5 days agoMinnesota Twins first baseman
Carlos Santana was 2-for-2 with a two-run home run after entering Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. The veteran slugger has been out of the starting lineup a few times over the past couple weeks. Santana endured a pretty underwhelming start to the season, but he is hitting .308 with two homers and six RBI over his past seven games. His season slash line still sits at an unsightly .221/.302/.404 to go along with 10 homers and 29 RBI. The 38-year-old can provide the occasional spark in the power department, but it seems like Santana's best fantasy days are behind him.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI during Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. It was the third straight game with a homer for Judge and helped raise his June batting average to a remarkable .533. The towering superstar is up to a league-leading 25 homers on the year. He is also slashing a stellar .309/.437/.712 with 62 RBI, 52 runs scored, five stolen bases and a 24.4 K%, which would be the lowest mark of his career. Judge is a fantasy godsend so far this season and has shown no signs of slowing down. Lock him into your lineups and throw away the key.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoColorado Rockies shortstop
Ezequiel Tovar was 1-for-4 with a three-run home run during Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. Tovar has hit three homers over his past four games and is batting .318 over his last thirty games. The 22-year-old has started to come into his own this season as he is slashing a healthy .292/.323/.491 with 11 homers, 31 RBI, 36 runs scored and four stolen bases. He could start approaching the top-15 fantasy shortstops conversation if he can pick things up a little more on the basepath. Tovar should be owned in the majority of fantasy formats.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs third baseman
Christopher Morel was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was Morel's third home run and second multi-hit performance of June. The 24-year-old has been his typical streaky self this season. He has 13 home runs, 40 RBI and six stolen bases across 66 games but is slashing a modest .208/.318/.403. He has shown more consistency at the plate lately and should continue to see steady playing time because of it. Morel is a top-15 option at third base moving forward.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoColorado Rockies third baseman
Ryan McMahon was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. McMahon took a
Cole Sands offering 441 feet in the eighth inning for his first homer in 13 games. The 29-year-old has been in a bit of a slump to start June as he is batting a paltry .154 in the month. He still owns a respectable .262/.344/.444 slash line overall to go along with 11 homers, 35 RBI and 33 runs scored in 66 games. McMahon is by no means a league-winning asset, but he usually does more good than bad to a fantasy team. Hopefully he can snap out of this cold streak when he returns to the friendly confines of Coors Field later this week.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays second baseman
Brandon Lowe was 1-for-5 at the plate in Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs, but he made his one hit count. Lowe belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give his team a 5-2 walk-off win. The 29-year-old is now batting .267 with two homers, 10 RBI and one stolen base in June. Lowe has only appeared in 26 games so far this season, but it looks like he may be starting to hit his stride. He offers fantasy managers significant power potential at the expense of ratios and is a worthwhile depth option in deeper formats.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles infielder
Jorge Mateo was 1-for-3 with a three-run home run during Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was the 28-year-old's first game back from a stint on the seven-day concussion injured list. Mateo is slashing .248/.295/.470 with four homers, 16 RBI, 20 runs scored and 10 stolen bases this season. He has recorded 32+ steals in each of the past two seasons, which accounts for the bulk of his fantasy value. He is a viable depth option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues or AL-only formats now that he is back and healthy.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles right-hander
Albert Suarez struck out four batters across 5 1/3 scoreless innings during Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves. He gave up four hits and three walks in the outing, but only one of the hits was for extra bases. It was another impressive showing for the 34-year-old who now carries a 1.40 ERA across his last four starts. Suarez has been a pleasant surprise for the Orioles as they navigate injuries to
John Means,
Dean Kremer and
Tyler Wells. Despite the recent success, he will have to be at his very best in his next projected start against the Yankees in New York.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander
Paul Skenes scattered five hits across 6 1/3 scoreless innings during Tuesday's 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out eight batters and did not issue a walk. It was a tad unlucky that Skenes did not get credit for the win in this one, but it was the fourth quality start in his past five outings. He is sitting at a 2.43 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 46:6 K:BB across his first six career starts to go along with a monstrous 12.42 K/9. Skenes looks like a bonafide ace already at the age of 22. He will get his first taste of Coors Field in his next projected start against the Colorado Rockies.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAtlanta Braves starter
