MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-3 with a double Tuesday against the Brewers.

Smith's playing time has fluctuated lately as he sat two games over Houston's weekend series against the White Sox. However, he's re-entered the lineup for two consecutive matchups to begin the team's new series against Milwaukee and delivered only his second double of the season Tuesday. While Smith hasn't been particularly useful for fantasy purposes, he has helped offset a 30.2 percent strikeout rate with a 9.4 percent walk rate and .153 ISO across 96 plate appearances.

Smith started at first base and went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Red Sox.

Smith started in center field Sunday and appeared to be line for regular duty there after the Rangers placed Leody Taveras on outright waivers. Since then, the team called up Evan Carter, who will get playing time in center. The Rangers want to get Smith's bat into the lineup, and first base seems like a good spot. Tuesday's start at first base was his third start there this season and first since the club sent Jake Burger to the minors last week. Blaine Crim may start against left-handers while Smith starts against righties. Smith is rolling right now, going 12-for-26 (.462) with a triple, a home run, five RBI, three walks, one steal and four runs scored over his last seven contests, the last four while batting atop the order.

Carter started in center field and went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Tuesday's 6-1 win over Boston.

Carter was called up from Triple-A Round Rock earlier in the day and made his season debut for the Rangers. Two days earlier, Texas placed its primary center fielder for much of the season, Leody Taveras, on outright waivers, opening up a role for the lefty-hitting Carter. He has an opportunity to take hold of the strong side of a platoon in center. Taveras was eventually claimed by the Mariners and is out of the organization. Carter had one hit in three at-bats against left-handers Tuesday and could become an everyday player if he shows improvement against southpaws (.263 career OPS).

Bibee (legs) is listed as the Guardians' probable starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Phillies in Cleveland.

Bibee dealt with cramping in both of his legs during his most recent start Sunday at Toronto, but after receiving treatment, the right-hander won't have to miss a turn through the rotation. After being named the Guardians' Opening Day starter coming out of spring training, Bibee has disappointed through his first seven outings of the season, going 3-2 with a 4.26 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 7.5 K-BB% in 38 innings. The 7.5 K-BB% represents a drop of nearly 13 percentage points from his 2024 mark.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Morton will start Wednesday's game against the Twins in Minnesota, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Morton was demoted to the bullpen last week after getting roughed up over his first five starts and two bulk-relief appearances of the season, but the Orioles never called up a pitcher from the minors to replace him in the rotation. With the Orioles needing to add a fifth starter back to the mix Wednesday, Morton will get the nod, but he's expected to shift back to a relief role immediately after the game. Zach Eflin (lat) appears on track to return from the injured list by the time the Orioles would next require a fifth starter May 17.

Schneemann entered Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader as a pinch hitter and went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 9-1 win over the Nationals.

Schneemann pinch hit for third baseman Will Wilson and stayed in the game at second base. The home run was the third in the last four games and fifth overall for Schneemann, who has raked since mid-April. After opening the season with one hit in his first 19 at-bats, he's followed up by slashing .383/.442/.745 with nine extra-base hits, 10 RBI, five walks and 10 runs scored over 53 plate appearances. The 28-year-old has moved around the diamond, mostly playing second base but also getting time at third base, left field and center field.

Cecconi (oblique) allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over four innings for Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

Cecconi made his second rehab start for the Clippers, upping his pitch count to 61 (43 strikes). The injury cropped up during the middle of March, and the right-hander has been working his way back since then. He'll need at least one more rehab start before the Guardians consider Cecconi's next step.

The Yankees haven't ruled out Stanton (elbows) being activated from the 60-day injured list when he's first eligible in late May, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton began taking batting practice in late April after previously being limited to hitting off a machine. The veteran slugger missed all of spring training due to a severe case of tendinitis in both elbows, so it's likely he'll need to get in some minor-league rehab appearances before he's ready to join the big club. That said, Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted Tuesday that Stanton's rehab will be different than the norm since he doesn't need to get ready to play the field. When Stanton is able to make his 2025 debut with the Yankees, he'll likely take over as the team's primary designated hitter, though that would create an interesting situation with Ben Rice, who has thrived in that role so far this season.

Soderstrom went 3-for-5 with a double in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Soderstrom has opened May going 8-for-25 (.320) over six games. It's been mostly an empty average so far this month -- he's added one RBI, one stolen base and three runs scored, and his double Tuesday was his first extra-base hit of the month. Overall, Soderstrom is at a .291/.353/.525 slash line with nine home runs, 25 RBI, 23 runs scored, two stolen bases and six doubles over 37 contests. He's already matched or surpassed many of his totals from 61 games in 2024, so this could end up being a breakout year for the 23-year-old.

Rooker went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, one RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Rooker has racked up five multi-hit efforts over his last 10 games, going 12-for-39 (.308) in that span. He's not known for his speed, so it was surprising to see him log a pair of steals in this contest, which were his first two thefts of the season. The three-hit effort boosted his batting average to .255, and he's added an .820 OPS, nine home runs, 19 RBI, 25 runs scored, seven doubles and a triple over 37 contests. Rooker has topped the 30-homer mark in each of the last two years and is on pace to do it again in 2025.