MLB Player News

Rogers provides Toronto with an elite setup specialist to help bridge the gap to closer Jeff Hoffman. The 34-year-old submariner is coming off the strongest campaign of his career where he recorded a microscopic 1.98 ERA — 2.88 FIP — and 16.1 percent strikeout rate across 77 1/3 innings over a league-high 81 appearances between the Giants and Mets. He’s been one of the most durable workhorse relievers in baseball, making a staggering 374 appearances over the past half-decade. The deal includes a $12 million vesting option for 2029 that converts after 110 appearances from 2027-2028 or 60 appearances in 2028.

Rutschman cleared the wall in right-center to knock in Taylor Ward in the first inning, then followed it up with another blast down the right field line in the fourth inning to chase the beleaguered Brayan Bello. He added another RBI on a ground out and yet another in the seventh on a single. Rutschman was already having a pretty solid year at the plate before spending time on the IL -- this game sent his seasonal line to .349/.417/.698 with three homers. That’ll play.

He kick-started the festivities with a leadoff homer that bounced in front of the warehouse in right field and added a pair of other singles that he would eventually come around to score on. Henderson badly needed a game like this -- even with it, he’s at .182/.247/.424 over his last 15 games. The four homers and three stolen bases over that timespan are nice, but fantasy managers didn’t invest in Henderson early to watch him flirt with the Mendoza line at .207, with 37 strikeouts in 111 at-bats.

His 403-foot shot to right-center barely cleared the deepest part of Camden Yards while also being a homer in 29 of 30 parks. Abreu’s hot start carried him closer to the middle of the order -- but he’s still hitting just .218/.306/.291 in his last 15 games even after this outburst. Boston’s problem is that, well, nobody else is really hitting well enough to push Abreu back down the lineup anyway. With an .845 OPS, it’s hard to be upset with the performance for his draft price, but Abreu’s .269/.321/.346 line against lefties continues to loudly speak to the idea that he should be a platoon player.

Yennier Cano stranded a runner left on second base in the sixth inning, but Young pitched effectively backwards with his splitter and slider as primary pitches. The 10 hard-hit balls also point to this being an outing that was more lucky than good, but it’s good to be lucky. If he remains in the rotation, Young looks likely to draw the Astros next week.

The Orioles ran out of fireworks for their home runs. We’re not even kidding about that, that actually happened. None of these homers were cheapies either -- 410 feet, 395 feet, 411 feet, 395 feet, and 393 feet, and of the five, all of them would have been homers in at least 27 of 30 stadiums. The Orioles simply crushed Bello’s fastballs, be they sinker, cutter, or 4-seam, for all 11 of his hard-hit balls allowed. This is Bello’s first true disaster start of the season, but he’d be a tough stream at this point with his 9.00 ERA. A date with the Blue Jays awaits next week.

Kikuchi’s record now sits at 0-3 on the season. The veteran lefty got off to a strong start in this one, retiring the side in order in the first inning while keeping the Royals off the board until the fourth. Things came apart in the fourth frame for Kikuchi after he allowed two of the first three batters he faced to reach base, which led to Bobby Witt Jr. scoring on a fielder’s choice. The Royals would then string together four straight hits, including back-to-back doubles, to push their lead to 5-0. Kikuchi would pitch a scoreless fifth before exiting, but the damage had already been done. He’ll have a good chance to pick up his first win of the season next Wednesday when he takes the mound against the White Sox.

Suarez continues to fill in admirably for Rasiel Iglesias, picking up two saves in his last three games while holding the opposing offense at bay. Suarez felt the heat a bit in this one, allowing a leadoff walk to Treat Turner and a two-out single to Adolis Garcia. A wild pitch would put both runners in scoring position, but a groundout by Brandon Marsh ended the threat and secured the win for the Braves. Suarez remains the top option to fill the Braves’ closer role as long as Iglesias is sidelined.

Acuña hit a 420-foot shot off Andrew Painter in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 2-2. It’s just the second homer of the season for Acuña, who has struggled to find his power in the early part of this season. The righty has just two extra-base hits in his last nine games and just one multi-hit game over that span. Hopefully, this latest homer is the spark he needs to get on track after his slow start.

Turner sent his third homer of the season 394 feet into the stands to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. It was the third homer of the season for Turner, who has struggled at the plate this first month of the season. The veteran shortstop is slashing a paltry .190/.288/.362 in his last 15 games and hasn’t recorded a multi-hit game since April 12th. We would expect him to get out of this slump sooner or later, but Turner is becoming increasingly harder to trust while he irons things out.

After making it through the first two innings unscathed, Holmes ran into trouble in the top of the third inning. After allowing a single to Garrett Stubbs, Holmes left a fastball just over the heart of the plate to Treat Turner, who sent it 394 feet into right center to put the Phillies up 2-0. Holmes would get through the fourth inning without allowing a run despite loading the bases with two outs, but gave up a solo homer to Bryce Harper in the fifth inning. Holmes continues to be solid for the Braves, allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of his six starts this season. His next start is scheduled for Thursday at home against the Tigers.