Michael Brantley Homers, Adds Two Hits In Astros Debut

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Michael Brantley went 2-for-4 in his first game with his new team, including his first home run of the season. The Astros big free-agent acquisition immediately made his presence felt, taking Rays left-hander Blake Snell deep to lead off the fourth inning. Brantley is a very talented hitter but health has […]

Danny Jansen Sitting Out On Friday Night

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen will be on the bench for Friday's game against Matt Boyd and the Detroit Tigers. Luke Maile will draw in behind the plate and bat ninth. Maile has a .210 average across 171 games in his MLB career. He has no fantasy value whatsoever. The 23-year-old Jansen is the […]

Neil Walker Batting Third On Friday

After mashing a pinch-hit homer on Opening Day, second baseman Neil Walker will bat third for the Miami Marlins in Friday's game against the Rockies. Walker will start in place of Miguel Rojas, who struggled at the plate as well as on the field in Miami's Opening Day loss on Thursday. Walker hit four home […]

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 […]

Yandy Diaz Batting Cleanup Against The Astros

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Yandy Diaz is batting fourth on Friday night against Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros. The Cuban infielder was 1-for-3 with a walk on Opening Day. Diaz is an intriguing fantasy sleeper due to his substantial power at the plate. With Matt Duffy (hamstring) sidelined, he will have an opportunity […]

Jose Urena Roughed Up, Injured in Opening Day Loss

It was a tough Opening Day for Miami Marlins starter Jose Urena, who was roughed up for six runs in less than five innings of work on Thursday. To make matters worse, Urena took a hard grounder off the left leg early in his start against the Rockies. The right hander was fine enough to […]

Tyler White Sitting Friday

Houston Astros first baseman Tyler White is not in the starting lineup on Friday against Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton. Instead, outfielder Tony Kemp will serve as the designated hitter and will bat ninth. Kemp hit .263 with just six home runs, 30 RBI and nine stolen bases in 97 games last year for the […]

Tony Wolters In, Chris Iannetta Out For Friday's Lineup

Colorado Rockies catcher Tony Wolters will be batting eighth against Trevor Richards and the Miami Marlins on Friday afternoon. Chris Iannetta will draw out of the lineup after going 2-for-3 with an RBI on Opening Day. Neither player is very appealing for fantasy purposes in shallow leagues, although, Iannetta is expected to be the busier […]

Billy McKinney Starting In Right Field Against The Tigers

Toronto Blue Jays utility player Billy McKinney will bat seventh and start in right field against Matt Boyd and the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Rowdy Tellez draws out of the lineup after going 0-for-2 with a walk on Opening Day. McKinney, a former top prospect, had stretches of success with the Jays last season. […]

Curtis Granderson Batting Leadoff On Friday

Miami Marlins outfielder Curtis Granderson will bat at the top of the lineup on Friday against German Marquez and the Colorado Rockies. Granderson is replacing Rosell Herrera who went 0-for-3 on Opening Day. Lewis Brinson also moves down to eighth in the lineup with the move. Granderson has seen his days of fantasy relevance go […]

Carlos Correa Still Out Friday

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (neck) remains out of the lineup on Friday. Aledmys Diaz will continue to fill in at shortstop and will hit seventh against Rays starter Charlie Morton on Friday. Diaz went 0-for-4 on Opening Day and is a pretty weak DFS play in the second game of the season. Correa continues […]

Zach Eflin (SP, PHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: After a handful of lousy starts in 2016 and 2017, Zach Eflin rode increased fastball velocity last year to an excellent first half wherein he produced tidy ratios (3.15 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) along with close to a strikeout per inning and nearly five strikeouts […]

Diego Castillo (SP/RP, TAM) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Diego Castillo emerged as a key cog in the Rays' bullpen after Tampa traded away Alex Colome last season. Over 56.2 innings of work, he posted a 3.18 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, with 64 strikeouts against just 18 walks. He performed especially well […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. On An Accelerated Timeline To The Majors

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (oblique) is on an "expedited time frame" to the majors, according to team president Mark Shapiro. Guerrero will play in extended spring training games throughout the weekend. He is already ahead of schedule in his return from the Grade 1 left oblique strain that he suffered at […]

Justin Bour (1B, LAA) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: In 2017, Justin Bour had a .902 OPS, 25 home runs, and 83 RBI in just 108 games with Miami in 2017 before injuries cut his season short. One of the secrets to his success that season was improved performance against left-handed pitchers. That […]

