15 mins agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. went 2-for-5 with a home run in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Dodgers. The home run came in the eighth inning and knotted the game up at 2-2, although the Braves would go on to lose in extras. For managers that drafted the reigning MVP first overall, he's been a disappointment for fantasy with just two home runs and eight RBI on the year. The 26-year-old has scored 30 times and has stolen 13 bases, so it hasn't been all bad. Hopefully Acuna can up the power production going forward, although it could be a tall task Saturday against
Tyler Glasnow and his league-leading 53 strikeouts.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
30 mins agoLos Angeles Dodgers outfielder
Andy Pages collected four hits in Friday's 4-3 win over the Braves, including a walk-off RBI single in the eleventh inning. Pages was the only Dodger with more than one hit in the game and he's now riding a nine-game hit streak that includes three doubles and two home runs. The 23-year-old is now slashing .333/.354/.567 through his first 60 MLB at-bats with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored. He's been an excellent waiver wire addition for fantasy, but it will be interesting to see what they do once
Jason Heyward is healthy, although with Pages hitting from the right and Heyward hitting from the left, it could make for a good platoon situation.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
48 mins agoSan Diego Padres outfielder
Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits in five at-bats and drove in three runs in Friday's 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks. One of the hits was a two-run home run, his seventh of the year. It was the fourth time he's collected three hits in a game in 2024, although you might not know it from his .246 batting average. Despite the low average, the 25-year-old is having a solid season with a .333 OBP, .455 SLG, and 131 wRC+. In addition to his seven home runs, the former All-Star has 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, and four stolen bases so far so he's been a multi-category contributor for fantasy.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 hour agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitching prospect
Chayce McDermott led the way on Friday evening with six and ⅔ clean innings to combine for a no-hitter with relief pitchers
Nolan Hoffman and
Kaleb Ort. McDermott struck out eleven batters and allowed just two free passes. Hoffman and Ort did not allow any baserunners. This incredible outing lowered McDermott's ratios to a solid 2.89 ERA and 1.54 WHIP with 41 punchouts across 28 innings. The 25-year-old southpaw has gone under the radar this season with Triple-A Norfolk due to the emerging stars on the offensive side of the team. Nonetheless, McDermott should be expected to make his major league debut later in the summer and may be worth picking up in AL-only leagues when he is promoted.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
1 hour agoDetroit Tigers second/third base prospect
Jace Jung broke out of his power slump on Friday by launching his fifth home run of the season. Jung had gone without tallying a long ball for ten games. In his first season at Triple-A, the 23-year-old has posted a solid .257/.373/.486 line with one swiped bag and 25 RBI in 30 games. Jung is on pace to fall just short of 28 home run count from last season, which he tallied across High and Double-A, but he has maintained a very similar batting average this season. The number four prospect in the Detroit pipeline and 54th overall should be expected to reach the majors this season and is worth monitoring closely in deeper redraft formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
1 hour agoBaltimore Orioles catching prospect
Samuel Basallo has been showcasing his elite power potential this past week and added another home run on Friday. Basallo is now up to five home runs on the season and has hit four of them in his past four games. The 19-year-old has a .256/.284/.456 stat line with two stolen bases and 14 RBI in his first full taste of Double-A. He played only four games at this level last year and spent the majority of his time with Single and High-A, hitting a combined .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs. The 16th-ranked prospect in baseball is beginning to show his incredible power at Double-A but needs to show more consistency at the plate to reach Triple-A this summer. He should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper formats but will have a hard path to seeing relevancy in redraft this year.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 hours agoColorado Rockies outfield prospect
Braiden Ward swiped six bags on Friday evening to increase his season total to 15. Ward has now stolen at least one base in eight games this season and is emerging as one of the top baserunning threats in the minor leagues. In the batter's box, the 25-year-old has posted a solid .333/.460/.608 stat line with six doubles and four triples. Ward swiped 44 bags in High-A last season and is on pace to smash that feat. If Ward can continue to succeed at the plate, he should be promoted to Double-A this summer and could be worth keeping an eye on in dynasty leagues due to his elite speed alone.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 hours agoHouston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and stole his seventh base of the season in Friday's 5-3 win over the Mariners. The steal was No. 300 for his career, and along with his 2000+ career hits as well as a career batting average over .300, he joins some of the best names to play the game of baseball in
Derek Jeter, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays, and Roberto Alomar. Now slashing .348/.411/.576 on the season, his wRC+ of 185 is fifth-best thus far, and the 33-year-old is the top-scoring second baseman in fantasy aside from
Mookie Betts who is eligible at the position.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 hours agoKansas City Royals first baseman
