Burch Smith Being Demoted To Bullpen

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Burch Smith is being moved to the bullpen in favor of Jorge Lopez, who will start against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Lopez was acquired in the trade that sent third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Brewers. In his last three starts, Smith allowed 18 hits (five home runs) and […]

Joe Mixon Is The Guy In Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is "the guy" with Jeremy Hill now with the Patriots, according to ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell. He's set for a Year 2 surge but will still split some touches with Giovani Bernard. Mixon was lined up as a receiver during his touchdown catch in the first preseason game last week. […]

X-Rays Negative For James Paxton

Updating a previous report, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton's (forearm) X-rays came back negative after he was forced from his start in the first inning after taking a liner to his left arm on Tuesday. He's dealing with a left forearm contusion. It's great news for the Mariners and Paxton's fantasy owners, as he […]

Forrest Whitley Makes Return To Minor League Action

Houston Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley (oblique), who hasn't pitched in the minors since July 5, threw 35 pitches over two scoreless innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday. He walked two and struck out two in the outing. Whitley was also suspended 50 games this year, so he's gone just 0-1 with a 4.29 […]

Jose Iglesias Injured Tuesday

Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (thumb) left the game early on Tuesday with a right thumb contusion. Iglesias had a double, run scored and two strikeouts in four plate appearances before exiting. It seems to be just a day-to-day injury, so Iglesias shouldn't have to miss too much time. He's hitting .264 on the season […]

Bud Norris Not Used Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals closer Bud Norris (hip), who is dealing with soreness in his right hip, was not used in a save situation on Tuesday night against the Nationals. Instead, relief pitcher Jordan Hicks came on to record the save -- his fourth of the year. Norris blew his fourth save of the season on […]

James Paxton Hit By Liner, Leaves Early Tuesday

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton (arm) left his start early after taking a line drive off his left arm in the first inning Tuesday against the A's. He allowed a solo homer to Marcus Semien, struck out Matt Chapman and then was hit by a liner off the bat of Jed Lowrie to end […]

Ronald Jones II Off To Slow Start

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie running back Ronald Jones II got off to a slow start in the preseason opener last week and dropped some passes. Head coach Dirk Koetter has been more complimentary of Peyton Barber's performance in the first game than of Jones' performance. ESPN.com's Jenna Laine said Barber could start the season and […]

Royce Freeman Has Opportunity To Emerge As No. 1 Back

Denver Broncos rookie running back Royce Freeman may have the best shot of any rookie runner not named Saquon Barkley to emerge as a true No. 1 back for their team. Freeman was more impressive than Devontae Booker in the first preseason game with four carries for 38 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown. ESPN.com's Jeff […]

Brandon McCarthy To Retire After Season

Atlanta Braves veteran starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy (knee) said he has decided to retire after the 2018 season. He will spend the next few weeks making mechanical adjustments so that he can potentially boost the bullpen for the stretch run. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 4.92 ERA on the season in 15 starts. He […]

Jerad Eickhoff Has Successful Rehab Outing

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff (shoulder, wrist) allowed one hit and no runs in four innings (52 pitches) while walking three and striking out four in his third rehab start for Single-A Clearwater on Tuesday. Eickhoff appears close to making his first appearance in an MLB game in 2018. He posted a 4.71 ERA, […]

Jay Bruce Hitless In First Rehab Game

New York Mets outfielder/first baseman Jay Bruce (hip) played five innings in right field for Single-A St. Lucie on Tuesday and was 0-for-2 with a walk, strikeout and a fly out in his first rehab game. Bruce will play first base on Wednesday. He could be back with the Mets sometime next week if he […]

Julio Urias To Throw Two Innings Wednesday

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (shoulder) will throw two innings for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday. Urias is being brought along slowly after shoulder surgery and is expected to be used out of the bullpen after rosters expand in September. That means he won't be attractive for those in single-year leagues for the […]

Ross Stripling May Not Be Available Tuesday

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling (back) is dealing with a sore back muscle and may not be available out of the bullpen on Tuesday, according to manager Dave Roberts. Stripling, an All-Star this year, has been moved to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for Hyun-Jin Ryu. It kills most of his […]

Kenley Jansen Making Progress

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (heart) ran sprints on Tuesday and will throw to hitters on Wednesday and Friday. He's optimistic that he will be cleared to return after a follow-up exam with a cardiologist next Monday. Jansen continues to wear a wireless heart monitor around his chest. It looks like Jansen's irregular heartbeat […]

