MLB Player News

He’s DHing and batting cleanup tonight. Tucker missed nearly half the season with an injury the Astros initially insisted wasn’t a broken shin, but recently Tucker confirmed it was a fracture. Nevertheless, Tucker’s return is a welcome sight for fantasy managers who get back a first-round talent for the final month of the season. Jason Heyward and Mauricio Dubón should take on lesser roles now. Ben Gamel will probably keep playing regularly, but he can’t afford to cool off.

Ryan ran into an absolute buzzsaw in his second outing of the year as Kansas City tagged him for nine hits and forced him from the contest after just 77 pitches (49 strikes) over four frames. He finished with three strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter. The concerning development for Ryan here is that he surrendered six hard-hit balls, including three with exit velocities over 106 mph that went for extra bases. Not great. He’ll aim for better results his next time out when he faces the division-rival Tigers on Monday in his next outing.

Ramírez gave Cleveland a commanding four-run lead with a towering two-run homer to left in the eighth inning, hammering a high fastball from Dodgers lefty Tanner Scott. The 33-year-old fantasy stalwart has gotten off to an unexpected frosty start at the plate, hitting .143 (4-for-28) with one homer, five RBI and two steals through seven games.

Pages was responsible for Los Angeles’ lone extra-base hit of the contest until Freddie Freeman went deep with two outs in the ninth inning. The 25-year-old center fielder has been one of the early bright spots for the Dodgers, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with one homer and five RBI in six games, which is a pleasant surprise since he looked completely lost at the dish during last year’s postseason run.

Freeman took Cleveland stopper Cade Smith deep with two outs in the ninth inning, crushing a gargantuan 407-foot moonshot to straightaway center field to break up a potential shutout. The entire top half of Los Angeles’ loaded lineup has inexplicably gotten off to an ice-cold start to the season. They’re far too talented to continue flailing and it’s only a matter of time before they get back on track.

It was a bit surprising to see Smith summoned to protect a four-run lead in the final frame after giving up a pair of runs in a non-save situation the previous night. He got Kyle Tucker and Mookie Betts to fly out before serving up a 407-foot homer to Freddie Freeman. The hard-throwing 26-year-old stopper was able to settle down afterwards and prevent the inning from snowballing, getting Will Smith to fly out to preserve the win. Given his recent workload it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shawn Armstrong handle a save chance during Friday’s home opener.

Williams authored a masterful performance in an extremely challenging road matchup against a Dodgers lineup that resembles a fully operational Death Star, scattering two hits and three walks over seven frames while recording double-digit strikeouts for the fifth time in his career. The 26-year-old former top pitching prospect, who posted a sparkling 2.18 ERA across 12 second half starts to close out last year, has looked like an upper-echelon fantasy starter so far, allowing three runs with a 16/9 K/BB ratio across 11 innings of work. He’ll face the Royals on Tuesday in a home matchup.

Yamamoto wasn’t at his sharpest in this one, seemingly battling some command issues throughout the contest, but still managed to navigate six frames on an economical 87 pitches. He finished with only two strikeouts and only handed out one free pass. The -year-old has allowed four runs with an 8/1 K/BB ratio across 12 innings through two starts this season. He’ll take the ball on Tuesday against the Blue Jays in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s thrilling World Series.

According to multiple reports, the 19-year-old prodigy is negotiating with the Pirates on a long-term contract extension, which would likely expedite his timeline to the majors. He’s hitting .438 (7-for-16) with three doubles, three steals and a 5/4 BB/K ratio through five games at Triple-A this season. It’s worth noting that Pittsburgh’s home opener is on Friday and having Griffin at shortstop would make it one of the franchise’s most anticipated games since Paul Skenes debuted earlier this decade. His dynamic power/speed combination makes him an immediate five-category impact fantasy contributor once he arrives in the big leagues.

Domínguez wrapped up spring training on a high note, hitting .346 with four homers in 17 games. The 23-year-old former top prospect was shipped to the minors towards the end of camp to continue playing everyday instead of languishing on New York’s bench. The gap between Triple-A and the majors is wider than ever before and Domínguez will have to show something at the highest level before fantasy managers can trust him with a roster spot.

It’s an extremely small sample size, but Campbell is hitting .167 (3-for-18) with one extra-base hit through four games this season. The 23-year-old former top prospect’s fantasy stock has fallen off a metaphorical cliff over the past calendar year after opening last season in the big leagues as Boston’s starting second baseman.