MLB News

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run to walk things off in the tenth inning of an 8-6 win over the Reds. This was a continuation of an already hot start to the season, as he's now slashing .344/.462/.594 with two home runs, six RBI, five runs, and two stolen bases. He is the strong side of a platoon in right field and gets few at-bats against lefties, which likely won't change anytime soon. Still, he is productive enough when he plays to be relevant in deep fantasy formats, such as NL-only.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez's MRI confirmed that he is dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and is expected to be placed on the 15-day IL, according to manager Rocco Baldelli. Lopez was pulled from his last start early after he felt tightness in his right hamstring. The 29-year-old was in the midst of a strong start to the season, allowing three earned runs in 16 2/3 IP (1.62 ERA), with a 1.02 WHIP, and a 2:14 BB:K. While it's a blow to the Twins' rotation, at least it isn't a more serious injury, and thankfully, the Twins have a couple of good pitchers waiting in the minors to be called up if needed. Both David Festa and Zebby Matthews pitched last season for Minnesota and could be called upon again. Festa finished 2024 strong for the Twins but has started slow at Triple-A this season, however, Matthews' most recent start saw him strike out nine batters in just four innings of work, so perhaps he is the one who will get the first crack. If either one is called up, both are worthy roster additions in deep leagues for their strong strikeout stuff and solid command.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and two walks in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Braves. This was his second home run of the year, and he is now slashing .279/.380/.465 with two home runs, five RBI, seven runs, and one stolen base through the first 11 games. It has been a slower start to the season for Harper compared to many other star players, but he'll heat up eventually and remains one of the game's best hitters.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk, and two runs scored on Wednesday. His homer came in the top of the ninth inning against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, propelling the Phillies to a 4-3 win over Atlanta. It was Turner's first home run of the season, and he is now slashing .281/.395/.406 with six runs and four stolen bases. The power has been the only thing that has been missing in the early going, and the superstar figures to once again be one of the best shortstops in fantasy in 2025.

San Diego Padres outfield prospect Tirso Ornelas went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. The home run was his first of the season, but he's now hit safely in eight of 10 games so far and is slashing .282/.404/.359 with one home run, two stolen bases, and an 8:10 BB:K. So long as he keeps hitting, expect to see the 25-year-old in San Diego at some point this season, especially if the injuries continue to pile up for the Padres. The left-handed hitter belted 23 home runs last season at Triple-A and struck out at just a 16.1 percent rate, then had a good spring with the big league club before being optioned to Triple-A. With a decent amount of pop and good ability to make contact, the Mexican native could be an intriguing waiver wire addition if he gets the call at some point this season, but no need to stash him.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan picked up the win on Wednesday, striking out four over seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 shutout against the Royals. This was his first win and quality start of the season, and he has now gone all 17 innings in 2025 without issuing a single walk. This is nothing new for the right-hander, who had an elite walk rate of 4.3% in 2024 that led to a WHIP of just 0.99. He'll look to keep things rolling in his next start, currently in line to be against the Mets.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, three runs, and five RBI on Wednesday in a 17-2 win over the Rockies. This was his third straight multi-hit game and the second time he's collected five RBI in a game in that span. The youngster is now batting .315 with four home runs, 16 RBI, 10 runs, and one stolen base on the season. He looks to be building off of his strong second half in 2024 and is taking the step forward that many hoped for when devoting a second-round pick on fantasy in him.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (finger) was absent from Wednesday's lineup due to finger soreness, according to manager Derek Shelton. Cruz suffered the injury on Tuesday when he was hit by a pitch, but it doesn't seem to be serious. He was available to pinch run or play defense in Wednesday's game if necessary. He'll look to hopefully rejoin the lineup on Thursday and continue his solid start to the season. He's only batting .211, but has a .360 OBP and has already stolen seven bases.

Miami Marlins outfield prospect Jakob Marsee has run wild on the basepaths early on for Triple-A Jacksonville. Despite going 0-for-3 on Wednesday, the 23-year-old managed to steal two bases, swiping both second base and third base after he was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning. Even though the left-handed hitter is batting a paltry .156 on the young season, nine walks have helped him to a .386 OBP, which has enabled him to utilize his elite speed, now with 12 stolen bases through the season's first 10 games. He hit .200 last season and still stole 51 bags, so this is nothing new, but if he could get the bat going, he would be an even greater threat on the basepaths. He won the 2023 Arizona Fall League MVP award after slashing .391/.508/.707 in 24 games as a 22-year-old, so the hit tool is in there somewhere. According to MLB.com's Top Prospects list, which has Marsee as the Marlins' 24th-ranked prospect, he's expected to make his major league debut in 2025. Managers in very deep and NL-only leagues that are in need of steals may want to keep an eye on him for when he gets the call.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jonatan Clase has come out of the gates swinging for Triple-A Buffalo, going 11-for-25 (.440) over his first eight games. Just one of those hits has gone for extra bases, however, that, combined with his four walks, has given him a .517 OBP, which has allowed him to use his wheels. After a stolen base on Wednesday, the 22-year-old now has six on the young season, good for the third-most in all the minors. If Alan Roden or Nathan Lukes struggle for an extended period, there's a good chance we'll see the speedy Dominican back in the majors. In his limited 26-game sample in 2024, the switch-hitter slashed .246/.303/.328 with three extra-base hits and three stolen bases. If he gets the call and can find some regular at-bats, Clase could be under consideration for fantasy managers in need of steals.

