MLB Player News

He didn’t get an at-bat. The Blue Jays can no longer backdate an IL assignment for Springer after this, so they must be feeling pretty confident he’ll be ready to hit this weekend.

Basallo continues rotating between catcher and DH for the Orioles as he takes a seat following three consecutive starts between both spots. The 21-year-old prodigy hasn’t torn the cover off the ball yet at the highest level, but it tends to take longer for catchers to hit their stride at the highest level since they have so many additional responsibilities to focus on besides hitting.

It’s notable that O’Neill has started just half of Baltimore’s eight games on the young season and he’s been out of the lineup for three straight. It’ll be Dylan Beavers and Colton Cowser continuing to get opportunities to play regularly with reclamation project Leody Taveras getting some unexpected run in center field at the moment.

Smith draws his first off day after starting eight consecutive contests in right field. The 23-year-old former top prospect is hitting .222 (6-for-27) with one homer and two steals this season. The fact that he’s posted a near-elite 74.4 mph bat speed so far is an encouraging sign for his future, even if he’s not making a ton of loud contact right now. It’ll be Joey Loperfido taking over in right field in his place.

It’s undoubtedly a positive development that Casas has been cleared to resume swinging after being shut down earlier this week with rib soreness. The 26-year-old first baseman remains without a firm return timeline as he continues working his way back from last year’s serious knee injury.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Crawford will head out on a minor league rehab assignment after his next throwing session and figures to be an option for Boston’s pitching staff as either a traditional starter or long reliever by early May. The 30-year-old hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2024 season after missing all of last year due to knee and wrist issues.

Montero rejoins Detroit’s rotation mix with veteran Justin Verlander hitting the injured list with hip inflammation. The 25-year-old was jettisoned to the minors at the end of spring training after tossing 189 innings over the last two seasons for the Tigers. He’ll presumably take the ball on Sunday against the Cardinals in place of Verlander. He lacks the strikeout upside to be anything more than a streaming option in deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

Verlander was set to return to Comerica Park on Sunday night against the Cardinals for his first start in a Tigers uniform since 2017. That’s no longer happening. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer heads to the shelf after being torched for five runs over 3 2/3 innings by the Diamondbacks on Monday in his season debut. It’ll be Keider Montero taking his spot in Detroit’s rotation for now. His return to the Motor City is off to a bit of a rocky start, but the Tigers are probably more concerned with having him available for late-season starts than early-April outings.

Chourio unexpectedly hit the injured list with a fractured hand just hours before Milwaukee’s Opening Day contest last week. The 22-year-old fantasy standout has progressed to running, throwing and tracking pitches, but hasn’t been cleared to resume swinging a bat. There should be a definitive timetable for his return following his next checkup.

Laureano gets an opportunity to bat towards the top of the order with Red Sox young southpaw Connelly Early taking the ball at Fenway Park. Xander Bogaerts, who has typically batted second, has been dropped to fifth against his former club. The 31-year-old is off to an encouraging start, hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers, four RBI and one steal through six games. A quick glance under the hood reveals a robust 49.1 percent hard-hit rate and 13.8 percent barrel percentage.

Kurtz finds himself in the leadoff spot for the fifth time in seven starts this season. The 23-year-old reigning AL Rookie of the Year has gone hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games and is batting .048 (1-for-21) with 13 strikeouts and five walks this season. It’s too early to be concerned but it’s a bit surprising to see him mired in an extended slump given how comfortable he looked during the final few months of last year.