Hunter Pence Hits Fifth In Season Opener

Texas Rangers outfielder Hunter Pence occupied the fifth spot in the lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day. Pence lined up in the designated hitter spot, which belonged to Shin-Soo Choo for much of last season. This lineup would indicate that Pence and Choo could be in a straight platoon for the DH spot […]

Gerrit Cole Making First Start of 2019

Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole will make his 2019 debut Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. Cole is coming off the second-best season of his career in 2018, where he went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA and 2.70 FIP in 200 1/3 innings last year, striking out 276 batters. Cole is the best […]

Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: A late-season surge in 2017 had Polanco rising in the estimation of many fantasy owners last spring. Unfortunately for those who invested in his services, late in spring training it was announced that the Twins' shortstop had tested positive for a banned substance and would […]

Nomar Mazara Marks Opening Day With A Home Run

Texas Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara kicked off his 2019 season with a monster home run against the Chicago Cubs. Mazara's home run was the longest of opening day at 482 feet, and demonstrates just how much underlying power the still young outfielder has. Mazara hit 13 of his 20 home runs last season in the […]

Joey Lucchesi Facing Giants In First 2019 Start

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi takes the mound on Friday against the San Francisco Giants. Lucchesi went 8-9 as a rookie last year with a 4.08 ERA and 4.31 FIP, but also a 3.45 xFIP and 26.5% strikeout rate. Lucchesi had a solid spring and is an intriguing play in daily fantasy tonight […]

Jack Flaherty Set For 2019 Debut

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty will make his 2019 debut Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers and their dangerous lineup. Flaherty went 8-9 with a 3.34 ERA and 3.86 FIP in 28 starts last season and put together a strong spring training this year. Even though Flaherty had success at Miller Park last […]

Jung Ho Kang (3B, PIT) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: Spring training stats may be more noise than signal, but extreme performances are still worth noting. Jung Ho Kang's work in camp certainly qualifies, as he led all hitters with seven home runs in just 45 plate appearances. Two of his other three hits were […]

Yolmer Sanchez Starts Season With 0-for-4 Opener

Chicago White Sox second baseman Yolmer Sanchez started Wednesday and hit ninth, going 0-for-4 at the plate. A notoriously streaky hitter, Sanchez's OPS dropped from .732 in 2016 to .678 in 2017.  Sanchez can safely be avoided in all but the deepest of fantasy leagues and is only keeping second base warm in Chicago until […]

Franklin Perez To Miss 4-6 Weeks

Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Franklin Perez will miss four to six weeks with right shoulder tendinitis. Perez also missed time with a shoulder issue last year after being traded by the Houston Astros in 2017 as part of the Justin Verlander deal. Perez, whom MLB.com ranked the 78th best prospect for 2019, is only relevant […]

Eloy Jimenez Goes 0-For-3 in MLB Debut

Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first-ever MLB action on Thursday. Not all was lost for fantasy purposes as he got an RBI when hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and then came around to score a run as well. The first of many career hits […]

Fernando Rodney The Oldest Active Player in MLB

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Fernando Rodney, 42, is the only active player left born in the 1970's now that Ichiro Suzuki is officially retired and with Bartolo Colon unable to find a team. Rodney saved 25 games for the Minnesota Twins last year before being traded to Oakland in August, where he took on a […]

Kolten Wong, Harrison Bader Hoping to "Bring Some Magic"

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong and outfielder Harrison Bader hope that the power trend they established from the bottom of the order on Thursday with a combined three home runs continues. Wong said that he and Bader "told ourselves we’re not going to be satisfied with being the seventh and eighth hitters. I’m […]

Jay Bruce's Struggles Continue

Seattle Mariners first baseman Jay Bruce went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Thursday and is now slugging just .083 in 12 at-bats in 2019 after scuffling to a .223/.310/.370 line last year in just 94 games for the New York Mets. Bruce has fallen a long way from his 36-homer season in 2017. As long […]

Hector Neris Allows First Home Run Since Last June

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris allowed a two-out, two-run home run to Matt Joyce in the seventh inning of Philadelphia's 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. It was the first home run Neris had given up since he allowed three on June 29 of last year. He returned to action on August […]

Charlie Morton Facing Astros Produces Mixed Emotions

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton will face his old team, the Houston Astros, in his first 2019 start for Tampa Bay on Friday. Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, "I love the man...I will have mixed emotions seeing him out there in a different uniform against our guys." Morton, for his part, admitted that […]