MLB Player News

Rooker’s career-high 28th round-tripper of the season came off Tigers rookie reliever Brenan Hanifee with two outs in the ninth inning of Thursday’s one-sided defeat in Oakland. The Athletics have dropped eight consecutive contests since September 13.

Slusser adds that Matos will not make San Francisco’s season-opening roster and needs to pass through waivers since he is out of minor-league options. It’ll be Jared Oliva securing a spot on the Giants’ season-opening roster in his place. It’s possible he’ll go unclaimed on waivers and remain with the organization as extra depth.

Williams takes over as Tampa Bay’s starting shortstop with Taylor Walls (oblique) hitting the injured list. The 22-year-old top prospect is an excellent defender and boasts enough power/speed combo potential to be intriguing fantasy-wise. Strikeouts remain the biggest obstacle to sustained relevance for Williams as he struck out a staggering 41.5 percent of the time in 32 games as a rookie last year. He’s unlikely to solve the contact issues that have followed him throughout his rise to the majors, but even a small step forward would make a difference.

Boyle will get a shot in Tampa Bay’s season-opening rotation with Ryan Pepiot (hip) unexpectedly requiring a trip to the injured list. The 26-year-old’s omnipresent control issues led to an inflated 4.67 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 58/28 K/BB ratio across 52 innings for the Rays last year. He misses enough bats to be interesting for fantasy purposes but he’s far too risky to trust in shallow mixed leagues right away. He’ll take the ball on Saturday against the Cardinals to open the year.

Palacios makes Tampa Bay’s season-opening roster with Gavin Lux (shoulder) opening up on the injured list. The 28-year-old’s versatility makes him an impactful bench player for the Rays but he doesn’t offer any fantasy appeal.

Bigge loses his spot on Tampa Bay’s roster with the club needing to bring back a couple players from the minors in advance of Thursday’s season opener against the Cardinals.

Walls isn’t expected back for at least 3-4 weeks, which provides top prospect Carson Williams with a couple weeks worth of at-bats to prove he should stick at the highest level. Walls is a strong defender at shortstop but hasn’t shown enough from an offensive standpoint to be considered a long-term solution at the spot.

Lux will open the regular season on the shelf after a late-spring shoulder issue kept him from getting enough game action to be ready for Opening Day. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Durham for a brief rehab assignment before making his Rays debut at some point in April.

The move is now official. Pepiot’s unexpected season-opening trip to the injured list creates an opportunity for effectively wild poster candidate Joe Boyle to enter Tampa Bay’s rotation. The 28-year-old righty isn’t expected to require an extended absence, but fantasy managers should anticipate him missing at least a few weeks given the nature of the injury. It’s unlikely the Rays will rush him back and risk any setbacks.

This always seemed like the most likely outcome after Lodolo didn’t seem to be brimming with optimism after playing catch on Tuesday at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The 28-year-old southpaw won’t require a lengthy absence at the outset of the regular season but he’ll need at least a handful of minor league rehab outings to build up his pitch count and stamina. Top pitching prospect Rhett Lowder, who will start on Sunday against the Red Sox to open the season, seems like the clearest beneficiary from Lodolo’s departure from Cincinnati’s rotation mix since he’ll have a much clearer path to consistent innings, which gives him some fantasy appeal as a streaming option in shallow mixed leagues.

Passan adds that the long-term contract agreement, which ostensibly buys out Crow-Armstrong’s four remaining arbitration-eligible seasons and two additional free agent years, could be worth up to $133 million through performance-based escalators. The 23-year-old center fielder blossomed into a legitimate fantasy star last season, cobbling together a magnificent 31-homer, 35-steal breakthrough campaign. He’ll be at the epicenter of Chicago’s long-term roster build and projects as a perennial early-round selection in fantasy drafts as he approaches his physical prime.