MLB Player News

The Rangers claimed Hamel off waivers from the Orioles, but then designated him for assignment last week. Hamel was once an interesting starting pitching prospect for the Mets, but has been moved to the bullpen. In 2025, hehad a 5.32 ERA in 11 starts and 20 relief appearances for Triple-A Syracuse. It remains to be seen what role the Yankees use him in.

The Cardinals are throwing a right-hander, so this seems like just a day off for Keith. It’s a bit unfortunate because the 24-year-old is off to a hot start and has shown some increased bat speed so far this season. Zach McKinstry will enter the starting lineup at second base and bat sixth. Hopefully, if Keith continues hitting well, the Tigers will give him fewer days off. He’s still a player we like to add in fantasy leagues right now.

This seemed to be coming for a couple of weeks now. Oviedo’s velocity was way down in his final spring training appearance and remained down during the regular season. He has already had one major elbow surgery, so there is some elevated concern here. This is a tough break for a pitcher who recently seemed primed to win a spot in the Red Sox rotation.

Vinnie Pasquantino said after the game that the team was worried about Jensen’s well-being because nobody knew where he was. The team even tried to get in touch with his family to see if they had heard from him. Fortunately, he just overslept, so this could simply become a valuable learning experience for the rookie. When asked about it, Jensen said he had “no excuses” and that he will “learn from it” and not let his teammates down again.

Narváez was scratched from the lineup for unknown reasons on Wednesday, so it’s nice to see him back in there. We should expect regular usage for Narváez going forward. Lefties Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony are also back in the lineup on Friday.

The Nationals had originally listed this as a bullpen game with a potential opener. Instead, it will be Mikolas on Friday, Jake Irvin on Saturday, and Foster Griffin on Sunday. None are recommended starts against the Dodgers.

Devers reached on a one-out single off of David Peterson in the opening inning but was erased on a fielder’s choice. He then tagged Sean Manaea for a 404-foot (105.5 mph EV) solo shot to start the sixth inning, increasing the Giants’ lead to 7-2. For the season, the 29-year-old slugger is hitting .259/.333/.407 with the one aforementioned long ball and just one RBI in his first 30 plate appearances.

Schmitt smacked an RBI single off of Sean Manaea in the fifth inning that extended the Giants’ advantage to 6-2. With his three-hit attack, the 27-year-old infielder is now slashing .273/.360/.318 with zero homers, two RBI and a stolen base through his first 25 plate appearances on the season.

The Giants’ bullpen usage was a bit curious in this one as closer Ryan Walker was brought in to relieve Robbie Ray in the sixth inning. Tidwell then took over in the seventh with a four-run advantage and all he did was allow two hits the rest of the way while striking out a pair. He’s not suddenly going to usurp the closer’s role, so there’s no need for fantasy managers to rush to the waiver wire to pick him up.

The 34-year-old southpaw punched out seven batters on the night while issuing three walks. Ray allowed an RBI double to Bo Bichette in the opening inning and served up a solo homer to Mark Vientos to open the second but kept the Mets off the board from there on out. He piled up 19 whiffs on 96 pitches on the night — eight of those on his slider — while posting a CSW of 33 percent. He’ll look to extend his winning streak when he carries a 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and an 11/3 K/BB ratio into Tuesday’s battle against the Phillies.

Manaea struck out two batters on the night while issuing a pair of free passes. He came on for a struggling David Peterson in the fifth inning and wound up going the rest of the way for the Mets, allowing just a solo homer to Rafael Devers in the sixth inning. Manaea generated six swings and misses on 74 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 24 percent. He now holds a 2.25 ERA, a miserable 2.25 WHIP and a 4/4 K/BB ratio over 4 1/3 innings in two appearances on the season.