MLB Player News

Joyce is working his way back from last year’s shoulder surgery, and the Angels have been very deliberate with his rehab. Relievers don’t need as long to ramp up as starting pitchers do, but the team won’t rush the 25-year-old either. Expect him to begin slowly with a few appearances in the lower minors before building up to pitching on back-to-back days in Triple-A. That being said, it’s possible Joyce could be up with the Angels in 2-3 weeks, and with Jordan Romano no longer on the MLB roster and Kirby Yates struggling on his own rehab assignment, there is a chance for Joyce to emerge as a late-inning option for a team that desperately needs one.

He also stole a base. Ruiz, who was acquired from the Dodgers over the winter, was making his second start in six games since coming off the injured list last week. With his speed, he might be a fantasy factor if he ever convinces the Marlins to play him regularly. Still, that probably wouldn’t work out very well for the team. He’ll likely start mostly versus lefties for now.

One of the runs scored because Otto Lopez lost Alex Call’s infield popup in the sun. It’s Alcantara’s fifth quality start in seven tries, though he has only a 2-2 record to show for his 3.04 ERA. He’ll likely take on the Orioles next week.

Faucher walked Hyeseong Kim and Alex Call to begin the inning and then fell behind Alex Freeland 1-0 prior to getting bailed out by a sac bunt. Faucher then intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani and got Freddie Freeman to hit his second double-play ball of the day. It certainly doesn’t build any confidence in Faucher, but he’ll probably stay in the mix for saves until Pete Fairbanks returns.

Glasnow walked six today, but it was two solo homers that accounted for the only damage. Add in the nine strikeouts and 17 of the 24 batters he faced produced one of the three true outcomes. Glasnow allowed just one hard-hit ball aside from the homers. He’s sporting a 2.56 ERA with the Astros next up on the schedule.

It sounded like Christopher Morel was going to be Miami’s primary first baseman to start the year if he hadn’t gotten hurt, but he’s started just one of three games since coming off the IL. Norby DH’d in that one and played first in the other two. He’s hit .226/.330/.376 while starting 28 of Miami’s 31 games this year, including the last six in a row. One would think he’ll need to do a little better than that going forward in order to remain a regular, but even if Morel can overtake him, he could still play third over Graham Pauley.

It’s not every day you see a player make seven outs in a nine-inning game. It’s the third time in his career that Freeman has grounded into two double plays. He’s currently in a 6-for-35 slump that has dropped his OPS from .878 to .742.

Jones averaged a sizzling 99.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and topped out at 101.1 mph in his first rehab outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He threw 30 of 41 pitches for strikes and retired all nine batters he faced. The electrifying 24-year-old former top pitching prospect will need a couple additional weeks of rehab outings before he’s ready to return to Pittsburgh’s rotation, most likely around late May or early June.

There’s a chance Volpe is activated to make his season debut during Friday’s series opener against the Orioles. Jasson Domínguez (elbow) requiring a trip to the injured list would be the easiest path to freeing up a roster spot. The 25-year-old’s biggest concern going forward is going to be holding off New York’s top prospect, George Lombard Jr., who was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier this week and could be ready for the majors later this summer.

Pearson is working his way back from an offseason cleanup procedure on his right elbow and figures to need a handful of additional outings before he’s an option for Houston’s pitching staff. He figures to get a look as a starter and would make a ton of sense in a swingman-type role initially. The 29-year-old is several years removed from being one of the premier pitching prospects in baseball back when he was with the Blue Jays.

Kim played five innings at shortstop in his rehab debut and is going to need at least a week or two of game action to get back up to speed before he’s ready to make his season debut. The 30-year-old middle infielder has been on the shelf recovering from a torn tendon in his right middle finger that he suffered while falling on a patch of ice during the offseason.