35 mins agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages will start behind the plate and bat eighth in the team's series opener against the Miami Marlins on Monday. The 25-year-old catcher has now started five straight games for the Cardinals, which has moved Ivan Herrera to the designated hitter role or on the bench. Pages is coming off the best three-game stretch of his career after launching two home runs over the weekend against the Chicago Cubs. His strong series has surely earned him more playing time. But with Willson Contreras (forearm) likely beginning a rehab assignment on Tuesday, the young catcher does not have much long-term fantasy appeal.Source: MLB.com
44 mins agoSt. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman is not in the team's lineup on Monday against the Miami Marlins. With the Marlins starting a left-hander in Braxton Garrett, Gorman will take a seat, and Jose Fermin will start at second base in his place. The left-handed slugger is batting just .186 at the plate with four home runs, 12 RBI, and 27 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances against southpaw pitching this year. With a right-hander on the mound for Miami in the second game of this series, the 24-year-old should be back in the lineup on Tuesday.Source: MLB.com
53 mins agoFirst baseman Joey Votto (ankle) was transferred to the Blue Jays' rookie-level Florida Complex League to begin a rehab assignment, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Votto has been out with a right ankle sprain since March 17, when the 40-year-old rolled his ankle in the dugout in spring training. However, it appears the former MVP is now fully healthy following that injury. After he gets enough games under his belt on his rehab assignment, the Blue Jays could decide to activate the veteran to the active roster. However, he isn't worth a stash in fantasy. Votto hit just .202 last year with 14 home runs and 38 RBI across 65 games in 2023.Source: Keegan Matheson
1 hour agoWith Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts fracturing his hand on a hit-by-pitch in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, the Dodgers lineup will look slightly different in his absence. Manager Dave Roberts said the team is considering moving designated hitter Shohei Ohtani to the leadoff spot, where he has hit one other time this year. Ohtani has primarily been in the two hole for the Dodgers this season, but that could change with Betts' extended absence. Wherever the two-time MVP hits in Los Angeles' lineup shouldn't affect his fantasy value moving forward.Source: Bill Plunket
1 hour agoMiami Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo (back) said after Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Washington Nationals that he pitched through a stiff back. Luzardo was not at his best on Sunday, giving up two runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts across five innings. His fastball velocity was also down across the board and he was pulled after just 77 pitches. However, now fantasy managers know that the southpaw was battling a back injury. It remains to be seen if the left-hander will miss any time with this new back issue, but there should be an update on his status in the coming days. For now, fantasy managers can assume he will pitch this weekend against the Seattle Mariners.Source: Bally Sports Florida
2 hours agoBoston Red Sox shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer has been hitting at an elite level with Double-A Portland. In 58 games, he's slashing .301/.368/.480 with 47 runs scored, 23 doubles, six home runs, 30 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and a 24:54 BB/SO ratio. He's played particularly well in 12 June games, showcasing his impressive bat-to-ball skills, discipline, and speed. So far this month, he's slashing .326/.473/.419 with eight runs, four doubles, six RBI, three steals, and a 11:9 BB/SO ratio. Mayer, 21, is Boston's No. 1 overall prospect (per MLB.com). He's expected to make his MLB debut sometime later this season.Source: Baseball Reference
3 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list at some point during this week's series in Miami against the Marlins, potentially as early as Monday. Gallegos has been sidelined since early May with a right-shoulder impingement and could be eased back into a high-leverage setup role in the Cardinals' bullpen given how much he had struggled early on before going on the shelf. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander also didn't look good on his minor-league rehab assignment, giving up eight runs while striking out five and walking four in 6 1/3 innings pitched. The Mexican reliever had a 12.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, 13 K's and seven walks in nine innings for St. Louis earlier this year. Gallegos can be useful in holds leagues, but fantasy managers probably aren't rushing to acquire him off the waiver wire.Source: The Athletic - Katie Woo
3 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers third base prospect Brock WIlken (face) spent a month on the injured list after taking a fastball to the face in early April. Since his return to action on May 7, he's yet to hit his stride. In 34 games, he's 31-for-149 (.237 AVG) with five doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, and a 16:38 BB/SO ratio. Over his first 87 professional games (spanning from Rookie Ball to Double-A) Wilken is slashing .259/.365/.426 with 15 doubles, 10 homers, 47 RBI, four stolen bases, and a 49:93 BB/SO ratio. The No. 5 prospect in Milwaukee's farm system (per MLB.com), he's currently expected to make his MLB debut in 2025.Source: Baseball Reference
