MLB Player News

Machado will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Jose Iglesias has replaced the All-Star at third base. This would be a significant blow for fantasy managers and the Padres if Machado were to miss significant time.

Hernández takes a seat for the first time this season after going 3-for-4 with three runs scored during Friday’s blowout win in Washington. The 33-year-old has recorded just one extra-base hit through seven games this season, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of RBI. It’ll be Alex Call in left field to face Nationals starter Jake Irvin.

It’ll be southpaw reliever Brennan Bernardino opening the contest to face Philadelphia’s lefty-heavy top of the order before giving the ball to Dollander. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect has big-time stuff but he’s been extremely wild from a results standpoint while operating out of Colorado’s bullpen this season, surrendering runs on five hits, including three homers, with a 5/2 K/BB ratio across four innings of work. There’s huge long-term upside here if Dollander is able to put it together, but he’s a work in progress at the moment and can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues.

Paez ships up to Boston after passing through waivers unclaimed following his removal from Chicago’s active roster earlier this week. The 22-year-old reliever made the White Sox’ season-opening bullpen as a Rule 5 pick, but wound up lasting just one week in the big leagues, allowing six runs on four hits with three walks and zero strikeouts over three innings of work.

Jensen remains out of Kansas City’s lineup for the second consecutive contest after a highly-publicized incident Thursday where he overslept and was scratched from the lineup. The 22-year-old rookie backstop figures to be behind the dish for the second game of Saturday’s twin bill after veteran Salvador Perez handles the catching duties in the opening contest.

Valenzuela has been summoned to the majors for the first time to bolster Toronto’s catching situation with starter Alejandro Kirk hitting the shelf with a fractured left thumb. It’s the first call-up for the 25-year-old backstop after coming over from the Padres in the Will Wagner trade last July. He’ll serve as veteran Tyler Heineman’s caddy while Kirk is on the injured list.

Kirk underwent imaging that revealed a dislocation in his thumb, along with a fracture. He’ll meet with a specialist early next week to determine whether surgery is needed. There should be a definitive return timetable following that evaluation. He suffered the injury when he took a foul tip off his hand in the 10th inning of Friday’s extra-inning marathon against the White Sox. It’s a significant loss for the defending American League champions, and fantasy managers as well, since he’s facing a multi-week absence, even if he manages to avoid surgery. The 27-year-old backstop was off to a slow start at the plate, hitting (3-for-20) through five games this season. It’ll be Tyler Heineman handling the catching duties in his absence.

It’ll be Griffin’s first rehab outing since suffering an Achilles tear last June while pitching for the Mets. The 29-year-old figures to be an option for the back-end of San Diego’s rotation mix at some point in May or June. He would likely represent an upgrade over cromulent veterans Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez for the Padres.

It’s the lowest Mongomery has hit in Chicago’s lineup this season as Toronto throws lefty Mason Fluharty on Saturday afternoon in the Windy City. The 24-year-old shortstop is off to an ice-cold start at the dish, hitting .192 (5-for-26) with one homer, five RBI and one steal through seven games. He’s struck out in 34.5 percent of his 29 plate appearances so far. It’s admittedly a small sample size, but he continues to look like a batting average liability without enough big-time power upside to make him a viable mixed-league option in shallow fantasy formats.

Wheeler finished with one strikeout while allowing four hits, including a home run, and issuing a pair of walks. The results are less concerning than his fastball velocity, which averaged just 92.7 mph after sitting in the 96 mph range last year. The 35-year-old threw 49 pitches (26 strikes) in his second rehab outing as he continues to build up towards a potential late-April or early-May return to Philadelphia’s rotation coming off last year’s thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.

Strider remains without a firm timeline to begin a minor league rehab assignment, which is likely to last several weeks. He’ll need to progress to facing hitters before he’s ready for rehab starts. The 27-year-old former fantasy ace has been on the shelf since the end of spring training recovering from an oblique strain. It’s starting to look like some point in May might be an optimistic goal at this juncture.