April 25, 2025
Minnesota Twins outfield prospect
Emmanuel Rodriguez has had an inconsistent start to the 2025 campaign, logging five multi-hit performances and eight hitless efforts over his first 17 games, resulting in an uninspiring .231 AVG with no home runs and a 34.6 percent strikeout rate. A bright spot has been the Dominican's ability to draw walks, logging 13 of them thus far (16.7 percent). The Twins' second-ranked prospect (MLB No. 34) is expected to make his major league debut this season, but has played just 24 games at Triple-A, without much success. If the left-handed slugger can get on a roll, look for a call-up around midseason, especially with Minnesota's offense sputtering and in need of a boost.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
April 25, 2025
New York Mets infielder
Jeff McNeil is starting at second base and is hitting eighth in his 2025 season debut on Friday against the division-rival Washington Nationals and right-hander
Jake Irvin. McNeil was activated from the injured list on Thursday night and will make his first start for the Mets this year after missing the first four weeks of the year due to a right-oblique strain. The 33-year-old former batting champion went 11-for-28 (.393) with two home runs and three RBI in his eight minor-league rehab games with Single-A St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. He will see most of his starts at the keystone in New York, but fantasy managers in 12-team leagues will want to see more from McNeil after he hit just .238 with 12 homers and 44 RBI in 129 games a year ago. In seven career at-bats against Irvin, he's hit .143 with a .393 OPS.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April
25,
2025
New
York
Mets
pitching
prospect
Brandon
Sproat
was
tagged
for
six
earned
runs
on
Thursday
for
Triple-A
Syracuse,
allowing
six
hits
and
two
walks
while
striking
out
just
one
batter
over
2
1/3
innings
pitched.
That's
twice
read more...
April 25, 2025
Miami Marlins right-hander
Eury Perez (elbow) will take the next step and start a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with Single-A Jupiter, where he's expected to throw one inning for the Hammerheads. Perez appears to be ahead of schedule in his rehab from Tommy John surgery in April of last year, but the Marlins are surely going to take things slow with his rehab assignment on the farm. Still, barring setbacks, the 22-year-old Dominican could make his 2025 season debut in late May or early June for the Fish. Perez turned heads in his major-league debut in 2023 when he went 5-6 with a 3.15 ERA (4.11 FIP) and 1.13 WHIP with 108 strikeouts and 31 walks in 91 1/3 innings over his first 19 starts. He'll probably be a much better fantasy investment next year, but he also shouldn't be ignored when he returns this year. However, he might be a little rusty, and the Marlins figure to limit his innings.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sports Grid - Craig Mish
April 25, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander
Bailey Falter (back) has been cleared to make his next start on Sunday on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Falter was pulled after four innings in his last start on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels due to back tightness, but the 28-year-old southpaw was able to recover and will pitch again this weekend. We would recommend that fantasy managers looking for streamers on Sunday avoid Falter against one of the best teams in baseball on the road. Falter has shown strong control (only seven walks in 26 innings), but he's allowed 17 runs (15 earned) on 24 hits (one homer) while striking out 20 for a 5.19 ERA (4.40 FIP). This is not the time to get cute and roll Falter out there against the best lineup in baseball, especially coming off a back injury in his last start.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 25, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander
Clayton Kershaw (knee, toe) looked good again in his second minor-league rehab start on Tuesday for Double-A Tulsa, allowing one earned run on four hits while walking one and striking out four in three innings of work. Kershaw tossed three scoreless innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City in his first rehab start and now has six strikeouts and one walk in his six innings of work on the farm as he recoveries from knee and toe surgeries in the offseason. Because the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is on the 60-day injured list, he won't be able to make his season debut until May 17, so fantasy managers holding him in deeper leagues need to remain patient. The Dodgers aren't going to rush Kershaw back in what will likely be his final season. The three-time Cy Young winner has shown flashes of brilliance in recent seasons, but injuries have been the primary story near the end of his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
April 25, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Tyler Glasnow (leg) has officially been cleared to make his next start on Sunday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. As a precaution, the Dodgers removed Glasnow from his last start on Sunday against the Texas Rangers due to cramping in his right leg. The hard-throwing 31-year-old is fine after resting up this week and shouldn't be limited in any way when he takes the mound this weekend in L.A. in a strong matchup against the Bucs. He'll enter that contest with a 1-0 record this year to go with a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 23 strikeouts and 10 walks in 17 innings over his four starts. Glasnow hasn't been as sharp as his fantasy managers would have hoped in terms of control, but there's nothing else to really complain about. Get him back in your starting lineups on Sunday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 25, 2025
The New York Mets announced on Friday that they have reinstated catcher
Francisco Alvarez (hand) from the 10-day injured list and optioned catcher
Hayden Senger to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Alvarez is making his 2025 debut for the Mets on Friday against the division-rival Washington Nationals and right-hander
