MLB Player News

Mervis was ineffective in his action with the Cubs, as the 26-year-old hit just .115 with an OPS of .302 helping tell the story. The 26-year-old was considered one of the better hitting prospects in the higher-levels not long ago, but so far, things don’t look great. Miles Mastrobuoni is up for Mervis to get work in Triple-A.

Englert will take Alex Lange’s spot in the bullpen. The 24-year-old has been solid in Triple-A with a 2.35 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 23 innings while striking out 34 and walking nine. He has not yet been able to carry that success over to the MLB level but perhaps now is the time.

Lange was publicly chewed out by his manager A.J. Hinch on the mound during Wednesday’s game and despite Hinch claiming that had nothing to do with the demotion, we find that hard to believe. Going into Wednesday’s game, Lange had allowed just four earned runs in his previous 14 appearances. His command will certainly come and go, and it had been poor in the last three appearances, but the 28-year-old only has two bad outings all season. This feels like a situation that is heading for a break-up and if Lange is able to find his way onto a team that can improve his command, he still has a future as a solid reliever.

Adcock had struggled this year with a 9.00 ERA in six innings for the Tigers in Triple-A while striking out nine and walking six. He had also struggled in two innings at Triple-A for the Mariners and was waived in April. However, the 27-year-old was solid as a rookie in 2023, pitching to a 3.45 ERA across 12 appearances, so the Mets will hope to recapture some of that.

Baz was strong in his last outing and had gotten up to 76 pitches. However, his command still needs to be refined as he works back from Tommy John surgery. Baz is likely to make a few starts in the minors and, provided they go well, could join the Rays’ rotation at some point in June.

While it’s not robo-umps, it seems like MLB games could get a challenge system that would allow hitters to use technology to challenge a ball/strike call. Manfred left open the possibility to expand on this but mentioned the challenge system would be “at least a starting point...if and when we bring it to the big leagues.” Details will undoubtedly emerge in the coming months.

On one hand, backing off Gil makes some sense. The 25-year-old has already thrown 49 innings this season and has not thrown more than 96 innings in any season since 2019. However, when Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about his plans for Gil, he mentioned that Gerrit Cole is likely four to six weeks away from returning, which is an eternity during a baseball season. Moving Gil to the bullpen could make sense on the surface, but it’s impossible to tell what position the Yankees rotation will be in by the time Cole comes back. As a result, it’s too early to make a move for your fantasy teams.

More importantly, Baz was up to 76 pitches and induced 14 whiffs in just four innings on the day. He had a 66 percent strike right but his overall command still needs some work, walking three batters and hitting one. His stuff has graded out above-average but command is often the last thing to come back after Tommy John surgery, so we’ll hope that he can iron that out in his next starts. He may have one more rehab start before being activated off his rehab assignment, but we shouldn’t expect more than five innings in his few first outings.

The 27-year-old was producing solid numbers in the minors, slashing .307/.424/.577 with six home runs, 27 RBI, and eight steals in 41 games. He was swinging and missing less and sporting a more patient approach at the plate but was also playing games in many hitter-friendly ballparks. Considering he took Esteury Ruiz’s (wrist) place on the active roster and Ruiz was only playing once or twice a week, it’s unlikely that Cameron will be up as more than a bench bat.

There was a lot of celebrating in fantasy baseball circles when Ruiz performed well at Triple-A Las Vegas and hit two home runs in his first games after being recalled in April. However, the 25-year-old is hitting just .200/.270/.382 in 29 games this season with two home runs, five steals, and a 31 percent strikeout rate. He has been battling wrist issues throughout the season but also figures to profile as more of a fourth outfielder due to his low batting average and poor outfield defense. Daz Cameron was called up to take his place on the active roster.

Diaz played in 90 games for Oakland in 2023 but did not make the club out of spring and was hitting just .204/.288/.327 in 29 games in Triple-A with two home runs. He doesn’t play strong enough defense at any position, so he will always need to hit above league average in order to crack an MLB roster. Considering he’s only 23 years old, he figures to get a shot with another club but he needs to improve his defense and conditioning if he is to become an MLB regular.