MLB Player News

Ford has gotten off to a strong start at Triple-A on the heels of an impressive spring training performance in Mariners camp. The 22-year-old backstop’s speed and athleticism are extremely rare for a catcher and give him a shot at being one of the more unique talents in the fantasy landscape once he arrives. He’s a name to monitor in deeper mixed leagues on the chance that he gets a shot later this year with Seattle in a backup role.

De La Cruz has resumed baseball activities and appears ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation process from a hamstring strain that put him on the shelf earlier this week. The 24-year-old was originally expected to miss 2-4 weeks, but it’s starting to look like he’ll be on the shorter end of that spectrum. There should be a definitive return timeline once he undergoes additional imaging on Friday.

Greene remains without a definitive return timetable at this juncture in his rehabilitation from arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips and loose bodies from his pitching elbow back in early March. However, he’s progressed to throwing bullpen sessions and could potentially make it back to Cincinnati’s rotation sometime around late June or early July. He’ll need a handful of rehab starts before he’s ready to make his season debut. There should be a clearer timeline once he’s cleared to make his first rehab start.

Twins manager Derek Shelton said there are no plans for Buxton to undergo imaging after he suffered a right shoulder contusion while making a phenomenal leaping catch at the center-field wall during the third inning of Friday’s series opener against the Royals. It’s the same shoulder that he injured while sliding into second base back on May 23. The 32-year-old fantasy stalwart will get some extra time off to rest and recover this weekend, but he appears to have avoided serious injury. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Sunday’s series finale. It’ll be Ryan Kreidler taking over in center field on Saturday afternoon.

Garcia, who came off the bench to pinch-hit during Friday’s series opener, returns to Kansas City’s lineup in the cleanup spot following a six-game absence due to a right hamstring strain that he suffered last weekend. The 26-year-old infielder somehow managed to a trip to the injured list, but he’ll likely be limited to DH for a couple days, if not longer. It’s fair to question how the Royals handled the situation, but Garcia appears unlikely to miss any additional time.

Ramírez has gone 4-for-16 with one RBI in 17 plate appearances over eight games since being called up from Triple-A Iowa last month. The 22-year-old rookie gets a look at the keystone with Nico Hoerner sliding over to shortstop with Dansby Swanson getting a rare day off.

Varsho receives some extra time off to rest and recover following his removal from Friday’s series opener against the Orioles with left wrist discomfort. X-rays came back negative. Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed optimism that Varsho, who has been dealing with the lingering wrist issue recently, will be able to return in a couple days. Myles Straw takes over in center field on Saturday afternoon in his absence.

Assad fortifies Chicago’s overworked bullpen after the club burned through five relievers following Edward Cabrera’s abbreviated outing against the Giants on Friday afternoon. He provides the Cubs with some additional long relief depth for the rest of the weekend series against San Francisco.

Roberts earns a ticket back to the minors after tossing 1 2/3 innings during Friday’s blowout loss to the Giants.

Arroyo has started just three of five games since being called up from Triple-A Louisville earlier this week, going 2-for-10 with one run scored during that span. The 22-year-old top prospect’s path to regular at-bats is partially obstructed by Cincinnati’s overflow of veteran infielders, but he should see enough time at second base to make an impact in deeper mixed leagues. Matt McLain is at shortstop with Spencer Steer getting into the lineup at second base on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals aren’t going to push Nootbaar from a workload standpoint by throwing him out there for an afternoon contest following a night game. It’ll be Victor Scott II in center field with Nelson Velázquez patrolling left field. The 28-year-old corner outfielder went 2-for-6 with an RBI on Friday night in his season debut.