Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval tallied 10 strikeouts in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, tossing five innings of two-run ball on four hits and two walks en route to a loss. It was Sandoval's first game with double-digit punchouts since 2022, but Kyle Schwarber's two-run single in the second inning proved to be enough to saddle the hurler with a loss on a day the Phillies struck out 18 times. The 27-year-old southpaw will take an underwhelming 5.91 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and 38:16 K:BB over 32 frames (seven starts) for the Halos into in his next scheduled appearance on Tuesday on the road against the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates, who are scoring just 2.4 runs per game over their last 21 contests.

Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer got the scoring started in Wednesday's 6-2 loss on the road to the San Diego Padres, smashing his fourth home run of the 2024 regular season and stealing a base. Steer took Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove yard for a 412-foot bomb to deep left center in the first inning, continuing what has been a prolific start to the campaign for him. The 26-year-old left fielder is building on his 2023 breakout thus far, slashing .252/.364/.450 with four long balls, 22 RBI, 18 runs scored, and eight stolen bases through 132 trips to the plate (31 outings) for the Reds. On tap for Steer is a three-game weekend series starting on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. In three games against Baltimore last season, Steer hit .400 (4-for-10) with one big fly, three RBI, three walks, and one pilfer.

Detroit Tigers infielder Andy Ibanez went yard twice in Tuesday's 11-7 win over the division-rival Cleveland Guardians, piling up four hits and four RBI in the high-scoring affair. Ibanez took Guardians left-hander Logan Allen deep to open the game, tagging the southpaw for another long ball to score three more runs in the second frame. The 31-year-old utility man raised his average by nearly 100 points with the four-hit attack, now batting .364 (12-for-33) with two big flies, one double, seven RBI, and seven runs scored across 13 games. With top prospect Colt Keith scuffling at the plate to begin his major-league career, Ibanez could push for more playing time at the keystone with continued hot hitting. Ibanez gets another date with Cleveland on Wednesday. In 17 career games versus the Guardians, Ibanez is now hitting a ridiculous .441 (26-for-59) with nine extra-base hits and 15 RBI.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Rayner Arias (wrist) is dealing with a left-wrist sprain after diving for a ball in the outfield recently while playing for the team's rookie-ball affiliate in the Arizona Complex League. It's an injury worth watching after the young outfielder broke the same wrist on a similar play in 2023. Arias is only 18 years old but has looked impressive in back-to-back spring training appearances. If the team's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, can get past his recent wrist injury before the ACL season ends in July, he could be promoted to Single-A San Jose to finish out the 2024 campaign. In the long term, Arias profiles as a big, physical corner outfielder with heart-of-the-order power potential. But he's still at least several years from being a candidate for the major-league roster, and he's going to need to stay healthy to realize his potential.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero is slashing a gaudy .324/.378/.662 with six home runs, five doubles, 16 RBI, and 12 runs scored over 68 at-bats (17 games) with Triple-A Durham this season, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times believes it's unlikely that Caminero will get called up anytime soon, barring an injury to a key player. The Rays want to make sure Caminero is ready physically, with both the bat and glove, and that he fits somewhere on the current team before promoting him. They also don't want a repeat of young top prospects with other teams who have struggled this season, including Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, and Wyatt Langford. The 20-year-old Caminero is MLB Pipeline's No. 4 prospect for 2024, and RotoBaller's Eric Cross still ranks Caminero as the top prospect to stash in redraft fantasy leagues and expects Tampa to elevate him in May.