MLB Player News

The writing was on the wall after the Braves swung a trade for veteran backstop Stephen Vogt on Friday evening. Lucroy wound up appearing in only two games at the big-league level for Atlanta this season. It’s possible he could find another opportunity if another organization finds itself hit by injuries at the catching position.

Counsell added that Imanaga, who is working his way back from a mild left hamstring strain, isn’t expected back until well into June. The 31-year-old lefty is going to need several additional weeks to build up his arm strength and pitch count before he’s ready to return to Chicago’s rotation, but it’s an encouraging sign that he’s making some progress.

Walker remains stapled to the Cardinals’ bench for the second straight contest with a red-hot Alec Burleson getting into the lineup in right field. The 22-year-old former top prospect belted a solo homer during Saturday’s win over the Royals, but he’s been mired in an extended slump at the dish, hitting .147/.193/.225 with two homers, 13 RBI and one steal over his past 30 games.

Zastrzyzny will pass the baton to rookie Quinn Priester for a bulk relief appearance after facing a couple lefties at the top of Baltimore’s lineup. The 33-year-old southpaw has worked a pair of scoreless innings for the Brewers since being acquired last Friday in a trade with the Yankees. It’s not a situation where fantasy managers will be able to extract a ton of value.

The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports Gonzalez has been released to pursue a more lucrative opportunity overseas in Japan. It’s a definite hit to San Diego’s outfield depth, but the 27-year-old, who got into 21 games earlier this year for the Padres, doesn’t have much of a path to playing time in the majors with franchise cornerstones Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. fully healthy.

Hernández returns to Los Angeles’ lineup for Monday’s series opener against the division-rival Diamondbacks following a two-week absence recovering from a low-grade adductor strain. The 32-year-old fantasy stalwart was slashing a robust .315/.333/.600 with 21 runs scored, nine homers, 34 RBI and four steals over 33 games prior to hitting the injured list. His return puts the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup back at fully-operational Death Star status, which is bad news for opposing pitchers.

Outman was the logical corresponding move for the Dodgers to get veteran slugger Teoscar Hernández back on the active roster after hitting .125/.222/.375 with two homers and four RBI during a brief nine-game stint in the majors. The 28-year-old center fielder also struck out in 13 of his 27 plate appearances during that span. He’ll head back to the minors to continue functioning as emergency outfield depth.

It’s the lowest Arenado has batted this entire season as he’s typically occupied the cleanup spot on Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol’s lineup card. The 34-year-old defensive wizard is hitting just .247/.323/.380 with four homers, 18 RBI and one steal through 43 games. He’s been pushed back behind Willson Contreras and Iván Herrera for Monday’s showdown against Detroit.

Benson has arguably been the hottest hitter in baseball over the last week, launching five home runs over his last four contests, including a two-homer explosion during Sunday’s series finale against the Guardians. The 26-year-old power/speed combo outfielder has shown flashes of immense fantasy upside in previous years, but fell off the map completely last year. He’s dialed in at the plate right now and is at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats. He won’t sustain this surreal hot streak for much longer, but he’s proving that he deserves an everyday opportunity in Cincinnati until further notice. He’s started eight of 10 games since returning to the majors back on May 9.

Wallner has been on the shelf since April 15 recovering from a high-grade left hamstring strain. It’s probably going to take him a couple rehab games in the minors to get back up to full speed after missing nearly five weeks of game action. The 27-year-old slugging corner outfielder figures to rejoin Minnesota’s lineup at some point later this week or early next week.

Not great. Alvarez added through an interpreter that he played through the lingering hand issue for a while but it reached a point where he had to be shut down due to inflammation. The 27-year-old fantasy star was trending towards returning last week from the injured list, but that obviously won’t happen if he’s still dealing with soreness or discomfort. There should be some clarity on his status at some point in the coming days, but it doesn’t sound like his return in imminent.