MLB Player News

Bernabel took a second-inning pitch from Tomoyuki Sugano and hit it 385 feet for his first career MLB home run. The 23-year-old hit .301/.356/.450 with eight homers and five steals in 75 games in Triple-A this season and figures to be the regular third baseman for Colorado with Ryan McMahon in New York. At least until Ryan Ritter (finger) is ready to come off the IL.

Vargas returns to Arizona’s lineup for the first time since a massive collision with Dodgers slugger Max Muncy last Thursday. The 34-year-old is back at first base and hitting seventh at loanDepot park in Miami on Wednesday evening.

Cook returns to the majors with Oneil Cruz hitting the injured list with multiple fractures in his left hand. The 27-year-old has hit .190 (4-for-21) with three stela sin 32 games for the Pirates this season. He’ll operate in a reserve role behind Jake Mangum.

Cruz is expected to miss at least one month, reports Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It’s a massive loss for the Pirates and fantasy managers, as Cruz was putting together a monster campaign, slashing .264/.350/.472 with 14 homers, 44 RBI and 21 steals in 283 plate appearances over 64 games. He’s still striking out a ton, but has made some serious strides against left-handed pitching, evolving into an upper-echelon fantasy contributor in the process. There isn’t an official timetable from the Pirates, but fantasy managers should anticipate Cruz remaining sidelined until after next month’s All-Star break.

Murphy rejoins Chicago’s relief mix with fellow southpaw Tyler Gilbert heading to the injured list with a shoulder impingement. The 28-year-old has compiled an underwhelming 6.75 ERA across 9 1/3 innings for Chicago this season.

Gilbert will miss at least a couple weeks with the shoulder ailment. The 32-year-old lefty has allowed seven runs over 3 2/3 innings across four appearances for the White Sox this season.

Rojas will undergo an internal brace procedure after suffering a UCL tear. He might’ve had a spot on Philadelphia’s bench once his 80-game PED suspension ended later this month, but he’s officially done for the remainder of the season. He’ll be officially placed on the 60-day injured list once his suspension concludes. His future with the Phillies remains very much up in the air.

Misner returns to the majors for Wednesday’s showdown against the Rangers with Kyle Isbel hitting the shelf with plantar fasciitis. The 28-year-old will be making his Kansas City debut when he gets into a game after being acquired from the Rays in an offseason trade. He hit .213/.273/.345 with five homers, 22 RBI, and eight steals over 217 plate appearances in 71 games for Tampa Bay last season.

Isbel receives some additional time off following an early exit from Tuesday’s contest against the Rangers. It’s worth noting that plantar fasciitis is a complicated injury that only really improves with rest and maintenance. There’s a chance Isbel is out for a while.

All signs point to Smith hitting the injured list later this week. He’s sitting out his fourth consecutive game on Wednesday night against the Pirates while he continues to deal with neck stiffness. The Dodgers are obviously prioritizing the postseason over everything else, which is why they would rather give their 31-year-old star backstop some additional time off to put the issue to bed rather than take any chances. It’ll be Dalton Rushing handling the bulk of the catching duties in his absence, which is a definite short-term boost to his fantasy appeal.

Martin, who is hitting .193 (21-for-109) with one homer and four steals over his last 30 games, has been moved to the top of the order to face Tigers lefty Framber Valdez with Byron Buxton hitting second. The other notable lineup development for Minnesota involves Royce Lewis making his third consecutive start at first base.