The All-Star break is right around the corner, but the trade deadline is just a few weeks later, on July 30. That means it's about time for the contenders to start jockeying. With that comes the churning of the rumor mill. Let's check it out.
Dodgers looking for SP help
The Dodgers have a small village on the injured list right now, notably what is basically an All-Star rotation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Emmet Sheehan are all there and that's only if we limit our discussion to starting pitchers.
They are confident that Kershaw and Glasnow return before the end of this month, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network, but they are still "evaluating trade options to fortify" the rotation.
It makes sense. The Dodgers are relying heavily on James Paxton and Gavin Stone right now while Bobby Miller has struggled enough to earn himself a demotion to the minors. They have a seven-game lead in the NL West, but need to maintain that lead to withstand possible backslides due to all their injuries.
Phillies release Merrifield
The Phillies announced that they have called up Weston Wilson and, as a corresponding move, released Whit Merrifield.
Merrifield, 35, is a three-time All-Star but he is hitting .199/.277/.295 (63 OPS+) this season. He was an All-Star last year, but declined heavily in the second half.
The 29-year-old Wilson has essentially been a career minor-leaguer, but he played in eight MLB games last season and two so far this year. In 26 plate appearances, he's hit .250/.423/.400. He homered in his first career at-bat last August.
Nats release Senzel
Former No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel has been placed on release waivers, the Nationals have announced.
Though he's shown spurts of quality play, he's never quite lived up to his draft ceiling. In 64 games this season, Senzel is hitting .209/.303/.359 with 10 doubles, seven homers, 18 RBI and 25 runs with a -0.5 WAR. He'll certainly find work elsewhere, but at age 29, his days of being an everyday player may be behind him.