MLB Player News

The 25-year-old right-hander struck out four batters on the evening. The only scoring threat against him came in the opening inning, as the Astros issued an intentional walk to Kyle Tucker with one out to load the bases. Kirby then got Jose Abreu to ground into a fielder’s choice to force Jose Altuve at home before retiring Yainer Diaz on a ground ball to shortstop to end the threat. He was brilliant the rest of the night. Kirby generated 10 swings and misses on 84 pitches on the night — five each on his slider and fastball — while posting a CSW of 24 percent. Kirby now holds a 12-10 record, 3.46 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a 165/19 K/BB ratio over 184 2/3 innings in 30 starts on the season. He’s lined up to take on the Rangers on the final day of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.

Los Angeles has decided to pull the plug on the Candelario reclamation project after he hit .111 (2-for-18) with eight strikeouts in seven games this season. It’s a bit of a small sample, but the 32-year-old veteran was going to have to make the most of his limited chances if he wanted to stick around.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Scherzer is ready to take the ball and won’t have any restrictions from a workload standpoint following an abbreviated 36-pitch outing against the Dodgers earlier this week due to forearm tendinitis. It’s tough for fantasy managers to completely trust the 41-year-old veteran’s health at this advanced stage of his career, but it’s a tasty matchup, which makes him worth streaming, even in shallow leagues.

It’s become standard operating procedure for a hitter to take a seat following their return from a stint on the injured list. Suzuki went 1-for-3 with a walk on Friday after missing the first couple weeks of the season recovering from a knee sprain. Michael Conforto will patrol right field on Saturday afternoon.

Vargas will get a chance to reset mentally with an off day after hitting .174 (4-for-23) over his last seven games. It’ll be Tanner Murray getting a shot at the hot corner in his place.

Polanco has been playing through recurring Achilles tendinitis, so it’s a positive sign to see him back in the lineup at DH after Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters he could potentially require a trip to the injured list to put the issue to bed. The 32-year-old infielder is off to a frosty start in his Mets debut, hitting .200 (8-for-40) with one RBI through 10 games. It’s highly likely his recent on-field production is being greatly impacted by the lingering issue.

Conine suffered a hamstring tear while trying to make a diving play earlier this week and will be sidelined until at least late May or early June. The 28-year-old corner outfielder’s absence should be filled by Kyle Stowers (hamstring) once he wraps up his minor league rehab assignment. He was off to a strong start, hitting .273/.360/.591 with two homers, four RBI and two steals through 11 games. It’s a tough break after he suffered a significant shoulder injury last April that kept him on the shelf for five months.

Loutos winds up returning to Seattle as Triple-A relief depth after being jettisoned from the club’s 40-man roster earlier this month. The 27-year-old righty made 12 appearances between the Dodgers and Nationals last year.

McLain takes a seat after an ice-cold 14-game stretch to open the season where he’s batted .218 (12-for-55) with zero homers, three RBI and two steals. The 26-year-old was the talk of spring training when he blasted seven homers in 18 games and looked like he was on the verge of putting everything together. Emerging star rookie Sal Stewart is at second base and batting cleanup in his place with Spencer Steer bumped up to the second spot in the order.

Knehr made 18 relief appearances at the Triple-A level in the Padres system last year. The 29-year-old former starter bolsters Milwaukee’s depth at Triple-A Nashville. He last appeared in the majors back in 2023 before suffering an elbow injury.

Lucchesi spent a couple days on the open market before ultimately deciding to return to Los Angeles on a minor league deal. The 32-year-old lefty made three appearances for the Angels at the outset of the season shortly after being cut loose by the Giants. He’s merely emergency organizational relief depth at this stage of his career.