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As if the Nats did not already have enough problems in their bullpen, they have now been hit with the injury bug. Two Nats relievers are now on the shelf, with Cole Henry and Ken Waldichuk hitting the IL. Waldichuk going on the IL was not much of a surprise to anyone who watched him leave the other day, but Henry hitting the shelf is a bit more surprising.

Things looked really bad for Ken Waldichuk when he left the game yesterday. Leaving the game while grimacing in pain and pointing at your elbow is never a good sign. For now at least, the injury is just listed as forearm tightness. Hopefully Waldichuk avoided anything serious and can come back sooner rather than later.

Waldichuk had a Tommy John in 2024, and the recovery was bumpy to say the least. He did not look like himself when he returned in 2025. That led to the southpaw bouncing around the waiver wire until he found a home in DC. Before he got hurt, Waldichuk was having his best outing of the season, which made the injury sting even more.

For Henry, you have to hope this injury is not too serious and is just a case of the Nats wanting to give him a re-set. After Waldichuk went down, Henry came in and blew the Nats lead. Now, he is on the shelf with a rotator cuff injury. 

For a guy with a lengthy injury history that includes surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a rotator cuff injury sounds ominous. We will have to hear about what the severity of that injury is before we jump to conclusions. Henry got off to a great start in the big leagues last year, but faded down the stretch and did not have a good start to this season.

To replace these two, the Nats have turned to a couple familiar faces. Of the pair, I am the most excited about Orlando Ribalta. The results have not been there for Ribalta in his 26 career big league outings, but I like his stuff. Ribalta has a mid-90’s heater with real life, as well as a slider and a changeup that can both look very good at times.

The big thing for Ribalta is control and keeping the ball in the yard. He has struggled with both as a big leaguer, walking over 6 batters per nine and allowing nearly two homers per nine. However, he does have swing and miss stuff, as well as a track record of success in the minors. In his six outings for Rochester, Ribalta has been very solid this season with a 3.38 ERA and a WHIP of 0.75.

Jackson Rutledge was the other pitcher the Nats called up. Rutledge was a first round pick for the Nats back in 2019, but has not yet solidified himself as a big leaguer. He made 63 appearances last year, and looked good at times, but his 5.77 ERA for the season left a lot to be desired. 

Rutledge has not looked great in AAA to start this year either. He has a 5.40 ERA in five innings, with five walks to just one strikeout. Rutledge’s fastball, slider and splitter combo can look good at times, but it is inconsistent. Despite solid velocity, the fastball does not play well. When he has a feel for his secondary pitches, he can have success, but when he does not, things can get ugly.

Overall, this is just more musical chairs for a bullpen that is light on difference makers. I like Ribalta’s upside and Rutledge can look good in flashes, but both need to find consistency. For the bullpen, the Nats need to keep giving guys chances and see who can stick around.

The White Sox pulled the trigger on another early-season shuffle, packing off Lenyn Sosa to Toronto for outfielder Jordan Rich and the usual bag of mystery cash or future guy.

Sosa, 26, leaves the South Side after five seasons of fits and starts. Signed as a kid out of Venezuela in 2016, up for air in 2022, and never quite sticking. He flashed some pop but never found a glove that fit and got lost in the White Sox infield traffic jam.

He finally broke out in 2025: .264 average, 22 bombs, 75 driven in over 140 games. Not bad. But 2026? Back to the bench, just 12 games, squeezed out as the Sox tried every other infield flavor.

Now he heads north, a Band-Aid for the Blue Jays with Addison Barger shelved. Toronto hopes Sosa’s pop plays, even if he’s just a plug-and-play bat off the bench.

Coming back to the White Sox is Jordan Rich, 18, a 2025 17th-rounder who hasn’t played a pro inning. He’s fast, he walked a lot in high school, and that’s about all we know.

With the swap, the Sox clear the infield logjam, and Sosa gets a shot at relevance, and everyone moves on.

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We're kicking off the week with a smaller MLB slate — just 10 games on the board — but there's still plenty of value to be found courtesy of Polymarket, which allows baseball fans across the country to get in on the action.

