MLB Player News

No word yet on exactly what was found in Smith’s MRI exam, but he’s going to miss a minimum of a couple of weeks — and likely longer. Ty Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move on Wednesday to take Smith’s place in the Mets’ bullpen.

Winker is back in left field and batting third for Saturday’s showdown after suffering a right knee contusion during the bottom of the first inning of Friday’s game when he attempted to catch a fly ball near the left-field wall. His right cleat got caught in the turf, causing him to stumble and fall into the wall, which led to his exit from the contest. He’s apparently feeling well enough to get back in the lineup, which is a relief for the Nationals, and fantasy managers as well.

Loperfido sits for the first time in seven contests since returning last week from Triple-A Sugar Land. The 25-year-old slugging prospect has just four hits in 19 at-bats during that stretch.

Bruján was scratched in order to get Jesús Sánchez back into Miami’s lineup at designated hitter after he got the go-ahead from the club’s training staff following a pregame check.

It’ll be veteran Adam Duvall getting a chance to face Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes on Saturday afternoon with Laureano absent from the lineup for a second straight day due to back soreness.

Brown has resumed throwing just a couple weeks after landing on the shelf with a neck strain. The 24-year-old righty appeared to be putting it all together this season with a pristine 3.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 64/19 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings (15 appearances, eight starts) before hitting the injured list. He’s worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues until he’s ready to return in a couple weeks.

Despite the presence of lefty Max Fried on the mound for Atlanta in this one, this might be a mental break more than anything for Cruz, who is batting .143 (4-for-28) with two homers and one steal over his last seven games. He’s been mired in an extended funk the past few weeks, hitting .195 (23-for-118) with just four homers and two steals over his last 30 contests.

Burdi has been out since late May recovering from right hip inflammation. It seems likely he’ll be ready to return at some point after the All-Star break.

Gallen finds himself the recipient of a tasty matchup on Saturday afternoon against the rebuilding Athletics following a one-month absence due to a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. The 28-year-old upper-echelon fantasy contributor holds a strong 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 60/15 K/BB ratio across 57 2/3 innings (11 starts) this season.

Hughes holds an astronomical 10.29 ERA, 2.14 WHIP and 18/7 K/BB ratio across 14 innings (12 appearances) this season in the big leagues. He’s headed back to the minors this weekend to make room for Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen to return from the injured list.

It appears to be a routine off day for Carroll with lefty Hogan Harris drawing the starting assignment on Saturday afternoon for Oakland. The 23-year-old’s sophomore campaign hasn’t gone as planned, but he’s shown some signs of life over the last few weeks, batting .253 (22-for-87) with eight extra-base hits (zero homers) and five steals since June 1. The complete lack of over-the-fence pop at the moment remains a massive concern for fantasy managers moving forward.