MLB Player News

Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo said Tuesday on 96.5 The Fan that he's hopeful Estevez (foot) will be ready to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha within the next five days.

Working his way back from a left foot contusion, Estevez resumed throwing off a mound last week, and it appears he could be ready to pitch in rehab games before the end of this week. The Royals want Estevez to be healthy but also to rediscover some lost velocity, so the reliever might stay on a rehab assignment until he gets into a groove. Lucas Erceg has gone 5-for-5 in save chances for the Royals and could keep the closer job even after Estevez returns.

Woods Richardson (illness) is listed as the Twins' probable starter for Wednesday's game versus the Red Sox at Target Field.

Prior to his most recent start Friday in Toronto, Woods Richardson was feeling ill but fought through the ailment and took a loss while yielding five earned runs on six hits and one walk over four innings. The Twins never indicated that Woods Richardson was at risk of missing his next start, and he'll presumably be in better physical condition when he takes the hill for the fourth time this season Wednesday.

Ewing is hitting .385 with zero home runs, four steals and a 5:8 K:BB in seven games for Double-A Binghamton.

The speedy center fielder logged a 133 wRC+ in 28 games at Double-A to close 2025, and he's got a 197 wRC+ early on in a return trip to the Eastern League. While Ewing's defense in center field continues to improve, he has seen two starts at second base this year, so he hasn't completely moved off the dirt. Ewing doesn't have the same slap-hitter tendencies as many speedsters, as he had a 40.3 percent groundball rate and 40.8 percent pull rate in 2025, but his groundball rate has spiked to 57.1 percent in the early going this year.

Triple-A Memphis reinstated Hansen (shoulder) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Hansen is likely to make his 2026 debut with Memphis later this week after making a four-inning start Sunday in his second and final rehab outing at Single-A Palm Beach. The 25-year-old lefty pitched exclusively at the Double-A level with Springfield in 2025, logging a 3.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 123:37 K:BB over 137.1 innings.

McDougal has a 2.40 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB in 15 innings through three starts for Triple-A Charlotte.

The 23-year-old McDougal is making his Triple-A debut this year, and after walking four batters in each of his first two starts, he struck out eight while walking just one over six innings in his most recent start against Memphis. The hard-throwing righty could get the call to the majors in the coming weeks if he keeps the walks in check.

The Brewers selected Jones' contract from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old outfielder joined Milwaukee on a minor-league contract in December and failed to make the Opening Day roster, but he'll get a look in the big leagues early in the season with Christian Yelich (groin) landing on the injured list. Jones isn't likely to see significant playing time, though a path is there if he can make a strong early impression with Jackson Chourio (hand) also on the IL.

The Brewers transferred Zastryzny (shoulder/ribs) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Greg Jones. Zastryzny began the season on the IL with a shoulder strain before suffering an intercostal strain on his rehab assignment. The latter injury would appear to be the bigger issue now, and it will keep him out at least until late May.

Smith has a 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB in nine innings for Triple-A Charlotte.

Noah Schultz already earned a promotion from Triple-A, but the White Sox still have Smith and Tanner McDougal making waves in the Knights' rotation, so the pipeline of impact arms to the big-league rotation should continue in the coming weeks. Despite his success, Smith has thrown just three innings in each Triple-A start, so he would presumably start to ramp up to five-plus innings before earning the call to the show.

The Brewers placed Yelich on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left groin strain, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers initially called Yelich's injury hamstring tightness when he was lifted from Sunday's game versus the Nationals. The designation has changed, but regardless, it's an injury that will keep Yelich out at least until late April and perhaps longer. While Yelich is sidelined, the Brewers could use Gary Sanchez often in the designated-hitter spot.

Eldridge is hitting .360 with one home run, a 15.9 percent walk rate and a 30.2 percent strikeout rate in 13 games for Triple-A Sacramento.

The Giants are last in the majors in home runs hit (eight) and have scored the second-fewest runs per game (3.19) in MLB, per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, so Eldridge, who hit 25 homers in 102 minor-league games last year, fills a clear need. They will need to keep Eldridge at Triple-A until early May if they want to gain a seventh year of club control, as he spent the final two weeks of last season in the big leagues as the youngest hitter in the majors. Like many young sluggers, Eldridge will run higher strikeout rates for the foreseeable future, but he's well ahead of schedule and should eventually settle in as a four-category force, especially in OBP leagues.