MLB Player News

There was some hope that Díaz could pitch his way into the Rangers’ bullpen plans this season, but he has allowed eight runs on three hits while walking four and striking out one in just 1 2/3 innings this spring. His numbers, both in the majors and Triple-A last season, were also bad, and he has never quite been able to recapture that 2022 season magic. He’s only 29 years old, so some team will undoubtedly give him another chance, but we wouldn’t bank on him being a fantasy-relevant closer any time soon.

With Anthony Volpe coming off the IL on Thursday, it would seem likely that DeJong will not be promoted by the end of April. The 32-year-old is also hitting .213/.359/.541 in 22 games at Triple-A with six home runs and 13 RBI. He will likely be a free agent by May.

With Max Scherzer (forearm/ankle) landing on the injured list, the Blue Jays will have Eric Lauer start against the Red Sox on Wednesday, which means a spot opened up in the bullpen. Lee will claim that spot after pitching to a 1.32 ERA and 12/9 K/BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings at Triple-A.

Domínguez was officially called up on Monday afternoon, but Giancarlo Stanton (calf) has not yet been placed on the injured list. That clouds the immediate playing time for Domínguez, but the Yankees do face three righties in their series with the Rangers, which should give him enough short-term playing time. However, Anthony Volpe is reportedly set to rejoin the team on Thursday, and Jose Caballero has been heating up at the plate, so the Yankees may need to decide between Domínguez and Ryan McMahon when Volpe returns. That also assumes Stanton eventually goes on the injured list. There are a lot of moving pieces here.

Scherzer was hit hard in his last start on Friday and had complained of forearm soreness a few starts ago as well. There’s a chance that this is a long absence for him. With Trey Yesavage (shoulder) set to come off the IL this week, that means Eric Lauer will remain in the rotation, at least until Jose Berrios (elbow) also comes off the IL.

Kim has been sidelined since the winter with a torn tendon in his middle finger, so he will need a long ramp-up. The Double-A team plays six games this week, so Kim could stay with them the whole week before moving up to Triple-A. If all goes well, he could be in Atlanta by the middle of May.

Ewing is MLB Pipeline’s 85th-ranked prospect overall. The 21-year-old is off to a strong start to the season, slashing .349/.481/.571 with two homers and 12 steals in 18 games at Double-A. The speed is obviously elite, and he stole 70 bases in the minor leagues last season, but it’s nice to see the two home runs after he hit just three last year. His defensive fit is going to be a bit more of a question mark. He has played primarily center field this season, with four games at second base. Marcus Semien seems locked into the second base job, and Luis Robert is going to play center field unless he gets hurt, so it might take an injury to open up a job for Ewing.

Bazzana is off to a good start at Triple-A, slashing .287/.422/.511 with two home runs, 10 RBI, eight steals, and a 25/21 K/BB ratio. The 25 strikeouts in 24 games isn’t ideal, but his walk rate is tremendous and shows a strong sense of the strike zone. The speed has also been nice after he stole only 12 bases in 84 games last year. The Guardians are struggling to find an option at second base, so Bazzana could enter the conversation.

Eldridge now has three home runs and 14 RBI on the year while slashing .305/.411/.463. He does have 33 strikeouts in 25 games, so he will need to continue to work on making more consistent contact before the Giants give him another shot at the big leagues. However, the 21-year-old is close.

In 10 games at Triple-A, Marte is hitting .452/.500/.714 with two home runs, three RBI, six steals, and an 8/4 K/BB ratio. The Reds continue to play him only in the outfield, but with Ke’Bryan Hayes continuing to struggle with the bat, you have to wonder if Marte’s time in Triple-A might be better served getting him more reps at third base again to see if he can be a long-term solution there for the Reds.

Waldschmidt now has three home runs on the year while hitting .317/.416/.529 with 19 RBI and four steals. Lourdes Gurriel’s return has clogged his path to MLB at-bats a little bit, but if he keeps hitting like this into May, the Diamondbacks may need to think about a call-up.