MLB Player News

Morel returns to Miami’s lineup after missing the first month of the season recovering from an oblique strain. The 26-year-old figures to take over at first base and offers minimal fantasy appeal given his persistent strikeout issues. He’s too young to give up on completely, but he can be safely ignored in shallow fantasy formats for now.

Rodríguez was waived in the offseason to make room for Cody Ponce, but was unclaimed on waivers and returned to the Blue Jays organization. He also didn’t look great in spring training, but he has posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 25/9 K/BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Our guess if he will fill the bulk relief role that Lauer had been used in. That makes him intriguing as a matchup-based add in deeper formats.

Lauer has been very outspoken about his dislike of the Blue Jays using an opener before him, but we guess he won’t have to worry about that now. The left-hander has posted a 6.69 ERA this season and was no longer as effective as he showed himself to be in stretches last season. There’s a chance another team claims him off waivers.

Piñango was sent to Triple-A this weekend when Addison Barger returned from the IL despite hitting 423 (11-for-26) with four RBI in 10 games for the Blue Jays. With Barger now back in the IL with elbow inflammation, Piñango will come right back up and is an intriguing add in deeper formats.

Barger came off the injured list for one game after missing multiple weeks with ankle injuries. In that one game, he uncorked a 101 mph throw from right field, but then spoke to the media after the game with a huge ice wrap on his elbow. He’s now on the injured list with inflammation, and there is no timeline for his return.

The Giants made one big move already, sending Patrick Bailey to the Guardians, and it seems like that could just be one step in a full-on rebuild. All of Jung Hoo Lee ($85 million left on his contract), shortstop Willy Adames ($161 million remaining), first baseman Rafael Devers ($226.5 million remaining), and Matt Chapman ($125 million remaining) are owed plenty of money going forward, so the Giants could have plenty of interesting levers to pull as we get closer to the trade deadline.

Harris was with the White Sox last month but was designated for assignment and claimed by the Astros. He was then waived and elected free agency. Now he’s back with the White Sox. The 26-year-old has hit .233/.333/.302 in 52 plate appearances with the White Sox and Astros this season.

Malloy was designated for assignment on Saturday, but he elected to stay with the Rays organization in the minor leagues. He remains a depth piece in a crowded outfield.

This will be Holliday’s second stint at Triple-A after leaving a game on April 21st with renewed soreness in his wrist. Both players technically have a path to playing time if they hit well at Triple-A since Jeremiah Jackson has cooled off, and none of Blaze Alexander, Colston Cowser, or Tyler O’Neill are staking their claim to everyday playing time.

With Mookie Betts (oblique) off the injured list, the Dodgers needed to make a move. This comes as a bit of a surprise since Freeland has been playing mostly second base with Betts sidelined, while Hyeseong Kim has been at shortstop. It seems that the Dodgers will move Kim over to second base when Betts returns. Kim has been hitting better, slashing .289/.353/.395 in 29 games with one home run, eight RBI, and five steals. He should remain deep league relevant if he continues to get starts.

Bolte has been on a tear at Triple-A, batting .348 with a 1.076 OPS, 12 home runs, seven doubles, three triples, 28 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 37 games. That came with a manageable 39/17 K/BB ratio, which is important because Bolte has hand contact concerns in the past. He had just a 69 percent contact rate overall last year, but that’s up over 75 percent this year. There will still be some swing and miss in his game, but his teammate Nick Kurtz had just a 70 percent contact rate in the minors in 2025, and that worked when he got called up. It remains to be seen how often Bolte will play, but it’s hard to believe the Athletics would have called him up for him to be on a short side of a platoon.