MLB Player News

Raleigh’s homers left the bat at 113.9 and 113.8 mph. It’s his second two-homer game in three days, and it put him up to 19 homers for the year. His overall .215/.299/.432 line is less impressive, but, really, it hardly seems fair that he’s going to miss out on the All-Star Game again this year. It’s a little odd that MLB has decided All-Star teams need four shortstops and four first basemen but only two catchers.

It’s a positive development for fantasy managers that Contreras appears poised to continue playing through a fractured left middle finger without requiring a trip to the injured list. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Friday in his return to the lineup following a brief one-game absence. It’s an open question whether the lingering issue will adversely impact his on-field performance. The 27-year-old slugging backstop is hitting just .174 (4-for-23) over his last seven games. He deserves a ton of credit for his toughness, but fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his numbers in the coming weeks.

Pham remains out of Pittsburgh’s lineup for the second straight contest due to illness. It’ll be Alexander Canario drawing another start in left field on Saturday afternoon while he’s still under the weather.

Verdugo is back in the leadoff spot after opening Friday’s contest on the bench with lefty Bailey Falter on the hill for Pittsburgh. The 28-year-old figures to continue leading off against right-handed pitching with Ozzie Albies, who led off Friday’s series opener at PNC Park, getting the occasional opportunity versus southpaws.

It seems like a planned day off for Herrera as the Cardinals try to avoid ramping up his workload too quickly. The 24-year-old slugging backstop went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI on Friday at DH in his return to St. Louis’ lineup following a nearly five-week absence recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee. It’s a positive sign that he’s back, but fantasy managers should expect the club to avoid putting too much on his plate right out of the gate. It’ll be Alec Burleson at DH with Pedro Páges handling the catching duties on Saturday afternoon.

Domínguez remains locked into the lower-third of New York’s lineup despite putting together a surreal three-homer explosion during Friday’s series opener in Sacramento. However, this decision might have more to do with the presence of lefty JP Sears on the mound for the Athletics than anything else. It’ll be veteran Paul Goldschmidt leading off with Trent Grisham hitting second. Aaron Judge will get a turn at DH with Ben Rice taking a spot on the bench to open Saturday afternoon’s matinee.

It appears to be a routine off day for Bleday, who hit a bit of a rough patch at the dish recently, batting .212 (11-for-52) with two homers over his last 15 games. The 27-year-old is the odd man out on Saturday afternoon with Brent Rooker drawing a start in right field, Tyler Soderstrom in left field and rookie Nick Kurtz at the cold corner.

Wilson has received some additional opportunities to lead off against right-handed pitching, with Lawrence Butler being moved down the lower half of the order, over the past week and he’ll occupy the table-setting role for Saturday’s contest with left-hander Carlos Rodón toeing the rubber for New York. The 23-year-old rookie is hitting .354/.379/.469 with three homers, 22 RBI and one steal through 37 games.

Aranda and Misner are back in their usual lineup spots, hitting fourth and sixth, respectively, after opening Friday’s contest on the bench with lefty José Quintana taking the ball for Milwaukee. It’s a bit surprising Tampa Bay isn’t giving Aranda more opportunities against left-handed pitching, but they’re strictly playing the numbers from a platoon standpoint for now.

Simpson has toggled between the leadoff spot and the bottom of the order, depending on the opposing starter, since being called up last month from Triple-A Durham. The 24-year-old speed demon is hitting a respectable .258 with five RBI and six steals through 18 games. He’ll continue to get opportunities out of the leadoff spot against right-handed starters.

Brzykcy has been up a handful of times this season already for doubleheaders, but he’s going to stick around a bit longer this time, it seems. The 25-year-old righty has made only one appearance for the Nationals this year, but has looked extremely sharp with a 2.35 ERA across eight relief outings in the minors.