MLB Player News

Smolinski struggled during his brief time in the majors this season and missed a significant chunk of time with a blood clot in his leg.

Verlander heads to the shelf after being torched for five runs over 3 2/3 innings on Monday in his season debut. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer was scheduled to start on Sunday against the Cardinals. It’ll likely be Keider Montero taking his spot in Detroit’s rotation. His return to the Motor City is off to a rocky start, but the Tigers are probably more concerned with having him available for late-season starts than early-April outings.

Chourio unexpectedly hit the injured list with a fractured hand just hours before Milwaukee’s Opening Day contest last week. The 22-year-old fantasy standout has progressed to running, throwing and tracking pitches, but hasn’t been cleared to resume swinging a bat. There should be a definitive timetable for his return following his next checkup.

Laureano gets an opportunity to bat towards the top of the order with Red Sox young southpaw Connelly Early taking the ball at Fenway Park. Xander Bogaerts, who has typically batted second, has been dropped to fifth against his former club. The 31-year-old is off to an encouraging start, hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers, four RBI and one steal through six games. A quick glance under the hood reveals a robust 49.1 percent hard-hit rate and 13.8 percent barrel percentage.

Kurtz finds himself in the leadoff spot for the fifth time in seven starts this season. The 23-year-old reigning AL Rookie of the Year has gone hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games and is batting .048 (1-for-21) with 13 strikeouts and five walks this season. It’s too early to be concerned but it’s a bit surprising to see him mired in an extended slump given how comfortable he looked during the final few months of last year.

There’s no official 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Royals, but it sounds like Henderson could be officially called up prior to the nightcap to provide additional length behind starter Brandon Sproat. The 24-year-old struck out five over three innings during his lone appearance for Triple-A Nashville this season.

Hernández takes a seat for the first time this season after going 3-for-4 with three runs scored during Friday’s blowout win in Washington. The 33-year-old has recorded just one extra-base hit through seven games this season, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of RBI. It’ll be Alex Call in left field to face Nationals starter Jake Irvin.

It’ll be southpaw reliever Brennan Bernardino opening the contest to face Philadelphia’s lefty-heavy top of the order before giving the ball to Dollander. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect has big-time stuff but he’s been extremely wild from a results standpoint while operating out of Colorado’s bullpen this season, surrendering runs on five hits, including three homers, with a 5/2 K/BB ratio across four innings of work. There’s huge long-term upside here if Dollander is able to put it together, but he’s a work in progress at the moment and can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues.

Paez ships up to Boston after passing through waivers unclaimed following his removal from Chicago’s active roster earlier this week. The 22-year-old reliever made the White Sox’ season-opening bullpen as a Rule 5 pick, but wound up lasting just one week in the big leagues, allowing six runs on four hits with three walks and zero strikeouts over three innings of work.

Jensen remains out of Kansas City’s lineup for the second consecutive contest after a highly-publicized incident Thursday where he overslept and was scratched from the lineup. The 22-year-old rookie backstop figures to be behind the dish for the second game of Saturday’s twin bill after veteran Salvador Perez handles the catching duties in the opening contest.

Valenzuela has been summoned to the majors for the first time to bolster Toronto’s catching situation with starter Alejandro Kirk hitting the shelf with a fractured left thumb. It’s the first call-up for the 25-year-old backstop after coming over from the Padres in the Will Wagner trade last July. He’ll serve as veteran Tyler Heineman’s caddy while Kirk is on the injured list.