MLB Player News

Kelly made his first minor league rehab appearance since undergoing right elbow surgery back in early May. The 28-year-old right-hander appeared to suffer a potentially season-ending injury during a mid-April relief appearance, but it sounds like there’s a chance he could make it back to the majors before the 2023 campaign wraps up.

After being a well below-average starting pitcher, Senzatela moved to the bullpen this year and has been lights out, posting a 1.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 26/10 K/BB ratio in 34 2/3 innings. Now, the lack of strikeouts remains a bit of a concern, but Senzatela has proven he can provide valuable length out of the bullpen and will be a free agent at the end of the season, so the Rockies will almost assuredly move him to a contender looking to shore up their bullpen.

Cowser has sat in each of the last two games and in four of the last six because the Orioles have been facing so many left-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old has started to turn things around, hitting .310/.383/.619 over his last 20 games with four home runs, 13 RBI, and one steal. That comes with a 12/5 K/BB ratio but just a 16.7 percent hard-hit rate. Given the hot streaks we’ve seen him go on, now is the time to pick him up with the Orioles set to face 10 straight right-handed pitchers.

The Braves had to add Keirsey Jr. to the 40-man roster today or risk losing him, so they moved Sean Murphy to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot. Keirsey Jr. has hit .260/.298/.384 in 49 games at Triple-A with four home runs and 16 steals.

Tromp had gone 5-for-25 for the Braves while helping fill in with Drake Baldwin on the injured list. He will likely clear waivers and could re-sign with Atlanta on a minor league deal.

Wynns had been released by the Athletics in the middle of May and then signed a minor league contract with the Angels. He will now head to the Braves, where he will join the active roster, presumably until Drake Baldwin returns in a few weeks. The 35-year-old had gone 3-for-39 with the Athletics earlier in the year.

The Guardians are facing left-hander Carlos Rodon, but DeLauter has started the last two games against lefties. Of course, that was with Steven Kwan on the bereavement list, so with Kwan back, DeLauter shifts to the bench so that Stuart Fairchild can play center field with Kwan in left field.

For the third straight game, Aaron Judge (ribs) is not in the Yankees lineup. However, as of now, he is also not on the injured list. The team has sent him for additional meetings with a specialist since the bone bruise on his ribcage is in such a unique spot. The Yankees will face Boston on Friday, so no off days are coming, which means the team will likely need to decide on whether or not to put Judge on the injured list before the weekend series starts. For Thursday, Jose Caballero will play shortstop with Anthony Volpe on the bench, and Max Schuemann will play right field and bat ninth.

With Nick Castellanos no longer in San Diego, the Padres have been using Gavin Sheets in left field more often, which has freed up first base for Ty France. Since May 1st, France is hitting .292/.313/.508 in 68 plate appearances with three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 48 percent hard-hit rate. That has also come with a 22/2 K/BB ratio, so it’s not all great news, but he is worth a look in deeper formats if he’s going to be a regular in the lineup.

Today was the deadline for the Red Sox to call up Kahne or risk him using his opt-out clause, which he had told the team he would do. Since the Red Sox have only three pitchers in their bullpen with minor league options (Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, and left-hander Tyler Samaniego), there was some question about how they would fit Kahnle onto the roster. Plus, adding him to the 40-man roster would also necessitate releasing somebody or putting Trevor Story on the 60-day injured list. At the end of the day, it seems that the Red Sox decided to call up the 36-year-old, who has a 1.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 21/11 K/BB ratio over 19 1/3 innings at Triple-A.

Massey is now hitting .323/.338/.581 with four home runs in his last 23 games. This year, Massey’s bat speed is up two mph, his average exit velocity (91.2 mph) is 2.4 mph above his career average, and his 10 percent barrel rate is almost three percent higher than his career mark. He’s done that by being a bit less patient and positioning the sweet spot of his bat more towards center field as it travels through the zone, rather than being as pull-side focused. That has allowed him to drive the ball into the gaps, but with exit velocities that can still carry it out of the park when he gets out in front of one. He’s worth adding in deeper formats, given his everyday role, and is also worth a look in 12-team leagues while he’s hitting like this.