Category: Baseball

In hindsight, Dave Roberts dropped the hint Tuesday night. 

When asked about Shohei Ohtani’s plan for Wednesday’s series finale against the Mets, the manager said then that Ohtani is “going to be our starting pitcher tomorrow.”

What he neglected to mention: That pitching would be the only thing Ohtani does in the game.

For the first time since May 2021, Ohtani was in the lineup as a pitcher only for Wednesday’s contest, dropped from the batting order –– and his typical leadoff spot as the team’s designated hitter –– because of lingering soreness in the back of his right pitching shoulder after being hit by a pitch there earlier this week.

“If he wouldn’t have gotten hit, he would’ve DH’d today,” Roberts said. “So I just think in this one game, it just makes more sense to give him the best chance to kind of manage the shoulder and the back.”

The hit-by-pitch in question happened in Ohtani’s first at-bat Monday night, when David Peterson plunked him with a 94 mph sinker that sent the four-time MVP reeling in pain.

Ohtani stayed in that night’s game, and DH’d again Tuesday. But he’s gone 0-for-7 since, only reaching base once in that span via an intentional walk.

“There’s still some soreness in there,” Roberts said.

Thus, the Dodgers decided it’d be best to have him only pitch Wednesday, in what will be his third outing on the mound this season. Dalton Rushing will serve as DH in Ohtani’s place.

Shohei Ohtani is the Dodgers' starting pitcher only tonight

He will not DH pic.twitter.com/O0NpDBi93e

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) April 15, 2026

“[It was] just feeling what gives him the best chance to stay loose during the outing, feel good,” Roberts said. “When he’s hitting, there’s a component that he’s in the cage getting ready to hit. And if we can take that off his plate and just focus on one thing tonight, we felt — training staff, pitching coaches, myself — we just felt it was the best thing for him.”

Roberts said he expects Ohtani to resume two-way duties the next time his spot in the rotation comes up.

He added that Ohtani “completely understood” the reasoning for Wednesday’s decision.

In case you were wondering, Ohtani will not be an option to pinch-hit later in Wednesday’s game, either. While, during his normal two-way starts, he is able to remain in the game as a hitter after his pitching start ends, the same flexibility does not apply if he is not in the starting lineup as the DH.

Because of that, Ohtani’s 48-game on-base streak also won’t be threatened. On-base streaks aren’t snapped if a player does not get a plate appearance in a game (even if they pitch, pinch-run or play defense).

Folks, the vibes are bad. The Brewers, after a wonderful start, have lost six in a row. The bullpen, an expected strength, is hanging on by a thread, and there are urgent questions about the closer’s role. Three of the team’s five best hitters are on the shelf, with no returns expected for at least a couple of weeks. It’s not great! (Good vibes around Jackie Robinson, though—it’s Jackie Robinson day today, so raise your glass to one of the great heroes of 20th century America.)

There is one thing that would cure the panic that is beginning to seep into parts of the fanbase: a few wins. Milwaukee will look to end their brutal losing streak tonight (and to keep their record from going under .500), but it’s not going to be a cakewalk. In the second game of their three-game set with the reigning American League champs, the Brewers will send Chad Patrick to the mound to face off with one of the highest paid pitchers in the league, Dylan Cease.

Cease, who signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays as a free agent this offseason, has had an enigmatic career. At his best, he’s been one of the very best pitchers alive, as evidenced by his 2022 season, when as a member of the White Sox he pitched to a 2.20 ERA, led the American League in bWAR, and finished second in Cy Young voting. But Cease has also had some clunkers; over the past four seasons, his ERA+ has been 180, 97, 118, and 94.

There is no question about Cease’s ability, though. He’s led his league in strikeouts per nine innings twice in the last five years, and at 11.0 per nine for his career, he is third among 47 active pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched in career K/9, behind only two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and future Hall of Famer Chris Sale. Cease is off to an excellent star: in three appearances spanning 14 2/3 innings, he has a 2.45 ERA and 1.66 FIP, and while his walks are up, he’s also struck out 26 batters in 14.2 innings, a Mason-Miller-esque rate of 16 per nine innings.

