Todd Frazier To Play In Games Soon

New York Mets corner infielder Todd Frazier (oblique) will start playing in minor league games in Florida in the next few days, according to manager Mickey Callaway. Frazier began the season on the injured list but should be able to join the team at some point in April, barring setbacks. The 33-year-old hit just .213/.303/.390 […]

Matt Kemp Making First Start In 2019

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Matt Kemp is making his season debut in left field and is hitting fifth in the lineup on Saturday against Pirates starter Trevor Williams. As a result, Jesse Winker will start the game on the bench. Kemp had a resurgent season in 2018, hitting .290 with 21 home runs and 85 RBI […]

Hunter Strickland Was Dealing With Tight Shoulder

Seattle Mariners closer Hunter Strickland said he "had some tightness in the back of the shoulder" during his blown save against the Red Sox on Friday night. "I was all over the place. Everybody saw it. It wasn’t good at all. I just wasn’t comfortable. But that’s no excuse, I still have to make pitches […]

Michael A. Taylor, Howie Kendrick Rehabbing In Florida

Washington Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor (hip, knee) and second baseman Howie Kendrick (hamstring) continue to rehab at the team's spring training complex in Florida. Kendrick has taken at-bats in a minor league game without running, while Taylor is taking part in light baseball activities such as hitting off a tee, soft toss, light throwing […]

Francisco Lindor Seeking Second Opinion

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (ankle) is seeking a second opinion on his acute left ankle sprain from Dr. Robert Anderson in Wisconsin before the team releases an official timetable for his return. Lindor suffered the ankle sprain on Tuesday in a minor league game and will miss more time now. The All-Star shortstop was […]

Jake Bauers, Tyler Naquin To Be Outfield Regulars

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona has decided that outfielders Jake Bauers and Tyler Naquin will open the season as regulars in the corner outfield spots. Still, both left-handed bats could see time off occasionally against southpaw pitchers, and Naquin could see more time hitting in the No. 3 spot until the team is back to […]

Carlos Martinez Throwing More Aggressively

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (shoulder) has been playing "more aggressive, longer catch" on flat ground this week, according to manager Mike Shildt. The right-hander's next step will to resume throwing off a mound. The Cardinals are expected to decide whether Martinez will return as a starter or reliever by mid-April. Martinez has […]

Jedd Gyorko Expected To Be Ready Next Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko (calf) has declared himself healthy and ready to return, but he isn't eligible to come off the injured list until next Thursday ahead of the home opener. Gyorko was out for the final three weeks of spring training but has been getting at-bats in minor league games in Florida. […]

Astros Targeting Sunday Return For Carlos Correa

The Houston Astros are targeting a Sunday return for shortstop Carlos Correa (neck) in the series finale against the Rays. The All-Star was out for the second straight regular season game on Friday due to a neck strain suffered a week ago. Correa did pre-game drills on Friday but didn't swing a bat. He will […]

Lorenzo Cain's Thumb Is Fine

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain jammed his left thumb when he was caught stealing in Friday's loss to the Cardinals, but he is OK and no X-rays were required. The injury doesn't seem serious at all, so Cain should be back in the lineup on Saturday. He's a must-start in all season-long leagues and is […]

Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Franco hit .270/.314/.467 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI in 131 games for the Phillies in 2018. After a 25-homer, 88-RBI campaign in 2016, the young slugger was expected to take a step forward, but he has been stuck in neutral the last […]

Hunter Renfroe The Odd-Man Out?

San Diego Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe has remained on the bench for the team's first two games of the season against Giants left-handers Madison Bumgarner and Derek Holland, even though Renfroe has excellent career numbers against both southpaws. Wil Myers and Franmil Reyes have started at the corners, with Manuel Margot in center field. Manager […]

Giants Being Mindful Of Buster Posey's Workload

The San Francisco Giants are being mindful of catcher Buster Posey's early-season workload after he underwent major hip surgery last year. He didn't catch in back-to-back games in spring training, but manager Bruce Bochy said Posey has been cleared to do so. Posey caught all nine innings on Opening Day but was at first base […]

Raiders Sign Luke Willson

The Oakland Raiders signed free-agent tight end Luke Willson to an undisclosed deal on Friday. It's likely just a one-year deal. Wilson spent the 2018 season with the Lions after playing five seasons with the Seahawks as mostly a blocking tight end. He has 102 catches for 1,216 yards with 11 touchdowns in 86 career […]

Justin Upton Out 8-12 Weeks

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton (toe) is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks, according to manager Brad Ausmus. Upton had previously been diagnosed with turf toe, but doctors deemed Upton needed to miss considerable time after further evaluation. Fantasy owners that took Upton as a top-25 outfielder in fantasy drafts will need to […]

