MLB Player News

Bazzana capped Cleveland’s five-run explosion in the third inning by slicing a two-run double into the left-center field gap. He also drew a pair of walks in this one, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances out of the eighth spot in the order. The 23-year-old top prospect has hit a bit of a rough path, which isn’t completely unexpected, while acclimating to everyday life in the majors, hitting .211/.423/.316 with one homer and seven steals in 12 games since being called up back on April 28.

Kim will make his long-awaited Braves debut after missing the first six weeks of the season recovering from an offseason finger injury. The 30-year-old middle infielder takes over as Atlanta’s starting shortstop and should offer enough power/speed combo production to be worthy of a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues.

It’s awful timing for Caballero, who officially became the Yankees’ starting shortstop when Anthony Volpe was demoted to Triple-A, rather than activated off the injured list, last week. Volpe will now have an opportunity to make his case for the job. Greatly outproducing his exit velocity numbers, Caballero is batting .259/.320/.400 with four homers and 13 steals this season, though he also leads the league with five caught stealings.

Volpe was hitting just .205 in nine Triple-A game, but 18 of his 30 balls in play were hit hard. He was also 4-for-4 overall stealing bases in 18 minor league games since returning from shoulder surgery. Although he’s not starting tonight, he should be the regular shortstop while José Caballero is out, making him worth picking up in mixed leagues. If he excels, the Yankees could turn Caballero into a utilityman once he returns.

Steer finds himself in the prominent lineup spot for the second consecutive contest after spending Sunday’s series finale against the Astros there. The versatile 28-year-old is hitting .269 (14-for-52) with three homers, seven RBI and one steal over his last 15 games. The move towards the top of Cincinnati’s lineup boosts his fantasy appeal in deeper formats, if the move becomes permanent.

Basallo is back at DH and hitting fifth after being scratched from Monday’s lineup with left knee discomfort. The 21-year-old prodigy appears to be fine from a physical standpoint after being involved in a home-plate collision during Sunday’s contest against the Athletics. He’s been on fire at the plate recently, hitting .382 (21-for-55) with two homers and nine RBI over his last 15 games.

Paul Goldschmidt is at first base and leading off against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers. Rice continues to see frequent opportunities against southpaws after taking a seat routinely against them earlier this season. The 27-year-old rising star launched his 13th round-tripper of the season during Monday’s series opener and has been one of the top power-hitters in baseball this year.

The Yankees are choosing Ryan McMahon over the struggling Chisholm tonight, with Amed Rosario starting at second base, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice are in the lineup over Jones, who is on the bench for the first time in five games since his callup. Chisholm is 8-for-48 with one homer in his last 13 games. He’s also just 2-for-4 stealing bases during the stretch after going 9-for-10 previously.

Beeter is in line to return next week if all goes well. He’ll likely resume challenging Gus Varland for saves, so Varland could definitely use a good week after allowing three runs in the eighth inning and taking a loss Sunday against the Marlins.

Imai will face the Mariners tonight in his first start since walking four and giving up three runs in one-third of an inning against the same ballclub on Apr. 10. He walked eight and gave up six runs over five innings in his two rehab starts, so he’s not to be trusted in fantasy leagues at the moment.

VanWey, who was called up on Friday, pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his two appearances over the weekend.