MLB Player News

There is still a strong likelihood that Pagán will return to the Reds, but he will at least explore the other options. The 34-year-old took the Reds’ closer job at the beginning of the season and ran with it, posting a 2.88 ERA with 32 saves in 68 2/3 innings. He has a career 3.66 ERA and 28.3 percent strikeout rate, but has only two seasons with under a 4.00 ERA since 2019, so it will be interesting to see how much money teams feel willing to spend on him.

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.

Chisholm still isn’t racking up the singles with his .232 average, but his current .408 slugging percentage is his highest mark of the season. He has three homers, three steals and nine runs scored through eight games this month.

Rodón gave up a leadoff homer to Angel Martínez in the first. The other runs came in the fourth, when Rodón issued two of his three walks of the day and then gave up a double to Austin Hedges. Rodón finished up nicely from there, retiring the final eight batters he faced. He’s 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA, and he’ll see his old friends the White Sox next time out.

Messick allowed three runs after a flyball that dropped for a single, a bunt single and a Jazz Chisholm Jr. triple in the second. The remaining runs came in the sixth. Trent Grisham tripled and scored on a sac fly that was the second out of the inning. Messick then walked Chisholm and was pulled, only to see Chisholm come around to score off Matt Festa. It’s Messick’s second straight loss after a 6-1 start, but it’s not like he’s being knocked around. He’ll face the Brewers in Milwaukee next week, but he’s a solid enough play anyway.

Martinez got to lead off today in spite of a .257 OBP against lefties and a .275 mark overall, but it worked. The homer off Carlos Rodón was his 11th of the year. He also has nine steals, so he’s been rather useful in fantasy leagues in spite of his .240 average. It seems like he should be doing better than that, but the BABIP gods have never been kind to him; he’s at .264 right now after finishing at .274 in 43 games in 2024 and .271 in 139 games last year.

The left-handed-hitting Schneeman was in the lineup versus Carlos Rodón today because the Guardians can only platoon four of their five left-handed starters in any one game. Schneeman, though, probably shouldn’t be starting at this point. He’s hitting .153 with no homers and six RBI in 107 plate appearances since the beginning of May. He could be a candidate for demotion when Gabriel Arias comes off the injured list.

Scherzer returns to take the ball for Wednesday’s series finale against the Phillies at the Rogers Centre following a six-week absence recovering from a forearm strain. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer’s durability remains his biggest obstacle to sustained fantasy value at this stage of his career, but he’s been an effective starter, when healthy. A wait-and-see approach seems like the best route given his struggles in five early-season starts, but he’ll offer some streaming appeal if he’s feeling right from a physical standpoint again.

Seabold loses his spot on Toronto’s roster with veteran starter Max Scherzer returning from the injured list for Wednesday’s game against the Phillies. The well-traveled 30-year-old struggled in five appearances with the Blue Jays after coming over from the Tigers in a trade back on May 27.

Flores receives the call to back up Endy Rodríguez while starting catcher Henry Davis is away from the club on paternity leave. The 25-year-old went 3-for-15 in seven games with the Pirates last year during his first stint in the big leagues.