MLB Player News

Rivero hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since getting into 34 contests for the Royals from 2021-2022. The 26-year-old backstop spent all last year in Atlanta’s system, batting .186/.239/.249 with one homer and one steal in 259 plate appearances between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s merely emergency catching depth at this stage of his career.

“We just haven’t had the right time to do it yet, but he’s a person that’s always in our minds,” said Dombrowski. The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting .325/.406/.424 in 76 games at Triple-A with two home runs, 56 runs scored, and 29 RBI. The big sticking point when it comes to calling him up appears to be playing time. “If we had to bring them up, or we decide to bring him up, it’s not like he can’t contribute by any means. But it really comes down to, if he’s going to come here, we need him to be able to play the majority of the time.” With Max Kepler struggling in left field, the Phillies are in the market for an outfielder at the trade deadline. It sounds like, if they are not able to acquire one, Crawford could be an option to start games at the big league level.

Burleson wasn’t sure about his status for Tuesday. If Burleson can’t go, the Cardinals could shift Brendan Donovan to the outfield and use Thomas Saggese at second base.

Manager Dave Roberts said it’s “more than likely” that Scott will go on the injured list. Kirby Yates and Alex Vesia could both be worth using in mixed leagues for now. Blake Treinen could also enter the mix for saves once he comes off the injured list.

Both homers were solo shots for Smith. The 30-year-old has been outstanding in 2025, and the pair of roundtrippers push his total to 14 with 48 runs driven in. Smith’s power production pales in comparison to Cal Raleigh, but if not for Raleigh, he’d pretty easily be the best fantasy backstop in the sport.

Tanner Scott came in to pitch the ninth with a four-run lead to protect, but Scott issued a pair of walks and hit a batter in the ninth inning before departing with an injury. Enter Yates, who immediately issued a walk to Ryan Jeffers to load the bases and put the tying run at the plate. He was able to get Koby Clemens to hit a sac fly to make it a 5-2 game, and then James Outman made a spectacular catch to secure the save for Yates and give the Dodgers their first victory of the second half. Yates is probably worth picking up in mixed leagues with Scott expected to miss some time.

Buxton took Shohei Ohtani deep in a battle of superstars to leadoff the game. The All-Star outfielder has gone deep 23 times, driven in 58 runs, and is slashing an outstanding .292/.353/.583 over 312 at-bats while also stealing 17 bases without getting caught.

May came in after Shohei Ohtani pitched well over three innings, and he was able to keep the Twins off the board even while allowing five hits and three walks. That’s thanks in part to four strikeouts, and a marked improvement from his seven-run start against the Giants before the All-Star break. May will likely piggyback with Ohtani again against the Red Sox on Sunday.

Festa gave up three homers in the outing; the first being a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani in the first inning. The other two roundtrippers were allowed to Will Smith, and those dingers accounted for all four runs allowed. He struck out five while issuing one walk in an outing that was better than the box score might suggest. Festa will take on the Nationals on Sunday.

Ohtani’s start didn’t get off on the right foot, as he gave up a solo homer to Byron Buxton to leadoff the game. From that point on, the two-way start kept the Twins off the board while generating an impressive seven swings-and-misses on just 46 pitches. The homer from Ohtani also came in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, and puts him one behind Eugenio Suárez in the National League with 35. It’s been said often, but it’ll be said again: this is one of the most special baseball players to ever play the sport, and even if he’s not on your fantasy roster, it has to be appreciated. We probably won’t see anything like it again when he’s done. The next chance to appreciate him on the mound comes against the Red Sox on Sunday in what will likely be another short outing with Dustin May working in bulk.

Lewis is starting to swing the bat well again, as he followed up his two-homer game against the Rockies with his first three-hit game since June 6. The steal was his first of the season, and it’s a positive that he’s feeling well enough to get the wheels going. Lewis is immensely talented, and if he can stay on the field, he’s a good bet to have many more games like this over the final 60-plus games of the season.