3 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) will start his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. Everything is tentative, but there is a scenario where he could return from the 10-day injured list as early as next Monday. Contreras has made great progress from a gruesome fractured forearm when he was hit by a J.D. Martinez swing behind the plate. Fantasy managers shouldn't get their hopes up that the 32-year-old All-Star backstop will be back for the series opener next Monday against the visiting Atlanta Braves, but the big takeaway is that Contreras should be back well before the All-Star break next month. Until then, Ivan Herrera and rookie Pedro Pages will continue to split playing time behind the plate in St. Louis. Before the injury, Contreras was hitting .280 with six homers and 12 RBI, and he should be stashed everywhere.Source: The Athletic - Katie Woo
3 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson is expected to come off the bereavement list to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins on the road. Gibson went on the bereavement list on Sunday but won't actually miss a turn through the rotation and is set for a strong matchup against the Fish. The 36-year-old veteran has given up a lot of hard contact in 2024 but he was able to toss seven scoreless innings his last time out against the division-rival Chicago Cubs. He's now 5-2 on the year with a 3.44 ERA (4.14 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 73 strikeouts and 31 walks in 83 2/3 innings over his 14 starts. Gibson will be a popular streaming option this week in DFS and redraft leagues against a Marlins offense that ranks dead-last in MLB with a .630 OPS. Ignore the fact that Gibson allowed seven earned runs in six innings against the Marlins in his second start of the year on April 7.Source: The Athletic - Katie Woo
3 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (head) was being evaluated for a concussion after Sunday's 5-4 win over the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Contreras hit his head during a collision with Reds outfielder Stuart Fairchild at home plate while applying the tag for the final out of the contest. The 26-year-old backstop remained down for a while and was slow to get up, prompting the concussion evaluation. There's no word on Contreras' status as of Monday morning, but fantasy managers will want to check back to see if he was able to clear the league's concussion protocol. Either way, Contreras might get the day off on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. Gary Sanchez would be forced into starting duties behind the plate if Contreras has a concussion and is forced to the seven-day injured list. Contreras went 2-for-4 with a run scored on Sunday and is now hitting a cool .305 on the season.Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
3 hours agoHouston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Friday in Houston, working in fastballs, changeups, cutters and sinkers. McCullers is progressing on schedule after missing all of last year following surgery on June 13 to fix his flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. He had rehabbed to the point that he was close to facing hitters in mid-May of last year, but another setback led to surgery. The 30-year-old oft-injured starting pitcher is making progress but probably isn't going to be an option for the Astros rotation or for fantasy managers until some point in August. Given all of McCullers' arm injuries, Houston isn't going to rush him back, especially given all the injuries to their starters so far in 2024. When McCullers does make his season debut, McCullers will have limited fantasy upside to close out the year.Source: MLB.com
3 hours agoHouston Astros manager Joe Espada said that a minor-league rehab assignment could be in the mix if outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) "doesn't start running around here (in) the next day or two." Tucker was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 7 (retroactive to June 4) after fouling a ball off his right shin on June 3, and he was unavailable on Saturday after being previously ruled out for Friday, the first day he was eligible to come off the IL. "He's feeling better," manager Joe Espada said on Saturday. "He's in the weight room. I feel like every day he's doing a little bit more work. The soreness is kind of going away, [but] not totally -- which is much better." Hopefully, the 27-year-old All-Star will rejoin Houston's lineup soon. Fantasy managers must be patient and keep him stashed until then. Until he returns, Chas McCormick and Trey Cabbage will continue a platoon in right field.Source: MLB.com
3 hours agoToronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann (elbow) took the mound for a rehab start with the Rays' Florida Complex League team on Friday night. It was his first start since hitting the injured list with left ulnar-nerve inflammation on April 11. The 21-year-old lefty faced five hitters and only retired one of them. Overall, he allowed three runs on two hits and two walks. Although the results weren't great, the most important part of the outing, making a healthy return to in-game action, was a success. Moving forward, Tiedemann will likely move to Single-A Dunedin and work his way back to Triple-A Buffalo. If all goes well, he could make his MLB debut later this year.Source: Baseball Reference
3 hours agoSan Francisco Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks (illness) has been cleared to make his start on Monday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. In his previous start last Tuesday against the Houston Astros, Hicks allowed three runs on five hits in just 4 2/3 innings of work, and manager Bob Melvin acknowledged afterward that Hicks had been dealing with flu-like symptoms. The 27-year-old is clearly feeling good enough to make his next start in Chicago to start the week, though, and fantasy managers will be hoping he can bounce back. The former third-rounder of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015 has been great in his move to a full-time starting role in San Fran in 2024, going 4-3 with a 3.01 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with a 64:24 K:BB in 14 starts. Get him back into your starting lineups against a Cubs team that ranks just 23rd in OPS (.673) on the year.Source: Watch Marquee - Tony Andracki