MLB Player News

Stewart went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's win over the Dodgers.

The 30-year-old drove a 96.3 mph fastball from Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep to right field in the second inning to open the scoring with a solo shot, then chipped in runs later in the contest with a sacrifice fly and a single. Stewart has hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .368 (7-for-19) over that stretch with all three of his homers and all 10 of his RBI on the season. J.D. Martinez (back) will eventually join the roster as the full-time DH, but Stewart is doing what he can to prove he should remain in a prominent role once that happens.

Marte went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Friday's win over the Dodgers.

The veteran outfielder has caught fire the last couple weeks. Over the last 12 games, Marte is slashing .315/.362/.463 with two homers, four steals, seven RBI and 11 runs, and he seems to be entrenched once again as the Mets' No. 2 hitter. After a down 2023 due to lingering health issues, the 35-year-old appears primed for a bounce-back campaign.

Narvaez went 0-for-4 after replacing Francisco Alvarez (thumb) in the second inning of Friday's win over the Dodgers.

Alvarez was headed for an MRI after the game, but per Tim Healey of Newsday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is "pretty concerned" about the severity of the injury. As the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, Narvaez figures to see a big spike in his playing time should Alvarez land on the IL, but that may not result in much additional fantasy value -- since 2022, the 32-year-old sports a .208/.288/.300 slash line in 467 plate appearances with only six homers. Tomas Nido, who was in camp this spring as a non-roster invitee, is batting .345 (10-for-29) for Triple-A Syracuse and would likely be promoted to take Alvarez's spot, but his career numbers in the majors aren't any better than Narvaez's performance the last few years.

Garrett (3-0) was credited with a blown save and a win Friday, allowing two unearned runs on one hit in the sixth inning against the Dodgers. He struck out one.

Two errors in the inning by Joey Wendle, plus a hit-by-pitch from Garrett, contributed to the Mets coughing up a 4-2 lead, but they reclaimed it for good in the top of the seventh. The 31-year-old right-hander has been outstanding in a long-relief role to begin the season, and his 0.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP are supported by a dazzling 18:3 K:BB through 9.2 innings over five appearances. It's tough to project him for many more wins given his usage, but if Garrett keeps racking up strikeouts with strong ratios, he'll still have fantasy value in deeper formats.

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Cubs.

Getting the start at DH and batting second, the 27-year-old took Jameson Taillon deep in the fourth inning for the Marlins' first run of the night. Unfortunately, they were already in a 7-0 hole at that point. De La Cruz has a seven-game hitting streak going, a stretch in which he's gone 10-for-29 (.345) with three of his four doubles on the season, three of his four homers and 10 of his 11 RBI. The power surge has boosted his slash line to .286/.294/.476 through 85 plate appearances.

Meyer will pitch once a week for Triple-A Jacksonville and will be limited to three-inning outings as the Marlins target a potential return to the big-league rotation in the second half, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander appears more than ready to handle big-league hitters after posting a 2.12 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB through three starts and 17 innings for the Marlins to begin the season, but Meyer didn't pitch at all in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and tossed only 67 innings in 2022 across all levels. As a result, his 2024 workload was always going to be carefully monitored by the organization. Manager Skip Schumaker indicated this week that the club has no set date in mind yet for Meyer's return from Triple-A, but it could depend on the health and the performance of the team's other rotation options as much as Meyer's own numbers for Jacksonville.

Garrett (shoulder) played catch from 90 feet Friday, Isaac Azout of SBNation.com reports.

If he has no issues with his arm following the throwing session, Garrett will likely get a bullpen session in before Miami considers a date for his 2024 debut. The 26-year-old left-hander, who missed most of spring training with a sore shoulder, is now dealing with a dead arm phase after tossing 86 pitches for Triple-A Jacksonville last Friday in what appeared to be his final rehab start. There's still a chance he could join the Marlins' rotation before the end of the month.

Little will serve as the 27th man for the Cubs' doubleheader against the Marlins on Saturday, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Little was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, but he's back with the Cubs to provide some pitching depth for their doubleheader Saturday. He has appeared in seven games in the majors this season, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB over 6.2 innings.

Strider suggested Friday that he could be back on a mound early next season after doctors found that his ligament was in "surprisingly good" shape during surgery, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander indicated that the internal bracing procedure he underwent last week ended up being necessary because of a loose bone fragment in his elbow that had developed over the last couple years. "That's what destabilized the ligament," Strider said. Atlanta will likely be cautious with its ace's recovery, but the fact that he avoided Tommy John surgery and the relatively positive news about the state of his ligament are strong signs that he could still have significant fantasy value in 2025.

The Padres plan to recall Vasquez from Triple-A El Paso to start Saturday's game against the Blue Jays in San Diego.

Acquired from the Yankees over the offseason, Vasquez failed to make the Padres' Opening Day roster but will get a chance to make his San Diego debut this weekend. He'll be joining the rotation as a replacement for Yu Darvish (neck), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. Through three starts at El Paso in 2024, Vasquez has pitched to a 7.94 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB in 11.1 innings.