Jake Irvin, doing the catching and batting seventh. The 23-year-old backstop is getting a late start to the 2025 season after having surgery to fix a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. In his 10 minor-league rehab games, Alvarez went 7-for-39 at the plate with one home run. The Venezuelan catcher also missed extended time due to injuries in 2024 and hit just 11 home runs, but he clubbed a career-high 25 round-trippers and drove in 63 in 2023 in his first full big-league season. Alvarez is New York's starting catcher with high-end power at the catching position.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
April 25, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander
Merrill Kelly (leg) has been cleared to toe the rubber on Saturday against the visiting Atlanta Braves at Chase Field. Cramping in Kelly's right leg caused him to be lifted in the sixth inning of his last start on Easter Sunday in Chicago against the Cubs, but he's been cleared to take his next turn through the D-backs' starting rotation this weekend in a plus matchup against a struggling Braves offense. The 36-year-old veteran pitcher allowed a whopping nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of work in his second start of the year on April 3 at the New York Yankees, but since that rough outing, he's bounced back nicely. He has allowed four earned runs while walking four and fanning 18 in 17 2/3 innings in his last three starts and will look to keep that going on Saturday. Fantasy managers should reinsert Kelly into their starting lineups this weekend.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April
25,
2025
Athletics
left-hander
Jeffrey
Springs
(hamstring)
has
been
cleared
to
make
his
next
start
on
Saturday
in
Sacramento
against
the
visiting
Chicago
White
Sox.
Springs'
last
start
on
Sunday
against
the
Milwaukee
Brewers
was
cut
short
in
read more...
April
25,
2025
The
Minnesota
Twins
have
essentially
split
the
catching
duties
down
the
middle
with
Ryan
Jeffers
(152
starts)
and
Christian
Vazquez
(172)
starts
the
last
two
seasons,
but
with
Vazquez
read more...
April 25, 2025
Minnesota Twins right-hander
Pablo Lopez (hamstring) has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list and will make the start on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels in Minnesota. Lopez is recovered from a right-hamstring strain that kept him out for the last two weeks. The 29-year-old should immediately be returned to starting fantasy lineups against an Angels team that has come back down to Earth after a surprisingly hot start to the season. In his lone minor-league rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul, Lopez made it through 63 pitches and 4 2/3 innings. It means that he might not go quite as deep on Friday night as fantasy managers might hope, but the matchup is still too good to ignore. Before his hamstring injury, the Venezuelan hurler looked good with a 1.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and only two walks in 16 2/3 innings over three starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Minnesota Twins
April 25, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander
Taijuan Walker (shoulder) has been cleared to start Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the hosting Chicago Cubs. Walker is fine after dealing with some stiffness in his right shoulder during his last start on Saturday against the Miami Marlins, when he gave up an earned run in four innings of work for a no-decision. The 32-year-old veteran has been a pleasant surprise while opening the year in Philly's starting rotation due to injuries, as he's gone 1-1 with a 2.29 ERA (4.24 FIP), a 1.17 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB in 19 2/3 innings over four starts against the Rockies Braves, Giants and Marlins. His lone bad outing came against San Fran, when he gave up four earned runs in five innings. Walker has exceeded expectations to this point, but we wouldn't recommend streaming him against a Cubs offense that has been one of the best in baseball early on.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-hander
Javier Assad (oblique) suffered a Grade 2 left-oblique strain after reinjuring the same side that flared up on him during spring training. Assad will be shut down and will essentially have to start rehab/throwing program from scratch again. The 27-year-old suffered the new injury during his minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and is now out indefinitely. It's a tough break for a pitcher who was getting close to being able to make his 2025 debut in the big leagues. With Assad having to start from scratch, fantasy managers in NL-only leagues shouldn't plan on having him available until sometime in June. Assad held his own in his transition to being a full-time starter in 2024, but his lack of strikeout stuff limits his fantasy upside to mainly NL-only formats. There's also no guarantee a rotation spot will be open for him when he's ready to return.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian
April 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Ryan Preslly (kne) played catch on Thursday and is doing so again on Friday before the series opener at Wrigley Field against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. However, Pressly's availability for Friday's game is still to be determined, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. It's good news that Pressly has played catch the last two days after having his right knee drained on Tuesday, but he might not be available to pitch in a save situation against the Phillies on Friday.
Porter Hodge is the likely next man up -- he picked up the save on Wednesday when Pressly was unavailable -- but Hodge has also worked in two of the team's last three games. If both Pressly and Hodge are unavailable on Friday, it could be
Julian Merryweather getting the nod in a save situation for the Cubbies if one arises.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian
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