The Brewers will counter with Chad Patrick. He’s got a shiny 0.73 ERA of his own, but he’s definitely been fortunate—the sequencing coach is earning his pay, you might say, as it relates to Patrick. Patrick’s strikeouts are way down (he has only seven in 12 1/3 innings) and his walks are up (3.6 per nine, compared to 3.0 last season), giving him a 1950s-esque 1.40 K:BB ratio. Brewers fans will be pleased as long as the results are there, but the difference between Patrick’s ERA and FIP is higher than Freddy Peralta’s career ERA, so it would be nice to see some encouraging signs under the hood, so to speak.

Milwaukee will field a similar lineup to last night, with the exception of Brandon Lockridge (who finished last night’s game but didn’t start it), who is in for Luis Matos in left field. Gary Sánchez will also do the catching tonight, swapping roles with William Contreras, who will be the DH.

First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

The squad on #Jackie42 Day

📺: https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm
📻: WTMJ

→ https://t.co/mvGXoRMTFSpic.twitter.com/OaMhLce5A4

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 15, 2026

Tonight, we are all Number 42 💙 #Jackie42pic.twitter.com/t9MPtqLoUP

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 15, 2026

The San Francisco Giants continue their three-game road series against the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who enters today’s game with a 4.30 ERA, 4.32 FIP, with 15 strikeouts to seven walks in 14.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last Wednesday, in which he allowed just three hits and four walks with six strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder, who enters today’s game with a 3.31 ERA, 3.71 FIP, with 11 strikeouts to six walks in 16.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Reds’ 8-1 loss to the Miami Marlins last Thursday, in which he allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks in five and a third innings.

Game #18

Who: San Francisco Giants (6-11) vs. Cincinnati Reds (10-7)

Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

When: 3:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

After getting blown out on Monday, the Nats responded nicely, grinding out a 5-4 victory yesterday. That evened the series and put the Nationals one game below .500. They will look to get to .500 tonight against the Pirates in the third game of a four game set. This also a special day around the league, as MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day.

The Nats have a bit of a unique lineup tonight, and it is designed to counter the Pirates pitching strategy. Pittsburgh has a lefty opener, so Curtis Mead will hit second and play first base. To avoid the lefty, the Nats have Luis Garcia Jr. in the 9 spot. Joey Wiemer is also in the lineup, and he will hit sixth. Brady House is back at third base, which means Jorbit Vivas will slide over to second and Nasim Nunez will get the day off. Jake Irvin will be on the bump for the Nats.

for 42 tonight 💙

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/G6Dk9RjFMa

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 15, 2026

The Pirates made some changes to the bottom of their order. Teenaged sensation Konnor Griffin will get the night off. That means Nick Gonzales will play shortstop and Nick Yorke will play third. Henry Davis will be back behind the plate as the Pirates alternate catchers. The Bucs will open with flame throwing lefty Mason Montgomery. Right hander Carmen Mlodzinski will follow him and pitch in a bulk role.

18/162.

📺 @SNPittsburgh
📻 @937theFanpic.twitter.com/ljfEQK9S0I

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 15, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: PNC Park

Time: 6:40 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats have already secured a winning road trip, but they are looking for more. Splitting this four game set would satisfy me, but imagine if they can win the next two. That would really give the Nats momentum. The offense is red hot and makes this group very fun to watch. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.

If you read the little text under this article, I dubbed this a must win game for the Royals. While this is just game 18 on the season, this game tonight is huge for the vibes and direction of the team.

The Royals are 7-10 on the season, mostly because of inept offense, they’ve scored 2 runs or less in 10 of their first 17 games and in 6 of their last 7 games. When they hold a lead late, like last night, it’s a lot of pressure on the bullpen to be perfect, with no cushion, and it’s a blown lead late again, similar to Sunday.

