MLB Player News

Heyward was one of the most-hyped prospects in recent memory, but never quite developed the power that would have made him a generational player. Instead he became a five-time Gold Glove winner with speed and on-base skills in a corner. He signed an eight-year, $194 million contract with the Cubs in free agency and helped the club break the curse in 2016. Heyward was released from that contract before it was over and bounced around with the Dodgers, Astros, and Padres in recent years.

Alvarez put the Astros on the board in the first inning, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly. He then knocked a base hit in the sixth before driving in a second run on a solo homer off Daniel Duarte in the eighth. The home run was his 37th of the season, tying a career high. Alvarez is hitting .320/.435/.613 with 90 runs scored and 93 RBI across 588 plate appearances.

McLean gave up a run in the first inning on a double and a sacrifice fly following a fielding error, making the run unearned. He then quieted the Astros’ lineup over six more scoreless frames, stranding three more runners while collecting four strikeouts. The 25-year-old right-hander will look to follow the dominant performance when he takes a 3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 172/61 K/BB ratio across 155 2/3 innings into a start against the Giants in New York on Friday.

Bennett Sousa opened the game for the Astros and gave up a run on two walks and a base hit before handing it over to Javier with two outs. Javier retired the final batter to get out of the inning, then pitched three scoreless frames before running into trouble in the fifth. The Mets got to Javier for three runs on four hits, including a two-run triple by Jared Young. Javier would finish out the frame and end his day with a 6.45 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, and a 42/19 K/BB ratio across 44 2/3 innings. His next outing is scheduled to come on Friday against the Diamondbacks in Houston.

Straw knocked a base hit in the third inning, then singled and scored in the fifth. He then reached with a walk in the sixth and scored on a single by Alejandro Kirk, scoring twice as the ninth hitter in the lineup. The 31-year-old outfielder is hitting .227/.286/.343 with three homers, 38 runs scored, 22 RBI, and seven steals across 269 plate appearances.

Raleigh is certainly making things up in the power department. He took Jose Soriano deep for a solo homer in the second inning to put the Mariners on the board. The home run was his sixth in his last eight games. The 29-year-old slugger is up to 19 homers and 53 RBI while slashing .169/.288/.350 across 424 plate appearances.

Varland took the mound in the top of the ninth to close out the game against the Mariners with a one-run lead. He made an excellent play to beat the runner to first on a groundout to retire the first batter, then struck out the next before inducing a weak fly-out to end the game with his 31st save of the season.

Soriano retired the first four batters before Cal Raleigh took him deep for a solo homer in the second inning. The Mariners would put two more runs on the board in the fourth after Soriano loaded the bases with a pair of walks, with Taylor Ward driving in two with a base hit. The 27-year-old right-hander settled in for three more scoreless innings, ending his day after seven with six strikeouts and in line for a win. Soriano will take a 3.45 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and a 149/67 K/BB ratio across 151 1/3 innings into a start against the Guardians in Cleveland on Thursday.

Anderson got off to an excellent start in his second career outing for the Mariners. He stranded four baserunners across four scoreless innings before getting into some trouble in the fifth. He gave up a base hit and walked a batter with one out in the inning, ending his day at 85 pitches as the team looks to limit his pitch count. Both inherited runners would come in to score. He struck out three. The 22-year-old left-hander has given up five runs with an 8/5 K/BB ratio over 10 innings across his first two starts. Anderson is in line for his third start on Thursday, taking on the Athletics in Seattle.

Cavalli suffered the injury when he was struck by a batted ball on a comebacker to end the fourth inning. It sounds like he was able to avoid any structural damage and it’s likely that he’ll be able to take his next scheduled turn in the Nationals’ rotation. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Flores’s homer left his bat at 108.6 mph and was projected at 434 feet. He’s just 3-for-29 with a 12/1 K/BB in his last eight games, but the power is still really impressive; he’s totaled seven homers in 86 plate appearances for Pirates.