MLB Player News

The Password is in right field and hitting sixth in his Pirates debut against the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. The 23-year-old outfielder possesses an interesting blend of fantasy-relevant tools, but he’s probably going to strike out too much to be impactful in shallow mixed leagues. There’s enough power/speed combo intrigue to dream on, especially if he makes some strides in the plate skills department. Garcia can be left on waiver wires in shallow formats, but he’s worthy of a speculative dice roll in deeper leagues.

Soriano takes the ball for Friday’s contest at historic Wrigley Field with the Blue Jays moving to a six-man rotation. The 27-year-old was one of the biggest names to move at the trade deadline, heading north of the border in a four-player swap. He’s posted a strong 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 127/57 K/BB ratio across 123 innings over 22 starts so far this year. This will be his first outing since July 26.

The decision to pitch Taillon in Houston bumps Dylan Cease back to Thursday’s series opener against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It’ll be José Soriano making his Toronto debut on Friday as they transition to a six-man rotation on a temporary basis.

Alcantara’s latest stint with Chicago wound up being extremely brief as he heads back to the minors to make room for trade deadline acquisition Tyrone Taylor. The 24-year-old top prospect would probably be an interesting fantasy option if the Cubs ever decided to give him an extended look. Clearly, that’s not happening this season.

Chapman will visit a specialist for additional evaluation to determine whether he’ll require surgery. The 33-year-old veteran third baseman has been on the shelf with an abdominal strain since early July and simply hasn’t progressed as they expected. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point later this week.

Bauers was slated to hit third in this one with Christian Yelich being dropped in the lineup. He’s also been battling a toe issue recently. It’ll be Garrett Mitchell moving up to the third spot in his place and Yelich bumping up to fifth. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern, but fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status for the remainder of the week.

Estrada heads back to the minors with trade deadline acquisition José Soriano joining Toronto’s active roster. The 27-year-old’s latest stint in the majors lasted less than 24 hours.

Anthony has been cleared to resume hitting and is making incremental progress towards returning as he ramps up a hitting progression. The 22-year-old’s timeline remains a bit nebulous as he works his way back from a partially torn tendon in his right ring finger that put him on the injured list back in early May. It sounds like there’s a definite chance he’s back at some point in late August or early September.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters Crochet, who has progressed to flat-ground throwing at roughly 60 feet, is at the very outset of his throwing program. He added that he absolutely has a chance at returning this season. The 27-year-old fantasy ace has been on the shelf with shoulder and lat issues since late April. He’s not going to deliver enough volume to be worth stashing in shallow fantasy leagues, especially since he’s unlikely to make it back until some point in mid-to-late September. Yet, he could wind up being a late-season pickup as a streaming option.

Eldridge receives some extra rest to address a lingering thumb bruise, but the expectation is that he’ll be ready to return to the lineup rather quickly. The 21-year-old former top prospect should play everyday for San Francisco over the final two months in the wake of their trade deadline teardown. He offers enough over-the-fence power to be interesting in deeper mixed leagues until further notice.

Tromp will test the free agent waters rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. The well-traveled 31-year-old passed through waivers after being removed from Baltimore’s roster last week.