MLB Player News

Stephenson rejoins the Angels’ high-leverage mix for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. The 32-year-old righty, who has made 271 appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2016, will provide a lift to Los Angeles’ bullpen and help bridge the gap to veteran stopper Kenley Jansen.

Yastrzemski clobbered a 398-foot (102.4 mph EV) solo shot off of Sandy Alcantara in the second inning that increased the Braves’ early advantage to 3-0. He then singled and scored on an RBI knock by Ronald Acuna Jr. in the fifth inning. Yastrzemski also smacked an RBI double in the sixth that made it a 6-2 game. With his three-hit attack, the 35-year-old outfielder is now slashing .234/.305/.365 with three long balls and 14 RBI on the season.

Strider racked up nine strikeouts on the evening while issuing two free passes. All of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Kyle Stowers belting a pair of solo home runs and Owen Caissie adding another. The 27-year-old righty generated 15 swings and misses on 100 pitches in the contest — six of those on his slider — while posting a strong CSW of 32 percent. Now 2-0 on the season, he’ll look to keep the good times rolling as he carries a 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 27/12 K/BB ratio (21 innings) into Wednesday’s tilt against the Red Sox in Boston.

Stowers tagged Braves’ right-hander Spencer Strider for a 371-foot (100.5 mph EV) solo shot in the fourth inning that pulled the Marlins to within a run at 3-2. He then replicated the feat after an eight-pitch battle in the seventh inning, launching a 382-foot (102.7 mph EV) solo shot that made it a 6-3 ballgame. Stowers struck out in each of his other two at-bats in the contest. For the season, the 28-year-old is slashing a disappointing .228/.328/.366 with three homers and eight RBI through his first 116 plate appearances.

The right-hander punched out three batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. The Braves got to him early with a pair of home runs — a two-run blast by Michael Harris II in the first and a solo shot from Mike Yastrzemski in the second. Alcantara then settled in until they scratched out two more runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth. He got seven swings and misses on 94 pitches on the evening, posting a miserable CSW of only 19 percent. He’ll try to put this one behind him and get back on track as he carries a 4.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 48/20 K/BB ratio (69 2/3 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Acuña suffered the injury at some point during Thursday’s contest. He did undergo precautionary X-rays, which came back negative for any fractures. Weiss also noted that the superstar outfielder was already lobbying to be included in Friday’s lineup. He’s considered day-to-day. It sounds like fantasy managers dodged a bullet here.

The Cardinals are in need of an extra outfielder with Nathan Church expected to land on the injured list with an undisclosed issue. It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 28-year-old outfielder. Torres has hit .336/.454/.477 with a pair of homers and 16 RBI in 166 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

The superstar outfielder was removed when the Braves took the field for the sixth inning. Fortunately, the team is calling his exit a precautionary measure, and his injury isn’t believed to be serious. Fantasy managers should be sure to check back on Friday to ensure that he’s in the lineup when setting lineups for the weekend.

The Rockies needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Chad Stevens on Thursday and unfortunately for Palmquist he was the odd man out this time. There’s a decent chance that he could pass through waivers unclaimed and continue to function as extra pitching depth for the Rockies.

Peralta made just one appearance during his time with the big league club, giving up two runs on two hits and a pair of walks in just 2/3 of an inning. Blas Castano was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his place in the Rockies’ bullpen.

Castano was recalled from Triple-A on Sunday, optioned back on Monday and now returns on Thursday as Brenton Doyle heads to the injured list. The 27-year-old hurler allowed just one run over 2 1/3 innings during his last brief stay with the Rockies. He’ll function in a middle relief role.