Joc Pederson, Alex Verdugo Out On Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielders Joc Pederson and Alex Verdugo are out of the starting lineup on Friday. Right-hander Michael Feliz is opening for Pittsburgh, but left-hander Steven Brault is expected to pitch the bulk of the innings. Matt Beaty is starting in left field and hitting leadoff, with Kike Hernandez in center field and batting […]

Brandon Drury Hitting Leadoff, Cavan Biggio Eighth In Debut

Toronto Blue Jays infielder/outfielder Brandon Drury is starting in right field and batting leadoff on Friday night against Padres starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi. Second baseman Cavan Biggio will start at the keystone and hit eighth in his major league debut. Lourdes Gurriel is also in left field and is hitting seventh in his return to […]

Juan Lagares Sitting Versus Lefty

New York Mets outfielder Juan Lagares is not in the starting lineup on Friday against Tigers left-handed starting pitcher Gregory Soto. Carlos Gomez is starting in center field and batting sixth, while Rajai Davis is in right field and hitting seventh. Gomez is coming off a big three-run home run in the win over the […]

Scott Kingery In Center Field Friday

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Scott Kingery is starting in center field and is hitting seventh on Friday against Brewers starting pitcher Chase Anderson. Odubel Herrera, who is slumping badly this year, continues to lose playing time to Kingery since he returned from the injured list. Kingery is batting .362/.412/.617 with two home runs, six RBI and […]

Roberto Perez Back, Oscar Mercado Out

Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez (concussion) is back behind the plate on Friday and is hitting sixth against Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell. Outfielder Oscar Mercado (hip), who suffered a hip contusion in an outfield collision on Thursday, is out. Eric Haase is serving as the designated hitter and is batting eighth, but he should […]

Francisco Cervelli Still Out Of Lineup

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli (chest) remains out of the starting lineup on Friday. Cervelli suffered an upper chest contusion on Tuesday and hasn't played since. He's been bad for those in two-catcher and NL-only leagues this year, hitting .185 with one homer and five RBI in 108 at-bats. He might need to go on […]

Jason Witten Looks Bigger And Faster

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who came out of retirement after a year in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth, has impressed his teammates so far this offseason. Witten looks great and appears to be stronger and faster than he was in 2017, when he had 63 catches for 560 yards and five touchdowns. […]

Dexter Fowler Hitting Leadoff, Harrison Bader Back

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler is hitting leadoff on Friday night against Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz. Also, outfielder Harrison Bader (elbow) is back in center field and is hitting eighth in the batting order. Matt Carpenter has been moved down to the No. 5 spot. Fowler has been swinging a hot stick of […]

Phillies Activate Vince Velasquez

The Philadelphia Phillies activated starting pitcher Vince Velasquez (forearm) from the 10-day injured list on Friday. He'll be available in relief this weekend, but he's also a candidate to make a start next week against the Cardinals. The 26-year-old right-hander is 1-2 on the year with a 3.86 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in […]

Daniel Robertson Out On Friday

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Daniel Robertson (illness) is not in the starting lineup on Friday after leaving the game early with an allergic reaction. Andrew Velazquez is starting at third base and is batting ninth against Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber in his place. Velazquez has one hit in his seven at-bats this year and […]

Megadeals Coming For Michael Thomas, Cameron Jordan?

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas can become a free agent after this season, while defensive end Cameron Jordan can become a free agent in 2021. Thomas and Jordan, who are both attending organized team activities, are two of the most underpaid stars at their positions in the NFL. Thomas, 26, will make only […]

Max Kepler Back In Lineup Friday

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting leadoff on Friday against White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez after banging his knee on the outfield wall on Thursday. Kepler's injury came in the ninth inning of a blowout, but his fantasy owners are thankful he won't have to […]

James Washington In Better Shape

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington trained harder this offseason and is down 15 pounds from the 223 to 225 pounds he played at in his rookie season. Washington finished 2018 with two 60-plus yard performances in the final three weeks, but his 42.1 percent catch rate (16 receptions on 38 targets) was the worst […]

Courtland Sutton Working With Anquan Boldin

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton traveled to Florida to train with Tony Villani of XPE Sports ahead of the team's offseason program, and he's now working with former NFL wideout Anquan Boldin on his route-running techniques. Sutton focused on being more explosive with the ball in his hands while working with Villani. The 23-year-old […]

Lamar Jackson Still A Work In Progress

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn't happy with how he performed in organized team activities this week. He has been trying to develop as a passer this offseason after completing only 58.2 percent of his passes as a rookie, including 159.1 yards passing per game as a starter. Jackson showed more velocity on his passes […]

