MLB Player News

Normally Verdugo wouldn’t be eligible to begin the season in the minors, but his contract stipulates Atlanta can send the 28-year-old to Triple-A. He likely won’t be there for long, as Verdugo should be up with the big-league club as an option against right-handed pitching shortly.

Smith takes a seat for the second straight game after going 2-for-18 with nine strikeouts in six games to open the regular season. It’ll be Mauricio Dubón in right field on Monday night. Even the most talented prospects face an adjustment period as they make the leap to the big leagues for the first time, so the initial struggles shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. The central question for fantasy purposes is how much time the Astros are willing to give him to turn things around before they go in another direction and send him back to the minors to continue playing everyday.

McLain will miss his fourth straight contest on Monday due to left hamstring tightness. It’ll be Gavin Lux taking a turn at the keystone on Monday evening in his absence. The 25-year-old infielder was able to pinch-hit last Friday, but didn’t make an appearance over the weekend. There’s been zero indication that he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but it’s hard to rule it out at this juncture. Fantasy managers should still consider him day-to-day for now.

Polanco is at DH on Monday evening following a two-game absence. Mariners general manager Justin Hollander clarified to reporters that Polanco has been dealing with a side issue recently, which was the result of an awkward swing last week. The positive news is that Polanco isn’t dealing with any knee issues, which have plagued him for the past few years.

Cameron was a notable prospect last decade, but never really carved out a permanent role at the highest level, batting .201/.263/.330 with 10 homers and 14 steals in 430 plate appearances at the highest level since 2020. He’ll head to Triple-A Nashville as extra organizational outfield depth for Milwaukee.

Wolfram was designated for assignment earlier on Monday and has quickly found a new home. The 28-year-old southpaw has yet to pitch in the majors, but compiled a strong 3.13 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 69/27 K/BB ratio across 60 1/3 innings (46 appearances) last year between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers’ system.

Suárez will be out until at least late May recovering from a right subscapularis strain, which is the muscle in the rotator cuff area of the shoulder. The procedural move frees up a spot on Baltimore’s 40-man roster for lefty Grant Wolfram.

There haven’t been a ton of updates regarding Kirby’s recovery from right shoulder inflammation that derailed his spring ramp-up, but he appears to be getting close to facing hitters again as he builds up his throwing program in Arizona at extended spring training. The 27-year-old will need a handful of minor league rehab starts before he’s ready to make his season debut, but we’re expecting he’ll make it back to Seattle at some point in May.

Brash is creeping closer to starting a minor league rehab assignment as he enters the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old righty got into one Cactus League contest and should be ready to rejoin Seattle’s high-leverage mix in late April or early May, barring something unexpected.

Canzone gets the call to replace an injured Victor Robles (shoulder) on Seattle’s active roster fresh off a two-homer explosion on Sunday at Triple-A Tacoma. The 27-year-old outfielder has hit .208/.265/.390 with 14 homers and two steals in 370 plate appearances over 126 games in the big leagues dating back to 2023. He’s not a recommended fantasy option outside of extremely deep AL-only formats, but he’s probably going to get a chance to play regularly for at least a couple weeks.

Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told reporters Robles will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the shoulder injury that he suffered during Sunday’s game against the Giants when he crashed into netting in the right-field corner while making a phenomenal catch. There should be an update on his status at some point later this week, but fantasy managers should anticipate him missing at least a couple weeks, even in a best-case scenario. It’ll be Dominic Canzone coming up to take his spot on Seattle’s active roster.