MLB Player News

Payano was signed to a minor league contract last December but never pitched his way up to the big club. He last pitched in 2019, registering a 5.73 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 17/15 K/BB ratio in 22 innings of work as a member of the Rangers.

Gasser will already be the 11th pitcher to start a game for the Brewers. The 26-year-old has made six appearances for Triple-A Nashville, and over his 21 1/3 innings, he’s whiffed 32 hitters against eight walks with a 3.74 ERA. He would be worthy of streaming consideration for those looking to take a chance.

Hader has pitched well in his previous rehab appearances, but the left-hander has been out of action for a while, and Houston will want to see their closer work a few more times in the minors before making the call-up. One of those final tests will almost assuredly be a back-to-back, and if all goes well, he should be back as the stopper for the Astros by the end of May.

Soto is not only receiving treatment on the foot, but he continues to deal with discomfort on his wrist, and he also has been dealing with elbow discomfort. “As long as he’s not putting anything at risk, he’ll continue to play,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. Soto has been solid if unspectacular despite these injuries with a .271 average, .858 OPS and six homers over 124 plate appearances.

The Rangers are calling the spasms “minor,” and that Seager is currently day-to-day. The 32-year-old has struggled considerably to begin the year, and unfortunately injuries have been a large part of his otherwise-successful career. Ezequiel Duran will handle shortstop with Seager out.

Sogard figures to see action all over the diamond for the Red Sox after logging time at five different positions last year. The versatile 28-year-old doesn’t offer much from an offensive standpoint. He’ll likely see some time at shortstop with Trevor Story on the injured list, but most of those opportunities figure to go to Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

The move is now official. It’s unclear whether Story will require surgery to address the groin issue that Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters has been bothering him pretty much all season. The lingering physical issue certainly helps explain his abysmal performance at the plate where he’s batted .206/.244/.303 triple-slash line with three homers and four steals through 41 games. It would make sense for the Red Sox to consider moving former top prospect Marcelo Mayer back to shortstop, but all indications are that Andruw Monasterio is going to be their short-term stopgap at the position with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Sogard taking the occasional turn. There should be some additional clarity on Story’s return timeline relatively soon.

Varsho’s extra-inning single brought home the Manfred Man and helped Toronto eke out a narrow victory on a day where six different relievers combined to limit Detroit to just one run over 10 innings. The 29-year-old center fielder is hitting .286 (16-for-56) with two homers, seven RBI and one steal over his last 15 games.

Piñango took Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan deep for a game-tying solo shot in the seventh inning at Comerica Park. The 24-year-old rookie smashed a line-drive shot traveled just 348 feet and barely cleared the right-field wall. He’s been an unexpected revelation for the Blue Jays this season, hitting .364 (16-for-44) with seven RBI through 15 games. There’s some sneaky fantasy appeal here, especially if he’s going to continue hitting near the top of Toronto’s strong lineup.

Varland struck out pinch-hitter Colt Keith to extinguish a ninth-inning threat and send a tie ballgame to extra innings before coming back out to protect a one-run lead. The hard-throwing 28-year-old coaxed ground balls from Jake Rogers and Kevin McGonigle before striking out Dillon Dingler to end it. It doesn’t go down as a save, but fantasy managers will take the win, his second of the season. He’s been phenomenal this season, converting five saves to go along with a microscopic 0.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 34/9 K/BB ratio across 23 2/3 innings. He certainly looks like Toronto’s primary closer right now.

Miles took over after opener Mason Fluharty and threw 56 pitches (36 strikes) during a strong bulk relief outing on the road at Comerica Park. It’s a bit challenging to forecast whether Miles makes sense as a traditional starter for the remainder of the year, but he’s certainly shown an ability to excel in a multi-inning relief role. He’ll help fill the void left in Toronto’s rotation left by José Berríos undergoing elbow surgery. Despite his recent success, he’s not a recommended streaming option in an extremely challenging road matchup against the Yankees on Thursday.