As we approach the final week of April, rosters are continuing to get trimmed, and also notably, the independent baseball season has begun, with the Atlantic League getting underway on Tuesday. That means that AtL cutdowns could lead to AA opportunities for a few players in the next week or two. Of course, in-season roster tweaking will likely begin in the next week or two.

Let’s dive in!

Chicago Dogs

Signed: RHP Adam Bogosian, RHP Jacob DeLabio, INF Ethan Wilder
Acquired: RHP Adam Bogosian (from Lexington for PTBNL)

The Spin: Chicago made a big splash, bringing back an All-Star closer in DeLabio, who posted a 2.36 ERA with 11 saves and 61.2 strikeouts over 49.2 innings. Between last season and his career ERA of 2.12 across four affiliated seasons, it’s hard to see why he hasn’t been signed by an MLB organization, but the Dogs are thrilled to have the 28-year-old back in the fold.

Two trade acquisitions also put pen to paper. The slick-fielding 23-year-old Wilder was dealt from Washington in the Frontier League on April 2 and finally signed on Monday, likely solving the shortstop position for the Dogs. Bogosian was a last-minute cutdown from Lexington, being acquired on Wednesday and signing the next day. The 23-year-old is in second season, after posting a 5.33 ERA in 49.0 innings out of the bullpen for the Oakland Ballers last year.

Cleburne Railroaders

Signed: RHP Ben Leeper

The Spin: Once upon a time, the newest Railroader in Leeper seemed to be right on track for the majors, having a great 2021 across Double-A and Triple-A, but he had a so-so year in Triple-A in ’22 and missed all of ’23. He’s struggled to stay on the mound since, pitching well over the last two years, but also throwing only 25.0 innings. He’s profiles to be a great bullpen piece for Cleburne if he can stay on the mound, but that’s a big if for the 28-year-old.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

Retired: LHP Tyler Grauer

The Spin: Last week, Fargo-Moorhead re-signed a pair of big bullpen arms as well as finding some offensive help. This week was less eventful, with only the news of Grauer’s retirement. The three-time All-Star missed all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, so it was fair to wonder what he’d have left this season. Nonetheless, his decision to move on is still a notable loss for the RedHawks rotation.

Of note, nothing has shown up on the transactions regarding Grauer’s retirement, but he was signed to the RedHawks and personally announced his retirement, so it’s reasonable to treat that move as official at this point.

Gary SouthShore RailCats

Signed: C Justin O’Conner, INF Colin Summerhill
Transferred: RHP Jackson Dannelley (to Washington Nationals)

The Spin: The RailCats lost Dannelley, a recent signee, to the Nationals, but did find some offensive help as well. Notably, they inked the 34-year-old veteran O’Conner, a former first-round pick way back in 2010 who was an AA Postseason All-Star in St. Paul in 2018 and last year slashed .247/.321/.377 in the Atlantic League. How much he has left in the tank is absolutely a question, but he has a strong reputation behind the plate, so if he hits at all, this is absolutely a strong upgrade for Gary SouthShore.

A local product in Summerhill comes in as well after being released from the Angels organization earlier this month. He played 108 games between Low-A and High-A as a first-year pro last year, but struggled at the plate. He bashed 30 home runs between his final two college seasons at Northern Illinois, so the RailCats will certainly hope the 24-year-old can unlock some of that pop, though that’s a tough ask in their ballpark.

Kane County Cougars

The Spin: Kane County was quiet for a second consecutive week. The Cougars still only have 20 players, so you have to feel like George Tsamis has a lot of lines in the water. We could see a flurry of signings from the Cougars in the next week before players report.

While he wasn’t signed with the Cougars, veteran right-hander Jack Fox announced his retirement after five pro seasons, all in Kane County. Going 32-24 with a 4.11 ERA over 477.0 innings, he is the Cougars’ all-time leader in virtually every counting stat and threw over 100.0 innings each of the last three seasons. There was a never a guarantee he was coming back, but with that door officially shut, it’s still a notable loss.

Kansas City Monarchs

Signed: RHP James Hoyt

The Spin: Joe Calfapietra is known for signings out of left field and this is certainly one of them. An Indy ball success story, Hoyt made his pro debut in the long-defunct North American League back in 2011 and made it to the AA in 2012 with the Wichita Wingnuts before finally being signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2013 and eventually pitching in the majors from 2016-21, pitching 107 MLB games and winning a World Series ring with the 2017 Astros. Last year, the 39-year-old posted a 4.76 ERA in 28.1 innings in Mexico, with a 2024 stint in the Atlantic League being his only action in the U.S. over the past four seasons.

