MLB Player News

Schroder’s departure makes room on the 40-man roster for newly-acquired reliever Dan Giese. The A’s now have 10 days to waive, trade or release Schroder, who was originally slated for Triple-A Sacramento before posting a 9.90 ERA this spring.

It was an extremely encouraging development to see Soderstrom back in Friday’s lineup following a two-game absence due to a lingering neck issue that cropped up while attempting to make a diving catch earlier this week. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status this weekend, but all indications are that he’s healthy and won’t require any additional time off.

Swanson returned to Chicago’s lineup for Friday’s series opener after missing just one game with left glute cramps that forced him to leave Wednesday’s game against the Padres. It doesn’t appear to be a concern moving forward.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Friday that Refsnyder is dealing with a couple minor ailments, which explains why he was kept out of Friday’s lineup. The 35-year-old veteran lefty-mashing specialist should be ready to return in a couple days, if not sooner.

Chicago’s closer averaged 100.4 mph and topped out at 102 during the 19-pitch tune-up outing on the doorstep of the majors. He gave up one hit and also recorded one strikeout. The hard-throwing 26-year-old stopper is working his way back from a low-grade lat strain and could potentially return to the back-end of the Cubs’ bullpen later this weekend.

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that Snelling doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors after recording a stellar 1.86 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 44/15 K/BB ratio across 29 innings over six starts this season. The 22-year-old southpaw has notched at least nine strikeouts in three of his last four starts and showed improved command in this latest outing after handing out five free passes in his previous start. Snelling is worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper fantasy leagues on the chance that Miami finally decides he’s ready to take the ball in the majors.

Anderson continues to rapidly cement his status as one of the top fantasy pitching prospects in the game with a microscopic 0.37 ERA and 38/4 K/BB ratio across 24 1/3 innings over five starts in his professional debut. The 21-year-old southpaw, who was the third-overall selection in last year’s MLB Draft, is on track to potentially join Seattle’s rotation by the end of the season and offers enough strikeout upside to envision an instant fantasy impact. He’ll likely spent some time at Triple-A Tacoma before reaching the majors, but it’s a realistic possibility that he reaches T-Mobile Park this summer.

Hernandez generated 19 swinging strikes and tallied nine strikeouts for the second consecutive start. He wasn’t completely untouchable in this one as he surrendered six hits, including a pair of solo homers, while throwing 47 of 70 pitches for strikes. The 19-year-old prodigy, who was selected sixth overall in last year’s MLB Draft, holds a sparkling 1.23 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 41/6 K/BB ratio across 22 innings this season. He’s still a couple hyperspace jumps away from potentially joining Paul Skenes atop Pittsburgh’s rotation, but he’s clearly one of the top fantasy pitching prospects in the game already.

Hoskins is a part-time player right now, but with Kyle Manzardo off to the kind of start that demands a demotion to Triple-A, it’s quite possible he’ll be a full-timer at some point. His .219/.367/.384 line isn’t all that great, but that .751 OPS is 250 points higher than Manzardo’s .498 mark.

Cantillo gave up two runs in the first and two in the fourth prior to his early exit after 69 pitches. It’s the first time this season that he’s given up four earned runs. Cantillo still has a nice 3.67 ERA, but because of his inability to work deep into games, he’s stuck on one win, even though the Guardians, who prevailed tonight, are 5-2 in his starts. It a big problem in terms of amassing fantasy value, but he still rates as a pretty good play against the Royals next week.

Smith was asked to get four outs for the first time this season and did so without incident. He’ll probably be available to close again Saturday after throwing 22 pitches tonight.