MLB Player News

Hilliard performed well after getting the call in late June, hitting .239/.305/.507 over 158 plate appearances in his return to Colorado. It’d be for the best if he doesn’t have a big role for the Rockies next season, but he is more interesting as a reserve than Jake Cave.

Until now, Neto had been limited to serving as the designated hitter there, so taking the field will be a major step in his recovery. It’s unclear how many games he’ll need there before he’s ready to rejoin the Angels but barring any setbacks he should be ready to go at some point in the middle of April.

The Rangers remain hopeful that Jung will be able to return after a minimum stint on the injured list, and the fact that he continues to perform baseball activities would seemingly bode well for that. The oft-injured 27-year-old slugger is eligible to return from the injured list on Tuesday. Josh Smith will continue to fill in for him at the hot corner until he’s ready to return.

It’s the first time that he’ll be facing live hitters since being sidelined with stiffness in his lower back. He’ll probably need to repeat the exercise at least once more after that before he’s cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment. He would then need a couple of starts there before he’s ready to join the Phillies’ rotation.

The procedure will determine the extent of the damage in the right-hander’s pitching shoulder and will hopefully determine how long he’ll be shelved for. He has already been moved to the 60-day injured list so the earliest that he would be eligible to return, even in a best case scenario, would be the end of May.

Painter threw 33 pitches during the session and Phillies’ skipper Rob Thomson noted that his “velocity was excellent” and that he “threw a lot of strikes with his off-speed pitches”. They’ll wait and see how he feels in a couple of days before determining the next step in his rehab. The 21-year-old hurler will open the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley once he’s healthy enough to do so but could debut with the big league club at some during the summer.

McKinstry also drew a walk. The 29-year-old remains a valuable part of the Tigers because of his ability to play anywhere and help as a pinch-runner, but while there is the occasional quality offensive game, there just aren’t enough of them to suggest he’s worthy of rostering in fantasy leagues.

Greene came a triple away from the cycle. The homer was measured at 114.3 mph exit velocity, and gives the 24-year-old three homers over the first seven games. Greene has the potential to be a superstar someday, and his .344 average and .750 slugging mark — while not sustainable — at least indicate what he’s capable of at his best.

Both homers were solo shots, and they are the first roundtrippers of the season for Carpenter. The 27-year-old has been one of the most effective — and certainly one of the most underrated — power producers over the past few years, and while his inability to hit southpaws hurts the counting stats, the rates should remain solid as long as he’s healthy enough to stay on the field.

Flaherty gave up an RBI double in the second, but essentially breezed through the rest of the start. He’s pitched well in both outings this year, and the quality of opponents (Dodgers and Chicago) varied wildly. He’ll take a 2.38 ERA into a scheduled start Wednesday against the Yankees.

Cannon was impressive Saturday with five scoreless against the Angels. He didn’t face the Angels on Friday, and he wasn’t able to have nearly as much success against a pretty solid Detroit lineup. The right-hander allowed three walks, three hits, and struck out three in a start that wasn’t a disaster, but obviously isn’t close to a successful fantasy outing. There should be better options than Cannon when he faces the Guardians next week.