MLB Player News

The 27-year-old right-hander had been designated for assignment by the Rangers over the weekend. Kent registered a 4.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and a 16/8 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings in 12 appearances with the Guardians in 2025. Given the current makeup of the Cardinals’ bullpen, he should have a decent shot at cracking the Opening Day roster as long as he doesn’t implode during Grapefruit League play.

Eldridge also added a walk and a second run scored, homering for the second time in as many days. The 21-year-old first baseman/DH entered this one having hit .447/.512/.737 over his past 43 plate appearances, and Thursday’s performance will only juice those numbers. Eldridge was playing sparingly when he was first recalled from Triple-A, but he’s been in the lineup for 15 of the Giants’ past 16 contests. He’s yet to bat higher than fifth, but manager Tony Vitello will have no choice but to move him up if he continues to slug like this.

Chapman has been showing signs of breaking out of his season-long slump with five multi-hit performances in his past seven games. He’s been striking out less than ever, but his quality of contact has suffered with a career-worst barrel rate. His track record suggests a hot stretch is coming, and this might be it.

Ray struck out three and didn’t walk anyone, increasing his ERA to 4.42. It was a tough matchup against the offense that entered the day ranked third in runs per game this season. The veteran left-hander is a strong candidate to be shopped at this summer’s trade deadline. He has another difficult test next time out with a road start in Atlanta.

Griffin allowed six hits without walking anyone, lowering his ERA to 3.46 this season. This one got wild once he departed, with the Nationals losing 11-10 despite leading 9-1 in the bottom of the eighth. Griffin has been Washington’s most consistent starter this year, and he’ll remain on the fantasy radar with a home matchup versus the Royals up next.

Devers also drew a walk and scored a second run in the high-scoring affair. His bat came alive in May, easing concerns over another slow start. His season-long numbers still aren’t where fantasy drafters expected, however, and his strikeout rate remains just over 30%. Ultimately, Devers’ track record is strong enough to expect more from here on out.

Lile has sat just once this season, frequently batting near the heart of the order for the offense that entered the day ranked third in runs per game. He hasn’t had quite the same batted-ball results as last year despite increased bat speed. Lile is up to eight homers and seven steals to go along with enough counting stats to be roster-worthy in most fantasy formats.

Mead also collected a second hit and scored another run in the high-scoring matinee. The Nationals haven’t fully committed to him as an everyday player against right-handers, but he’s starting a majority of the time and batting second or third when he does. Washington entered the day ranked third in runs per game this year, so it’s a premium lineup spot with further upside if he ever receives everyday at-bats. He’s also frequently come off the bench when absent from the starting nine.

Not good. Crochet remains without a return timetable and no immediate plans to resume throwing after suffering a lat strain back in late May. The 26-year-old fantasy ace was diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain initially, but clearly the situation was much worse than preliminary imaging revealed. He’s clearly worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues, but fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate Crochet returning anytime soon. It’s another glaring indication that the Red Sox are likely to wind up as sellers as the trade deadline in early August.

Helsley receives the green light to return to game action after completing a live batting practice session earlier this week. The hard-throwing 31-year-old closer has been out recovering from elbow inflammation since late April. He’ll need a couple rehab outings to round back into shape before returning to Baltimore’s bullpen, which will bump Rico Garcia back into a setup role.

Weiss expressed confidence earlier this week that Acuña’s latest hamstring injury wasn’t as serious as the one that cost him nearly three weeks back in early May. The 28-year-old fantasy superstar hit the injured list prior to Wednesday’s game against the White Sox after an MRI revealed a low-grade strain. It sounds like there’s a strong possibility that he makes it back to Atlanta before the end of June. However, there isn’t an official return timetable from the club yet.