MLB Player News

Beck allowed four hits with a walk. The right-hander has been consistently inconsistent as of late, as two of his last four starts have seen him fire five-inning shutouts. The other two have seen him record a total of 10 outs and give up 11 runs. That helps explain why the 2020 fourth-round pick has a 5.40 ERA, but a 44/12 K/BB ratio helps tell you that there’s been better with the bitter. Way has two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, and he also has made gains with a change that should be an average pitch. The issue -- unsurprisingly -- is command, and it may cause him to move to the bullpen someday. The Yankees will give him every chance to start, however, and if the command can reach average, he has a chance for some fantasy relevance.

Woodruff struck out five, issued two walks and was charged with two runs over 3 2/3 innings. The 33-year-old could potentially jump back into Milwaukee’s rotation later this week, but he’ll likely need at least one additional rehab outing before that happens. He’s been out with shoulder inflammation since early May.

Iglesias looked like he was going to pick up a two-inning win after firing a scoreless ninth. That changed with one swing of the bat, as Braden Montgomery took Iglesias deep the opposite way to give Chicago the win. Only one of the runs was earned, and Iglesias still has an excellent 1.21 ERA on the season. A disappointing ending, but it’s hard to be too concerned considering how good the 36-year-old has looked for the overwhelming majority of the season.

Schanuel was hit by a pitch from Astros starter Kai-Wei Teng in the opening frame on the same ankle that’s been bothering him for the past couple weeks. He managed to stay in the contest initially, but was lifted a couple frames later. There should be an update on his status following the game.

Montgomery also had an RBI single in the fourth, but obviously that’s not the headline. The 23-year-old came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the tenth and the White Sox trailing by one, and he connected on his first MLB roundtripper to give Chicago the walk-off win. Montgomery is one of the best outfield prospects in the sport, and while fantasy managers have to be prepared for ups and downs from the outfielder in his rookie campaign, the talent is obvious. He’s absolutely worthy of roster consideration right now.

Olson continues his impressive campaign, albeit in a walk-off loss to the White Sox. The 32-year-old blistered a two-run homer in the first inning, and then connected on a solo shot in the third. That’s now 19 homers on the season for Olson, and he’s plated 50 runs over 66 games. Olson is now on a 45-homer pace, and while he hasn’t reached those heights over his last two campaigns — 29 homers in the previous two seasons — he’s obviously more than capable of reaching that total with his prestigious pop.

Jones’s homer was hit 112.2 mph and projected at 443 feet. He later had a 384-foot flyout and actually went the entire game without striking out. Jones is now 10-for-36 with two extra-base hits and a 16/3 K/BB as a major leaguer. He definitely seems more comfortable now than in his first stint. He’s still going to strike out a ton, but the contact is getting better. He needs to keep it up, since Jasson Domínguez has started a rehab assignment as he makes his way back from a shoulder strain.

Cole was checked on by the trainer following an odd play in the third in which he slid into first after being late to cover and tagged the bag with his pitching hand. However, he was able to remain in, and there was no early indication that it had anything to do with his exit. Cole threw 83 pitches to get his 12 outs tonight, which was probably why he didn’t come out for the fifth. His velocity was great; he averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball and actually peaked at 100.0. However, he walked two and hit a batter, with a catcher’s interference also driving up his pitch count. The Yankees are off Thursday and Monday, so Cole figures to make his next start next Tuesday against the White Sox.

David Bednar had the night off after working the previous two days, and predictably, Cruz was the choice to fill in. He’s made 32 appearances with a 1.84 ERA and 11 holds working in front of Bednar this season. Acquiring him from the Reds for Jose Trevino prior to last year has been a big win for the Yankees.

Cecconi matched his season high in strikeouts. He gave up 10 hard-hit balls, but just one proved to be a problem; Spencer Jones hit a two-run homer in the second after a Jazz Chisholm Jr. walk to start the inning. It went as a third straight no-decision for Cecconi, who remains 3-5 with a 4.83 ERA. He’s due for a two-start week with road outings in Milwaukee and Houston next week. We wouldn’t recommend streaming him, though.

Kwan has completely collapsed with the bat, so it’s time to find new and more interesting ways to reach base. Alas, catcher’s interference doesn’t help with his OBP. He’s still at a respectable .323 there, but he’s batting .213 and slugging .262. He tried a squeeze bunt tonight, but the pitcher got to it quickly and was able to tag the runner coming down base line. His current hard-hit rate is 8.5 percent. Of course, that’s never been a strength of his, but it’s still less than half of his career mark of 20.4%. To put it in perspective, the only player in the Statcast era to qualify for the batting title and finish with a sub-11 percent hard-hit rate was Billy Hamilton, who came in at 8.5 percent in 2018.