MLB News

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize (adductor) will be activated off the 15-day Injured List ahead of Sunday's game. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed on Friday that Mize will rejoin the team and start versus the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday. Mize is back in action after being sidelined since late May due to right adductor inflammation. Through nine starts, Mize has a 2.27 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 49:12 K:BB ratio across 47.2 innings this season. It's worth noting that Mize only threw 55 pitches during his most recent rehab start. He might not see a full workload during his first start back against Cleveland on Sunday. The right-hander is still worth stashing given his success on the mound early this season.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (head) was placed on the 7-day concussion Injured List on Friday. This doesn't come as a surprise after Lugo was drilled in the head by a comebacker off the bat of Brandon Nimmo during Wednesday's game. Lugo underwent a CT scan, which came back negative. The right-hander will now need to pass the league's concussion protocol before taking the mound again. In a corresponding move, reliever Eli Morgan has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on Lugo. It's possible that Lugo doesn't miss another start, but we'll need to see how he progresses.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (elbow) is scheduled to throw off the mound on Saturday, according to manager Aaron Boone. The skipper continued by saying recent imaging on Fried's left elbow showed increased healing. The southpaw is ready for the next step in his recovery process. His first throwing session on Saturday will be "touch and feel," considering it's the first time that he has thrown since landing on the Injured List in May. There is still more work to be done, but this is an encouraging sign for the southpaw. There should be another update on his status following Saturday's session. If everything goes well, Fried might be able to go on a rehab assignment before the end of the month.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (ribs, face) was absent from the starting lineup during Friday's loss to the Boston Red Sox. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Seager is day-to-day with rib and jaw injuries that he suffered during Thursday's game. Seager appears to have picked up a pair of injuries during a home plate collision with Carter Jensen on Thursday. Ezequiel Duran started at shortstop on Friday and could see more action over there this weekend. This doesn't sound like something that will require a stint on the Injured List. Fantasy managers should check back on Saturday for another update on Seager.

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (shoulder) was activated off the 10-day Injured List ahead of Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Wilson is back in the mix after being sidelined since May 11 due to a dislocated left shoulder. He won't miss a beat as Wilson is at shortstop and batting fifth against the Rockies on Friday. Before landing on the shelf, Wilson was slashing .292/.311/.398 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 39 games. There's enough upside with the bat to warrant rostering Wilson in most fantasy formats right now. His return to the field will mean reduced playing time for Alika Williams. In a corresponding move, outfielder Brent Rookier (knee) was placed on the 10-day Injured List.

Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (knee) was placed on the 10-day Injured List, retroactive to June 9. Rooker was out of the lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a knee issue. The team will officially place him on the shelf due to a bone bruise in his left knee. His timetable to return is unclear at the moment. The A's will likely wait the 10 days and see how he progresses before making any further decisions. In a corresponding move, infielder Jacob Wilson (shoulder) was reinstated from the Injured List. Shea Langeliers, Jonah Heim, and Carlos Cortes are all candidates to see time at designated hitter while Rooker is down.

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello has officially named right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian as the team's closer, according to Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News. Right-hander Ryan Walker, who was recalled from the minors on Friday, will be in a "fireman" role. The 29-year-old Kilian and Keaton Winn have been involved in a closer-by-committee situation, but Vitello has made it clear that Kilian will be his preferred choice in the ninth inning now that Walker is back in the fold. In his first year in the Bay Area, Kilian has recorded a 3.34 ERA (4.75 FIP), 1.18 WHIP, his first four career saves, 32 strikeouts, and 15 walks in 29 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Since blowing the save on May 29 against the Colorado Rockies, Kilian has tightened things up, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings with three hits allowed, three walks, five strikeouts, one win, and one save for the Gigantes. Fantasy managers desperate for saves should consider picking Kilian up, but just know that his leash will probably be very short. Kilian is rostered in fewer than 10% of Yahoo leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (knee) is feeling "fine-ish," according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. Ohtani had imaging on his injured knee on Friday, which showed no structural damage. Roberts said that he expects Ohtani back as the designated hitter this weekend in the series against the Chicago White Sox and to make his next pitching start as scheduled on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Dodgers pulled the 31-year-old four-time MVP as a precaution with left-knee inflammation in Thursday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Roberts thought that Ohtani would be active for Friday's series opener in Chicago, but the team decided to give him an extra day of rest. All indications are that Ohtani will be fine, so hopefully, fantasy managers can plug him back into their starting lineups on Saturday. The Japanese superstar remains a must-start in fantasy as both a hitter and a pitcher. Ohtani is slashing .305/.421/.543 with a .964 OPS, 13 homers, 40 RBI, 48 runs, and six stolen bases. As a pitcher, he's in the mix in the National League Cy Young picture with a 6-2 record, 1.06 ERA (2.67 FIP), 0.84 WHIP, and 73:21 K:BB in 11 starts (67 2/3 innings).

Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy (illness) is still under the weather and is sitting out of the lineup for Friday's series opener in Las Vegas against the hosting Athletics, according to MLB.com. Troy Johnston is getting another start in right field and will hit fifth for the Rockies against rookie left-hander Gage Jump. McCarthy remains day-to-day with an illness and is missing his third straight game. Hopefully, he'll be feeling good enough to return to the starting nine for Game 2 of the series in Vegas on Saturday against the A's. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has played well this year in his first season with the Rockies, slashing .282/.326/.448 with a .775 OPS, four home runs, 27 RBI, 22 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases in his 174 at-bats. McCarthy doesn't have much pop (even at Coors Field), but his speed on the base paths makes him useful as outfield depth in deeper leagues, especially while both Mickey Moniak (ankle) and Brenton Doyle (oblique) are on the injured list. He has gone 9-for-32 (.281) with a homer, three doubles, three RBI, four runs, and a steal in seven games so far in June.

San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (lower body) is starting at shortstop and will bat sixth on Friday against the Chicago Cubs and right-hander Javier Assad, according to MLB.com. Adames ended up missing just one game with a lower-body injury, but he is back in action for the series opener against Chicago after a scheduled day off on Thursday. The 30-year-old Dominican has been streaky this year and is batting only .234 (63-for-269) in 67 games with 11 home runs, 29 RBI, 34 runs scored, and one stolen base. Adames is still useful for his power at the shortstop position, and he has three home runs in nine games in June, but he's also hitting just .176 (6-for-34) during the month with a double, six RBI, six runs scored, five walks, and 12 strikeouts in 39 plate appearances. He has faced Assad just six times in his MLB career and is batting .167 against him with a .542 OPS, no home runs, and no RBI.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said on Friday that he expects shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) to play in games for the New York Mets "this month," according to Chelsea Janes of SNY. Lindor played two simulated innings on Friday and faced a minor-league pitcher. Manager Carlos Mendoza said that Lindor will repeat that multiple times next week, which could lessen the need for a minor-league rehab assignment. However, it probably won't eliminate the need for a rehab assignment entirely. The 32-year-old five-time All-Star has been out since straining his left calf on April 22, but he could be ready to rejoin the big-league roster in time for the Mets' next homestand, which begins on June 22. Lindor's return will allow New York to shift Bo Bichette back to third base, which will make regular playing time harder to come by for Brett Baty. Lindor got off to a rough start at the plate in his 93 at-bats before injuring his calf, hitting .226 with two homers, five RBI, 14 runs, and two stolen bases, but he belongs on fantasy rosters in all leagues with his expected return to come before the calendar flips to July.

The Detroit Tigers activated right-handed reliever Kenley Jansen (pelvis) from the 15-day injured list on Friday, the team announced. Jansen spent the minimum time on the IL with pelvic inflammation that sidelined him in late May. The veteran reliever only made one minor-league rehab appearance with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday and gave up three runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. The 38-year-old four-time All-Star has a longer leash than most closers because he has 483 saves in his 17-year MLB career. Jansen should return to primary save duties in Detroit now that he's healthy, but things could change quickly in Detroit if he continues to struggle late in games. He has already blown four saves and currently sports a 1-3 record, 4.80 ERA (5.84 FIP), and 1.20 WHIP with seven saves, 19 strikeouts, and nine walks in his 15 innings this year. Jansen is rostered in 68% of Yahoo leagues, so he could be available to be scooped up if you are searching for saves. If Jansen continues to stumble, both Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan are next up for save opportunities.

The St. Louis Cardinals optioned infielder Nolan Gorman to Triple-A Memphis on Friday, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals are changing things up in the infield. Gorman could probably use a reset offensively after slashing just .194/.279/.318 with a .598 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, and 19 runs scored through 62 games and 229 plate appearances so far in 2026 in his fifth year in the big leagues. In addition to hardly producing at all for the Red Birds, Gorman is striking out at a 32.3% clip and has just three hits in his last 50 at-bats with 27 strikeouts and five walks over a span of 17 games. Gorman will head down to the farm to work on his approach at the plate, but it might already be too late for him to reclaim a starting role in St. Louis for the rest of the season. In Yahoo leagues, Gorman is rostered in just 3% of formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (knee) is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the hosting Chicago White Sox, according to MLB.com. Santiago Espinal is serving as the DH and will bat eighth against White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay. The Dodgers pulled Ohtani from Thursday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates as a precaution due to inflammation in his left knee, but manager Dave Roberts said he was confident that the two-way superstar would be back in the lineup on the South Side of Chicago. Ohtani is considered day-to-day, and his injury isn't serious, so the four-time MVP could be right back in the starting nine for Game 2 of the series in Chicago on Saturday. After a slow start offensively, the 31-year-old left-handed slugger has been more productive with the weather warming up, and he's hitting .305/.421/.543 overall with a .964 OPS, 13 home runs, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, and six stolen bases in his 243 at-bats in 2026. Check back on Saturday to see if Ohtani is back in action for the Dodgers.

