MLB Player News

Murphy is at .339/.429/.661 in 16 games for Pawtucket. As little as the Red Sox are getting from their bench right now, maybe they should consider promoting him, if only until Gabe Kapler or Wily Mo Pena is ready to come back.

No surprise here with Tigers lefty ace Tarik Skubal toeing the rubber at Fenway Park. Losing Romy Gonzalez to a shoulder injury, in addition to Rob Refsnyder departing via free agency in the offseason, has led to some serious issues for the Red Sox against southpaws this season. Duran heads to the bench along with Masataka Yoshida and Marcelo Mayer while Trevor Story moves to DH. It’ll be Andruw Monasterio at shortstop, Caleb Durbin at the hot corner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the keystone. It’s not great.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters he expects Rodón, who is scheduled to throw a 55-60 pitch live batting practice session on Saturday, back before fellow rehabbing starter Gerrit Cole (elbow), who made his first rehab start on Friday at Double-A Somerset. The 33-year-old southpaw is working his way back from offseason elbow surgery, in addition to a hamstring-related setback, and figures to be ready to make his season debut at some point in May.

Crow-Armstrong finds himself in the eighth spot on manager Craig Counsell’s lineup card for the fifth consecutive contest. The 24-year-old fantasy standout has gotten off to an ice-cold start at the dish, hitting .227 (17-for-75) with one homer and four RBI in 19 games. He’s been a streaky hitter in the past and the Cubs have a series coming up against the Phillies, who have allowed the third-most runs this season behind only the Nationals and Astros.

Senger returns to the big leagues as a bench option to replace an injured Jorge Polanco (wrist) for at least a couple days. The 29-year-old backstop got into 33 contests for the Mets last year. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Finally. Polanco will get some much-needed time off to rest and recover after dealing with lingering wrist and Achilles issues, which have caused him to miss four of their last eight games since April 9. The 32-year-old infielder has been snake-bitten by physical issues during his Mets debut, which may be contributing to his abysmal .179 (10-for-56) batting average with one homer and two RBI through 14 games.

Matt McLain, who is off to a brutal start hitting .183 (13-for-71) with three extra-base hits and three steals in 20 games, takes a seat with Stewart getting a look at second base for the second time this season. Nathaniel Lowe gets into the lineup at the cold corner. It’s far too early for Cincinnati to consider any significant changes, but McLain’s slow start opens the door for Stewart to see additional time at the keystone. That would be a significant development for his fantasy appeal if he gains eligibility at one of the thinnest positions in the game.

Finally. Rice will get a chance to face Royals left-hander Noah Cameron after spending the first couple of weeks on the bench against southpaws in favor of veteran Paul Goldschmidt. The 27-year-old burgeoning slugger launched his sixth round-tripper of the season during Friday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium and is hitting .339 (20-for-59) through 19 games this season. He’s 4-for-15 with one homer against lefties this year and is beginning to see more opportunities in those matchups, which would provide a meaningful boost to his fantasy value from a volume standpoint.

It’s a well-deserved break for Perez on Saturday afternoon in New York following 20 consecutive starts between catcher and DH to open the season. The 35-year-old has gotten off to a rocky start at the dish, hitting .160 with three homers and six RBI during that span. Carter Jensen will handle the catching duties with Isaac Collins (knee) back in the lineup at DH after a three-game absence.

Bieber still needs to progress to facing hitters in a live setting before he’s cleared for a rehab assignment. The 30-year-old righty was transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week in a procedural move that will keep him out until at least late May. At this point, it might be more realistic for fantasy managers to anticipate a return at some point in June since he’ll need several weeks of rehab starts.

Springer has resumed swinging a bat but will need to be able to run the bases before he’s cleared to return from the injured list. This latest development comes after Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters earlier this week that the veteran outfielder is feeling better and had already resumed hitting. The 36-year-old was one last year’s most impactful all-around fantasy contributors with a 32-homer, 18-steal campaign where he appeared in 140 games.