MLB Player News

Watson, who was promoted to Double-A Binghamton on Aug. 25, has a 2.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 128:56 K:BB in 111.2 innings across three levels of the minors this season.

A seventh-round selection out of USC in 2024, Watson spent the bulk of the year dominating for High-A Brooklyn (1.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 18.9 K-BB%) before getting the late-season promotion to Double-A. He has given up seven earned runs on 11 hits and seven walks while striking out eight in 8.2 innings across his first two appearances at Double-A. Watson's velocity has jumped in pro ball, with his fastball now sitting 93-95 mph (touches 97 mph) and playing up due to the ride he gets out of a lower arm slot. His changeup is his best secondary offering while his slider is a fine third pitch. He worked as a reliever at times in college and it's still unclear if he'll throw enough strikes to make it as a starter in the big leagues, but Watson's run at High-A should buy him more developmental time in the rotation.

With Daniel Palencia (shoulder) landing on the injured list Monday, Kittredge is an option to see more high-leverage work at the end of games, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Sharma notes that Chicago manager Craig Counsell is likely to deploy a committee approach to the ninth inning with Palencia out, rather than settle on a single closer. Kittredge is in that mix, though fellow righty Brad Keller might be a bit ahead of him in the bullpen pecking order and is probably the favorite for saves at the moment. The Cubs also have Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz as options from the left side. Kittredge probably will get a bump in fantasy value with Palencia out, but it remains to be seen exactly what the former's role will be.

Sullivan is slashing .198/.378/.286 with two home runs and six steals in 26 games for Double-A Corpus Christi.

The lefty-hitting Sullivan was promoted from High-A Asheville to Double-A on July 16 after slashing .233/.411/.462 with 15 home runs and 34 steals in 75 games for the Tourists. Given that he's already 23 and Asheville is a notoriously hitter-friendly park, Sullivan's run at Double-A is more representative of his current offensive abilities. He is overly passive (swing rate below 35 percent at High-A and Double-A) but does an OK job making contact when he does swing. Sullivan's groundball rate spiked from 41.5 percent at High-A to 53.4 percent after the promotion, which helps explain his dip in power and adds another concerning element to the profile. If it all works out, Sullivan could start in center field and lead off against righties while contributing 20-plus steals.

Ramirez is hitting .278 with eight home runs, 28 steals and a 15.2 percent strikeout rate in 127 games for Double-A Knoxville.

The switch-hitting infielder has split the year between second and third base for the Smokies, and while he hasn't hit for much power (.108 ISO, .386 SLG), Ramirez has still been 17 percent better than the average Southern League hitter while being the fifth-youngest qualified hitter in the league. He cut his groundball rate from 53.8 percent at High-A last year to 48.9 percent this year at Double-A, but that rate is still too high if Ramirez is to get the most out of his raw power. Ramirez may begin his big-league career as a reserve infielder, but his speed and contact skill make him worth tracking in dynasty leagues.

Montgomery was placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday with a small fracture in his right foot, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Montgomery will not make it back before the end of the Barons' regular or postseason, but he is expected to play in the Arizona Fall League. One of the key pieces acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade, Montgomery finishes his first pro season with a .270/.360/.444 batting line, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases over 121 games covering three levels in the minors.

Davalillo has a 2.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 51:17 K:BB in 50.2 innings across 11 appearances for Double-A Frisco.

The 6-foot-1 Venezuelan righty gets better marks for his control and pitchability than his overall stuff, but he does boast a plus splitter to go with several other average-or-better offerings. After leading the minors with a 1.88 ERA in 2024, Davalillo logged a 2.12 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 28.5 K-BB% in 51 innings for High-A Hub City before getting promoted to Double-A on June 20. He eclipsed 100 innings for the second year in a row and will likely be added to the Rangers' 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Koss went 2-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored and a double in Monday's 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Koss did most of his damage in the sixth inning, hitting a two-run double to right field before coming around to score. The 27-year-old infielder drew the start at second base after going four consecutive games without a plate appearance, delivering his 10th multi-hit performance of the season. He's slashing .258/.299/.361 with 20 RBI, 19 runs scored, three home runs and three stolen bases across 170 plate appearances in 67 games during the 2025 campaign.

Betts went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Monday's 3-1 win against Colorado.

Betts didn't reach base in any of his first three plate appearances but came up big when most needed. The talented shortstop laced a single to center field with two outs in the seventh inning to plate two runs and break a 1-1 tie. Betts probably doesn't have enough time left in the regular season to avoid finishing with a career-worst OPS -- he's at .712 through Monday, far below the .803 mark he posted with Boston in 2017. With that said, Betts has been hitting well for over a month. Across his past 30 contests, he has a .328/.391/.504 slash line with five home runs, 19 RBI, 21 runs and a 12:8 BB:K.

Watson is slashing .248/.352/.467 with five home runs, eight steals, a 12 percent walk rate and a 25.6 percent strikeout rate in 32 games for Triple-A Columbus.

The former shortstop has seen at least six starts in all three outfield spots since getting promoted from Double-A Akron to Triple-A on July 22, with center field and left field being his top two positions. The lefty-hitting Watson has a fair amount of swing-and-miss in his game, as evidenced by his 17.4 percent swinging strike rate and 64.3 percent contact rate at Triple-A. He has a chance to be a power/speed fantasy outfielder who has a shorter prime and sits against most lefties. Cleveland will need to add Watson, who turns 23 in April, to the 40-man roster this offseason if it wishes to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Encarnacion (hamstring) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, going 0-for-4 as the designated hitter in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to Las Vegas.

Encarnacion was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 8 (retroactive to Aug. 7) due to a strained right hamstring, though he is seemingly nearing a return to the big leagues. The 27-year-old has appeared in two rehab games with Sacramento this month, batting 0-for-7 over that span. He has dealt with multiple injuries this season -- including a strained left oblique and a fractured left hand -- appearing in just 10 big-league outings. During that span, Encarnacion has recorded a .167/.167/.400 slash line with two home runs, a double and a stolen base across 30 plate appearances. He's expected to return to the majors before the end of the regular season.