MLB Player News

It’s the first DH appearance for Alvarez this year, both telling of how good he’s been at the plate (.300/.400/.633 in 37 plate appearances so far) and how bereft of depth the Mets are without Juan Soto. Jorge Polanco will get the day off.

Whitcomb gets the call to replace an injured Nick Allen (hamstring) on Houston’s bench. The versatile 27-year-old has gone 2-for-17 with one round-tripper and four RBI in 14 games at the big-league level this season. He’s always been an intriguing talent, and has posted some huge power/speed combo numbers at the Triple-A level, but it’s never really come together at the highest level.

Allen heads to the shelf after leaving Sunday’s contest against his former team with hamstring discomfort. No word on the severity yet. He’s played for the Astros more than originally anticipated this season and has put together his most productive stretch at the dish, slashing .266/.304/.344 with one homer and one steal through 70 plate appearances over 37 games. The 27-year-old is merely a defensive specialist at this stage of his career, but he’s having a decent season considering his track record.

It sounds like a precautionary decision, but back issues are notoriously complex matters. It’ll be Cole Young moving over to cover shortstop in his absence. Emerson’s absence comes at a challenging time for Seattle’s middle infield mix since veteran J.P. Crawford hit the injured list with a hand contusion earlier on Monday. The 20-year-old prodigy has gotten off to a nice start in his rookie campaign, hitting .242/.319/.548 with four homers and 10 RBI through 19 games. There should be an update on Emerson’s status following the contest. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

No word yet on the reason for the move. The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude adds that Emerson went through pregame drills without incident. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Mariners if the decision is injury-related since J.P. Crawford hit the injured list with a hand contusion earlier on Monday. The 20-year-old prodigy was in the midst of a strong debut for Seattle, hitting .242/.319/.548 with four homers and 10 RBI through his first 19 games. There should be an update on his status shortly. It’ll be Cole Young handling shortstop with both Crawford and Emerson out.

There are once again two Max Muncys in the big leagues, with the Athletics’ version returning after nearly six weeks on the shelf with a fractured finger. The 23-year-old returns to his previous post as the club’s starting third baseman ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Brewers in West Sacramento. He offers a little bit of power and speed, but is unlikely to do enough in either department to net out as an impact fantasy contributor outside of AL-only leagues.

Hernaiz returns to the minors with Max Muncy back from the injured list ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Brewers. The 24-year-old infielder has hit an underwhelming .237/.318/.288 with one homer and three steals in 47 games this season. It’ll presumably be Alika Williams handling the bulk of the shortstop duties until Jacob Wilson (shoulder) is ready to return later this month.

Yoho heads back to the minors to free up a roster spot for newly acquired reliever Joel Kuhnel. The 26-year-old has allowed one run over three innings of work for the Brewers this season. He continues to post excellent numbers on the doorstep of the majors, but he’s struggled to gain any traction at the highest level with a bloated 6.17 ERA across 11 2/3 innings in the big leagues over the last two years.

Gibson is one of the more intriguing young arms in the game but he’s posted a 3.65 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 5/7 K/BB ratio across 12 1/3 innings at the highest level this season. The 24-year-old prospect is not a recommended streaming option against the Blue Jays in a challenging road matchup in Canada.

Blue Jays manager John Scheider left open the possibility that Kirk could be ready for Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. The 27-year-old backstop kicked off a rehab assignment in the lower minors last week and will get a few additional contests under his belt to knock off any remaining rust this week. He’s been out since undergoing thumb surgery back in early April.

García has been slowly working his way back from last year’s right elbow procedure and figures to be ready to rejoin Toronto’s relief mix at some point this month. The 35-year-old has made four rehab appearances in the lower minors over the past month.