James McCann ties a unique record
When a position player ended up on the mound, it often meant two things: the score of the game was lopsided, and that player was, in some way, living out a lifelong dream of being on a mound for the day. The moment was a novelty, but a fun one, in most cases.
Then, a shift came, and teams started employing the “strategy” a little more frequently. Position players taking the mound during a blowout loss became more intentional just to avoid wearing down an already overworked bullpen. The “fun” of the situation was taken out of it.
Now, as others have pointed out, when a position player comes to the mound, it’s more disappointing than exciting. It’s not just a sign that the game has been one-sided, but it’s a sign that one team has essentially given up for the day. The goal isn’t to fight back, but rather to curl up in a defensive posture and wait for the beating to end.
Diamondbacks catcher James McCann has become quite accustomed to taking the mound during these moments. McCann was asked to pitch for a fourth time this season on Thursday (a 13-1 loss to the Brewers), tying an MLB record for the most pitching appearances by a position player before May. Christian Bethancourt, another catcher, set the mark with the Padres in 2017.
McCann has allowed 5 ER on 9 H and 3 BB (with 0 SO) in 4.0 IP. The 35-year-old is hitting .191/.208/.463 in 49 PA.
Rule 5 Draft: Post-April update
13 players were selected during the MLB phase of December’s Rule 5 Draft. As the first month of the season draws to a close, it seems like a good time to recap how the group has produced:
RHP RJ Petit (COL, from DET): Underwent Tommy John surgery on March 20 and will miss the entire 2026 season.
RHP Jedixson Paez (CWS, from BOS): Made three appearances (3.0 IP, 6 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO) before being returned to the Red Sox and assigned to Double-A.
RHP Griff McGarry (WAS, from PHI): Returned to the Phillies at the end of spring training, then traded to the Dodgers and assigned to Triple-A.
C Daniel Susac (MIN, from ATH, immediately traded to SFG): Hitting .478/.500/.652 in 24 PA (11 G) with 2 2B, 1 3B, and 5 RBI.
RHP Carter Baumler (PIT, from BAL, immediately traded to TEX): 3.18 ERA through four appearances (5.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 BB, 6 SO).
RHP Ryan Watson (ATH, from SFG, immediately traded to BOS): 6.62 ERA through 13 appearances (17.2 IP, 13 ER, 7 BB, 11 SO).
RHP Matt Pushard (STL, from MIA): Made one appearance (1.0 IP, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) before landing on the IL due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee.
RHP Roddery Muñoz (HOU, from CIN): Made three appearances (4.0 IP, 7 ER, 6 BB, 6 SO) before being offered back to the Reds, who declined, allowing the Astros to outright him to Triple-A.
RHP Peyton Pallette (CLE, from CWS): 3.55 ERA through nine appearances (12.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 BB, 13 SO).
RHP Spencer Miles (TOR, from SFG): 2.87 ERA through nine appearances (15.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 BB, 15 SO).
RHP Cade Winquest (NYY, from STL): Spent nearly two weeks in the Yankees’ bullpen without a single appearance before being returned to the Cardinals and assigned to Triple-A (where he’s now on the IL).
RHP Zach McCambley (PHI, from MIA): Returned to the Marlins at the end of spring training and was assigned to Triple-A.
RHP Alexander Alberto (CWS, from TBR): Returned to the Rays at the end of spring training and was assigned to Double-A.
Miles is a particularly unique case. San Francisco selected the right-hander in the 4th round of the 2022 Draft, but he worked just 7.1 IP that summer before a back injury cost him the entire 2023 season. Miles returned in 2024, threw another 7.1 IP, and then required Tommy John surgery. Despite missing significant development time, the Blue Jays took a chance on him in the Rule 5 Draft, and he’s surpassed his minor league career IP total during his first month in the big leagues.
José Quijada off to historic start in Japan
A 2013 international free agent signing out of Venezuela, José Quijada made his debut with the Marlins in 2019, making 34 appearances while posting a 5.76 ERA (75 ERA+) over 29.2 IP. The Angels claimed the left-hander off waivers the next spring, and he’d spend the next six seasons in the Los Angeles bullpen. All told, Quijada pitched to a 4.59 ERA (94 ERA+) over 129.1 IP while collecting eight saves.
The 30-year-old signed with the NPB’s Yakult Swallows this offseason and has gotten off to a historic start to his career in Japan. Quijada has appeared in 10 games and collected 10 saves, striking out 15 and walking six while allowing just four hits. It is the longest stretch by a foreign pitcher in NPB history to record a save in each of his first appearances. At 17-10, the Swallows enter May just a game out of first place in the Central League.
Alexei Ramírez facing ban after positive steroid test
Over seven seasons in the Cuban National Series, splitting his time between the middle infield and outfield, Alexei Ramírez slashed a solid .332/.404/.513 with 105 2B, 23 3B, 73 HR, and 36 SB. In 2006, the 24-year-old was 6-for-16 while playing center field for Cuba in the inaugural World Baseball Classic (Cuba lost in the Finals to Japan).
That winter, Ramírez defected from Cuba and, once he established residency in the Dominican Republic and was ruled eligible to sign with an MLB team, agreed to a four-year, $8 million contract with the Chicago White Sox.
Ramírez started his White Sox tenure in center field, but after 11 games the club shifted him to shortstop. Ramírez hit .290/.317/.475 (104 OPS+) with 22 2B, 21 HR, and 13 SB that first season, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting (to Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria).
Ramírez spent nine years in the majors, all but one with Chicago (the other split between the Padres and Rays), hitting a combined .270/.307/.392 (89 OPS+) in 5505 PA. Ramírez hit 249 2B, 115 HR, and stole 143 bases during his career, making an All-Star appearance (2014) and winning a pair of Silver Slugger Awards.
After sitting out the 2017 season, Ramírez re-emerged in Mexico in 2018, hitting .303/.359/.418 in 414 PA, but his career has otherwise been over. Ramírez, surprisingly, appeared on Cuba’s roster for the World Baseball Classic this spring. Serving in a bench role, Ramírez received just one plate appearance in the tournament (a strikeout), but in doing so, he set a WBC record as the oldest player to appear in a game at 44 years old.
Ramírez is facing a provisional lifetime ban from the sport, however, after testing positive for four anabolic steroids during the WBC, according to a report from the Associated Press. Per an announcement from the International Testing Agency, Ramirez tested positive for “metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone, and stanozolol”. The steroids are “associated with promoting rapid muscle growth, increased strength, and enhanced physical performance”.
Around the sport ….
Alex Cora isn’t airing out any grievances against the Red Sox (at least not publicly, for now). In fact, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the former manager sent an email to the entire organization praising his time in Boston.