We've got some MLB picks from our baseball experts, along with some more MLB best bets from the Covers staff, to fill up your card for Monday, April 13. 

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: BOS/MIN o7.5	+104
Jon Metler: PHI ML	-170

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Red Sox/Twins Over 7.5

Price: 49¢ (+104) at Polymarket

THE BAT projects this number closer to 8.5 total runs, as even with Garrett Crochet on the mound, the Boston Red Sox are capable of doing damage against Bailey Ober, who is a flyball pitcher that isn’t missing bats this season (4.61 K/9). His starts have also trended towards high scoring for the Twins, with results of 8–6 and 10–4. There’s also some uncertainty around Crochet’s workload amid potential weather concerns and a possible delay, with a 65% chance of rain.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Phillies moneyline

Price: 63¢ (-170) at Polymarket

The Philadelphia Phillies are trading as a 63% favorite on Polymarket, and that’s a number I’m willing to back — I price them closer to a 67% favorite in this matchup against the Chicago Cubs. The wind is blowing out to right field at Citizens Bank Park at 15 mph, but that’s much less of a concern for Cristopher Sánchez than it is for Javier Assad. Sánchez is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game and excels at generating ground balls, which helps neutralize the impact of the ballpark conditions. Assad, on the other hand, is more vulnerable in these conditions, and the wind blowing out to right field could significantly work against him.

More MLB best bets for today

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After missing the last two games of the series against Cleveland, Michael Harris II will return to the Braves a presumably proud papa.

We’ll hope that in addition to getting enough sleep, something about the addition to the Braves family changes Harris’ luck. Harris is rocking a yummy-yum-yum .401 xwOBA, but a very sad .287 wOBA. That gap is the seventh-most-woeful in MLB among anyone with 32+ PAs and is almost entirely due to ball flight/ballpark dimension stuff. Harris has the league’s seventh-best xSLG, but the third-biggest underperformance of said xSLG. Anyway, the point is: he’s a father now, universe — let his homers be homers, thanks.

As for Luke Williams, well, the roster barnacle will likely continue to barnacle. This is the nth time he’s been DFAed in his career, and second by the Braves. I think he was outrighted by the Braves three times in 2025 alone. Williams pinch-hit late yesterday and drew a walk.

As you know, the Cubs are off to a rough start this season.

But then, so are the Phillies. The teams enter this series with identical 7-8 records, and the Phillies have lost four of their last five, scoring a total of just 11 runs in those five games.

Here’s more on the Phillies from Ethan Witte, manager of our SB Nation Phillies site The Good Phight.

The Phillies begin this series in a rut. They aren’t scoring consistently, having not scored in 68 of their last 76 innings, looking rather futile while doing so. However, when they do put together scoring runs, those runs tend to come in bunches. Bryce Harper has been swinging a hot bat of late, getting his season line up to .273/.375/.527 with three home runs. However, his production has been balanced by the lack of production from Alec Bohm, who is 0 for his last 16. The starting pitching has been decent of late, helped by a bullpen that has also been especially stingy. However, everything will be determined by how well the offense is playing, which is hasn’t been encouraging lately.

Fun facts

The Cubs will play at Philadelphia today through Wednesday, then host the Phillies for four games next Monday through Thursday. The final game will wrap up the season series between the teams, on April 23.

That is the second-earliest date on which they have finished playing each other. In 2001, they met at Philadelphia for three games on Apr 6-8, then played three at Wrigley Field on April 17-18, with a doubleheader the second day.
…..
The second game this year will be the 2,400th in the rivalry, which began in 1883. The Cubs have a .524 winning percentage against the Phillies, with 1,248 wins, 1,132 losses and 18 ties. They have won 138 more than they have lost at home, but have lost 22 more than they have won at Philadelphia. Their next loss there will be their 600th. They have won 577.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Javier Assad, RHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.529 WHIP, 3.15 FIP) vs. Cristopher Sánchez, LHP (1-1, 1.65 ERA, 1.347 WHIP, 1.06 FIP)

Tuesday: Colin Rea, RHP (0-1, 3.18 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, 3.59 FIP) vs. Aaron Nola, RHP (1-1, 3.63 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, 3.90 FIP)

Wednesday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (0-1, 2.81 ERA, 0.813 WHIP, 2.21 FIP) vs. Jesús Luzardo, LHP (1-2, 6.23 ERA, 1.154 WHIP, 2.34 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Monday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, FS1 (outside the Cubs and Phillies market territories)

Tuesday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, TBS (outside the Cubs and Phillies market territories)

Wednesday: 5:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

I picked two of three the last time the Cubs were on the road and was right! (Rays series.) So… why not do that again?

