2 mins agoHouston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (hand) is back at third base and in his customary second spot in the batting order on Monday for the series opener in San Francisco against the Giants and left-hander Kyle Harrison. Bregman was pulled from Sunday's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels early after being hit on the left hand by a pitch, the second time last week that happened. Bregman said he was hit in a different spot on Sunday, though, and he was once again able to avoid a significant injury when X-rays came back negative. Fantasy managers will want to get the 30-year-old two-time All-Star back in their starting lineups this week. The former second overall pick in 2015 out of LSU comes into Monday's game riding an 11-game hitting streak. Over that span, he has five home runs, two doubles, a triple and nine RBI.Source: MLB.com
7 mins agoChicago White Sox outfielders Andrew Benintendi (Achilles) and Tommy Pham (ankle) were sent to the Arizona Complex League on Monday to start their minor-league rehab assignments. Benintendi could come off the 10-day injured list later this week when he's eligible while dealing with left-Achilles tendonitis. On a bad White Sox team, the 29-year-old left-handed hitter is lacking fantasy value in mixed leagues while currently hitting .195/.230/.284 with four home runs, 18 RBI and 13 runs scored in 190 at-bats. Like Benintendi, Pham could return on Thursday when he's eligible to come off the 10-day IL if he avoids setbacks with his left-ankle sprain in the minors early this week. The 36-year-old has been much more productive for the Pale Hose, hitting .280 with three home runs and three steals in just 33 games in 2024.Source: Chicago White Sox
13 mins agoCleveland Guardians right-hander Ben Lively (undisclosed) has been sent back to Cleveland to undergo some medical exams with an undisclosed injury, and there is no word yet on the results. Hopefully it's not a serious injury that Lively has been dealing with, as he's been terrific for Cleveland and his fantasy managers, winning each of his last five starts while giving up eight earned runs on 23 hits (five home runs) while walking six and fanning 22 in 28 1/3 innings since May 14. However, the 32-year-old veteran was removed from his latest outing early on Saturday against the Miami Marlins after throwing 65 pitches in five shutout innings. Manager Stephen Vogt said Lively experienced tightness after sitting for an extended period in the top of the fifth inning. With two off days this week, the Guardians could certainly skip Lively's turn in the rotation this week.Source: The Associated Press - Tom Withers
18 mins agoBaltimore Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer (triceps) threw a bullpen session on Monday and is likely to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment as the next step. It remains to be seen how many rehab starts the O's will require Kremer to make before they reinstate him from the 15-day injured list. The 28-year-old has already been out for three weeks with a right-triceps strain and will most likely require more than one rehab start before he rejoins the Orioles' starting rotation. Before going on the shelf, the former 14th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 out of Nevada went 3-4 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 49 strikeouts and 18 walks in 50 innings over his nine starts. Kremer is a viable matchup-based deep-league streamer when he's healthy with a strong Orioles offense backing him.Source: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko
22 mins agoToronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said on Saturday that closer Jordan Romano (elbow), who received an anti-inflammatory injection in his right elbow on June 2, will resume throwing on Monday. The plan is to get Romano out to 150 feet and proceed to mound work from there. The 31-year-old right-handed reliever is being brought along slowly after landing on the injured list for the second time already this season, but he could avoid going on a minor-league rehab assignment if the Blue Jays like what they see from him once he starts throwing off the mound and against live hitters in batting practice. Until Romano is able to rejoin Toronto's bullpen, righty Yimi Garcia will operate as the team's closer in the ninth inning. While battling injuries, Romano hasn't been as good as he has been in recent seasons and is currently 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, eight saves and 13 K's in 13 2/3 innings.Source: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi
26 mins agoSan Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting Houston Astros. Chapman felt his hamstring tighten/cramp up while diving for a ball on Saturday night against the Texas Rangers and was held out of Sunday's lineup as a precaution, so he'll miss his second straight game. For now, the 31-year-old veteran should be considered day-to-day with an injury that doesn't appear to be very serious. Chapman has gone 7-for-27 (.259) with no homers, three doubles, one RBI, six stolen bases and eight strikeouts in seven games so far in the month of June and is hitting .240/.318/.407 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 274 plate appearances in his first year with the team. Casey Schmitt is back at third and batting ninth on Monday against Astros rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.Source: MLB.com - Maria I. Guardado
