MLB Player News

All of these were easy cuts. Patiño, the former top prospect whom the Padres got back from the White Sox off waivers last winter, underwent Tommy John surgery in May. He’ll almost surely be offered a minor league contract to stick around.

Valdez winds up on the shelf after suffering the injury during Friday’s game against the Cubs. He’s likely done for the season with just over two weeks left. The power-hitting 22-year-old wraps up a strong rookie campaign with a .232/.345/.510 slash line with 40 runs scored, 17 homers and 47 RBI across 287 plate appearances in 72 games. His all-or-nothing approach, which yielded a 37 percent strikeout rate in his first taste of the majors, is going to result in some extended cold spells, but he’s capable of launching homers in bunches when he’s locked in at the dish.

Ford takes a seat after exiting Friday’s game with a left-hand issue that could also be wrist-related. The encouraging news here is that he hasn’t been placed on the injured list, which typically happens whenever a backup catcher is facing an absence. There should be an update on his status at some point before the weekend wraps up.

Jenkins takes a seat with Emmanuel Rodriguez making his big-league debut in center field. The 21-year-old top prospect is hitting .108 (4-for-37) with one homer, five RBI and one steal in 13 games since arriving in the majors last month. It’s not uncommon for an elite prospect to experience an adjustment period as they acclimate to everyday life at the highest level. Jenkins is the type of talent that fantasy managers shouldn’t be concerned about long-term, even if he struggles down the home stretch.

It may be unrealistic to expect De Paula to blossom into an immediate fantasy superstar, but he’s that caliber of special talent as a hitter. The 21-year-old prodigy went 0-for-3 with a walk during his major-league debut on Friday night. He has a roughly two-week runway to show the Dodgers what he can do while Shohei Ohtani is on the injured list with knee and biceps issues. He does a phenomenal job of controlling the strike zone, makes a ton of contact and possesses elite raw power. Simply put, he checks almost every metaphorical box as a hitting prospect. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy leagues based solely on his immense talent.

Freeman celebrates his 37th birthday by returning to first base following a two-game absence due to right knee soreness. He told reporters that he’s feeling much better after getting a couple days off to rest and recover. It doesn’t sound like the lingering knee issue will impact his availability heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. He’s put together another strong year at the plate, slashing .297/.375/.453 with 72 runs scored, 16 homers, 66 RBI and seven steals across 600 plate appearances in 140 games.

Caglianone remains out for the sixth consecutive game after taking on-field batting practice prior to Friday’s series opener at Fenway Park. Clearly, the Royals are proceeding with an abundance of caution after Caglianone was diagnosed with a mild flexor strain last weekend. It’s impossible to rule out a trip to the injured list at this juncture, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be Matthew Lugo drawing another start in right field in his place.

Cabrera will operate out of Chicago’s bullpen for the rest of the season. His stuff should play up in shorter relief stints, and he could emerge as an important weapon over the final two weeks. It’s not out of the question that he could factor into the Cubs’ closing mix with Jacob Webb struggling recently, though that’s far from a guarantee considering Cabrera has never really pitched in relief before. He’s the type of talent who could thrive out of the bullpen if he manages to stay healthy.

It’ll be Edward Cabrera taking over Thornton’s spot in Chicago’s bullpen for the remainder of the regular season. The 32-year-old has posted a respectable 3.35 ERA across 48 1/3 innings of work this season.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Steele will have at least one additional rehab outing for Triple-A Iowa next week before the club makes a decision on his status. The 31-year-old figures to pitch in relief for the Cubs since he won’t be built up enough from a workload standpoint to operate as a traditional starter.

It’s an extremely rare day off for Suzuki, who went 3-for-5 during Friday’s game against the Pirates. He’ll take a seat with Tyrone Taylor getting an opportunity to face Pirates ace Paul Skenes. The 32-year-old is on pace to finish as a top-15 fantasy outfielder, hitting .270/.369/.480 with 91 runs scored, 24 homers, 81 RBI and three steals in 578 plate appearanes.