Athletics first base prospect Nick Kurtz was back at it again on Wednesday, belting his minor-league leading sixth home run in a 1-for-5 day at the plate for Triple-A Las Vegas. The home run was the two-run variety, bringing him to a league-leading 17 RBI as well. The blast was recorded at 110.5 mph off the bat and traveled a whopping 455 feet. There isn't much left to say about the kid as he continues to put on a hitting display daily, and while Tyler Soderstrom was back in the lineup on Wednesday for the A's after an early exit on Tuesday, it feels like a call-up is coming soon and the team will find him at-bats. With as hot as his bat is and as near to the big leagues as the 2024 first-round draft pick is, the 6-foot-3 slugger is one of the few early-season priority prospect stashes in deep leagues and 12-teamers with an available bench spot (or NA spot).

Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Walker Jenkins (ankle) was officially placed on Double-A Wichita's 7-day minor league IL on Wednesday. The Twins' top prospect was dealing with an ankle issue in the spring, and it resurfaced after two games into the season, not having played in a game now since April 6. It seems the plan is just to let him rest, so that when he's recovered, they'll hopefully have him for the rest of the season. It was expected that baseball's No. 3 ranked prospect would make his major league debut at some point this season, and while that still may be the case, the timeline has likely shifted to a bit later in the year at this point as the former first-round draft pick does not even have a single Triple-A at-bat to his name yet. He's still a hold in dynasty leagues, but not a must-stash yet in redraft.

Los Angeles Angels infielder/outfielder Kyren Paris has taken advantage of regular playing time early in the 2025 season, as he came into Wednesday's contest against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays hitting .429/.538/.952 with a 1.491 OPS, three home runs, six RBI, four stolen bases and nine runs scored in 21 at-bats. The 23-year-old kept his hot hitting going in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Rays, going 2-for-4 with two solo home runs while starting in center field. The former second-rounder hit just .110 (10-for-91) with a homer, six RBI, four steals and 34 strikeouts in his first 36 big-league games for the Angels the last two seasons, but he has apparently made a notable adjustment and could be headed for a 2025 breakout if he keeps it up. At the very least, Paris has earned consistent playing time moving forward. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues may want to see more before jumping all in on Paris.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman deserved more than a no-decision in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Gausman was fantastic, allowing just an unearned run on four hits while walking none and striking out 10 in eight innings pitched to lower his ERA on the young season to 2.33. After allowing an unearned run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly, the 34-year-old veteran retired 21 of the final 23 hitters he faced in a dominant performance in his third start of the 2025 season. Gausman now has quality starts in two of his first three outings of the year after coming into Wednesday's start having allowed five earned runs on five hits while walking three and striking out only four in his first 11 1/3 frames. This was vintage Gausman, and fantasy managers will hope he can repeat it in his next scheduled outing against the struggling Braves.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck did a solid job on the mound during Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The right-hander went 6 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out two batters in a no-decision. Fantasy managers didn't get great results because of the fact Houck didn't have his strikeout pitch going for him. The Red Sox will gladly take this kind of outing, but fantasy managers can't be too excited right now. Houck has registered two strikeouts or less in two of his first three starts. Fantasy managers should hold him for now and hope for his strikeout numbers to rise.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman (hamstring) only made it through three games before suffering another injury. Tauchman had a good day at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with three singles during Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Sadly, Tauchman pulled his hamstring when he was coming around third base as the tying run in the ninth inning. For now, Tauchman is considered as day-to-day, but it wouldn't be shocking if he ends up on the injured list. His absence could mean more playing time for Austin Slater or Michael A. Taylor in the corner outfield.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack posted an ugly outing on the mound during Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals. The right-hander lasted only 2 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs, and walking four batters in a no-decision. Knack was really struggling in this one, but the Dodgers aren't ready to give up on him yet. In fact, Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts said that Knack will make another start this weekend against the Colorado Rockies. This will be a favorable bounce back opportunity for Knack, but fantasy managers should still be hesitant after this rough outing.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (personal) is scheduled to take the mound against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. He was previously scheduled to start last Sunday, but the game against the Atlanta Braves got rained out and then he was placed on the paternity list earlier this week. Alcantara likely would've taken the ball on Monday, but he went on the paternity leave list. He's back now, so fantasy managers can pencil him in to take the mound versus the Nats this weekend. Alcantara has a 3.72 ERA, 0.93 WHIP with 11 strikeouts across two starts this season.

Chicago White Sox catcher Korey Lee (ankle) made an early exit from Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Lee appeared to have rolled his ankle while getting back to first base on a pick off attempt in the sixth inning. Afterwards, Lee was removed from the contest when the White Sox took the field on defense. For now, fantasy managers should consider Lee as day-to-day until further notice. Matt Thaiss could see a few extra games behind the plate. Otherwise, Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are waiting in the wings if Lee is forced to miss significant time.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada (thumb) was forced to exit early during Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Well, Moncada returned to the lineup on Wednesday, but wasn't able to get through a full game before getting injured again. He previously missed time due to a left thumb issue, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him make a trip to the injured list. Luis Rengifo figures to basically play everyday third base, assuming Moncada does miss time from this injury. His absence would also give Kyren Paris more playing time over at second base. UPDATE: Moncada officially left with more right-thumb soreness, which is the same thing he dealt with in spring training and aggravated last Friday night.