MLB Player News

MLB.com’s Peter Gammons was told by a general manager that the Dodgers were willing to give the Cuban defector a contract in the five-year, $50 million range, which would likely be enough to sign him. Rosenthal evidently believes they might not be willing to go to that length, though. The Braves, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Phillies, Blue Jays, Twins, and Marlins have also been connected to Gonzalez.

Schnieder believes Santander needs “a normal spring training almost” to get ready after a left shoulder labral tear that required surgery. He’s going to start swinging a bat in the next week or so. This is positive news and aligns with the lower end of the 5-6 month timeline the Blue Jays laid out once the surgery happened in late March.

It appears to just be a routine day off for the veteran backstop, who is hitting .276/.308/.414 through his first 65 plate appearances in June with two homers and nine RBI. Contreras’ power has been disappointing, as it was in 2025, and he now has just a .401 slugging percentage over his last 954 plate appearances. Gary Sánchez will draw the start at catcher against Guards LHP Parker Messick.

The Guardians maxed out their three platoon spots against LHP Shane Drohan, leaving Watson to handle right field over fellow prospect Petey Halpin. Watson probably won’t get a huge runway with Chase DeLauter due back soon, but he will get a chance to show his talents and the 12 homers and 15 stolen bases in 56 games at Triple-A Columbus point to someone who could have fantasy value if he hits.

As expected, his latest setback will push him into season-ending surgery. Priester had attempted to rehab the injury and pitch through it, but it just wasn’t possible. He’s expected to miss 8-to-10 months, meaning he could compete for a spot in spring training in 2027 if everything goes well in his rehab from the surgery. It’s also plausible he starts next year on the injured list and ramps up more slowly as a candidate to rejoin the rotation at some point early in the season.

No surprise as it’s a day game after a night game. Kirk has caught all four of his starts so far and has gone 4-for-15 thus far with one run scored and two RBI since being activated from the injured list following thumb surgery. Brandon Valenzuela will get a start today against RHP Sonny Gray.

Mayer had started every game since returning from his neck injury on Friday, hitting .133/.316/.133 over that span. He’s not done enough to have a set spot in mixed leagues. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is starting at shortstop while Andruw Monasterio handles second base versus Blue Jays RHP Trey Yesavage.

Espino was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball roughly a half-decade ago, but injuries, including two shoulder surgeries, derailed his trajectory and cost him nearly four full seasons in the minors. The 25-year-old deserves plenty of credit for persevering and completing his journey to the big leagues, though he’s unlikely to offer much immediate fantasy appeal in a low-leverage relief role. The long-term durability questions linger, but the off-the-charts raw stuff is still there, giving him a chance to eventually grow into a high-leverage role down the line.

Sandoval continues working his way back towards Boston’s pitching staff after a biceps issue stalled his rehabilitation process from elbow surgery. The 29-year-old southpaw hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 21, 2024. He likely remains a couple weeks away from factoring into the Red Sox’ pitching plans.

Ramos kicked off his rehab assignment as he works his way back from a right quad strain that put him on the shelf back in mid-May. The 26-year-old corner infielder figures to make it back to San Francisco by the end of June.

Roycroft has allowed nine runs over 5 1/3 innings across seven appearances this season. The Cardinals will make a corresponding roster move prior to Thursday’s series opener against the Royals.