MLB Player News

Sanders returns to the majors with starter Braxton Ashcraft away from the club on bereavement leave. The 29-year-old has been hit hard, allowing four runs and recording only one out in his lone appearance in the big leagues this season.

The Orioles needed a spot on the 40-man roster for recently claimed Michael Siani, so Espada was let go. He was also optioned back to Triple-A early last week, so he should clear waivers and could re-sign with the Orioles on a minor league contract.

Duarte has pitched in a hybrid role in Triple-A, providing the Mets with some length. He has a 2.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 14/9 K/BB ratio in 17 1/3 innings across 12 appearances (four starts).

Gerber was recalled on Saturday but did not pitch for the Mets. He’ll now head back to the minors.

This is just a procedural move. Minter suffered a setback at the beginning of the month, but he is still expected to restart his rehab assignment soon. This move doesn’t change his timeline, which could be sometime in June.

A few Mets content creators have suggested a similar idea, so it’s worth exploring. Thornton, a 24-year-old left-hander, last pitched on Friday, so his next start would line up with when Holmes’ spot in the rotation is due. Thornton has also pitched to a 3.16 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 40/12 K/BB ratio in 37 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. With Jonah Tong really struggling in Triple-A this season and Jack Wenninger posting a nearly 15 percent walk rate at Triple-A, Thornton might be the safest option for the Mets. As a low-velocity left-hander with a plus slider and a true five-pitch mix, Thornton would only be a fantasy option in the deepest formats.

Wood is a first-round pick from 2025 who has a 3.42 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings at Low-A this season. Considering his strikeout upside and the fact that he’s 22 years old, it makes sense for the Phillies to test him against older and better hitters.

Allard had an opt-out clause in his contract, and the Guardians allowed him to exercise that clause rather than call him up. He had allowed 10 runs on 16 hits in 8 2/3 innings with Cleveland this season.

Holliday had hamate bone surgery on the same day in the spring that Francisco Lindor did, and has yet to make his season debut. He’s had a few setbacks during his rehab assignment and has played 22 rehab games so far, hitting .176/.291/.284 with a 27 percent strikeout rate over that stretch. We would not be running to add him in fantasy leagues, but would prefer to wait and see what the contact quality looks like, given the surgery and subsequent setbacks.

Urshela debuted with Cleveland in 2015 and spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors, finishing up with the A’s last year. He never made an All-Star team, but he was exceptional for the Yankees in 2019 and the shortened 2020, hitting .310/.358/.523 with 17 homers and 5.9 rWAR in 175 games between the two seasons. Always well regarded defensively at third base, he finishes his career with a .270/.314/.407 line and 73 homers over 851 games.

King was batting .336/.427/.562 with five homers and five steals for Harrisburg. Exclusively a shortstop previously, he’s played five of his 35 games at second base. If he starts seeing more time at the keystone, that could be a sign that the Nationals plan to give him a look over Nasim Nuñez at some point. Shortstop might also be a possibility if they decide to trade CJ Abrams before the deadline, though such a move seems less likely than it did a few months ago.