MLB Player News

Winkler was cut loose after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 31-year-old righty posted a lackluster 5.22 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 40/30 K/BB ratio across 39 2/3 innings this season. Given his extensive big-league experience, he should be able to land another opportunity rather quickly.

The probability feels extremely high that Hernández will be activated from the injured list at some point this weekend or early next week. The 33-year-old veteran slugger went deep for the third consecutive rehab contest on Friday evening while playing six innings in left field. The original expectation was that he would be ready for Monday’s series opener against the Athletics, but he could potentially make it back for the final two games of their current series against the division-rival Padres.

Báez possesses stratospheric raw power potential, and while he’s made some strides recently in the contact department, he’s still struck out nearly 27 percent of the time since the start of June. He’s launched 10 homers during that 20-game sample size, which matters exponentially more. However, the persistent strikeout issues are probably the biggest reason why the Cardinals are having him continue his development on the doorstep of the majors as opposed to bringing him up and exposing him to big-league arms. His time is coming later this summer, and he projects as an immediate power/speed combo source, which makes Báez a worthwhile stash candidate in all fantasy leagues.

Schultz got his pitch count up to 74 (52 strikes) in his third rehab start as he continues to work his way back from a knee issue that put him on the shelf back in late May. All signs point to the exciting 22-year-old rookie making it back to Chicago’s rotation at some point in the middle of next week.

The original plan was for Gonzalez to be ready for Saturday’s showdown against the Yankees, so fantasy managers should expect him to be officially activated prior to first pitch. The 29-year-old has been out working his way back from shoulder surgery and a hip issue that cropped up during his rehabilitation process.

It’s possible Beavers winds up staying in the minors once he completes his rehab assignment since the Orioles don’t really have a spot for him at the moment. The 24-year-old former top prospect was hitting .243/.331/.369 with two homers and three steals in 119 plate appearances prior to landing on the shelf with an oblique strain back in mid-May.

Kremer threw 50 of 79 pitches for strikes in his latest rehab outing and appears on the verge of rejoining the Orioles rotation mix later next week. The 30-year-old has been out with a quad strain since late April. He doesn’t offer enough strikeout upside to be a consistent fantasy option outside of AL-only formats but his return will provide a boost to the back-end of Baltimore’s rotation.

The Reds could certainly use Pagán back to shore up the back-end of their bullpen with Tony Santillan hitting the injured list with an oblique strain prior to Friday’s series opener against the Pirates. The 35-year-old veteran stopper’s return to Cincinnati’s relief corps feels imminent and he should be rostered in any fantasy leagues where he somehow ended up on the waiver wire after suffering a hamstring strain back in early May.

Rengifo winds up in a decent situation with a relatively unobstructed path to at-bats with the Padres just a few days after being released by the Brewers. The 29-year-old offers some defensive versatility and makes sense for San Diego in a reserve role. He’s likely to spend some time at Triple-A El Paso before he gets another look in the big leagues.

There was concern earlier this week whether Jones would be ready to take the ball for his next start after being hit on the back of his throwing elbow by a line drive during last weekend’s start against the Rockies. The 24-year-old former top prospect underwent X-rays that came back negative for any fractures and has been cleared to take the ball at PNC Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Cardinals are skipping May’s turn due to lower back tightness with Andre Pallante taking the ball on regular rest against Miami on Saturday. The 28-year-old could probably use some extra rest after getting torched for six runs by the Royals his last time out following a one-hit shutout against the Padres back on June 15.