MLB Player News

Flaherty was among the finalists for the Padres’ managerial vacancy, which ultimately went to former big league manager Mike Shildt. He’s been officially named to newly-minted Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s staff heading into 2024 after spending the last four years in San Diego. He’ll likely wind up managing somewhere in the future.

Freeman played the top of the first inning before being lifted from the contest. He’ll get some time off the rest and recover but should return to Colorado’s lineup in a couple days.

Stewart has been one of the most impactful all-around contributors in the entire fantasy landscape this season, hitting .289/.388/.639 with 17 runs scored, eight homers, 21 RBI and five steals across 23 games. There were some concerns about the 22-year-old rookie’s path to everyday at-bats during the offseason, but he’s done more than enough to answer those question marks with his early-season performance. His ability to consistently drive the ball without sacrificing anything from a plate skills perspective is extremely impressive to watch.

Mullins is off to an ice-cold start to his Rays debut, hitting .147/.198/.280 with two homers and three steals through 20 games. It’s worth noting that Tampa Bay has top prospect Jacob Melton waiting in the wings down at Triple-A Durham, which means Mullins is going to have to start producing sooner or later.

Hayes snapped an 0-for-33 stretch at the dish with an infield single that traveled exactly two feet, per Statcast. It was his first hit since April 5. The 29-year-old third baseman is a phenomenal defender but at some point he has to start producing something at the plate to justify being in the lineup.

There were some positives here as Scholtens finished with six strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass. He coughed up seven hits, including a gargantuan two-run homer to Sal Stewart, and didn’t get any support from Tampa Bay’s offense. The 32-year-old righty will close out a two-start week with a favorable matchup against the Twins on Sunday.

Acuña underwent imaging out of an abundance of caution after being drilled on the left hand during the sixth inning of Monday’s showdown against the Nationals. The 28-year-old fantasy superstar was hit by pitches twice during the contest and finished 0-for-1 with a run scored prior to exiting. It’s possible he’ll need some time off to rest and recover but the encouraging development here for Atlanta, and fantasy managers, is that Acuña appears to have avoided serious injury.

Walker switched up his facial hair and snapped an 0-for-15 slump by taking Guardians starter Slade Cecconi deep in the opening frame as part of a three-hit effort that left him a triple shy of the cycle. The 35-year-old has graded out as a top-12 fantasy option at first base early on, slashing .274/.367/.536 with 16 runs scored, five homers and 18 RBI through 24 games.

Ramírez continues to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball, reaching base safely in two of his five plate appearances in this one, after homering four times over his previous seven contests. The 33-year-old fantasy superstar has raised his batting average nearly 100 points, from .133 on April 7 to .230 in just 12 games.

Paredes took Guardians starter Slade Cecconi deep in the fourth inning for his first round-tripper of the season before tacking on an additional round-tripper in the ninth off journeyman reliever Connor Brogdon. He finished 3-for-5 in the one-sided slugfest. The 27-year-old corner infielder is still capable of jolting the occasional baseball, but he’s hitting just .221 through 19 games this season and is a complete afterthought in shallow mixed leagues.