MLB Player News

Lee will get some extra time back in the minors with veterans Martín Maldonado and Max Stassi handling the catching duties for Chicago to open the season. Barlow and Knebel were dark horses to make the club’s season-opening bullpen as non-roster invitees. They’ll likely wind up opting out of their minor league contracts in the coming days.

The home run was Ozuna’s 17th of the season. Only Aaron Judge, Kyle Tucker and Gunnar Henderson have more. Only Jose Ramirez has more than Ozuna’s 53 RBI this year. The 33-year-old designated hitter is having the best season of his career at the plate.

The home run was Rooker’s 12th of the season and he’s now up to 39 RBI. His 166 wRC+ is among the top 10 hitters in all of baseball this year. Rooker is one of the few Athletics that carries fantasy value and he’s showing that last year’s 30 home run season wasn’t a fluke.

Andujar’s three-run home run off Chris Sale in the second inning put the Athletics up 6-2. He’s now 13-for-29 (.448) with two home runs and 12 RBI in seven games this year. Andujar is yet to take a walk and has a career walk percentage of only four percent. He also doesn’t strike out very often with a career strikeout percentage of 16 percent. If Andujar can keep up the power he’s shown at the plate he might actually have some staying power this time around.

With the bases loaded in the third inning, Walker took Sean Manaea deep for a grand slam to drive in the first runs of the game. The 33-year-old slugger is up to 12 homers with 38 runs scored and 38 RBI while slashing .262/.360/.471 across 250 plate appearances.

Brooks allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out one. While two of his previous three starts were quality starts, he’s now allowed at least five runs in consecutive starts. Brooks has also allowed at least seven hits in three of his four starts this year. His ERA is now 5.82 on the season. The 34-year-old right-hander is not recommended for his next start against the Blue Jays at home next weekend.

Alonso cut into the D-backs’ lead with a two-run homer in the ninth inning, before the Mets ultimately fell short of the comeback. The 29-year-old slugger is up to 13 homers with 29 RBI while slashing.239/.315/.477 across 248 plate appearances.

Vientos crossed home plate for two of the Mets’ five runs on Saturday, starting with a solo blast off Slade Cecconi to lead off the fifth inning. He led off the ninth with an infield hit and scored on a groundout. The 24-year-old third baseman is slashing .340/.386/.642 with four homers and nine RBI across 57 plate appearances.

Cecconi was excellent against the Mets on Saturday, scattering three hits over four scoreless frames before Mark Vientos took him deep for a solo homer to lead off the fifth. Cecconi put one more runner on with a single and recorded two outs before he was pulled at 71 pitches, leaving him with a no-decision. The 24-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 5.59 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 26/8 K/BB ratio across 37 innings. He’s set to take on the Padres in San Diego on Thursday should he remain in the rotation.

After two scoreless frames, Manaea loaded the bases with a base hit and two walks in the third. Christian Walker would clear them all with a grand slam to put the Diamondbacks ahead. A double and a base hit in the sixth would drive in a run and knock Manaea from the game with two outs at 105 pitches. He struck out a season-high ten batters. The 32-year-old left-hander will take a 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 57/24 K/BB ratio across 57 innings into a start against the Phillies in New York next Saturday.

Sale allowed nine hits, walked one and struck out four. He was due for a bad start after a dominant stretch where he won his last seven consecutive starts. He had his worst outing of the year against the Athletics. It’s the only time Sale was unable to complete five innings in 11 tries this year. His ERA increased from 2.11 to 3.06. The 35-year-old left-hander will look to get back on track against the Nationals on the road next week.