MLB Player News

Rivas went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

Rivas has impressed while starting three of Seattle's last four games, going 6-for-12 in that span. The 27-year-old switch-hitter has primarily started against left-handed pitching, though he's making a case for a more prominent role in the Mariners' lineup. Rivas appeared in 43 games last season, slashing .233/.333/.274 with 10 runs scored, eight RBI and three steals.

Burke is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Tyler Gilbert in Friday's game against the Athletics in Sacramento, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox's Opening Day starter began the season on a high note, holding the Angels scoreless over six innings en route to a win. Things have gone south for the young right-hander ever since, with Burke going 0-3 with an 8.62 ERA, 1.91 WHIP and 12:9 K:BB in 15.2 innings over his subsequent four outings. White Sox manager Will Venable will deploy Burke behind an opener in the hopes that the arrangement yields better results, and working in relief should give Burke a better chance of securing a win than if he were to be used as a traditional starter.

Witt went 2-for-8 with a double, three runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's doubleheader sweep of the Rockies.

Witt's hit streak is now up to 16 games -- he's gone 20-for-58 (.345) with a .938 OPS in that span. The star shortstop has boosted his slash line to .303/.377/.465 with two homers, 10 RBI, 18 runs scored and eight stolen bases through his first 114 plate appearances this year.

Heim went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics.

Heim hit one of three Texas solo home runs in the fourth inning. It was the fourth homer of the season for the backstop, who has scuffled of late with a .167 batting average (4-for-24) over the last eight contests.

Smith started at shortstop and went 0-for-4 with a walk in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics.

Smith filled in for the injured Corey Seager (hamstring) and is expected to handle the strong side of a platoon at short in his absence. Nick Ahmed, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock earlier this week, started Wednesday against a lefty. Smith has also hit leadoff the last two times Texas has faced a right-handed pitcher.

Taveras started in center field and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics.

Taveras, who had been held out of the starting nine the previous three games, returned to action and belted his first homer of the season. The blast pushed his batting average up to .200 (13-for-65) with a 1:19 BB:K, which partially explains why Kevin Pillar, Josh Smith and Dustin Harris started in center field the previous three contests. The switch-hitting Taveras typically sits against lefties, but the Rangers faces righties in two of those three games. Smith is now needed at shortstop to cover for Corey Seager (hamstring), so Taveras' outlook for playing time could improve even if his struggles at the plate continue.

Morel went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional RBI in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks.

The slugging left fielder hit just two homers in his first 21 games of the season, but he's now smashed a big fly in each of his past two outings. Morel has quietly been effective over his last 15 contests, during which he's hitting a healthy .264 with three round trippers, nine RBI, nine runs scored and two stolen bases across 53 at-bats. Although he likely won't hit for a high average, Morel should continue to be a decent source of power and speed for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Fairbanks earned the save in Thursday's 7-4 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks after allowing one walk in a scoreless 10th inning. He struck out one.

It didn't appear initially that Fairbanks would be in action Thursday, but the Rays scored a run in the ninth inning to force extras and plated three more in the 10th to create a save opportunity for the closer. Even though the hard-throwing right-hander has a concerning 1.50 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB over 9.1 innings, he's converted each of his first four save chances and has a 2.89 ERA. Fairbanks' control issues could eventually come back to haunt him, but he has some decent stability as Tampa Bay's No. 1 option for saves coming off back-to-back 20-save campaigns.

Rasmussen allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings Thursday against Arizona. He didn't factor into the decision.

Although Rasmussen did yield a season-high four runs and five hits, he still pitched at least five innings in his fifth straight start to open the campaign. The right-hander also gave up his first homer, a leadoff solo shot in the fifth frame to Tim Tawa, but it's been a steady beginning to the season overall. Rasmussen will be looking to reach the 90-pitch marker for the first time this year in his next start, which is poised to come versus the Royals at home. He boasts a 2.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 27:6 K:BB over 25.2 innings.

Jung went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics.

Jung snapped a 10-game homer drought with a fourth-inning shot off Athletics right-hander J.T. Ginn. While Jung posted four multi-hit efforts in his first six outings of the year, he's cooled off considerably since then. The third baseman is hitting just .128 (5-for-39) with two doubles and two runs scored across his last 10 contests, but Jung should still see plenty of RBI opportunities as long as he's functioning from the heart of Texas' lineup.