MLB Player News

The severity of the injury — as well as how much time (if any) the 35-year-old shortstop will miss — remains to be seen. Rojas had been 0-for-1 prior to exiting on Sunday. In his absence, Enrique Hernandez shifted over to cover shortstop with Chris Taylor entering the game to play third base.

Bader has a career-high 117 wRC+ this season while hitting .254/.331/.443 with 11 homers and eight steals in 81 games. AT 31 years old, Bader is not part of the future in Minnesota, so he could be moved to a contender where he can fill a short-side platoon role, where he can support at all three outfield positions.

Gleeman isn’t convinced that the Twins will definitely be “sellers” at the deadline, but he suggests that Castro would be the most likely player dealt if they do indeed decide to trade away players at the deadline. “He’s a switch hitter with at least 50 career starts at seven positions, and he’s cheap, with less than $3 million left on his deal.” Castro would likely be dealt to a team where he fills a utility role as a versatile bench piece, but him moving teams would also open up more playing time for Brooks Lee or even Luke Keaschall when he’s ready to return from the IL.

We’ll likely see Henderson in Game two, but he’s just 5-for-26 to start July, so the Orioles may want to give him one game to just reset and relax. Luis Vazquez will play shortstop and bat seventh.

The Mets needed to create a roster spot to bring up Luisangel Acuna, so they decided to move on from Jankowski. That does mean the Mets are carrying all of Acuna, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos. How playing time will be split for them is anybody’s guess. Jankowski will hope to latch on with another team.

The Rays’ bullpen is in need of some added stability, so they’ll reach out to their division rival and snag Baker, who has a 3.52 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 49/9 K/BB ratio in 38 1/3 innings this season. No word yet on what the return package is.

Cabrera has turned things around this season while turning to his sinker as his primary fastball. The improved command has led to a 3.33 ERA and 80/30 K/BB ratio on the season. With Sandy Alcantara struggling, Cabrera could be the most valuable trade asset the Marlins have at the deadline since he remains under an affordable, team-controlled contract through 2028. Romero mentions that the Mets and Cubs are the two teams that appear to be most interested as of now.

When Tyler Glasnow was inserted back into the starting rotation, there was an initial thought that Shohei Ohtani would not pitch until after the All-Star break. Dave Roberts confirmed on Wednesday that Ohtani would instead start on Saturday against the Giants with Emmett Sheehan following him. Ohtani should expect to pitch about two innings, and Sheehan could have plenty of fantasy value in a follower role.

Houck struck out six and walked two on the day while throwing 61 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting a 39 percent whiff rate and 33 percent CSW. Despite a report of him hitting 101 mph on the radar gun, Houck sat 96 mph with his sinker and four-seam fastball. With Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins pitching well, there is no immediate spot in the rotation for Houck, but his stuff could play up in a bullpen role, possibly a long relief role for the second half.

This is an interesting move because there doesn’t seem to be an opening for Acuña right now, especially after designating Travis Jankowski for assignment and keeping Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Brett Baty all on the active roster. Jeff McNeil could slide to more of a full-time outfield role, but Acuña also played center field in his last two games in the outfield, so maybe the Mets will be moving him out there. Even if he doesn’t play regularly, he will provide defensive versatility and baserunning ability. He was 10-for-65 with no extra-base hits and two walks in his last 36 games before being sent down just two weeks ago. It’s unlikely he’s changed much as a player in that time.

Robertson was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays over the weekend to make room for an extra reliever. He’ll now head to another organization as the White Sox facilitated a trade to acquire the 27-year-old. Robertson hit .292/.403/.578 with 14 home runs in 62 games for Triple-A Buffalo this year, while appearing at all three outfield spots. There’s a chance he could eventually see regular playing time in Chicago, especially if they move on from one or more of Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman, or Michael A. Taylor at the trade deadline.