MLB Player News

Wrobleski had a 39% CSW against Angels backups in finishing off the 3-0 loss tonight. He’ll probably be asked to make a relief appearance of similar length his first time out, most likely after Roki Sasaki exits. He could be a nice source of wins in NL-only leagues while working in long relief.

Mayer came off the bench to go 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of runs scored during Thursday’s season-opening win over Cincinnati. The 23-year-old top prospect sat in favor of veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa to open the contest, which might be a regular occurrence against left-handed starters this season. He’s talented enough to make an impact in deeper mixed leagues as a middle and corner infield option.

Francona added that Lodolo could be cleared to make a minor league rehab start on Wednesday. The 28-year-old southpaw hit the injured list at the conclusion of spring training with a blister on his left finger but isn’t expected to miss too much time. There should be an additional update on his status at some point later this weekend.

Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters Stewart is dealing with some left wrist soreness after being drilled by a 110-mph line drive from Red Sox star Roman Anthony during Thursday’s opener. It sounds like he somehow managed to avoid serious injury and isn’t going to miss any time. The power-hitting 22-year-old top prospect went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles during his season debut.

Vaughn made an early exit from Thursday’s one-sided win over the White Sox, which didn’t raise any alarm bells given the timing and score. However, it appears he’s dealing with some sort of hand issue, which is why prospect Jeferson Quero is being brought up from Triple-A Nashville to provide additional flexibility at first base. It’s a troubling development after Vaughn put together a strong spring but it doesn’t sound like he’s headed to the injured list. The positive news is that star backstop William Contreras is healthy. It’ll likely be Gary Sánchez seeing additional time at the cold corner if Vaughn needs to sit.

Beck, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI and was also caught stealing during Thursday’s opener, takes a seat with Troy Johnston getting an opportunity to face his former club. This doesn’t appear to be a matchup-related decision, but it’s possible Beck will be in more of a timeshare than originally envisioned as Colorado tries to work a couple new faces into their early-season mix.

No surprise here with lefty David Peterson toeing the rubber for New York after Cruz hit .102 in 125 plate appearances against southpaws last year. It’ll be Jake Mangum patrolling center field and batting ninth. Cruz committed a pair of high-profile defensive miscues when he misjudged a Brett Baty fly ball that wound up getting past him for a three-run triple before losing a ball in the sun that went for extra bases.

The Mets aren’t going to make any changes after scoring 11 runs during Thursday’s season-opening win over the Pirates and ace Paul Skenes. Benge clubbed his first career homer and walked twice during an impressive big-league debut. The 23-year-old top prospect should be rostered in all fantasy formats. It feels like only a matter of time before he’s hitting more towards the middle of New York’s lineup, but they’ll let him get used to the majors without any pressure at the bottom of the order.

Jacob Latz will start on Saturday afternoon in his place. The Rangers do not believe the issue is serious and that deGrom could potentially start early next week against the Orioles, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It certainly sounds like a precautionary decision and that deGrom isn’t facing an extended absence or potential trip to the injured list. The 37-year-old veteran ace’s checkered injury history suggests this is a developing situation worth monitoring closely. There should be a clearer idea of his availability once he attempts to throw a bullpen session either this weekend or early next week. Stay tuned.

It’s not uncommon for managers to try to get their bench players into the lineup at least once in the early stages of the season, which is presumably why Straw will get a shot to face Athletics lefty Jeffrey Springs in this one. Barger sat occasionally against southpaws last year and that figures to be the arrangement against this season with both Straw and Davis Schneider, who is in left field in place of Nathan Lukes on Saturday afternoon, on the bench as platoon options in right field.

Simpson came off the bench during Thursday’s season-opener at Busch Stadium with southpaw Matthew Liberatore taking the ball. The 25-year-old speedster figures to cede occasional starts against lefties to Ryan Vilade, despite posting respectable numbers against them last year. The interesting wrinkle is that he’s batting towards the bottom of the order, which limits his runs scored upside, but could result in a few additional stolen base opportunities to help manufacture runs.