MLB Player News

Mark Vientos suffered a hamstring injury on Monday night that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said “didn’t look good.” With reports that Mauricio is coming up, it would seem likely that Vientos could end up on the injured list. Mauricio is hitting .515/.564/.818 in nine games at Triple-A with three home runs, eight RBI, and a 5/5 K/BB ratio. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL and has not yet played back-to-back games in the minors, so it’s unlikely to has an everyday role right away. He had 23 home runs and 24 steals in 116 games at Triple-A in 2023 with a .292/.346/.506 slash line and has played both second base and third base at Triple-A. With Jared Young being the primary DH against righties and Brett Baty playing third base, it seems likely that Mauricio starts off in a short-side platoon.

Kwan is expected to miss at least the team’s weekend series against the Red Sox. The Guardians will announce a corresponding roster move prior to Friday’s series opener.

Gibson picked up his first victory against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing just one run on six hits and four walks across 5 1/3 innings of work. It’s unclear what the Orioles plan to do the next time this spot in the rotation comes around, but for now Gibson will continue to refine his craft at the Triple-A level.

It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 25-year-old right-hander. Weston made 11 appearances (seven starts) at the Triple-A level this season, posting a 6.26 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and a 40/19 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings. He’ll add length to an Orioles’ bullpen that has been taxed recently. Trey Gibson was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move on Thursday.

A really nice day that could have been even better; Trout’s two-run double in the ninth would have been a homer in 18 ballparks, and the lone out he made today was a 108-mph liner right to Wenceel Pérez in right. Also, the Tigers intentionally walked him with runners on second and third in the fifth. Trout is hitting .239/.405/.487 with 13 homers. He scored once today and is tied for fourth in the majors at 41 runs.

This one was more deserved than the last, in which he gave up four runs over five innings last Friday against the Rangers. Rodriguez allowed two hits, walked two and struck out five today. The lone run came on a wind-aided homer from Wenceel Pérez. Rodriguez has a 7.53 ERA since making his season debut earlier this month, but each outing has been better than the last. He makes for a quality streaming option next week in a home start against the Rockies.

Flaherty fanned nine today with his velocity up about one mph, but the Angels got to him for four hits in a three-run fifth inning and that was enough to drop him to 0-7 on the year. Flaherty entered lastyear with a career winning percentage of .573, having gone 55-41 over eight seasons. Since then, he’s 8-22, knocking him down to .500. He’ll take a 5.81 ERA into his next start against the Rays.

Pérez’s 40-degree, 98-mph homer to right in the second definitely got some help from the wind, but he’ll take it. Pérez is hitting just .175/.241/.302 in 137 plate appearances, and he’d probably be in Triple-A right now if the Tigers were at full strength. As is, he’s essentially an everyday player, having started seven games in a row and 15 out of 17 since Kerry Carpenter went on the IL.

Injuries have forced the Tigers to use Vierling a lot more than anticipated, and it’s not going well. Normally a platoon guy against lefties, he’s currently starting against righties about two-thirds of the time, even though he’s hitting just .183/.228/.323 against them. If Max Clark were thriving in Triple-A, the Tigers probably would have called him up by now. As is, they’re really lacking in alternatives.

Alvarez has a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings, will get a better shot at a win with this news, and the Padres haven’t hit well at all this year. It’s hard to recommend the Alvarez streaming start, but we could definitely see it working out.

Carmen Mlodzinski will be demoted to the bullpen. Jones has a 2.89 ERA in five rehab starts throughout the minor leagues, striking out 24 in 18 2/3 innings in coming back from internal brace surgery on his elbow ligament. He draws a tasty assignment against a struggling Twins lineup, but isn’t a must-start in his first game back as he’s only gotten up to 76 pitches so far and there’s no guarantee he’ll go long enough to qualify for a win. Either way, he should be rostered in most leagues based on the potential he showed last season before the elbow injury.