MLB Player News

Birkins could come off the DL and rejoin the Baltimore pen on Sept. 1.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters there are no plans to place Anthony on the injured list after he was evaluated by a hand specialist on Tuesday. The 21-year-old prodigy figures to miss a couple additional games this week, including the club’s final two games in Detroit. However, he isn’t facing an extended absence, which is an extremely positive development after there was some real concern initially. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point later this week.

There was zero chance of this one ever getting going based on the forecast at Busch Stadium on Tuesday night. It’ll be made up as a doubleheader on July 7. Tuesday’s original starters — Brandon Sproat and Andre Pallante — will presumably be pushed back to take the ball on Wednesday instead.

Dezenzo has been brought back to the majors to fill a bench role with the Astros moving on from waiver claim Dustin Harris. The 25-year-old opened the season on the injured list recovering from a right elbow sprain.

Alexander gets the nod to replace a struggling Ryan Weiss in a swingman role for the Astros. The 33-year-old has made 15 appearances for Houston over the last two seasons. He doesn’t offer any fantasy appeal in his current role.

Allen returns to Houston’s bench mix after a minimum stay on the injured list with back spasms. The 27-year-old defensive specialist can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Diaz heads to the shelf after suffering an oblique strain prior to Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers with Astros manager Joe Espada telling reporters he’s going to be out for awhile. The 27-year-old slugging backstop has gotten off to an ice-cold start at the dish, hitting .248/.264/.356 with two homers and 14 RBI in 26 games this season. Fantasy managers in shallow mixed leagues can safely move on to more exciting alternatives.

Weiss heads back to the minors after giving up seven runs over 4 1/3 innings in relief against the Dodgers on Monday night. The 29-year-old swingman holds a bloated 7.62 ERA and 30/20 K/BB ratio across 26 innings over nine appearances this season in his Astros debut.

Harris has been ejected from Houston’s active roster after spending a couple weeks with the club. He went 7-for-31 with four RBI and two steals in 11 games after being claimed off waivers from the White Sox last month.

Raleigh is back at DH following a three-game absence due to right side tightness. It’s an extremely encouraging development for Seattle, and fantasy managers, after there was real concern he would require a trip to the injured list. The 29-year-old backstop has gotten off to a frosty start at the plate after breaking nearly every conceivable offensive record for a catcher last year, but he still has supplied seven homers, 18 RBI and two steals in 33 games this season.

It’s theoretically possible that Yates takes over the closing role in Los Angeles considering Ryan Zeferjahn and Sam Bachman appears to be the only obstacles standing in his way at the moment. However, he got hit hard in a couple rehab outings where his fastball velocity was down considerably. A wait and see approach seems like the correct move here, but Yates is probably worth a speculative roster spot in extremely deep leagues where saves are hard to find on the waiver wire.