John

Rooney

No real surprises among this batch of cuts for the Rays. Areinamo may have had an opportunity to open some eyes during Grapefruit League play, but he was shelved early on due to tightness in his right hamstring and is expected to miss “a bit” of time.

It’s presumably a two-year pact since Rooney will miss next season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old lefty ascended to the big leagues in late August for the first time before undergoing surgery a couple weeks later. He compiled an extremely encouraging 2.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 55/24 K/BB ratio across 38 2/3 innings over 43 appearances at the Triple-A level last year. He makes a ton of sense for the Rays assuming they’re willing to wait until the 2027 season.

The trio went unclaimed on waivers after being cut loose from Houston’s 40-man roster earlier this week to clear roster space. McCormick looked like a non-tender candidate, and his expected arbitration salary was evidently high enough to keep other teams from putting in a claim.

No real surprises here as Houston does a little housekeeping to clear space on their 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason. McCormick and Garcia are the most prominent names here and were virtual locks to be non-tendered in a couple weeks. León was one of the better prospects in Houston’s system before knee injuries derailed his development.

Rooney was transferred to the 60-day injured list last week. There should be a clearer timeline for his return following the procedure.

Rooney will miss the rest of the season after hitting the injured list last week with left elbow inflammation. The procedural move frees up a spot on Houston’s 40-man roster.

No indication yet concerning how much time Rooney will miss, but elbow injuries tend to be extended absences. The 28-year-old southpaw made his big-league debut over the weekend against the Orioles.

Rooney was up with the Astros for a couple games earlier this month after being acquired in a trade with the Marlins but didn’t end up getting into a game. The unheralded 28-year-old will be making his big-league debut when he gets into a contest.

Rooney, acquired from the Marlins on Sunday, spent two days on the Astros’ active roster but didn’t get to make his major league debut.

We have our first post-trade deadline deal. Rooney receives his first call-up to the big leagues to join Houston’s bullpen mix after posting an encouraging 2.45 ERA, despite a lackluster 45/23 K/BB ratio across 33 innings (38 appearances) this season for Triple-A Jacksonville.