MLB Player News

Curvelo returns to Texas’ relief corps for Wednesday’s contest against the Angels with veteran Jacob Webb hitting the injured list with back spasms. The 24-year-old rookie will be making his big-league debut when he gets into a game.

The Diamondbacks do not believe the injury to be serious and he’s considered day-to-day. Tim Tawa will take his place in the lineup as the Diamondbacks’ designated hitter and will bat ninth while Carlos Santana moves up to sixth and Jordan Lawlar moves up to seventh.

The 23-year-old rookie shortstop opened the scoring in the ballgame with a 425-foot (101.7 mph EV) solo shot off of Rays’ ace Drew Rasmussen. He then added a sacrifice fly during the Cardinals’ eight-run outburst in the sixth inning. He possesses a dynamic blend of power and speed and should be an impact contributor for fantasy purposes while hitting atop the Cardinals’ lineup.

Matt Svanson, who had been a popular sleeper candidate for saves in the Cardinals’ bullpen, came on in the sixth inning of this one and allowed three runs while recording only one out. After the Cardinals took the lead in the sixth inning, it was JoJo Romero to start the seventh, turning it over to Riley O’Brien for four outs and then ultimately to Stanek to get the final three. It wasn’t the smoothest of outings, as he issued three walks in the frame, but he struck out Joshua Palacios with the bases loaded to close it out. He could be worth a look if speculating on saves in deeper leagues.

Liberatore also issued a pair of walks in the contest while striking out a pair. Despite the constant traffic on the basepaths against him, the 26-year-old hurler was able to limit the damage to just a solo home run off the bat of Jonathan Aranda in the fifth inning. He generated five swings and misses on 78 pitches on the afternoon, posting an underwhelming CSW of 18 percent. He’ll try again to get in the win column when he faces the Mets at home on Wednesday.

Aranda got the Rays on the board in this one with a 405-foot (101.2 mph EV) solo shot off of Matthew Liberatore in the fifth inning that tied the game at 1-1. He also singled and drew a walk in the contest, reaching base safely in three of his five plate appearances. The 27-year-old hit third for the Rays in this one, which is a spot that will surely increase his counting stats throughout the season if he’s able to stick there.

The Rays entered the bottom of the sixth inning with a comfortable 7-1 advantage. Ian Seymour allowed each of the first five hitters that he faced to reach base though, leading Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash to turn to Garrett Cleavinger. Cleavinger allowed two straight hits and then a sacrifice fly that pulled the Cardinals to within a run. That’s when Cash called upon his presumed closer. Jax gave up a sacrifice fly to Ivan Herrera that tied the game before allowing the go-ahead blast to Burleson. Not only did fantasy managers have to absorb some ratio damage from Jax in this one, they also had to face the harsh reality that he’s not going to be used as a traditional closer.

The 30-year-old right-hander struck out two batters on the afternoon and didn’t allow a base on balls. He exited with a comfortable 7-1 advantage and in line for a victory, but the Rays’ bullpen surrendered eight runs in the home half of the sixth inning to blow it for him. Rasmussen got seven whiffs on 73 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 23 percent. He’ll look to replicate this fine effort when he does battle against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Crochet got into trouble in a still scoreless game in the sixth, when Matt McLain walked and Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart both singled with one out, but he rebounded to fan both Eugenio Suárez and Spencer Steer to end his afternoon. Dating back to last September, Crochet has won five straight starts, pitching scoreless ball in three of those. He’ll face the Astros next.

Chapman averaged 96.9 mph with his six fastballs. That’s down 1.5 mph from last year, but it’s back up about 0.5 mph from where he was in his seven outings this spring. His 368th save moves him past Jeff Reardon and into a tie with Jonathan Papelbon for 11th place on the all-time list. He’s nine away from tying Joe Nathan and jumping into the top 10.

Abbott gave up two singles in each of the first two innings, but he also generated double-play balls both frames. He ended up striking out four batters, and he retired the final five guys he faced in the fifth and sixth innings. He didn’t surrender anything even close to a homer today after giving up six in 17 2/3 innings this spring. Abbott is slated to take on the Pirates next time out, and he’ll likely face off against a rather ticked off Paul Skenes.