MLB Player News

The leave will extend through the All-Star break, and obviously his absence away from the club will be considerably higher — if not permanent — if he’s found to have violated the league’s policy. There should be considerably more details in the coming days, but don’t expect to see Ortiz on the mound soon.

Cantillo is a starter by trade but opened this season in the Guardians’ bullpen and posted a 3.81 ERA over 28 1/3 innings in 21 appearances. He was sent down to Triple-A Columbus to get stretched back out as a starter. He has started four games and posted a 3.86 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 15/4 K/BB. However, he has thrown just 11 2/3 innings and hasn’t made it out of the fourth inning in any of those. It seems like five innings might be the max we can expect from Cantillo early on, which keeps him off fantasy radars for now.

It’s just a routine day off for the veteran, who hit .269 in 24 games in June with two home runs, 11 runs scored, and 10 RBI. He will be replaced at shortstop by Brooks Lee today as Lee continues to play every day by moving all around the infield.

The switch-hitter is riding a modest four-game hitting streak, but he has also gone just 8-for-45 (.178) with two RBIs and no home runs over an 11-game stretch that included eight games in Coors Field and three games in a hitter-friendly park in Milwaukee. We knew Toglia would struggle with batting average, but if he’s not going to take advantage of extended stretches at Coors Field, it’s hard to argue for keeping Toglia on your rosters. Orlando Arcia will start at first base and bat seventh on Thursday.

Gage elected free agency after he was designated for assignment by the Tigers back on June 26th. The reliever had a 1.67 ERA in 32 1/3 innings for Triple-A Toledo this season and has a 1.42 ERA in 22 career MLB appearances. He will now return to the organization that drafted him in 2014 and start off in Triple-A Sacramento.

Hill was activated off the IL on Tuesday but had been on the bench for the first two games back. The 29-year-old figures to remain a part-time player with Dane Myers playing well in center field for the Marlins.

We don’t yet know the reason why Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary leave, but we do know that he will be out through the All-Star break because of an MLB investigation. We’ll await more details, but Ortiz can be dropped in most leagues since he will be out for three weeks at least. He was supposed to start tonight against the Cubs, but now Joey Cantillo will instead.

Rosenthal mentions that the limited number of right-handed hitters on the trade market could make García an attractive option, especially since he’s under team control next season as well. With the Rangers falling out of contention, García could be the team’s most valuable trade chip. Rosenthal believes that, “As long as he continues producing offensively, his trade value would be greater at the deadline than during the offseason or at next year’s deadline.”

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with that home run in the first game of the doubleheader, which made it three games in a row with a home run since Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A. If he can keep showing that pullside power as well as improved defensive performance during his stint in the minors, Alvarez could be back up with the Mets in July.

The left-hander struck out four, walked nobody, and gave up just one hit, which was a bunt single. He threw 25 of his 37 pitches for strikes in what was an extremely efficient outing. Cortes will obviously need a few more starts to build up his pitch count, but the bigger question is where he fits. With Brandon Woodruff coming off the IL on Sunday, the Brewers have six starters in their big league rotation right now, and Logan Henderson is also at Triple-A. That could mean that Cortes is used in a trade if he continues to show good health and form.