If the Royals go out there and lose another game scoring 2 runs or less, it starts to build even more frustration offensively and then the pitching can’t continue to be as excellent as they have been, because they are under constant stress to be perfect, because of the poor offense.

Outside of the team, fans, especially the casual ones will keep losing interest in the ballclub, and April isn’t even over yet. The NFL Draft is next week, and we live in Chiefs country, so you know the casual fan will be tuned out quickly if things don’t turn around soon.

Good thing is, like me, most of you are diehard fans and we are in it until game 162 concludes or further beyond that. Tonight the Royals are sending Seth Lugo to the mound, he has been phenomenal all season long. The veteran right-hander has churned out good start after good start this season. If he does that again tonight, the Royals are in business to even this series up.

Here is the starting lineup behind Lugo.

Today, we wear No. 42. pic.twitter.com/BxcSueRWTr

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 15, 2026

As for the Tigers, they got off to an abysmal start, 4-9, including being swept in a four-game series by the Twins, who are winning the division… what??? Since then, they’ve won four straight games after sweeping the Marlins at home and rallying last night to beat Kansas City. They are 6-1 at home this season.

Right hander Jack Flaherty starts for Detroit. After two rough starts, his last outing in Minnesota was a good one, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings.

Here is the starting lineup behind Flaherty.

& we have a baseball game tonight!

⚾️ 6:40 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Comerica Park pic.twitter.com/Gt90PEbnmi

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 15, 2026

Also, today is Jackie Robinson Day, so everyone will be donned with 42 as their number. It’s a very special and historic day in baseball history, hopefully the Royals can break out tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. CT, the game can be streamed on Royals.TV.

The San Diego Padres are on a roll, as they have won nine of their last 11 games. They sit comfortably in second place in the National League West. But the momentum may turn for the worse after Nick Pivetta left his last start with right elbow stiffness. The injury has forced the Padres to place the right-hander on the injured list. 

The Friars cannot afford another significant blow to their starting rotation. Joe Musgrove is still recovering from elbow surgery, and losing another key contributor like Pivetta has placed the rotation in a period of uncertainty. 

Add the poor showing from German Marquez in his first three starts with the Padres. Suddenly, the team’s starting pitching depth has been challenged. Marquez has a 5.54 ERA with a 1.69 WHIP over 13 innings pitched. With the recent rash of injuries and bad outings at the beginning of the season, the Friars need to identify reliable starters who can throw quality innings.

Waldron has embraced becoming a knuckleball pitcher

Matt Waldron has been trying to perfect the knuckleball, so it becomes the main weapon in his pitching arsenal. He aims to throw his knuckleball at least 75% of the pitches thrown in every start. It would be a significant increase from previous seasons, which were approximately 38%.

He is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season. An oblique injury hampered Waldron and limited him to one start last summer. It was a late June start against the Philadelphia Phillies, as the right-hander struggled with his control. He walked six batters in a 4-0 defeat. 

Give Waldron credit for trying to reinvent himself on the mound. He needed to learn to trust the knuckleball. Waldron came to Peoria with newfound confidence, as he threw the knuckleball in the 75-80 MPH range this spring. The velocity will remind older baseball fans of former major leaguer Tom Candiotti. 

The hope is to combine the knuckler with his fastball to keep opposing hitters baffled inside the batter’s box. Waldron wants to disrupt their timing with the knuckler’s movement toward home plate. 

Hart might be too valuable to take out of ‘pen

Kyle Hart opened the 2026 campaign as the long man in the bullpen. In six appearances, Hart has pitched 11 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits. His control has been up and down with five walks and only six strikeouts this season.

Part of Hart’s struggles stems from lowering his arm slot during his delivery toward home plate. It has been a struggle to maximize movement on his sweeper and sinker. When he has been successful in games, he induces batters to hit groundballs at a 57.6% rate. His delivery forces hitters to begin their swing early and make weak contact.

