MLB Player News

Espada re-signed with the Padres last month shortly after being non-tendered, but will head to Japan for 2024 rather than compete in spring training for a spot in San Diego’s bullpen. The 26-year-old righty made his big league debut back in September with the Padres.

There’s no word yet on why. Sal Frelick is now leading off, Jackson Chourio moves to center field, and Tyler Black is in the lineup in left field.

Updating a previous item, it seems that the plan for Woodruff to begin his throwing routine on Saturday is an optimistic one and will now depend on how his shoulder responds to the minor procedure. Brewers manager Pat Murphy believes that “Woodruff will only need a couple of bullpens before he rejoins the rotation,” but this all feels very precarious to us, given his injury history and the need for fluid to be drained.

With Carlos Correa (ankle) done for the season, Whitcomb will be elevated to the active roster and fill a role as a reserve infielder. The 27-year-old is hitting .269/.296/.538 four home runs and four steals in 13 Triple-A games.

This is now the second straight game that Giménez has sat against a left-handed pitcher. Ernie Clement will start at shortstop and Lenyn Sosa will play second base. It’s a bit concerning that Sosa, who also hits left-handed, is in the lineup while Giménez is not. Giménez has enjoyed a better season this year than last season, but he’s in a strong side platoon and lacks power, which limits him to deeper formats.

Imai has really struggled with command during his rehab assignment, and recently made comments that he thinks the pitch clock in MLB could be the reason for his issues throwing strikes. Whatever the case may be, the right-hander has not shown enough in his early MLB starts to warrant being used in fantasy leagues right now. If you have him on the IL in a deeper format and want to hold him on your bench through this start, we understand, but we would not be looking to put him into our starting lineup.

As of now, Schneider is not sure which hitter will be sent to the minors to make room for Barger. Considering both Myles Straw and Lenyn Sosa are out of minor league options, and Davis Schneider is a regular starter against left-handed pitching, it seems most logical that rookie Yohendrick Piñango will be the odd man out.

Woodruff met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday, and it appears that the in-person meeting went well since the veteran is set to resume throwing on Saturday. It also seems like the Brewers aren’t ruling out returning him to the rotation without needing a rehab assignment, considering he hasn’t been sidelined for too long. Given how drastic Woodruff’s velocity decrease was in his last start, we would still urge caution in expecting him to immediately be impactful as soon as he returns to the mound.

This is just a brutal blow for an Astros team, whose starting rotation has also been ransacked by injuries. Correa felt a pop while taking a swing during pregame batting practice on Tuesday and went down in pain. The recovery time for this injury is 6 to 8 months, so he should be able to return for the start of the 2027 season. In the meantime, Isaac Paredes will become a full-time player at third base for the Astros and should be picked up in any leagues where he is still on the waiver wires.

José Altuve is getting a day off today, and Carlos Correa is out with an ankle injury, so Matthews will take the top spot in the order. It’s a strong vote of confidence for the former top prospect, who is 9- for-47 over his last two weeks with two home runs and one steal. Matthews is unlikely to sport a high batting average, but he does have intriguing power and speed if he continues to play regularly in Houston.

David Hamilton will start at third base, with Joey Ortiz back in the lineup at shortstop. Despite playing regularly, Rengifo has struggled this season with the Brewers, and both he and Ortiz remain off fantasy radars.