MLB Player News

Fernandez made 32 relief appearances for the Cardinals as a rookie last season and will open the year back in the minors as extra organizational depth. Naughton is one of the more prominent names here as he figures to be an option for St. Louis in middle relief at some point during the year. Jordan is a power-hitting corner infield prospect with some thunder in his bat and could wind up getting a look at some point later this season.

It’s not a bad idea to give the 23-year-old rookie a night off with star southpaw Tarik Skubal toeing the slab for the Tigers. Montgomery has hit just .194 (6-for-31) with a homer, four RBI and a 10/1 K/BB ratio over 32 plate appearances in his first eight games with the White Sox. Junior Perez will start in his place in right field and bat sixth for the White Sox on Friday evening in Motown.

All things considered, that’s very encouraging news. He’ll miss Friday and Saturday’s games at a minimum before being re-evaluated on Sunday, though the Royals are hopeful he’ll be able to avoid a trip to the injured list. Fantasy managers should be able to breathe a major sigh of relief here.

Nothing has changed in the prognosis for Helman, who is shelved with multiple hand fractures, this was done as a procedural move to clear a spot on the Rangers’ 40-man roster for the addition of Jarred Kelenic on Friday.

Kelenic was signed to a minor league contract on July 1 after he slashed a miserable .226/.305/.321 with 20 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances with the White Sox. He’ll see most of his action against right-handed pitching for the Rangers.

Smith had been a key cog in the Rangers’ lineup as a utilityman the past couple of seasons, but given his struggles this season, Ezequiel Duran has stepped into that role. The 28-year-old has hit just .218/.316/.248 with zero homers, six RBI and two stolen bases in 117 plate appearances for the Rangers this season. He’ll see if he can get back on track while seeing every day at-bats at Triple-A.

The 29-year-old backstop, who was acquired from the Pirates on Thursday evening, will be active for Friday’s series opener against the Brewers. He’s unlikely to see enough playing time to gain any sort of relevance from a fantasy perspective.

He has now missed three straight games since being diagnosed with left hand soreness. Nick Loftin again mans the hot corner against Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy.

It would have been surprising if he was, following manager Matt Quatraro telling reporters last night that Witt was heading for additional testing. The 26-year-old superstar’s status for this weekend — at the very least — is firmly in doubt as things stand. Tyler Tolbert is picking up a start at shortstop tonight and batting ninth.

It’s another start for Eli White in Harris’ absence as he simply can’t seem to shake this back injury. Harris probably will get another shot to play over the weekend if the Braves like where he’s at, but shutting him down a few days makes sense giving how long this has lingered.

Díaz boasts a 4.50 ERA in 26 appearances with Reno, with 43 strikeouts and 21 walks in 32 innings. He’ll try to find a way into Arizona’s relief mix, but the Diamondbacks are probably viewing him as a short-term fill-in while they work through internal options to replace Ryne Nelson in the rotation.