The left-hander has 30 major league appearances, including nine career starts. It would be tough to transition back into being a starting pitcher, as Hart needs to stretch his arm out to go more than a couple of innings of work. 

Having an experienced pitcher filling the long man’s role in the bullpen is a luxury. Hart might be a better asset to keep a game close after a poor start than to replace Marquez in the starting rotation.

The Friars will have Waldron take over Pivetta’s spot in the starting rotation. He is ready for the challenge.

Waldron may not be the ideal foundation piece for the rotation, but he is ready to change the Friar Faithful’s opinion of him on the mound. 

The Red Sox broke out the bats in need of a response from Tuesday’s shutout loss. 

A big day for Trevor Story (5 RBIs) helped Boston earn a 9-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox avoided the sweep against the best team in the American League so far. 

Here are three takeaways from Boston’s series finale. 

The offense responds

The Red Sox put six runs on the board after Garrett Crochet’s implosion Monday night. The lineup followed that with its first shutout loss of the season Tuesday.

How would this remarkably inconsistent group respond Wednesday? 

Surprisingly well. 

Boston put together good at-bats from the jump and took advantage of extra opportunities. The Red Sox scored a pair on a dual-error from Twins infielder Luke Keaschall. Moments later, Trevor Story lifted a three-run home run to left field for another rare Boston homer. As referenced by The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, that marked the team’s first three-run blast of the season. 

STORY TIME IN MINNY 📖

TRUE BRINGS IN 3 MORE 💣 pic.twitter.com/MpIOYEGmb1

— NESN (@NESN) April 15, 2026

Boston added four more runs to put the game away. 

Early impressions? Solid

Connelly Early posted a 2.63 ERA to start the season, though the young lefty struggled to get deeper into his starts. 

He did a much better job keeping his pitch count down in this start and kept a red-hot Twins lineup in check. Early settled in after he allowed a first-inning solo shot to Austin Martin.  

Early finished six strong innings of one-run ball with just two hits allowed and five strikeouts. 

Story time (broadcast, not Trevor)

The best in-game story came around on NESN this afternoon when Will Middlebrooks shared his recollection of a productive night with the late Jerry Remy. 

The former Red Sox third baseman shared that on a road trip when he struggled as a rookie, Remy came to his room with a bottle of wine and worked on the rookie’s timing with rolled up socks to simulate baseballs. 

You can catch the full story here. 

.@middlebrooks with a touching story about his relationship with Remdog ❤️

"He loved to just sit and talk ball." 🥹 pic.twitter.com/FAgFxcRCzq

— NESN (@NESN) April 15, 2026

Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, April 15, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet-PIT

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the Washington Nationals this evening at beautiful PNC Park, where they hope to raise the Jolly Roger.

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BD community, this is your thread for today’s game against the Washington Nationals. Enjoy!

The Cincinnati Reds will be trying to win the series against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park after last night’s thrilling 2-1 win in the opener. Homers from Spencer Steer and budding superstar Sal Stewart were all the Reds needed, as Brady Singer turned in his finest performance of the season to date.

(Did I say budding superstar Sal Stewart? I believe I did.)

Su-per-star.

Anyway, Superstar Sal will try to take down old friend Tyler Mahle, who’ll get the start tonight for the Giants. He’s there after injuries decimated most of his 2023-2024 seasons, though he rebounded well enough in 16 starts with the Texas Rangers in 2025 to land a $10 million guarantee to pitch for San Francisco this season.

Mahle still lives on his fastball for the most part, though he’s dropped the slider he used in his time with the Reds almost exclusively while working a splitter into his repertoire 30.6% of the time this year. Given that he’s got a rising four-seamer, that’s likely his attempt to get the bottom to fall out of pitches hitters would otherwise think were elevated on purpose.

Rhett Lowder will toe the rubber for the Reds looking to rebound from a rough outing last time. First pitch in this one is set for the typical 6:40 PM ET start time, and the Reds lineup is listed below.

