5 days agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes allowed two runs (none earned) on five hits across seven innings of work during Monday's 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Burnes struck out six batters while issuing one walk. It was the ninth straight quality start for Burnes and his seventh win of the season. The 29-year-old has posted a stingy 2.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 82:22 K:BB across 14 starts during his first season in Baltimore. He is lined up for a tough test against the Philadelphia Phillies in his next start, but there is no reason to doubt Burnes against any lineup at this point.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson was 3-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in Monday's 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 22-year-old took the first pitch of the game over the center field wall for his 21st home run of the season. Henderson is putting together a dynamic fantasy campaign in his sophomore year. He is slashing .274/.375/.599 with 46 RBI, 55 runs scored, eight stolen bases and a .974 OPS. Henderson can be started with confidence on a nightly basis.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics rookie shortstop Darell Hernaiz (ankle) is out of his walking boot and will begin a strength and fitness program this week. The next step in Hernaiz's rehab process will be to resume baseball activity, which the A's will determine at a later date. The A's moved the 22-year-old infielder to the 60-day injured list on May 15. Hernaiz is listed on MLB Pipeline as Oakland's No. 4 prospect, but a severe left ankle sprain has kept him sidelined since May 7. He's mostly a candidate to keep stashed in dynasty/keeper leagues, as it remains to be seen how much playing time he'll see in Oakland when he's healthy enough to return. Hernaiz received his first major-league promotion earlier this year and went 12-for-66 (.182) with no home runs, six RBI and a stolen base in his first 29 big-league contests before injuring his ankle.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn (foot) is out of his walking boot and is expected to begin a throwing program this week. However, there is no timetable for his return to the A's starting rotation at this time after he landed on the injured list with a right-foot stress reaction. Blackburn is making notable progress, but he still has a ways to go before being reinstated from the injured list, and he won't be an option for fantasy managers again until the second half of the season. The 30-year-old former first-rounder of the Chicago Cubs in 2012 will require at least a handful of minor-league rehab starts before the A's eventually return him to their rotation. Blackburn went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (4.19 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP with a 36:13 K:BB in 46 innings and eight starts for the A's before injuring his foot.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder) increased his throwing distance up to 90 feet during the week of June 3, but he experienced a setback and is currently shut down from throwing with no timetable to resume that program at this time. Wood was transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 9 and will not be able to make it back to the big leagues before the All-Star break in mid-July now. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw was initially placed on the 15-day injured list on May 13 with left rotator-cuff tendonitis. Wood hasn't been much of a fantasy option for a while, and that hasn't changed in 2024 in his first year in Oakland. Before being put on the IL, he had gone 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 1.78 WHIP with 33 strikeouts and 19 walks in 39 1/3 innings. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can continue to ignore Wood for now.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (elbow) is scheduled to begin a throwing program on Tuesday, June 11, and he will gradually increase his throwing distance until the A's determine that he's ready to throw off a mound. Stripling has been shut down from throwing since May 29 due to a right elbow flexor strain, but the team feels he's finally ready to start building his arm back up. Given how long Stripling has been out, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to come off the injured list to rejoin Oakland's starting rotation before the All-Star break in mid-July. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues should have better options at this point. Before landing on the shelf, Stripling went 1-9 with a 5.82 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.59 WHIP with only 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 55 2/3 innings over his 11 starts.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics left-hander Kyle Muller (shoulder) started a throwing program last Thursday, and the next step in his rehab process from left-shoulder tendonitis is to throw off a mound, although there is no timetable for when that will happen at this time. Muller was solid for the A's in a relief role this year before his injury, as he has allowed 16 runs (13 earned) on 33 hits (five home runs) while walking only seven and striking out 24 in 33 2/3 innings in his 13 appearances out of the A's bullpen. If the 26-year-old southpaw avoids a setback with his shoulder, he should be able to return to the big-league bullpen before the end of June. Before the 2024 campaign, 24 of Muller's 33 MLB appearances with the Atlanta Braves and A's came in a starting role.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg (forearm) felt healthy after a 20-pitch bullpen session on Sunday and is expected to be activated from the injured list at some point during the team's road trip through San Diego and Minnesota that begins on Monday. Erceg is eligible to come off the IL on Wednesday. The 29-year-old has been a great setup man for the A's in front of electric closer Mason Miller this year, posting a 2.86 ERA in 21 relief appearances while striking out 27 in 22 innings of work. Erceg also has the first two saves of his career in his second season in the big leagues. Miller is the team's unquestioned closer, but he'll be a popular trade candidate this summer, and if Miller is dealt or gets injured, Erceg could be first in line for saves in Oakland.