Max Fried allowed four runs on six hits across five innings of work during Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. He struck out three batters and issued two walks. The outing was a far cry from Fried's previous performance where he struck out 13 batters across seven innings. Fried has still enjoyed a strong season despite Tuesday's mediocre results. He owns a 6-3 record to go along with a 3.20 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 70:24 K:BB across 78 2/3 innings. He is a top-20 fantasy starter for the remainder of the season and projects to face the Tampa Bay Rays his next time out.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder/designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber was 2-for-4 with two solo home runs during Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. Both of Schwarber's big flies came off of Red Sox starter
Kutter Crawford and helped snap an eight-game homer drought. The 31-year-old slugger is now slashing .240/.359/.417 this season with 13 home runs, 38 RBI, 47 runs scored and four stolen bases. While his homer pace is slightly down from previous years, he has helped offset it by improving his ratios. Fantasy managers should continue to plug Schwarber into their lineups, especially now that the power stroke is back.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday that starting pitcher
Bobby Miller (shoulder) will make one more minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. If all goes well, that'll be his last appearance in the minors before re-entering the Dodgers' rotation. A right shoulder impingement has sidelined Miller since April 10, but the hurler is lining up to be reinstated from the injured list early next week during a four-game set with the division-rival Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The fire-balling 25-year-old right-hander owns a 5.40 ERA through three starts in 2024, and he'd be a risky fantasy bet in his first start back from an extended absence at a hitter-friendly ballpark, despite posting an 18:6 K:BB over 11 2/3 innings. LA will also have a tough decision to make with former top prospect
Gavin Stone, who has thrown extremely well but could end up being optioned back to the minors to make space for Miller.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Juan Toribio - MLB.com
5 days agoArizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that starting pitcher
Zac Gallen (hamstring) threw a bullpen session ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Gallen will throw another bullpen on Friday, and he will likely need to pitch in one or two simulated games before returning to the D-backs. The 28-year-old workhorse right-hander is working his way back from a strained right hamstring, and it doesn't sound like he'll need to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining Arizona's rotation. Fantasy managers should expect to get him back sometime either late next week during the club's six-game road trip or early the following week. Gallen has a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 60:15 K:BB over 57 2/3 frames (11 starts) this year and needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Theo Mackie - The Arizona Republic
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers third baseman
Max Muncy (oblique) says he is "not progressing as fast" as he would like to from his strained right oblique. Muncy took grounders and ran the bases on Tuesday, but he hasn't resumed swinging at this stage, per MLB.com. He remains without a timetable for a return, and considering Muncy will likely need a minor-league rehab assignment before doing so, an activation from the injured list in late June seems like a best-case scenario. The 33-year-old three-true-outcomes slugger was slashing a solid .223/.323/.476 with nine home runs, eight doubles, and 28 RBI across 167 plate appearances as LA's everyday man at the hot corner before getting injured, and he should stay stashed in all fantasy leagues.
Enrique Hernandez and
Miguel Rojas should continue handling the bulk of action at third base in Muncy's stead, but neither are worth considering outside of the deepest leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Foul Territory
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher
Willson Contreras (forearm) has progressed to hitting soft toss, and he caught a bullpen ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates. It's been a remarkable turnaround for Contreras, who is making swift progress in his recovery from a fractured left forearm. He has a chance to return to the Cardinals before the end of June with the strides he's made, so fantasy managers should be stashing him in all leagues at this juncture. Before going down, the 32-year-old star backstop was St. Louis' most effective hitter with a hearty .280/.398/.551 triple-slash line, six home runs, 11 doubles, and 12 RBI over 128 plate appearances.
Ivan Herrera and
Pedro Pages are sharing work behind the dish at the moment, but neither have done enough overall to warrant much fantasy attention this year.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Guerrero - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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