MLB Player News

Peña didn’t think it was too bad after a grounder left his nail injured and bloody yesterday, but apparently the Astros are either operating out of a sense of precaution or this is worse than the original update indicated. Stay tuned for further updates from the Astros, but any kind of injury would likely force Peña out of the World Baseball Classic.

Fernandez receives his first call up to the big leagues with Pavin Smith hitting the injured list with an elbow issue. The 22-year-old shortstop provides Arizona with some additional bench depth but is unlikely to play enough to matter fantasy-wise.

Arizona finally decided to give Smith an extended break after dealing with elbow soreness since last week’s season-opener. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern considering he was able to play through the issue.

This explains why Polanco has been limited to DH in back-to-back contests with Jared Young and Brett Baty taking turns at first base. The positive news is that the 32-year-old isn’t dealing with anything knee-related since those issues have plagued him in the past. It sounds like a manageable situation for the Mets as they continue to exercise caution with their new first baseman in the early portion of the year.

This makes it three consecutive different top-of-the-order lineup combinations for first-year skipper Tony Vitello with Adames, who is 1-for-11 at the dish this season, in the leadoff spot after Jung Hoo Lee got a chance following a pair of appearances from contact-oriented specialist Luis Arraez. It’ll be the first time as the top-of-the-order table-setter for Adames this season after mostly hitting second or third last year in his San Francisco debut. The Giants were swept by the Yankees in their season-opening series, scoring just one run combined during the three-game set at Oracle Park.

The move frees up a spot on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster following the acquisition of former prospect Luis Matos from the Giants. The 27-year-old lefty holds a respectable 5.12 ERA — 5.05 xERA — 1.71 WHIP and 37/24 K/BB ratio across 45 2/3 innings in the majors since 2023. There should be some interest on waivers in the coming days.

Raleigh will get a chance to reset mentally, instead of facing Yankees southpaw Ryan Weathers, after going an ice-cold 2-for-15 with one RBI and 10 strikeouts during a four-game series against the Guardians to open the regular season. There are obviously zero concerns fantasy-wise when it comes to the 29-year-old slugging backstop on the heels of a 60-homer campaign where he rewrote the offensive record book for catchers. It’s only a matter of time before he heats up. It’ll be Mitch Garver handling the catching duties on Monday night in his place.

Murakami finds himself in the prime spot on Chicago manager Will Venable’s lineup card for the second consecutive game. The 26-year-old offseason acquisition has homered in three straight games to begin his major-league career. It’s an extremely small sample size, but the over-the-fence pop is very real. The biggest question is going to be how Murakami adjusts once the league starts to get a book on him. For now, he looks like a viable mixed-league option in all fantasy formats, even with the strikeout concerns.

Hamilton collected three stolen bases in a pair of games during Milwaukee’s season-opening series against the White Sox. He gets the nod at shortstop with Joey Ortiz getting the night off in this one. The 28-year-old utility infielder stole 55 bases in 189 games for the Red Sox over the past two seasons and could be a sneaky steals source in deeper mixed leagues, especially if the Brewers are going to hand him a semi-regular role.

Fraley remains sidelined for the second straight contest after being scratched from Sunday’s lineup with right shoulder soreness. The 30-year-old platoon outfielder will likely get a few additional days off to put the issue to bed. He’s presumably day-to-day for now. It’ll be Ryan Vilade taking over in right field on Monday night to face Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison.

Robert takes a seat with rookie sensation Carson Benge shifting over to patrol center field and Brett Baty making his first career start in right field. The 28-year-old’s Mets debut has gone swimmingly as he’s hitting .455 (5-for-11) with one homer and five RBI through three games. The home run was a walk-off blast in the 11th inning of Sunday’s marathon extra-inning win over the Pirates.