MLB Player News

Once again, the 38-year-old hurler has worked his way back to the big leagues. He looked decent in four starts at Triple-A Salt Lake, registering a 3.09 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 15/5 K/BB ratio over 23 1/3 frames. He’s long past his prime for fantasy purposes though and he is not a recommended streaming option against the Royals on Wednesday evening.

It seems surprising that a team firmly in the mix for a playoff spot would trade its closer, but this is the Rays. Fairbanks “has a club option for 2026 that, with escalators, should wind up in the $10 million range.” The Rays could decide that’s too much to pay for a closer and ship Fairbanks off at the deadline for a nice package while also picking up a more cost-controlled reliever or turning closer duties over to Edwin Uceta. Passan lists the Dodgers, Phillies, Tigers, and Rangers as possible options in a trade.

The 30-year-old is a free agent at the end of the season, so it makes sense for an Orioles team that is falling out of the playoff race to see what they can get for him at the deadline. That would open up playing time for Heston Kjerstad, Ramon Laureano, and Dylan Carlson this season, but also Jud Fabian or Dylan Beavers in 2026. Mullins is hitting just .220/.306/.430 in 62 games but has 12 home runs and eight steals, which could provide some fantasy juice if he lands in a good spot.

Passan gives O’Hearn an 85 percent chance to be traded at the deadline, which was the highest of any player. Baltimore has seemingly fallen out of the playoff race, while O’Hearn is on pace for a career high in homers while also hitting over .300. He could be a great platoon bat for a contender at the deadline, and Passan lists the Mariners, Red Sox, Giants, and Rangers as possible destinations.

Passan gave Suárez a 50 percent chance to be traded, and that was before teammate Corbin Carroll was diagnosed with a fractured wrist. Now that Arizona is missing Carroll, Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez, and A.J. Puk, it could be hard for them to separate themselves in the playoff race. Considering Suárez is a free agent after this season, and the Diamondbacks also have Jordan Lawlar in the minor leagues, trading the veteran makes sense. Passan lists the Tigers, Cubs, Yankees, Royals, and Mariners as possible destinations.

Despite Alcantara seeming to turn a corner lately, Passan believes that “the Marlins could hold on to [Alcantara] until the winter, when teams like Baltimore would be more inclined to acquire him and the final two years of his contract.” The 29-year-old finishing the season in Miami would dampen his fantasy value a bit, given his diminished likelihood for wins.

The Korean-born pitcher was last with Miami, posting a 4.11 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, and 14/9 K/BB in 15 1/3 innings in the minor leagues. He has yet to make his MLB debut.

Jansen was removed from Monday’s game after just four pitches, but Montgomery was quick to quiet concerns after the game. The 37-year-old closer is allegedly dealing with cramping in his pec and neck, so the Angels removed him from the game, given that it was not a save situation. Jansen is allegedly available out of the bullpen on Tuesday, but we’ll have to monitor the situation to see if the cramps turn into anything else.

Early in the offseason, it was reported that Syndergaard had lost 30 pounds and was hoping to make a comeback, but apparently no team had taken an interest. Until now. The 32-year-old is hoping not to end his professional career with the 6.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP he put together with the Guardians and Dodgers in 2023. He will report to the White Sox complex in Arizona before the team determines which minor league club to start him at. While it would be nice to see Thor on an MLB mound again, it’s unlikely that he would have any fantasy relevance.

With Jeimer Candelario no longer in the Reds organization, there is one fewer corner infield bat to compete for playing time with, but Marte will still have to fight for playing time with Santiago Espinal, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Gavin Lux. That makes it hard to stash him in fantasy leagues until we know what kind of role he’s returning to.

Neto’s other two hits were singles, but he drove in his first run of the game when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded off Walker Buehler. The 24-year-old now has a dozen homers on the season, and his steal gives him 13. Those are solid numbers, but even more impressive when you consider that he missed close to 20 games to begin the year. Neto was not viewed as a potential fantasy star when he was drafted by Los Angeles. There’s significantly more upside in his bat than anticipated.