MLB Player News

That’s the second homer of the fall for Hope. The 19-year-old was strong in somewhat limited action in 2024 at the lower levels with a .905 OPS, nine homers and eight stolen bases for Rancho Cucamonga, and he’s forged an impressive 1.274 OPS thus far in the AFL. Hope has a chance for four plus tools, and while he’s not going to contribute at the highest level for a few more years, his power/speed combo makes him a player worth rostering now in dynasty or keeper formats.

Valdez was called up with Nick Gonzales got hurt, but he’s seen more time at first than second so far. The big effort from the cleanup spot tonight gives him a .207/.303/.379 line in 11 games. He’ll keep playing for now, but unless the Pirates are willing to cut Adam Frazier (fat chance), he might not have a role on the team after Spencer Horwitz comes off the IL.

There were three errors in the two-run sixth, one of which came on a pickoff attempt from Skenes (his second of those on the night). Fortunately, Skenes limited the damage from there. He managed a mere 10 whiffs in the 99-pitch outing, but he produced mostly soft contact; just three of the 16 balls in play against him were hit hard. He’ll take a 2-1 record and a 2.96 ERA into his start Sunday against the Guardians.

In contrast to his nice three-inning appearance in his first major league start last week against the Dodgers, Lord had little working against a much lesser offense tonight. He gave up six hits, walked three and struck out only one. Assuming that he remains in the rotation, his next start will come in Coors Field against the Dodgers.

Hayes’ revamped swing, designed to take some pressure off his troublesome back, is producing quite a bit of hard contact; he has a 52% hard-hit rate and he’s doing a better job of getting the ball into the air than usual. That he’s also attempting some steals (3-for-3 so far) makes him of some interest in shallow leagues. There are certainly worse stopgaps out there.

It was Nuñez’s first start in three days since he was promoted when CJ Abrams was placed on the IL. The Nationals might as well give him a little look at shortstop here. He had a great spring, and unlike Paul DeJong and Amed Rosario, he might actually have a role with the Nationals beyond 2025.

Riley took Blue Jays lefty starter Easton Lucas deep in the third and fifth innings, respectively, for his seventh career multi-homer performance. The 28-year-old power-hitting third baseman hasn’t exactly gotten off to a torrid start, but he’s batting a robust .288 (19-for-66) with four homers and 11 RBI through 16 games. He eclipsed the 30-homer mark in three consecutive seasons prior to last year’s injury-marred campaign and seems like a strong bet to get back there, if he can avoid the injured list.

Murphy has been on an absolute tear, going deep four times in just six contests since returning from a season-opening stint on the injured list. The 30-year-old backstop hasn’t really made any changes besides wearing glasses for the first time in his career. It seems to be paying off since he’s posted a sky-high 1.203 OPS since making the switch.

Holmes was staked to an eight-run lead by the fifth inning and carried a no-hit bid into the sixth before serving up a leadoff homer to light-hitting Myles Straw. He was charged with two additional runs before departing with two outs in the eighth. He struck out four and only issued two walks in the longest start of his career. It was an extremely impressive performance, which certainly helps further cement his spot in Atlanta’s crowded rotation. He’ll carry a strong 3.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15/10 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings (three starts) into a home matchup on Sunday against the Twins.

Lucas kicked off a two-start week with an abysmal outing where he surrendered six hits, including three homers. It was Sean Murphy who tagged him for a two-run shot in the opening frame before Austin Riley connected for a pair of homers later on. He finished with three strikeouts and handed out four free passes. He’ll attempt to rebound on Sunday with a home outing against the Mariners.

Doyle told reporters that Tuesday will be the deciding factor for whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list after missing four straight games with left quad soreness. It’s a developing situation that fantasy managers should closely monitor.