MLB Player News

Ashcraft has opened his second year as a reliever with a 1.50 ERA through 12 innings. He has a chance to be the Reds’ best reliever going forward, but he’s still behind both Emilio Pagán and Tony Santillan on the saves depth chart right now.

Keith was out of the lineup on Wednesday despite the Brewers clearly using an opener. He was then brought in as a pinch hitter and went 2-for-3 with an RBI. The Tigers’ desire to platoon him so strictly is a major headache for fantasy managers, as is the fact that he has six RBI in 22 games despite slashing .324/.351/.423. We understand if you don’t want to hold on in fantasy leagues.

Yates threw 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes, but both of the hits off of him were hard hits. He was also sitting 90.2 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is 2.6 mph down from where he was last season. It’s still early in his rehab, but he may need a few more outings to get back to a place where we can consider using him in fantasy leagues.

Since being traded to Baltimore, Encarnacion-Strand has gone 8-for-24 (.333) with two home runs, four RBI, and an 8/3 K/BB ratio in six games. He’s just 26 years old and still has big-time power, so there is a chance he can figure this out in a new organization.

Smith’s command was a real issue here, throwing just 30 of his 62 pitches for strikes. He also sat 95.2 mph on his four-seam fastball and was down to 93.3 mph in the third inning. His slider was also over three mph slower by the third inning. Perhaps he was just struggling to get loose today, but this was a rough performance from the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

The 22-year-old has a 1.27 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 20/7 K/BB ratio in 21 1/3 innings at Triple-A to start the season. He was sitting 95 mph with his fastball on Wednesday and posted 40 percent whiff rates on both his slider and changeup. His fastball itself doesn’t get many whiffs, which has limited his strikeout upside, but he has five pitches he trusts and has shown great command of the strike zone. With Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodon (elbow) both likely to return in May, there likely won’t be many innings at the big league level for Rodríguez this season, but he is setting himself up as a future piece in the Yankees’ rotation or a really valuable trade chip.

The 22-year-old came into this season as the Cubs’ 8th-ranked prospect, but he is flying up top prospect lists right now. Ramírez is slashing .333/.396/.678 in 21 games at Triple-A with seven doubles, seven home runs, 27 RBI, seven steals, and an 18/9 K/BB ratio. He has been limited to just second base and third base this season, but has previous experience in left field as well. The Cubs are going to need to find another spot for him besides second base because Nico Hoerner isn’t going anywhere, and Ramírez is looking like he could be ready to be in Chicago by this summer.

This is now two straight days with a home run for Marte, who is slashing .370/.433/.741 in seven games at Triple-A with two home runs, two steals, and a 7/3 K/BB ratio. We know he struggled at the MLB level to begin the season, but he doesn’t belong in Triple-A.

The left-hander threw just 10 of his 20 pitches for strikes and was lifted before being able to finish the inning. His velocity was good, with his four-seam fastball sitting 95.8 mph, so this is simply about shaking off the rust. He should return to high leverage innings shortly after returning to Tampa Bay.

Didier Fuentes only lasted three innings on Wednesday night, so the Braves had to use Martin Perez for 52 pitches in relief. That means the team needs JR Ritchie to start on Thursday and needs somebody else to provide length out of the bullpen over the weekend. That role will fall to Carrasco, but he remains off fantasy radars.

This was reported last night but is now official. Ritchie, the 79th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, had a 0.99 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 28/13 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings over five starts for Triple-A Gwinnett this season. He will make his MLB debut on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Even though Didier Fuentes struggled against the Nationals on Wednesday, Ritchie could be worth a stream. He has a much deeper pitch mix than Fuentes, including a curveball and cutter that he added last year. There’s a chance that he could pitch his way into a full-time role in Atlanta.