Diamondbacks News
‘They put up with it’: Bob Nightengale doesn’t see Ketel Marte’s behavior changing by Douglas Santo [Arizona Sports]
When can Max Kepler play for the Diamondbacks after serving his suspension [Arizona Sports]
Kepler can start a minor league assignment on Wednesday, when the suspension is scheduled to have 15 days remaining. If no Arizona games are postponed, he would be eligible to play for the Diamondbacks on June 25 at St. Louis.
If Kepler returns to the major league roster on June 25, he would receive
$396,257 in salary for the remainder of the season. He would earn a $100,000 bonus for 35 days on the active roster and $200,000 each for 55 and 75.
Kepler remains on the restricted list for the remainder of the suspension and will not occupy a spot on the 40-man roster during the ban.
He is ineligible to appear in the postseason this year.
D-backs Must Battle the Pesky Marlins at Beautiful loanDepot Park by Jack Sommers [SI]
Marlins Hitters to Watch
The Marlins are lead by a dynamic duo in the middle of the infield. Shortstop Otto Lopez is second in MLB with a .336 batting average. He’s slugging .480 and has a .845 OPS.
Second baseman Xavier Edwards is batting .302 and a .387 OBP thanks to 34 walks. Meanwhile Liam Hicks has split time at catcher, first base, and DH. He leads the Marlins with 12 homers and 47 RBI.
D-Backs Trade Taylor Rashi to Twins by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]
The Diamondbacks announced they’ve traded reliever Taylor Rashi to the Twins for cash considerations. Arizona designated him for assignment on Friday to open a 40-man roster spot for infield prospect LuJames Groover.
Minnesota has an opening on the 40-man after designating outfielder James Outman for assignment on Saturday. Rashi has a full slate of minor league options, so the Twins wouldn’t need to make any corresponding moves if they assign him to Triple-A St. Paul.
Around the League
1 trade chip for every team ahead of the 2026 Deadline [MLB]
D-backs: INF/OF Jordan Lawlar
GM Mike Hazen said in the offseason that he was willing to trade prospects like Lawlar if he could improve the 2026 team. Lawlar made the Opening Day roster, and his play — both defensively in the outfield and at the plate — was evidence of why Arizona made him the sixth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Parting with Lawlar would be difficult, but the Diamondbacks have a lot of outfield depth both at the big league level and in the Minors. — Steve Gilbert
Nine Tarik Skubal trade ideas to shake up the MLB deadline [ESPN]
The one that gets it done
Los Angeles Dodgers
The offer: RHP Emmet Sheehan, OF Zyhir Hope and SS Aidan West
Nobody has the combination of pitching and outfield prospect depth of the Dodgers, and that allows Los Angeles to provide a wholly unique package: a good major league starter, a top-50 prospect in Hope and a 19-year-old middle infielder who has scouts in the Arizona Complex League buzzing.
It’s The Year Of The Bunt (So Far) by Ben Clemens [FanGraphs]
So far this year, batters have bunted the ball into play (or struck out by bunting the ball foul) 640 times. That’s 0.9% of all the plate appearances in the majors in 2026, and while that might not sound like much, it’s a new high in the universal DH era, 25% higher than the 2025 season, which was itself the bunt-heaviest year in that stretch at 0.7%. There were a lot more bunts in the days when pitchers batted in National League parks, of course. But if you limit the search to American League parks and reach into the past, a clear trend emerges. Bunting declined as teams thought more about how bad sacrificing an out is. But then it bottomed out, and now teams are starting to bunt more often:
Jake Woodford Elects Free Agency by Leo Morgenstern [MLB Trade Rumors]
The Brewers designated Jake Woodford for assignment on Friday. As of today, he has cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency (per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).
Woodford, 29, signed a minor league contract with the Rays this offseason. The deal included an upward mobility clause, which he triggered before Opening Day, prompting a trade to the Brewers. They added him to their active roster, and he pitched in 16 games for the club, tossing 23 1/3 innings with a 6.94 ERA. Woodford has never been a strikeout arm, which means he needs to generate groundballs and limit hard contact to succeed. He wasn’t doing that for Milwaukee. Indeed, it’s now been several years since the right-hander was a solid swingman for the Cardinals from 2022-22. Over the last four seasons, he’s 3-13 with a 6.83 ERA in 142 1/3 innings pitched.
