MLB Player News

Trying to close out a one-run lead, Halvorsen gave up a two-out homer to James Wood. The first run, courtesy of the automatic runner, was unearned. Halvorsen was pitching for the second straight day and third time in four days, so he’ll be down Friday. Tyler Kinley or Jake Bird could get a save chance then.

Spencer Steer takes over at the keystone to face Yankees rookie starter Elmer Rodríguez with top prospect Edwin Arroyo at shortstop for his eighth consecutive start since June 12. The big question for fantasy managers is whether Arroyo, who is hitting just .255 (12-for-47) through 17 games since being called up, will remain in the big leagues once Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is ready to return from the injured list in a couple days.

Rojas returns to Minnesota’s pitching equation after missing just over three weeks with elbow inflammation. The 23-year-old prospect has posted an encouraging 1.26 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 14/10 K/BB ratio over 14 1/3 innings for the Twins since coming up in late April. He projects as a swingman-type option for the Twins for the next few months, but could wind up getting a look in the rotation if Mick Abel (elbow) is facing an extended absence following a setback.

Lawrence has been removed from Minnesota’s bullpen mix after allowing 12 runs with a 12/9 K/BB ratio across six innings. The 31-year-old reliever came over from the Pirates in a small trade earlier this month. He figures to generate some interest on waivers as a middle relief depth option.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone downplayed any concern regarding Gerrit Cole’s health earlier this weekend, stating that they merely want to give everyone in the rotation an extra day of rest. The 35-year-old veteran will get the ball for Monday’s series opener against Detroit with Rodríguez making a spot start against the Reds on Sunday afternoon. The 22-year-old top prospect’s raw numbers illustrate the significant gap between Triple-A and the majors, as he’s posted an inflated 4.15 ERA across 13 innings at the highest level while turning in a strong 3.00 ERA over 51 innings on the doorstep this season. He has a bright future ahead of him, but Rodríguez isn’t an appealing streaming option in a one-and-done spot spot start before heading back to Triple-A.

Wells returns to New York’s lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Reds following a two-week absence due to cervical headaches. There’s minimal concern since precautionary imaging didn’t reveal any additional neck issues. The 26-year-old backstop went 2-for-12 with a pair of homers during a three-game minor league rehab stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was hitting .166 with four homers in 169 plate appearances over 47 contests prior to hitting the shelf earlier this month.

Hicks returns to Chicago’s relief corps for Sunday’s series finale against the Tigers following a one-month absence recovering from a lat strain. The hard-throwing 29-year-old was one of the worst relief pitchers in baseball between the Giants and Red Sox last year when he posted an abysmal 6.95 ERA across 67 1/3 innings of work. He’s been marginally better in his White Sox debut with a pedestrian 5.60 ERA over 17 2/3 innings.

Davis returns to the minors with Jordan Hicks coming off the injured list for Sunday’s series finale against Detroit. The 27-year-old rookie has posted a serviceable 4.63 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 20/13 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings since being called up back in late April.

Walker caught on with Los Angeles on a minor league contract last month and never wound up joining the club’s rotation mix. The 33-year-old veteran was cut loosed by the Phillies after recording a ghastly 9.13 ERA across 22 2/3 innings earlier this season. He would make sense as an emergency stopgap solution somewhere, but it’s challenging to envision Walker having any sustained fantasy relevance at this stage of his career.

Hernandez leads the entire minor leagues with 93 strikeouts and holds a strong 2.04 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 57 1/3 innings over 13 starts this season. The 19-year-old prodigy, who was selected sixth overall in last year’s draft, is already one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and projects as a certifiable fantasy ace in the future. He’s still a couple hyperspace jumps from the majors, but it wouldn’t be shocking if his present trajectory puts him in Pittsburgh at some point later next year.

It’s been a hot minute since Meneses was an interesting fantasy option, but landing in extremely hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento gives him a shot at deep-league relevance. The 34-year-old veteran hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since he was with the Nationals back in 2024. He earns another shot after hitting .347 with 11 round-trippers in 34 games at Triple-A Las Vegas.