7 mins agoBaltimore Orioles relief pitcher
Craig Kimbrel as been confirmed as the closer going forward, according to manager Brandon Hyde. This doesn't come as much of a surprise after Kimbrel was tasked with closing down Sunday's game. The O's took a few weeks off from having Kimbrel as the closer, but he worked his way back into the role.
Yennier Cano figures to return to his role as the set-up pitcher, so his fantasy value is going to take a significant hit.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Steve Melewski
12 mins agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder
Joey Wiemer (knee) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday. The young outfielder was forced to miss 16 days due to left knee soreness. He wasn't playing too well before the injury but figures to at least play in a platoon role going forward. Wiemer will cover center field and bat ninth versus lefty
Ryan Weathers on Monday.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
53 mins agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder
Anthony Santander (knee) is serving as the team's designated hitter and is batting fifth on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Sonny Gray. Santander has been dealing with a bothersome bruised knee of late and was held out of Sunday's contest against the Seattle Mariners as a result. It mostly gives the 29-year-old issues while running the bases and in the outfielder, but Santander is apparently feeling good enough to DH for the series opener in St. Louis. In 10 career at-bats against Gray, Santander has only two hits, but one of them cleared the fences. The Venezuelan switch-hitter's power is attractive in fall fantasy leagues in the middle of a strong Baltimore lineup, but Santander has been inconsistent so far in 2024 and has gone 10-for-49 (.204) with three homers and seven RBI in 14 games so far in May.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baltimore Orioles
1 hour agoSeattle Mariners shortstop
J.P. Crawford (oblique) went through a pre-game warmup at Yankee Stadium on Monday and told the team he was ready to go. However, he's not in the starting lineup against the New York Yankees, and the Mariners are likely waiting to
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1 hour agoSeattle Mariners manager Scott Servais said that second baseman
Jorge Polanco (hamstring) will be available off the bench, if needed, against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
Josh Rojas is making another start at second base and will bat leadoff for the M's versus Yankees right-hander
Marcus Stroman. Polanco is missing a fourth straight game due to a right-hamstring issue, but it appears he's getting close to a return and should avoid a trip to the injured list. The 30-year-old Dominican veteran has had a rough start to his first year in Seattle, as he's currently slashing .192/.298/.308 with five homers, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored in 146 at-bats. Rojas has exceeded expectations offensively for the M's but has come back down to Earth a bit in his last five games with just one hit and seven strikeouts in his 21 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Seattle Times - Ryan Divish
1 hour agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Max Kepler is taking a seat on Monday with the team facing left-hander
Mitchell Parker and the Washington Nationals. With Kepler getting a day off,
Manuel Margot will draw into the starting lineup, playing right field and batting third for the Twins. The 31-year-old lefty-swinging Kepler has been solid in limited plate appearances against southpaws this year, but he's hit just .221 against them in over 1,000 career plate appearances. The German outfielder is hitting .303 (30-for-99) with three home runs, 17 RBI and 13 runs scored so far this year, but the underlying numbers show that he's due some regression in the average department eventually. Margot is hitting just .195 (17-for-87) this year with a homer and nine RBI, but he could be worth considering as a DFS sleeper against a young lefty out of the three-hole.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Travis d'Arnaud (head) is back behind the plate and is batting fifth for the second game of a doubleheader on Monday against the visiting San Diego Padres and right-hander
Randy Vasquez. It will be d'Arnaud's first game since he was removed from Friday's game against San Diego early as a precaution after he dealt with dizziness from being hit by a foul tip. The good news is that the 35-year-old veteran avoided a concussion and a trip to the seven-day concussion list. His fantasy value remains high with
Sean Murphy (oblique) still working his way back from an injury. d'Arnaud is also hitting .255/.336/.500 with an .836 OPS, five home runs, 16 RBI and 15 runs scored in his 102 at-bats so far in 2024. He's never faced Vasquez in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoAtlanta Braves third baseman
Austin Riley (side) is sitting out the second game of Monday's doubleheader against the visiting San Diego Padres. Riley also missed the Game 1 loss and now has not played in over a week due to intercostal inflammation on his left side. If the 27-year-old is forced to miss anymore time, it's likely he'll eventually land on the injured list. Riley is hoping to swing a bat soon, so he's technically still considered day-to-day. When healthy, he's the Braves' starting third baseman and is a must-start in all fantasy lineups when he's in the lineup. The former 41st overall pick in 2015 is currently hitting .245/.319/.388 on the year with three home runs, 18 RBI and 22 runs scored in 147 at-bats.
Zack Short is making another start at third in Game 2 on Monday and is hitting in the nine-hole after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Game 1 to drop his average to .143.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoNew York Mets designated hitter
J.D. Martinez (illness) is back at DH and is batting cleanup for the Mets on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander
Ben Lively. Martinez was held out of Sunday's lineup in the series finale against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms but is feeling good enough to return to action against a pitcher he's never faced in his career. The 36-year-old right-handed slugger got a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the Mets late. He opened the year playing in minor leagues to get his timing at the plate down, and it seems to have worked, as he's currently hitting .315/.359/.466 with two home runs in his first 21 games of the season. Fantasy managers will want to get the veteran DH back in their starting lineups to begin the week.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 hours agoSan Diego Padres second baseman
Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) was removed from the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves with a left-shoulder injury, but preliminary imaging came back negative. It's good news for now, but the Padres are awaiting further results. Even if Bogaerts avoids a serious injury, he's out of Game 2 of the double dip in Atlanta on Monday and could miss more time heading into Tuesday's series opener against the Reds in Cincinnati. The 31-year-old injured his shoulder while diving for a ball up the middle. For now, fantasy managers will want to consider him day-to-day until further notice.
Luis Arraez is at second base and batting leadoff in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Before getting hurt on Monday, Bogaerts went hitless in his lone at-bat to drop his season average to a weak .219. Both Arraez and
Tyler Wade are options to play the keystone if Bogaerts misses extended time.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
3 hours agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfield prospect
Gabriel Rincones Jr. (thumb) is expected to miss the next few months due to a torn ligament in his right thumb that he suffered on April 24. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Rincones could return to Double-A Reading in July. Last year, Rincones was drafted by the Phillies in the third round after he mashed 19 home runs in just 58 games at Florida Atlantic University. This year, he was playing extremely well through 60 plate appearances with Double-A Reading, slashing .300/.417/.600 with three doubles, four home runs, four steals, and 11 walks. Unfortunately, what was hoped to be a year of significant progression will likely be spent rehabbing and readjusting. Rincones is mainly an injury stash in dynasty leagues for now.
--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic
3 hours agoLast year, Tampa Bay Rays outfield/first base prospect Tre' Morgan was drafted out of Louisiana State University in the third round. Since then, he's been excellent in the minor leagues. He began the 2024 season with Low-A Charleston. He slashed .320/.398/.440 with 19 runs, four doubles, two home runs, and nine stolen bases across 115 plate appearances. As a result, he was called up to High-A Bowling Green on May 15. Since then, he's slashed .520/.626/.1000 with five doubles, a home run, a walk, zero strikeouts, and a stolen base. Morgan is the Rays' 13th overall prospect, expected to make his MLB debut sometime in 2026.--Wade Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
3 hours 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
4 hours 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
4 hours 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
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