MLB Player News

Burns was considered one of the top prep prospects in the 2021 draft but chose to go the college route, and after two solid seasons at Tennessee, he blossomed at Wake Forest in his junior campaign with a 2.70 ERA and a whopping 191 strikeouts over 100 2/3 innings in his 16 starts. His arsenal is impressive; starting with a fastball that can get up to 102 mph and quite often finishing with a wipeout slider that might be the best pitch of any player in the class. Between those two pitches is an above-average change and a quality curve, and while he’s not a control artist, he should throw enough strikes to be a starter. Burns has a nice combination of floor and ceiling, and it’s not hard to see him becoming a fantasy ace someday.

Kempner tossed a scoreless inning against the Orioles during his big-league debut back on May 5. The 24-year-old gets the call to rejoin Miami’s bullpen in place of an injured Andrew Nardi (ribs). He’s compiled a 4.56 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 46/16 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season.

It’s a bit unclear how much time Nardi is going to miss, but it could wind up being a lengthy absence given the nature of the injury. The 27-year-old southpaw hits the shelf after posting a lackluster 5.16 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 27/11 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings for the Marlins this season.

No surprise with crafty southpaw Martín Pérez toeing the rubber for Atlanta. Lowe will open this contest on the bench with Sal Stewart getting a turn at DH and Spencer Steer at first base. The 30-year-old veteran has been on a tear with three homers in his five games. He’s gone deep nine times over his last 30 games while hitting .293 (29-for-99) during that span. There are times where Cincinnati will keep him on the bench, mostly against left-handed starters, but Lowe has shown enough over-the-fence pop that he needs to be rostered in deeper fantasy leagues as a viable corner infield option.

Jackson gets the nod over Colton Cowser in right field and will make his first appearance away from the infield dirt this season after 48 games at second base to open the year. Jackson Holliday’s recent return as the club’s starting second baseman has complicated Baltimore’s infield picture, which means Jackson is probably going to wind up in a multi-position utility role moving forward.

Cease could potentially progress to facing hitters in a live batting practice session next week, depending on how he comes out of the this weekend’s bullpen. The 30-year-old righty hit the injured list with a low-grade hamstring strain earlier this week. There’s a chance he’s ready to jump back into Toronto’s rotation without a rehab assignment at some point in early June.

Carter is out of the lineup for Saturday’s showdown at Globe Life Field and will undergo imaging to determine whether he suffered any fractures when he was hit on the back foot by a slider from Guardians reliever Eli Morgan. He managed to remain in the contest after the incident, which is somewhat encouraging. An update on his status should come later this weekend.

Kelenic will test the free agent waters instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte. The 26-year-old former top prospect passed through waivers unclaimed after being jettisoned from Chicago’s roster earlier this week. He hit an underwhelming .226/.305/.321 with one homer and four RBI in 59 plate appearances during a 19-game stint with the White Sox this season.

Milwaukee remains optimistic that Priester will make it back from thoracic outlet syndrome without needing surgery, but the results have been abysmal in a pair of rehab starts at Triple-A Nashville recently. The 25-year-old’s fastball velocity has been down in the 91-92 mph range and he’s not where the Brewers want him to be at this stage in his rehabilitation. He’ll attempt to get back on track against some lower-level competition moving forward. He’s nowhere remotely close to being an option for the Brewers at the moment.

Heasley will stick with Tampa Bay as organizational depth after passing through waivers unclaimed earlier this week. The 29-year-old allowed five runs over four innings on Wednesday against the Orioles in his Rays debut.

Baty receives his first day off since May 10. Bo Bichette takes over at third base with Vidal Bruján getting a rare opportunity at shortstop.