MLB Player News

Bote opened the scoring in the contest as he crushed a two-run shot off of left-hander JP Sears in the second inning, giving the Dodgers a lead they would never relinquish. Bote tacked on an RBI single in the sixth inning, finishing the afternoon 2-for-3. Unfortunately for him, given how crowded the Dodgers’ infield mix is, he’s likely to open the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City regardless of how well he performs in Cactus League play.

Rumfield’s blast gave the Rockies a 2-1 lead which they promptly blew in the top of the ninth. However, they came back in the bottom of the ninth to win the game on Sterlin Thompson’s pinch-hit single. Rumfield’s homer was his eighth of the year, and he also had a single tonight. His .269/.349/.426 line is plenty solid, but his 14th-percentile bat speed and fifth-percentile average exit velocity don’t really bode well for him becoming a long-term option for the Rockies. He has value in 12- and 14-team leagues at the moment, but the team shouldn’t hesitate to have him step aside when it’s time to give Charlie Condon a look.

Lorenzen topped his previous high in strikeouts by two. He entered the night with a 9.84 ERA in his previous seven starts, but the Cubs’ slump is just so deep that it didn’t matter much. Lorenzen will have a chance to feast again next week at Wrigley Field.

Ian Happ hit the homer that led to Senzatela’s third blown save. The former starter is now 6-0, however. That’s more victories than he had in 28 starts in 2021 (4-10), 19 starts in 2022 (3-7) or in 28 starts from 2023-25 (4-17).

Unlike last time out, the Cubs didn’t wait for Imanaga to have a misstep before lifting him tonight. He exited with a 1-0 lead after 90 pitches, but he was left with a no-decision after Jacob Webb gave up two runs in the eighth. Imanaga allowed just one hard-hit ball, a 98-mph groundout, and got five popouts tonight. He’ll face the Rockies again, this time at Wrigley, next Monday.

A walk and two singles got Palencia charged with a loss after he entered a 2-2 game tonight. It was the fourth straight game in which Palencia was brought into a tie. He last had a save situation on May 14, and the only time he’s pitched with a lead since then was on May 30, when he finished off a 6-1 game.

The homer was a three-run blast that broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth, his 20th of the season. Buxton hit a career-high 35 homers last year, and his SLG and ISO are both a tick higher so far in 2026. The steal was only his sixth after he stole 24 last season, but he has yet to be caught running. He entered Wednesday with an impressive 134 wRC+ dating back to 2021. Sustained health remains the most important factor for him from a fantasy perspective.

Valdez only struck out two while allowing two homers, raising his ERA to 4.40. The current mark is his highest since 2019, as the lefty has consistently been below 3.75. In 2026 he’s combining a slightly diminished ground-ball rate with a career-low strikeout rate. His next scheduled start is a rematch against his former team in Houston.

Gómez now leads the Twins with four saves on the year and has picked up three of their past four. A whopping 11 relievers have earned a save for Minnesota in 2026, but Gómez is beginning to consolidate opportunities. He has been brilliant since joining the team from the Rays, but to keep getting ninth-inning chances, he can’t afford to be as shaky as he looked on Wednesday.

Lewis was on a tear at Triple-A before being recalled over the weekend, and he now has his first long ball back in the bigs. He has started all four contests since returning, including one at second base and three at first base. It could lead to some favorable multi-position eligibility, but what matters most for fantasy is whether he hits.

Torres has been hot since returning from the injured list in early June as he’s hitting .379 across seven games. The veteran second baseman has hit first, second, or third in every game he has started for Detroit this season. He’s running the highest walk rate of his career so far in 2026.