MLB Player News

King was batting .336/.427/.562 with five homers and five steals for Harrisburg. Exclusively a shortstop previously, he’s played five of his 35 games at second base. If he starts seeing more time at the keystone, that could be a sign that the Nationals plan to give him a look over Nasim Nuñez at some point. Shortstop might also be a possibility if they decide to trade CJ Abrams before the deadline, though such a move seems less likely than it did a few months ago.

There must be something about the Rangers that keeps bringing Kelenic back. The 27-year-old former elite prospect hit the open market to gauge his options earlier this week before deciding to head back to Triple-A Round Rock. Apparently, no other teams were interested.

Rutschman is currently on the injured list with wrist inflammation. It’s unclear whether the Orioles are even going to be sellers since they’ve shown some signs of life recently. Heyman adds that the Yankees are casting a wide net in search of an upgrade at catcher, listing Tyler Stephenson as another potential target in the lead up to next week’s trade deadline.

He’s back. Díaz figures to immediately reclaim the closer role in Los Angeles with lefty Tanner Scott remaining in the mix to vulture the occasional opportunity. The 32-year-old former elite stopper’s stuff looked sharp in a handful of minor league rehab outings, piling up 11 strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings, while working his way back from surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow back in late April.

Barnes loses his spot in the Los Angeles’ bullpen with high-priced closer Edwin Díaz coming back from the injured list. The well-traveled 30-year-old has allowed seven runs over 10 innings across four appearances for the Dodgers this season.

It’s a welcome development for fantasy managers as Miller will be spared from having to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. That honor goes to Bryan Woo instead. The 27-year-old righty is getting some extra rest after being tagged for five runs over 5 1/3 innings by the Rangers his last time out.

Ginn could potentially return to the Athletics’ rotation at some point next week after hitting the shelf with a blister issue earlier this month.

It’s ostensibly a less-invasive operation than a full Tommy John ligament replacement, but the internal brace procedure carries a similar return timetable of roughly 13-16 months. The 31-year-old high-leverage reliever signed a two-year contract in the offseason and is unlikely to make it back to Philadelphia until the late stages of next season, if at all.

While all of the trade buzz with San Diego will understandably swirl around electric closer Mason Miller, it’s King that might be the strongest bet to be dealt before next week’s trade deadline. Feinsand notes that King could be an expiring contract that the Padres might offload since he has a $28 million player option for 2027 and a $30 million player option for the following season. He’s set to take the ball against the Giants this weekend and holds a solid 3.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 109/50 K/BB ratio across 125 1/3 innings this seaso.

The revelation comes as a bit of a surprise as the Angels appear to be more willing to move on from someone like Neto, who was viewed as one of their more long-term building blocks. There are plenty of teams that could use a shortstop, which is probably why Los Angeles interim general manager John Mozeliak is going to entertain overtures. It doesn’t sound like anything is imminent, but the Angels could be headed for more of a full-scale teardown than many anticipated.

Susac’s first homer off Thomas Pannone was a three-run shot that opened the scoring in the second inning. His second, a solo shot off a 60-mph fastball from Andrew Vaughn in the eighth, was less significant but still counts. Susac is now batting .256/.306//372 in 136 plate appearances. The start today was his first in four games, as the Giants prefer Drew Cavanaugh behind the plate at the moment. They also have Jesus Rodriguez up as an occasional option. However, Susac, as a Rule 5 pick, is locked into a spot the rest of the way.