It’s the finale against the Cubs, with a series win on the line. Here are the lineups, let’s discuss.

For the Phillies:

Back at it#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/EiGVdjf1Q4

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 15, 2026

For the Cubs:

3/3!

Tune in live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/3zJjBqj3cm

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 15, 2026

The Mets have placed INF/OF Jared Young on the 10-day injured list with a left meniscus tear, and according to The Athletic's Will Sammon, Young will undergo surgery in New York. 

To take Young’s spot on the major league roster, OF MJ Melendez has been recalled.

Additionally, RHP Luis Garcia has been released after previously being designated for assignment.

The veteran Young had gotten off to a strong start this season, going 7-for-20 with two doubles, two RBI, and a .391 OBP. 

But manager Carlos Mendoza announced before Tuesday's loss to the Dodgers that Young has been dealing with a knee issue, which has kept him out of the lineup since Sunday.

"Jared is dealing with some left knee discomfort. Happened Sunday after the game," Mendoza said. "Didn't get better yesterday, so we have to see what we're dealing with here."

Mendoza said at the time that an IL stint was possible, and further testing obviously made that possibility become a reality.

Melendez, meanwhile, was signed by the Mets on a split contract this offseason, and while there was a possibility he could make the team out of spring training, the former Royal started the year with Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .216 in 14 games.

Slade pitched today. It started raining early in his start, and that really seemed to mess with him. His velocity was down and his command was bad. Despite that, he managed to go 4 innings giving up only 1 run. Walked 5, struckout 4.

The Guardians scored right away when Kwan hit a lead off double down the 3rd base line. DeLauter moved Kwan over with a groundout. In a strange sequence of events, Jose grounded to short, which Kwan tried to score on, but tripped halfway down the line, then got into a rundown and eventually got tagged out at third. Jose got to second, though, which proved crucial when Manzardo drove him in with an RBI single right after. Manzardo was 2/2 today.

Early returns.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/vILyFfjVrD

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 15, 2026

In the top of the 6th, Jose fouled a ball off his shin, and was on the ground in pain for a while. He got up and finished the at-bat, but looked to be lumbering to first on his groundout. He stayed in the game at DH.

Cecconi gave up a run in the second, and the game was quiet until the 6th, when things seemed to get away from the Guardians’ bullpen. Brogdon pitched a scoreless 5th, but was then brought back out for the 6th. He gave up back to back singles, then the Cardinals bunted the runners over. Brogdon then walked Victor Scott and was pulled for Herrin. Herrin gave up RBI sac fly to Wetherholt, and then a 2-run single to Alec Burleson that barely escaped through the middle of the infield.

The Guardians fought right back (down 4-1 at this point), putting two guys on with two outs in the 7th with Bo Naylor up against a lefty. Bo got to a full count and then smoked a ball into the gap in right-center, scoring both Hoskins and Schneemann.

Naylor drives in two with a double!#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/v4Uckejkk0

— GuardsTV (@GuardsTV) April 15, 2026

Festa came on for the 7th (after getting out of trouble in the 6th), and gave up an RBI double to Nathan Church (who has had the series of his life this week).

The Guardians had the top of their order up in the 8th, but went 1-2-3 to Cardinals LHRP JoJo Romero. Festa pitched a scoreless 8th, but Riley O’Brien shut it down in the 9th.

The Guardians head back home for a 3-game set against Baltimore starting tomorrow.

It’ll be Messick against Shane Baz.

Batman will be back in the building at PNC Park and where he belongs.

A fan favorite despite only playing three years in Pittsburgh, no one captivated the fan base quite like this former All-Star pitcher.

A.J. Burnett will throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Friday night before the Pirates host the Tampa Bay Rays for the first of a three-game series.

Burnett voiced the Pirates new City Connect debut video and donned the Pirates new alternate. 

