MLB Player News

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that he used the opt-out in his minor league contract. Hernandez, who turns 35 in April, was roughed up to the tune of a 7.94 ERA in three appearances this spring and hasn’t pitched since March 16 due to a sore elbow. He wasn’t going to make the team. It’s fair to wonder if this is the end of the line for King Felix. If so, it would be an unceremonious end to a stellar career.

Chris Paddack had baffled the Mariners through 6 1/3 scoreless innings until Raleigh jumped on a first-pitch curveball and crushed a 362-foot (106.9 mph EV) solo homer to right that gave the M’s a 1-0 lead. The 28-year-old slugger finished the afternoon 1-for-4 and is now slashing a terrific .264/.369/.637 with an MLB-leading 23 homers, 45 RBI and six stolen bases in what has been an MVP-caliber start to the season.

The Mariners as a team collected only six hits in the ballgame with Crawford accounting for a third of them himself. He led off the fourth inning with a single off of Chris Paddack but was ultimately stranded at second base. He also had a two-out double off of Paddack in the eighth but once again the M’s were unable to cash him in. On the season, the 30-year-old shortstop is now slashing .272/.388/.385 to go with five homers, 22 RBI and two stolen bases.

The 26-year-old hurler suffered his first blown save and surrendered his first earned runs of the season during Friday night’s loss to the Twins. After striking out Willi Castro to start the inning, Muñoz issued a walk to Kody Clemens to put the tying run on base. He then allowed a single to Ty France and uncorked a wild pitch that allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Harrison Bader followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the game before Muñoz punched out Brooks Lee to end the inning. Muñoz then picked up a victory as the Mariners rallied in the home half of the ninth inning. Despite the two shaky outings, he’s still obviously entrenched as the M’s closer and still owns a terrific 1.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and a 33/9 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings on the season.

The right-hander punched out five opposing hitters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of free passes. Unfortunately for Castillo and his fantasy managers, the M’s weren’t able to scratch out a single run of support while he was in the ballgame. Castillo generated a whopping 19 swings and misses on 97 pitches in the contest — nine on his slider and eight on his fastball — while registering a CSW of 31 percent. He’ll look to replicate this fine performance as he carries a 3.03 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 55/23 K/BB ratio (68 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Angels in Los Angeles.

Larnach smacked a one-out single into left field off of Luis Castillo in the third inning and advanced to third on a two-out single by Matt Wallner, but he was left stranded there. The 28-year-old outfielder also singled with two outs in the fifth inning. With his two-hit attack, Larnach is now slashing .257/.322/.416 with eight homers, 28 RBI and a pair of stolen bases through his first 237 plate appearances.

Paddack racked up 10 strikeouts on the day while issuing only one base on balls. The only blemish on his night came on a one-out solo homer off the bat of Cal Raleigh in the seventh inning. The 29-year-old right-hander got 17 swings and misses on 110 pitches in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 32 percent. He’ll carry an impressive 3.58 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 50/20 K/BB ratio (65 1/3 innings) into Friday’s matchup against the Blue Jays.

Romero had reported that the two sides had reached an agreement, but it now appears that isn’t the case. The 29-year-old outfielder has been playing for the Saraperos de Saltillo in the independent Mexican League where he has slashed .382/.481/.721 with six homers, 16 RBI and six stolen bases in 82 plate appearances. Even if he doesn’t ultimately land a deal with the Orioles, it sounds like Martinez has his eye on a return to affiliated baseball.

The Cubs faced lefties in five of seven games prior to today, and Busch sat in favor of Justin Turner all five times. Still, the bench time doesn’t seem to be bothering him. It’d be hard to blame him for feeling snubbed. Not only is he being platooned, but he’s also been dropped in the lineup against righties because of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s success. Meanwhile, he’s hitting .266/.366/.486, giving him about a 140 OPS+.

Except for a 117.4-mph Elly De La Cruz homer, Taillon did well to avoid hard contact while allowing just three hits and striking out only two today. It’s really the story of his season thus far. He’s given up 16 homers, but he’s also getting a ton of routine outs on flyballs; he entered the day with the eighth lowest average exit velocity allowed of 79 qualified pitchers. He’ll carry a 5-3 record and a 3.76 ERA into his next start in Detroit.

It’s his first time this season that he’s struck out even two batters in an appearance. If not for one very, very bad day, Pressly would likely still be closing for the Cubs right now. Since giving up nine runs on May 6, he’s thrown eight scoreless innings over nine appearances. Still, it doesn’t seem like the Cubs have much interest in seeing him win his job back. Daniel Palencia is running with it right now.