MLB Player News

There are zero guarantees here, but it sounds like Tong is an option to pitch at some point during New York’s upcoming three-game series against the Marlins that gets underway on Friday night. The 22-year-old top pitching prospect was scratched from his scheduled start for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday to keep him available. Tong was hit hard in his first taste of the majors last year, but offers sky-high strikeout upside, which makes him an interesting low-risk pickup for fantasy managers. There should be a definitive update on the Mets pitching plan later this week.

Nimmo was back in Texas’ lineup after making an early exit from Wednesday’s contest with hamstring tightness. The 33-year-old took Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez deep in the fourth inning for his sixth round-tripper of the season. He also added a run-scoring double in the seventh as part of a multi-hit effort.

The Rays and fantasy managers caught a break when Díaz managed to avoid serious injury after taking a pitch off his fingers on both hands earlier this week. The 34-year-old on-base machine, who has been one of the top hitters in the American League this season, wound up missing only one game after X-rays and a CT scan didn’t reveal any fractures.

Crawford is expected to see action at the hot corner with top prospect Colt Emerson in the majors until further notice. The 31-year-old infielder returned to Seattle’s lineup for Friday’s series opener following a two-game absence due to a lingering triceps issue. It’s worth noting that he was back at shortstop with Emerson at the hot corner on Friday night.

Robles made it back into Seattle’s lineup after missing six weeks with a right pectoral strain. The 29-year-old former top prospect will likely have to split time with Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley moving forward.

Caballero was also thrown out attempting to steal second base during his return from the injured list after missing just over one week with a fractured finger. The 29-year-old speedster will continue as New York’s primary shortstop with Anthony Volpe expected to see time at second base moving forward.

Grisham was back in the leadoff spot and patrolling center field following a brief one-game absence due to left knee discomfort. He appeared just fine while delivering three hits, including a pair of doubles, after imaging didn’t reveal any structural damage. It doesn’t appear to be a serious concern moving forward.

The widely-held expectation is that Webb will jump back into San Francisco’s rotation to face the division-rival Diamondbacks next week. The 29-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter hit the shelf back in early May with right knee bursitis.

Boston’s former top prospect will get his first chance at shortstop later this weekend and figures to get an extended run at the position with Trevor Story on the injured list recovering from sports hernia surgery. Ultimately, it didn’t make a lot of sense for the Red Sox to keep rolling with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio at the position with Story facing an extended absence. The 23-year-old was one of the top shortstop prospects in baseball before moving to third base last year.

Valdez evolved into one of the top prospects in Pittsburgh’s system when he set the Arizona Fall League ablaze last year, launching eight round-trippers in just 19 games. The 22-year-old is an interesting power-oriented prospect for fantasy purposes, but he’ll probably be limited to a lefty-mashing platoon role initially. He’s a streaky hitter and he’ll have some appeal in deeper mixed leagues when he’s in a groove at the plate.

Ramírez was officially called up prior to Friday’s series opener against the Astros with Matt Shaw landing on the injured list. The versatile 22-year-old’s stock has risen more than almost any prospect in baseball this season, transforming from an unheralded contact-oriented hitter with limited power into a potential top-tier prospect with elite bat-to-ball skills and upper-echelon exit velocities, thanks to an unexpected significant power breakout. He’s talented enough that fantasy managers should closely monitor his playing time, but he’s unlikely to play enough for the Cubs to make a significant impact. Still, he’s a fascinating prospect that fantasy managers need to keep on their radar screens until further notice.