MLB Player News

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Ginn is on track to start later this week after leaving his previous outing over the weekend with a stinger in his right shoulder. There was some concern initially, but it sounds like he’s going to avoid a trip to the injured list.

It was a bit of a slow start to the season for Báez, but the 22-year-old hit .274/.347/.632 in 106 at-bats in May with 10 home runs, 24 RBI, and a 34/9 K/BB ratio. He’s now continued that pace with a four-hit game to begin June. Obviously, the strikeouts are a bit of a concern and will continue to be at the MLB level as well, but he has elite power and has also stolen 11 bases already this year. Even with a low batting average, he has the raw tools to provide fantasy managers with a huge boost in the second half of the season.

Edman has now gone 6-for-16 in five games at Triple-A as he works back from offseason ankle surgery. He has one home run over that time as well, but has not attempted a single stolen base. Obviously, much of Edman’s previous fantasy value has come from his speed, and how often he runs post-ankle surgery will be a major question that could determine whether he’s worth adding off your waiver wires.

Shaw landed on the injured list with mid-back tightness on May 22nd. He’s already back playing center field in Triple-A, which makes it possible he could return to the Cubs by the end of the week.

Morales is now up to 13 home runs and 36 RBI on the season to go along with a .344 batting average and a 1.016 OPS. He’s ready for a chance at big league pitching, but with Curtis Mead playing well at third base, the Nationals will need to use Morales as a DH or a first baseman.

Smith also struck out nine and walked just two on the day. His pure raw stuff was impressive, but he threw 55 of his 89 pitches for strikes and needed almost 90 pitches to get 13 outs. Some of that is the result of him looking for, and getting whiffs, which led to longer counts and strikeouts. However, Smith has also struggled with his command at times this season. The fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft has plenty of upside but still has some work to do at Triple-A.

Schmidt has been sidelined all season after having Tommy John surgery last year. He’s still in the early stages of his return, and facing hitters at some point in June would likely mean a rehab assignment starting in July. Given the depth of the Yankees’ rotation and Schmidt’s likely innings restriction after elbow surgery, you have to wonder if the Yankees will consider bringing him back as a long relief option this season.

Kurtz has now played in half as many games this year (59) as he did as a rookie (117). He’s less than one-third of the way to last year’s home run total of 36, but his .289 and .290 batting averages are a match, and he leads the majors with a .440 OBP. Last year, he finished at .383.

Jump, who gave up four runs in five innings against the Mariners in his first MLB start, allowed just three hits with his average fastball up to 96.9 mph tonight. It was 95.9 mph in his first start and 95.8 mph in Triple-A this season. In spite of that, he still only generated five whiffs on 45 swings. Jump still seems like a tough play in mixed leagues at the moment. He’ll face the Astros on the road on Sunday.

Scott Barlow allowed a walk and a single to start the ninth with a one-run lead. He then retired Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki, but at that point, the A’s turned to the lefty Harris to face Ian Happ and were rewarded with a routine fly to center. Harris broke a tie with Joel Kuhnel and Mark Leiter Jr. by becoming the first A’s reliever with five saves this season. The situation doesn’t seem worth investing in right now.

Taillon surrendered a homer to Nick Kurtz in the third and then three singles to score the second run in the fourth. At least it did go as his first quality start in a month. Taillon’s velocity has been climbing in recent outings, and he might prove to be useable mixed-league starter at some point. He’ll likely face the Giants on Sunday.