MLB Player News

Valverde will meet with a specialist on Wednesday evening to determine the severity of the sprain, and whether he’ll need a trip to the disabled list. Phil Coke earned a save in his place Tuesday night against the Cardinals, but Joaquin Benoit is probably the guy to own in most fantasy leagues.

The left-handed-hitting Clifford, who previously projected as a solid platoon guy as a first baseman or corner outfielder, has been one of the biggest disappointments in the minors while hitting .175/.267/.344 with a whopping 164 strikeouts in 431 plate appearances for Syracuse. He has too much power to be given up on at age 23, but it’s going to be tough for the Mets to justify adding him to their 40-man roster this winter.

Urías, on the IL since early May with an elbow injury, is 6-for-31 with two homers and a 13/2 K/BB in 11 games since resuming a rehab assignment with Memphis. Perhaps the Cardinals will activate him soon in place of Blaze Jordan or Bryan Torres, but releasing him could also be on the table. The 32-year-old Urías is a nice utilityman in theory, but after missing so much time, he doesn’t seem poised to help much this year.

Palencia topped out at 100.0 mph in his fifth rehab appearance as he makes his way back from a flexor strain. He should come off the IL this week, though since Jacob Webb is performing very well, he probably won’t go back to closing right away.

Jansen, on a rehab assignment from a forearm strain, is 5-for-15 in five games for Round Rock. He caught back-to-back games the last two days, so it seems quite possible he’ll be activated Tuesday.

Salas is hitting .377/.453/.698 with three homers and 20 RBI in 14 games since moving up to El Paso at the end of last month. It’s hard to imagine the Padres introducing him to the majors in the middle of a pennant race, but he’s back looking very much like one of the game’s best prospects.

Basallo, who is on the IL with shoulder inflammation, caught most of the game before exiting late. He seems likely to be back with the Orioles by Friday at the latest.

That’s four homers in eight games for King, and he’s 20-for-55 with a 14/8 K/BB in 14 games since returning from an oblique strain. That the Nationals are moving CJ Abrams to second base clears to the way for King to take over shortstop as soon as the Nationals think the 2024 first-round pick is ready. It might not happen until next year, but he’s making a case.

Story, who played about half of the game at shortstop, had a 97-mph single and a 351-foot flyout before departing. He’s been out for three months following hernia surgery, so he’ll probably need at least a week in the minors before rejoining the Red Sox.

Arrighetti is trying to pitch through his foot nerve issue, and he was somewhat successful Sunday even though his velocity was down 1.5-2 mph. He’ll probably make one more rehab start before the Jays consider handing him a rotation spot.

Santillan’s velocity in his second rehab outing was down about 1.5 mph on his fastball and three mph on his slider from where he was before landing on the IL with an oblique strain in late June. Still, the Reds probably won’t wait much longer to activate him.