MLB Player News

Alcántara was in Nationals camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. The 29-year-old journeyman infielder got into one contest for the Diamondbacks last year, his first big-league stint since 2022. He should be able to latch on somewhere as organizational depth at the Triple-A level.

Burleson essentially put the game away with a two-run blast in the fifth inning off Freddy Peralta to extend the lead to 6-0. He also added an RBI double to give him three on the day and 46 on the season. Burleson isn’t a fantasy superstar, but he’s having an outstanding season that has paired those aforementioned RBI with nine homers and a .293/.360/.472 slash. You can do a heck of a lot worse than that.

Peralta had most of the damage against him occur in the third, as he gave up a four-spot in that inning. The 30-year-old saw some pretty consistent traffic with six hits and two walks, and the five strikeouts weren’t enough to keep those runners at bay. It’s a disappointing outing after his impressive six innings of one-run baseball against the Mariners last week, and it sees Peralta’s ERA rise to 4.04 in the process. A chance to rebound comes Sunday versus Atlanta.

May easily outdueled Freddy Peralta, and continues his hot run after a less-than-spectacular beginning to his campaign. The 28-year-old allowed only four hits — only one of those for extra bases — and he struck out six against a single free pass. May has looked the part and then some as of late, and his 4.21 ERA is more impressive when you consider it was 6.98 just a few outings ago. He’s worth streaming consideration next week against the Padres, with that start scheduled for Monday.

Williamson put Tampa Bay ahead for good with a 103.4 mph double into the left-center field gap with two outs in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old has put together a strong Rays debut, hitting .263/.344/.328 with 18 RBI and five steals through 48 games. He doesn’t offer enough upside to matter in most fantasy leagues, but he’s been a nice addition as a role player in Tampa Bay.

Duran put Boston ahead early with a run-scoring single to center field with two outs in the third inning. It was his lone hit in four at-bats out of the leadoff spot. The 29-year-old outfielder is hitting just .138 (4-for-29) with one RBI and one steal in seven games since the start of June. Not great. The cold spell comes on the heels of a hot stretch where he went deep six times in 11 games.

Simpson looked a bit rusty following a three-game layoff due to a lingering thumb issue. The 25-year-old speedster managed to avoid a potential trip to the injured list and shouldn’t require any additional time off.

Baker got the call to protect a lead for the second consecutive game in the series and needed just 13 pitches (seven strikes) to eliminate any hope of a Boston rally. The unheralded 31-year-old has converted 18 of 21 save opportunities this season and has reeled off nine consecutive scoreless appearances dating back to May 17. He’s been one of the most impactful early-season waiver wire pickups in fantasy.

Martinez wasn’t overpowering, but was once again extremely efficient, working into the eighth inning before being pulled at just 73 pitches (49 strikes). The year-old veteran surrendered a run-scoring single to Jarren Duran in the third inning, but held Boston scoreless until a two-run double from Marcelo Mayer in the eighth that chased him from the contest. It was a nice bounce-back effort after being tagged for a season-high six runs over four innings by the Tigers in his previous start. He boasts a sparkling 2.43 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 44/13 K/BB ratio across 77 2/3 innings this season. He’ll face a tough test with a road tilt against the Dodgers on Monday.