MLB Player News

Varland is expected to be the bulk guy behind Ronny Henriquez tonight against the Rays. He gave the Twins a quality start in his previous appearance on Aug 14, but he lost to the Royals anyway, leaving him 0-5 with a 6.14 ERA in the majors this season.

Smith was the Nationals’ sixth-round pick in 2025. The 23-year-old projects as roster fodder at this stage of his career, but it’s worth noting he’s also played third base and the outfield in college; giving him some (potentially) valuable versatility.

Mead was designated for assignment by the White Sox before Opening Day, and he’ll give the Nationals some infield depth for the 2026 season. The former top prospect hasn’t done nearly enough in his MLB action to suggest he’s worthy of fantasy consideration.

Horton gave up a homer to James Wood, but the other three hits he allowed were singles and he walked none. This was basically Horton’s average outing from his rookie campaign, when allowed two runs or fewer in 16 of his 23 starts. This goes as a 2.84 ERA, a near match from his 2.67 mark last year. He had four strikeouts today and 4.2 per start last year. One assumes the lack of a top-notch strikeout rate will cost him some this year, but he’ll probably still get better there, even as his ERA climbs a bit. He’ll make his next start Friday in Cleveland.

Mikolas gave up just one homer today after allowing nine — yes, nine! — in his two starts at Wrigley Field while with the Cardinals last year. So, that’s something of a victory. Even if he’s not totally dreadful, Mikolas could well wind up leading the league in losses this year while pitching for the Nationals. He’s there to provide quantity. Quality would be a bonus.

Henry ended up not pitching Thursday after the Nationals upped their lead to six runs in the ninth. At this point, the Nationals likely just wanted to get him some work, and he had an easy 11-pitch inning against the Cubs, striking out one. That should keep him available to pitch Sunday, and we’ll again have to wait and see what the Nationals do if they have a late lead.

Amaya hit ninth today after Carson Kelly batted sixth in the opener, which demonstrates how the Cubs currently feel about the offensive abilities of their two catchers. Still, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Amaya outhits Kelly this season. Kelly’s bested a .700 OPS in just three of his seven relatively full seasons, and Amaya actually came in at .281/.314/.500 in the 28 games he was able to take part in last year.

Crow-Armstrong’s second half slump last year was quite a bit more about his average and lack of power, but the steals suffered, too, as much trouble as he had reaching base; he swiped six bags in his final 54 games after totaling 29 in his first 103. Ideally, he’ll contribute in all three areas this year, but the safest bet is that he’ll be a strong asset in terms of steals; he’s just too good on the basepaths not to push the envelope.

Moreno will take a break Saturday with James McMann getting the start behind the plate to catch Eduardo Rodriguez. Jordan Lawlar is also out of the lineup for Saturday’s contest with Jorge Barrosa starting in left.

The hope is that Priester can return to the Brewers’ pitching staff by the beginning of May, and Saturday’s session suggests he’s on schedule. The 25-year-old will throw one more bullpen before facing live hitters in Arizona.

Crawford is currently on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, and the belief is that it’ll be a short stint for the 31-year-old. He should return to starting at shortstop in the next few weeks — if not sooner — if there’s no setback.