MLB Player News

Harkey, 47, most recently served as the bullpen coach for the Yankees. He will replace Charles Nagy, whom the Diamondbacks fired after the season. Harkey does have some prior experience as pitching coach after taking over for Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland during a leave of absence in 2010. He’ll look to improve a pitching staff that ranked 10th in the National League in ERA this past season.

Senger returns to the big leagues as a bench option to replace an injured Jorge Polanco (wrist) for at least a couple days. The 29-year-old backstop got into 33 contests for the Mets last year. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Finally. Polanco will get some much-needed time off to rest and recover after dealing with lingering wrist and Achilles issues, which have caused him to miss four of their last eight games since April 9. The 32-year-old infielder has been snake-bitten by physical issues during his Mets debut, which may be contributing to his abysmal .179 (10-for-56) batting average with one homer and two RBI through 14 games.

Matt McLain, who is off to a brutal start hitting .183 (13-for-71) with three extra-base hits and three steals in 20 games, takes a seat with Stewart getting a look at second base for the second time this season. Nathaniel Lowe gets into the lineup at the cold corner. It’s far too early for Cincinnati to consider any significant changes, but McLain’s slow start opens the door for Stewart to see additional time at the keystone. That would be a significant development for his fantasy appeal if he gains eligibility at one of the thinnest positions in the game.

Finally. Rice will get a chance to face Royals left-hander Noah Cameron after spending the first couple of weeks on the bench against southpaws in favor of veteran Paul Goldschmidt. The 27-year-old burgeoning slugger launched his sixth round-tripper of the season during Friday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium and is hitting .339 (20-for-59) through 19 games this season. He’s 4-for-15 with one homer against lefties this year and is beginning to see more opportunities in those matchups, which would provide a meaningful boost to his fantasy value from a volume standpoint.

It’s a well-deserved break for Perez on Saturday afternoon in New York following 20 consecutive starts between catcher and DH to open the season. The 35-year-old has gotten off to a rocky start at the dish, hitting .160 with three homers and six RBI during that span. Carter Jensen will handle the catching duties with Isaac Collins (knee) back in the lineup at DH after a three-game absence.

Bieber still needs to progress to facing hitters in a live setting before he’s cleared for a rehab assignment. The 30-year-old righty was transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week in a procedural move that will keep him out until at least late May. At this point, it might be more realistic for fantasy managers to anticipate a return at some point in June since he’ll need several weeks of rehab starts.

Springer has resumed swinging a bat but will need to be able to run the bases before he’s cleared to return from the injured list. This latest development comes after Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters earlier this week that the veteran outfielder is feeling better and had already resumed hitting. The 36-year-old was one last year’s most impactful all-around fantasy contributors with a 32-homer, 18-steal campaign where he appeared in 140 games.

Ponce is expected to be a full-go at the outset of spring training. The 31-year-old starter suffered the knee injury while attempting to field a ground ball during his Blue Jays debut back in late March.

There was speculation Yesavage would make his season debut next week, but that’s not happening. The Blue Jays want to see him continue building up his pitch count and stamina for at least another turn in the upper minors before bringing him back to the big leagues. The 22-year-old top pitching prospect should make it back to Toronto’s rotation by the end of April. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats given his immense strikeout potential.

Berríos threw 47 pitches and allowed five runs over 2 1/3 innings on Thursday in his rehab debut. The 31-year-old lefty will continue building up his pitch count and stamina in the lower minors with an aim towards rejoining Toronto’s rotation at some point in early May.