Aroldis Chapman Earns 16th Save To Close Dominant May

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect ninth inning against the Red Sox on Friday night to earn his 16th save of the season. It was Chapman's 11th save in a dominant month of May in which he allowed just five hits and one earned run across 11 1/3 innings. He now has […]

Joey Gallo Hits Grand Slam Friday

Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo (wrist) hit a grand slam off Royals starter Danny Duffy that would be the difference in the Rangers 6-2 victory on Friday. He is now hitting .272 on the year with 16 home runs, 39 RBI and a 1.048 OPS. He's increased his walk rate from 12.8 percent in 2018 […]

Joe Jimenez (RP, DET) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez is putting the finishing touches on an extremely solid month of May. Across 12 innings, Jimenez posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a whopping 18/4 K/BB ratio. His season stats (3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) are solid, but […]

Curt Casali Homers, Goes 3-for-4

Cincinnati Reds catcher Curt Casali went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs in Friday's 9-3 victory against the Nationals. He is now slashing .298/.355/.452 on the year and having a quietly effective season. Unfortunately, the Reds still have starting catcher Tucker Barnhart blocking Casali's path to more playing time. Casali has […]

Renato Nunez (1B/3B, BAL) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: Longtime A's farmhand Renato Nunez saw his prospect star dim in recent years as he began to hear the dreaded "Quad-A" label. He's doing his best to turn that around this season in Baltimore however, mashing 14 home runs with 34 RBI […]

Niko Goodrum Goes 5-For-5 With Two Home Runs

Detroit Tigers shortstop Niko Goodrum punished the Braves on Friday night by going 5-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs from the leadoff spot. Goodrum has now recorded a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, with a run scored in eight of 11. Despite the outburst, Goodrum is still hitting […]

Keon Broxton (OF, BAL) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: After limping to a .143 average out of the gate with the Mets, Keon Broxton was flipped to the Orioles. He's thrived in a small sample size in Baltimore, hitting .318/.348/.636 with a pair of home runs and a stolen base in […]

Patrick Corbin Tagged With Six Earned Runs

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin followed up his best start of the season with his worst. The Nationals left-hander was charged with six earned runs in just two two-thirds of an inning in Friday's loss to Cincinnati. He gave up 11 hits and struck out two. The start came as a follow-up to Corbin's […]

Edwin Encarnacion Scratched After Dental Procedure

Seattle Mariners first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (teeth) has been scratched from the lineup on Friday after undergoing a dental procedure. Daniel Vogelbach is replacing him as the designated hitter and will bat sixth against Angels left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Vogelbach has come back down to Earth a bit in the last 28 days, hitting […]

Miguel Cabrera Injured Friday

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (knee) left the game early on Friday with right knee soreness and is considered day-to-day. Cabrera was hitless with a strikeout in three plate appearances before leaving and is now hitting .284/.356/.356 with two home runs and 22 RBI on the season. The 36-year-old can still hit, but he's […]

Aaron Sanchez On Track For Sunday Start

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez (finger) threw his bullpen session on Friday and is scheduled to start against the Rockies on the road Sunday after cracking his fingernail in his last start. The finger issues just aren't going away for Sanchez, which is part of the risk in owning him. The right-hander is […]

Steve Pearce Suffers Back Spasms Friday

Boston Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce (back) left the game early with back spasms on Friday and is listed as day-to-day. The 36-year-old was hitless in his only plate appearance before leaving. It's been all downhill since Pearce won the World Series MVP, as he's hitting .180/.245/.258 with a homer and nine RBI in […]

Brendan Rodgers is Out on Friday

Colorado Rockies infielder Brendan Rodgers (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rodgers is hitting .303/.361/.364 since being called up, so he's not sitting out due to poor performance. Manager Bud Black feels that Ryan McMahon is a better option for Friday's contest. McMahon will bat sixth […]

Mike Freeman is Starting at Third Base

Cleveland Indians infielder Mike Freeman is drawing a rare start for the Tribe in Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Freeman normally only plays on rest days for Jose Ramirez. However, Ramirez is sliding over to designated hitter for this contest, so that opens up third base for Freeman. The veteran lefty infielder will […]

Gordon Beckham is Sitting Out on Friday

Detroit Tigers shortstop Gordon Beckham (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves. The veteran infielder has been struggling with the bat this season and has seen his playing time getting reduced. Niko Goodrum will bat leadoff and play shortstop versus righty Mike Foltynewicz. Goodrum has not swung the […]

