahan or Pablo López, Arrighetti is on the doorstep of a rehab assignment and could be in line for both more innings and more reliable results when he eventually returns.
One fear of stashing pitchers is that oftentimes they are out with arm injuries, obviously. Shoulder strains, Tommy John surgery, small tears in a ligament, and other injuries of the like will cause teams to be more careful with their recovering pitchers. Also, they can hurt a pitcher’s effectiveness upon return.
So, too often we’ll stash a pitcher recovering from a major injury, hold them through their rehab, and then get a lesser version of them when they’re finally back or worse, watch a setback derail all their progress.
Arrighetti has been out since April with a broken bone in his thumb that happened when he was hit by a line drive while having a catch during batting practice. It’s a serious injury to have kept him from the team for three months, but not one where there’s a serious risk of re-injury or poor effectiveness after all this time.
With a right thumb injury, Arrighetti’s return will be all about how well he can grip the ball. He’s been throwing regular bullpen sessions for a month now, so everything seems fine there.
As long as his command and velocity hold up during his soon-to-be rehab assignment, he should return to an Astros’ rotation that could use some help on the back-end and be the same top-50 adjacent pitcher we expected him to be coming into the season.
Other Stash Options
Shane McClanahan just began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham and threw 36 pitches, so it’s likely still multiple weeks before he’s back.
Blake Snell and Michael King are on similar timelines, nearing rehab assignments while recovering from shorter-term injuries than McClanahan.
Kyle Bradish has begun to throw as he works back from Tommy John surgery early last season, but it’s unlikely we get bulk from him for the rest of the season. The Orioles just want to be sure he’s fully healthy and ready to go ahead of 2026.
Similarly, his teammate Grayson Rodriguez is throwing bullpen sessions as the team remains hopeful he’ll return from a serious lat strain he suffered during spring training. Again, it seems like the Orioles just want to make sure these guys are ready for 2026 after getting their feet wet to close out this season.
Luis Gil began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset last weekend and is expected to be back in the Yankees’ rotation within a few weeks.
Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia are both on the long road back to the Astros’ rotation. Javier is a bit ahead of Garcia and is already on a rehab assignment. Don’t expect either back before August and their roles may not be as traditional starters given how long they’ve both been recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Don’t forget about struggling starters Aaron Nola, Bailey Ober, or Zach Eflin. Each has a long track record of success, especially Nola, and will be back over the next few weeks.
Luke Keaschall and Dylan Crews have the ability to get hot and steal heaps of bases when they’re each back with their respective teams relatively soon, just without the guarantee of major league playing time for either. So, be mindful of stashing them.
Logan Henderson of the Brewers is likely the most talented pitcher stuck in Triple-A at the moment, but without any angle to wedge his way back into their big league rotation unless there are multiple injuries or trades to clear up space.
Francisco Álvarez will be back and starting at catcher for the Mets before long.
Kristian Campbell may be for the Red Sox too as they seem to have available playing time at both first and second base. Campbell is more of a second baseman by trade, but has mixed in a bit at first during his current stint at Triple-A.
Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and/or Blade Tidwell could mix into the Mets’ rotation by seasons’ end. Especially since they have five healthy starters and usually like to carry six with Kodai Senga preferring to pitch every sixth day rather than five.
Dylan Beavers (BAL), CJ Kayfus (CLE), Juan Brito (CLE), could see playing time open up for them if their big league clubs shed talent at the trade deadline.
Owen Caissie (CHC), Justin Crawford (PHI), Mick Abel (PHI) and Ian Seymour (TBR) could find themselves in trades if their teams find a deal for them, which could put them in position for major league playing time afterwards.
Be wary of top prospects Andrew Painter (PHI) and Samuel Basallo (BAL). Painter will pitch for the Phillies this season, but they will have five unquestioned starters when Nola returns and he may find himself in more of a swing-man role to prepare for the playoffs.
If the Orioles wanted to promote Basallo, they likely would’ve done so by now since they’re on to their sixth starting catcher of the season already.
