32 mins agoSeattle Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford went 4-for-4 with a triple and a stolen base against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Sunday night. After a decent April, wherein he slashed .218/.371/.410 with six doubles and three home runs in 97 plate appearances, the 21-year-old catcher has been outstanding in May. Through 67 plate appearances this month, he's hitting .340/.478/.528 with three doubles, two triples, and one homer. Overall, Ford has displayed excellent power and advanced plate discipline for a player his age. Through 35 games, he only has three more strikeouts (32) than walks (29). Ford is ranked #28 on MLB's top-100 prospects list and is expected to make his MLB debut sometime next year.--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
48 mins agoIn 2023, Chicago White Sox shortstop prospect Brooks Baldwin posted impressive numbers in 93 minor-league games. Splitting time between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem, he slashed .269/.349/.460 with 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBI, and 42 walks. As a result, he was assigned to Double-A Birmingham to begin the 2024 season. So far, Baldwin has been even better. Through his first 155 plate appearances, he's slashing .353/.439/.474 with 10 doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI, and 19 walks. Despite the dip in his home-run rate, Baldwin has shown he can excel at the Double-A level. At the beginning of the season, he was just the 24th overall prospect in the White Sox's farm system, according to MLB.com. If he keeps playing well, he'll almost certainly climb the leaderboards.--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
1 hour agoThe Cleveland Guardians designated outfielder
Ramon Laureano for assignment before the team's series opener against the New York Mets. Laureano was off to a rough start in 2024, hitting just .143 with one home run and four RBI across 31 games. The 29-year-old outfielder also had just two hits over his last 31 plate appearances. He should now have the opportunity to sign with any team as a free agent.
Johnathan Rodriguez will take his place on the active roster after the team called him up on Monday.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Mandy Bell
1 hour agoChicago White Sox starting pitcher prospect Drew Thorpe was dominant through his first six starts in 2024. In 35 2/3 innings with Double-A Birmingham, he had allowed just 21 hits, four runs (1.01 ERA), and nine walks while collecting 33 strikeouts. However, in his seventh start, he gave up three runs in the first inning against Pensacola Blue Wahoos and was pulled after just two outs. Fortunately, Thorpe bounced back on Saturday against the Chattanooga Lookouts, throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings, collecting seven strikeouts, and allowing just two hits and two walks. Overall, the 23-year-old right-hander has a 1.50 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 3.08 K/BB through his first eight appearances. Thorpe is a likely candidate to pitch in majors this season, making him a solid prospect stash in redraft formats. --Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
1 hour agoThe Tampa Bay Rays officially reinstated infielder
Brandon Lowe (oblique) from the 10-day injured list. Lowe last appeared in a game on April 7 before he landed on the IL with an oblique injury. As a result, expect the Rays to give the slugger some days off here and there in the coming days since he's been out for more than one month. The second baseman, though, should eventually see an everyday role when a right-hander starts on the mound. He was hitting .185 at the plate with one home run and four RBI in eight games before his injury.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Rays
1 hour agoThe Tampa Bay Rays placed
Zach Eflin (back) on the 15-day injured list before the team's three-game set against the Boston Red Sox. Eflin likely injured his back in his most recent outing on May 18 against the Toronto Blue Jays, where he gave up four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts across six innings. The right-hander has struggled in the early part of the season, giving up at least three earned runs in four of his last five outings. He will now head to the IL with a 4.12 ERA and 44 strikeouts across 10 starts.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Rays
1 hour agoThe New York Mets officially activated pitcher
Tylor Megill (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list. Megill went on the IL in late March with a shoulder strain after tossing four innings of one-run ball against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 31. Monday will mark his second start of the season, and his first since that March 31 outing. In his first start back, expect the right-hander to be on somewhat of a pitch count. However, he could be a nice streaming option against the Cleveland Guardians. He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his last rehab start in Triple-A. To activate him, the Mets optioned pitcher
Grant Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
2 hours agoToronto Blue Jays outfielder
George Springer will bat sixth against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Springer started the season as the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter, but his recent struggles at the plate have pushed him down in the order. He will bat sixth for the third straight game, where he has seen some success. The 34-year-old went 1-for-2 with one double, one RBI, and two walks in Sunday's 5-2 win. Hitting the veteran lower in the order should result in more RBI opportunities, and Toronto is hoping it helps him turn a corner on offense. He is batting just .201 with three home runs and eight RBI this season.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoSan Diego Padres second baseman
Xander Bogaerts left Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves early after injuring what appeared to be his shoulder on a diving attempt in the bottom of the third inning. Bogaerts immediately favored his shoulder before trainers took him off the field. With a quick turnaround, it's safe to say that the veteran will likely not be available for Game 2.
