MLB Player News

Rafaela was one of the few things that went well for the Red Sox in this one, scoring one of their two runs, smacking two of their six hits, lacing three of their seven hard-hit balls, and making yet another diving catch in center field. Despite constant online bickering about his catch probabilities or Savant sliders, Rafaela has put together a solid rookie season with 13 homers, 16 steals, and a .263 batting average.

Tromp had gone 5-for-25 for the Braves while helping fill in with Drake Baldwin on the injured list. He will likely clear waivers and could re-sign with Atlanta on a minor league deal.

Wynns had been released by the Athletics in the middle of May and then signed a minor league contract with the Angels. He will now head to the Braves, where he will join the active roster, presumably until Drake Baldwin returns in a few weeks. The 35-year-old had gone 3-for-39 with the Athletics earlier in the year.

The Guardians are facing left-hander Carlos Rodon, but DeLauter has started the last two games against lefties. Of course, that was with Steven Kwan on the bereavement list, so with Kwan back, DeLauter shifts to the bench so that Stuart Fairchild can play center field with Kwan in left field.

For the third straight game, Aaron Judge (ribs) is not in the Yankees lineup. However, as of now, he is also not on the injured list. The team has sent him for additional meetings with a specialist since the bone bruise on his ribcage is in such a unique spot. The Yankees will face Boston on Friday, so no off days are coming, which means the team will likely need to decide on whether or not to put Judge on the injured list before the weekend series starts. For Thursday, Jose Caballero will play shortstop with Anthony Volpe on the bench, and Max Schuemann will play right field and bat ninth.

With Nick Castellanos no longer in San Diego, the Padres have been using Gavin Sheets in left field more often, which has freed up first base for Ty France. Since May 1st, France is hitting .292/.313/.508 in 68 plate appearances with three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 48 percent hard-hit rate. That has also come with a 22/2 K/BB ratio, so it’s not all great news, but he is worth a look in deeper formats if he’s going to be a regular in the lineup.

Today was the deadline for the Red Sox to call up Kahne or risk him using his opt-out clause, which he had told the team he would do. Since the Red Sox have only three pitchers in their bullpen with minor league options (Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, and left-hander Tyler Samaniego), there was some question about how they would fit Kahnle onto the roster. Plus, adding him to the 40-man roster would also necessitate releasing somebody or putting Trevor Story on the 60-day injured list. At the end of the day, it seems that the Red Sox decided to call up the 36-year-old, who has a 1.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 21/11 K/BB ratio over 19 1/3 innings at Triple-A.

Massey is now hitting .323/.338/.581 with four home runs in his last 23 games. This year, Massey’s bat speed is up two mph, his average exit velocity (91.2 mph) is 2.4 mph above his career average, and his 10 percent barrel rate is almost three percent higher than his career mark. He’s done that by being a bit less patient and positioning the sweet spot of his bat more towards center field as it travels through the zone, rather than being as pull-side focused. That has allowed him to drive the ball into the gaps, but with exit velocities that can still carry it out of the park when he gets out in front of one. He’s worth adding in deeper formats, given his everyday role, and is also worth a look in 12-team leagues while he’s hitting like this.

The Red Sox are set to face left-hander Trevor Rogers, so Mayer will head to the bench. Even with Trevor Story (abdominal) on the injured list, Mayer continues to sit against left-handed pitching. Today, Isiah Kiner-Falefa will play shortstop with Andruw Monasterio at second base despite Monasterio being just a career .249/.343/.380 hitter against left-handed pitching.

Murphy returns to the minors after posting a lackluster 6.75 ERA across 9 1/3 innings for Chicago this season. The 27-year-old lefty figures to return as a middle relief option for the White Sox at some point this summer.

Tonight’s homer was hit 106.8 mph off Michael Lorenzen. Grissom’s .246/.325/.410 line isn’t spectacular, but his 47 percent hard-hit rate, in combination with a tiny 11 percent strikeout rate, is very impressive. It seems doubly painful that the Red Sox traded Kyle Harrison for Caleb Durbin when they could have just gone forward with Grissom instead.