MLB Player News

The deal is now official. Jansen takes over as the Rangers primary backstop after the club decided to move on from Jonah Heim earlier this offseason. The 30-year-old backstop hit just .215/.321/.399 with 14 round-trippers across 337 plate appearances between the Brewers and Rays this past season. He’s no longer a relevant fantasy option at this stage of his career but it’s a decent landing spot if he’s going to put together a bounce-back campaign.

The 31-year-old slugger will make his triumphant return to the Yankees’ lineup for Sunday’s showdown against the Blue Jays. Before landing on the injured list, Bellinger was hitting .259 with 52 runs scored, 11 homers, 53 RBI and 10 steals in 434 plate appearances. He’s starting in left field and batting cleanup against Jays’ right-hander Jose Soriano on Sunday afternoon in New York.

The 29-year-old hurler has struggled in his time at the MLB level this season, posting a miserable 8.39 ERA, 1.99 WHIP and an 18/12 K/BB ratio across 24 2/3 innings in 18 appearances between the Cardinals and Rays. With so many teams struggling to find quality bullpen depth though, there’s a chance that Raycroft generates interest on waivers.

The 30-year-old hurler has finally made it all the way back after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. He’ll provide Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash with another weapon to deploy from the right side in the middle innings. Chris Roycroft was designated for assignment in a corresponding move on Sunday.

He’ll function as the Braves’ extra player for the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday evening. Hicklen has hit .368 (7-for-19) with four doubles, three RBI and an 8/4 K/BB ratio in his limited action with the Braves this season.

Urías had been sidelined since early May due to an elbow injury. He completed a lengthy rehab stint at Triple-A Memphis without issue though and is ready to return and provide right-handed pop off of the Cardinals’ bench. Everson Pereira (hand) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move on Sunday.

The 25-year-old outfielder suffered the injury when he was drilled by a pitch during Friday’s game. While the X-rays came back negative for any fractures, he’s still dealing with quite a bit of pain and swelling, so the Cardinals will give him the time to let it heal properly. Ramon Urias was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move on Sunday

Montgomery’s home run was his fifth of the season. He hit a solo shot off Christian Scott in the second inning. Montgomery got the day off Friday as he had been hitting .192 in his last 20 games. He returned with a big fly and a bases-loaded walk Saturday. Montgomery is hitting .235 with a .705 OPS and 32 RBI.

Bichette’s home run was his 14th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Luis Castillo in the third inning. Bichette’s slugging percentage is down more than 50 points since last year. His home run Saturday was his fourth in August after he failed to hit a big fly in July. Bichette is hitting .268 with a .712 OPS and 66 RBI.

Benge’s home run was his 16th of the season. He hit a solo shot off White Sox reliever Tyler Schweitzer in the fifth inning. Benge’s home run gives him five home runs in his last 16 games and he’s 22-for-63 (.349) with 12 RBI in that span. He’s hitting .276 with a .761 OPS and 53 RBI this year.

Merrill’s solo homer put the Padres on the board and gave the outfielder his 20th of the season. He also singled and walked, and that improves his slash to .241/.292/.412 on the season. He’s been considerably better than that mark over the last two months, however, as he’s forged an OPS above .800 in both July and August. It’d be nice to see more consistency after he looked like such a ‘sure thing’ after his rookie season, but even this version of Merrill has his place.