MLB Player News

Fornataro will function as bullpen depth for the Cardinals until they need a fifth starter Wednesday in Colorado. The 26-year-old righty has a 4.70 ERA in seven appearances this season out of the St. Louis ‘pen.

Martin passed through waivers unclaimed after being jettisoned from Chicago’s bullpen mix last week. The 30-year-old allowed six runs over five innings across seven appearances for the Cubs since April 18. He also picked up one save during that timeframe.

Wagaman went unclaimed on waivers after being removed from New York’s 40-man roster last weekend. The 28-year-old will remain with the Mets as organizational depth rather than elect free agency to test the open market.

Technically, Correa tore the peroneus brevis tendon in his left ankle. The 31-year-old infielder suffered the injury during pregame batting practice last week. His absence means Isaac Paredes will handle the hot corner for the remainder of the year, which is undoubtedly a boost to his fantasy appeal.

Bieber will face hitters a couple times before he’s ready to head out on a minor league rehab assignment. The 30-year-old starter has been brought along slowly over the last few months after dealing with elbow inflammation over the offseason. There’s a chance he’s ready to make his season debut at some point in June.

It’s the best possible outcome that Barger isn’t dealing with any ligament damage after hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation. He’ll receive an anti-inflammatory cortisone injection to address a joint issue and be shut down for a couple days. The 26-year-old corner outfielder is likely facing a multi-week absence, but it doesn’t sound like surgery is on the table. There should be a definitive return timeline once he’s cleared to ramp up baseball activities again.

Scherzer received a cortisone shot in his right forearm last week and will take advantage of the shutdown period to treat his right thumb, which has been a persistent issue for him over the last calendar year. The issue apparently cropped up recently in addition to forearm tendinitis. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer remains without a timeline to return to Toronto’s rotation, but that should come into focus once he’s cleared to resume throwing.

It’s notable that Basallo is getting an opportunity to face a lefty starter when Yankees southpaw Ryan Weathers takes the hill on Monday night. The 21-year-old backstop has been tearing the cover off the ball recently, hitting .382 (21-for-55) with two homers and nine RBI over his last 15 games. The fact that he’s struck out 15 times and drawn exactly one free pass during that span is a concern, but he’s finally starting to show off his ability to generate consistent hard contact, which was his trademark during his rise through Baltimore’s system.

Helsley expects to be cleared to resume throwing soon and will need a brief minor league rehab assignment before returning to Baltimore’s bullpen. The hard-throwing 31-year-old has checked out fine from an imaging standpoint after hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation back in late April. It’ll be Rico Garcia handling the closing duties for at least a couple more weeks.

González receives his first promotion to the majors with lefty Jose A. Ferrer away from the club on paternity leave. The 26-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Braves last August and has posted a 1.80 ERA and 14/2 K/BB ratio across 15 innings over 12 relief appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

Ferrer has been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball this season with a microscopic 1.80 ERA and 16/3 K/BB ratio across 20 innings. The 26-year-old southpaw has emerged as a viable closing option when Andrés Muñoz is unavailable for workload reasons, which gives him some fantasy appeal in deeper formats.