MLB Player News

Romano will head to Triple-A Rochester. The 30-year-old hurler hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021 when he was with the Yankees. He owns a career 5.23 ERA, 1.48 WHIP with a 211/109 K/BB ratio across 275 1/3 innings since 2017.

Kurtz finds himself in the leadoff spot for the fifth time in seven starts this season. The 23-year-old reigning AL Rookie of the Year has gone hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games and is batting .048 (1-for-21) with 13 strikeouts and five walks this season. It’s too early to be concerned but it’s a bit surprising to see him mired in an extended slump given how comfortable he looked during the final few months of last year.

There’s no official 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Royals, but it sounds like Henderson could be officially called up prior to the nightcap to provide additional length behind starter Brandon Sproat. The 24-year-old struck out five over three innings during his lone appearance for Triple-A Nashville this season.

Hernández takes a seat for the first time this season after going 3-for-4 with three runs scored during Friday’s blowout win in Washington. The 33-year-old has recorded just one extra-base hit through seven games this season, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of RBI. It’ll be Alex Call in left field to face Nationals starter Jake Irvin.

It’ll be southpaw reliever Brennan Bernardino opening the contest to face Philadelphia’s lefty-heavy top of the order before giving the ball to Dollander. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect has big-time stuff but he’s been extremely wild from a results standpoint while operating out of Colorado’s bullpen this season, surrendering runs on five hits, including three homers, with a 5/2 K/BB ratio across four innings of work. There’s huge long-term upside here if Dollander is able to put it together, but he’s a work in progress at the moment and can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues.

Paez ships up to Boston after passing through waivers unclaimed following his removal from Chicago’s active roster earlier this week. The 22-year-old reliever made the White Sox’ season-opening bullpen as a Rule 5 pick, but wound up lasting just one week in the big leagues, allowing six runs on four hits with three walks and zero strikeouts over three innings of work.

Jensen remains out of Kansas City’s lineup for the second consecutive contest after a highly-publicized incident Thursday where he overslept and was scratched from the lineup. The 22-year-old rookie backstop figures to be behind the dish for the second game of Saturday’s twin bill after veteran Salvador Perez handles the catching duties in the opening contest.

Valenzuela has been summoned to the majors for the first time to bolster Toronto’s catching situation with starter Alejandro Kirk hitting the shelf with a fractured left thumb. It’s the first call-up for the 25-year-old backstop after coming over from the Padres in the Will Wagner trade last July. He’ll serve as veteran Tyler Heineman’s caddy while Kirk is on the injured list.

Kirk underwent imaging that revealed a dislocation in his thumb, along with a fracture. He’ll meet with a specialist early next week to determine whether surgery is needed. There should be a definitive return timetable following that evaluation. He suffered the injury when he took a foul tip off his hand in the 10th inning of Friday’s extra-inning marathon against the White Sox. It’s a significant loss for the defending American League champions, and fantasy managers as well, since he’s facing a multi-week absence, even if he manages to avoid surgery. The 27-year-old backstop was off to a slow start at the plate, hitting (3-for-20) through five games this season. It’ll be Tyler Heineman handling the catching duties in his absence.

It’ll be Griffin’s first rehab outing since suffering an Achilles tear last June while pitching for the Mets. The 29-year-old figures to be an option for the back-end of San Diego’s rotation mix at some point in May or June. He would likely represent an upgrade over cromulent veterans Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez for the Padres.

It’s the lowest Mongomery has hit in Chicago’s lineup this season as Toronto throws lefty Mason Fluharty on Saturday afternoon in the Windy City. The 24-year-old shortstop is off to an ice-cold start at the dish, hitting .192 (5-for-26) with one homer, five RBI and one steal through seven games. He’s struck out in 34.5 percent of his 29 plate appearances so far. It’s admittedly a small sample size, but he continues to look like a batting average liability without enough big-time power upside to make him a viable mixed-league option in shallow fantasy formats.