The Philadelphia Phillies are calling up outfield prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. to the majors on Friday, according to Milb Central. Rincones gets the nod to the majors with Adolis Garcia (lat) going on the 60-day injured list due to a torn lat muscle. The 25-year-old former third-rounder in 2022 out of Florida Atlantic University was hitting just .215/.344/.291 with a .635 OPS, one homer, nine RBI, 14 runs scored, four stolen bases, 16 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 22 games at Single-A Clearwater, High-A Jersey Shore, and Triple-A Lehigh Valley before his call-up. He got a late start to the 2026 season due to a knee injury. Rincones hit .240/.370/.430 with 18 long balls and 21 stolen bases at Lehigh Valley last year, and he's considered the Phillies' No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. With Garcia out at least two months with a torn lat, Rincones absolutely could see plenty of playing time in Philly's outfield going forward. He is making the start in right field on Friday and is batting seventh in his MLB debut in Milwaukee against the Brewers in a tough matchup against flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has enough raw power from the left side of the plate to attract interest from those in deep-mixed leagues.

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that they reinstated infielder/outfielder Jordan Lawlar (wrist) from the 60-day injured list and designated catcher Aramis Garcia for assignment in a corresponding move. Lawlar is starting in center field and will bat seventh in his return in Friday's series opener in Cincinnati against the Reds and left-hander Nick Lodolo. The 23-year-old former top prospect has been out since fracturing his wrist back in early April. Before getting hurt, the former sixth overall pick in 2021 went 6-for-18 at the plate with a homer, two RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base for the Snakes. Lawlar has yet to break through at the MLB level in Arizona since debuting in 2023, slashing .191/.266/.287 with a .533 OPS, one homer, seven RBI, 14 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 48 games and 128 plate appearances. He could very well be a post-hype breakout prospect the rest of 2026 if he can stay healthy, and he's rostered in under 10% of Yahoo leagues.

The St. Louis Cardinals are promoting infield prospect Blaze Jordan to the MLB roster ahead of Friday's contest against the Minnesota Twins. Jordan is currently ranked as the team's No. 25-ranked prospect on MLB.com, but he has been among the top hitters at the Triple-A level this season. Through 57 contests at Triple-A, the first/third baseman has posted an impressive .313/.373/.548 line with a stellar .921 OPS. During this stretch, Jordan has hit 19 doubles and launched 11 long balls while swiping two bags. This is worth noting as Jordan stumbled during his first stint with Memphis last summer, posting a low .198/.242/.366 line over a 41-game stint. Given that Nolan Gorman has struggled at the plate this season and was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move, Jordan has a clear path to carve out an everyday role at the hot corner. For now, he is worth picking up all 12+ team leagues ahead of his MLB debut.

The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that they reinstated right-hander Hurston Waldrep (elbow) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Waldrep isn't ready to rejoin the major-league roster after rehabbing from elbow surgery in the offseason. The 24-year-old former first-rounder in 2023 out of the University of Florida allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings in his third minor-league rehab start with Double-A Columbus. Waldrep should be an option for the Braves' starting rotation sooner rather than later in 2026 after he went 6-1 with a 2.88 ERA (3.21 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 55 strikeouts and 22 walks in 56 1/3 innings pitched across 10 appearances (nine starts) last year before being shut down with his elbow injury. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should be considering whether to stash Waldrep right now as a potential difference-maker in the second half of the season. Right now, he's rostered in only 5% of Yahoo leagues.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Friday that they placed outfielder Adolis Garcia (lat) on the 60-day injured list with a torn right lat, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Garcia tore his lat trying to throw George Springer out at home plate on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, and now he'll miss extended time. At the very least, Garcia will be out for two months while on the 60-day IL, and if he undergoes surgery, it wouldn't be surprising if we don't see him again in 2026. Gabriel Rincones and the newly acquired Derek Hill will report to Philly's big-league roster with Garcia injured. In addition to his injury, the 33-year-old Garcia has been a major disappointment in 2026 in his first year with the Phillies, hitting just .195 (45-for-231) with seven home runs, 21 RBI, 21 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 67 games across 259 plate appearances. In most single-year leagues, the two-time All-Star can be dropped to the waiver wire.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is 90% healed from his hamstring injury, manager Terry Francona told Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati. Francona plans to meet with everyone on Sunday to make a decision on how to proceed. The Reds have yet to decide if De La Cruz will need a minor-league rehab start before being reinstated from the 10-day injured list. The 24-year-old Dominican could be back with the Reds' major-league roster early next week if the coaching staff doesn't feel like he needs to go on a rehab assignment. Before injuring his hamstring, the two-time All-Star was slashing .280/.346/.509 with an .855 OPS, 12 home runs, 37 RBI, 40 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases in 232 at-bats in 2026. With De La Cruz sidelined for all of June to this point, the Reds have moved second baseman Matt McLain over to the 6. There is no way that De La Cruz, a switch-hitting, five-contributor, should be available on the waiver wire in any leagues.