Juan Soto Returning to Lineup

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto will be back in the lineup Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals after missing Wednesday's game with back spasms. Meanwhile, shortstop Carter Kieboom will have Thursday off as a rest day. This is according to manager Davey Martinez, with the Nationals' official lineup still yet to be posted. It's very […]

Trea Turner Could Start Swinging Bat Soon

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner continues to recover from his broken finger and could even take swings later this week, manager Dave Martinez said Thursday. This is some light at the end of the tunnel in Turner's recovery for the Nationals and fantasy managers. In just 15 plate appearances before his injury, Turner already had […]

Shelby Miller, Rougned Odor Struggling

In the aftermath of the demotion of Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc from the Rangers closer role, beat reporter Jeff Wilson writes about other Rangers who are struggling. Wilson notes that starting pitcher Shelby Miller, despite a 7.99 ERA in just 24 2/3 innings over six starts, is unlikely to lose his rotation spot with […]

Adalberto Mejia to Injured List; Mike Morin Recalled

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Adalberto Mejia was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain on Thursday, and relief pitcher Mike Morin was recalled to replace him. Mejia has struggled mightily in 11 appearances this year, with an 8.74 ERA, 11-9 K-BB ratio, and 6.17 xFIP over 11 1/3 innings. Mejia also […]

Corbin Burnes Not Doomed to Bullpen

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes, who returned to the MLB club on Wednesday, is in the bullpen due to need for now, according to manager Craig Counsell. When asked if Burnes would need to be "open" to spending the rest of the year in the bullpen, Counsell responded, "I don't think it's the story for […]

Kolten Wong Leading Off Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong is in the leadoff spot for Thursday's game against Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals. Wong has a .393 OBP this year, so the move makes some sense. Wong has also led off twice before this year, on April 11 and April 28. With only three games in […]

Hunter Wood to 10-Day Injured List

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed relief pitcher Hunter Wood (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with right shoulder soreness and recalled pitcher Casey Sadler to replace him. Wood has appeared in four games thus far in 2019. Among the appearances were a three-inning save on April 8 and an opening act for Jalen […]

Tyler O'Neill Fifth, Harrison Bader Sixth in Cardinals Lineup

The St. Louis Cardinals are featuring a different lineup than usual for Thursday's game against the Washington Nationals, with right fielder Tyler O'Neill batting fifth and center fielder Harrison Bader batting sixth. Outfielder Jose Martinez is not in the lineup. This is O'Neill's first start since returning from the injured list on April 26, and […]

Nathaniel Lowe Batting Eighth

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is starting again Thursday against the Kansas City Royals, as he has in the three prior games since his call-up on April 29. However, after batting fifth for his first three starts, the left-handed hitting Lowe is down to eighth in the order for the game Thursday against […]

Brewers Activate Freddy Peralta

As expected, the Milwaukee Brewers have activated starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to start Thursday's game against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park. Milwaukee also recalled pitcher Taylor Williams from Triple-A while demoting pitchers Jacob Barnes and Donnie Hart to make room on the active roster. Despite a solid 78 1/3-inning […]

Josh Donaldson Remains Out Thursday

Atlanta Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson (calf) is out of the lineup for a third straight game on Thursday, although he is available to pinch hit. Donaldson should be back soon given his availability off the bench, but he stays out of the lineup for now. As he has the first two games since Donaldson's injury, […]

Carlos Correa Has Thursday Off

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is not in the lineup for Thursday's matchup against Jose Berrios and the Minnesota Twins. Alex Bregman moves to shortstop while Aledmys Diaz takes over at third base, batting seventh. Diaz is an easy DFS fade against a starter of Berrios' caliber, especially given his .209/.222/.419 slash line and low […]

Ian Kinsler Leading Off Thursday

San Diego Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler is the team's leadoff hitter for Thursday's 12:10 PM game against the Atlanta Braves and starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz. Kinsler's .151/.223/.256 slash line is quite consistent with his .177 expected batting average (xBA) and .239 expected slugging (xSLG) on Statcast. He can be easily ignored in DFS, even […]

Joey Votto Off Thursday

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto is getting the day off for Cincinnati's game against the New York Mets at 12:10 PM on Thursday. It appears to just be a standard rest day for Votto. Derek Dietrich is in at first base and batting third. Dietrich is only hitting .196 thanks to a .154 BABIP, […]

Power Risers & Fallers for Week 5 - Buy or Sell?

