MLB Player News

Bringing Stroman back without the benefit of a rehab assignment is looking like a bad call now. The Cubs will be faced with a tough decision on what to do with the All-Star if they advance to the postseason. However, that’s become a long shot at this point. Stroman’s regular season ends at 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA. After July 1, he gave up 36 runs — 32 earned — in 34 2/3 innings. Still, odds are that he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent this winter.

It sounds like McCann is going to miss at least a couple weeks after suffering a quad strain during Monday’s series opener against the Giants. It’s less of an issue for Arizona with Gabriel Moreno back from the injured list than it would’ve been earlier this year when he was sidelined.

The positive news here is that X-rays came back negative after Young was hit by a pitch in the ribs during Monday’s series opener. The 26-year-old center fielder is presumably day-to-day moving forward. It’ll be former top prospect Dylan Crews patrolling center field in his return to the majors on Tuesday night.

McLain is leading off for the second straight contest after going 1-for-4 with a stolen base during Monday’s series opener. The 26-year-old second baseman has shown some signs of life recently after an ice-cold stretch at the outset of the season. Cincinnati doesn’t have a clearly superior alternative, which means McLain is probably going to get an extended run as the club’s top-of-the-order option, which is a boost for his fantasy appeal.

Williamson hasn’t played since last Friday due to ongoing back tightness. It’s unclear whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but the Rays are going to carry him on the bench for now in the hopes that the issue clears up without an extended layoff. It’ll be Richie Palacios at second base on Tuesday night in his place.

Holliday will make his long-awaited return to Baltimore’s lineup after a lengthy recovery process from surgery to repair a hamate fracture back in spring training. The 22-year-old former top prospect also figures to see action at third base with Jordan Westburg out for the season following elbow surgery. It’s probably going to take a couple weeks for Holliday to knock off some rust following an extended layoff from big-league game action, but he’s certainly talented enough to be an extremely impactful fantasy contributor based on his raw talent alone.

Thielbar returns to Chicago’s late-inning relief mix after missing just over three weeks recovering from a left hamstring strain. The 39-year-old southpaw has recorded a pair of saves to accompany a pristine 3.12 ERA and 11/5 K/BB ratio across 8 2/3 innings of work this season. He’ll help bridge the gap to hard-throwing young closer Daniel Palencia for the Cubs.

Blach has been jettisoned from Chicago’s bullpen mix to make room for lefty high-leverage arm Caleb Thielbar to return from the injured list. The 35-year-old southpaw tossed three scoreless innings during his lone relief appearance for the Cubs after being called up last weekend.

Lee rejoins Toronto’s relief corps ahead of Tuesday’s showdown against the Yankees with veteran lefty Joe Mantiply hitting the shelf with knee inflammation. The 27-year-old made one relief appearance for the Blue Jays last month before being shipped back to the minors.

No word yet regarding how long Mantiply will be sidelined. The 35-year-old southpaw has pitched extremely well in his Toronto debut with a sparkling 2.04 ERA and 16/4 K/BB ratio across 17 2/3 innings.

Winn remains out of the lineup after making an early exit from Sunday’s game against the Royals with left knee discomfort. The 24-year-old hasn’t been sent to the injured list, which is an encouraging development. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be César Prieto handling shortstop in his absence.