The Rattlesnake has sent left-handed Kyle Nelson According to his transaction tracker at MLB.com, direct with Triple-A Reno. This suggests he cleared the waiver after being designated as an assignment last week.
Nelson, 28, has the right to elect a free agent, but may not exercise that right. Players who have served for at least three years have the right to refuse direct missions. However, if they serve for less than five years, any remaining salary commitments must be forfeited to do so. Nelson was in those three to five windows. He and the Snake avoided arbitration in the offseason and agreed to pay $825,000 this year, up from the bottom $760,000. He may want to continue to charge this salary for the rest of the year and will therefore report it to Reno.
Southpaw was a solid part of the Arizona roster a few years ago. In 2023, he hit 56 innings with an average running of 4.18. He paired his three-point shooting percentage with a 5.9% walk percentage.
Unfortunately, he needed surgery to correct the thoracic outlet syndrome in early 2024, which left him on the shelf for most of that season. He returned to the mound here in 2025, but so far, his grades have not been great. The snakes put him in optional tasks, and he threw 17 innings at the age of 8.47. His 14.6% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate at that level are also slower than his MLB job a few years ago.
Given the uncertainty there, it is not surprising that no club has filed a claim. Assuming Nelson accepts the mission, he will try to get back on track with Reno. Maybe as he stays away from the surgery, he can recover some speed and better results. If he hasn’t been on the roster by the end of the year, he will be able to elect minor league free agents, just like all players who have served for at least three years, who have been removed from the 40-man roster in one season.
Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto, Images by Imagn
