MLB Player News

Valenzuela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Tyler Heineman will draw the start Sunday, but Valenzuela may have overtaken him as the Blue Jays' preferred option at catcher while Alejandro Kirk (thumb) remains on the injured list. Valenzuela started three of the previous four games and owns a .680 OPS on the season, clearing Heineman's mark (.423) by more than 250 points.

Fry started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 14-6 win over the Athletics.

Fry, who started for the first time in four contests, launched his second home run of the season. He's produced well as a starter, but he gets irregular opportunities in the starting nine. Fry is slashing .280/.419/.520 with two home runs and six RBI over the 12 games in which he's started.

Springer (foot) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Springer was forced out of Saturday's 11-4 win in the third inning after being hit by a pitch in the left foot, right near the same spot of the big toe that he previously fractured April 11. Fortunately for Springer, X-rays revealed no new damage to his foot, but the veteran will need at least one day off while he's presumably still dealing with some soreness. With Springer on the bench for the series finale in Minnesota, Yohendrick Pinango will get a look in the leadoff spot.

The Brewers optioned McGee to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

McGee will cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Logan Henderson, who was recalled from Triple-A ahead of his start Sunday. After being called up from Triple-A on Friday, McGee tossed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in his lone appearance with the big club.

The Brewers recalled Henderson from Triple-A Nashville to start Sunday's game against the Nationals, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The right-hander was briefly up with the Brewers for a doubleheader in early April but has otherwise spent the first month-plus of the season at Triple-A. Henderson has been dominant for Nashville with a 1.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB across 17.2 innings. The 24-year-old is now expected to get at least a couple turns through the rotation with Milwaukee after the placement of Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) on the injured list.

Manzardo entered Saturday's game as a pinch hitter and belted a three-run home run in his lone plate appearance in a 14-6 win over the Athletics.

Manzardo finished up the game at first base after stepping in for Rhys Hoskins against right-hander Luis Morales. It was the second home run of the season and first in 17 games for Manzardo, who hasn't developed as hoped during his third season in the majors. He's serving on the strong side of a platoon at first base, but the Manzardo/Hoskins tandem is slugging a league-low .283 at the position with just two home runs and 11 RBI between them.

Atlanta optioned Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Stratton's stay in the big leagues lasted just two days, with the reliever making his lone appearance Saturday, when he tossed a scoreless inning in Atlanta's 9-1 win over Colorado. He'll cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander Spencer Strider (oblique), who was reinstated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start in Sunday's series finale in Colorado.

Atlanta selected Azocar's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

He'll provide Atlanta with some extra coverage in the outfield after Ronald Acuna (hamstring) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move, but Azocar is likely to see most of his usage as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch runner. The 29-year-old had been handling an everyday role at Gwinnett, slashing .270/.348/.420 with two home runs and eight stolen bases over 113 plate appearances.

Atlanta reinstated Strider (oblique) from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday's game at Colorado.

The right-hander has missed the first month-plus of the regular season while working his way back from an oblique strain, but he's ready to make his first big-league appearance of the year after a three-start rehab assignment. Strider built up to 82 pitches and five innings during his final rehab outing, so his workload shouldn't be significantly limited in his 2026 debut. In last year's return from internal brace surgery on his elbow, Strider had an up-and-down campaign with a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 131:51 K:BB across 125.1 innings.

Atlanta placed Acuna on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left hamstring strain.

Acuna was lifted from Saturday's 9-1 win over the Rockies in the second inning due to hamstring tightness, prompting Atlanta to send him in for an MRI following the game. Though Atlanta hasn't offered up a timeline for Acuna's return after assessing his imaging, the club quickly determined that the five-time All-Star's injury was significant enough to keep him out for at least the next week and a half. Atlanta called up Jose Azocar from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move, but Eli White and Mauricio Dubon are the more likelier candidates to see added reps in the outfield while Acuna is shelved.