MLB Player News

Toro has been out since late June recovering from a right hamstring strain and figures to be ready to return to Oakland’s infield rotation right after the All-Star break, barring any setbacks.

Francisco Lindor said tests on his back showed no structural damage but how long he’s out will “depend on how [his] back reacts.” Lindor is battling through a little bit of pain, but he believes the training staff has a plan to get him back out on the field quickly. Given how important he is to the Mets, we’d expect him to get back out on the field as soon as he can play without pain. It just might not be until the end of the week, which makes him hard to start in weekly lineup leagues. Jose Iglesias will likely start at shortstop for the time being.

Moreno was activated from the IL on Sunday after missing over a month with an adductor strain, and he’ll make his return to the lineup on Monday. Considering the Rockies are throwing a right-handed pitcher, it’s a good sign for Moreno’s playing time in the future that he’s starting over Adrian Del Castillo. With this series in Coors, Moreno is worth an add in all formats to see if he can continue to produce in a strong lineup.

The Braves have already said that Albies would return and hit only right-handed so that he can get back onto the field sooner. If the 27-year-old is able to play without enough pain over the next couple of days, he could possibly return to the Braves this week. Bowman suggests that could shift Whit Merrifield to left field.

Yorke, who the team acquired from the Red Sox at the trade deadline is the Pirates’ 6th-ranked prospect. Since coming to the Pirates, he’s hitting .355 with a .938 OPS and seven steals in 40 games. On the season, he has 12 home runs and 21 steals in 123 games, so he profiles as more of a 15/15 or 15/20 player at the next level which puts him on the deep league radar. He has been playing mainly second base and left field since coming to Pittsburgh but with Nick Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds playing regularly in those spots, it will be curious to see how Yorke is used once he gets to the big leagues.

The Mets sent Lindor for an MRI on his back on Monday, so the veteran will get the night off as the team sorts through a long-term plan for their MVP candidate. Jose Iglesias will start at shortstop and hit leadoff on Monday.

Even with the Dodgers starting a right-handed pitcher, the Braves will start Laureano over Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic has been starting regularly against right-handed pitchers, but he’s hitting just .178 in 44 games since the All-Star break with five home runs, 18 runs scored, and 46 strikeouts. Laureano has been the better player and could see a boost in fantasy value if he begins to start regularly.

With the Guardians starting left-hander Matthew Boyd, the Twins will sit all of their left-handed hitters. Manuel Margot will start in right field, Ryan Jeffers will start at DH, and Kyle Farmer will start at second base.

The Guardians remain four games up on the Royals for the AL Central lead, so perhaps the team feels comfortable making sure that Kwan is 100 percent healthy before putting him back in the lineup. As it stands, Angel Martinez will play left field and lead off on Monday.

The Twins needed to make room on the 40-man roster for Cole Irvin, so they chose to move on from Dobnak. The 29-year-old posted a 5.87 ERA in 7 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for the Twins in 2024. He could go unclaimed and return to the Twins’ minor league system.

Irvin was designated for assignment yesterday after posting a 4.86 ERA in 16 starts and nine relief appearances on the season. The Twins could opt to use him in that same swingman role or perhaps insert him into the starting rotation with rookies David Festa and Zebby Matthews battling consistency issues. We’ll need to see how this pans out over the next few days. Randy Dobnak was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Irvin.