MLB Player News

Martinez got to lead off today in spite of a .257 OBP against lefties and a .275 mark overall, but it worked. The homer off Carlos Rodón was his 11th of the year. He also has nine steals, so he’s been rather useful in fantasy leagues in spite of his .240 average. It seems like he should be doing better than that, but the BABIP gods have never been kind to him; he’s at .264 right now after finishing at .274 in 43 games in 2024 and .271 in 139 games last year.

No word yet on the reason for the change. It was surprising to see Abreu on the initial lineup card in the first place with rookie left-hander Gage Jump taking the ball for the Athletics. It’ll be Eli White moving over to right field with Jarren Duran getting into the lineup in the opposite corner. We’ll have update on Abreu’s status if his absence winds up being injury-related.

Contreras is back at first base and hitting cleanup against rookie southpaw Gage Jump following a two-game absence due to illness. The 34-year-old veteran has put together a career-best season at the plate, hitting .288/.395/.540 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI across 430 plate appearances. He’s served as one of Boston’s primary catalysts during their remarkable midseason turnaround. They’ve won nine consecutive games and 27 of their last 30 overall to pull within five games of the AL East-leading Rays.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. grabs a seat on the bench as well with veteran southpaw Chris Sale toeing the rubber for Atlanta in this one. García went deep in his Yankees debut earlier this week and has gone 4-for-17 with a pair of RBI in four contests since being acquired from the Nationals last weekend. He’s He’ll continue playing everyday against right-handed starters with Paul Goldschmidt seeing opportunities against lefties for the final two months. His left-handed swing feels perfectly suited for Yankee Stadium and he has a realistic shot at reaching the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career.

Jarvis has seemingly taken over as Atlanta’s primary shortstop, even with Ha-Seong Kim back from the injured list, starting three of their last five games with Kim and Mauricio Dubón splitting the other two. The unheralded 25-year-old is hitting just .239/.287/.352 with one homer and 10 RBI across 97 plate appearances. He’ll need a strong finish to have any chance of being in the mix as an everyday option entering next season, lockout or not. Atlanta is going to be linked to a ton of shortstops in offseason trade rumors with Jarvis seemingly a stronger fit as a multi-position role player moving forward.

Trivino winds up back with the Phillies after electing free agency earlier this week. The 34-year-old reliever made three appearances for Philadelphia earlier this season. He’s merely organizational depth at this stage of his career.

Cruz is on the precipice of returning to Pittsburgh after hitting the injured list with multiple non-displaced fractures in his left hand back in early June. The 27-year-old fantasy standout will likely require a couple additional tune-up contests to get back up to speed in the wake of a lengthy layoff. He logged seven innings in center field on Friday, his first game action in nearly two months. There’s a strong possibility he’s ready to return at some point next week.

It seems inconceivable that Báez will spend the remainder of the season on the doorstep of the big leagues. The power-hitting 23-year-old has some work left to be done from a swing decision and approach standpoint to scale back on the strikeouts. However, it’s undeniable that his immense raw power would be useful for the Cardinals down the home stretch. They’re currently rolling with unheralded Bryan Torres, who holds a pedestrian .692 OPS, as their primary left fielder after moving Lars Nootbaar at the trade deadline earlier this week. The Cardinals would be able to promote Báez towards the end of next week and still retaining his rookie eligibility for next season. He’s the type of streaky slugger that could hit the ground running and make an immediate impact for fantasy managers, which makes him worthy of a speculative roster spot in all formats.

The time to stash Anderson was weeks, if not months, ago. Now, his arrival in Seattle appears imminent, especially after the Mariners jettisoned veteran Luis Castillo at the trade deadline earlier this week. The 22-year-old pitching phenom, who was selected third overall in last year’s draft, has authored one of the most dominant professional debuts in recent memory, posting a microscopic 1.13 ERA and 0.65 WHIP with a staggering 128/12 K/BB ratio across 87 2/3 innings. Seattle can promote Anderson later next week while preserving his rookie eligibility for next season. Mariners president Jerry Dipoto told reporters earlier this week that he will work as a traditional starter, and won’t pitch in relief, when he jumps to the big leagues. At this point, all signs point toward Anderson making his major-league debut next week. Simply put, he has nothing left to prove in the minors and represents a must-roster arm in all fantasy leagues.

What a fantastic pitcher. After an early July speed bump, Rasmussen has won five straight starts. The last four of those have all been scoreless, giving him a 27-inning shutout streak. Rasmussen is 12-5 with a 2.75 ERA that places him very much in the mix for AL Cy Young honors. He’s due to face the A’s next week.

Julio Rodríguez homered with two outs in the ninth, but the Rays had a two-run lead to work with, and Baker struck out the other three batters he faced. Baker is currently in ninth place on the Rays’ single-season saves list. He’s still 15 behind Fernando Rodney for the franchise record, but 33 is the team’s highest total since Alex Colome finished with 47 in 2017.