MLB Player News

Freeman celebrated his 34th birthday with a towering two-run homer to left field off Padres starter Michael Wacha in the third inning, which became the cherry on top of a stellar four-hit performance. Not only is he in the mix for a batting title, but he’s also up to 55 doubles on the season, which puts him within striking distance of becoming the first hitter to eclipse 60 doubles since the 1930s. Unreal.

No surprise here as the Mariners are probably going to be cautious with his workload after Donovan returned from the injured list for Friday’s series opener. The 29-year-old infielder went 1-for-5 before being lifted for a defensive replacement in the eighth inning. It’ll be Leo Rivas taking over at the hot corner in this one.

Miller has resumed taking swings after recurring back soreness prevented him taking part in baseball activities since late February. The 21-year-old top prospect remains without a return timeline and is far off from getting back into minor league game action. However, this latest development qualifies as a step in the right direction. The big concern is whether Miller will require surgery if he’s still experiencing back soreness when he begins ramping up his level of activity.

Burger has been ice-cold of late, hitting .140 (8-for-57) with one long ball and four RBI over his last 15 games. He’s left the yard only twice since a two-homer outburst back on April 13. It’ll be rookie Justin Foscue getting a look at the cold corner with righty Edward Cabrera toeing the rubber for Chicago on Saturday evening.

Perkins returns to the majors to fill a spot on Milwaukee’s bench after Brandon Lockridge suffered a serious knee injury during Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. The 29-year-old was shipped to the minors when Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn came back from the injured list earlier this week.

Brewers skipper Pat Murphy told reporters that Lockridge is “going to be out a while” after suffering a scary-looking knee injury during Friday’s game against the Yankees. The 29-year-old was carted off the field after sliding into the left-field wall while chasing a foul ball. X-rays came back negative, but Lockridge has been diagnosed with a deep laceration down to the bone in his knee. It’ll be Blake Perkins coming up from the minors to take his spot on Milwaukee’s bench.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that Peña could begin a minor league rehab assignment in the next couple days. The 28-year-old shortstop has been out recovering from a hamstring strain since April 13. He figures to make it back to Houston’s lineup at some point in the next week or two.

Waldschmidt appears poised for an everyday role with Arizona after the club moved on from Alek Thomas prior to Friday’s series opener. The 23-year-old top prospect came off the bench to record his first career hit, smashing a 95.9-mph single to left field in the eighth inning. He’ll likely strike out more than fantasy managers would like early on, but the power/speed upside makes him worth a speculative add in all formats. Simply put, Waldschmidt brings an appealing mix of fantasy-relevant tools and now finds himself in a favorable situation with a clear path to regular at-bats. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues.

Marte is back at second base and hitting leadoff after being scratched from Friday’s lineup due to illness. The 32-year-old fantasy standout has gotten off to an ice-cold start at the dish this season, slashing .209/.262/.353 with five homers and 13 RBI through 35 games. He’s far too talented and has too much of a track record of elite production to continue scuffling without any sort of logical explanation.

The general assumption is that Verlander will need at least one minor league rehab outing before returning to Detroit’s rotation since he’s been on the shelf with hip inflammation since early April. There should be a definitive update on his potential return timeline at some point later this weekend or early next week.

Barnes provides Los Angeles with some additional left-handed relief depth after being jettisoned from Chicago’s roster earlier this week. The 30-year-old southpaw made one relief appearance for the Cubs last month.