May 9, 2025
Cleveland Guardians infield prospect
Travis Bazzana went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored on Thursday for Double-A Akron, and is currently riding a six-game hit streak that has boosted his batting average to a respectable .257. Last year's first-overall draft pick has three home runs, 16 RBI, 25 runs scored, and six stolen bases for Akron, who should see Triple-A before the season is out. MLB.com projects a 2025 debut for the 6-foot slugger, but he'll surely need to keep hitting for that to come to fruition. The Australian is seen as a hitter with decent power and good speed, so he has the makings of a solid fantasy asset in the future, but he is not a stash candidate at this time.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
May 9, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies second baseman
Bryson Stott went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 7-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Stott scored twice, doubled, and added a sacrifice hit (bunt) that would eventually push across the game-winning run in the top of the tenth inning. The UNLV product was clutch late in the game for the Phillies, blasting a three-run bomb in the top of the eighth to bring the team within one run. It was his third of the season, and only hard-hit ball of the contest. Though he did register two others at 93.7 and 94.2 MPH. Thursday marks back-to-back multi-hit efforts for the 27-year-old, but it's worth noting that he's out-performing his .249 xBA (.277). He's done that before -- as recently as 2023 when he hit .280 -- but his batted ball metrics are worse off this season. He's striking out more, too (20.7%).
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 9, 2025
Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect
Chase Burns is fitting in well at Double-A Chattanooga, tossing five innings of two-run ball (one earned) on Thursday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters in his second start at that level. The 2024 second-overall draft pick owns a 1.93 ERA on the season between six starts at High-A and Double-A, along with 41 strikeouts in 25 2/3 IP. A few more starts like that and we may see him in Triple-A before you know it, or even in the majors, for that matter. MLB.com has a 2025 ETA for the Wake Forest product, so dynasty and redraft managers alike should be keeping tabs on his progression.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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
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