MLB News

Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck went 2-for-3 with two home runs and two walks in Friday's 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Beck blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning for his first homer of the game. He later belted another solo shot in the eighth inning to make it a one-run ball game. Beck's second home run of the game was a towering blast that traveled 437 feet at 107.2 mph. The 24-year-old has now homered five times over his last three games. He is hitting a robust .667 (6-for-9) with five home runs, five RBI, and a stolen base during that three-game span. Overall, Beck is slashing .282/.391/.718 with five home runs, nine RBI, nine runs, and four stolen bases across 15 games. Beck continues to start with Brenton Doyle (personal) out, and fantasy managers should continue to roll with him while he's swinging a hot bat.

New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams allowed three runs on two hits in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not record an out and was tagged with his second loss of the season. The 30-year-old entered Friday's game in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. Williams was shaky right off the bat, allowing a leadoff single to George Springer, hitting Andres Gimenez with a pitch, and allowing a two-run double to Alejandro Kirk. He surrendered an RBI single to Addison Barger before being removed from the game. Williams was charged with his first blown save of the season and owns an 11.25 ERA, 2.38 WHIP, and eight strikeouts over eight innings. After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if Williams would remain the closer. "We'll see," Boone said when asked if Williams would benefit from moving to lower leverage situations. "We'll kind of talk through this stuff. This is raw right now. We want to do everything we can to get him right because we know how good he is and how valuable he is going to be from us." Williams has struggled and could benefit from temporarily being removed from the closer role until he gets things right. Luke Weaver would be the biggest beneficiary and handle ninth-inning duties until the Yankees are ready to return to Williams. Fantasy managers searching for saves should add Weaver in all league formats.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (2-3) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out eight across eight scoreless innings in Friday's 2-0 win over the Houston Astros. He picked up his second win of the season. The 35-year-old was efficient on Friday, needing just 94 pitches for eight innings of work. He landed 65 of 94 pitches for strikes and posted a season-high eight strikeouts to secure his second win of the year. The veteran right-hander has allowed just two runs or less in each of his last five starts. Overall, Lugo owns a 3.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 29:12 K:BB across 38 innings in 2025. He will look to build on Friday's impressive performance in his next scheduled start on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (forearm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. He felt fine after playing catch during pregame warmups on Friday. The 28-year-old was removed from Tuesday's start early due to forearm soreness after just 58 pitches. He is not scheduled for an MRI or additional testing and could avoid being on the injured list altogether. Sanchez will not make his next start against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, and it is to be determined when he will take the mound next. Phillies ace Zack Wheeler will start in place of Sanchez on Tuesday. Sanchez owns a (2-1) record with a 3.42 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings in 2025.

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson reports that Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine (shoulder) will have surgery on his left shoulder on Tuesday. He will meet with noted Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday in Los Angeles, and it will become clearer at that point whether Conine will have a chance to play again in 2025. The 27-year-old suffered a dislocated shoulder on Easter Sunday and was placed on the 60-day injured list shortly after that, so we already knew this was a pretty serious injury. Still, fantasy managers in deep single-year leagues might be dropping him outright. It's a shame for Conine, too, as he started the 2025 season hot offensively with a .281/.352/.438 slash line with a .790 OPS, a homer, seven RBI and 10 runs scored. Since Conine's injury, the Marlins have used Javier Sanoja, Kyle Stowers, Ronny Simon and Eric Wagaman in left field. Stowers, a former top O's prospect, is the most intriguing of the bunch in fantasy.

Minnesota Twins infield/outfield prospect Luke Keaschall (forearm) was hit by a pitch in Friday's 11-4 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Target Field and suffered a non-displaced fractured right forearm, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. The 22-year-old hit by the pitch in the first inning from a pitch by Kyle Hendricks and eventually departed the contest in the third inning and was at designated hitter by Mickey Gasper. It's a tough break for the team's No. 3 prospect (per MLB Pipeline), who has gone 7-for-19 with three doubles, two RBI, five stolen bases, four runs scored, five walks and two strikeouts in his first seven big-league games. At the very least, Keaschall should need a few weeks to recover, so he's almost certainly heading to the injured list. DaShawn Kiersey Jr. Gasper could mix in at DH, but the good news is third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) should be back soon for Minnesota.

Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (forearm) was pulled from his start early on Friday in an eventual 8-4 loss to the visiting Miami Marlins at T-Mobile Park with right-forearm tightness, the team announced. Gilbert made it through three hitless and scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts before coming out. It's a scary situation for the Mariners and Gilbert, who is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball when he's healthy. For now, we'll consider him day-to-day until we know more about the severity of his injury, but fantasy managers need to keep a close eye on the situation. At the very least, there's a good chance he will have to miss his next start. The former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stetson University came into his sixth start of the year on Friday with a 2.63 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings pitched.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter (hand) will be activated off the injured list and rejoin the starting rotation on Sunday. The right-hander is scheduled to take the ball against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. There was some speculation that Leiter would take the spot of Kumar Rocker (shoulder) and pitch on Monday. That doesn't appear to be the plan, so maybe Patrick Corbin gets moved into Rocker's spot for Monday's game. Regardless, Leiter is returning and will hopefully continue to pitch like he was before the injury. Leiter has thrown 10 innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, and recorded 10 strikeouts in two starts.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (oblique) has been removed early during Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It's unclear how Mitchell suffered the injury, but he was taken out in the fourth inning due to oblique tightness. This is sometimes a tricky injury, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Mitchell land on the injured list. The assumption is the Brewers will do further testing to determine the significance of the injury. For now, fantasy managers should consider Mitchell as day-to-day until more information is revealed.

Minnesota Twins infielder Luke Keaschall (hand) was removed early during Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Keaschall was hit on the hand by a pitch during the first inning of this contest. He stayed in to run the bases, but was replaced by Mickey Gasper at the designated hitter spot after that. The assumption is that Keaschall will undergo imaging to determine the severity of the injury. The organization should give an update on his status shortly.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (shoulder) recently was shut down from throwing after experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. The southpaw underwent an MRI, but it didn't reveal anything new. That being said, the Dodgers plan to give Snell an injection to hopefully calm down the inflammation in his shoulder. After that, Snell will begin a throwing program before possibly doing a few rehab starts. It sounds like Snell has avoided any major injuries. His timetable to return is unclear, but the hope is that he'll return at some point in May.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (groin) was forced to exit early from Thursday's start against the Colorado Rockies. On Friday, Royals' manager Matt Quatraro announced that Ragans is dealing with a mild groin strain. He continued by saying that Ragans feels better, but the team will monitor him over the next few days. It's unclear at the moment if Ragans will be able to take the ball against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. It sounds like he might be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, but that all depends on how the next few days go for Ragans. Fantasy managers will need to monitor his status over the next couple of days.

