MLB News
Max Kranick
NYM •
26 days ago
Mets recalled RHP Max Kranick from Triple-A Syracuse.
It’s not Kranick’s first trip from Syracuse to New York, and it’s unikely to be his last. The 27-year-old provides an extra arm for the Mets in their bullpen with Justin Hagenman optioned to Triple-A to make room on the roster.
Jose Siri
NYM • CF
26 days ago
Mets placed OF Jose Siri on the 10-day injured list with a left tibia fracture.
Siri will miss at least a week-plus, but this will likely be a longer IL stint for the 29-year-old. The Mets will have Jose Azocar join the roster as a bench option while Siri recovers.
Dennis Santana
PIT •
26 days ago
Dennis Santana got the final two outs to pick up a save Thursday against the Nationals.
Work smart, not hard. Santana was called on to get the final two outs, and he did just that for his second save of the season. The 29-year-old will likely see a few more chances, but the Pirates’ closing situation is one to avoid, if at all possible.
Dennis Santana
PIT •
26 days ago
Dennis Santana got the final two outs to get the save Thursday against the Nationals.
Work smart, not hard. Santana was called on to get the final two outs, and he did just that for his second save of the season. The 29-year-old will likely see a few more chances, but the Pirates’ closing situation is one to avoid, if at all possible.
Oneil Cruz
PIT • CF
26 days ago
Oneil Cruz hit a solo homer in a 1-0 win for the Pirates over the Nationals on Thursday.
Cruz provided the only run not just for the Pirates, but for both teams in Thursday’s 1-0 nailbiter. It was a leadoff homer for the 26-year-old off Nats starter Trevor Williams, and Cruz also drew a walk. The outfielder is hitting just .228, but a .352 on-base percentage and .474 slugging percentage will certainly play.
Andrew Heaney
PIT •
26 days ago
Andrew Heaney blanked the Nationals over 7 1/3 innings while picking up a win in a 1-0 victory for the Pirates on Thursday.
Heaney scattered five hits while issuing two walks, and he struck out four. Only one of the hits was for extra bases — a double by Nathaniel Lowe — and outside of that, he had the Washington lineup off balance in a very strong start for the 33-year-old veteran. With the scoreless outing, Heaney now has a 2.13 ERA, and he’ll try and replicate this success against the Angels next week. It’s worth a look for those taking a chance on a streamer in the early portion of 2025.
Caleb Durbin
MIL • 3B
26 days ago
Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that the Brewers will promote Caleb Durbin before Friday’s game against the Athletics.
The Brewers have already optioned INF Oliver Dunn to Triple-A to make room for Durbin. The 25-year-old has a .797 OPS with Nashville over his 54 at-bats, and he’s homered twice while stealing three bases in that timeframe. Durbin should get playing time, but it’s reasonable to question his fantasy impact potential.
Tyler O'Neill
BAL • RF
26 days ago
Tyler O’Neill (neck) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday’s game against the Guardians.
O’Neill was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup with neck discomfort, and the 29-year-old will unsurprisingly miss at least one more game with the issue. Ryan O’Hearn will be the right fielder, and Jordan Westburg will be the designated hitter in O’Neill’s absence.
Source: Rich Dubroff
Davis Schneider
TOR • PH-LF
26 days ago
Blue Jays optioned INF/OF Davis Schneider to Triple-A Buffalo.
Schneider has just one hit in his 15 at-bats over 10 games, although he has gotten on base at a decent .333 clip thanks to five walks and a hit-by-pitch. The 26-year-old will almost assuredly be back for Toronto at some point, but for now the Blue Jays will look to a different option off the bench. That player will be announced before Friday’s game against the Mariners.
Jordan Westburg
BAL • 2B
26 days ago
Jordan Westburg is hitting fifth as the designated hitter against the Guardians on Thursday.
Westburg got Wednesday off as the Orioles continue to give him maintenance to recover from his upper-body injury, and they won’t ask him to field the baseball for Thursday’s game. Ryan O’Hearn will be the right fielder, and Tyler O’Neill remains out with neck discomfort.
