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Daniel Schneemann is starting in left field and batting second for the Guardians on Wednesday against the Nationals.
Schneemann has emerged into a near full-time role for the Guardians of late, playing second base, center field, and now left field. He’s hitting .344 over his last 15 games with three home runs and eight RBI, which makes him worth scooping in deeper formats while he’s playing this regularly. Steven Kwan will DH on Wednesday with Kyle Manzardo getting the day off.
Alec Burleson is starting at DH and batting sixth for the Cardinals on Wednesday against the Pirates.
Burleson had moved into a part-time role earlier in the season with the Cardinals opting to play Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, and Brendan Donovan almost every day, especially against right-handed pitching. Over the last week, Gorman and Walker have both started to see a few more games on the bench with Burleson shifting back into an everyday role against right-handed pitching. The 26-year-old has gone 9-for-33 (.273) with two home runs and five RBI over his last nine games.
Nationals activated RHP Michael Soroka (biceps) from the 15-day injured list.
Soroka will rejoin the team in time to start Wednesday’s game against the Guardians. He’s worth a flyer in deeper formats, even as a bench stash, given how well he pitched in spring training.
Nationals optioned RHP Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester.
Salazar has allowed 17 runs on 28 hits in 15 2/3 innings for the Nationals out of the bullpen this season. He will head to the minors to make room for Michael Soroka on the active roster.
Eloy Jiménez went 3-for-5 with two RBI for Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.
After a slow start to the season, Jiménez has heated up of late, going 12-for-38 (.316) over his last 10 games with four extra base hits, one home run, and 12 RBI. That has also come with six strikeouts and three walks. There doesn’t appear to be any room for him in Tampa Bay, unless they want to play him in the outfield, but if he continues to hit like this, the Rays or some other MLB team will want to see if they can get him to produce at the big league level again.
Thairo Estrada (fractured wrist) has resumed swinging a bat with both hands.
Estrada, who fractured his wrist on March 21st when he was hit by a pitch, had been swinging a bat with one hand but progressed to full swings earlier this week. He will now continue to increase the velocity he’s facing and work himself back into game shape before beginning a rehab assignment. We could see him in the Rockies’ lineup by the middle of June.