23 mins agoAtlanta Braves relief pitcher Joe Jimenez picked up his first save of the season in Monday's 2-1 win over the Tigers. Jimenez came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one and turned in a 1-2-3 outing with a strikeout to end the game. Closer Raisel Iglesias had pitched in three of the team's last four games, so Jimenez was called upon to close things out. The 29-year-old has pitched well this season, earning 14 holds with a 2.89 ERA, a 9.64 K/9 rate, and a 3.21 BB/9 rate in 28 innings pitched. He may not produce enough fantasy value for traditional leagues, but his overall high-leverage role should make him a worthwhile fantasy option in saves-plus-holds leagues.Source: MLB.com
30 mins agoAtlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies made his one hit count in Monday's 2-1 win over the Tigers. Albies went 1-for-4 with a go-ahead solo home run and a strikeout. The 27-year-old deposited an eighth-inning Shelby Miller fastball deep into the right-field seats to put the Braves ahead for good. The HR was a welcome sight for fantasy managers, as Albies has not provided the power they are accustomed to. He is now slashing .260/.318/.400 with five HR, 33 RBI, and four stolen bases in 274 plate appearances. The entire Braves' lineup has started to pick things up lately, so hopefully Albies can get in on the action as well.Source: MLB.com
31 mins agoBoston Red Sox second baseman prospect Nick Yorke was promoted to Triple-A Worcester earlier this month, and in 11 games there, the 22-year-old is 17-for-42 (.405) with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, 11 runs scored, three stolen bases, and a 9:11 BB:K. Romy Gonzalez came off the IL and got the start at second base for Boston on Monday, but it's just a matter of time until the Red Sox see what they have in Yorke at the major league level and it should be this season. Vaughn Grissom, who was supposed to be Boston's second baseman this season, recently began baseball activities but doesn't seem close to returning. Regardless of when, though, Yorke should be opening eyes in dynasty leagues if not already stashed.Source: MiLB.com
36 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar picked up his 15th save of the season in Monday's 4-1 win over the Reds. Bednar entered the game to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three and delivered a 1-2-3 performance with a strikeout to end the game. The 29-year-old has converted all but three of his save opportunities this season, but he has not delivered as much as fantasy managers were expecting with a 5.34 ERA in 33 appearances and 30 1/3 innings pitched. The encouraging news is that Bednar has been much better in June, allowing just two runs in seven IP. Bednar has been a useful fantasy option each of the last two seasons and appears to have solid job security, so fantasy managers should continue to put their trust in him as he improves.Source: MLB.com
43 mins agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher rookie sensation Paul Skenes continued to impress in Monday's 4-1 win over the Reds. Skenes pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. The 22-year-old has looked every bit like one of the top fantasy prospects in baseball, going 4-0 with a 2.29 ERA, a 12.13 K/9 rate, a 1.60 BB/9 rate, and four quality starts in seven starts and 39 1/3 IP. He should have a good opportunity to add another quality start to his season in his next scheduled start, which will be a favorable matchup against a struggling Rays lineup.Source: MLB.com
45 mins agoBoston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen earned his 12th save of the season in Monday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays. Jansen entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning up by four with two outs and runners on first and second. He induced a pop-out from Davis Schneider to end the game. The 36-year-old veteran has once again been a steady fantasy contributor, converting all but one of his save opportunities with a 2.70 ERA, an 11.57 K/9 rate, and a 4.24 BB/9 rate in 23 1/3 innings pitched. The walks are on the high side for Jansen, but his strikeouts have taken a jump up and his ERA is lower than it has been the past several seasons. Overall, Jansen is still the high-end fantasy closer he has always been.Source: MLB.com
46 mins agoBoston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Tyler O'Neill was in the middle of the home run parade in Monday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays. O'Neill went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs, a walk, and an intentional walk. The 28-year-old clobbered a first-inning Yusei Kikuchi fastball deep into the left-field seats and took him deep again to center field in the third. O'Neill has been somewhat of a fantasy disappointment since his stellar 2021 season, but he has slashed a solid .258/.354/.534 with 14 HR, 37 runs scored, 25 RBI, and one stolen base in 206 plate appearances this season. The stolen bases are not close to what he has provided before, but fantasy managers can't complain given his respectable batting average and high power contribution.Source: MLB.com
48 mins agoChicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie belted his fifth home run in the month of June and eighth of the season on Sunday for Triple-A Iowa. The 21-year-old also drove in four runs, giving him 16 RBI in June and 40 on the season. Pete-Crow Armstrong and Alexander Canario have had multiple shots to make an impact with the big league club without great results, and with the offense scuffling, Caissie may be the next to get the call to the majors. Said to have some of the best power in the minors, the Cubs' top offensive prospect per MLB.com could have an immediate impact once he gets a shot, and the way he's hitting might force their hand.Source: MiLB.com
