MLB Player News

Adam was his usual excellent self in this one, dropping nasty sweepers and changeups to make opposing hitters look foolish. His ERA shrunk to a microscopic 1.71, but he only got the save opportunity because Pete Fairbanks threw 28 pitches on Thursday.

It makes the performance a little extra impressive that Dollander certainly didn’t expect to pitch in the first. Juan Mejia opened but then left down 2-0 with two on and two out. Dollander got Cam Smith to ground out and kept rolling from there. He’s 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA and an 18/4 K/BB in five appearances. One imagines he’ll continue to go long, whether it’s as a starter of a bulk guy, in his next couple of outings with Kyle Freeland on the IL. He’ll probably next pitch Tuesday at home against the Padres.

Vodnik gave up two runs in his season debut, but he’s allowed just a 10th-inning automatic runner to score in seven innings this month. He’s the clear favorite for saves for the Rockies, though that still probably doesn’t make him worth rostering in 10- and 12-team leagues.

Weiss, filling in for Tatsuya Imai, walked four and gave up a home run to Hunter Goodman. He was making his first start after throwing 11 innings with a 7.36 ERA in five relief appearances. It’s possible he’ll get another start next week, but middle relief seems like the better role for him.

Freeman is hitting .300 in 10 games since coming off the injured list, though he’s still without an extra-base hit. In addition to his usual duties against lefties, he’s playing about half of the time versus righties. It isn’t enough to make him mixed-league relevant, but there is a scenario in which he becomes the Rockies’ primary leadoff man and proves useful in batting average and steals.

Off to a poor start, Doyle has been just a part-timer lately, starting seven of the Rockies’ last 11 games. Still, his exit velocity numbers are a little better than usual, and while his 36-percent strikeout rate is a big problem, his contact numbers are about the same as when he fanned 25-26 percent of the time the last two years. Especially once the weather heats up and Coors Field becomes a bigger factor, he still has a chance to be pretty interesting in mixed leagues, if he resumes playing regularly.

As expected, the Rangers granted Canha’s request, and the 37-year-old is now free to explore other opportunities. It’s still hard to imagine him landing a major league deal elsewhere, he’s probably going to have to spend some time in the minor leagues.

The 27-year-old right-hander struck out three batters on the night, though he only threw 27 of his 50 pitches for strikes in the ballgame. The most encouraging part of his start is that his fastball sat in the 95-97 mph range. He’s going to need at least a couple more rehab starts before he’s an option to join the Braves’ rotation.

The 37-year-old would like to explore big league opportunities elsewhere. While he chose to remain with the organization after he didn’t make the team out of spring training, Canha has remained at extended spring training since then and has not appeared in any minor league games. The expectation is that the Rangers will accommodate his request.

The 33-year-old superstar got the Guardians on the board first, ambushing a first-pitch fastball from Shane Baz for a 388-foot (103.9 mph EV) two-run shot in the home half of the first inning, giving the Guardians a lead they would never relinquish. Ramírez also led off the sixth inning with a walk and scored on an RBI single off the bat of George Valera. With his two-hit effort, Ramírez is now hitting .224/.322/.434 with four homers, 10 RBI and eight stolen bases through his first 87 plate appearances.

Kwan smacked an RBI single off of Shane Baz in the fifth inning that increased the Guardians’ lead to 3-0. The 28-year-old outfielder is now hitting .253/.325/.333 with one homer, seven RBI, two stolen bases and a 9/7 K/BB ratio over his first 84 plate appearances on the season.