MLB Player News

Schmidt, who has been on the shelf since late May recovering from a right lat strain, will make his return to New York’s pitching mix this weekend against the Cubs.

The 29-year-old outfielder had been designated for assignment over the weekend, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and it appears as though he’ll stick around in the organization as extra outfield depth for the moment. Avans has gone 2-for-17 (.118) with six strikeouts in his limited big league action between the Brewers and Athletics this season.

Foscue, 26, has spent the majority of the season at the Triple-A level where he has slashed .262/.353/.471 with 10 homers, 37 RBI, three stolen bases and a 32/27 K/BB ratio over 239 plate appearances. He’ll add depth on the infield for the big league club. Michael Helman was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move.

The versatile 29-year-old has appeared in five games with the Rangers this season, but has only had six plate appearances, going 0-for-4 with a pair of walks, a stolen base and two runs scored. He’ll return to an everyday role at the Triple-A level for the time being. Justin Foscue was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move on Thursday.

The 23-year-old has struggled at the dish in 90 plate appearances for the Cardinals this season, slashing a meager .233/.256/.326 with one homer, 10 RBI and an uninspiring 23/3 K/BB ratio. He’ return to an everyday role at the Triple-A level until he’s needed once again. The expectation is that Jordan Walker will be activated from the injured list to take his place on the active roster on Friday.

Luzardo will be followed by Taijuan Walker on Saturday and Ranger Suarez on Sunday afternoon. Zack Wheeler will start the first game against the Red Sox on Monday with Cristopher Sanchez rounding out the Phillies’ rotation on Tuesday. Fantasy managers in weekly leagues should be sure to get Wheeler and Sanchez out of lineups for the upcoming weekend if possible.

No word yet on the scheduled starter for Saturday, though it has been confirmed that Tarik Skubal will take the mound for Sunday’s series finale. Casey Mize seems the most likely to slot in on Saturday with Jack Flaherty and Keider Montero rounding out the rotation against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Monday and Tuesday.

He’ll be followed by Yu Darvish on Saturday and Nick Pivetta on Sunday. The expectation is that Randy Vasquez would follow on Monday against the Marlins in Miami with Ryan Bergert the most likely candidate to take the mound on Tuesday. Cease had a disappointing first half of the season, registering a 3-9 record, 4.88 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 129/39 K/BB ratio over 103 1/3 innings of work.

The 37-year-old hurler opted out of his minor league deal with the Rays in mid-June after allowing only one run over 17 1/3 innings over four starts at Triple-A Durham. If this is indeed it, Gibson finishes his big league career with a 112-111 record, 4.60 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 1520/664 K/BB ratio over 1,878 innings spanning 13 Major League seasons. Gibson toed the slab for the Twins, Rangers, Phillies, Orioles and Cardinals — winning as many as 15 games in a season with the O’s in 2023 and being named to the American League All-Star team as a member of the Rangers in 2021. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

The 29-year-old right-hander had a solid first half for the Bucs, registering a 3.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 92/27 K/BB ratio across 119 innings through his first 20 starts. He’s signed through the 2028 season though on what looks to be a bargain five-year, $77 million contract though, so it’s going to take a significant offer for the Bombers to be able to pry Keller away from the Pirates. Hiles notes that the Cubs and Mets are also interested in acquiring Keller.

The Red Sox were looking to bolster their organizational catching depth after dealing Blake Sabol to the White Sox, so they picked up Hernández. The 27-year-old backstop has appeared in 25 games at the Triple-A level this season, slashing .221/.287/.351 with a pair of homers, 13 RBI and a 19/8 K/BB ratio over 88 plate appearances. He’ll add depth in the upper minors for the Red Sox.