Will Smith Unavailable Tuesday

San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy wants to avoid using closer Will Smith on Tuesday after the lefty reliever threw 20 pitches to earn the save on Monday. Smith has thrown back-to-back days. The southpaw has been great with Hunter Strickland sidelined, posting a 2.06 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 and nine saves. Because of […]

Brandon Crawford Expected To Avoid Concussion DL

San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (head) was feeling better on Tuesday and is expected to avoid the seven-day concussion disabled list after a nasty collision with outfielder Gorkys Hernandez on Monday. Both players were out of the lineup on Tuesday. “He’s feeling pretty good,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Crawford. “I think he’s feeling […]

Brandon Belt Activated From DL Tuesday

The San Francisco Giants activated first baseman Brandon Belt (knee) from the disabled list after batting practice on Tuesday. Belt will be available off the bench against the Dodgers and will play in the series finale on Wednesday. You'll want to make sure you have Belt back in your lineups on Wednesday. The first baseman […]

Eric Berry Misses Practice Tuesday

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry (heel) did not practice on Tuesday. The injury doesn't appear to be very serious for the veteran, and the Chiefs are likely to play it safe with him. The 29-year-old played in just one game in 2017 before blowing his Achilles out. He's an important veteran leader for a […]

Cairo Santos Dealing With Groin Issue

New York Jets place kicker Cairo Santos (groin), who sat out of the preseason opener and who isn't practicing, is dealing with a chronic groin issue that required surgery at the end of last year. He missed most of last year's training camp with the Chiefs, returned in Week 3 and was then released. Santos […]

Josh Ferguson Returns To Practice

Indianapolis Colts running back Josh Ferguson (hamstring), who has been out for most of training camp, returned to padded practice on Tuesday. There are repetitions for the taking in Indy's backfield with Marlon Mack injured, but Ferguson hasn't been able to take advantage yet. Ferguson is way down on the team's depth chart behind the […]

Broncos To Waive Corey Brown

The Denver Broncos plan to waive wide receiver Corey Brown with an injury settlement, according to a source. Brown was brought in for receiver depth, but he didn't last very long. He has 79 career receptions in three seasons with the Panthers but hasn't played since 2016. You can completely ignore the 26-year-old.

Paxton Lynch Demoted To Third On Depth Chart

Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch has been moved from the backup role to No. 3 on the depth chart behind Case Keenum and Chad Kelly after his uneven performance in the first preseason game. "(Lynch) is upset, he didn't like it, he wants to know why and he's got to play better," head coach Vance […]

Kyle Lauletta Closing Gap On Davis Webb For Backup Role

New York Giants rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta is closing the gap on Davis Webb for the backup job after Webb had his worst performance as a professional in the preseason game against the Browns last Thursday. Lauletta has impressed with the poise he's showed in the pocket. Both backups worked with the first-team offense on […]

Christian Hackenberg A Long Shot To Make Team

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Christian Hackenberg is a long shot to make the 53-man roster. The best-case scenario is that he spends the year on the practice squad and competes for a backup role in 2019. The former second-round pick of the Jets has been a bust in the NFL and hasn't even taken a snap […]

Kamar Aiken, Markus Wheaton, Shelton Gibson On The Bubble

Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers Kamar Aiken, Markus Wheaton and Shelton Gibson are all on the roster bubble in training camp. Aiken has been seeing first-team repetitions and started in the preseason opener. He's been doing a good job of getting open, as his 26 targets are the fourth most on the team. However, he's only […]

Wendell Smallwood Has Helped His Chances

Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood has really helped his roster standing in training camp. He has not missed a practice but also leads the team in catches among the running backs. His 26 carries are second to Jay Ajayi. Head coach Doug Pederson also mentioned that Smallwood is a key special teams player. His […]

Tyler Eifert Will Be Babied

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis doesn't expect tight end Tyler Eifert to be on the field for too many snaps this year. When asked about the challenges of having Eifert on a snap count this year, Lewis said, "Well I hope he never gets 50." Eifert has proven he can be a touchdown beast […]

Quincy Enunwa Returns To Practice

New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (thumb) was in pads over the weekend. A neck injury sidelined Enunwa for all of last season, but he was the team's top receiver in 2016 and could return to a prominent role alongside Robby Anderson if he can stay healthy in 2018. Don't expect him to match […]

Corey Grant Growing Into Bigger Role

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Corey Grant has been featured so far in the preseason and his speed has impressed since he arrived as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Grant had 122 yards in the Week 17 finale in 2016. His role has expanded on special teams, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is likely to […]