MLB Player News

Lefty Anthony Veneziano opened the ninth with Juan Soto coming to bat, but he retired just one of the three batters he faced. Bender entered to face Mark Vientos and got both he and Jesse Winker to end the game and claim the Marlins’ first save of the year. Bender also got a win on Sunday. He’s probably not the Marlins’ sole closer just yet, but we do like him more than Calvin Faucher, who went unused for a second straight day after throwing 47 pitches between Saturday and Sunday.

Palacios will stick around with Chicago as extra organizational depth after being removed last Friday from the club’s 40-man roster. The 29-year-old outfielder hit .203 (26-for-128) with three homers and nine RBI across 51 games this season in his White Sox debut. He’s appeared in 207 games in the big leagues dating back to 2021.

Garrett has been on the shelf since undergoing a revision procedure on the UCL in his left elbow back in January. The 27-year-old southpaw is highly unlikely to make it back before the end of the regular season, but it’s undoubtedly a positive sign that he’s going to resume throwing again. He should be a full-go for spring training.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters Harper isn’t dealing with any sort of setback. The organization simply decided that having him remain back in Philadelphia would be more beneficial for his ongoing rehabilitation process. The 32-year-old fantasy stalwart hit the injured list back in early June with right wrist inflammation, but it sounds like there’s a chance he could return to the Phillies’ lineup at some point before the end of the month. There should be a more definitive return timetable once he’s able to resume swinging a bat pain-free.

Cowser is in left field and batting eighth on Monday night following a three-game absence stemming from a collision with the center-field wall during last Thursday’s showdown against the Tigers. The 25-year-old outfielder is hitting .219 (7-for-32) with two homers in nine games since returning from the injured list back on June 3.

O’Hearn sat out a pair of contests over the weekend with left ankle soreness. The 31-year-old slugger is back at first base and batting fifth on Monday evening with rookie Coby Mayo getting the night off.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Cousins will undergo the season-ending procedure on Wednesday after being shut down from throwing last week with renewed elbow discomfort. It’s a definite hit to New York’s relief depth as Cousins compiled a sparkling 2.37 ERA across 38 innings (37 appearances) last year in his Yankees debut. He figures to miss most of the 2026 season as well, given the timing of the procedure.

García takes a seat along with fellow left-handed batter Nathaniel Lowe, while switch-hitters Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz are also on the bench on Monday night with rookie southpaw Carson Palmquist taking the ball for Washington.

Stott has batted fifth or lower in seven of his past eight games since June 6. The 27-year-old speedster’s fantasy appeal takes a hit with the move to the lower third of Philadelphia’s lineup and is batting just .193 (21-for-109) with one homer and four steals over his last 30 games. He remains a borderline mixed-league option for fantasy purposes given the state of the second base position overall, but it might be time for managers to start considering alternatives on the free agent wire.

Freeman is at DH and batting second for the second straight contest on Monday night at Nationals Park. The versatile 26-year-old could be worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues, if he’s able to remain near the top of Colorado’s lineup for the remainder of the year. He’s been on a roll lately, hitting .381 (16-for-42) with one homer and two steals over his last 15 games.

No team put a claim in on the 24-year-old Basabe, who was viewed as a quality shortstop prospect a couple of years ago. He hit .296/.351/.426 in his first season in Triple-A in 2023 and played in 31 major league games for the Rays that year. Since then, though, he’s mostly struggled. The Giants acquired him over the winter after the Rays decided not to use a 40-man slot on him. Now no one thought he was worth having on the 40-man.