MLB Player News

Sánchez had been more good than great since striking out 10 against the Rangers on Opening Day, so it was nice to see him dominate tonight. Coming into the game, the league was hitting .287 against him with a 45 percent hard-hit rate against him, compared to .226 with a 40 percent hard-hit rate last year. Tonight, with his velocity up about 1.5 mph from his season average, the A’s were 3-for-27 against him.

Nothing official from the Dodgers after Snell landed on the injured list prior to Friday’s scheduled start against the Angels with an elbow injury. The 33-year-old southpaw spent the first seven weeks of the season working his way back from offseason shoulder issues. It’s worth noting that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism that Snell would pitch again this season, but that’s hardly a lock. He can be safely dropped in shallow fantasy formats where roster spots are at a premium. It’ll likely be former top pitching prospect River Ryan taking his rotation spot next week.

Hernández will need a bit of an extended rehab assignment since he’s been on the shelf recovering from last year’s elbow issue since spring training wrapped up. The 34-year-old super-utility specialist should be ready to make his season debut before the end of May.

Ryan hit triple digits six times and topped out at 100.9 mph in his first minor-league start since April 11. He averaged 98.6 mph on his four-seam fastball and generated nine swinging strikes during the 53-pitch outing. The fact that his fastball velocity is back to pre-Tommy John surgery levels is an extremely encouraging sign. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect hasn’t toed the rubber in the big leagues since 2024. Blake Snell unexpectedly landing on the injured list, and facing a lengthy absence, makes him the logical choice to step into Los Angeles’ six-man rotation and gives him immediate fantasy appeal as a viable streaming option. He could potentially get the ball next Friday against the Brewers.

Ramos was replaced by Casey Schmitt in left field after looking uncomfortable during a sixth-inning at-bat. The 26-year-old finished 1-for-3 at the dish prior to exiting. Giants manager Tony Vitello told reporters afterwards that the injury occurred while Ramos went all-out trying to make a play defensively. It’s unclear whether he’ll undergo imaging in addition to further evaluation and treatment. It doesn’t sound like a potential injured list situation, but fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his status for the rest of the weekend.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki told reporters O’Hoppe was removed from Friday’s series opener as a precaution after experiencing pain in his left wrist, which is the the same one in which he suffered a small fracture last month. Suzuki added that O’Hoppe did not require X-rays. The 26-year-old backstop could be headed back to the injured list if the discomfort doesn’t subside this weekend. There should be a clearer picture of his status before the Freeway Series concludes this weekend.

Kurtz has homered in three straight games after going 15 in a row without one. Tonight’s was a 417-footer off Tyler Mahle. Since debuting last April, Kurtz has 44 homers, 115 RBI, 118 runs scored and 103 walks in 160 games. He’s fanned 210 times, too, but that doesn’t seem like much of a concern at this point.

Civale fanned only two and allowed homers to Luis Arraez and Harrison Bader, but nothing else did any damage. He’s a pretty stunning 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA to date. It still seems like a good idea to stay away from him in mixed leagues, but for those interested, he’ll face the Angels on the road next time out.

Jack Perkins has blown two save chances in a row, so the ninth is again wide open in Sacramento. Since Harris is the team’s top lefty, it’s not always going to make sense to save him for the ninth inning. Still, he figures to remain very much in the mix for saves. He has a 2.45 ERA despite having walked 17 in 22 innings.

Nick Kurtz hit a three-run homer off Mahle tonight, bringing Mahle’s total of homers allowed to nine in nine starts. Last year, it was five in 16 starts, but that already seemed like a fluke at the time. Mahle does have 42 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings, so his rotation spot shouldn’t be in jeopardy just yet. He’ll due to face the Diamondbacks in each of his next two starts.

Bolte has started three straight games and gone 5-for-10 with two RBI and a walk. He’s not assured of playing against righties, but the A’s used him over Lawrence Butler on Thursday and Carlos Cortes tonight. The A’s face three more right-handers before their next game against a lefty, and it will be interesting to see if the A’s keep rotating out Butler and Cortes in order to keep Bolte in the lineup. Everything so far is pretty encouraging.