MLB Player News

Velázquez was hitting .200/.274/.366 in 230 plate appearances. He’s cut back on the strikeouts a bit this year, but his power production has also dwindled, as his hard-hit rate had come in at 38%. Last year, he was at 48%. He’ll get another chance if he can fire in Triple-A, but with his lack of defensive value, he needs to provide a lot of offense to justify his spot.

The All-Star break is just next week, so it sounds like Marte should be able to rejoin the Mets before the end of July. When he does return, the Mets will need to decide if they’re keeping both him and Jesse Winker on the active roster, which would likely mean that Mark Vientos or Ronny Mauricio would need to head to the minor leagues.

Javier is working his way back from Tommy John and is about a week behind his teammate, Luis Garcia, who is recovering from the same injury. Garcia moved from live batting practice to a two-inning rehab start in the Florida Complex League, so we should expect a similar path for Javier. At this rate, Javier could return to the starting rotation or a piggyback “bulk follower” role by early August.

Garcia also struck out four and threw 27 pitches in his two innings of work. This was a nice step in Garcia’s return from Tommy John surgery. He will likely try to push to three innings in his next start, which should come at a higher level in the minor league organization. At this rate, assuming he has no setbacks, Garcia could return to the Astros rotation, or perhaps piggyback with a starter like Colton Gordon or Brandon Walter, by the end of July.

He gave up a solo home run in the seventh inning and pitched through his calf pain during that inning, which is why Lovullo decided to take him out. However, Lovullo said there is “zero chance” that it will be an issue for Kelly moving forward, which means we should treat this as just a precautionary removal.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters Wilson will continue to undergo further evaluation after being hit on the left hand by Atlanta starter Didier Fuentes in the first inning of Tuesday’s series opener. The 23-year-old rookie sensation, who is slated to start next week’s Midsummer Classic for the American League isn’t completely out of the woods yet, but it’s an encouraging initial update. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It seems highly likely that he’s going to sit out at least a couple games moving forward.

Bailey knocked a base hit in the fifth inning, then stepped in to bat with two runners on in the ninth with the Giants down by two runs. He took the first pitch from Jordan Romano high off the wall in right-center that caromed away from the outfielders as he raced home to walk it off with an inside-the-park homer. The hit would have been a traditional home run in all 29 other parks.

Schwarber was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth and stole second before he was caught stealing third. He then gave the Phillies the lead in the seventh with a two-run blast off Spencer Bivens and added a double in the ninth. The 32-year-old slugger is up to 28 homers and nine steals while slashing .254/.384/.549 with 64 runs scored and 65 RBI across 406 plate appearances.

Romano recorded the final two outs in the eighth to preserve a two-run lead for the Phillies. He returned for the ninth and put two runners on with one out before Patrick Bailey launched a ball that caromed off the top of the wall in right-center as he raced home for an inside-the-park home run to walk it off. Romano hasn’t recorded a save since May 29, with Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering mostly working in a committee for saves.

Ray held the Phillies off the board through five frames before giving up a run on a walk, base hit, and a double in the sixth. He was relieved with two outs in the inning at 99 pitches. He scattered four hits and three walks while collecting five strikeouts. The 33-year-old left-hander will take a 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 122/42 K/BB ratio into the All-Star break.

Walker rejoined the Phillies rotation on Tuesday, making his first start since May 30. He gave up a run in the second inning on a walk and two base hits, then tossed two more scoreless innings, ending his day with three strikeouts over four innings. The 32-year-old right-hander will take a 3.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 49/24 K/BB ratio across 58 1/3 innings (nine starts) into the All-Star break.