MLB Player News

The financial terms come from Jon Heyman of The New York Post. It’s been said that Ben Rice was going to get a shot against lefties this year, but that hardly seems to be case now, at least not while everyone is healthy. It’s certainly an understandable move by the Yankees. Goldschmidt, a future Hall of Famer perhaps entering his last season at age 38, hit .336/.411/.570 in 168 plate appearances against southpaws last season. Besides diminishing Rice’s role, his return figures to push Jasson Domínguez back to Triple-A, again assuming that the starting lineup makes it through the spring healthy.

The one hiccup could be weather, which may prevent Langford from getting the live at-bats on a rehab assignment that the Rangers are hoping for. MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry reports that “There are a number of options to work through for him to get live at-bats,” if the weather doesn’t comply, and “the weekend remains the target date.”

With Garrett Crochet (shoulder) headed to the injured list, it seems like Jake Bennett will be called up to take his spot and start on Friday against the Astros. Bennett was scratched from his start in Triple-A on Tuesday, and now we know why. The 6'6" left-hander has a 0.86 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 16/3 K/BB ratio in 21 innings at Triple-A this season. He could be an option in deeper formats, but should be treated as a one-off streamer with Sonny Gray (hamstring) figuring to come back and take his spot on in the rotation in the coming weeks.

It’s a bummer for Pereira, who was finally getting a chance to play regularly and was slashing .250/.310/.453 with three home runs and seven RBI in 71 plate appearances. He does have a nearly 30 percent strikeout rate, which is something that he needs to work to improve, but hopefully, this is not a long absence for the 25-year-old. Derek Hill is starting in right field and batting seventh in the first game without Pereira.

Kelenic, once one of the most exciting prospects in baseball, will head back to the big leagues after having just 65 MLB plate appearances last season. The 26-year-old has not gotten off to a great start in Triple-A, slashing .202/.346/.464 with six home runs and seven steals in 104 plate appearances. The steals and home runs are nice, but he’s sporting a nearly 29 percent strikeout rate and 74 percent contact rate that could get exposed at the big league level. With a lefty on the mound on Wednesday, it will be Derek Hill starting in right field, not Kelenic.

The Blue Jays needed a spot on the roster for George Springer (toe) to come off the injured list, so Eloy Jiménez was let go. The 29-year-old had gone 9-for-31 in his 12 games with the Blue Jays, but all nine of those hits were singles, so he wasn’t packing much of a punch. He’ll likely clear waivers and can return on a minor league deal.

Springer is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday, but he is available off the bench. He should move back into the starting lineup soon, which will shift Lenyn Sosa back to the bench and also mean less playing time for Yohendrick Pinango, who is starting at designated hitter and batting sixth on Wednesday.

With a left-handed pitcher on the mound, the Red Sox will have Andruw Monasterio at designated hitter, batting sixth, which will slide Duran to the bench. Duran is hitting just .172/.234/.253 on the season, but his .225 BABIP is far below his .334 career average. His barrel rate is the same as last season, but his hard-hit rates are down a little bit, and he’s swinging and missing more than ever, especially at pitches far out of the strike zone. It seems like the 29-year-old is pressing a little bit and just needs a few bounces to start going his way.

Machado was removed from Monday’s game with a calf injury and sat out on Tuesday, but he’ll be right back out there on Wednesday. Miguel Andujar will play third again, while Nick Castellanos will start in left field and bat eighth, with Ramon Laureano getting a day off.

Kikuchi came out to warm up in the third inning, but he didn’t throw a pitch before the trainer came out, and the two left the field together. Kikuchi had thrown two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking one on the day. Mitch Farris is in the game to replace him and could also replace him in the starting rotation if Kikuchi has to go on the injured list.

Eaton is taking the place of Garrett Crochet, who was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. The Red Sox will need another starting pitcher this weekend, so this could be a short stay for Eaton, but he is off to a strong start this season, slashing .292/.373/.458 in 110 plate appearances with three home runs and six steals.