MLB Player News

Schwimer surrendered five hits and two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings this spring in the Grapefruit League. The 26-year-old right-hander will act as relief depth this year.

That’s a huge bummer. Abel had thrown 13 shutout innings over his last two starts and seemed to be emerging as a key cog in the Twins’ rotation. There’s no word yet on how long he will be out, but this now makes the news of Kendry Rojas coming up a bit more understandable. It seems like the left-hander may get the chance to pitch bulk innings on Tuesday, which would have been Abel’s spot in the rotation. However, Connor Prielipp could also be given a chance to fill in for Abel since he’s in New York on the taxi squad. Prielipp is a bit more exciting from a fantasy standpoint, so if he is given the start on Tuesday, he could be worth a waiver add, even if you just stash him on your bench for the first start.

Sonny Gray labored a bit through the third inning, and then, after walking Gleyber Torres with two outs, Gray seemed to try to stretch out his hamstring. He threw one pitch with the trainers watching, yelled in anger, and then begrudingly gave the ball to manager Alex Cora. There is no word yet on the severity of the injury, but the Red Sox are calling it hamstring tightness. That would likely mean that Gray would be placed on the injured list, even if it’s just for a minimum stay. Payton Tolle is on the same pitching schedule as Gray, so he would be the obvious replacement if Gray had to miss any time and should be added in all league types now just in case.

Miranda is on the Padres now after spending the beginning of his career with the Twins. The 27-year-old is hitting .280/.308/.480 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 52 plate appearances this season. He’s obviously blocked at first base in San Diego, so he won’t be an option unless there are some injuries.

Both of the outs he recorded came on strikeouts, so we guess that’s something. Kittredge could still return to the Orioles in the next week or so, but there is no fantasy value to be had here. He doesn’t need to be rostered in any formats, even as an IL stash.

Since being sent back to Triple-A on April 13th, Povich has allowed two runs on eight hits in 11 2/3 innings while striking out 15 and walking two. Baltimore’s starting pitchers rank 22nd in baseball in ERA and 21st in strikeout rate, so they may opt to make a change if this continues into May.

Crews is now riding a five-game hitting streak with hits in six of his last seven games, which has seen him go 9-for-28 (.321) with one home run, one double, two RBI, seven runs scored, and one steal. This year, Crews is slashing .284/.388/.418 with two home runs, 14 runs scored, and four steals in 80 plate appearances.

Bleday also struck out three times, so it was a mixed bag, but he now has five home runs and 18 RBI in 88 plate appearances with a .338/.443/.635 slash line. With Rece Hinds going 2-for-17 with seven strikeouts in his first five MLB games since being promoted, the Reds could make a change soon.

Alcántara now has eight home runs and a .990 OPS in 77 plate appearances at Triple-A. Of course, he’s also hitting .227 with a 35 percent strikeout rate, so it hasn’t all been excellent. That being said, Alcántara has clearly shown that he has power that will play in any ballpark, and he could hit his way into the Cubs’ lineup if they have any outfield injuries.

Ingle, who’s 24 years old, has now safely reached base in all 13 games he’s played this year while slashing .357/.617/.786. He has four home runs and 12 RBI on the season with an absurd 9/18 K/BB ratio. With Bo Naylor slashing .156/.224/.244 in 49 plate appearances and playing league-average defense, you have to wonder if the Guardians would consider making a change at some point.

Valera, Boston’s fifth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, left his last start with elbow inflammation. But, as of now, it appears he has avoided any major injury. The current plan is for him to be shut down from throwing for two weeks and then begin to ramp back up. When he starts to throw again, we’ll have a better idea of whether or not the 19-year-old has really avoided any injury.