MLB Player News

The trade is now official. San Francisco’s largest deficiency was their lack of a left-handed power option in the middle of their lineup and they addressed that need by acquiring one of the most formidable lefty sluggers in baseball. It’ll be fascinating to see how Devers is deployed — will he cover third base while Matt Chapman is sidelined, will he be willing to play first base or will he simply be stationed as the team’s designated hitter? But regardless of where he plays he represents a dramatic upgrade to the Giants’ lineup. Oracle Park isn’t a hitter’s paradise for left-handed sluggers, but Devers brand of elite over-the-fence pop is unlikely to be severely impacted. The fantasy value of his entire Giants supporting cast improves with this addition.

It’s an extremely encouraging development that Acuña is feeling well enough to return following a one-game absence after being scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with lower back tightness. The 27-year-old franchise cornerstone tweaked his back earlier this week while lifting weights, but it doesn’t appear to be a significant concern. It certainly looks like he’ll compete in next week’s All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night at Truist Park, barring an unexpected development.

Harper’s fourth-inning big fly to left field against Giants veteran Justin Verlander — his 10th homer of the season — was his first extra-base hit since returning from the injured list back on June 30. It was his first round-tripper since June 3. His four extra-base hits represented a career-high single-game mark for the 32-year-old fantasy stalwart. Injuries have undoubtedly impacted his on-field performance, but Harper appears to be rounding into form heading into next week’s All-Star break.

Luzardo retired 17 of the final 18 batters he faced to finish the first half on a high note, completing seven frames for the first time since May 25. The 27-year-old southpaw limited San Francisco’s lineup to just three hits and one walk, while getting nearly two touchdowns worth of run support from Philadelphia’s offense.

Verlander looked sharp early on in his final start before next week’s All-Star break, but wound up surrendering seven hits, including a fourth-inning solo shot to Phillies star Bryce Harper. It wasn’t all bad as he piled up seven strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer will bring an underwhelming 4.70 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 67/26 K/BB ratio across 76 2/3 innings (15 starts) into the second half.

Kepler is presumably day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against the Padres. He was 1-for-3 with an RBI before exiting Wednesday’s one-sided affair at Oracle Park.

No surprise here after Wilson suffered a left hand contusion when he was hit by a pitch during Tuesday’s series opener. The positive news for the Athletics, and fantasy managers, is that initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures. The 23-year-old All-Star will be re-evaluated in the coming days, but it appears he’s avoided serious injury. It’ll be Max Muncy filling in at shortstop on Wednesday night.

The hard-hit grounder through the infield against Kirby Yates was Chourio’s lone hit after a flyout and three strikeouts. It extended his hitting streak to eight games, during which he’s homered twice and drive in six runs.

Quintana walked four, but he otherwise frustrated the Dodgers, who managed to produce only singles from Esteury Ruiz and Andy Pages. It’s the seventh time in 13 starts this season that Quintana has allowed one or no runs. He ends the first half 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA, and the Brewers are 9-4 in his starts.

Megill stranded the automatic runner in the top of the 10th before the Brewers won the game in the bottom of the inning. MLB hasn’t officially announced it, but Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game that Megill is getting added to the NL All-Star team. With a 2.41 ERA and 21 saves in 24 chances, he’s earned the nod.

He struck out five and walked three. Glasnow averaged 96.8 mph with his fastball today, a nice improvement over his mark of 95.2 mph from his first five starts before going on the IL with a shoulder injury. He was in that same improved territory in his three Triple-A rehab starts, too, so it doesn’t seem like a one-time thing. It bodes well for his second half, if he can remain healthy.