MLB Player News

Martinez has been on a heater over the last few days, going deep in three consecutive contests, and is up to five round-trippers in his last five games since April 14. The former top prospect’s star has faded in recent years, but he’s still just 22 years old, and appears to be on the precipice of arriving in the majors, especially if he keeps tearing the cover off the ball.

He may have gotten there sooner if the Orioles had a save chance arise over the past couple of days, but it sounds like the 35-year-old hurler is ready to rock for the weekend. Any usefulness that Yennier Cano may have had from a fantasy perspective is now gone in most mixed leagues.

The fact that the 27-year-old hurler has been cleared for mound work is obviously an encouraging development. If all goes well with Saturday’s session, we should get a clearer picture on a plan for when the Red Sox anticipate him being able to return.

The 28-year-old has been hitting off of a tee from both sides of the plate, but Marmol noted that his progression will continue to be slower than most injured players’ by design. He also said that a minor league rehab assignment is not imminent. Expect the Cardinals to continue to build him up slowly with no clear timetable on when he could be ready to make his 2024 season debut.

He’s now entering the fifth week of his recovery from a severe right quad strain and is tracking towards meeting that initial eight-week estimate that he was given when he sustained the injury. The dynamic 24-year-old infielder could rejoin the Twins’ lineup before the month of May concludes if he continues to avoid any setbacks.

Rodriguez, 26, will provide a fresh arm in the Rangers’ bullpen for at least a couple of days while they figure out what to do with the rotation spot vacated by the injured Nathan Eovaldi (groin). He has compiled a 10.50 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and a 4/6 K/BB ratio over six innings in six appearances with the Rangers so far this season.

Eovaldi suffered the injury while twirling a gem against the Nationals on Thursday afternoon. The Rangers have not yet commented on how long they expect the 34-year-old right-hander to be sidelined for. Yerry Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to take his place on the roster for the time being.

The 29-year-old right-hander will replace Tyler Beede in the Guardians’ bullpen. Strzelecki has already made two appearances for the Guardians this season, firing two scoreless frames with a 0.50 WHIP and a 1/0 K/BB ratio. Expect him to be utilized in a middle relief role.

The 30-year-old right-hander seemingly pitched himself out of a job on Thursday night, giving up five runs on three hits and a pair of walks while recording only one out against the Astros. Overall, he posted an 8.36 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and an 18/9 K/BB ratio over 14 innings with the Guardians. There’s a chance that another club could take a shot at him on waivers.

The 35-year-old backstop is ready to make his Pirates’ debut after recovering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot. With Henry Davis optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Grandal will share the load behind the plate with Joey Bart for the foreseeable future.

The 24-year-old former top overall pick opened the season as the Pirates’ starting catcher, but stumbled to a miserable .162/.280/.206 slash line with zero homers, four RBI, zero stolen bases and a 29/11 K/BB ratio over 83 plate appearances. Getting back into a rhythm at Triple-A and beating up on minor league pitching should help to restore his confidence before the Pirates bring him back up. Yasmani Grandal was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move on Friday.