MLB Player News

We’d understand the Astros giving Abreu one more shot at Jon Singleton’s expense, and we’d understand setting up a platoon that sees Singleton play versus righties and Abreu against lefties. What we can’t understand is playing both guys, when it means putting both Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubón on the bench and taking a defensive downgrade with Yordan Alvarez in left field (and increasing the injury risk for Alvarez). Still, that’s exactly what the Astros have done in both games since Abreu returned from exile. It’s a bad strategy, and the team has paid the price the last two days.

It’s astounding that Skubal has already resumed a throwing program literally one week removed from undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck, Skubal underwent an innovative Nanoscope procedure, which is less invasive and uses a smaller incision than a typical arthroscopic surgery, which the Tigers believe will lead to a significantly shorter absence than typical procedures of this nature. There’s optimism Skubal will be ready to return in June, but that won’t become clearer until he ramps up his throwing program in the coming weeks.

Mize returns to Detroit’s injury-ravaged rotation to take the ball against the Blue Jays during Saturday afternoon’s matinee affair following a two-week absence recovering from an adductor strain. The 29-year-old righty looked outstanding in his first couple starts prior to the injury, posting a sparkling 2.90 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 35/11 K/BB ratio across 31 innings of work.

Pham fortifies Baltimore’s outfield depth at Triple-A Norfolk after going 0-for-13 in nine games for the Mets last month. The 38-year-old veteran hit .245/.330/.370 with 10 homers and five steals in 120 games for the Pirates last year. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes at this advanced stage of his career.

Larnach has missed three straight games with the lingering issue. Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters Larnach has resumed baseball activities and should be available this weekend. It sounds like he’s trending in the right direction and fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day.

Waldschmidt capped off Arizona’s six-run explosion in the first inning with a two-run, opposite-field single with the bases loaded. He proceeded to swipe second base moments later to record his first career steal, but was left stranded in scoring position. The 23-year-old top prospect’s immediate fantasy appeal is capped by his perch at the bottom of Arizona’s lineup, but he’s off to a decent start overall, hitting .273 (6-for-22) with five RBI and one steal through seven games since being called up from Triple-A Reno last week.

Caglianone reached base in two of his three plate appearances before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning when Kansas City turned to Lane Thomas to face Guardians lefty reliever Daniel Lynch IV. The 23-year-old was a trendy preseason breakout pick and simply hasn’t produced a ton of over-the-fence pop this season, mustering only four homers through 41 games. The immense talent means holding on and waiting is probably the correct move in deeper fantasy formats, but there’s an argument for moving on from Caglianone in shallow mixers.

Chisholm played a key role in New York’s Subway Series-opening win by lining a two-run single to right field in the third inning as part of a three-hit performance that matched a season high. The 28-year-old infielder also picked up his 12th stolen base of the year in this one. It’s nice to see some consistent contact after a couple weeks where he struck out more than 30 percent of the time to open the year.

Baldwin clobbered a majestic 407-foot blast to straightaway center field off Red Sox lefty Connelly Early in the opening frame. The 25-year-old slugging backstop has homered three times in his last five games and is up to 12 round-trippers through 45 games after last year’s 19-homer rookie campaign. He’s been a certifiable middle-of-the-order force for Atlanta this season and a key reason why they hold the best record in baseball after seven weeks. He’s been a first-round fantasy asset this season, firmly cementing himself as the top young catcher in the league.

At some point, the Twins are going to have to give intriguing infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who is tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A St. Paul recently, a look at the highest level. The obvious move would be to jettison Royce Lewis from third base, especially since he’s hitting .165 overall this season. However, it’s worth noting that Keaschall is hitting just .224/.306/.292 with one homer and 10 steals through 44 games. The 23-year-old former top prospect hit at every rung of the minor-league ladder and looked impressive during last year’s injury-shortened rookie campaign.

Marsee’s abysmal start to the year caused some fantasy managers to jump ship, but he’s shown some signs of life at the dish recently with a pair of homers and three steals in his last six games. The 24-year-old speedster has 13 thefts through 44 games and should finish among the National League’s leaders this year.