MLB Player News

Mauer fouled a ball of his knee on Sunday, but it’s not a major concern. He has played every game this season, so it’s probably a smart time to rest him. Ryan Doumit will catch Monday while Trevor Plouffe plays right field.

Shaw will get his first day off of the season. The 23-year-old will take a break with Gage Workman manning the hot corner and hitting eighth.

Nootbaar led off the first inning with a base hit and scored the first run for St. Louis on a single by Nolan Arenado. He reached to lead off the third on a hit-by-pitch, then knocked a second hit in the sixth. Noorbaar drew a walk to reach for the fourth time in the eighth. The 27-year-old outfielder has now been on base six times through two contests as he starts the year in the leadoff spot for the Cardinals.

Arenado poked a ball through the infield defense to drive in a run in the first inning. He later doubled in the sixth and scored on a base hit by Iván Herrera. The 33-year-old third baseman reached for a third time with a walk in the seventh. He’s off to a solid start through two games, going 4-for-8 with a home run.

It was a quiet day for the Minnesota offense, as Larnach had one of only three hits the team could manage against Erick Fedde and the Cardinals. The 28-year-old outfielder singled to start the second inning and collected his first stolen base of the season before scoring on a double by Willi Castro. The steal is a nice bonus for fantasy managers after Larnach stole just four bases all last season.

After a clean first inning, Fedde surrendered a run on a single and a double in the second. The 32-year-old right-hander settled in nicely, tossing four more hitless frames, striking out two with no walks on 73 pitches. Fedde is scheduled to make his next start in a road matchup against the Red Sox on Friday.

Ryan let up a run on a pair of hits in the first inning. He bounced back in the second frame, striking out the side. He’d go on to complete five innings of one-run ball on 81 pitches, 55 for strikes. He struck out five while generating seven whiffs. The 28-year-old right-hander’s velocity was sitting at 93 mph, still down a tick from last season but notably higher than his spring training readings and perhaps a good sign going forward. Ryan is lined up for a start against the Astros in Minnesota on Thursday.

Poteet was designated for assignment Thursday, and finds a new home a few days later. The right-hander will be a depth piece for Baltimore as long as he stays in the organization.

Both Palacios and Strzelecki were booted from the 40-man roster and placed on waivers, and neither went claimed. Both will have to be added back to the 40-man if Pittsburgh deems them worthy of MLB action.

Moncada made an instant impact for Los Angeles in his season debut, coming through with a go-ahead single against White Sox reliever Mike Clevinger to break up a scoreless stalemate. The 29-year-old, who missed time late in spring training with a thumb issue, is poised to play everyday at the hot corner for the Angels, but his fantasy appeal is limited to extremely deep mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

We’re living in bizarre times, folks. Trout went hitless on Saturday afternoon, but the Angels somehow found a way to grind out a victory in a low-scoring affair. It’s basically the inverse of the last decade-plus of Angels baseball. Trout has gone 0-for-6 at the dish through two games, but fantasy managers shouldn’t be too alarmed. It’s only a matter of time before the future Hall of Famer heats up. The durability concerns aren’t going away, but he should remain an elite offensive force, when healthy.