Tyler Wade took his spot at second base in the third inning, and he could see more playing time if Bogaerts misses an extended time.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: Kevin Acee
3 hours agoCincinnati Reds left-hander
Alex Young (back) has allowed just one unearned run over eight relief appearances and 8 1/3 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville. Young also pitched on back-to-back days on Saturday and Sunday and worked a scoreless inning in both games. The 30-year-old southpaw reliever begin his rehab assignment on May 2 after being out all year to this point in the majors due to lower-back disc degeneration. It explains why the reliever has been extended on his rehab assignment, but he has to be getting close to returning to Cincinnati's bullpen at this point. When healthy, Young gives the Reds another lefty arm in their bullpen. In his first year with the Reds in 2023, Young had a 4-2 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, his first career save, 20 walks and 50 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 hours agoCincinnati Reds left-hander
Brandon Williamson (shoulder) made his second minor-league rehab start on Sunday with Triple-A Louisville and allowed an earned run, five hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings (56 pitches. In his first rehab start on May 14 with High-A Dayton, Williamson threw three scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and four strikeouts while throwing 38 pitches. Barring any setbacks, the 26-year-old is getting very close to rejoining the Reds and could be back with the team before the end of May. The former second-round pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2019 out of Texas Christian University made his major-league debut in 2023 and went 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 39 walks and 98 strikeouts in 117 innings over 23 starts. When he returns, it remains to be seen if he'll have a rotation spot waiting for him in Cincy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 hours agoCincinnati Reds outfielder
Spencer Steer (ankle) was limited to a pinch-hitting appearance in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers and drew a walk in the seventh inning before being lifted for a pinch-runner. After the game, manager David Bell revealed that Steer has been dealing with a sore ankle. "He was available for an at-bat. He should be back fully 100 percent on Tuesday," Bell said. It sounds as though Steer will be back in the starting lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres, but fantasy managers will want to check back to make sure before returning him to starting lineups. The 26-year-old hasn't homered since May 1 and is batting just .167 (9-for-54) with 10 RBI in 16 games in the month of May to drop his season slash line to .224/.337/.373. Steer isn't swinging it well right now, but his combination of power and speed makes him attractive in all fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 hours agoCincinnati Reds right-hander
Emilio Pagan (triceps) showed some discomfort after throwing a pitch to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder
Jason Heyward in his outing on Sunday in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 3-2 loss. Pagan was removed from the game and replaced by
Alexis Diaz, and he complained of trouble with his right triceps, although he said he felt no issues until his last pitch. After undergoing tests, the Reds are optimistic the injury isn't serious, but Pagan will be seen by team doctors on Monday. The 33-year-old didn't allow a run in his inning of work on Sunday while also not allowing a hit while walking none and striking out none. In his first 19 1/3 relief innings for the Reds this year, Pagan has recorded a 4.19 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with seven walks and 25 strikeouts in 21 appearances out of the bullpen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 hours agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (hip) is expected to play in live games at the team's spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz., at some point this week. "We anticipate some game action later this week," general manager Chris Getz said. "He seems to have turned the corner and is trending well." The White Sox are bringing Robert along slowly as he deals with an injury similar to the one that caused him to miss more than three months in 2021. Once the 26-year-old begins playing in games, he'll be much closer to a return to Chicago's lineup, but the White Sox aren't going to rush the oft-injured outfielder back. There is no current timetable for his return, but the Cuban slugger should be stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy formats. Robert was a first-time All-Star in 2023 but was hitting .214 (6-for-28) with two homers and four RBI in seven games at the time of his injury.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
4 hours agoTexas Rangers third baseman
Josh Jung (wrist) is doing all baseball activities except hitting and seems hopeful that he will beat a report over the weekend saying that he will be out until early July. Jung is currently swinging a light stick and hasn't had any issues with it, but he hasn't tested his broken right wrist by swinging a bat yet. Monday marks seven weeks since Jung was hit by a pitch, and he had surgery on his wrist two days later. If he's cleared to swing a bat in the next week, there's a chance he could be back with the Rangers in late June. While Jung has had his share of injuries early in his career, he has had a history of being a quick healer, so fantasy managers will have to hope for the best. When healthy, the 26-year-old right-handed slugger is the Rangers' everyday third baseman and is a must-start in all fantasy lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: RangersToday.com - Jeff Wilson
RADIO
