MLB Player News

Casas went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

Casas launched his first homer of the season, and the second of back-to-back blasts in the second inning, contributing to Boston's early 4-0 lead. After a cool 1-for-15 start, Casas has hit safely in four straight, going 6-for-15 with two extra-base hits, three walks, two RBI and three runs scored.

Chafin recorded two outs in the ninth inning of Friday's 5-4 win over the A's, but he also walked two batters and was pulled for Alex Lange, who recorded the save.

Chafin was close to recording his first save of the season, but the Tigers opted for the righty vs. righty matchup of Lange against Zack Gelof to close things out with two runners on base. Detroit has a fluid bullpen at the moment, with Chafin, Lange, Jason Foley and Shelby Miller all in the back-end mix. That could limit the value of all the pitchers, though Chafin should still have the opportunity to record holds and possibly a few saves moving forward.

Reyes entered Friday's game in the fourth inning after Trevor Story left with a shoulder injury, finishing 0-for-2 with a walk.

Story's injury appears to be a significant one, and an MRI on Saturday should confirm the severity. It's unclear if Reyes, a journeyman infielder with his fourth team in six years, will be the solution at short if Story lands on the injured list. The Red Sox have options, including moving Ceddanne Rafaela from center to short, where he has 71 starts while in the minors. Vaughn Grissom (groin), who is on the injured list, has played shortstop in the the past. David Hamilton, who made his major-league debut in 2023, could be an option.

Vierling went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 win over the A's.

Vierling batted leadoff for the Tigers and managed his first home run of the season in the fourth inning. The utility player got the start with lefty JP Sears on the mound for Oakland, but he's still mostly a reserve option at this point, which limits his fantasy upside. That could change if Vierling is able to earn more regular playing time at some point, as he batted a respectable .261 with 10 home runs across 134 games in 2023.

Torkelson went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 5-4 win over the A's.

Torkelson has been struggling a bit, as he came into Friday's game batting just .185, but he managed to push that up to .226 with the two hits. The first baseman batted .203 and .233 in his first two MLB seasons, so his average may not climb much higher, but fantasy managers are expecting him to get going in the power department after he launched 31 home runs in 2023.

Foscue entered Friday's game in the eighth inning and went 0-for-1 in a 10-2 win over Houston.

Foscue made his MLB debut late in the blowout, taking over at second base. He was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to help fill the void created by Josh Jung's wrist injury. Foscue, who came up as a second baseman, can also play third and first base.

Smith started at third base and went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 10-2 win over the Astros.

Smith was back at third base after filling in at shortstop Wednesday, when Corey Seager served as the designated hitter. When not giving Seager a break at short, the lefty-hitting Smith is expected to start at third base against right-handers while Josh Jung (wrist) is sidelined for the next 6-to-8 weeks. Smith has hit safely in three straight games, going 4-for-10 with a walk, two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored.

Carter went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double in Friday's 10-2 win over Houston.

Carter ended a season-opening hitless streak with a second-inning double. He later singled in the fifth. The outfielder went 23 plate appearances before reaching base safely via a hit. He'd maintained relevancy, however, through a high on-base percentage thanks to his excellent plate discipline (six walks, five runs, a stolen base heading into Friday).

Crawford did not factor in the decision Friday against the Angels, allowing a run on two hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.

Crawford faced little pushback through four shutout frames before the Angels pushed a run across in the fifth and knocked him out of the contest. Despite the decent results, the 28-year-old forced just eight whiffs on 42 total swings. Through two starts, Crawford has posted a 12:4 K:BB while allowing one earned run over 10.2 frames. He's currently in line to face the Orioles at home next week.

Canning did not factor in the decision Friday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

Canning struggled early, yielding all four runs on three homers in the second frame. He faced trouble on several other occasions but managed to limit the damage otherwise. The 27-year-old has given up nine runs over 9.2 innings to go with a 6:4 K:BB. Canning's velocity was down across the board, including his fastball which averaged just 92.5 mph. He's currently lined up to face the Rays at home next week.