2 mins agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder/designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber (back) remains out of the starting lineup on Monday against the New York Mets for the series opener in what will be his third straight missed game. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger was pulled from Friday's game early with lower-back soreness and remains out for the Phils to kick off the new week. The good news is his injury isn't considered very serious, and he's hoping to return to action on Tuesday for the second game of the series at Citi Field.
Nick Castellanos is at DH on Monday and is hitting cleanup, while
Whit Merrifield is in left field and batting leadoff against Mets left-hander
Sean Manaea. Merrifield has four hits in eight career at-bats against Manaea and plays as a low-cost DFD sleeper on Monday against a lefty.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NBC Sports Philadelphia - Corey Seidman
8 mins agoTampa Bay Rays third baseman
Isaac Paredes will retreat to the bench on Monday for the series opener at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. With Paredes riding pine,
Amed Rosario will take over at the hot corner for Tampa and hit fifth in the batting order against Red Sox right-hander
Kutter Crawford. There's a chance Paredes is being checked for a concussion after getting hit in the helmet by a pitch on Sunday against the New York Yankees, even though the 25-year-old stayed in for the rest of the game on Mother's Day. Unless we hear otherwise, it's just a planned day of rest. Paredes is hitting an even .300 (42-for-140) this year with eight homers and 22 RBI. Rosario is hitting .375 in eight career at-bats against Crawford, who has pitched extremely well so far in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
14 mins agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder
George Springer and designated hitter
Justin Turner are both sitting out on Monday for the series opener against the Orioles in Baltimore. With both veterans resting,
Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting eighth, while
Daniel Vogelbach is the DH and is batting fifth against Orioles right-hander
Corbin Burnes.
Davis Schneider is in left field and is hitting leadoff for the Blue Jays. Springer missed Friday and Saturday against the Minnesota Twins but returned on Sunday to go 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The 34-year-old has struggled so far in 2024 with a .200 average (29-for-145), three homers and six stolen bases. Turner has one hit in his last 22 at-bats in his last five starts, so he'll be on the bench for the second straight game. None of Toronto's replacements on Monday will be particularly attractive in DFS against Burnes.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Toronto Blue Jays
22 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates second base prospect
Termarr Johnson continues to face early-season struggles in High-A. He's 3-for-29 in May, good for a .103 batting average. Despite the low average, Johnson has still shown tremendous plate discipline. He's drawn 12 walks, resulting in a .395 on-base percentage in May. In addition, he's only struck out six times. A significant contributor to his low batting average is his .130 BABIP. Although Johnson hasn't been making solid contact, he's suffered from exceptionally bad luck so far. At just 19 years old, he has ample time to develop, with his MLB debut not expected until 2025.
--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
2 hours agoNew York Mets outfielder
Brandon Nimmo (intercostal) will return to the lineup on Monday and hit leadoff against the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander
Cristopher Sanchez. Nimmo left Saturday's game early with right-intercostal irritation, and that injury also prevented him from starting on Sunday. However, the outfielder was feeling good enough to come off the bench and hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. He appears to be healthy heading into the Mets' four-game set against the Phillies and will slide right back into the top spot in the batting order for New York. He is hitting .234 with six home runs and 27 RBI in 38 games this season.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoBoston Red Sox outfielder
Wilyer Abreu sat out the team's 3-2 win against the Washington Nationals on Sunday with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. But Abreu will return to the lineup and bat second in Monday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 24-year-old hasn't seen many opportunities in the two-hole for Boston this season, only hitting there twice over the past 18 games. However, this is now his second consecutive start batting in that spot. That should lead to more run-scoring chances, considering both Tyler O'Neill and
Rafael Devers are batting behind him. The young outfielder could also start all four games in this series with the Rays throwing out all right-handed pitchers. He is hitting .282 with three home runs, nine doubles, and 14 RBI in 34 games this season.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoThe Baltimore Orioles optioned outfielder
Heston Kjerstad to Triple-A ahead of their three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. Kjerstad was one of the hottest hitters at Triple-A this season, batting an absurd .349 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI in 21 games. As a result, the Orioles decided to call him up in late April. However, the left-handed slugger didn't see the playing time he deserved upon his promotion and only started four games for Baltimore over the past three weeks. He had just two hits across 17 plate appearances in 2024. The move to send down MLB Pipeline's No. 23 prospect has likely something to do with the team wanting the young outfielder to get more consistent at-bats at the plate. In a corresponding move, the Orioles called up
Kyle Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Britt Ghiroli
3 hours agoTexas Rangers rookie pitcher
Jack Leiter is scheduled to start at home against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday. Despite struggling in his first two major league starts, it appears the Rangers will give Leiter another chance to prove himself on the mound. The right-hander gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in his first start against the Detroit Tigers on April 18 and then allowed four earned runs (six runs) across four innings against the Oakland A's on May 8. It's been sort of a rough go for the Rangers' No. 6 prospect to begin his MLB career, so he should only be started in extremely deep formats on Tuesday.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
3 hours agoToronto Blue Jays infield prospect
Orelvis Martinez was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk on Sunday against the Worcester Red Sox. Over the previous five games, he had managed only one hit and three walks in 17 plate appearances. Despite a cold spell, Martinez has been excellent in Triple-A. Through 36 games with the Buffalo Bisons, he's hitting .277/.362/.569 with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, and 31 runs scored. Positionally, he spent his first 22 starts at second base. However, two of his last six starts have seen him at third. It may be that Martinez is taking reps at the hot corner in preparation for his major league debut. According to MLB.com, that debut should come sometime this year.