Source: Rich Dubroff
Bobby Miller
LAD •
26 days ago
Dodgers optioned RHP Bobby Miller to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Miller was going to head back to Oklahoma City even if he pitched well Wednesday, but it’s worth noting that the 26-year-old scuffled while allowing six runs in his start against the Rockies. The right-hander will likely get back at some point with Los Angeles in coming weeks/months, but for now he’ll head back to OKC with a corresponding move to be announced Friday.
Michael Toglia
MIN • 1B
26 days ago
Michael Tonkin (shoulder) is beginning a rehab assignment with High-A Fort Myers on Thursday.
Tonkin will likely need a good handful of appearances before he’s ready to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen. The 6-foot-7 right-hander will be a mid-inning option for the Twins’ relief group whenever he’s ready; likely around the end of April.
Source: Dan Hayes
Bryan De La Cruz
ATL • LF
26 days ago
Braves optioned OF Bryan De La Cruz to Triple-A Gwinnett.
De La Cruz scuffled and then some in his 50 plate appearances before the demotion with a slash of .191/.240/.213. He’ll head to Triple-A with Alex Verdugo “ready” for a call-up to the Atlanta outfield. De La Cruz will probably be back at some point over the late spring.
Alex Verdugo
ATL • LF
26 days ago
Braves recalled OF Alex Verdugo from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Verdugo is up, Bryan De La Cruz is down. The 28-year-old will have a chance to make his debut with Atlanta after signing with the team late in the spring, and he hit .207/.303/.448 with the Stripers over 33 plate appearances. Verdugo would be worth a look in NL-only formats, but can be left alone in most leagues.
Brandon Marsh
PHI • CF
26 days ago
Brandon Marsh is not in the starting lineup against the Giants on Thursday due to a knee issue.
Marsh reportedly tweaked his knee while chasing a ball out in center field, and he’ll meet with team doctors. Knee issues have been a problem for the 27-year-old in the past, so there’s a bit of added reason for concern. His status should be updated before Friday’s contest, but for now, Johan Rojas will handle center for the Phillies in Marsh’s absence.
Source: Matt Gelb
Oliver Dunn
MIL • 3B
26 days ago
Brewers optioned INF Oliver Dunn to Triple-A Nashville.
Dunn had a clutch bunt to drive in a run during Wednesday’s win, but he’s slashing .167/.205/.222 through 41 plate appearances this season. There are rumors that the Brewers are calling up Caleb Durbin to take Dunn’s place on the roster, but the team and beat writers have not confirmed the rumors as of yet.
Brent Rooker
ATH • DH
26 days ago
Brent Rooker is starting in left field and batting fourth for the Athletics on Thursday.
That noise you hear is the footsteps of top prospect Nick Kurtz nearing the major league roster. With Kurtz crushing the ball in Triple-A, the Athletics are trying to make room in the lineup, and Rooker being able to play the outfield regularly would allow Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom to trade off between 1B and DH. You should be stashing Kurtz in your leagues if he’s still available.
Joey Bart
PIT • PH
26 days ago
Joey Bart (back) is starting behind the dish for the Pirates on Thursday and hitting clean-up.
Bart had missed five games with a back injury, which allowed Henry Davis to make four starts behind the plate. Bart will now return to a near-everyday role and a .275/.370/.425 slash line. Davis will go back to being a backup.
Spencer Steer
CIN • DH
26 days ago
Reds manager Terry Francona said, “It won’t be very long” before Spencer Steer can play first base.
With Christian Encarnacion-Strand landing on the IL with a back injury, there are some at-bats open for Steer at first base, which would push Jeimer Candelario to the bench. However, both Steer and Candelario are struggling to start the year, and you have to wonder whether Steer’s shoulder injury is impacting his swing. The 27-year-old is slashing .120/.185/.220 in 54 plate appearances with one home run and a 14/4 K/BB ratio. Steer is hitting more groundballs than he ever has, but has a career-low zone contact rate so far. We wouldn’t drop Steer just yet, but we have reason to be concerned.
