MLB Player News

Bryant was limited to just 10 games this past season before omnipresent back issues put him on the shelf for the rest of the year. The 33-year-old former NL MVP has played in just 170 of a possible 648 contests over the last four seasons since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract the Rockies. He was diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disease, a chronic back condition, back in April and underwent an ablation procedure a couple weeks later. He’s still experiencing pain while performing baseball activities, with the exception of swinging a bat, which puts his career in jeopardy. His long-term health is the much greater concern at this advanced juncture of his baseball life. Simply put, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be an everyday player again. It’s possible the Rockies will make a decision on his future with the club this offseason once they decide on a new head of baseball operations since there are still three years and $78 million left on his albatross contract.

A few Mets content creators have suggested a similar idea, so it’s worth exploring. Thornton, a 24-year-old left-hander, last pitched on Friday, so his next start would line up with when Holmes’ spot in the rotation is due. Thornton has also pitched to a 3.16 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 40/12 K/BB ratio in 37 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. With Jonah Tong really struggling in Triple-A this season and Jack Wenninger posting a nearly 15 percent walk rate at Triple-A, Thornton might be the safest option for the Mets. As a low-velocity left-hander with a plus slider and a true five-pitch mix, Thornton would only be a fantasy option in the deepest formats.

Wood is a first-round pick from 2025 who has a 3.42 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings at Low-A this season. Considering his strikeout upside and the fact that he’s 22 years old, it makes sense for the Phillies to test him against older and better hitters.

Allard had an opt-out clause in his contract, and the Guardians allowed him to exercise that clause rather than call him up. He had allowed 10 runs on 16 hits in 8 2/3 innings with Cleveland this season.

Holliday had hamate bone surgery on the same day in the spring that Francisco Lindor did, and has yet to make his season debut. He’s had a few setbacks during his rehab assignment and has played 22 rehab games so far, hitting .176/.291/.284 with a 27 percent strikeout rate over that stretch. We would not be running to add him in fantasy leagues, but would prefer to wait and see what the contact quality looks like, given the surgery and subsequent setbacks.

Urshela debuted with Cleveland in 2015 and spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors, finishing up with the A’s last year. He never made an All-Star team, but he was exceptional for the Yankees in 2019 and the shortened 2020, hitting .310/.358/.523 with 17 homers and 5.9 rWAR in 175 games between the two seasons. Always well regarded defensively at third base, he finishes his career with a .270/.314/.407 line and 73 homers over 851 games.

King was batting .336/.427/.562 with five homers and five steals for Harrisburg. Exclusively a shortstop previously, he’s played five of his 35 games at second base. If he starts seeing more time at the keystone, that could be a sign that the Nationals plan to give him a look over Nasim Nuñez at some point. Shortstop might also be a possibility if they decide to trade CJ Abrams before the deadline, though such a move seems less likely than it did a few months ago.

There is some thought that Wenninger could have been pulled because the Mets wanted to keep his pitch count in check in case they needed him to take Clay Holmes’ (fibula) spot in the rotation. However, Wenninger had walked four batters in his game and was removed at 61 pitches, so it’s also possible he was simply lifted for being ineffective. Whatever the case, Wenninger has drastically outpitched Jonah Tong at Triple-A this season and could be the Mets’ choice for a starting pitching call-up if they decide not to simply insert Tobias Myers into the rotation.

The 23-year-old has been absolutely mashing at Triple-A this season. He’s now hitting .306/.423/.638 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI, and seven steals in 42 Triple-A games this season. He has started a game at every single infield position this season, but most of his work has come at shortstop. There’s not really a path for Gonzalez right now, but the White Sox could move Andrew Benintendi back to the outfield full-time and free up designated hitter at-bats for their infielders.

An approach change has really turned things around for Crews lately, and he’s slashing .291/.333/.527 in May with two home runs, nine RBI, two steals, and a 13/4 K/BB ratio. Since the end of April, his hard-hit rate is over 50 percent, he’s chasing fewer pitches outside of the zone, and making much more contact in the zone. He’s still swinging and missing a decent amount, but he’s pulling the ball in the air often, so his whiff rate can be sustainable if he continues to hit the ball and look to get it into the air on the pull side. It might be time for the Nationals to give the 24-year-old another chance.

Anthony has been sidelined since May 4, and the Red Sox have focused on building strength in his hand before allowing him to grip a bat. Now, he will start with hitting flips before hitting off a machine. If that goes well, he could face live pitching sometime later this week and perhaps only need a short rehab stint before he’s back in Boston before the end of May. The Red Sox offense could really use him.