--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
3 hours agoThe Baltimore Orioles plan to call up outfielder
Kyle Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. This will be Stowers's third time up in the majors with the first two coming in 2022 and 2023. Both times, though, the outfielder struggled mightily at the plate. He is hitting just .207 with three home runs, four doubles, and 11 RBI over 48 major league games in his career so far. As a result, he isn't an add in most formats. However, keep an eye on his playing time over the next few games because he showed some power potential in 36 Triple-A games this season, hitting 11 HRs with 11 doubles and 32 RBI.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Britt Ghiroli
3 hours agoCincinnati Reds pitching prospect
Rhett Lowder made his first start for Double-A Chattanooga on Saturday against the Tennessee Smokies. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out five batters over five innings, allowing six hits, three runs, and a walk along the way. Despite having thrown more than 80 pitches in only one of his six starts this season, he finished with 76 pitches (50 strikes). The Reds' decision to promote Lowder after just five professional appearances shows how confident they are in his abilities. According to MLB.com, Lowder is expected to make his major league debut later this year.
--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com Top 100 Prospects
3 hours agoChicago White Sox shortstop prospect
Colson Montgomery continued showing improvement over the weekend with a 3-for-8 performance against the Braves Triple-A affiliate that included three RBI and two extra-base hits. Montgomery struggled through in April, slashing just .211/.324/.358 with three HRs, nine RBI, and 38 strikeouts in 112 plate appearances. However, he's been turning things around in May, posting a .265/.419/.618 slash line with three HRs, six RBI, and only eight strikeouts in 43 plate appearances. Overall, Montgomery's numbers for the season have improved to .225/.351/.426 with 29 hits (including 13 extra-base hits), 6 HRs, 15 RBI, and 18 runs scored, indicating a trend in the right direction.
--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
4 hours agoSan Francisco Giants left-hander
Blake Snell (groin) expects to make another minor-league rehab start before being reinstated from the injured list to rejoin the Giants' starting rotation. Snell was dominant in his first rehab outing with Single-A San Jose on Sunday, tossing four shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He threw only 46 pitches in the contest but touched 97 mph on the radar gun and tossed an addition 15 pitches in the bullpen after being removed from the contest. It makes sense for San Francisco to give Snell another start in the minors after he got off to a late start in 2024 because of the timing of his signing. The 31-year-old reigning National League Cy Young winner also got off to a rough start in his first three games before landing on the injured list, going 0-3 with an 11.57 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with 12 K's in 11 2/3 innings.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Chronicle - Susan Slusser
5 hours agoSeattle Mariners right-hander
Bryan Woo (forearm) is listed as the team's probable starter for this Wednesday's game against the visiting Kansas City Royals. Woo was removed from the injured list last week in order to make his season debut on Friday in a strong matchup against the visiting Oakland Athletics. The 24-year-old looked good, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless inning before being removed with right-forearm tightness. It was concerning since Woo missed the first six weeks of the regular season with right-elbow inflammation, but it turns out his latest injury isn't serious enough to keep him from making his second start of 2024. Woo looked good on Friday but did only throw 62 pitches in the outing, so fantasy managers looking for streamers should consider him pretty risky on Wednesday in a shy-away matchup against KC.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 hours agoMinnesota Twins catcher/designated hitter
Ryan Jeffers is tied for ninth in the American League with nine home runs. He has served in the DH role for the Twins more than anyone else, but despite that, he has yet to hit a home run as the DH. Eight of Jeffers' home runs have come on days when he's the starting catcher, and the other homer came when he was used as a pinch-hitter. It's something to watch, but Jeffers is hitting .275 as the DH with a .772 OPS and six doubles. "If it was a problem, it would be on our radar. But he's had good at-bats as the DH. He's comfortable as the DH," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "If the definition of hitting for power is hitting home runs, then no. But he's hitting the ball hard as hell all over the park, even as the DH."
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Minneapolis Star Tribune - Phil Miller
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