5 days agoMiami Marlins third baseman
Jake Burger (oblique) is heading to the injured list on Monday with a left-oblique injury. He compared the discomfort on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves to last year when he suffered a similar injury while with the Chicago White Sox, when he missed 10 days. The Marlins will call up infielder
Otto Lopez, who was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on April 4. Lopez can play shortstop, second base and third base and last appeared in the big leagues in 2022. Hopefully for fantasy managers, the 28-year-old Burger only needs to miss the minimum 10 days on the IL. In his absence,
Emmanuel Rivera is likely to see most of the starts at the hot corner for the Fish. In his first 16 games of 2024, Burger had three homers and 15 RBI despite hitting just .228 (13-for-57).
UPDATE: Burger officially went on the IL with a left intercostal muscle strain.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
5 days agoDetroit Tigers second base prospect
Jace Jung went 2-for-5 with three RBI for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. Jung's homer was his third in nine games. Jung is the younger brother of
Josh Jung and supplies power just like his big brother. Jung's biggest issue in professional career has been plate discipline, but the power is there for the 2022 first-round pick. The Tigers went with fellow second base prospect
Colt Keith to make the Opening Day roster and it is possible the Jung will have to switch positions to get promoted quicker. For now, he should be rostered in dynasty formats with managers in redraft leagues keeping a tab on him.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
5 days agoBoston Red Sox shortstop prospect
Marcelo Mayer went 2-for-5 with a RBI for Double-A Portland on Sunday. The Red Sox number one prospect is now 10-for-28 on the season with one home run, five RBI and two stolen bases on the young season. Mayer split last season between High-A and Double-A, but struggled with a .189 batting average in his first go-around with Portland. The good news is that this year, he has come out on fire. Mayer's defense has always been there, but it is his bat that has needed to catch up and his hot start to the season could be a sign of things to come as Mayer's body has gotten stronger since being drafted out of high school in 2001. Mayer offers plenty to be excited about in the future for dynasty managers with the potential to hit for a good average and provide 20+ homers. For now, he is only a name to keep an eye on in dynasty leagues.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
5 days agoBoston Red Sox catcher prospect
Kyle Teel went 1-for-5 with a solo home run for Double-A Portland on Sunday. The homer would be his first of the young season and he is now hitting .300 over his first 20 at-bats. Teel, 22, is one of the top catching prospects in the minor leagues with ability to be a good hitter and not just a power hitter. He also is more athletic than most backstops. There is an outside chance that Teel could get a late season promotion, but it is more likely that he will get his shot in the big leagues next season as he has yet to play in Triple-A. Regardless, Teel holds value in dynasty leagues and should be rostered as a potential star catcher down the line.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays third base prospect
Junior Caminero returned to the lineup on Sunday with a bang. After being activated from the 7-day injured list with a quad injury that kept him sidelined, Caminero did not miss a beat by going 2-for-6 with a home run and five RBI. The 20-year-old is rated a Top-5 prospect universally and many can argue that he is not in the big leagues due to service time and not performance at this point. With
Brandon Lowe (oblique),
Jonathan Aranda (finger) and Taylor Wells (hip) all on the injured list, Caminero might force his way up to the big leagues by continuing to perform as he has. Caminero offers good contact and power and should be rostered in all formats when he indeed does get promoted.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
5 days agoKansas City Royals pitching prospect
Frank Mozzicato tossed four innings in his season debut for High-A Quad Cities. The 20-year-old allowed just one hit and struck out four with no runs allowed, but surrendered three walks. Walks have been the left-hander's kryptonite early on in his career and he will need to maintain those to improve. The former first-round pick of 2021 has very good spin on his breaking ball and has worked on a changeup to add to arsenal. The talent is all there for the youngster, but he will need to limit his walks and have better command to get to the next level. Mozzicato is only a name for dynasty managers to consider at this point.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
5 days agoMiami Marlins left-hander
A.J. Puk has been scratched from his scheduled start on Monday against the visiting San Francisco Giants due to an illness while
Edward Cabrera (shoulder) will be activated from the injured list and will start in Puk's place on Monday. Puk's next start has been pushed back to Wednesday. It hasn't been a great start to Puk's season after winning a rotation job coming out of spring training as he sports a 5.91 ERA through three starts and just 10 2/3 innings of work. More concerning is his eye-popping 14 walks in those 10 2/3 frames with just eight strikeouts in that time. As for Cabrera, he has also struggled with control in his Triple-A rehab as he walked 14.8% of the hitters he faced in three starts, although he was able to escape with a 0.71 ERA.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jordan McPherson
