MLB Player News

Mendoza said Alvarez will “go through a workout today and swing the bat, and if all goes well, the plan is still for him to be back in the starting lineup tomorrow.” Looks like the Mets and fantasy managers avoided any real trouble here.

Contreras left the contest in the fifth inning with the Red Sox trailing by five runs at the time. He finished 0-for-1 at the plate. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern, but there should be an update on his status after the contest. The 33-year-old first baseman has gotten off to a strong start in his Boston debut, hitting .298 (17-for-57) with three homers and 11 RBI in 17 games.

The Tigers got both of their runs in the eighth, with the first coming after Zach McKinstry doubled and went on to score on a wild pitch. Dingler knocked in Kevin McGonigle after a walk. Dingler, who has been hitting fourth or fifth of late, is at .271/.364/.500 with 12 RBI in 57 plate appearances. He seems like a top-10 fantasy catcher right now.

This was quite the throwback game, as both Valdez and Cole Ragans, who went six scoreless, had successful outings while striking out just one batter apiece. The Tigers ended up winning 2-1, but since they didn’t score until the bottom of the eighth, the victory went to Will Vest. Vest actually struck out the side in his inning, giving him as many strikeouts as the game’s other five pitchers combined. Valdez should make his next start Sunday versus the Red Sox.

Lane Thomas singled and stole second, but Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino and Starling Marte couldn’t finish the job from there. The save is Jansen’s 479th, moving him past Lee Smith and into sole possession of third place on the all-time list. He’s probably not moving up from there — Trevor Hoffman is second with 601 saves, 51 behind Mariano Rivera — but he is eager to get to 500. He’s 3-for-4 saving games this year.

Ragans walked four and struck out only one. A mere four of the 44 swings against him produced whiffs. Still, it obviously worked out well enough tonight. It’s his lowest strikeout total in 61 starts since being traded to the Royals. He’s coming off the previous low of two, but that was because he was hit in the thumb by a comebacker and left in the first last week against the Guardians. One wonders if the thumb was a bit of a factor tonight, as he threw his slider about half as often as usual. Ragans is slated to face the Yankees on Sunday.

Torres nearly got one in the first, hitting a ball 386 feet off Cole Ragans. It was just a flyout, but the 101-mph exit velocity was his best to date this season, as was the 78.2-mph swing speed. In fact, just one of his 107 swings coming into the night had topped 75 mph, and his average swing speed was down about 2.5 mph from last year. Torres has been getting on base just fine for the Tigers, as he’s walked 12 times and scored 10 runs in 16 games. Still, he needs to show some power if he’s going to be helpful in fantasy leagues.

Pagán didn’t look comfortable after throwing his final pitch of the night while tossing a perfect ninth inning against the Giants to collect his fifth save of the season. Tony Santillan would be next up if Pagán were to miss any time. There should be some clarity on his status prior to Wednesday’s showdown.

Stewart demolished a high fastball from Giants southpaw Robbie Ray in the fourth inning for his fifth round-tripper of the year. The majestic opposite-field blast traveled 390 feet. The 22-year-old power-hitting rookie has been a revelation for fantasy managers, hitting .310 (18-for-58) with five homers, 11 RBI and three steals through 17 games.

Adames was responsible for San Francisco’s lone run of the contest when he took Reds starter Brady Singer deep in the fifth inning. It was his third big fly of the season. The 30-year-old has settled in nicely as the Giants primary leadoff option over the last few weeks.

Arraez showed zero signs of rust following a one-game absence over the weekend when he was kicked on the right wrist while making a throw to first base. The contact-oriented infielder’s latest multi-hit performance raises his batting average to .333 (20-for-60) through 16 games in his Giants debut.