MLB Player News

Crick will compete this spring in the Grapefruit League for a spot in the Rays’ season-opening bullpen. The 30-year-old righty reliever made 14 relief appearances last season for the White Sox before suffering a season-ending right elbow injury. It’s unclear whether he’s fully healthy entering spring training, but he’ll get a chance to make Tampa Bay’s roster and represents an interesting gamble for a club that has had a ton of success with reliever imports.

Winder hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring. The 29-year-old boasts a serviceable 4.39 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 85/33 K/BB ratio across 110 2/3 innings in the majors since 2022. He’s a low-risky lottery ticket for Philadelphia.

Rainey went unclaimed on waivers after being jettisoned from Detroit’s relief mix earlier this week. The 33-year-old former high-leverage arm allowed three runs over seven innings with the Tigers. He’s made 217 appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2018.

Anderson will presumably stick around as organizational depth after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 31-year-old journeyman posted a bloated 7.65 ERA across 20 innings for the Angels earlier this season.

Woods Richardson represents a zero risk depth addition for Seattle as they try to remain in contention for a Wild Card playoff spot in the final month. The 25-year-old has posted a calamitous 6.68 ERA across 66 innings between the Blue Jays and Twins this season.

This game was started by Taylor Clarke, who recorded the first five outs before six relievers combined to finish the shutout. The save was the third of the year for Morillo, who now has each of the past two for Arizona. Since Paul Sewald recorded his final save for the team, Morillo and Kevin Ginkel each have two, while Brandyn Garcia has three. In other words, this is a closer-by-committee that hasn’t even factored in Justin Martinez. It’s a situation to keep an eye on in case anyone consolidates ninth-inning chances down the stretch.

Painter allowed just two hits and didn’t walk anyone in the 93-pitch gem. He has been a different pitcher since returning from the minor leagues at the end of July, allowing two runs or fewer in five of seven outings. The 23-year-old rookie had a 1.66 WHIP before he was optioned to Triple-A, but that mark is now below 1 since he was recalled. He’ll look to keep it rolling at home against the Astros next time out.

The Phillies have several players who have added new positional eligibilities since the trade deadline, led by Bryce Harper in the outfield and Bryson Stott at third base. One of the sneakier additions has been Schwarber at first base, a position where he maxed out with nine starts back in 2021. While most fantasy leagues require more than a five-game minimum, in-season or for the following season, it’s a helpful eligibility add in the ones where he’ll qualify.

Bolte belted a two-run homer off Cody Bradford in the third, and Zack Gelof made it back-to-back with a round-tripper of his own. Then in the fourth, Bolte connected for another two-run homer that even he thought was foul off the bat, but it stayed just inside the right-field pole. It was his first career multi-homer game, and he picked up his 15th steal of the season. He’s been caught eight times, so the efficiency hasn’t been great, but the roto-friendly skill set was on full display this afternoon. Bolte has hit leadoff in every game for the A’s dating back to August 18.

Lopez allowed six hits and two walks in the 102-pitch performance, continuing a tremendous second-half run. He was optioned to the minors earlier this season after a rough couple of months, but he’s been fantastic since returning. The southpaw now has a 2.38 ERA with 60 strikeouts over his past 49 2/3 innings, spanning nine starts. He’ll look to keep it going at home against the Blue Jays next time out.

All five runs came via the long ball. This was Bradford’s sixth start since returning from internal brace surgery a little over a month ago. It was also the most runs he’s given up in an outing this year. Through 30 1/3 innings he has only struck out 17, severely limiting his fantasy upside. He’ll look to rebound on the road against the Mariners next time out.