MLB Player News

It’s the second straight game that the 26-year-old slugger will miss due to a stomach bug. Nicky Lopez will start in his place at the hot corner and bat ninth for the Braves against Mitch Keller and the Pirates on Friday evening in Atlanta. Braves’ manager Brian Snitker did note that Riley would be available off the bench on Friday — and that he planned to use him.

Joe had been filling the weak-side platoon role Victor Robles occupied to open the year. Robles (pec) had been sidelined since early April and was activated from the IL as a corresponding move.

Connor Joe was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma as a corresponding move. Robles has been sidelined since early April with a strained pec. He began the year in a weak-side platoon role with Luke Raley in right field. Joe had been filling that role lately, so expect Robles to slide right back into it. Seattle visits the Royals for a three-game set beginning Friday, with left-hander Noah Cameron set to toe the rubber for KC.

Michael Conforto will draw another start as the team’s designated hitter and bat sixth. Ballesteros had a stretch through early May where he was starting regularly against righties, often hitting second. He’s been in the lineup for just two of the past six they’ve faced, however. The decreased playing time comes as he’s hitting .034/.065/.034 over his past 31 plate appearances. Conforto, meanwhile, has posted some of the best expected stats in MLB this season.

Back tightness can be a tricky thing for hitters, given all the torque in swinging. While there’s no timeline yet for Shaw’s return, it is likely going to be a few weeks. This will give top prospect Pedro Ramirez a chance to establish himself as a worthwhile player to have on the active roster.

The Cubs have not officially announced a move yet, but this is a pretty good indicator that Ramirez is up with the team this weekend. The switch-hitter is slashing.312/.395/.547 with nine home runs, 19 steals, and 40 RBI in 43 games at Triple-A this season. He has spent most of the season playing second base and third base, but has been playing some left field of late. Until we know what the corresponding roster move is, it’s hard to know for sure how much Ramirez will play, but his talent is certainly intriguing.

That’s not ideal for anybody with Lovelady on their team. Now that Clayton Beeter is back, the nationals may no longer be looking at Lovelady as a late inning option. He’ll face a really dangerous top of the Atlanta order on Friday, so we would remove him from your lineups if you can.

Gonzalez will get the call with Tristan Gray going on maternity list. He will serve as a backup outfielder for the weekend and then likely head back to the minors.

Congratulations to Tristan and his growing family. The infielder will miss up to three days, and likely return at the start of next week.

There were previous reports that Anthony was dealing with a torn ligament, which is not the case. However, we now know that it’s not a wrist issue the 22-year-old is battling. He will need to wait for the inflammation in his finger to subside before he picks up a bat again. The good news is that this isn’t a major issue and shouldn’t impact his performance when he returns. The bad news is that the Red Sox are unlikely to rush the former top prospect in baseball, so it’s unclear when Anthony will return. We’d still assume sometime in early June.

Arroyo is now up to 10 home runs and 33 RBI on the season to go along with a .348/.408/.604 slash line and eight steals. He seems ready for his shot at the big leagues. The only issue is that Eugenio Suarez (oblique) is also at Triple-A on a rehab assignment, and Arroyo has stopped playing third base. That could cloud his possible chance at a spot on the big league roster.