MLB Player News

Espada told reporters that Altuve has also been taking grounders at second, as well. There’s been much talk about the 34-year-old playing in left to create more roster versatility, and also potentially opening a spot for Alex Bregman with Isaac Paredes playing second base if Bregman was to return. There’d be an uptick in fantasy value if Altuve can play both in the outfield and second base, but his ultimate fantasy value comes from him being at the keystone.

Brash was placed on the injured list at the beginning of May with lat inflammation. It was first thought that he would return as soon as he was eligible, but he wound up taking a few extra days. He should go right back to being a key member of the late-inning committe in Seattle.

White was put on the concussion IL last Monday, so he missed a little over a week. He’ll go back to his role as the fourth outfielder in Atlanta.

With Ronald Acuna Jr back and Eli White off the concussion IL, there was simply no room in the outfield for Azócar. He could re-sign a minor league deal with the Braves if he clears waivers.

Brown threw 22 pitches in a live batting practice on Tuesday. He reportedly touched 96 mph, but there’s no word on his command or secondary pitches. Still, it seems like, if his shoulder responds well, Brown will begin a rehab assignment this weekend. He’ll likely need to make at least three starts, but that should put him on track for a mid-June return.

This is now DeLuca’s fifth straight start in the outfield after his early-season playing time was limited to mostly facing left-handed pitchers. With Jake Fraley on the injured list, DeLuca has a real chance to earn a full-time role. The 27-year-old is hitting .277/.308/.429 in 118 plate appearances with two home runs, 19 RBI, and six steals. He should be on the fantasy radar in deeper formats.

Anderson has not made an MLB start since August of 2021, when he was with the Rangers. He did look good in four innings out of the bullpen on Friday, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out one. He was also tremendous as a starter in Korea last year, posting a 2.25 ERA in 171 2/3 innings. This could be a bit of an audition for him since the Tigers do have one rotation spot up for grabs. However, Troy Melton could also come off the injured list next week and take this spot in the rotation.

Mattson isn’t pitching poorly, with a 4.12 ERA in 19 2/3 innings for the Pirates this season. However, the team wanted to get pitching prospect Wilber Dotel up in their bullpen, and Mattson is one of the few relievers with minor league options remaining.

Dotel is one of the best pitching prospects in the Pirates system and has delivered in a small MLB sample size this year, posting a 1.35 ERA and 4/3 K/BB ratio across 6 2/3 innings over three appearances. He should immediately help in the middle innings but could be a factor in the later innings down the stretch if he keeps pitching at this level.

The 24-year-old Matthews had spent a lot of time in centerfield for the Astros this season, but after Jose Altuve got hurt, he started at second base twice over the weekend. Then, Jeremy Pena was activated from the injured list on Monday, and Matthews started in center field. Yet, the Astros then activated Jake Meyers from the injured list on Tuesday, and Matthews headed to the bench. With Meyers, Cam Smith, Zach Cole, and Zach Dezenzo all in the outfield, it seems like Matthews has entered a timeshare at second base with Braden Shewmake. Matthews has plus raw tools, but he also has a .207 average and 31.5 percent strikeout rate in 127 plate appearances this season, so it’s hard to see him as a reliable fantasy contributor.

Dezenzo was called up by the Astros on May 5th and started four of the first eight games he was with the team. He has now started in left field for each of the last six games. In that stretch, he has gone 4-for-16 with a double, a walk, and five strikeouts. He has just a 32 percent hard-hit rate on the year, and can be left on the wire in most formats.