MLB Player News

Kepler is still serving an 80-game PED suspension announced in January, so he goes on the restricted list for now. The Diamondbacks will have him go on a rehab assignment in the minors and then decide whether they want him to be a part of their outfield. With Jordan Lawlar and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. getting healthy and Ryan Waldschmidt and Tommy Troy still candidates to step up, ideally, they wouldn’t need Kepler at all. But, then, if they thought that would be the case, they probably wouldn’t have made the signing. Kepler hit .216/.300/.391 in 127 games for the Phillies last season, and if he was cheating then, it didn’t seem to do him much good. He doesn’t offer as much defensive value as he used to, either. Maybe he’ll surprise, but he seems like a weak platoon option at the moment.

Ross joins the Rangers’ bullpen mix ahead of Saturday’s game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park just over three weeks after signing a minor league contract with the club. The well-traveled 33-year-old is merely a long relief option at this stage of his career, but he’s an experienced one, having made 163 appearances in the big leagues since 2015. He was hit extremely hard in three appearances for the Diamondbacks earlier this year.

Curvelo heads back to the minors after compiling a lackluster 7.56 ERA, 1.92 WHIP and 4/3 K/BB ratio across 8 1/3 innings for the Rangers this season. His latest stint with Texas wound up lasting roughly 48 hours.

Otañez winds up losing his spot on Texas’ 40-man roster to make room for veteran reliever Joe Ross. He didn’t end up making an appearance for the Rangers after being claimed off waivers from the division-rival Athletics last November.

The textbook definition of a modern-era journeyman, Solak gets the call to join San Diego’s bench mix with Miguel Andjuar hitting the injured list with a hamstring strain. The 31-year-old offers plenty of defensive versatility, but he’s appeared in just 41 games between three different organizations at the big-league level since 2022.

So much for avoiding the injured list after an extended layoff. Andjuar finally winds up hitting the shelf after suffering a hamstring injury last weekend that kept him out of San Diego’s lineup for five consecutive contests. He’s unlikely to require a lengthy absence, but there isn’t an official timeline from the Padres yet.

Skubal returns to Detroit’s rotation to face the division-rival Guardians on Saturday following a lightning-quick 38-day recovery from a minimally invasive NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The 29-year-old back-to-back reigning AL Cy Young Award winner draws a favorable matchup out of the gate against a Cleveland lineup that ranks 27th in OPS (.680) this season. He’s posted a sparkling 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45/6 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings over seven starts prior to hitting the injured list.

Madden understandably loses his spot on Detroit’s roster with two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal coming back from the injured list. The 26-year-old righty has posted a respectable 3.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23/5 K/BB ratio across 20 innings in a versatile swingman role over the last few weeks. He makes sense in a low-leverage innings-eating role on a contender.

Boone elaborated that Stanton felt some discomfort in his calf while running the bases earlier this week and could potentially undergo followup imaging to determine the severity of the issue. The 36-year-old veteran slugger was on the precipice of a rehab assignment prior to the setback. He’s been on the shelf with a calf strain since late April. There is no timetable for his return following this latest development.

No surprise as Kwan will be spared from having to face Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. That honor goes to Stuart Fairchild instead. The 28-year-old has put together an abysmal season overall, but he went 2-for-4 with an RBI during Friday’s series opener and is hitting .281 (9-for-32) in nine games since returning from bereavement leave earlier this month.

Rutschman will get some extra time off to rest with Samuel Basallo handling the catching duties in this one. The 28-year-old backstop made his return behind the dish during Friday’s series opener after missing a pair of games with left hamstring tightness earlier this week.