MLB Player News

As Rosenthal mentions, the trade of Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees left the Padres with just two outfielders on their 40-man roster: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar. However, rather than go out and acquire an outfielder, the team seems likely to try out a handful of prospects who are blocked in the infield and see if any of them can make the move full-time to the outfield. Merrill was the 27th overall pick in 2021 and while he has played primarily infield in his pro career, he played outfield in the minors and the Arizona Fall League. Fellow infielder Graham Pauley is also being auditioned in the outfield, as is Jakob Marsee, who was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League and last season became the first minor leaguer to produce a season of 15 homers, 90 walks and 40 stolen bases since at least 2005. Marsee has only played 16 games at Double-A, while Pauley played 20 and Merrill played 46, so it would be a big jump for all three players, but the opportunity is there is one of them shines in the spring.

Barger has been outstanding as of late, and he drew a pair of walks to go with those three hits for a five-reach game. He’s now hitting .267/.330/.442, and that’s a lot more impressive when you consider he was hitting .139/.205/.222 on May 8. Barger should continue to be an everyday option for Toronto, and he’s more than worthy of roster consideration based on how he’s placed over the last two weeks.

Clase also drew a pair of walks. He came up bit in the 10th with an RBI single off Robert Suarez that tied the game at 5-5 in a game the Blue Jays won an inning later. The former Mariner prospect has stolen two bases while hitting an unusable .214/.290/.286 in his limited action with Toronto to begin 2025.

Sheets got the Padres on the board with a two-run homer off Bowden Francis. He kept the game going in the ninth with another two-run blast off Jeff Hoffman, and gave San Diego a 6-5 lead with an RBI poke in the 11th. Sheets has been a tremendous find for the Padres after being non-tendered by the White Sox, and the 29-year-old is now hitting .286/.333/.497 over the first third of the year.

Hoffman was given a chance to complete a sweep, but after issuing a walk, he gave up a two-run homer to Gavin Sheets to prevent him from picking up the save. He did strike out two and prevented further damage, but fantasy managers won’t take much solace from that. Hoffman now has a 6.04 ERA, and he’s now allowed multiple runs in three of his last eight appearances. That’s a fine mark for a starter, not so much when you’re only working an inning at a time. Hoffman should keep the closing gig, but there are some other potential options in Toronto.

Suarez’s run is unearned because it was the runner who start at second base to begin each extra-inning frame. He gave up a single to Jonatan Clase that scored Nathan Lukes, and he’s blown his last two save chances after converting his previous 15 without issue. Even with those struggles in his last few outings, Suarez should remain the closer for the foreseeable future in San Diego.

Francis allowed just three hits — one of those a two-run homer by Gavin Sheets — but he walked three and threw just 49-of-75 pitches for strikes before leaving. The 29-year-old was not abhorrent in his start against the San Diego lineup, but fantasy managers don’t sign up for four innings of two-run baseball. Francis will take a 5.54 ERA into a scheduled start against the Rangers on Tuesday.

Kolek gets a quality start, but it’s worth questioning how much quality there was. He allowed seven hits and three walks, but he was able to procure six strikeouts. After allowing no runs in his first two starts of the year, Kolek has given up nine — eight earned — over his last two. He’s scheduled to face the Marlins on Tuesday, so he’s worthy of streaming consideration just based on the level of competition.

Nothing has changed in the recovery process for the 31-year-old who recently re-started his throwing program, this was done merely as a procedural move to free up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for Ryan Noda who was acquired from the Angels on Thursday. Yoshida still won’t be cleared to return to the Red Sox until he’s able to make the requisite throws from the outfield and that still appears to be a ways away.

Noda was subsequently optioned to Triple-A Worcester. The 29-year-old first baseman had been designated for assignment by the Angels earlier in the week, so they were happy to flip him for whatever they could get at this stage. Noda gives the Red Sox another option at first base with their injury woes at the position and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get an opportunity with the big league club in relatively short order.

Olson was placed on the injured list with inflammation in his right ring finger retroactive to May 18, and the 25-year-old remains confident that he’ll need just a minimum stint on the injured list. Assuming he can throw bullpens soon, it’s feasible he may not even need a rehab start before joining the Tigers again in the early portion of June. There’s no guarantees there, but the fact he’s already throwing does seem promising.