Source: Charlie Goldsmith
Owen Miller
CHC • 2B
26 days ago
Owen Caissie went 2-for-6 with a solo home run for Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old is rounding into form a little bit after a slow start to the season. The Cubs’ third-ranked prospect had off-season core muscle surgery and then was shut down in spring training with a groin injury. He now has hits in five of his last six games and has two home runs and seven RBI in nine games this season. There is no place for him in Chicago now, but if he shows the power many scouts believe he has, he’ll make the decision hard for the Cubs by summertime.
David Bednar
PIT •
26 days ago
David Bednar threw a scoreless inning of relief for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, striking out two.
Bednar has only allowed one hit in five innings at Triple-A while striking out seven and walking nobody. If the Pirates wanted a reset, it’s happened. There’s no reason for Bednar to remain in Triple-A any longer, and we’d be stashing him in fantasy leagues if you need saves.
Matt Mervis
MIA • 1B
26 days ago
Matt Mervis is not in the starting lineup for the Marlins on Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Mervis has homered in four of his last five games but will take a seat with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound. The Marlins will hope that his bat stays hot on Friday against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies. Eric Wagaman will start at first base and bat cleanup on Thursday. Wagaman has some intriguing batted ball data this season and could be an interesting deep league fantasy option with Jonah Bride no longer in Miami, but with Jesus Sanchez and Connor Norby now off the IL, it’s unclear how Miami will set their lineup against right-handed pitching.
Will Wilson
SEA • 3B
26 days ago
Mariners optioned RHP Will Klein to Triple-A Tacoma.
Klein was called up on Wednesday to take Gregory Santos’ place in the bullpen, but he’s now being sent down to make room on the active roster for Emerson Hancock. Klein did not appear in a game for Seattle and will continue to serve as organizational bullpen depth.
Emerson Hancock
SEA •
26 days ago
Mariners recalled RHP Emerson Hancock from Triple-A Tacoma.
The move was announced on Wednesday night, but now it’s official. Hancock will start against the Reds on Thursday but is not a recommended streaming option after he gave up six runs in 2/3 of an inning in his only start of the season.
Noelvi Marte
CIN • PR-3B
26 days ago
Reds recalled INF Noelvi Marte from Triple-A Louisville.
Marte was just optioned back to Triple-A on Tuesday when Matt McLain was activated off the IL, but he’ll return now with Christian Encarnacion-Strand landing on the IL. However, we saw last week that Marte being up in Cincinnati does not mean they’ll play him. Austin Hays being off the IL means that Gavin Lux will need to play third base more often, which makes it hard to envision regular playing time for Marte.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand
CIN • 1B
26 days ago
Reds placed 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation.
Now we have a bit more clarity on why Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup on Thursday. He didn’t seem to suffer any injury in Wednesday night’s game, but Encarnacion-Strand is also hitting just .158/.183/.298 in 60 plate appearances this season, so perhaps the Reds can use this time as a bit of a reset. Noelvi Marte was called up to take his place, but this should mean more playing time at first base for Jeimer Candelario, but Santiago Espinal has also been taking reps at first base in practice and could get some extra starts.
Alek Thomas
ARI • CF
26 days ago
Alek Thomas is starting in center field and batting seventh for the Diamondbacks on Thursday against the Marlins.
Thomas has also started four of the last five and seems to have wrestled away the starting job from Jake McCarthy pretty firmly for now. Thomas is just 24 years old and is a former top prospect, so it makes sense for Arizona to continue to give him a chance to play full-time. So far, he’s hitting .308/.364/.462 in 44 plate appearances with 10 RBI and two steals. He seems to have a slightly more aggressive approach this season, pulling and barreling the ball more often, which could make him an intriguing fantasy asset for batting average and steals.