MLB Player News

Koenig hit the shelf earlier on Monday with a left elbow sprain but it sounds like he’ll avoid surgery for now. The big concern is how his elbow responds after some time off from throwing, which will likely determine whether he returns at some point in late April or early May.

It was quite likely Stephenson’s final game with the Reds, as the free agent-to-be is likely to be shipped off prior to Monday’s trade deadline. He’s not quite in as high of demand as Hunter Goodman or Ryan Jeffers, but there’s a good chance those two will stay put, making Stephenson the top catcher moved. He is batting .256/.342/.417 with nine homers on the season.

Burns got through six and won his 12th straight decision in spite of a lengthy unofficial delay in the fourth in which the grounds crew spent about 25 minutes working on the infield. He’s 13-1 with a 2.35 ERA through 22 starts. We wouldn’t expect much from him in September, but he’ll probably keep pitching like an ace until the Reds slow him down. He’ll face the Nationals next weekend.

Keller performed well in his first two starts to begin the second half, but with this outburst, his ERA is now higher than ever at 5.29. Some of the blame today surely goes to the rain; his velocity was down by about 1.5 mph and he walked four. Still, this just isn’t a very good pitcher. In his last 14 starts, Keller has given up 58 runs and struck out 54 in 69 2/3 innings. He’ll face the Mets next.

The Pirates were down 9-2 in the eighth, so it didn’t really matter much that Doval surrendered a solo shot to Tyler Stephenson. Still, it’s not a great first impression as he auditions for a late-game role. Even though his groundball rate remains excellent, Doval has allowed a career-high seven homers this season. That’s one homer every six innings, compared to one every 14 innings over the course his career.

Another little late boost for Lowe’s trade value. He’s hit .340/.365/.540 in 13 games to start the second half. With Luis García Jr. now off the table, teams still looking for a left-handed first base/DH type (Arizona? Cleveland?) could turn here.

Caballero was responsible for the only two runs of the game with his two-run shot, but that was one more run than the Cubs scored thanks to Gerrit Cole and the Yankees’ bullpen. Caballero has 11 homers on his campaign, and that roundtripper along with a single ups his slash to .244/.295/.387 on the year.

Bednar issued one walk, but also picked up a strikeout and didn’t allow a hit. The scoreless 1 1/3 frames lowers Bednar’s ERA to 2.61, and he’s now saved 24 games in his first full year as the Yankees’ closer.

The only run Cole allowed came in the fourth on an RBI single by Michael Busch. The right-hander did have some control issues with three free passes, but he worked around them with five strikeouts in another impressive outing for the 35-year-old. Cole has allowed just one run over his last two starts, and he’ll take a 3.42 ERA into a scheduled start against Atlanta. This isn’t vintage Cole, but it’s certainly effective.

Bachman left Sunday’s appearance against the Brewers after picking up just one out and issuing a walk. The right-hander believes he’ll be ok, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he missed a couple more days at least.