MLB Player News

The 28-year-old first baseman had been shelved since late March due to a strained oblique. He’ll resume his regular role as the Rangers’ first baseman and should once again find himself hitting in the middle of the lineup. Jared Walsh was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Blanco’s homer was his first, but his steals were his ninth and 10th in just 34 plate appearances this season. At this point, it certainly seems like he deserves a shot over the remains of Hunter Renfroe, and if he gets it, he’ll likely be an impact player in mixed leagues, thanks to his SB ability. He’s 38-for-44 stealing bases in 99 games as a major leaguer.

Wacha boasted some of his best velocity of the season tonight, helping him achieve the quality start in spite of five walks surrendered. He improved to 2-4 with a 5.15 ERA ahead of his next start on the road against the Mariners.

Detmers gave up a pair of two-run homers to Dairon Blanco and Vinnie Pasquantino in a four-run third. He wasn’t bad otherwise — he allowed just two other hard-hit balls — but luck wasn’t on his side tonight. He’s lost four straight games after opening up 3-0, and his ERA stands at 4.96. Still, his peripherals are solid, and it would be a bad idea to drop him in mixed leagues.

Garcia was due for some luck, and he got it tonight, as both of his doubles came on balls hit less than 80 mph. His highest EV in the contest, a 104-mph grounder, actually produced an out. The Royals have remained very patient with Garcia in the leadoff spot, and odds are that he’ll only get better from here.

It’s a significant development for DeLauter as it expedites his potential return timetable and likely means he’ll be back in minor league action at some point this season. The 22-year-old is dealing with a fracture in his left foot, the same one that he’s had a pair of surgeries on in the past. There is no timetable for his return at the moment.

Yelich shook off Wednesday’s tough 0-for-5 performance in his return from the injured list against the Royals with a stellar three-hit performance in his return to American Family Field. The 32-year-old corner outfielder padded Milwaukee’s lead with a run-scoring triple in the fifth inning as part of a three-hit effort that raised his full-season batting average to a sublime .333 (16-for-48) mark through 13 games. If he can avoid the back issues that have plagued him the last few years, he’ll remain an impact contributor for fantasy managers.

Nootbaar went deep for the second straight contest during Thursday’s one-sided affair at American Family Field, taking Brewers starter Tobias Myers out to center field in the third inning for his third long ball of the season. The 26-year-old corner outfielder is batting just .186 (16-for-87) through 24 contests since returning from the injured list.

Contreras capped off a strong three-hit effort with a run-scoring single in the seventh inning that raised his full-season batting average to a remarkable .340 (50-for-147) mark through 37 games. The 26-year-old burgeoning fantasy star won’t sustain a .402 BABIP for much longer, but he’s proven that he’s going to be right around the .300 mark from a batting average standpoint thanks to his consistent hard contact and line-drive rate. The key to making the leap into an even greater offensive force will be whether he starts to put the ball in the air with increased frequency.

Myers was a bit all over the place in this one as he racked up six strikeouts, issued four walks, and needed 84 pitches (50 strikes) to complete four frames. A third-inning solo shot by Lars Nootbaar represented the lone tally against him, but he wasn’t able to get deep enough into the contest to pick up a win. He’ll bring an inflated 5.29 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 17/9 K/BB ratio across 17 innings (four starts) into a home outing on Tuesday against the Pirates.

Gray was tagged for a season-high three round-trippers in this one after allowing just one long ball in his previous five starts combined. The dismal outing also snapped a five-start streak in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer to kick off his Cardinals debut. The only positives here were that he struck out six and only issued one walk. He’ll carry a pristine 2.29 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 44/6 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings (six starts) into a favorable road tilt on Tuesday against the Angels.