MLB Player News

Whitley is the most prominent inclusion in the latest round of cuts from Astros’ camp. The former top prospect hasn’t made an appearance this spring, but has begun a throwing program. Brown has turned heads with a pair of stellar Grapefruit League starts and could factor into the Astros’ rotation mix later this season.

The former top prospect appeared in 12 games for Toronto earlier this season, batting .290 without a homer. The Blue Jays have dealt with several outfield/DH injuries, so keeping Jiménez around as organizational depth makes sense.

Petty will start Game 2 while Chris Paddack toes the rubber in Game 1. Petty made his season debut against the Cubs back on May 4, allowing three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings while striking out one. Saturday will be his second start of the year with the big league club.

Ragans recently upgraded from playing catch to throwing bullpens, and he’s now ready for the next step in his return to the Royals. It’s been an up-and-down campaign for the 28-year-old lefty, and the hope is that he’ll look more like his usual self once he’s back in the majors.

Bassitt was given an opener two starts ago, and he wound up throwing six innings of one-run ball against the Athletics. He carries a 5.44 ERA into Friday’s matchup versus Jack Flaherty and the Tigers.

It’s only the second time in 12 opportunities that Mayer has been in the lineup against a lefty this season. It’s notable considering that Trevor Story underwent sports hernia surgery on Thursday, which could sideline him for 6-10 weeks. Mayer has exclusively started at second base, but if he winds up shifting to shortstop, it would help to not be in a platoon. The 2021 No. 4 overall pick has two homers, three stolen bases, and just a .290 OBP this season.

Schwarber missed three games with an illness earlier this week, but he’s back to hitting second and serving as Philadelphia’s designated hitter. The lefty slugger leads the majors with 20 homers entering Memorial Day weekend.

Jonah Tong was recalled from Triple-A as the corresponding move. Newsday’s Laura Albanese notes that Kimbrel logged a career-high 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday, finishing his Mets tenure with a clean 6.00 ERA over 15 frames. Set to turn 38 next week, Kimbrel sits at 440 career saves, which ranks fifth all-time.

Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Tobias Myers is starting this weekend’s opener against the Marlins, so it remains to be seen what Tong’s role will be, but he’ll be active Friday. The young right-hander has struggled at Triple-A this season, especially compared to last year. He rejoins the Mets with a 5.68 ERA and a 4.09 xFIP across nine minor-league starts. Tong carries significant long-term fantasy upside, but how his role shakes out will go a long way toward determining his viability in 2026 redraft leagues.

Hayes is officially dealing with a lumbar bulging disc injury, and the move is retroactive to May 21. Eugenio Suárez (oblique) was reinstated off the IL as the corresponding move. Hayes hasn’t come close to matching the offensive upside he flashed back in 2020, but he was hitting poorly even by his standards this season, entering Friday with a .142/.195/.225 slash line. He wasn’t playing every day prior to this injury and remains under contract through 2029.

Suárez missed 25 games with his injury, and with the Reds already rained out on Friday, his return to the lineup will have to wait at least one more day. Ke’Bryan Hayes was placed on the injured list with a lumbar bulging disc injury as the corresponding move. That should give Suárez an opportunity to play a bit more third base than he did earlier this season, but Sal Stewart will likely continue to see some spot starts at the hot corner as well.