MLB Player News

A late scoring change following the contest by Detroit’s official scorer changed a fourth-inning single to an error on shortstop Leo Rivas, which resulted in five of the runs that inning becoming unearned, making it less of a full-blown disaster for Kirby’s fantasy managers. However, it still wasn’t pretty. In all, four of the 13 hits came off the bat at less than 80 mph, and the grand slam he gave up to Jake Rogers in the fourth would have left only eight ballparks, according to Statcast. But even if Kirby had gotten a few more breaks, this still would have been bad. It just wouldn’t have resulted in him giving up as many runs as he did in his previous six starts combined (and one more run than his total in the seven starts previous to those six starts). He narrowly avoided becoming the first pitcher this year to give up 11 earned runs (four others had given up 11 runs, but all with some amount unearned), and the first Mariners pitcher to do so since Ryan Rowland-Smith in 2010. He’ll aim to rebound later this week against the Pirates.

It clears space on the 40-man roster for Mike Yastrzemski. Siani was claimed off waivers in November from the Cardinals, and because he’s such a strong defensive player, there’s a good chance he’s claimed again before the end of December.

The club option is for $7 million and contains a $4 million buyout. The veteran outfielder should be in the lineup on a consistent basis against right-handers, but doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy upside as a player who will turn 36 in August with so-so results over his last few campaigns.

The deal also contains a club option for 2028, according to Passan. Yastrzemski spent 2025 with the Royals and Giants and hit 17 homers while stealing seven bases in 146 games with the two clubs. The 35-year-old will likely be in the lineup against right-handed pitching, and doesn’t project to be much more than a bench piece in fantasy lineups outside of NL-only formats.

Riemer was selected in the fourth round by the Red Sox in 2023 out of Wichita State. The infielder will likely report to Double-A to begin his 2026 campaign.

Watson was drafted in the Rule 5 draft by the A’s, but his chance to make his MLB mark will come with Boston. The 28-year-old will need to pitch well this spring to have any shot of making the Opening Day roster.

Gallo, 32, announced that he was making the move to the mound, and the former power hitter has reportedly hit the high 90s with his fastball; something he also did in high school. The 6-foot-5 right-hander will likely work out of the bullpen for whatever team procures his services.

Kopech would give the Giants a potential high-leverage option if he landed there, but one who has routinely had to spend time on the injured list. He still throws hard when on the mound, however, and it’s not surprising to see teams showing interest in procuring his services.

Keller was excellent in 2025 with a 2.07 ERA and 75/22 K/BB over 69 2/3 innings, and has interest from teams both as a reliever and a starter on the open market. The Blue Jays have already added Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to their group, but it appears they want more depth, and Keller could work either as a multi-inning option or starter in 2026. If he’s in the former, there’s very little fantasy value.

Curet, who just turned 23 in November, was a rather surprising choice to get DFA’d when the Rays needed to open up a spot on the 40-man last week. He missed time in 2025 and finished with a 3.90 ERA and a 62/31 K/BB over 55 1/3 innings in his 14 starts and two relief appearances between Double- and Triple-A. He doesn’t have a truly plus second pitch yet, but his sinker averages 96 mph and there’s some potential with both his slider and changeup. He’ll likely open up next season in the Phillies’ Triple-A rotation.

The deal got done after McCollum went unpicked in the Rule 5 draft. The 26-year-old reliever had a 3.07 ERA and a 59/16 K/BB in 55 2/3 innings at three levels last season. He’s a fringe bullpen candidate, but he’s not on the 40-man and he’ll have all of his option years if he’s added, making him nice to have around.