MLB Player News

This is just about usage and the Braves needing a fresh bullpen arm. Fuentes threw four innings of relief yesterday so he won’t be available to pitch for a few days. He has minor league options remaining so he will continue to build his pitch count with Gwinnett and likely return to the Braves as a starter in the coming weeks.

With Devyison De Los Santos back in Triple-A, Connor Norby will move over to first base, which gives Pauley the chance to claim the third base job as long as Christopher Morel (oblique) is out. Pauley seemed in line to begin the starting season as the starter before a forearm injury sidelined him for much of spring training. He’s more of a deep league target in fantasy leagues.

Marte has now sat against both righties the Reds have faced this season, which is a bit confusing considering he had reverse splits last year. To start the year, it seems like Will Benson will be starting against right-handed pitchers, which makes it hard to roster Marte in shallower formats right now, especially considering the Reds are set to face right-handed starters in eight of their next nine games.

Doyle will take a seat for the first time this season. Troy Johnston will enter the starting lineup in right field, and Jake McCarthy will switch over to center field. Doyle is hitless in his first 12 plate appearances this season, so perhaps a day off will help him clear his head.

Kittredge has been battling shoulder inflammation for much of spring training. He will likely need a few outings before he joins Baltimore’s bullpen, where he will be part of the bridge to closer Ryan Helsley. The 36-year-old has 21 career saves in nine MLB seasons and is not a lock to be the fallback option at closer if Helsley were to get hurt, so he’s not worth holding onto in most fantasy formats.

Blanco will enter the starting lineup in Triple-A and be an option for the Rangers if they suffer an injury in the outfield.

De Los Santos was called up this weekend when Christopher Morel (oblique) went on the IL, and it was through that he might be in Miami to stay. That was not the case. The team claimed INF Leo Jimenez off waivers and will activate him while sending De Los Santos to the minors, where he can play every day. In the meantime, Connor Norby is expected to be the regular first baseman for the Marlins, with Javier Sanoja and Graham Pauley playing third base.

Williams has gone 3-for-11 to start the season with three strikeouts and three walks and has also stolen three bases without being caught. The Brewers are using David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo at third base right, which seems to be a signal that they’re holding the spot until Williams is ready. His speed is going to be a major asset when he finally takes over the job.

This was part of the speculation when Fuentes was sent down earlier today, but now we have clarity. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports that “Once [Fuentes] gets his pitch count up to 90 over the next couple weeks, there will be a greater chance to see him be part of Atlanta’s rotation over an extended period.” It may be hard to hold Fuentes on your fantasy rosters since we don’t know for sure when he will be up, but it seems like he’s going to get a shot in the Braves’ rotation before April is done.

Pérez had remained in minor league camp, but the Braves will add him to the roster, most likely, to start on Tuesday. It’s not a great matchup against the Athletics, but a decent outing could keep Pérez in the rotation for a bit longer.

Tibbs impressed this spring and is off to an 8-for-13 starts with six extra-base hits in three games for Oklahoma City. The Dodgers might not ever need the twice-traded 2024 first-round pick (first from the Giants to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers deal and later to the Dodgers in the Dustin May trade), but he could be a big part of another deadline deal this summer.