Notable news also came out of Kansas City this week with the Monarchs being sold to veteran minor league owner Quint Studer, a story that dropped on Thursday.

Lake Country DockHounds

Signed: OF Joshua Mears
Released: RHP Benjamin Arias
Transferred: LHP Anthony Steele (to Baltimore Orioles)

The Spin: Lake Country had an interesting week, first releasing Arias on Monday, just a week after he signed. Maybe the right-hander had a change of heart, or it’s possible the Dominican native had a visa issue. Maybe it’s something else. Either way, he was cut loose, while first-year pro Steele was picked up by Baltimore, becoming the fourth DockHound to have their contract purchased since January 1. Given his so-so college career and a terrible stint in the Draft League last year, he is not the Lake Country pitcher I’d expect to get signed, but good for him nonetheless.

Meanwhile, the Hounds added a power bat in the outfield in the form of Mears, a second-round pick out of high school in 2018 who popped 22 homers in 2022 and 17 roundtrippers in two other seasons, but also slashed just .208/.306/.436 with an enormous strikeout rate (38.7%) over nearly 400 professional games. Released from Double-A earlier this month, this is his first foray into Indy ball.

Lincoln Saltdogs

Signed: RHP Haden Erbe, Trevor Long

The Spin: Well, give the Saltdogs credit. Two weeks ago, I pointed out their lack of any semblance of a bullpen and since then, they’ve signed five pitchers, including a pair of relievers this week. I’m intrigued by Erbe, who put up a 3.12 ERA in 40.1 innings in High-A last season and could be a set-up option.

Long has much less experience, with just ten professional outings under his belt. Signed by Seattle out of the Draft League in 2024, he pitched well in relief at the end of that season (1 run in 8.1 innings), but had one poor outing last year, went on the IL, and was never seen again. What injury he’s battling back from we’re not quite sure, but that’s an unknown as well. Still, it’s another arm for the Saltdogs to look at this spring.

Milwaukee Milkmen

Signed: C Andy Allanson, LHP Juan Diaz, LHP Jhordany Mezquita
Traded: RHP A.J. Campbell (to Windy City for PTBNL), RHP Josh Leersen (to Idaho Falls for PTBNL), RHP Steven Sanchez (to Evansville for PTBNL)

The Spin: I’d figure Milwaukee would start shedding some of their glut of arms and indeed they did, shipping out first-year pros Campbell and Leersen to lower-level leagues that would probably be more suitable locales to begin their careers. Sanchez was also dealt away to the Frontier League, which is a bit surprising after logging a 3.17 ERA in 48.1 innings with strong control numbers across the low minors. At 22 years old, he’s also a strong candidate age-wise to get signed by an MLB club, so maybe Anthony Barone was anticipating that potential loss ahead of time?

After sending out three pitchers, the Milkmen brought back two experienced starters in Mezquita and Diaz. The 28-year-old southpaw Mezquita posted a 4.20 ERA in 109.1 innings last year, while fellow 28-year-old Diaz logged a 3.83 ERA in 87.0 innings. The pair were Milwaukee’s top starters last year, so these are two big arms to bring back into the fold.

The Milkmen also brought in 6-5 rookie Andy Allanson as a third option at catcher. The switch-hitting son of a former MLB catcher of the same name, Allanson posted a 1.220 OPS in two seasons at the NAIA level, and notably at Division I Cal-State Bakersfield in 2022 once hit two grand slams in one game—one from each side of the plate.

Sioux City Explorers

The Spin: Sioux City was quiet this week, with not much to report in Siouxland. The X’s still need pitchers (particularly starters), so I imagine Steve Montgomery is working the phones as he tries to fill those holes. Sioux City also still has just 22 players signed overall, so there’s work to do in general.

Sioux Falls Canaries

The Spin: Like Sioux City, the rival Canaries also sat out this week from a transactions standpoint. Also like the Explorers, Sioux Falls only has 22 players inked for this season. Their pitching staff is in a little bit better shape that Sioux City’s, but also is in need of some more arms before Opening Day.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Signed: OF Roby Enriquez

Released: INF Mason Dobie

The Spin: Winnipeg swapped out a pair of bats, releasing first-year pro Dobie for a returner in Enriquez. The 13th returner from last year, Enriquez is back for his third season north of the border. After hitting .296 in 2024, his production slipped in 2025, with his OPS falling from .762 to .688, notably with zero home runs in 63 games. Enriquez inconveniently has very little power or speed, with just 33 homers and 38 steals across over 700 career professional games, meaning his potential is essentially a poor man’s Dayson Croes. With that said, he’s not a bad bat to have at the bottom of the order, but he’s also not exactly a guy you want to have occupying a corner outfield spot, especially if his offense slips any further.

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