MLB Player News

Harvey signed a minor league contract with the Orioles last April, but didn’t end up making it to the majors last season for the first time since 2014. The 33-year-old right-hander, who also served a 60-game suspension for violating the joint drug program between MLB and the MLB Players Association, posted a respectable 3.71 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 63/24 K/BB ratio across 70 1/3 innings (13 starts) in the Orioles’ system. It’s unclear whether he’ll be ready for spring training, but he’s hoping to pitch somewhere next season. He’s extremely unlikely to make an impact for fantasy managers, regardless of where he winds up.

Bichette was meant to have his first day off of the season Wednesday as he battled back tightness. He was in the lineup Tuesday, but as the designated hitter. Yet, with a scoreless tie in the ninth inning, he was called upon to pinch hit and delivered the decisive blow. He could’ve been battling this back issue for the better part of the last week as he’d gone 1-for-19 before hitting this home run.

Hoffman’s roller coaster season wore on with a stress free, scoreless outing here. Of his 11 appearances in May, he’s blown three saves, allowed multiple earned runs four times, and saved six games. That’s come after an April where he had a 1.35 ERA.

Schultz worked as an extended opener for Eric Lauer in this one, but was the much more impressive pitcher. The big right-hander worked his fastball and cutter at the top of the zone to slice through the Rangers’ hitters. He was only trusted to take one full revolution around the lineup though and Lauer came on right when Josh Smith came up for his second go-around. Schultz’s stuff is mildly interesting though and he’d be worth a look in deeper leagues if ever deployed as a true starter.

Mahle pitched well enough to win on most nights. However, this Rangers’ offense is stuck in the mud. While their starting pitchers have allowed three runs or fewer in 19 straight games, none have earned a win since May 17th. Coincidentally, that last win came from Mahle who’s still having an excellent season. His fastball forced seven swings-and-misses in this one, working mostly high in the zone as his splitter played off it beautifully ducking down low. He now has a 1.64 ERA and is scheduled to face the Rays on the road next time out.

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.