MLB Player News

Winker was expected to be the primary DH for the Mets this year, but a slow start to the campaign has seen him lose playing time to Starling Marte. Marte will again get the start as the designated hitter even with right-hander J.T. Ginn on the bump for the A’s.

The switch-hitter is riding a modest four-game hitting streak, but he has also gone just 8-for-45 (.178) with two RBIs and no home runs over an 11-game stretch that included eight games in Coors Field and three games in a hitter-friendly park in Milwaukee. We knew Toglia would struggle with batting average, but if he’s not going to take advantage of extended stretches at Coors Field, it’s hard to argue for keeping Toglia on your rosters. Orlando Arcia will start at first base and bat seventh on Thursday.

Gage elected free agency after he was designated for assignment by the Tigers back on June 26th. The reliever had a 1.67 ERA in 32 1/3 innings for Triple-A Toledo this season and has a 1.42 ERA in 22 career MLB appearances. He will now return to the organization that drafted him in 2014 and start off in Triple-A Sacramento.

Hill was activated off the IL on Tuesday but had been on the bench for the first two games back. The 29-year-old figures to remain a part-time player with Dane Myers playing well in center field for the Marlins.

We don’t yet know the reason why Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary leave, but we do know that he will be out through the All-Star break because of an MLB investigation. We’ll await more details, but Ortiz can be dropped in most leagues since he will be out for three weeks at least. He was supposed to start tonight against the Cubs, but now Joey Cantillo will instead.

Rosenthal mentions that the limited number of right-handed hitters on the trade market could make García an attractive option, especially since he’s under team control next season as well. With the Rangers falling out of contention, García could be the team’s most valuable trade chip. Rosenthal believes that, “As long as he continues producing offensively, his trade value would be greater at the deadline than during the offseason or at next year’s deadline.”

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with that home run in the first game of the doubleheader, which made it three games in a row with a home run since Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A. If he can keep showing that pullside power as well as improved defensive performance during his stint in the minors, Alvarez could be back up with the Mets in July.

The left-hander struck out four, walked nobody, and gave up just one hit, which was a bunt single. He threw 25 of his 37 pitches for strikes in what was an extremely efficient outing. Cortes will obviously need a few more starts to build up his pitch count, but the bigger question is where he fits. With Brandon Woodruff coming off the IL on Sunday, the Brewers have six starters in their big league rotation right now, and Logan Henderson is also at Triple-A. That could mean that Cortes is used in a trade if he continues to show good health and form.

The 24-year-old has gotten off to a strong start at Triple-A, going 6-for-16 with three home runs and three RBI. He also has seven strikeouts in four games and remains a major swing-and-miss risk after posting an 18.5 percent swinging strike rate at Double-A as a 24-year-old. With no obvious spot in the outfield, you wonder if the Yankees would use this hot streak by Jones to try and move him at the deadline for an infield bat that could help the Yankees this season.

Velasquez allowed three hits while striking out eight and walking two. He now has a 2.66 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 73/38 K/BB ratio in 64 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season. The Guardians haven’t needed much rotation depth this year, but Velasquez is certainly on the radar if they need another starter.

The 2023 third-round pick is now up to 11 home runs in his 52 games at Triple-A this season with 36 RBI and a .295/.384/.565 slash line. At this point, he might be forcing the Guardians’ hand to give him a shot against MLB pitching.