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then return to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the New York Mets beginning Friday afternoon.

As the corresponding move for Tommy Pham joining the team ahead of the series with the Dodgers, Ronny Mauricio has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Mauricio was called up to the majors on April 6, when Juan Soto was placed on the Injured List for a calf strain. Since his call up, Mauricio collected a extra inning, game winning RBI in walk-off fashion against the Diamondbacks and went 0-3 in a game where he played third base against the Athletics.

Mauricio was always a little bit of a square peg on this roster, as they already have Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Francisco Lindor locking down Maruicio’s most natural positions, as well as Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Jared Young, and Jorge Polanco all getting reps at first base as well. As our Steve Sypa said in our 2026 Season Preview, Mauricio has been a Mets’ farmhand for a long time, but there’s no clear path for him to spend significant time in the majors:

Where the 25-year-old begins the season is most likely dependent on factors beyond his control. Francisco Lindor’s surgery to correct a hamate injury may or may not cost the All-Star some time at the beginning of the season. If he is unable to start the year on the active roster, Mauricio is one of a handful of shortstop options the Mets have to fill-in for the injured Lindor, perhaps the most appealing, as he is a young, homegrown player that has more potential upside than the Jackson Cluffs, Vidal Brujans, Christian Arroyos, and Grae Kessingers of the baseball world. If Lindor is fully healthy and ready to go when the season begins, it will likely be in Mauricio’s best interest to begin the year in Triple-A, so that he can get regular at-bats. At the same time, his bat from the left-side would be useful off the Mets’ bench, as he posted a .265/.336/.447 in 132 at-bats, good for a 121 wRC+. On one hand, being used irregularly in certain situations might not be the best use for Mauricio’s development as a baseball player. But then again, Mauricio has long showed us that this is who he is, so perhaps why not?

Since Pham signed after spring training and was not working out with a club before his signing, it appears that Mauricio was simply an extra bat off the bench until Pham was ready. Pham’s contract included an opt-out as of April 25th if he wasn’t called up to the majors. The deal can be worth as much as $3.1 million if all goes well.

Pham has been a more or less replacement level player over the past few years, racking up season OPS+s of 95, 92, 11, and 85 over the past four seasons.

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The Houston Astros can’t get home soon enough. 

The team has not only struggled on its current 10-game road trip, but this away swing seems cursed. Injuries are piling up for Houston as it plays its final stop against the Seattle Mariners this afternoon.

Houston, which has one win in the first nine games of this trip, is desperate to avoid a sweep in Seattle. It could have bodies back in the infield and provide right-hander Mike Burrows with support on both sides of the plate.

Our Astros vs. Mariners predictions tell Seattle to put away the brooms with my MLB picks hopping on Houston.

Who will win Astros vs Mariners today: Astros moneyline (+156)

The Houston Astros took a 6-1 beating on Sunday but were without SS Jeremy Pena and 3B Carlos Correa. 

Correa is expected to return, while Pena has been placed on the injured list. But getting Correa back is a boost, providing solid hitting in the middle of the order, as he ranks in the 95th percentile in expected batting average and the 91st in strikeout rate. 

Houston needs to show up for starter Mike Burrows, who's been serviceable in his last two outings, with five earned runs on 13 hits over 10 1/3 innings.

The Seattle Mariners are hitting well vs. Houston, especially in the later frames, with 14 of 23 runs coming from the fifth inning onward. However, I expect regression from a Mariners lineup that sits near the bottom of most batting stats to start 2026.

COVERS INTEL:George Kirby has allowed a home run in each of his three starts, and Houston is second in slugging (.454) and third in home runs per outing (1.19).