Welcome to this week's Power Hitting Risers & Fallers. All stats are full season through Monday, April 29th (unless otherwise noted). Several "on pace" numbers just use 6x as a shortcut (one month done, five to go). Your weekly reminders: When a Statcast ranking is mentioned, a minimum of 25 plate appearances is needed to […]

Max Scherzer Hurt By Defensive Lapses

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer fell to 1-4 on Wednesday in Washington's 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Scherzer allowed three runs in the first inning after right fielder Victor Robles appeared to lose a ball in the lights on an RBI double and shortstop Carter Kieboom was then unable to get to […]

Juan Soto Dealing With Back Spasms

According to Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez, outfielder Juan Soto started feeling back spasms on Wednesday and hence did not play in Wednesday's game against St. Louis. The Nationals wanted to play it safe, which makes sense in the aftermath of Anthony Rendon's trip to the injured list. This may be a one-night thing for […]

Anthony Rendon Lands On Injured List

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (elbow) was placed on the injured list Tuesday, retroactive to April 27, with a left elbow contusion. Rendon was hit on the elbow on April 20 and returned on April 26 but has not played since. One suspects the Nationals could have handled this situation better, but that's in the […]

Patrick Corbin Rocked by Cardinals

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin had his worst start of the season in Monday's 6-3 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Corbin threw four scoreless innings to start the game but then had a horrendous fifth inning, when he allowed all six runs, and exited the game thereafter. Corbin walked four and struck […]

Anthony Rendon MRI Shows Contusion

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon had an MRI, manager Davey Martinez announced on Monday, which came back as showing a contusion on his left elbow, confirming the earlier diagnosis on an injury that goes back to April 20th. Rendon continues to avoid the injured list but is once again missing from the lineup for […]

The Cut List (Week 5) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome to the final week of cuts in which you can still be told, "It's only April." However, you will not be told that. About one-sixth the season is now complete; that's still not much in the big scheme of things, but if you wait too long, suddenly it's the All-Star Break and someone has […]

Anthony Rendon Out Again

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is not in Saturday's starting lineup against the San Diego Padres despite playing on Friday. It is the fifth game in Washington's last six that he has missed since being hit on his left elbow. Howie Kendrick is batting third and playing third base and should be a solid […]

Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman Sit Wednesday

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is out for the fourth straight game with a hurting left elbow, and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman takes a seat as well for the team's series finale in Colorado at 3:10 on Wednesday. With the Nationals off Thursday and Rendon still not on the injured list, he should hopefully […]

Power Risers & Fallers for Week 4 - Buy or Sell?

Welcome to this week's Power Hitting Risers & Fallers. This week we return to looking at which bats are hot and which are not compared to their 2018 (or earlier) performances. All stats are full season through Monday, April 22nd (unless otherwise noted). For reference, when a Statcast ranking is mentioned, a minimum of 25 […]

Anthony Rendon Still Out Monday

Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon has not played since being hit on the elbow by a pitch on Saturday. He missed Sunday's series finale at Miami and is still out of the lineup for Monday's contest against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. He has been replaced in the starting lineup by Howie Kendrick […]

Ryan Zimmerman Goes Deep Twice in Miami

Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-4 on Sunday, with both hits leaving the yard for solo home runs. Zimmerman tripled his home run output after entering the game with only one, and is now hitting a still-poor .203/.304/.390 this season. Zimmerman is a very streaky hitter so this could be the start of […]

Stephen Strasburg Dominates in Miami

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg threw eight brilliant shutout innings on Sunday, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out 11 in Washington's 5-0 win over the Miami Marlins. Strasburg improves to 2-1 with a 4.11 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. This start should mitigate any concerns […]

The Cut List (Week 4) - Time to Let Go?

We're past the 10% mark of the season now for this, April's penultimate Cut List. That still doesn't mean free rein to chop off your roster anyone you don't like, but samples are only increasing, playing time divisions becoming clearer, injuries piling up. That said, the Watch-Out list of players to keep for now won't […]

Max Scherzer Struggles At Marlins Park

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer took the loss on Saturday in a 9-3 defeat at the hands of the Miami Marlins. Scherzer was pulled with one out in the sixth inning, allowing seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits. He allowed a Curtis Granderson solo shot but had no walks with nine strikeouts. A […]

Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick Lead Nats Homer Charge

The Washington Nationals got home runs from outfielder Juan Soto (his third of the year), second baseman Howie Kendrick (third), first baseman Matt Adams (second) and catcher Kurt Suzuki (second) in their 9-6 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. Kendrick, Adams, and Suzuki are likely available on the wire in standard fantasy leagues. […]