Brandon Lowe (2B/OF, TB) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Rays clearly have plans to feature Lowe in their lineup moving forward after they signed him to a six-year, $24 million contract extension. Although he wasn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the regular season, he served as the designated hitter […]

Dallas Keuchel Throwing Simulated Games

Free-agent starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel is throwing 95-pitch simulated games every five days, according to his agent, Scott Boras. “We are in discussion with a number of clubs,” Boras said. Keuchel has been in discussions with several teams for a while it seems, but he's holding out for the right deal. His fantasy value obviously […]

Jarrod Dyson Leading Off, Adam Jones At Cleanup

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jarrod Dyson is starting in center field and is batting leadoff on Friday night against Dodgers starter Ross Stripling. Outfielder Adam Jones, the leadoff hitter on Opening Day, is hitting cleanup. With Dyson in center, Ketel Marte will move to second base, meaning Wilmer Flores has the night off. Lefty Jake Lamb […]

Max Muncy, Joc Pederson Sitting Against Lefty

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy and outfielder Joc Pederson are out of the lineup on Friday night against Diamondbacks left-handed starter Robbie Ray. Both Pederson and Muncy made a lot of noise on Opening Day with their sticks, but they'll likely ride the pine against southpaws again this year. David Freese is at […]

Mallex Smith Leading Off Friday Night

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mallex Smith is starting in center field and is hitting leadoff on Friday night against Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Smith should hit atop the team's lineup when they face a right-handed pitcher like this evening. The 25-year-old didn't play in the team's first two games in Tokyo last week but […]

Kendrys Morales Making A's Debut

Oakland Athletics first baseman Kendrys Morales is starting at first base and is batting fifth in his debut on Friday night against Angels starter Matt Harvey. Morales should be the team's regular first baseman while Matt Olson recovers from his hand injury suffered in Tokyo. The veteran switch-hitter batted only .249/.331/.438 with 21 home runs […]

Michael Reed Leading Off, Yangervis Solarte Hitting Third

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Reed is starting in right field and batting leadoff against Padres starter Joey Lucchesi on Friday night. Steven Duggar will be bumped down to seventh in the order against the left-hander. Infielder Yangervis Solarte also gets the start at second base over Joe Panik, and he's hitting third. First baseman […]

Jimmy Nelson Playing Catch Friday

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson (elbow) resumed playing catch on Friday. He will pitch in a game or two in extended spring training in Arizona before he starts a rehab assignment with Triple-A San Antonio. Nelson missed all of 2018 with a shoulder injury and then developed some right elbow soreness in spring training. […]

Jeremy Jeffress A Couple Weeks Away

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress (shoulder) is pitching every three days and will do so again on Saturday. General manager David Stearns said that Jeffress is a couple of weeks away from a return. Even though Jeffress is starting the season on the injured list, he just got a little more intriguing for those […]

Corey Knebel To Have Tommy John Surgery

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Corey Knebel (elbow) said he has decided to have season-ending Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. The hard-throwing right-hander will miss all of the 2019 season, so he can be safely cut in any fantasy leagues in which he was owned. With Jeremy Jeffress on the injured list, Josh […]

Carlos Correa Says He's Close To Returning

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (neck) said he woke up on Friday feeling great and is close to making his season debut. He's out of the lineup for the second straight day, but it sounds like the All-Star shortstop could be back in the lineup as soon as Saturday or Sunday. A back injury sidelined […]

Ketel Marte (2B/SS/OF, ARI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: At first glance, Marte's 2018 season as a whole wouldn't really excite anyone. He did hit a league-high 12 triples and career-high 14 home runs, but he had a pedestrian .260/.332/.437 slash line, 59 RBI and only six stolen bases in 153 games for […]

Jose Alvarado Tweaks Ankle Friday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jose Alvarado rolled his ankle slightly during pre-game workouts on Friday but ultimately checked out fine. The left-handed reliever should be available out of the bullpen on Friday night. He's one of the favorites for saves in Tampa's bullpen along with Diego Castillo and Chaz Roe in 2019, so he […]

Jack Doyle Expected To Be Fine For Training Camp

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich said that tight end Jack Doyle (hip, kidney) is expected to return to form by training camp after undergoing surgery after the season to alleviate lingering pain in his hip. The 28-year-old was only able to play in six games and caught 26 passes for 245 yards and two […]

Kike Hernandez (1B/2B/SS/OF, LAD) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Most avid baseball fans remember Hernandez's 2018 postseason struggles vividly (.122 average, two homers, five walks and 14 K's) in 15 games. Although he played in 145 games during the regular season, he was also a man without a set position, bouncing around at […]