MLB Player News

The Cardinals had Masyn Winn leading off and Burleson batting second today for the third time this spring, so that might be the top of the Opening Day lineup if Lars Nootbaar isn’t ready to go. If Nootbaar is back, then having him bat first, Burleson third and Iván Herrera second to separate the lefties would probably be the best way to go. Either way, Burleson’s fantasy stock won’t change much. Winn’s would, since he’ll likely bat in the bottom half of the order if he’s not leading off.

Anthony added that he’s progressing a lot slower than originally anticipated when he hit the injured list back in early May with an initial 6-8 week return timetable. The 22-year-old has been diagnosed with a small ligament tear in his right ring finger and doesn’t appear close to ramping up baseball activities. He also mentioned that there are no plans to undergo any followup imaging and surgery is not being considered. There is unlikely to be a clear return timetable until Anthony is able to progress to swinging a bat without any symptoms.

Seager receives some extra time off after a home-plate collision during Thursday’s game against Kansas City left him with rib and jaw soreness. He had been heating up, hitting safely in four of his last five games with two homers since returning from a back issue that sidelined him for a couple of weeks last month. It’ll be defensive specialist Nicky Lopez drawing another start at shortstop in his absence.

Freeman gets the call to replace an injured Evan Carter (oblique) on the Rangers’ active roster. The 25-year-old projects as a versatile bench option in the majors. He’s .233 (27-for-116) with three homers and one steal in 37 games at the highest level over the past two seasons.

No word on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time Carter misses. The 23-year-old suffered the injury while making a phenomenal diving catch in shallow center field during Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point later this weekend.

Bidois returns to the big leagues with fellow rookie Wilber Dotel hitting the injured list with a lat strain. The 24-year-old has posted a respectable 4.05 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 16/11 K/BB ratio across 13 1/3 innings for the Pirates this season.

It’s a tough development for Dotel, who has shown flashes of significant upside during his rookie campaign, as lat strain-related absences are typically measured in months, not weeks. The 23-year-old has posted an encouraging 5.89 ERA (3.28 xERA), 1.36 WHIP and a 19/9 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed optimism that Varsho will be ready to get back to on-field work at some point in the next few days after receiving a cortisone injection to address a lingering left wrist issue. The 29-year-old center fielder was finally placed on the injured list prior to Friday’s game against the Yankees.

Edman will get in a couple at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City this weekend as he wraps up a minor league rehab assignment. The 31-year-old will be activated from the injured list prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Rays. He was a consistent 30-steal threat just a couple years ago, but those thefts have evaporated and rendered him a non-factor in most fantasy leagues since he doesn’t offer much from an over-the-fence pop or batting average standpoint.

Wrobleski appears ready to take the ball on normal rest after leaving Thursday’s start against the Pirates with a hamstring contusion. The 25-year-old southpaw appears to have avoided serious injury. He’s compiled a respectable 2.95 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 45/16 K/BB ratio across 73 1/3 innings this season.

Lee returns to Detroit’s bench mix after hitting .205 (17-for-83) with two homers and nine RBI in 32 games for Detroit during his first stint in the majors earlier this season.