Yasiel Puig Back In Lineup Friday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig (shoulder) is back in the starting lineup on Friday and is starting in right field and batting fifth against Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. Puig returns for the first time since straining his shoulder on Sunday, and he'll return to a .206/.253/.358 slash line with seven home runs, 17 runs, […]

Andrew Cashner Not In A Hurry To Leave Baltimore

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Andrew Cashner will be a popular trade candidate this summer, but he said he would consider walking away if the team agreed to trade him to a team that he didn't want to go to. The veteran right-hander has improved of late, lasting six innings or more and producing a quality […]

Alex Dickerson Placed On Injured List

The San Diego Padres placed outfielder Alex Dickerson (foot) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a foot injury. Dickerson had just three hits in 19 at-bats (.158) with two RBI, so he was well off the fantasy radar. It's expected that first base prospect Josh Naylor, the team's No. 9 prospect, will be […]

Tom Brady Skipping OTAs

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is electing to skip the voluntary offseason workout program for the second straight season, presumably to spend more time with his family. The 41-year-old didn't miss a beat after skipping organized team activities in 2018, and it shouldn't be an issue again this year. Brady will be back for […]

Rockies To Monitor Charlie Blackmon's Calf Injury

The Colorado Rockies will monitor outfielder Charlie Blackmon's (calf) injury after he was forced to leave the blowout loss early on Thursday after initially fouling a ball off his leg. “(The trainers) said this isn’t the kind of thing you want to take lightly,” Blackmon said afterward. “You want to make sure you are good […]

Alex Reyes Looks Good In Rehab Start

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes (finger) allowed two hits and an earned run while walking two and striking out six in five innings for High-A Palm Beach in a rehab start on Thursday. Reyes is getting back into the flow after fracturing his pinkie finger and looked good on Thursday. He'll need to prove […]

Jon Jay Playing In Extended Spring Training

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said that outfielder Jon Jay (groin), who has yet to play in 2019 due to a groin strain, has played nine innings in extended spring training. "He'll play some back-to-back games, and if he responds well to that we’ll get him on a rehab assignment in the not-too-distant […]

Angels Not Considering Booting Matt Harvey From Rotation

Los Angeles Angels manager Brad Ausmus said the team hasn't considered removing starting pitcher Matt Harvey from the rotation. They probably should start considering it after Harvey was torched for seven hits (four home runs) and eight earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings against the Twins in his latest outing on Thursday to raise […]

Oscar Mercado Leaves After Outfield Collision

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado (hip) left the game early on Thursday with a right hip contusion after a collision in the outfield with Leonys Martin. It was a scary collision and Mercado looked to be in some pain, but he may have dodged a bullet. Consider him day-to-day until we find out more. The […]

Daniel Robertson Leaves Game With Allergic Reaction

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Daniel Robertson left the game early on Thursday due to an allergic reaction. Robertson had a single in two plate appearances before leaving and is hitting just .197/.315/.287 on the year with two home runs. Consider him day-to-day for now. With Yandy Diaz (hand) on the injured list, Robertson and Andrew […]

Jimmie Ward Out 8-12 Weeks

San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward (collarbone) suffered a fractured collarbone while diving for a ball in practice on Thursday and is expected to be out eight to 12 weeks. The oft-injured defensive back has plenty of time to recover before the start of the regular season, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he […]

Max Kepler Day-To-Day With Knee Contusion

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) left the game on Thursday after crashing into the outfield wall, and he's being listed as day-to-day with a bruised right knee. Luckily for his fantasy owners, his injury occurred late in a blowout and he had three hits (one double), a homer, four runs scored, two RBI, a […]

Cole Hamels Open To A Return To Phillies

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cole Hamels, who will become a free agent after the 2019 season, would be open to returning to the Phillies, where he began his 14-year career. The 35-year-old has a nice 3.38 ERA in 10 starts this year with the Cubs and still owns a home in Delaware County after being […]

Roberto Perez Improving

Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez (concussion), who was removed from the game on Tuesday with a mild concussion, felt much better on Wednesday and passed all his impact testing. He was scheduled to take part in a full-team workout on Thursday. Perez hasn't done much for fantasy owners in deep two-catcher and AL-only leagues, hitting […]

Manny Banuelos Likely To Start Saturday

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Manny Banuelos (shoulder) hasn't been named the official starter for Saturday against the Twins, but all signs are "pointing in that direction," according to manager Rick Renteria. In what would be his first start off the injured list on the road against one of the better hitting teams in the […]