Weather Issues
There is a flash flood watch in effect in Baltimore which makes the Rays/Orioles game risky. The Royals/Yankees game may face some weather issues later in the game, so starting pitchers may be affected if there is an in game delay. Other games should be ok even if there are some late starts.
What’s Happening
The Minnesota Twins have traded Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jhoan Duran, Ernie De La Trinidad, and Gabriel Maciel. Escobar will be the primary third baseman in Arizona with Jake Lamb injured. The Twins will reportedly recall Miguel Sano from AAA after the move is official. All three prospects are in the lower levels of the minors and not considered among the top 15 from the Diamondbacks organization.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Mets have traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies for pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome . Asdrubal adds some infield depth and pop to the Phillies lineup and could threaten to take time away from Maikel Franco . Kilome is a former top pitching prospect for the Phillies that has lost some of his luster due to control issues and a lack of a third pitch. This is a nice trade for both teams that fills both of their needs.
The Cardinals released Greg Holland today. Holland signed a $14 million deal for one year at the beginning of the season, but never was able to capitalize on the opportunity. The Cardinals attempted to trade him, but no other teams were willing to bite on the 32-year-old reliever that has put up a 7.92 ERA and K/9. The Cardinals also designated Tyler Lyons and traded away Sam Tuivailala to the Mariners in a big bullpen shake up.
Austin Jackson signed with the New York Mets today. With Yoenis Céspedes and Jay Bruce on the shelf and José Bautista like to be traded, Jackson provides some much needed outfield depth for the Mets for the rest of the season. He doesn’t have much fantasy impact at this point.
The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly on the verge of singing Victor Victor Mesa. Mesa is largely considered the top prospect on the international market. He is 22, so he may be up sometime next season. He hit seven home runs and stole 40 bases with a .3554/.399/.539 in 290 plate appears in the Cuban leagues during the 16-17 season.
Quick Hits
The Cardinals called up RHP Dakota Hudson. Hudson is one of the Cardinals top pitching prospects and while he will start out of the pen initially, he should be in the rotation in the near future.
The MRI on Kris Bryant ’s shoulder showed no structural damage.
Both Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson will miss their second straight games today with nagging injuries.
José Altuve will miss today’s game with a sore knee.
X-Rays came back negative on Sonny Gray ’s injured thumb. He is not expected to miss his next start.
Player News
Braves optioned RHP Davis Daniel to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Daniel pitched a scoreless inning in his lone day in the majors. His demotion makes room for waiver claim Ian Anderson on the active roster.
Braves designated RHP Zach Thompson for assignment.
Thompson, a member of Triple-A Gwinnett’s roster, pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in two appearances for the Braves earlier this month. He’s getting taken off the 40-man to make room for Eddie Rosario.
Braves signed OF Eddie Rosario to a one-year contract.
He’s replacing Jarred Kelenic in the roster. There’s not really anything to lose here, even though Rosario struggled during his time with the Braves last season. The 33-year-old just hit .339/.406/.542 in 14 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City before the Dodgers gave him a brief callup and then outrighted him. Odds are that he’ll start against most righties for now, though he could find himself out of a job once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns.
Braves optioned OF Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Red Sox SS prospect Marcelo Mayer went 3-for-7 with a walk, six RBI, four runs scored, and a home run during a doubleheader for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.
The Red Sox’s second-ranked prospect is now hitting .280/.324/.548 with seven home runs, 34 RBI, 17 runs scored, and one steal in 23 games at Triple-A. He also had a great spring training and seems MLB-ready, but Trevor Story has been great for the Red Sox to start the season, and Kristian Campbell is the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner right now at second base, so there is no room in the middle infield for Mayer as it stands.
Jordan Lawlar went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two runs, and a steal for Triple-A Reno on Sunday.
It’s getting a bit silly at this point. Lawlar is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and is slashing .356/.451/.644 in 26 games with five home runs, 26 RBI, 29 runs scored, and 12 steals. He has started playing third base in Triple-A as well, which could create a full-time spot for him in Arizona with Eugenio Suarez moving to DH. Lawlar should be up relatively soon and deserves to be stashed in all league types.