MLB Player News

Despite walking way too many batters, Krook has been effective as both a starter and a reliever in the minors. In the majors, though, he’s given up 13 earned runs in five innings for the Yankees and Orioles. The A’s will likely keep the 30-year-old in the bullpen and see if they can figure something out with him. He’s struck out 109 in 77 2/3 innings in Triple-A the last two years.

Díaz struck out two of the three batters he faced during a 19-pitch outing. He’ll make the second of back-to-back outings on Thursday. There was optimism that he would make it back to face his former team later this week, but he’s probably going to make at least one more rehab appearance over the weekend before the Dodgers decide to bring him back from the injured list. It likely has more to do with making Díaz fly across the country to New York than anything else. He’s on track to return next week.

Ortiz’s triple was a 343-foot fly to right that should have been caught, but it was a nice day regardless. All three of his balls in play were hard-hit, and he made a couple of nice plays at third. Ortiz finishes the three-game series 5-for-9 with a homer. He’s hit .338 with four homers and 13 RBI in his last 21 games, raising his OPS from .530 to .662.

Henderson gave up homers to Marcus Semien and Brett Baty, but both were solo shots. He went without a walk for the second straight outing and moved to 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA over eight starts this season. Durability is a real question mark here, but he could be a top-30 SP the rest of the way if he remains healthy. He’ll take on the Giants next.

Megill had some good fortune today. With one out after a leadoff walk, Luis Torrens hit a hard liner to right, but it was right at Luis Lara for an out. Francisco Alvarez singled in a run afterwards, and A.J. Ewing threatened another hit, but Joey Ortiz made a great diving play at third to end the game. Megill had gone 15 straight appearances without allowing a run.

He struck out six. The runs all came in the second, with Joey Ortiz’s two-run triple to right serving as the big blow. That ball really ought to have been caught, though, and probably would have been had the Mets started Luis Robert Jr. or Tyrone Taylor in the outfield today instead of playing Brett Baty in right. If it had been caught, there’s a good chance Scott would have gotten through four scoreless and continued to pitch into the fifth. As is, he was done very early, and his ERA rose from 2.87 to 3.13. He should still be a nice option in mixed leagues next week with home starts against the Braves and Marlins.

Polanco is 4-for-25 with one extra-base hit and a total of four hard-hit balls since coming off the injured list. It probably wouldn’t be worth worrying about if he was 100 percent physically, but he’s obviously not completely recovered from his Achilles issues, and it’s not at all clear that he’ll be helpful over the rest of the season. If he doesn’t start to improve over these next couple of weeks, one wonders if the Mets might decide to shut him down and try to get him ready for 2027.

The second-overall selection receives a whopping $9.75 million from Tampa Bay, which represents the second-highest signing bonus in draft history. It’s also a record for a high school player, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. The 18-year-old shortstop has a chance to evolve into the most impactful fantasy contributor from his draft class. He projects as a future five-category standout capable of hitting for both average and power while also chipping in some stolen bases. He’s several hyperspace jumps from the majors at this stage of his development, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he moved quickly through Tampa Bay’s system in the coming years.

Ramírez takes a seat for the second straight game after starting three consecutive contests earlier this week. The 22-year-old infielder hasn’t really gotten an extended opportunity with the Cubs. He would be interesting for fantasy purposes in an everyday role. He made the leap from a unheralded contact-oriented hitter with limited power into a potential top-tier prospect with elite bat-to-ball skills and upper-echelon exit velocities earlier this year at the Triple-A level. He’s a name to watch at the upcoming trade deadline in case his playing time equation changes.

Noel was in Orioles camp as a non-roster invitee this spring after being cut loose by the Guardians last offseason. The power-hitting 25-year-old hit .121 (13-for-107) with three homers in 30 games for Triple-A Norfolk before getting hurt in late May. There’s probably an organization out there willing to bring him in as a zero-risk reclamation project.

Fried returns to New York’s rotation for the nightcap of Wednesday’s twin bill against the Pirates following a 10-week absence due to a bone bruise in his elbow. The 32-year-old fantasy ace posted a strong 3.21 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 50/19 K/BB ratio across 61 2/3 innings prior to hitting the shelf in mid-May. He’s likely to be limited to roughly 60 pitches in his return from the injured list since that was the number he was slated to throw in a minor league rehab start before the Yankees decided to bring him back instead. His return should provide a massive lift for fantasy managers heading into the final two months.