MLB Player News

Gillaspie is starting at third base and batting second on Thursday afternoon against the Marlins, and should see regular time at the hot corner over the next several weeks while Pablo Sandoval recovers from a broken hamate bone. The 24-year-old was hitting .362 with a .939 OPS and three home runs in 23 games for Fresno and may carry some value in NL-only fantasy leagues.

Sandoval spent all offseason continuing his recovery from last year’s Tommy John surgery and made two rehab starts at Triple-A in April before being sidelined with biceps tightness. The left-hander is already throwing from 90 feet on flat ground and should return to the mound by the end of this week. Provided that goes well, he could face hitters next week and go back on a rehab assignment shortly after that.

“We continue to progress well there,” said Red Sox manager Chad Tracy. Crochet has been sidelined with shoulder fatigue and inflammation since April 29th, but there is no structural damage in his shoulder. The Red Sox will need to see the left-hander throw multiple times off a mound before he moves to facing hitters. He would then need at least one rehab start before rejoining the Red Sox, but he could return by the early part of June if all goes well.

Anthony injured the top of his hand on a swing against the Tigers last Monday and was placed on the 10-day IL on Thursday. The Red Sox had hoped he would return when first eligible, but that will not be the case. The 22-year-old still hasn’t swung a bat as the Red Sox work on the strength in his hand. “Eventually, we’ll get to strong gripping,” said Tracy. “That’s the biggest thing for him: when do we get to feel like the grip strength is there? When we’re in there, we’re in a better spot.” It does feel like his recovery could speed up considerably once his hand is strong enough to grip a bat again. We just don’t know how long that first step is going to take.

Gonzalez had surgery on his left shoulder at the beginning of March and was confident at the time that he would return by the end of May. We still don’t have any update on his timeline, but it’s nice to see him on the field and doing baseball activities. Coming back in the next two weeks feels unlikely, but perhaps Gonzalez could return in early June, which would be a boost to the Red Sox lineup, particularly against lefties, where he would likely start over Marcelo Mayer. Gonzalez hit .305/.343/.483 with nine home runs and six steals in 341 plate appearances last year.

Melton has been sidelined since spring training with a right elbow strain, but has already made two rehab starts and looked good. The right-hander was put on the 60-day IL back on March 25th, so he can’t be activated until the end of this month. If he looks good in Triple-A on Wednesday, then he would likely make one more rehab start and then could return to a Tigers’ rotation that currently only has four starting pitchers with Tarik Skubal (elbow), Casey Mize (groin), and Justin Verlander (hip) all sidelined.

Báez is on the injured list with a right ankle sprain, so while it’s nice to see him hitting, the bigger hurdle to overcome is his running progressions. As of now, there is still no timeline for his return.

Sands has been on the injured list since the beginning of May. He posted a 4.63 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 11/4 K/B ratio across 11 2/3 innings over 12 appearances this season, but has been one of the more reliable arms in the Twins’ bullpen. He’ll likely throw another bullpen this week and may not need a rehab stint since he hasn’t been sidelined long.

Haase got the start on Tuesday, with Jesus Rodriguez getting a breather. He came through with a solo homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the third inning. Haase did it again in the fifth, going back-to-back with Harrison Bader for his second of the game. He nearly hit a third one out in the seventh, sending a 399-foot fly ball just in front of the center field wall. The 33-year-old backstop has performed well in his limited time, going 6-for-18, but he’s unlikely to see regular playing time ahead of Rodriguez and eventually Daniel Susac.

Ohtani came into this one 4-for-36 in the month of May and hadn’t homered in 13 games since April 26. He knocked a base hit and scored a run in the first inning, then led off the third with an opposite-field blast off Adrian Houser. Ohtani later drew a walk in the fifth to reach for a third time. The 31-year-old two-way star is scheduled to take the mound for Wednesday’s contest. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Ohtani will likely be held out of the lineup either Wednesday or Thursday. He’s hasn’t started at designated hitter his last couple of games on the mound. If that’s the case again, look for him to take his normal leadoff spot in Thursday’s series finale.

Kilian was summoned with two outs and the bases loaded with a four-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. He extinguished the Dodgers’ threat with a flyout, then returned for a clean ninth inning, striking out one batter for his second save of the season. Kilian should be in line for regular save opportunities with Ryan Walker optioned to Triple-A, though don’t expect manager Tony Vitello to settle on one guy in the ninth, as he’ll tend to play the matchups.