LaMonte Wade Jr. is back in the Majors, as the Astros signed him on June 4 after he spent time in the White Sox’s farm system. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, optioned pitcher Brandon Pfaadt to the Minors.
Wade Jr. to Astros
The Astros signed LaMonte Wade Jr. to a Major League deal.
Wade Jr. has a reputation for being a very good platoon hitter against right-handed pitching. He posted a .986 OPS and belted six home runs off right-handed pitchers with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights this season.
Pfaadt optioned
The Diamondbacks optioned pitcher Brandon Pfaadt to Triple-A Reno.
This has not been an ideal year for Pfaadt, who is on the first year of a five-year deal that he signed with the D-Backs in March 2025 that bought out all of his pre-arbitration years. Through 13 outings (three starts), the right-hander sported an ERA of 5.92 ERA and among the worst wOBA (.363) among pitchers with significant starting work.
Red Sox promote Kahnle
Tommy Kahnle had his contract selected by the Boston Red Sox on June 4.
The veteran righty returned to the Majors after spending the first few weeks of 2026 in Triple-A Worcester. He struck out 21 over 19 innings and posted a sub-2.00 ERA down in Triple-A.
Kahnle pitched two innings on June 4.
Recalls & options
Philip Abner (D-Backs) and Kade Strowd (D-Backs) were recalled.
Tyler Samaniego (Red Sox), Hayden Juenger (Blue Jays), Zach Cole (Astros), Joey Loperfido (Astros), Cody Freeman (Rangers), Chris Murphy (White Sox), and Alejandro Osuna (Rangers) were optioned to Triple-A.
Other notes
Baltimore acquired reliever Kyle Nicolas from the Reds for cash.
Austin Wynns (Braves), Chad Dallas (Blue Jays), Collin Price (Astros), Josh Rojas (Astros), and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (Braves) had their contracts selected and added to the 40-man roster. Keirsey Jr. was optioned to Triple-A immediately after the move.
Tanner Andrews (Blue Jays), Chadwick Tromp (Braves), Eduarniel Nunez (Orioles), Cesar Salazar (Astros), and Rhylan Thomas (Astros) were designated for assignment.
Brandon Leibrandt (Reds), Lyon Richardson (Reds), and Logan Porter (Giants) were sent outright to Triple-A.
Josh Sborz (Rangers) and Austin Voth (Twins) signed Minor League deals.
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