MLB Player News

Mercedes wound up appearing in 31 games for the Giants during the 2022 season, slashing .233/.325/.342 with one homer, eight RBI and a 17/9 K/BB ratio over 83 plate appearances. The 29-year-old backstop shouldn’t have much difficulty landing a minor league deal and a spring training invitation elsewhere if he chooses to remain stateside.

Boyd made light work of the lowly Rockies to help the Cubs finish off their sweep. His fastball and changeup played well off one another and combined to force 10 swings-and-misses en route to tying his season-high with eight strikeouts. He now has a fantastic 3.08 ERA as one of the most surprisingly good starting pitchers in the league. His next start is scheduled to come against the Nationals.

With four saves in four straight appearances, Palencia has officially cemented himself as the Cubs’ closer. He blew away the Rockies and got his fastball up to 101.5 mph in what was another dominant outing. Through those four appearances, he’s allowed just one total base runner and struck out five hitters.

The heater continues for Crow-Armstrong. His 15 homers are already five more than he hit last year in 67 fewer games and he’s now the first player to have amassed 15 homers and 15 steals this season. The term “league winner” gets thrown around far too often in fantasy sports parlance, but he looks every part of one right now.

The Champaign, Illinois native pitched well in what was a bit of a homecoming. The Cubs’ offense has been one of the best in baseball to this point and they struggled to sustain rallies against Gordon. However, his lack of swing-and-miss stuff – just six total here – and place on the Rockies should keep him off the radar in nearly every fantasy league. However, if there was ever a time to roster him it would be for his next scheduled start on the road against the Marlins.

Moncada was replaced by Kevin Newman at third base to open the sixth inning after going 1-for-2 with a double. The 30-year-old infielder will head for further evaluation to determine the severity of the issue. The positive news is that it’s unrelated to the thumb issue that was bothering him earlier this season. There should be an update on his status ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Guardians.

The Cardinals stormed all the way back after falling behind 3-0 early in this game and Winn led the charge. He scored their first run, hit a RBI double the following inning, and set the table for their final insurance run late. It’s been a tale of two seasons for Winn so far: first struggling before his stint on the injured list with a sprained ankle and then having an .830 OPS with 13 extra-base hits in 32 games since.

The Orioles made Helsley sweat a little bit here. Jackson Holliday laced a single on the first pitch of the inning and they eventually put the tying runs on base before falling short. He is one of the more secure closers in the league.

Mikolas’ disappointing season continued with another dud here. Even after his lineup stormed back to grab him a lead, he couldn’t complete five innings to qualify for the win. He didn’t have a single one-two-three inning and was objectively lucky to only allow four runs. It should be noted that he pitched through steady rain here and visibly wet field conditions. His next start is scheduled to come at home against the Royals.

While the rest of the Orioles’ season has all but fallen apart, Holliday has turned a corner at the plate. All three of his batted balls in this game were hard-hit and the newly minted lead-off hitter has a .297/.336/.466 slash line over his last 30 games. There aren’t many second baseman who have looked more potent at the plate lately.

Povich’s night started strong with three scoreless frames and six strikeouts. Then, he began to fall apart as the Cardinals rallied in the fourth inning with Jordan Walker yanking a two-out, two-run single through the hole before Brendan Donovan hammered a home run the following inning. Povich was pulled shortly after and this start wound up as another where he struggled to maintain his effectiveness as he moved deeper into a game. It should be noted that he pitched through steady rain here and visibly wet field conditions. His next start is scheduled to come against the Mariners in Seattle.