MLB Player News

Giolito allowed four hits, but all four went for extra bases. The lone hit that didn’t fly over the fence was a run-scoring triple in the top of the third. He was removed from the game after allowing his third homer of the night and two walks in the top of the fourth inning. Giolito has mostly likely made his last start of the season, and what a rough one it was. The 29-year-old spent time on three different ballclubs and finished with a 4.77 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 200/69 K/BB ratio over 179 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old will be a free agent this winter.

Matt McLain, who is off to a brutal start hitting .183 (13-for-71) with three extra-base hits and three steals in 20 games, takes a seat with Stewart getting a look at second base for the second time this season. Nathaniel Lowe gets into the lineup at the cold corner. It’s far too early for Cincinnati to consider any significant changes, but McLain’s slow start opens the door for Stewart to see additional time at the keystone. That would be a significant development for his fantasy appeal if he gains eligibility at one of the thinnest positions in the game.

Finally. Rice will get a chance to face Royals left-hander Noah Cameron after spending the first couple of weeks on the bench against southpaws in favor of veteran Paul Goldschmidt. The 27-year-old burgeoning slugger launched his sixth round-tripper of the season during Friday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium and is hitting .339 (20-for-59) through 19 games this season. He’s 4-for-15 with one homer against lefties this year and is beginning to see more opportunities in those matchups, which would provide a meaningful boost to his fantasy value from a volume standpoint.

It’s a well-deserved break for Perez on Saturday afternoon in New York following 20 consecutive starts between catcher and DH to open the season. The 35-year-old has gotten off to a rocky start at the dish, hitting .160 with three homers and six RBI during that span. Carter Jensen will handle the catching duties with Isaac Collins (knee) back in the lineup at DH after a three-game absence.

Bieber still needs to progress to facing hitters in a live setting before he’s cleared for a rehab assignment. The 30-year-old righty was transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week in a procedural move that will keep him out until at least late May. At this point, it might be more realistic for fantasy managers to anticipate a return at some point in June since he’ll need several weeks of rehab starts.

Springer has resumed swinging a bat but will need to be able to run the bases before he’s cleared to return from the injured list. This latest development comes after Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters earlier this week that the veteran outfielder is feeling better and had already resumed hitting. The 36-year-old was one last year’s most impactful all-around fantasy contributors with a 32-homer, 18-steal campaign where he appeared in 140 games.

Ponce is expected to be a full-go at the outset of spring training. The 31-year-old starter suffered the knee injury while attempting to field a ground ball during his Blue Jays debut back in late March.

There was speculation Yesavage would make his season debut next week, but that’s not happening. The Blue Jays want to see him continue building up his pitch count and stamina for at least another turn in the upper minors before bringing him back to the big leagues. The 22-year-old top pitching prospect should make it back to Toronto’s rotation by the end of April. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats given his immense strikeout potential.

Berríos threw 47 pitches and allowed five runs over 2 1/3 innings on Thursday in his rehab debut. The 31-year-old lefty will continue building up his pitch count and stamina in the lower minors with an aim towards rejoining Toronto’s rotation at some point in early May.

It’s a procedural move after Estrada was found to have injured his shoulder during his time in the big leagues earlier this month. The 26-year-old was placed on the injured list at Triple-A Buffalo earlier this week before being transferred to the major-league one. He tossed four scoreless innings in relief in his lone appearance for Toronto earlier this month. No word yet on how much time he’ll miss.

Allard went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 28-year-old lefty allowed 10 runs on 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings during his latest stint with the Guardians.