MLB Player News

The 37-year-old infielder led off the home half of the first inning with a single, swiped second base and scored the game’s first run on an RBI single by Freddie Freeman. Rojas also singled in the second inning and again in the fourth. He’s a candidate to start at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) sidelined to begin the season, or he could remain in his regular utility infielder role while Hyesong Kim or Santiago Espinal get the call there.

It’s undoubtedly a positive development that Casas has been cleared to resume swinging after being shut down earlier this week with rib soreness. The 26-year-old first baseman remains without a firm return timeline as he continues working his way back from last year’s serious knee injury.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Crawford will head out on a minor league rehab assignment after his next throwing session and figures to be an option for Boston’s pitching staff as either a traditional starter or long reliever by early May. The 30-year-old hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2024 season after missing all of last year due to knee and wrist issues.

Montero rejoins Detroit’s rotation mix with veteran Justin Verlander hitting the injured list with hip inflammation. The 25-year-old was jettisoned to the minors at the end of spring training after tossing 189 innings over the last two seasons for the Tigers. He’ll presumably take the ball on Sunday against the Cardinals in place of Verlander. He lacks the strikeout upside to be anything more than a streaming option in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

Verlander was set to return to Comerica Park on Sunday night against the Cardinals for his first start in a Tigers uniform since 2017. That’s no longer happening. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer heads to the shelf after being torched for five runs over 3 2/3 innings by the Diamondbacks on Monday in his season debut. It’ll be Keider Montero taking his spot in Detroit’s rotation for now. His return to the Motor City is off to a bit of a rocky start, but the Tigers are probably more concerned with having him available for late-season starts than early-April outings.

Chourio unexpectedly hit the injured list with a fractured hand just hours before Milwaukee’s Opening Day contest last week. The 22-year-old fantasy standout has progressed to running, throwing and tracking pitches, but hasn’t been cleared to resume swinging a bat. There should be a definitive timetable for his return following his next checkup.

Laureano gets an opportunity to bat towards the top of the order with Red Sox young southpaw Connelly Early taking the ball at Fenway Park. Xander Bogaerts, who has typically batted second, has been dropped to fifth against his former club. The 31-year-old is off to an encouraging start, hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers, four RBI and one steal through six games. A quick glance under the hood reveals a robust 49.1 percent hard-hit rate and 13.8 percent barrel percentage.

Kurtz finds himself in the leadoff spot for the fifth time in seven starts this season. The 23-year-old reigning AL Rookie of the Year has gone hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games and is batting .048 (1-for-21) with 13 strikeouts and five walks this season. It’s too early to be concerned but it’s a bit surprising to see him mired in an extended slump given how comfortable he looked during the final few months of last year.

There’s no official 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Royals, but it sounds like Henderson could be officially called up prior to the nightcap to provide additional length behind starter Brandon Sproat. The 24-year-old struck out five over three innings during his lone appearance for Triple-A Nashville this season.

Hernández takes a seat for the first time this season after going 3-for-4 with three runs scored during Friday’s blowout win in Washington. The 33-year-old has recorded just one extra-base hit through seven games this season, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a pair of RBI. It’ll be Alex Call in left field to face Nationals starter Jake Irvin.

It’ll be southpaw reliever Brennan Bernardino opening the contest to face Philadelphia’s lefty-heavy top of the order before giving the ball to Dollander. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect has big-time stuff but he’s been extremely wild from a results standpoint while operating out of Colorado’s bullpen this season, surrendering runs on five hits, including three homers, with a 5/2 K/BB ratio across four innings of work. There’s huge long-term upside here if Dollander is able to put it together, but he’s a work in progress at the moment and can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues.