MLB Player News

Billy Cook will start in left field and bat ninth on Thursday. There’s a left-hander on the mound, but Reynolds is a switch-hitter and has 27 plate appearances this season against lefties, so this is not a platoon situation. He is a better hitter against right-handed pitching, so there’s a chance that the Pirates get him more off days when lefties are on the mound, but that will be within his normal rest. Reynolds is off to a solid start to the season, hitting .288/.400/.470 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a 49 percent hard-hit rate. He could still be a bit of a buy-low target if people are focused too much on his poor 2025 season.

Walker was released by the Phillies after forging a 9.13 ERA over his 22 1/3 innings to begin the year. The 33-year-old will likely get a chance to join the Angels’ rotation, but considering his inability to miss bats and the fact he’ll be playing for one of the worst teams in the sport, this is a hard sell from a fantasy perspective.

Contreras gets a rare day off for the middle game of the series against Los Angeles. Gary Sanchez will be the backstop and hit fifth with Robert Gasser on the bump for the Brew Crew.

The positive news is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures after Muncy was hit by a 95-mph sinker off his right wrist during Friday’s series opener. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters afterwards that he’ll receive a couple days off to rest and recover, but it sounds like he managed to avoid serious injury. It’ll be Santiago Espinal taking over at third base this weekend.

Walker took Reds reliever Connor Phillips deep with a no-doubter to right-center field in the seventh inning to give the Cardinals a commanding 5-1 advantage during the opening contest of Saturday’s twin bill. He also picked up an additional RBI with a third-inning ground out. The 24-year-old’s impressive breakout campaign continues as he’s tied for second in the National League with 14 round-trippers this season.

Torres made quite a statement in his big-league debut following 11 seasons in the minors between three different organizations. The 28-year-old journeyman collected his first career hit with a single to right field against Reds starter Chris Paddack in the third inning before taking reliever Jose Franco deep in the ninth inning for his first home run.

Pallante took the ball for the opening contest of Saturday’s doubleheader and managed to limit Cincinnati to just a second-inning solo homer by Nathaniel Lowe, retiring the final 13 batters he faced. The 27-year-old righty struck out three and allowed just one run. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts this season. He’ll face the division-rival Cubs his next time out on Friday.

Paddack drew the starting assignment for the opening contest of Saturday’s twin bill and managed to save the Reds bullpen by completing five frames. He posted five strikeouts and issued three walks. He’ll continue to draw starts for Cincinnati’s injury-depleted rotation and is in line to take the ball on Friday against Atlanta.

Not good. Alvarez appeared to be dealing with some sort of physical issue since he drew a visit from Astros manager Joe Espada and a trainer prior to his sixth-inning at-bat. He fouled off one pitch before being lifted for pinch-hitter Zach Dezenzo. He was 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored prior to exiting. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Cabrera latches on with Kansas City as organizational relief depth after being cut loose by the Phillies last week. The 29-year-old southpaw has made 312 appearances in the big leagues between the Twins, Pirates, Cubs, Mets, Blue Jays and Cardinals since 2019.

Strzelecki fortifies New York’s relief depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was up briefly with the Brewers earlier this month but didn’t end up getting into a game. The 31-year-old has made 77 appearances between the Brewers, Diamondbacks and Guardians since 2022.