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Minnesota Twins will call up right-hander Louie Varland from the minors to make a spot start on Tuesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies. Right-handed reliever Diego Castillo will be optioned to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. The spot start for Varland is intended to give the regular rotation some extra rest during a long stretch without off days. It will be a middling matchup against the Rockies, who rank 17th in all of baseball with a .686 OPS, although they also have the fifth-most strikeouts (617). Still, Varland will be a shaky fantasy streamer in deeper leagues. The 26-year-old hasn't looked good in his four starts in the majors in 2024, going 0-4 with a 9.18 ERA and 2.16 WHIP with 18 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings pitched. He wasn't that great at St. Paul, either, going 2-5 with a 5.31 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP with 44 K's and 14 walks in eight starts (40 2/3 frames).Source: The Athletic - Aaron Gleeman
5 days agoThe Philadelphia Phillies are promoting shortstop prospect Aidan Miller to High-A Jersey Shore. Miller is the 47th-ranked prospect in baseball per MLB.com's Top Prospects list and the Phillies' top offensive prospect (second overall). Miller is slashing .275/.401/.483 with five home runs and 10 stolen bases but had been hitting .309 through the end of May until a cold streak befell him in June. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time until he was promoted, but the 2023 first-round draft pick won't see the majors for a couple of years. Still, the power-speed combo makes him an intriguing player for dynasty managers to consider.Source: MiLB Central
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-hander Bobby Miller (shoulder) made his third minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday and allowed two runs (one earned) while striking out two in four innings of work. Miller came out of the outing feeling healthy and is getting closer to a return from right-shoulder inflammation. Manager Dave Roberts said he's unsure what's next for Miller, but the Dodgers could be leaning towards Miller making one more rehab start before he rejoins the Dodgers' rotation. With 13 games in a row coming up for LA, though, Miller could slot back in soon. The 25-year-old hasn't been exactly great during his rehab assignment, posting a 6.97 ERA and 1.74 WHIP with six K's and five walks in 10 1/3 innings, but his return to the big leagues isn't far off, and Miller should be rostered in all fantasy leagues due to his high-strikeout upside.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoThere was initially a belief that Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) could rejoin the team ahead of Monday's series opener in Minnesota against the Twins, but the club is not pushing that timeline after talking with Jones. Working his way back from a strained lower back and an injury to his left knee, Jones now carries an uncertain timeline for a return to the major-league roster with the Rockies allowing him more time to find his swing. The 26-year-old left fielder has gone 6-for-23 with three extra-base hits and five RBI in his last six rehab games with Triple-A Albuquerque, however, and Colorado still figures to reinstate him from the injured list sometime during a 10-game homestand that begins on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fantasy managers should hang tight in the interim and keep Jones stashed for his five-category potential at the hitter-friendly Coors Field when healthy.Source: Thomas Harding - MLB.com
5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring) said on Sunday that he hopes to return to the lineup within a week. After working out over the weekend during the London Series with the division-rival New York Mets, Turner will ramp up his rehab from a strained left hamstring again starting on Tuesday ahead of the series opener against the hosting Boston Red Sox. Turner is unlikely to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before the Phillies activate him from the injured list as well, according to manager Rob Thomson, so he should be back with Philly sometime in mid-June. In the meantime, Edmundo Sosa is batting a strong .294 (32-for-109) with 14 extra-base hits, 18 RBI, 21 runs scored, and two stolen bases over 36 games this year and remains worth rostering in all fantasy leagues in Turner's stead for the next week or so.Source: Todd Zolecki - MLB.com
5 days agoKansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe (toe) exited Monday's game against the visiting New York Yankees in the fifth inning with a fracture in his left big toe. MJ Melendez entered the game in left field, and Dairon Blanco moved to right after Renfroe fouled two balls off his foot in the third inning. It seemed encouraging that Renfroe was able to remain in the contest for two frames before departing, but he now appears set for an extended absence following this diagnosis. The big-armed 32-year-old right fielder had been getting hot at the plate lately, batting .306 with three home runs, seven doubles, and 11 RBI over his prior 19 outings to Monday's action, so it's a tough break for him. Fantasy managers should consider Renfroe out indefinitely until the Royals provide a concrete timetable.Source: Kansas City Royals on X
5 days agoHouston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) said prior to Monday's series opener against the San Francisco Giants that he's still hopeful to return to the lineup when first eligible to come off the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Tucker still has swelling in his ankle and hasn't resumed baseball activities while he recuperates from a right shin contusion, but he is able to move around without crutches now. It doesn't sound like a brief minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the Astros will be necessary for the 27-year-old fantasy superstar, who's slashing a prolific .266/.395/.584 with 19 home runs, 41 RBI, 42 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases through 262 plate appearances as a five-category sensation this season. Houston just recalled Joey Loperfido from the minor leagues this past weekend, but it doesn't sound like the top prospect's stay will be very long.Source: Chandler Rome - The Athletic