MLB Player News

Not another one. Gray winds up on the injured list shortly after being scratched from Tuesday’s scheduled start against the Giants. The 26-year-old righty wasn’t off to a great start this season with an inflated 14.04 ERA, 2.40 WHIP and 9/5 K/BB ratio across 8 1/3 innings (two starts), but it would be devastating for Washington if he’s going to miss significant time. We’ll have to monitor what the next steps are for Gray and the organization, but the 2024 season continues to be rough one with the health of starting pitchers.

The new deal, worth a reported $68 million, takes effect immediately and supersedes the one-year, $3.5 million deal he agreed to in January. So, the Rays are paying $64.5 million for his final two seasons of arbitration and his first two years of free agency. That’s great if he stays healthy and turns into an above average starter these next two years, and there’s good reason to think that at least the latter will happen. It’s probably a little riskier than most of these kinds of extensions, though, and it doesn’t come with the bonus of getting any option years tacked on. Baz is now due to become a free agent at age 31 after the 2030 season.

Freeland figures to start against most righties, but Rojas got the Opening Day assignment versus Zac Gallen to start off what’s slated to be his final season in the majors. Both Freeland and Rojas are expected to bat ninth when they’re in the lineup, and that is the case for Freeland tonight.

In spite of a rough spring, Morel was expected to serve as the Marlins’ primary first baseman. Perhaps it’s jumping the gun, but one imagines he’ll have to wait a few weeks now, and who knows if the job will still be there when he gets back? Owen Caissie, who was going to sit versus lefty Kyle Freeland, was inserted in Morel’s place, with Connor Norby switching from DH to first base. Deyvison De Los Santos could be called up if Morel goes on the IL.

The Milwaukee Brewers are buying players from the Los Angeles Dodgers and people think MLB needs a salary cap. Keith, 25, hit .226/.296/.386 with 11 homers and nine steals in 89 games in his second season in Double-A in 2025. He’s expected to remain at that level for now, but he’ll be playing in Biloxi, rather than Tulsa.

Rojas, who was acquired from the Jays in the Louis Varland trade last summer, rates as one of Minnesota’s best pitching prospects. He had a 9.45 ERA in 6 2/3 innings this spring before being sent down.

The Padres went with lefty Gavin Sheets at first base and Miguel Andujar at DH against Tarik Skubal on Thursday. Tonight, they’re switching to Ty France at first base and sticking with Andujar against Framber Valdez. It’s definitely not good looking for Castellanos, who flew out in his lone at-bat off the bench Thursday. The Padres have no financial obligation to him beyond paying him the MLB minimum, and with all being defensively limited right-handers, it just wouldn’t make much sense to keep all three of Andujar, Castellanos and France around for the long haul.

It’s the farthest any ball has been pushed by the wind in the three years that Weather Applied has been tracking such things. Happ’s ninth-inning fly off the Nationals’ Cionel Pérez would have been projected at 435 feet under neutral conditions, but with about 30 mph of wind working against it, James Wood caught in shy of the warning track.

Devers is available to play first base if needed, but the Giants would prefer he be a little closer to 100 percent first. Casey Schmitt is starting at first again Friday.

It was always the contention of their trade with the Rays that Baltimore was buying in on their ability to make Baz’s pitches play up. Now they’re paying up for the opportunity to keep him in their rotation for the next several years after apparently liking what they saw in Spring Training. Baz was set to be arbitration eligible for the second time next offseason, so the Orioles have bought out two years of free agency in this deal. It’s a reasonable price considering Baz’s talent.

He’ll make his season debut after sitting for Opening Day. It’s unclear exactly why the Astros sat him yesterday when they sent him to Triple-A Sugar Land to take live at-bats, but fantasy managers can overlook that as long as Peña is ready to go. Against LHP Yusei Kikuchi, the Astros will use a lineup of: Peña, LF Yordan Alvarez, DH Isaac Paredes, 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Carlos Correa, RF Cam Smith, 1B Christian Walker, C Yainer Diaz and CF Brice Matthews.