MLB Player News

Payton was non-tendered by the White Sox earlier this month and has elected to remain with the organization on a new deal as organizational outfield depth. The 30-year-old outfielder got into eight games last year for Chicago and also hit .293/.369/.539 with 25 homers and 15 steals in 539 plate appearances over 119 games for Triple-A Charlotte.

It’s a planned day off for Ohtani after he pitched seven innings against the Giants on Wednesday evening. Will Smith will serve as the team’s designated hitter and leadoff hitter in his absence on Thursday while Dalton Rushing starts behind the dish for the Dodgers.

Rengifo has eight hits in his last three games, pushing his average from .179 to .220. He’s in sort of a rotation with David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz for two lineup spots each day, but he’s still slightly outpacing them of late. He’s in there every time the Brewers face a lefty, and he’s started six of the last eight times they’ve faced righties. It was Ortiz who sat today, with Hamilton playing short.

Harrison walked none, but since he also didn’t manage any quick innings while giving up five hits, it took him 99 pitches to get his 15 outs. He allowed just two hard-hit balls. Harrison is now 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA. Between his tendency to run up his pitch count and the Brewers’ fondness for quick hooks, wins might yet be a problem going forward, even if they haven’t been so far. He’ll face the Cubs next.

Canning walked four in a row with one out in what ended up being a three-run first inning. Control wasn’t his issue in the second, but he gave up four hits and three runs before being replaced by Ron Maranaccio with two outs. After a successful debut against the White Sox on May 3, Canning has allowed 12 runs over six innings his last two times out. He was pretty unlucky in his previous start against the Cardinals, but he definitely made his own luck today. If he’s not better next week against the Dodgers, the Padres might have to try something different.

According to Statcast, this would have been a two-homer game in Houston or Philadelphia. In Milwaukee, though, it was two two-baggers and, unfortunately, no runs scored or batted in. Mitchell’s playing time could be in question with Christian Yelich back, but since Yelich has sat out the last two games, it hasn’t been an issue yet. That Mitchell is the Brewers’ best center fielder helps his case for at-bats over Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn.

Tatis is 7-for-41 with one extra-base hit in his last 11 games, dropping his OPS from .665 to .606. The bat speed is there and he’s still hitting the ball hard, but until he figures out how to pull the ball in the air on occasion, he’s just not going to be very productive. In 180 plate appearances this season, Tatis has hit 31 balls with over a 20-degree launch angle. Only one of those was pulled.

Matthews’ 2026 debut couldn’t have gone much better, as he struck out five and walked one in a breezy 83-pitch outing. That his velocity is still down about 1.5 mph from last year makes him quite a bit less intriguing as a fantasy option. Still, his new, intentionally slower curveball worked well today, generating a 46 percent CSW and one very weak groundout the 13 times he threw it. He should stick around and face the Astros next week.

Maybe some nerves here. Garrett actually walked one more batter today than he did in his seven starts and 37 innings before going down in 2024 and requiring Tommy John surgery. He was also unusually wild in Triple-A, walking 15 in 31 1/3 innings prior to his recall today. Still, he’ll get better and probably prove to be a solid enough starter for the Marlins. He’ll face the Braves next time out.

Martin will be the biggest beneficiary of Matt Wallner’s demotion, and he should have a chance to play nearly every day until the Twins decide Emmanuel Rodríguez or Walker Jenkins is ready (both are actually on the Triple-A IL at the moment) or wants to give Wallner another chance. Martin’s exit velocity numbers remain weak, but he’s batting .333 anyway, and his 18/22 K/BB in 130 plate appearances is exceptional. As a decent source of batting average, steals and, potentially, runs scored, he’s an option in deeper mixed leagues.

For once not living up to his name, Outman raised his OBP from .171 to .231 today. He had been without an RBI in 33 at-bats this season coming into the game. With Matt Wallner getting sent down, Outman should be in line for more at-bats against right-handers. He probably wouldn’t have made the team out of spring training if he hadn’t been out of options, and the Twins need to give him some sort of look in order to decide whether he’s worth keeping around.