The Pirates will debut their City Connect jerseys during Friday’s game at PNC Park and wear them throughout the season on Friday home games. 

𝙒𝙀 𝘽𝙇𝙀𝙀𝘿 𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙂𝙊𝙇𝘿. pic.twitter.com/ziIJ9Bo9GA

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 9, 2026

“Batman” signed with the Pirates prior to the 2012 season and won 16 games his first year. He was a member of the 2013 Pirates club that won 94 games and clinched a playoff bid for the first time since 1992. 

Burnett finished 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA over 39 starts and struck out 209 batters in 191 innings.

He left Pittsburgh and pitched in Philadelphia during the 2014 season before returning home for 2015.

The Pirates finished 98-64 as Burnett totaled a 3.18 ERA over 26 starts, the lowest in his entire 17-year MLB career with five different clubs.

Burnett earned his only All-Star appearance as a 38-year-old crafty right hander that owned a 122 ERA+ and 143 strikeouts in 164 innings of work.

Burnett tweeted his own hype video with the caption, “See Yinz this weekend,” to fire up the fan base. 

See Yinz this weekend 🦇👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/xRwcYHehGA

— AJ Burnett (@wudeydo34) April 14, 2026

Chris Mueller of The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan is also in line to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. 

The Pirates host the Rays this Friday at 6:40 p.m. 

Well, first these two teams took forever to get the lineups posted, and then I got snowed under by work, so now, I get to dump the Statcast graphic here for both lineups. Yay.

The “big” change for the Braves is flip-flopping Mauricio Dubon and Michael Harris II. This is the first time that’s happened this season against a right-hander, as to this point, all lineups against righties had Harris hitting either immediately ahead of Dubon, or a few spots up. Doing this creates more alternation in handedness, though the flip side is that Mike Yastrzemski has dropped behind Ozzie Albies as well, so this move largely just breaks up a chain of three straight lefties. Fun times.

The Marlins have put in a bit of a different lineup compared to their earlier efforts, with Deyvison De Los Santos starting at first and Heriberto Hernandez starting in left field. As a result, Otto Lopez moves up to third in Agustin Ramirez’ absence.

The batter-versus-pitcher stuff here is kinda fun, if ultimately meaningless. Every single guys in the Braves’ lineup has faced Chris Paddack, though only Yastrzemski and Smith have faced him enough to amass double-digit PAs. Yastrzemski has crushed him (.550 wOBA, .468 xwOBA); the combined line for this lineup is a .325 wOBA and .370 xwOBA in 76 PAs.

Elder has faced the Marlins a lot, but their cast of characters rotates a fair bit, so we’ve only got six of the nine guys in their lineup with direct major league experience against Elder — and no one has more than eight PAs. Collectively, it’s a .459 wOBA and .321 xwOBA in 26 PAs, with Hernandez and Xavier Edwards the two good xwOBAs among the six.

The NL East leading Atlanta Braves sent Luke Williams to Gwinnett today. Luke said no dice.

The Braves outrighted Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett, and he elected free agency

— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) April 15, 2026

Luke Williams elected free agency today. He was brought up on April 11th when Michael Harris II welcomed Michael the third into the world. This move exposed Luke’s tenuous grasp on a Atlanta Braves 40-man roster spot. When this was lost, Luke decided to check his options with other teams.

Williams is a handy guy to have around as a last guy on the bench type. Luke has never played catcher but has played every other position on the diamond including pitcher. He’s listed as a shortstop, but has played more games in the outfield (mostly left field) and third base than shortstop. But right now the Braves are using every spot on the roster to make up for the losses of Sean Murphy and Ha-seong Kim. Maybe he can find another organization, or could be reabsorbed onto the Braves’ minor league system. Williams was designated for assignment on September 5, 2025 and did accept the demotion. He rolled off the roster and the end of last season, but found himself back on the Spring Training roster. Stay tuned to see if our favorite utility/relief pitcher finds his way back to Atlanta.