Willians Astudillo Moves Up in the Batting Order

Minnesota Twins catcher Willians Astudillo is drawing the start behind the plate against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Astudillo is a catcher that can actually play multiple positions around the diamond. However, he usually bats fairly low in the order, which hurts his fantasy value. He's batting third and starting behind the plate versus […]

Albert Pujols Starting On Bench

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is not in the starting lineup on Friday. Jared Walsh will start at first base and bat eighth against Mariners starting pitcher Mike Leake. Tommy La Stella is also hitting leadoff, while David Fletcher moves to the No. 7 spot. Pujols just doesn't have much left these days. […]

Tucker Barnhart Gets Day Off on Friday

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Washington Nationals. Barnhart is having a rough month of May, so the Reds are trying other options behind the plate. Curt Casali will bat sixth and draw the start behind the plate versus lefty Patrick Corbin. Casali is […]

Maikel Franco Sitting Out Friday

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is not in the starting lineup on Friday. Scott Kingery will play the hot corner and hit seventh, while Nick Williams is hitting eighth and starting in left field against Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda. After a blazing start, Franco has cooled off significantly, hitting .160/.200/.247 with a homer […]

Jacob Stallings Gets Rare Start on Friday

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings will draw the start behind the plate versus the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Stallings was called up to back up catcher Elias Diaz, while Francisco Cervelli (concussion) is sidelined. Stallings will do the catching and bat seventh against righty Jhoulys Chacin. He's surprisingly hitting well during his limited time in […]

Melky Cabrera Remains Out of the Lineup

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Melky Cabrera (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The veteran switch hitting outfielder will get the night off once again. He did come off the bench on Thursday and collect a hit during his pinch-hit appearance. Bryan Reynolds will draw the start in left […]

Daniel Vogelbach, Omar Narvaez Out Versus Lefty

Seattle Mariners first baseman Daniel Vogelbach and catcher Omar Narvaez are out of the starting lineup on Friday against Angels left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Jay Bruce is starting at first and is hitting seventh, while Tom Murphy is doing the catching and batting eighth. Dylan Moore is also getting a start at the 6 […]

Dominic Smith Back In Left Field, Two-Hole

New York Mets first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith is in left field and is batting second again on Friday against Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jon Duplantier, who will be making his first major league start. Smith has started the last two games against right-handers, with J.D. Davis getting the nod against southpaws. Smith is hitting an incredible […]

Nick Margevicius Coming Up To Start Saturday

The San Diego Padres will recall starting pitcher Nick Margevicius from the minors in order to start on Saturday against the Marlins. The 22-year-old left-hander has been up and down in his nine starts for the Friars this year, posting a 2-5 record, 4.96 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 15 walks and 33 strikeouts over 45 1/3 […]

Kevin Cron Sent Down Friday

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned infielder Kevin Cron to Triple-A Reno on Friday to make room for starting pitcher Jon Duplantier, who is being called up from Reno to start against the Mets on Friday. Cron, 26, had three hits in 13 at-bats (.231) with two runs and two RBI in his brief time in the […]

Zach Eflin Placed On Injured List, Cole Irvin Back Up

The Philadelphia Phillies placed starting pitcher Zach Eflin (back) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with mid-back tightness and recalled starter Cole Irvin from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move. Eflin's injured list stint is retroactive to May 28. Eflin was 5-5 with a decent 3.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 14 walks and 51 […]

Curtis Granderson Out Against Lefty, Martin Prado At First Base

Miami Marlins outfielder Curtis Granderson is not in the starting lineup on Friday against Padres left-handed starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi. Austin Dean is leading off and hitting leadoff, while Martin Prado will get the first crack at first base with Neil Walker (quadriceps) on the injured list. Dean is a desperation deep sleeper consideration in […]

Jonathan Lucroy Has Dynamite Friday Matchup

Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy will have a juicy matchup Friday night against starter Mike Leake and the Mariners. Lucroy is enjoyed a solid month of May, slashing .264/.350/.521 with three doubles, five home runs and 13 runs batted in. The veteran will carry plenty of streamer appeal for Friday's slate of games as […]

Justin Smoak Out, Cavan Biggio Returns

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak is out of the lineup on Friday with no designated hitter in a National League park. Second baseman Cavan Biggio (illness) returns after missing two games and will hit sixth against Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez. Rowdy Tellez is at first and is batting third at Coors Field. […]

Michael Brantley Slashing .330/.394/.585 In May

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley will have a favorable matchup Friday against starter Mike Fiers and the A's. Brantley has been an offensive force from the moment he put on an Astros uniform and is slashing .330/.394/.585 in the month of May with five home runs, nine doubles and 15 runs batted in. He has […]