Astros vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (+100)

Given the state of the Astros’ injury-plagued bullpen, Houston needs plenty of run support to escape Seattle without a brooming. 

The Astros lineup scored 13 runs in the opening two games of the series — both went Over — and Monday’s finale could see Houston hitting hard early and Seattle surging late. 

The Astros have been a red-hot Over bet to start 2026, with an 11-5 O/U record. Game models are calling for at least eight runs this afternoon.

Astros vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Astros +156 | Mariners -163
• Run line: Astros +1.5 (-138) | Mariners -1.5 (+133)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+100) | Under 7.5 (-104)

Astros vs Mariners trend

The Houston Astros have gone Over the total in 11 of their last 14 games (+7.60 Units/ 9% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Mariners.

How to watch Astros vs Mariners and game info

Astros vs Mariners latest injuries

Astros vs Mariners weather

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Phillies notes: Jonathan Bowlan goes on injured list, Wheeler set for Tuesday originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies made a roster move before Monday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, sending right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan to the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain.

Reliever Seth Johnson, who appeared in 11 games with the Phillies the last two seasons, was recalled from Triple A Lehigh Valley to take Bowlan’s place.

The Phillies acquired Bowlan from Kansas City in an off-season trade for lefty Matt Strahm. Bowlan allowed three runs in seven innings while striking out eight and walking just one in his first seven appearances for the Phils. He felt tightness and discomfort in his groin after pitching Sunday.

“It’s very mild,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We just want to be cautious. We think he’ll be ready to go after 15 days.”

Johnson, a hard-throwing right-hander, was off to a good start at Lehigh Valley. He gave up two runs in six innings, walked three and struck out 11.

Wheeler on Deck

Zack Wheeler will make his fourth minor-league rehab start Tuesday night when he pitches for Double A Reading at Somerset. Wheeler is expected to throw 80-85 pitches. He is scheduled to pitch again for Reading on Sunday. That would likely be his last rehab start before rejoining the Phillies.

Wheeler had surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome in September.

Round Rock express pitcher Cal Quantrill has been named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week, it was announced today.

Quantrill, 31, was one of the Rangers’ final cuts this spring, but agreed to stay with the team rather than exercise his right to opt out of his minor league deal. His first start of the season for Round Rock went poorly, as he made it just two innings while giving up seven runs and, uncharacteristically, walking four batters. He followed that up with a five inning, three hit, no walk, four K shutout appearance, and then last week went seven innings while allowing just two hits, one run (on a solo homer), and no walks, striking out six.

Quantrill was signed as rotation depth for the Rangers, though so far, the team has not had to dip down to AAA for rotation reinforcements as of yet. He would probably be the top candidate to be called up if the Rangers needed to fill a spot in the minors, though the presence of Jacob Latz in the bullpen currently makes it less likely the Rangers would have to go that way for a rotation filler.

Quantrill was once a top prospect, taken 8th overall by the San Diego Padres out of Stanford in 2016 despite recovering from Tommy John surgery. He went to Cleveland in the nine-player trade at the 2020 trade deadline that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego. Quantrill had a couple of good seasons for Cleveland, in 2021 and 2022, but even in those seasons his peripherals were weaker than his ERA would suggest.

Quantrill was traded to Colorado after the 2023 season for minor league catcher Kody Huff — who is not, incidentally, related to Sam Huff, though both went to high school in Arizona — and had a decent year for the Rockies. He made 24 starts for Miami in 2025 and two for Atlanta, combining for a 6.04 ERA and 5.76 xERA, which helps explain why he had to settle for a minor league contract this year.

Quantrill does not have the sort of stuff you’d expect to play as a short reliever, so if he were to come up at some point in a role other than as a spot starter, he’d likely be a long reliever — you could see him getting the nod to replace Latz in the bullpen if a Ranger starter were to go on the injured list and Latz was filling in for more than a one-off start. Otherwise, given the state of arms around the majors, if Quantrill continues to have the sort of success he’s had the last couple of times out, I imagine some team in need of a body for their rotation may look to sign him to eat some innings.