MLB Player News

If not for Aaron Judge, you could argue that Raleigh has been the MVP of the American League for the first third of the season. His homer was the 15th of the season, and it broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning. On top of that offensive prowess, he’s also as good as it gets behind the plate, and his fantasy value increases because the Mariners essentially refuse to let Raleigh have a day off. Raleigh is a star, and the 28-year-old should remain as good — if not better — as any backstop in baseball.

Heyward was one of the most-hyped prospects in recent memory, but never quite developed the power that would have made him a generational player. Instead he became a five-time Gold Glove winner with speed and on-base skills in a corner. He signed an eight-year, $194 million contract with the Cubs in free agency and helped the club break the curse in 2016. Heyward was released from that contract before it was over and bounced around with the Dodgers, Astros, and Padres in recent years.

Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery in October and is presumably signing a two-year pact here. The Yankees will oversee the 29-year-old’s rehab and hope they can rediscover his 2021-2022 form, where he started 56 games for the Astros and compiled a 3.60 ERA, 26 wins, and 324 strikeouts in 312.2 innings.

DeLauter, who got into two postseason games last October, got the Guardians on the board with a 353-foot homer in the first and then added some insurance with a one-run lead with a 422-foot blast in the ninth. He also had a single and another run scored in between. DeLauter’s struggles staying healthy as a minor leaguer don’t bode well, but there’s no questioning the former first-rounder’s talent. He’d seem to be worth using in mixed leagues for now.

He struck out one. Smith declined to play for Canada in the WBC after topping 70 innings out of the Guardians pen for a second straight year in 2025, but it probably would have gone just fine. He’s a definite threat to lead the league in saves with the closer’s role all to his own in Cleveland this year.

Gilbert struck out seven and walked one, but he gave up a Chase DeLauter homer in the first and two runs on three hits in the fifth. The DeLauter homer likely would have been prevented had Gilbert or Cal Raleigh challenged a 2-2 ball in the first, but both opted against it and DeLauter followed with the solo shot. Gilbert is slated to pitch again Tuesday against the Yankees.

Hoskins, who has five 25-homer seasons under his belt, hit the hardest ball of his career tonight, reaching 112.3 mph on his double. He’d previously gotten to 112.2 mph a couple of times, though his high since missing 2023 with an ACL tear was 111.2 mph. The Guardians might have brought him initially as a starter against lefties, but he’s probably going to play regularly for the foreseeable future. We wouldn’t rush to grab him in standard mixed leagues, but he might offer value in deeper formats.

Canzone’s homers checked in at 444 and 418 feet. Even his two outs tonight left the bat at 100.5 and 102.1 mph. Canzone’s .300/.358/.481 line in 82 games last year was incredibly impressive for a T-Mobile hitter. He plays in the worst ballpark in the league for hitters, he doesn’t start against lefties and he has no steal ability, but he might just possess some fantasy value anyway.

That’s no good. Bibee was removed while warming up for the sixth inning tonight. After the game, he said the injury was a new one, and he got to the point where he felt like he “couldn’t battle through it.” Given his comments, even if the injury proves to be relatively minor, we imagine he’ll spend some time on the IL. Logan Allen is the obvious choice to replace him in the Cleveland rotation, though the Guardians could recall Codi Heuer until a start is needed against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Smith’s injury really came out of nowhere, and it’s particularly unfortunate timing for Arizona with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Tyler Locklear and Adrian Del Castillo all on the IL. That left Tim Tawa to serve as the DH in Thursday’s game. Ideally, the Diamondbacks would replace Smith with a left-handed bat if he’s forced to the IL, but they don’t have any decent alternatives in the minors. Their best internal option is probably to add righty Luken Baker and shift Locklear to the 60-day IL.

Bibee came back out for the sixth after allowing three runs in five innings, but something happened during warmups that resulted in a visit from the trainer. Manager Stephen Vogt followed and lifted Bibee from the tie game. Bibee struck out seven before leaving. Three solo homers accounted for all of the damage against him. If Bibee misses some time, Logan Allen would presumably be recalled to replace him in the rotation.