MLB Player News

He’ll be filling in for Doug Fister, who was placed on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained left side. Crosby, 23, has a 4.26 ERA and 57/26 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 innings over his first nine starts at the Triple-A level this year. He’s not a recommended option in fantasy leagues with the tough first matchup.

Sulser returns to Tampa Bay’s bullpen following a minimum stay on the injured list recovering from a lower back strain. The 36-year-old journeyman has compiled a respectable 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 16/9 K/BB ratio across 22 innings of work this season.

Bigge earned a ticket back to the minors following an eighth-inning meltdown against the Angels on Friday night where he allowed all three batters he faced to reach safely and failed to record an out. The 27-year-old holds an abysmal 6.98 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 14/14 K/BB ratio across 19 1/3 innings this season.

Gonzalez gets the call to the majors on his 24th birthday, replacing an injured Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) after a torrid stretch on the doorstep of the majors, slashing .317/.419/.688 with a career-high 19 homers and eight steals across 238 plate appearances over 52 games. He’s absent from Saturday’s lineup with lefty Framber Valdez taking the ball for Detroit. The versatile infielder Chicago’s first-round pick back in 2023 and was a bit of an afterthought prior to this season’s unexpected power breakthrough. It’s worth noting that Triple-A Charlotte was the most pitcher-friendly environment in entire International League last year, according to Baseball America’s park factors. There’s enough evidence based on a noticeable uptick in exit velocity this season to suggest that Gonzalez has made a legitimate breakthrough and could be an impactful fantasy contributor in deeper mixed leagues.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Murakami is likely facing a multi-week absence. The 26-year-old rookie sensation will undergo an MRI this weekend to determine the severity of the injury. He’s been an unexpected revelation in his Chicago debut, slashing .240/.378/.560 with 43 runs scored, 20 homers, 41 RBI and one stolen base across 246 plate appearances through 57 games. There’s almost no precedent in the Statcast era for a hitter combining a near-60 percent hard-hit rate and elite over-the-fence power while also striking out at a clip north of 32 percent. Even so, Murakami hasn’t looked overmatched in his stateside debut and should remain an upper-echelon fantasy contributor if his contact skills hold at a passable level. A more definitive timetable for his return should emerge later this weekend.

Leasure will be out at least two months after hitting the injured list with a right flexor strain earlier this week. The 27-year-old reliever holds a bloated 6.27 ERA across 18 2/3 innings for the White Sox this season. There’s a strong possibility his season could be over given the nature of the injury, which typically results in extended absences.

Meidroth will get a chance atop Chicago’s lineup to face Tigers lefty Framber Valdez with rookie Sam Antonacci hitting ninth. It looks like a matchup-based decision since Antonacci has excelled out of the leadoff spot since being moved there earlier this month. Meidroth has been on a heater at the dish recently, batting .300 (9-for-30) with two homers in his last seven games.

Klein provides Minnesota’s overworked bullpen with a fresh arm heading into Saturday’s showdown against the Pirates. The 24-year-old rookie allowed two runs over 2 1/3 innings of work during his first call up to the majors earlier this month.

This qualifies as a surprise since Woods Richardson was one of Minnesota’s better homegrown arms after coming over as a prospect in the José Berríos trade back in 2021. Still, he was out of options and the Twins had little choice but to move on given his recent performance. He was torched for five runs over 2 2/3 innings by the White Sox during a spot start in place of an injured Kendry Rojas earlier this week. The 25-year-old’s strikeout rate has plummeted this season while struggling to an inflated 7.74 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and 25/26 K/BB ratio across 47 2/3 innings in a swingman-type role. He would make a ton of sense as a zero-risk reclamation project somewhere else and there should be plenty of interest on waivers.

Anderson’s dominant start to his professional career continued with another scoreless outing, lowering his ERA to a remarkable 1.43 across 44 innings through nine starts. He’s also compiled an eye-popping 67/7 K/BB ratio over that span. Pirates phenom Seth Hernandez may be the most intriguing long-term pitching prospect in the minors, but Anderson is several steps closer to the majors and could emerge as a meaningful fantasy contributor later this season. There’s even a scenario where Seattle deems him ready and promotes him directly to the big leagues, bypassing Triple-A Tacoma altogether, though that feels unlikely right now. Even so, he’s worth stashing in fantasy leagues given how quickly he could force the issue.

Brown averaged 97.6 mph on his four-seam fastball and increased his pitch count to 44 (33 strikes) during his second rehab outing. The lone hit he allowed over three frames was a solo homer to infielder Ryan Fitzgerald. The 27-year-old fantasy ace will likely require at least one or two additional rehab outings to continue building up his pitch count and stamina. He’s on track to return to Houston’s rotation at some point in mid-June.