Jorge Soler Hits First Home Run

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Soler homered for the first time since July of last season when he hit one out in the eighth against Toronto on Wednesday. The post-hype 26-year-old hasn't had a very eventful season so far, hitting a nondescript .267 with no home runs until Wednesday, but his 26.9% strikeout rate shows […]

Daniel Murphy Playing Extended Spring Training Games

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (knee) is playing in his first games since microfracture surgery on his right knee in the offseason. The veteran hitter is playing in extended spring training games in West Palm Beach, Florida, which manager Dave Martinez notes is perfect because the weather is so nice. Murphy had five at-bats […]

Ryon Healy Ready To Begin Rehab Assignment

Seattle Mariners first baseman Ryon Healy (ankle) will head to Double-A Arkansas and begin a rehab assignment, per MLB.com. Healy is recovering from a sprained ankle and told reporters he feels "great" and just needs a few games to get some at-bats in. Healy was acquired from the A's in the offseason to bring some more […]

Max Kepler's Knee Issue Appears Minor

Updating a previous report, Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) left Wednesday's game in the 10th inning with a knee issue. Manager Paul Molitor updated Kepler's status on Thursday, saying that the team thinks he will be alright. It sounds like the Twins removing Kepler from the game was a precautionary measure, which is good […]

Ken Giles Dealing With Back Tightness

Houston Astros closer Ken Giles is dealing with back tightness, according to the Houston Chronicle. Manager A.J. Hinch admitted to reporters that the injury has gotten "progressively a little bit worse" over the course of the past few days. Reliever Chris Devenski closed out an Astros win the other day and Giles could be headed […]

Bobby Poyner Finishes Inning Of Rehab Thursday

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Bobby Poyner (hamstring) pitched an inning of rehab for the Portland Sea Dogs, according to Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald. He allowed one hit and struck out one. Marcus Walden was called up from Triple-A when Poyner went on the disabled list and will likely be the choice […]

Justin Grimm Massacred By Blue Jays

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Justin Grimm started the season with 4 1/3 innings in which he only allowed one earned run. What a difference 10 days makes. Wednesday night, Grimm allowed six runs while only getting one out against the Blue Jays. This capped off a 10-day span in which Grimm has posted an […]

Ryan Madson Gets Blown Up By Mets

Washington Nationals reliever Ryan Madson had a rough outing against the Mets on Wednesday. Facing the first-place rivals for the third straight day, he gave up six earned runs on five hits with one walk and one strikeout. Madson only lasted two-thirds of an inning. While the outcome is startling, Madson has pitched in 11 […]

Freddie Freeman's Wrist Not Broken

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman's left wrist is not broken after he was hit by a pitch Wednesday, as test results came back negative on Thursday and he is listed as day-to-day. Phew. That noise you hear is the collective sound of the Braves and all of Freeman's fantasy owners letting out a sigh […]

Clayton Kershaw Will Face Max Scherzer Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw has been bumped up in the rotation with the placement of Rich Hill (finger) on the disabled list. Kershaw will now open the three-game series against the Nationals at home against their ace, Max Scherzer. This is as close to a heavyweight match as you'll get in baseball. Kershaw […]

Christian Villanueva Fine After Being Plunked On Wrist

San Diego Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva (wrist) was removed from Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after being plunked in the wrist. X-rays came up negative and he expects to play Friday. Villanueva is second in the majors with four hit by pitches and is considering using a wrist protector. It makes sense. […]

Hunter Strickland Blows Second Save Wednesday But Picks Up Win

San Francisco Giants closer Hunter Strickland blew his second save of the season late Wednesday night. Strickland was picked up by teammate Brandon Belt, who hit a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to give the Giants the victory. Strickland’s job should remain safe for now, and he is now 2-0 […]

Luis Perdomo Risks Demotion After Disastrous Outing

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Luis Perdomo was awful in Wednesday's loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing nine runs (seven earned) in three innings pitched. Perdomo was hit hard all night, giving up 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts. After the game, manager Andy Green was blunt. "This is Major League Baseball. […]

Ben Zobrist Is Improving

Chicago Cubs second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) is improving and could be available off the bench on Thursday. Zobrist was scratched from Tuesday’s contest with back tightness. Zobrist missed the beginning of spring training with the same issue and the club is likely to take it easy with the veteran. Zobrist has been off to […]

