MLB Player News

Rendon, who is out of Saturday's lineup against the Rangers, is dealing with a sore thumb after colliding with Matt Thaiss in Friday's game, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

It sounds like a very minor issue, with the Angels giving Rendon his scheduled off day Saturday instead of Sunday as originally planned, per manager Phil Nevin. Gio Urshela and Jake Lamb are handling the infield corners.

Candelario is not in Saturday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

This is Candelario's first day off this season. He is slashing .228/.275/.378 with four home runs, 12 runs and 14 RBI in 32 games.

Reynolds was designated for assignment by the Reds on Saturday.

Reynolds was with the team for a week while Wil Myers was on the COVID-19 injured list, but he didn't make much of an impact. Reynolds started just once and went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts overall. He'll exit the roster with Myers now healthy.

Rendon is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rangers, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The veteran third baseman has been hot at the plate, hitting .351 with nine runs and five RBI over his last 10 games. Rendon is still searching for his first long ball of the season.

Muncy (illness) is starting at designated hitter and batting fifth Saturday against the Padres, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

He left Friday's game with an illness, but it wasn't serious enough to keep him out of Saturday's action. Muncy is hitting .206 with a .333 OBP and four home runs over the past 10 games.

Urias is getting his first start of the season at first base while batting ninth Saturday against Atlanta, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

It's not a good day to use Urias in fantasy, as Baltimore will be facing Spencer Strider while hitting at the bottom of the lineup. However, adding first base to his repertoire could buy him more starts over the rest of the season. Prior to Saturday, Urias had only ever played the other three non-catcher infield positions in the big leagues, but he did get reps at first base during spring training.

Donaldson (hamstring) will ramp up baseball activity during the upcoming homestand and could soon begin a rehab assignment, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like Donaldson is ahead of Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) in his recovery. If he can avoid setbacks, a return in the middle of May seems feasible.

Peraza (ankle) remains on the bench Saturday against the Rays.

Peraza is dealing with a bruised right middle finger and hasn't started since Monday's game against the Guardians. He was unavailable in any capacity Friday, but it's unclear if the same thing will be true Saturday.

Freeman was recalled by the Guardians on Saturday.

Freeman spent a few days in the big leagues in April, going 2-for-7 with a double and a walk. Combined with his slightly longer cameo last season, he's now hitting .250/.319/.298 in 94 MLB plate appearances. His Triple-A numbers suggest promise, as he's hit .329/.468/.482 in 22 games this season, but he doesn't seem to have a path to anything more than a utility role. Oscar Gonzalez was optioned in a corresponding move.

Paredes will sit Saturday against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Paredes has hit .255/.327/.431 with four homers in 24 games this season, good for a solidly above-average 117 wRC+, a near match for his 116 wRC+ from last season. That's not enough to exempt him from the Rays' policy of heavy rotation, however, so he'll sit here for the eighth time in the first 34 games. Taylor Walls will start at third base.