MLB Player News

Salazar was outrighted to Triple-A by the Nationals but elected free agency in October instead. The 27-year-old righty has posted an 8.38 ERA across 29 innings (30 appearances) last season and remains a long shot to win a spot in the bullpen. His contract also comes with a foreign team inquiry clause, which would allow him to accept a better offer from a foreign team.

It’s merely a procedural move to free up a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster. Buttó is facing a 5-6 month absence after undergoing surgery last weekend to remove a blood clot from his right armpit. There’s a small possibility he’s able to return later this season, but that feels optimistic.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters Duran is feeling much better and was able to resume throwing for the first time since hitting the injured list with an oblique strain over the weekend. The 28-year-old closer is likely facing a multi-week recovery timeline, but it doesn’t sound like he’s dealing with a high-grade strain that would’ve led to a much longer absence. It’ll likely be Brad Keller handling the closing duties while he’s on the shelf.

It doesn’t sound like there are any plans to put Garcia on the injured list, but that could change if he’s not ready to pitch in a couple days. The 29-year-old has been unavailable since last Friday. Jakob Junis appears to be the favorite to continue closing games for the Rangers.

Freeman returns to Los Angeles’ lineup for Tuesday’s contest against the Giants after being away from the club on paternity leave for the last two games. The 36-year-old veteran fantasy stalwart has been his usual productive self, slashing .296/.360/.519 with three homers and 14 RBI through 20 games this season.

Ward’s first opportunity with the Dodgers lasted only a couple days while Freddie Freeman was away from the club on paternity leave. He went 2-for-6 with an RBI in a pair of contests. The 28-year-old has nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level, but his path to at-bats in the majors remains blocked at the moment. He would likely be the first call for Los Angeles if they needed to bring someone up this summer.

Wheeler makes his return to Philadelphia’s rotation after undergoing surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome last August. The 35-year-old former fantasy ace’s velocity has been down consistently during a handful of recent minor league rehab outings, which makes it challenging to forecast how he’ll fare from a fantasy perspective. It’s impossible to dismiss Wheeler entirely based on his lengthy track record of success, but a wait-and-see approach seems like the best idea given his extended layoff and how he’s looked in minor league games recently.

Verlander remains without a definitive return timetable after hitting the injured list earlier this month with hip inflammation. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters last week that the 43-year-old veteran would need a minor league rehab start before rejoining Detroit’s rotation.

Hoppe will get his first taste of the majors after reeling off eight scoreless innings with a 12/3 K/BB ratio over eight appearances for Triple-A Tacoma this season. The 27-year-old came over from the Red Sox in an offseason trade. He’ll operate in middle relief out of Seattle’s bullpen for now.