May 8, 2025
Detroit Tigers first baseman
Spencer Torkelson went 5-for-9 throughout Thursday's doubleheader in two lopsided wins. The 25-year-old doubled twice, singled thrice, scored two runs, and drove in four, with the Tigers outscoring Colorado 21-3 across the twin bill. Torkelson has cooled off a bit from his power binge a few weeks ago and slumped slightly to end April. However, he's turned it on since the calendar flipped to May with at least one run scored in seven straight appearances. It's been an excellent start to 2025 for him, and his batted ball metrics look much closer to his 31-homer 2023 campaign than the lackluster 2024. Torkelson has tied the home run total he bolstered a season ago (ten) in 204 fewer at-bats.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 8, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect
Josue De Paula is off to a great start at High-A Great Lakes, now hitting .288 after a 2-for-4 day at the plate on Thursday. For the season, the left-handed slugger owns a fantastic .912 OPS thanks to seven doubles, a triple, and four home runs, along with a 23:19 BB:K. The Dodgers' second-ranked prospect (MLB No. 35) has also tallied five steals in 28 games. Not too shabby for a 19-year-old, who appears to be well on his way to a promotion to Double-A in the near future. The 6-foot-3 slugger has always displayed a keen eye at the plate, he stole 27 bags in 2024, and has 60-grade hit and power tools according to MLB.com, giving fantasy managers plenty to be excited about. Dynasty managers need to keep a close eye on him, if not already stashing the youngster, as he could reach the majors as early as next season with the opportunity to hit in a potent Dodger lineup.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Boston Red Sox designated hitter
Rafael Devers went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 5-0 home win against the Texas Rangers. He added a single, a walk, and his first steal of the season. Devers had two hard-hit balls in this one that registered exactly 103 MPH, including his homer -- his sixth round-tripper of the season -- which came off Rangers pitcher
Jacob Latz to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and score Boston's final run. The Dominican Republic native has really come around after an early-season slump and continues to impact the ball well. Despite a slight increase in strikeout rate (26.6%), he's walking a robust 16.2% of the time with average exit velocity (95.1 MPH) and hard-hit rate (60.2%) figures that put him in the top 2% of batters. If they hold, they'll also be career-highs.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 8, 2025
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher
Casey Mize picked up his fourth straight victory in Thursday's 10-2 win over the Colorado Rockies. The former first-overall pick logged six innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out eight to improve to 6-1 on the year (four straight wins). Mize fired 63 of 86 pitches for strikes, picking up 16 swings-and-misses en route to a strong 38% CSW. He's let up one or fewer runs in five of seven starts in 2025 -- and four runs in the other two. Additionally, the Auburn product has been good about issuing free passes of late, with Thursday marking the third time in five appearances that he had not. He'll square off against the Boston Red Sox early next week, sporting a stellar 2.53 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across 42 2/3 innings (35:9 K:BB ratio).
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 8, 2025
Atlanta Braves pitching prospect
Hurston Waldrep got back on track on Thursday after a few less-than-stellar outings, allowing two earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out 10 hitters in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Even after this strong performance, the 23-year-old owns a 6.35 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in seven starts thus far (28 1/3 innings). With
Bryce Elder and
AJ Smith-Shawver up with the big-league club and pitching well enough, along with
Spencer Strider (hamstring) about to rejoin the rotation, there's no need to rush the Braves' third-ranked prospect back to the majors. The righty made two starts for Atlanta last season but allowed 13 earned runs in seven innings pitched over two starts. The former first-round draft pick will likely be needed at some point later this season, but there is no need to stash him at this time.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect
Andrew Painter made his first start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, tossing three shutout innings, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out five. The 22-year-old wasn't as sharp as he'd been over his four starts at Single-A, throwing only 34 of 60 pitches for strikes. Nevertheless, the Phillies' top prospect (MLB No. 5) remains on track to be called up to the majors within the next month or so, and is one of the top prospect stashes for fantasy.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 8, 2025
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher
Kris Bubic had seemingly no problems on the mound during Thursday's game against the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits, and striking out seven batters in the win. Somehow, Bubic has thrown three scoreless outings over his last four starts. It's worth noting he has been given some favorable matchups versus the Colorado Rockies and now the White Sox. However, the left-hander has been impressive all season with a 1.69 ERA across eight starts to begin the season. He'll look to keep the good times rolling against the Houston Astros during his next start.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 8, 2025
Kansas City Royals shortstop
Bobby Witt Jr. was hitting the ball all over the place during Thursday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Witt extended his five-game hitting streak in this game and gave fantasy managers a big performance as well. Witt went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI, and two stolen bases in the blowout win over Chicago. He continues to put up MVP numbers as he's slashing .325/.392/.530 with five homers, 23 RBI, and 13 steals this season. This game marked Witt's third multi-hit performance over the last five games.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 8, 2025
Boston Red Sox designated hitter
Rafael Devers reportedly has no interest in moving over to first base. Devers appears to be frustrated with the front office after they already forced him off third base during spring training. Devers was turned into a full-time DH with the Red Sox moving
Alex Bregman over to third base. Now,
Triston Casas (knee) goes down and the Red Sox are in need of someone to play first base. Devers seems like the obvious choice, but the left-handed slugger seems uninterested in changing positions again.