Colorado Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle (personal) is out of Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field due to personal reasons, according to The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. With Doyle out, Mickey Moniak is in center field and will hit sixth against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. It's worth noting that Doyle was recently on the bereavement list, but he was activated earlier this week and went 1-for-6 with a run scored and a stolen base in the team's doubleheader on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. The 26-year-old also missed some time with a quadriceps injury and hadn't played since April 16. When he's in the lineup, Doyle is a must-start fantasy player with the ability to contribute in all categories. Moniak has a hit in two career at-bats against Abbott, but we'd suggest passing on him in a lefty-lefty matchup for DFS purposes.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (wrist) is back behind the plate to catch right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and is hitting sixth against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Paul Skenes for Friday's series opener at Dodger Stadium. Smith injured his left wrist in the loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and sat out of the series finale on Wednesday, but after an additional day off on Thursday, he's good to go on Friday. While those setting DFS lineups on Friday evening shouldn't consider Smith's matchup against Skenes to be an attractive one, the 30-year-old veteran should be returned to lineups in single-year fantasy formats. Smith comes into Friday's action hitting a robust .350/.453/.567 with a 1.02 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored in 60 at-bats. In three career at-bats against Skenes, he has one hit.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Erik Swanson (elbow) threw 16 pitches and recorded four outs in an extended spring game on Friday, while righty Ryan Burr (shoulder) is scheduled to throw off a mound on Saturday, according to Sportsnet's Shi Dividi. Swanson is attempting to recover from carpal tunnel in his right elbow, but he appears to be making good progress and could be back with the Blue Jays as soon as next week once he begins an official rehab assignment. Burr is recovering from right-shoulder inflammation that dates back to the start of spring training, but he resumed throwing bullpen sessions on April 12 and could be cleared to go on a short rehab assignment sooner than later. Both Swanson and Burr will bolster Toronto's bullpen when they are ready, but they aren't really on the fantasy radar.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho (shoulder) will serve as the designated hitter for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday night as he continues his minor-league rehab assignment, and he's expected to rejoin the Blue Jays no later than next Tuesday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. It's still possible he'll come off the 10-day injured list to make his 2025 debut this weekend in the Bronx against the division-rival New York Yankees, too. So far in five rehab games with Single-A Dunedin and Buffalo, the 28-year-old has gone 2-for-18 with two RBI and six strikeouts. Varsho is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and could be eased into outfield duties upon his return to the majors, but when healthy, he's an everyday player for the team. Although he does have 38 homers, 119 RBI and 26 steals in his two seasons in Toronto, he's hit a disappointing .217 with a below-average .686 OPS.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) threw 27 pitches off the mound on Friday in what manager John Schneider called a "step in the right direction." There's still no timetable for when Scherzer might be able to return to Toronto's starting rotation, but it's good news overall after he's had multiple setbacks with his right thumb. The 40-year-old three-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star made just one start before landing on the injured list with his thumb injury, and he required multiple injections in order to deal with the discomfort. Hopefully now he'll eventually be able to build up his arm and go on a minor-league rehab assignment in the near future. The future Hall of Famer can still be valuable in fantasy, but injuries have become a major problem in the last several seasons. In his lone start against the Orioles on March 29, he allowed two earned runs in just three innings of work.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena is getting his first game off of the season for Friday's series opener against the visiting Miami Marlins at T-Mobile Park. With Arozarena out, Miles Mastrobuoni will man left field in Seattle and bat seventh against Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill. In his first 25 games of his first season with the M's, Arozarena has gone 18-for-90 (.200) with four home runs, six doubles, 17 RBI, a league-leading eight stolen bases, 11 runs scored, 19 walks and 31 strikeouts. It's a good time for the 30-year-old to get his first breather of the year, as he's gone 4-for-24 (.167) with three walks and 12 K's in his last six games. Arozarena isn't going to provide fantasy managers with help in the average department, but his power/speed combination remains valuable in all formats. Mastrobuoni has never faced Quantrill and is hitting .258 (8-for-31) in the early going with no homers and no RBI.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz will get the day off on Friday for the series opener in Kansas City against the Royals. Victor Caratini will replace him behind the plate and catch right-hander Hayden Wesneski while batting seventh against Royals veteran right-hander Seth Lugo. Diaz will get a day off to start the series in KC after getting off to a sluggish start to the season with the bat. The 26-year-old Dominican backstop has gone 13-for-75 (.173) with just one home run, eight RBI, six runs scored, three walks and 16 strikeouts in his first 20 games. The good news, though, is that he went 4-for-12 with a double, triple and RBI in the team's recent three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, so fantasy managers will be hoping he can continue that this weekend. Caratini has hit .429 with an .858 OPS in seven career at-bats against Lugo, but he still represents a weak DFS play at the position.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (knee) is making good progress from a bone bruise in his left knee and is hoping to go on a minor-league rehab assignment next week. Depending on when Herrera actually begins his rehab assignment, he might need only a handful of games before he's activated from the injured list and rejoins the Cardinals as their primary catcher. The 24-year-old broke out of the gates strong in 2025 by going 8-for-21 in a small sample size, but with four home runs, 11 RBI and six runs scored. The native of Panama won't be able to sustain that kind of offensive production all year long, but he's going to play regularly and gives fantasy managers upside at a weak position. When Herrera is back with the big-league club, Pedro Pages will revert to a backup role. Pages is currently hitting .250 (15-for-60) with one homer and 10 RBI.