MLB Player News

The 27-year-old right-hander has been sidelined since late April due to a shoulder impingement. Given the long layoff, he’s likely to require an extensive rehab assignment before he’ll be an option to help out the Reds at the big league level.

Lewis returns to the big leagues after nearly a month at Triple-A, where he tore the cover off the ball, hitting .333 (20-for-60) with 10 homers across 15 games. The gap between Triple-A and the big leagues feels wider than it has in recent memory, which makes projecting immediate success for Lewis a challenge as he returns to the majors. He’s clearly regained some confidence at the plate, which is an important variable. He’s expected to see time at third base, first base and DH moving forward. At a minimum, Lewis is worthy of a speculative add in deeper mixed leagues on the chance he can translate his strong Triple-A run into sustained success at the highest level.

Torres is hitting .538 (7-for-13) with one homer and three RBI in three games since returning from the injured list earlier this week. The 29-year-old second baseman appears poised to continue leading off for Detroit with rookie star Kevin McGonigle hitting second.

It’s a challenging spot for Morris right out of the gate as he’ll face the Astros at hitter-friendly Daikin Park. The unheralded 23-year-old was called up earlier this week after posting a respectable 4.45 ERA and 49/26 K/BB ratio across 60 2/3 innings over 11 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas this season. He’s not a recommended streaming option for fantasy managers but he’s another name to watch closely since he appears to have a spot in the club’s rotation for now.

Braydon Fisher will take the ball as Toronto’s opener. The big question is what happens to Miles once Dylan Cease (hamstring) and Max Scherzer (forearm) are ready to rejoin Toronto’s rotation in the near future. The 25-year-old has pitched well in a bulk relief role recently, despite getting lit up for six runs by the Orioles last weekend. He’s a reasonable streaming option in deeper mixed leagues based on his season-long numbers, but Baltimore has had success against him and will be seeing him for the second time in less than a week, which amplifies the risk.

Schwellenbach remains limited to playing catch from flat-ground during the beginning stages of a throwing progression as he continues his recovery from surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow back in mid-February. The 26-year-old remains without a definitive return timetable and it sounds like he won’t make it back to Atlanta until the late stages of the second half.

Chapman was able to power through the minor ailment to fire a scoreless ninth inning against the Yankees on Friday night to record his 13th save of the season. It sounds like the 38-year-old veteran closer will be able to manage the issue for now, but fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the situation. It’s possible the Red Sox will try to stay away from him on back-to-back days, which would likely result in Justin Slaten getting a look in a save situation.

This is getting ridiculous. Anderson lowered his ERA to a microscopic 1.29 mark across 49 innings over 10 starts this season by allowing just one baserunner and needing just 73 pitches (47 strikes) to navigate five nearly-perfect frames. He posted nine strikeouts for the third time in his last five starts. The 21-year-old southpaw, who was selected third overall in last year’s MLB Draft, is on the fast track to Seattle and figures to get his opportunity later this summer, especially if the club is in contention for a playoff spot. His arrival doesn’t feel imminent, but the Mariners might not be able to hold him off too much longer if he keeps this up.

Culpepper’s latest homer was a 395-foot opposite-field shot to right-center that extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Minnesota has ostensibly cleared the runway for him to arrive in the majors as their shortstop of the present and future by moving Brooks Lee over to third base. The 23-year-old former first-round pick is hitting .467 (7-for-15) with two homers and one steal in four games since the start of June. He’s slashing .270/.374/.500 with 14 round-trippers and 13 thefts across 55 games overall. Needless to say, he’s one of the more intriguing stash candidates in the minors for fantasy managers given his power/speed combo and proximity to the big leagues.

Helsley completed another bullpen session on Friday at Camden Yards and figures to head out on a minor league rehab assignment early next week. The hard-throwing 31-year-old stopper has been out with elbow inflammation since late April. His return figures to push Rico Garcia, who has been outstanding during his absence, back to more of a fireman-type role before the ninth inning. It’s a bit unclear how many tune-up appearances Helsley will need given the lengthy layoff, but he figures to return to Baltimore’s bullpen by mid-June.