MLB Player News

Duran came off the bench to slingshot the American League ahead with a tape-measure 413-foot moonshot to right field off Reds ace Hunter Greene in the fifth inning, which was enough for him to earn him MVP Award honors. The 27-year-old outfielder’s metamorphosis into an upper-echelon fantasy contributor, tallying 47 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, and 22 stolen bases through 95 games, has been a big reason why the Red Sox find themselves in the playoff race coming out of the All-Star break.

After the Red Sox traded Chris Sale to get Grissom this offseason, the 23-year-old has only played in 23 games. He began the year on the IL with a hamstring injury and then was sidelined a month later when they resurfaced. According to McCaffrey, “The Red Sox have tried to balance out the strength in each hamstring to ensure he can stay on the field.” With David Hamilton playing well, the Red Sox likely won’t rush Grissom back, but his eventual return could complicate playing time in the middle infield.

McCaffrey mentioned that “Casas had started taking soft toss and could progress within the next week to hitting in the cage with no setbacks.” If Casas were able to continue with that progression without experiencing any pain, “that could mean a rehab assignment by the end of July.” At this rate, fantasy managers could get six or more weeks of production from Casas before the end of the season.

McCaffrey highlights that “Eovaldi wanted to return to Boston before he signed with Texas last year,” so he would likely be open to returning to the Red Sox. Boston is in the market for one starting pitcher to round out their rotation, so this is a story to monitor in the coming weeks.

Nick Pivetta will start on Friday, Brayan Bello will start on Saturday and then Kutter Crawford will start on Sunday. Each can perform well against the Dodgers without a fully healthy lineup, but there is significant risk, especially with Bello.

Tucker’s injury is still being referred to as a “right shin contusion” or a “bone bruise” but Tucker admits that he “can’t do everything normally right now.” If Tucker doesn’t begin a minor-league rehab assignment within the next week, it would make it unlikely that he can return before August. The other factor to keep in mind is that, if the pain persists, Tucker might have to manage the injury when he returns which could limit how much he runs or even his comfort in the batter’s box.

Boyd signed a minor league contract with the Guardians back in late June as he entered the final stages of his rehabilitation from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The 33-year-old southpaw figures to be an option for Cleveland as a versatile multi-inning relief weapon at some point in August.

Ruiz has been out since late May recovering from a left wrist strain. The 25-year-old speedster has underwhelmed this season to an alarming degree on the heels of last year’s 67-steal rookie season. There isn’t much of a roadblock to at-bats at the highest level, but the Athletics have been hesitant to give him an extended opportunity this season, even when he’s been healthy.

Caratini kicked off a minor league rehab assignment earlier this week down in Florida and figures to be ready to return to Houston’s backup catcher role after the All-Star break. The 30-year-old backstop has been out since late June recovering from a left hip flexor strain.

Toro has been out since late June recovering from a right hamstring strain and figures to be ready to return to Oakland’s infield rotation right after the All-Star break, barring any setbacks.

Graterol has made a pair of rehab appearances over the last week as he begins to ramp up towards a late-season return to the Dodgers’ bullpen mix. The hard-throwing 25-year-old reliever has been on the shelf since spring training due to right shoulder inflammation.