MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters he’s hopeful Stroman isn’t facing an extended absence. The 33-year-old hit the injured list earlier this weekend with left knee inflammation. He’ll presumably be cleared to resume throwing at some point next week once the swelling subsides. He should make it back to New York’s rotation mix at some point in May, barring any setbacks.

Vargas has his seventh homer, and this one came off José Soriano to give Chicago a 5-0 lead. After getting off to a rough start, Vargas has improved his slash to .228/.360/.447. That’s a decent enough slash, but more impressive when you consider it was .153/.287/.306 on April 18.

Of course he did. Murakami also didn’t strike out, which is nice to see from a player who has already whiffed 50 times. It’s tough to be mad at that strikeout total when you’re hitting the ball over the fence as often as he is, and he took José Soriano deep for his 14th homer of the campaign. There are going to be moments where Murakami’s swing-and-miss makes him a borderline unplayable option, but he’s at the very least proven that power he showed in Japan can certainly play at this level. This has been very impressive. Obvious point is obvious.

We knew regression was going to come for Soriano, and unfortunately, it came relatively hard Monday. He allowed a pair of homers — one of them the 14th homer of the season for Munetaka Murakami — and he gave up eight total hits along with three walks. He also did finish with five strikeouts while generating 12 swings and misses and showing quality velocity, so it wasn’t an issue of stuff. He’ll look to get back on track while still holding an outstanding 1.74 ERA versus the Blue Jays in Toronto on Sunday.

It’s time to start taking Martin more seriously. He generated 19 swings and misses to procure the double-digit strikeout game, and he allowed only four hard-hit balls in the process. That’s now three-consecutive starts where he’s allowed no more than one run, and the Angels really didn’t challenge the 29-year-old as seen in just two extra-base hits. He now has a 1.64 ERA, 51-1 record and 43/8 K/BB ratio. He’ll try and continue to prove this is real Friday in a start against the Mariners at home in Chicago.

Arraez scored after both doubles. The 29-year-old has been solid in his 34 games with San Francisco, and is now hitting .316/.340/.398 across his 133 at-bats in his first year with the Giants. That triple-slash is is sustainable for Arraez, which is both a compliment to his plate skills and insult to his lack of pop.

Merrill shellacked a solo homer off Trevor McDonald in the first inning that went an estimated 436 feet, but it would be the last run San Diego would score off McDonald. Merrill has had some decent flashes in 2026, but the overall slash of .220/.283/.362 is at the very least frustrating. He’s only 23 and the talent is readily apparent, but fantasy managers have a right to be flustered by these results.

Vasquez wasn’t bad, but Trevor McDonald (7 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO) was much better. He allowed two runs in the first, and another run was charged to him after he exited in the sixth. The 27-year-old has allowed eight runs over his last two starts, and it’s pushed his ERA up to 3.20 in the process. That’s still solid, but more regression is likely coming. He’ll be back on the bump Saturday for a scheduled start versus the Cardinals.

McDonald pounded the strike zone; landing 60-of-81 pitches while allowing only two hits. The 25-year-old was just recalled Monday for the series-opener, and he generated 10 swings and misses while allowing a respectable seven hard-hit balls in the process. McDonald impressed in his MLB time last year, as well, but there’s no word yet as to when — or if — he’ll get another turn in the rotation.

Killian gave up a solo blast to Ramon Laureano, but it came with the Giants holding a 3-1 lead. The 28-year-old right-hander has his first save of the season, but it may not be the last even after giving up the roundtripper. He struck out two, and he now has an excellent 1.13 ERA on the season after giving up the homer with a 20/8 K/BB over 17 innings. It’s something to keep an eye on.

Suzuki’s home run was his sixth of the season. He hit a three-run shot off Chase Petty in the fourth inning. Suzuki has four home runs in his last 10 games. He’s hitting .321 with a .985 OPS so far this year.