43 mins agoNew York Mets infield prospect Luisangel Acuna has struggled at the plate with Triple-A Syracuse, and his offensive woes have carried over into June. At the end of May, he was slashing .256/.309/.363 with 14 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases in 51 games. Through the first eight games of June, he's slashing .171/.237/.229 with a double, a home run, and three steals. Before joining the Mets at the 2023 Trade Deadline, Acuna had a .830 OPS in 84 games with the Rangers' Double-A affiliate. Since then, he's yet to reach a .700 OPS in any single month. Fortunately, he's still running well. Through 59 games in 2024, he has 22 steals. Acuna is the Mets' No. 5 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) and could make his MLB debut later this year if the Mets are out of contention.Source: Baseball Reference
50 mins agoColorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Lawrence (shoulder) faced live hitters during Monday's live batting practice session. It sounds like everything went well and Lawrence is making progress from his shoulder injury that has kept him out since late May. The Rockies are hopeful that some rest will help the right-hander get back on track. Before going down, Lawrence held a 5.91 ERA, 1.83 WHIP in 21 1/3 innings of work. Currently, the Rockies are using a committee approach with Jalen Beeks, Tyler Kinley, and Nick Mears at the closer spot. This is a situation to avoid in terms of fantasy baseball.Source: Thomas Harding
56 mins agoOakland Athletics outfield prospect Colby Thomas has been spectacular with Double-A Midland to start the 2024 season. Through 54 games, he's slashing .273/.329/.565 with 17 doubles, 14 home runs, 46 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He struggled briefly at the start of May, going 9-for-50 (.188 AVG) through 11 games. However, he's slashing .277/.337/.639 with 17 extra-base hits and 7 walks in 94 plate appearances since. While the 23-year-old left fielder isn't expected to make his MLB debut until 2025, there's a good chance he'll be promoted to Triple-A by the end of this season.Source: Baseball Reference
58 mins agoSeattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran slugger appears to be getting a routine rest day here. Garver was sluggish to begin the season but is 4-for-13 with two home runs and five walks over the last four games. Despite that, it appears the Mariners aren't committed to putting him in the lineup full-time again. Mitch Haniger will serve as designated hitter and bat fifth versus right-hander Erick Fedde.Source: mlb.com
1 hour agoMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Joe Ross (back) has reportedly suffered a setback while rehabbing. The hope was that Ross would be able to return to the team around mid-June. After this news, Ross is unlikely to be back until at least some time in July. He still needs to go on a minor league rehab assignment as well. It's possible that Chris Rodriguez sticks in the starting rotation for a few more turns.Source: Tood Rosiak
1 hour agoNew York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals. This is a well deserved day off for Judge who has started the first 67 games of the season for the Yankees. He has been red-hot at the plate with three home runs and 12 RBI over his last six games. The good news is that Juan Soto (forearm) is back in the lineup and serving as the designated hitter on Monday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.Source: Brendan Kuty
1 hour agoThrough the first month of the 2024 season, Washington Nationals outfield prospect Dylan Crews slashed just .225/.296/.664 with a double, two home runs, and 11 RBI with Double-A Harrisburg. In 130 plate appearances since the beginning of May, Crews is slashing .286/.362/.464 with eight doubles, two homers, 23 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. Considering his performance, he could soon receive a Triple-A promotion, and there's a chance he'll make his big-league debut at some point this season. In total, Crews is slashing .267/.342/.435 with nine doubles, three triples, four homers, 34 RBI, and 12 steals.Source: Baseball Reference
1 hour agoNew York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (forearm) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The superstar slugger returns to the lineup after missing each of the last three games due to elbow inflammation. The Yankees will bring back Soto slowly and have him serve as the designated hitter on Monday. The assumption is that he'll be back in the outfield soon. Fantasy managers should make sure to adjust their lineups with Soto returning here.Source: Brendan Kuty
1 hour agoOakland Athletics first baseman/outfielder Seth Brown is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the San Diego Padres. This marks the second game in a row that Brown has sat out against a right-handed starting pitcher. Brown has been struggling with a .190/.250/.307 slash line this season. Daz Cameron will cover right field and bat sixth versus right-hander Dylan Cease on Monday. It appears Cameron is going to get an increased look going forward.Source: mlb.com