MLB Player News

Thompson allowed three runs (including a two-run homer to Jake Meyers) without recording an out Wednesday against the Astros, giving him a rough 4.22 ERA and 16/14 K/BB ratio over 21 1/3 innings this season. He’ll try to get back on track in the minors.

Ballesteros makes his second start of the season behind the plate after being limited to DH almost exclusively. The 22-year-old former top prosepct figures to see enough time behind the dish to retain catcher eligibility for fantasy purposes for at least a couple more years.

O’Hoppe hit the injured list with a fracture in his left wrist over the weekend. The 26-year-old backstop suffered the injury when he was hit by a foul tip during Saturday’s game against the Royals. It’ll be a combination of veteran Travis d’Arnaud and Sebastian Rivero handling the catching duties in his absence.

Tatis makes his fourth appearance of the season at the keystone as he creeps closer towards gaining eligibility at one of the weakest position groups in the fantasy landscape. It’s his second straight start at second base. The 27-year-old fantasy standout has been on a roll lately, hitting .296 (16-for-54) with eight RBI and three steals over his last 15 games following a frosty start to the year at the dish.

All indications are that Ohtani is healthy, with Roberts noting there are several factors at play, including that he won’t be pitching on his usual six days of rest. He also pointed out that the Dodgers close out the series with an early-afternoon game on Wednesday, meaning the added workload on the mound would likely take him out of the lineup for the finale. The 31-year-old two-way superstar was limited to pitching exclusively earlier this month against the Mets over minor concerns about his throwing shoulder. Fantasy managers should anticipate Los Angeles continuing to approach his workload with caution, especially this early in the season.

Cruz is being treated by the Pirates medical staff, according to a team statement. The 27-year-old fantasy standout is presumably day-to-day. He’s gotten off to an excellent start, most notably making gains against left-handed pitching, hitting .259/.320/.518 with 19 runs scored, eight homers, 24 RBI and 10 steals in 27 games. Jake Mangum is patrolling center field in his absence with Spencer Horwitz taking over the leadoff spot.

Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters all signs have been positive after Abel hit the injured list with elbow inflammation last week. All indications are that the issue is believed to be minor and the fact that he’s resumed throwing already is extremely encouraging. It won’t be a minimum stay on the injured list, but fantasy manager should anticipate Abel making it back to Minnesota’s rotation mix at some point in the next couple weeks.

Cole built up his pitch count to 52 in his previous rehab outing for High-A Hudson Valley last Thursday as he continues to progress towards a mid-to-late May return to New York’s rotation. There won’t be any public Statcast data from this next rehab outing, but there should be some reporting on his velocity and how he sustains it deeper into the contest.

There was a chance that Rodón would be summoned to make his season debut later this week after throwing 65 pitches in his previous rehab start last Friday. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw, who is coming back from offseason elbow surgery, will get at least one additional tune-up outing to continue building up his pitch count and stamina before making his season debut in early May.

No word on the reason for the move yet. Spencer Horwitz moves up to the leadoff spot with Jake Mangum taking over in center field.

Smith is back handling the catching duties and hitting third on Monday night at Dodger Stadium following a two-game absence due to back tightness. The 31-year-old backstop is off to a nice start at the dish this season, slashing .266/.337/.392 with three homers and 14 RBI across 24 games. Dalton Rushing retreats to the bench after starting three of the last four contests behind the plate.