Abraham Toro and
Romy Gonzalez have been splitting up reps at first base in the absence of Casas. That will likely remain the case going forward unless the team can convince Devers to move to the cold corner.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jen McCaffrey
May 8, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays infielder
Andres Gimenez (quad) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Gimenez made an early exit on Wednesday due to right quad tightness. The assumption is he underwent an MRI and the organization is still waiting for the results. That being said, Gimenez will sit out at least one more game, so fantasy managers should check back on his status ahead of Friday's contest. In his absence,
Ernie Clement will cover second base and bat eighth versus right-hander
Jose Soriano on Thursday. Fantasy managers should consider Gimenez as day-to-day until further notice.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 8, 2025
Los Angeles Angels infielder
Luis Rengifo is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. This appears to be a routine rest day for Rengifo who has been struggling at the plate latey. Rengifo has registered only one hit over his last five games, so hopefully a night off will help him get back on track. He has been a regular in the Halos lineup this season, but is really only worth rostering in deep leagues or AL-only formats.
Yoan Moncada will cover third base and bat sixth versus right-hander
Chris Bassitt on Thursday. Moncada has three hits over his last two hits, so the Angels will ride the hot hand.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 8, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (side) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Moreno hasn't started in each of the last two games due to soreness in his left side. The good news is that Moreno was able to come off the bench as a pinch-hitter during Wednesday's game. He'll get back in the lineup on Thursday as Moreno starts behind the plate and bats sixth versus right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Moreno hasn't been hitting like himself lately, but maybe a little bit of time off will help him get his bat back on track.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 8, 2025
Detroit Tigers right-hander
Alex Cobb (hip) completed a bullpen session on Tuesday, according to MLive's Evan Woodbery. It's been a long road to recovery for the oft-injured Cobb, who dealt with inflammation in his right hip back in spring training. The 37-year-old veteran began the 2025 season on the injured list as a result and has yet to even begin a minor-league rehab assignment, which means we probably won't see him back in the big leagues until at least June. There remains no timetable for return, and fantasy managers in mixed leagues can leave him to the waiver wire for the time being. There shouldn't be much expectation for Cobb when he's healthy enough to pitch again in the big leagues, as he was limited to three starts in 2024 due to hip, finger and shoulder injuries. It remains to be seen if he'll even have a rotation spot waiting for him when he's past his current hip ailment.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLive - Evan Woodbery
May 8, 2025
Detroit Tigers right-hander
John Brebbia (triceps) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday and went two-thirds of an inning while allowing an earned run on one hit while walking one and striking out none. Brebbia landed on the 15-day injured list in the middle of April due to a right-triceps strain but is working his way back and should be able to rejoin Detroit's major-league bullpen by the end of May. The 34-year-old veteran was eligible to return from the IL on May 4. Before injuring his arm, Brebbia had been looking sharp in his first year with Detroit in nine relief innings, allowing only an unearned run on three hits while walking five and striking out nine. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore him in all leagues, though.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLive - Evan Woodbery
May 8, 2025
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Thursday that he thinks outfielder/designated hitter
Masataka Yoshida (shoulder) could begin his throwing program this weekend. Yoshida was recently shut down from throwing earlier this week after receiving a cortisone shot in his surgically-repaired right shoulder, but he could start throwing again this weekend. Hitting hasn't been an issue for Yoshida, but the 31-year-old will not be cleared to make his 2025 major-league debut until he's able to throw without pain. The Japanese left-handed hitter might not be an option to rejoin the Red Sox's roster until June, as he'll likely need a minor-league rehab assignment first. He has hit for a strong .285 average in his first two seasons in the big leagues, but Yoshida has hit only 25 total home runs and may not be destined for everyday playing time whenever he comes off the IL.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Herald - Gabrielle Starr
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