49 mins agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez rebounded nicely in Monday's 9-2 win over the Padres, improving his record to 4-3. Sanchez pitched seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts. The 27-year-old has been a fantasy asset again this season with a 2.91 ERA, a 7.68 K/9 rate, and a 2.79 BB/9 rate in 14 starts and 77 1/3 IP. His low win total is a bit surprising given how well the Phillies' offense has performed, but everything else has been solid from a fantasy perspective. Sanchez is slated to face a hot Diamondbacks offense in his next start, but he has pitched well enough to make him worth starting to maximize his two-start week.Source: MLB.com
50 mins agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder/designated hitter Kyle Schwarber put his power on display yet again in Monday's 9-2 win over the Padres. Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a pair of two-run home runs (including a 441-foot blast) and two walks. He was also caught trying to steal second base. The 31-year-old has provided plenty of counting stats as fantasy managers have come to expect, hitting 16 HR with 52 runs scored and 47 RBI. Surprisingly, he has also provided a decent .253 batting average with four stolen bases. Fantasy managers expected to take a hit in batting average with Schwarber in exchange for power, so his current production has been a bonus to an already solid fantasy profile.Source: MLB.com
1
hour
agoAfter
a
red-hot
May
in
which
he
slashed
.376/.424/.587,
Cleveland
Guardians
shortstop
prospect
Jose
Tena
cooled
off
to
begin
the
month,
slashing
just
.217/.294/.283
over
the
first
10
games.
Over
the
last
four
games,
however,
the
left-handed
hitter
has
gone
9-for-18
(.500)read more...
2 hours agoOakland Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (elbow), who has been out since May 25 due to a strained right elbow, has begun throwing from 105 feet. However, manager Mark Kotsay has no timetable for Stripling to throw a bullpen session off of a mound. The A's sound like they are taking their sweet time with Stripling's rehab. At such a slow pace, the 34-year-old veteran is not going to be ready to return from the injured before the All-Star break in mid-July. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues should have already moved on with Stripling starting the year 1-9 in Oakland with a 5.82 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.59 WHIP with 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 55 2/3 innings over his 11 starts for the A's. Stripling has pinpoint control with a 4.8% walk rate, but he's also down to a career-low 13.9% strikeout rate. That's just not going to cut it.Source: The Associated Press
2 hours agoKansas City Royals infielder Michael Massey (back) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday night. Massey will begin playing in games again after receiving an injection in his back on May 31. The 26-year-old second baseman originally landed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower-back ligament sprain. There's a chance that we could see him back in the major-league lineup this weekend against the Texas Rangers on the road if he doesn't encounter a setback in Triple-A. When he's ready to come off the IL, the former fourth-round selection in 2019 should return to regular duties at the keystone in Kansas City. Massey was hitting a solid .294 (30-for-102) at the time of his injury with six home runs and 17 runs scored in 29 games. Nick Loftin played two of the three games at the keystone over the weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Source: Kansas City Royals
2 hours agoCleveland Guardians infield prospect Angel Genao, who was recently promoted to High-A Lake County, has continued to hit since moving up. The 20-year-old has a .268-1-3-6-2 line in 10 games with High-A, and four of his 11 hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles, one home run). It was much of the same at Single-A, collecting 23 extra-base hits there (14 doubles, three triples, six home runs) and tallied 12 more stolen bases. The switch-hitter is the Guardians' 11th-ranked prospect with an ETA of 2026 per MLB.com's Top Prospects List, but with his hit tool and speed profile, he may have to be bumped up on dynasty watch lists.Source: Guardians Prospective
2 hours agoKansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (foot) was scheduled to make a minor-league rehab start in the Arizona Complex League on Monday. Depending on how Wacha feels after his outing on Monday in the Rookie League, there's a chance that the Royals will feel that he's ready to come off the 15-day injured list and rejoin their starting rotation. If that's indeed the case, the 32-year-old veteran would likely make his first start back in the big leagues this weekend in Texas against the Rangers. Wacha is attempting to return from a left-foot fracture that landed him on the injured list on June 2. The former first-rounder will surely be more risky as a fantasy starter in his first start back if he only makes the one rehab appearance. On the year in his first season in KC, Wacha is 4-5 with a 4.24 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and only 56 strikeouts in 68 innings over 12 starts.Source: Kansas City Royals