MLB Player News

Eovaldi, whose name has surfaced in recent trade rumors as a possible target for the Red Sox in their quest to win the AL East, draws the starting assignment for Friday’s series opener against a star-studded Baltimore lineup to be followed over the weekend by veterans Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney.

MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos reports there’s a chance Gelof is ready for a minor league rehab assignment by the end of the week. The 25-year-old power/speed combo infielder is targeting a late April or early May return to the Athletics’ lineup, which doesn’t seem like a stretch. He’s been out since late March after undergoing surgery to repair a hamate fracture in his right hand.

Assad grabbed at his side and immediately left the contest while warming up for the fifth inning. He had thrown 67 pitches (40 strikes) through four frames. He’s been on the shelf since spring training working his way back from an oblique strain. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.

Angels manager Ron Washington told reporters he wants to give Rengifo a day off following Monday’s root canal. The versatile 28-year-old has already been cleared to return and should be back in Wednesday’s lineup. It’ll be Kevin Newman at third base on Tuesday night against the Pirates with lefty Bailey Falter on the mound.

López is eligible to return on Thursday when the Twins face off against the White Sox, which would be Chris Paddack’s spot in the rotation. Nothing official from Minnesota yet, but all signs point to López returning later this week, which is a much-needed boost for fantasy managers. The 29-year-old threw 63 pitches over the weekend for Triple-A St. Paul in his final rehab start, so there shouldn’t be any workload restrictions upon returning.

Not good. There’s always a possibility Puk checks out completely fine, but it’s usually a major warning sign when a pitcher is seeking multiple opinions. We’re not going to speculate until there is a definitive diagnosis, but fantasy managers should prepare for the possibility of an extended absence. It’ll likely be Justin Martinez handling the closing duties for Arizona until further notice.

Simpson finds himself in the leadoff spot for the second time in three starts since being called up last week from Triple-A Durham. The 24-year-old speedster has gone 2-for-8 with a double, one RBI and one steal in two games. He figures to continue leading off against right-handed pitchers and should be rostered in all fantasy formats thanks to his game-changing stolen base potential.

As expected, Kurtz is not in Tuesday’s lineup. He’s already joined the Athletics at Sutter Health Park for Tuesday’s series opener against the Rangers, but won’t be officially promoted until Wednesday’s contest since veteran lefty Patrick Corbin is on the mound for Texas. Athletics general manager David Forst told reporters that Tyler Soderstrom will see time in left field and at DH when Kurtz is at first base. The 22-year-old top prospect projects as an immediate four-category impact fantasy contributor and should be rostered in all formats.

This qualifies as a significant shakeup. Semien, who is hitting .141 (11-for-78) with two extra-base hits through 21 games this season, is batting lower than third for the first time since signing with the Rangers back in 2022. Meanwhile, Corey Seager isn’t hitting second for the first time in Bruce Bochy’s tenure at the helm. He’s been moved to the third spot. Texas has scored the fewest runs in baseball to this point in the year so they’re going to try a different approach to see if it helps wake up their talented core. It’ll be Josh Smith leading off and Wyatt Langford batting second on Tuesday night at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park in Sacramento.

Zach Dezenzo jammed his right thumb on a slide during Monday’s series opener against the Blue Jays when he finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. It’ll be veteran Christian Walker back at first base on Tuesday night. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. He’s slated to undergo imaging that will determine the severity of the issue.

Snell should progress to facing hitters either later this week or early next week. The 32-year-old southpaw figures to be ready to rejoin Los Angeles’ rotation at some point in early May.