MLB Player News

The 31-year-old hasn’t played in the big leagues since the 2019 season. He had been playing with the Melbourne Aces in the Australian Baseball League, where he was slashing .277/.348/.539 with 11 homers and 40 RBI in 161 plate appearances. Perhaps this could be the stepping-stone that Bird needs to return to affiliated baseball stateside.

Sousa’s return should provide an immediate lift for Houston’s bullpen, which has been an unmitigated disaster with a bloated 5.94 ERA this season, which is the second-worst in the entire majors. The 31-year-old lefty missed the first month of the season recovering from an oblique strain after posting a sparking 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 59/15 K/BB ratio across 50 2/3 innings last year. There’s a chance he gets a look in upcoming save situations until closer Josh Hader is back from the injured list, which gives him sneaky appeal in deeper fantasy leagues.

Gordon returns to the minors to make room for lefty setup specialist Bennett Sousa after allowing 12 runs on 21 hits, including a staggering six home runs, despite an 11/3 K/BB ratio over 9 1/3 innings over four appearances this season. The 27-year-old swingman will be back at some point down the line when the Astros need someone to gobble up low-leverage innings.

Wheeler takes the ball for his season debut against the division-rival Braves on Saturday night as the Phillies attempt to snap a dismal 10-game losing streak. No pressure. The 35-year-old former ace’s fastball velocity simply wasn’t back to pre-surgery levels during a handful of recent minor league rehab starts which makes this a wait-and-see situation for fantasy managers, despite his lengthy track record of success.

McFarlane’s stint with the Phillies lasted roughly 24 hours and didn’t include his big-league debut. The 24-year-old will head back to the Double-A where he’s compiled a sparkling 1.42 ERA with a 10/4 K/BB ratio over 6 1/3 innings this season. He’ll be back at some point later this year.

Bleday figures to get some opportunities at DH while veteran Eugenio Suárez is on the shelf with a mild oblique strain. The 28-year-old has little to prove at the Triple-A level where he’s .341/.462/.659 with six homers in 24 games this season. It would be a little unfair to label him a Quad-A player but he’s slashed just .215/.306/.394 with 49 round-trippers in 404 games at the highest level between two different stops since 2022.

It’s officially a mild oblique strain, according to a team statement, which gives Suárez a real shot at returning to Cincinnati’s lineup when first eligible in early May. However, oblique issues can be tricky, and tend to be recurring problems, if not handled carefully. The 34-year-old power-hitting corner infielder has gotten off to a slow start by his lofty standards, hitting .231/.300/.363 with three homers and 11 RBI through 25 games this season.

Franco returns for his second stint with the Reds after posting a respectable 3.18 ERA across 5 2/3 innings over three appearances earlier this season. The 25-year-old rookie figures to pitch in middle relief.

Nicolas heads back from the minors after allowing seven runs on eight hits with a 7/13 K/BB ratio across 7 1/3 innings over seven appearances. The 27-year-old righty, who came over from the Pirates in a trade back in early March, will attempt to iron out his control issues back at Triple-A.

Vargas makes his fifth consecutive start at first base for Arizona as his surreal opening month continues. The 34-year-old utility specialist recorded a two-homer performance on Wednesday against the White Sox and has gone deep five times in 18 games. He’ll have a strong chance to add to that total with this game being played at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, where the park’s extreme elevation has helped the ball carry in recent years.

It’s a bizarre-looking lineup from manager Skip Schumaker with Ramírez entering the leadoff spot while Jakob Marsee draws out of the lineup for the first time this season. Esteury Ruiz is making his first start of the year in center field. The 24-year-old power/speed combo backstop is off to a frosty start at the dish, hitting .226/.298/.366 with two homers, 12 RBI and one steal through 25 games.