5 days agoToronto Blue Jays relievers
Jordan Romano and
Erik Swanson are both close to returning to game action, giving the club their two best relievers back and solidifying the eighth and ninth innings. Both right-handers have been sidelined by elbow issues as Romano said before Sunday's 5-0 win over the Rockies that he's feeling good after throwing 2/3 of an inning at Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday and doesn't feel that he needs a third rehab outing before returning to the club's bullpen. Swanson has pronounced himself ready for a return after pitching for Buffalo on Thursday and Saturday. Of course, Romano is a big-time asset to fantasy managers upon his return with 72 saves over the last two seasons while Swanson is valued in leagues that reward holds with 29 of those last season alongside his 2.97 ERA.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Ben Nicholson-Smith
5 days agoKansas City Royals catcher
Salvador Perez suffered a left groin and hip injury on Sunday when he collided with New York Mets outfielder
Starling Marte at home plate. The veteran backstop left the game and was seen limping off of the field following the collision. He will be evaluated on Monday and an update is expected before the club kicks off a series against the rival White Sox. It's been a big start to the 2024 season for the long-time Royals catcher as Perez has hit .339 with four home runs and 15 RBI across 16 games and 65 trips to the plate, posting a healthy .934 OPS in the process. The heavily-used backstop continues to deliver quality power numbers into his mid-30s and should continue to drive in plenty of runs on an improved Royals offense in 2024.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Joel Goldberg
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher
Emmet Sheehan (forearm) has been shut down from throwing again, according to manager Dave Roberts. The 24-year-old's injury isn't responding the way the team hoped it would as Roberts said it's "a longer term situation". Of course, that is grim news for the right-hander as long-term forearm issues never pan out properly for the player. Sheehan has yet to appear in a game this season after he worked to a 4.92 ERA across 13 appearances (11 starts) and 60 1/3 innings with the Dodgers last season. He struck out a solid 25.8% of the batters he faced in that time but the massive strikeout rates he put forth in the minors firmly put him on the fantasy radar in 2024. It doesn't appear he will be available to fantasy managers any time soon.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya
5 days agoThe Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander
Bobby Miller (shoulder) are hopeful he can begin throwing again within the next 5-7 days. If so, he could be back relatively quickly as he wouldn't need to completely build up from scratch. The 25-year-old began his 2024 season with six shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in a win over the Cardinals but has since yielded seven earned runs with seven strikeouts and five walks across only 5 2/3 innings across his last two outings. Nonetheless, he still owns a 3.14 SIERA and a 24% K-BB% on the young season and is a must-stash in any and all formats, especially since it appears he could be back sooner than later.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jack Harris
5 days agoMiami Marlins relief pitcher
Tanner Scott had another rough outing on Sunday, blowing the save and taking the loss in a 9-7 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. Scott allowed a crushing two-out, three-run homer to
Marcell Ozuna in the ninth that flipped this game on its head. Scott has struggled severely so far this season and might be in danger of losing the closer role if he can't figure things out quickly. Fortunately for him, no one else in the Marlins pen looks worthy of the spot either, so he might be given a few more chances.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Jose Berrios was fantastic on Sunday, shutting out the Colorado Rockies for seven innings in a 5-0 win. Berrios had it all working in this one, as he allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. He generated 17 whiffs on 100 pitches, including 10 on his slurve. With the great outing, Berrios lowered his ERA to a microscopic 1.05 and his WHIP to 0.97. He likely won't be this good all season, but he should be a stabilizing force for both the Blue Jays and fantasy managers.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve continued his torrid start to the season on Sunday, smacking a pair of homers in an 8-5 win over the Texas Rangers. Altuve went 3-for-5 on the day, adding two runs and two RBI as well as a stolen base. He is now up to a .382 AVG to go with five homers and a stolen base. The 33-year-old isn't showing any signs of aging and should continue to be an excellent five-category contributor as long as he can stay healthy.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoOakland Athletics closer
Mason Miller picked up his third save of the season on Sunday in a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals. Miller looked dominant in his inning of work, striking out all three Nationals he faced. The 25-year-old was consistently touching triple digits while also mixing in a nasty slider, a combination that is looking lethal early in the season. Even though he pitches for Oakland, he is a must-roster player at this point. If he is somehow still available in your league, grab him now and have fun watching him do his thing.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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