MLB Player News

Smith got off to a strong start this season with the Twins, but faded recently and was designated for assignment earlier this week. The 38-year-old veteran right-hander finishes his Minnesota tenure with a pedestrian 4.61 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and 17/9 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings. There should be some interest on the open market.

Paredes delivered the biggest hit of the afternoon in the eighth inning, smacking a two-out, two-run double that broke a 6-6 tie and put the Astros ahead to stay. He’s off to a slow start overall on the 2026 season, hitting just .188 (3-for-16), though he does have four RBI.

Walker drew a one-out walk in the second inning and then came around to score on a two-run knock off the bat of Christian Vazquez. The 35-year-old first baseman smacked a two-run double in the fifth inning that tied the score at 6-6. He’s off to a nice start to the 2026 season, hitting .308 (4-for-13) with a pair of runs scored and three RBI.

After giving up three runs in a non-save situation on Saturday, Abreu came on with a two-run lead to protect on Sunday afternoon. He issued a leadoff walk to Adam Frazier before getting Zach Neto on a deep fly ball to left. He then walked Mike Trout to put the tying runs on base. That’s when manager Joe Espada pulled the plug and turned to left-hander Bryan King. It could just be a blip in the radar, but perhaps Abreu isn’t as secure in the ninth inning role as everyone assumed with Josh Hader sidelined.

Imai struggled with his command in this one, issuing four free passes while striking out four opposing hitters. He kept the Angels off the board through his first two frames, but they broke through in the third on a three-run double by Jorge Soler and an RBI single by Jo Adell. Imai got seven swings and misses on 74 offerings in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 31 percent. He’ll look to shake this one off and show the world what he can do when he takes on the Athletics in Sacramento on Saturday.

Neto worked Tatsuya Imai for a one-out walk in the third inning and raced around to score on Jorge Soler’s three-run double. He then tagged Roddery Munoz for a 365-foot (95.4 mph EV) two-run shot in the fourth that gave the Angels a 6-4 advantage. He’s off to a productive start to the 2026 season, hitting .200 (2-for-10) with a pair of homers, six runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base.

Kochanowicz also issued five free passes on the day while punching out three. The Astros got to him early and often in this one, pushing four runs across (three earned) in the second inning. Kochanowicz then allowed a double and a walk to start the fifth inning before giving the ball to the bullpen — and both of those runs scored as well. The 25-year-old hurler got 11 swings and misses on 94 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 32 percent. He remains an unappealing option for fantasy purposes for Saturday’s matchup against the Mariners.

Suárez’s homer off Greg Weissert in the sixth was projected at 431 feet. Two innings earlier, he had a 403-foot flyout that Statcast said would have been a homer in seven ballparks. Suárez is going to struggle to hit for average, and he’s already lost some fantasy value by getting dropped from fourth to fifth in the Reds lineup, but there still aren’t many better bets in terms of homers and RBI, especially if Matt McLain and Sal Stewart continue to hit like this.

Lowder gave up just a two-run homer to Wilyer Abreu before exiting with the Reds trailing 2-0. He finished with five strikeouts and a 31% CSW, and he peaked at the end of the outing, throwing his hardest pitch of the afternoon (95.4 mph) while striking out Trevor Story to end the fifth. Lowder probably isn’t quite a mixed-league option at this point, but he figures to be pretty solid in the middle of the Cincinnati rotation. He’ll get the Rangers next weekend.

A day after blowing a one-run lead, Pagán held on to this one. He allowed a double to Andruw Monasterio with one out, but he got flyouts from Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story (with a Roman Anthony intentional walk mixed in) to end the game from there. With Pagán and Tony Santillan both working the last two days, the Reds may have to go to Graham Ashcraft or Pierce Johnson if they have a late lead Monday versus the Pirates. It’d be a third straight day for Johnson, but he’s only thrown 20 pitches the last two, compared to 34 for Pagán and 52 for Santillan.

It was a surprise to see Early, who had thrown five scoreless innings, brought out for the sixth at 88 pitches in 2 -0 game, but the Red Sox felt short-handed in the pen after Saturday’s extra-inning game. Early gave up a single to Matt McLain and then struck out Elly De La Cruz before being lifted. Greg Weissert came in and walked Sal Stewart and then gave up three-run homer to Eugenio Suárez, denying Early a chance at a win. Early ended up allowing five hits, walking two and striking out six. He’s not a bad option in mixed leagues with a home start against the Padres coming up next.