Salvador Perez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 7-1 victory over the Rangers. It was the eighth time he's gone deep this season and the three RBI put him at 30, good for third-most in all of baseball. The 33-year-old is having a fantastic season thus far, slashing .351/.413/.605 with a .438 wOBA and 184 wRC+. After an 86 wRC+ season last year, the veteran has cut down his K% to a measly 10.3% and his Contact% of 83.2% is his best since 2015. The 8x All-Star has hit safely in 25 of the 32 games he's played and has 11 multi-hit efforts. Ranking behind only
William Contreras for top fantasy catcher, Perez is looking like an early AL MVP contender and probable All-Star.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 hours agoSeattle Mariners catching prospect
Harry Ford extended his hitting streak to eleven games in Friday's doubleheader. In the first game, Ford knocked a double, and in the second game, he tallied his fourth-round tripper of the season and laced another double, his eighth of the season. After tallying just one hit in his first five games at Double-A this season, Ford has posted a strong .256/.413/.488 stat line with four swiped bags and 22 total hits in 23 games. The 21-year-old has fully adjusted to Double-A pitching and could be up with Triple-A Tacoma by the end of the summer. The second overall prospect in the Seattle system and 35th overall prospect should be rostered in all dynasty leagues but will not be relevant in redraft until next season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
2 hours agoSeattle Mariners shortstop prospect
Cole Young launched his first Double-A home run with a grand slam on Friday evening. After hitting 11 long balls across Single and High-A last summer, it took Young 23 games to tally his first in Double-A this season. The 20-year-old has a .245/.336/.337 stat line with six stolen bases in his first month of Double-A games. Young opened the campaign with an impressive nine-game hitting streak but then tallied just five hits in his next nine games. The top prospect in the Seattle system seems to have bounced back lately, not just in power production but also in knocking six hits in his past three games. MLB Pipeline projects Young to reach the majors in 2025, but he could make a push for a late-season promotion and is well worth holding onto in dynasty leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
9 hours agoWashington Nationals outfielder
Jacob Young (back) left Friday's game early against the Toronto Blue Jays with back spasms. He's getting treatment, and the team will see how he's doing on Saturday. Young was hitting leadoff in Friday's game for the first time since April 19, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in the eventual 9-3 victory before departing early. If the 24-year-old continues to swing the bat well, he could find himself atop Washington's batting order more often against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed swinger. Young raised his batting average to .311 and his OPS to .732 on the year with the one-hit night. It doesn't sound like his injury is very serious, but if the back spasms linger and Young is forced to the injured list, the Nats could bring up outfield prospect
James Wood, who is hitting .314/.422/.461 at Triple-A Rochester.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
9 hours agoLos Angeles Angels starting pitcher
Jose Soriano recorded his first win of the 2024 regular season in Friday's 6-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, firing six scoreless innings on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The Angels gave Soriano plenty of run support on Friday, and he most notably escaped from a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning with no damage. It was a great rebound performance after Soriano was chased for four runs and couldn't get through two innings in his last appearance at home against the Minnesota Twins. With the effort, the 25-year-old right-hander now sports a decent 3.77 ERA and 1.29 WHIP while fanning 26 and walking 15 over 28 2/3 frames (seven appearances) for the Halos this year. Soriano will aim to build on this showing in Wednesday's projected start on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are scoring a pathetic 2.4 runs per game over their last 22 contests since April 9.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
9 hours agoNew York Mets third baseman
Brett Baty erupted for nine total bases in Friday's 10-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Baty homered to deep right field in the second inning to score
Jeff McNeil and
Tyrone Taylor and give the Mets a temporary 3-0 lead before going yard to right field once more in the ninth to make things interesting late. It's been an up-and-down season for Baty, but the 24-year-old former top prospect is producing a respectable .271/.340/.385 triple-slash line with three long balls, two doubles, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored over 96 at-bats (30 games) for the Mets during his second full year in the major leagues. He's only a viable fantasy option for those in NL-only leagues, holding limited upside while batting in the lower part of New York's lineup, but Baty's certainly worth watching in all leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
9 hours agoColorado Rockies starting pitcher
Cal Quantrill silenced the Pittsburgh Pirates in Friday's 3-1 victory, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings of three-hit ball with no walks on a season-high nine strikeouts en route to his first win of the year. Although he's not known for his bat-missing stuff, Quantrill dominated Pittsburgh for his longest start of the 2024 regular season on Friday and a big bounce-back effort after surrendering six runs in his last appearance at home versus the Houston Astros. The soft-throwing 29-year-old right-hander improved his ERA to 4.31 with a 1.29 WHIP and 26:14 K:BB over 39 2/3 frames (seven starts) this season from Colorado's rotation. Despite the strong showing, Quantrill still won't be the most exciting streaming option for fantasy purposes in his next projected start on Thursday at Coors Field against the division-rival San Francisco Giants.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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