MLB Player News

The Dodgers needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for Alexis Díaz on Thursday and did so by shuffling Phillips to the 60-day IL. His recent MRI revealed only inflammation in his right elbow and the Dodgers had been hopeful that he would only require a minimum stint on the injured list, so it’s a bit surprising to hear that he’ll now be shelved until the middle of July at the earliest. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues who had been hoping that Phillips could work his way into the saves mix can safely cut bait.

Clase has been recalled with George Springer headed to the paternity list. However, Clase is also not in the lineup against a left-handed pitcher on Wednesday, so he might not play much in the few games Springer misses.

Congrats to George and his growing family. Springer had a hot stretch earlier in the month, but is hitting .239/.340/.398 in 23 games in June with three home runs, three steals and 13 RBI. He is not a player you have to move on from in shallower formats, but you might be able to find more production on the waiver wire in 10 and 12-team leagues.

Scherzer is traveling with the Blue Jays on their road trip, so he will make a rehab start Friday with Vancouver, then rejoin the team in Seattle on Saturday. From there, he will throw a bullpen on Sunday, and the team will determine next steps from there. Scherzer could return right after the All-Star break, but he would remain off the fantasy radar outside of the deepest formats until we can see him pitch deep into an MLB game.

Despite hitting .147/.261/.173 in 27 games in June, the Mets continue to play Baty at second base against right-handed pitching. Ronny Mauricio has made only one start in the last month, so there doesn’t seem to be any threat to Baty’s playing time. We would not be trusting him in fantasy leagues, though. Tyrone Taylor will make his first start against right-handed pitching since coming off the injured list, starting in left field and batting ninth.

Vlad Jr. had missed Tuesday’s game with back tightness, but it was never expected to be a serious issue. Perhaps another day or two off could have helped the slumping first baseman with a mental reset, but he will be back in the lineup, and it’s hard to keep him out of fantasy lineups unless you’re in a shallow league and were able to claim multiple difference-makers off the waiver wire. Sean Keys will start at DH and bat eighth with George Springer on the paternity list.

Smith had hit .218/.316/.248 in 117 plate appearances with the Rangers at the start of the season before being demoted to Triple-A. The 28-year-old is not in the lineup on Wednesday, with Justin Foscue playing second base and batting first against a left-handed pitcher and Nicky Lopez playing shortstop and batting ninth. It remains to be seen if Smith will play over Foscue when right-handers are on the mound.

Seager has played just 51 games for the Rangers this year, hitting .182/.292/.374 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI. He’s also sporting a career-high 26.9 percent strikeout rate. The Rangers will want to ensure that he’s 100 percent healthy before bringing him back, but they are also sitting in first place in the AL West and will want to hold onto that advantage. We should have a better idea os Seager timeline at the end of the week.

The Mets are in the midst of a disappointing season and have already fired manager Carlos Mendoza, with many also calling for Stearns to step down as the team is just 208-202 in his tenure and headed toward a second straight postseason miss. However, Steve Cohen made it clear that it would not happen: “It’s a mixed record. I’m not gonna say it’s going great, but it’s too early to really make evaluations...We’ll figure out what changes need to be made. But the change that’s not going to be made is moving David out at this point. I’m just not going to do it.”

The 28-year-old has a 12.46 ERA in 4 1/3 innings for the Tigers this season. He will be used in bulk relief for the time being.

Vest last pitched on June 27th and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits in one inning. He clearly wasn’t right during that outing, and now we know why. He will undergo further imaging to determine how long he will be sidelined.