Heliot Ramos Hits First Home Run

San Francisco Giants top prospect, outfielder Heliot Ramos, hit his first home run of the year on Wednesday. Ramos has been off to a slow start for Single-A Augusta and has hit just .235 early on. Ramos has good bat speed and power, but the big flaw for the 18-year-old has been his ability to […]

Austin Riley Continues Hot Start In Double-A

Atlanta Braves third base prospect Austin Riley continues to stay hot for Double-A Mississippi. Riley went 3-for-4 on Wednesday with two triples, two runs and two RBI. Riley is coming off of a strong season and is the team's No. 8 prospect. Riley now has three straight multi-hit games and has a .370 batting average […]

Blake Rutherford Is Raking

Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Blake Rutherford picked up three doubles in five at-bats for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem on Wednesday. Rutherford was the main piece brought back from the Yankees in last year's deadline deal for Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. Rutherford is a top-100 prospect and is now hitting .357 with […]

JC Ramirez Had Successful Tommy John Surgery

Los Angeles Angels starter JC Ramirez (elbow) successfully underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. He will miss the entire 2018 season and likely the start of 2019 as well. Ramirez was expected to be a big part of LA's rotation this season after winning 11 games with 4.15 ERA last season. Expect Nick Tropeano and […]

Mets Sign Vance Worley, Scott Copeland

The New York Mets added some organizational depth on Thursday, signing pitchers Vance Worley and Scott Copeland to minor league deals. Neither figure to be major contributors for the Amazins’, but stranger things have happened. Worley is coming off a disastrous 2017 that saw him get shelled to the tune of a 6.91 ERA across […]

Tommy Pham Says He's Fine

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham (groin) told reporters he was fine and that he "could play today." Regardless, Pham is getting the day off on Thursday, but he seems likely to rejoin the lineup as early as Friday. Top outfield prospect Tyler O'Neill was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, but it looks […]

John Brebbia Sent Down to Triple-A Memphis

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Brebbia was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday to make room on the roster for top outfield prospect Tyler O'Neill. Brebbia was called up to join the St. Louis bullpen on April 8 but only made two appearances since then. To his credit, they were both perfect innings. He'll […]

Tommy Pham Not in the Lineup for Thursday's Game

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham (groin) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game. Pham hurt himself in the ninth inning of Tuesday's game but was forced to stay in because the Cardinals were out of position players. The fact that he has not been placed on the disabled list certainly bodes well, […]

Robbie Ray Increases Fastball Velocity In No-Decision

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray gave up two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine over six innings of work on Wednesday night. Ray struggled with his control again, as he's yet to walk fewer than three batters in a game this year. His average fastball velocity was the highest it's […]

Brad Boxberger Takes The Loss Wednesday Night

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger took the loss on Wednesday night, giving up the game-winning two-run home run to Brandon Belt in the 10-inning loss to the Giants. It was Boxberger's first loss of the year and the first runs he has given up all season. Belt has been a thorn in the Diamondbacks side […]

Javier Baez Moved Up In Batting Order

Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez has been moved to the second spot in the order for Thursday’s game. Baez has been seeing the ball very well lately and is 10 for his last 33 with five home runs, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored. Baez is a streaky hitter but when he’s hot, he […]

Albert Almora Hitting First Thursday

Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora will hit first on Wednesday. Almora doesn’t draw many starts versus right-handed pitchers, so it’s good to see him get that chance versus Luke Weaver. Manager Joe Maddon has rotated Almora with Ian Happ and Ben Zobrist and until one of them runs away with the job, they can all […]

Evan Longoria Stays Hot

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria continues to heat up. Wednesday evening he hit his third home run and finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run and a walk. He is now nine for his last 20 and has two home runs and five RBI over that span. Longoria got overlooked in a lot […]

Reds Fire Manager Bryan Price

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday morning that they are firing manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins. The team is off to a 3-15 start, which surely played into the team moving on from a majority of their major league coaching staff. Bench coach Jim Riggleman will become interim manager, while former Triple-A […]

Rick Porcello Picks Up MLB-Leading Fourth Win

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello pitched a very controlled game, leading his team to a 9-0 victory against the Angels on Wednesday. He also picked up his MLB-leading fourth win of the season. Porcello ended the night scattering six hits in six scoreless innings and striking out six batters. He hasn't allowed a […]

Jeff Samardzija Set To Return Friday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (pectoral) is set to return Friday versus the Angels. Samardzija had a smooth rehab and is ready to roll. The starter is able to help owners in all formats, but you may want to see how he fares in his first game back before putting him back in […]