In the only move from the first waiver period of the 2025 Major League Pickleball season, the SoCal Hard Eights claimed Roscoe Bellamy from the Columbus Sliders.

Bellamy went 4-6 for the Sliders replacing usual starter CJ Klinger at MLP Columbus, helping his team to a 3-2 match record.

The Hard Eights saw enough out of that performance to make a bid on the former UCLA Bruin and send Ivan Jakovljevic to Columbus.

The Sliders chose to waive Jakovljevic and pick up newly contracted pro Ross Whittaker—who filled in the Carolina Hogs as an on-site alternate at MLP Columbus—to fill out their roster.

According to league rules, that move wouldn’t be allowed under normal circumstances.

All UPA-signed players who came to contract terms after the Free Agency Drafts (meaning after March 2) were not eligible to be claimed on waivers.

MLP made an exception to let the Sliders take Whittaker, who was signed on May 2 and lives in Columbus, on account of the league’s desire for teams to activate and build fanbases in their local markets.

For Premier Waiver Period #2, which is scheduled to take place in early June after MLP Daytona Beach, players signed to UPA contracts will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

However, all UPA-signed players not currently on an MLP roster are eligible to be named as bench replacements before the end of Waiver Period #1.

If teams want to change out their bench players, they will need to email the league by Tuesday at noon ET listing the requested add and corresponding player drop.

Here are the updated rosters for SoCal and Columbus after Tuesday’s moves:

• SoCal: Blaine Hovenier, Roscoe Bellamy, Ryan Fu, Judit Castillo, Irina Tereschenko, Lauren Hidalgo-Smith
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• Columbus: Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger, Ross Whittaker, Parris Todd, Lea Jansen, Marcela Hones