5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher
Willson Contreras (forearm), who has been out since May 7 with a fractured left forearm, was on the field at Busch Stadium on Thursday doing some throwing, catching and sprinting. Contreras even threw a ball from foul territory to the center field berm to show off his arm strength. The 32-year-old is doing baseball activities, but the true test for the veteran backstop will be swinging a bat. As such, he still has a ways to go before rejoining the Cardinals' starting lineup, and it might be a surprise if he's able to do so before the All-Star break in mid-July. Until he returns,
Ivan Herrera will continue to serve as the team's primary catcher. Before his painful injury, Contreras was off to a good start in his second year in St. Louis, hitting .280 (30-for-107) with six homer and 11 doubles. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues while he rehabs.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
5 days agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair the torn ACL in his left knee. Everything reportedly went well with the procedure. Acuna will stay in Los Angeles for at least a month as he begins his rehabilitation process. It marks the second time the former MVP has gone under the knife for an ACL procedure. There is a chance that Acuna could be ready to return for the start of next season, barring any setbacks, but that is still months away. It will be interesting to see what Acuna looks like whenever he returns, given that speed is such a valuable part of his game.
Adam Duvall will continue to see the majority of playing time in right field for the rest of 2024.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano
5 days agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
Bryan Woo continued his strong start to 2024 by tossing six scoreless innings during Thursday's 3-0 win over the Oakland Athletics. He allowed two hits and no walks while striking out six batters. The 24-year-old has produced four straight quality starts and has only given up four runs all season. He now owns a 3-0 record to go along with a minuscule 1.07 ERA, 0.53 WHIP and 24:2 K:BB. Woo has benefited from facing off against some weaker lineups, but there is no denying the right-hander's results so far. He will take his stellar numbers into another forgiving matchup against the Chicago White Sox next week.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSan Diego Padres third baseman
Manny Machado (hip) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The veteran slugger injured himself while trying to beat out a throw to first base in Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Padres manager Mike Shildt said the next few days and testing results will determine if Machado has to go on the injured list. Hopefully the 31-year-old can return to the lineup after a bit of rest.
Tyler Wade will get the start at third base and bat eighth in Machado's absence. He is nothing more than a dart throw in DFS formats for Thursday's slate.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Sammy Levitt
5 days agoCincinnati Reds first baseman
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) has been cleared to resume baseball activities. The 24-year-old has not played since May 7 due to a fracture in his right hand. The former top prospect will need multiple weeks to get back into the swing of things, but there is a chance he returns before the All-Star break. Encarnacion-Strand came into the season with serious breakout potential but struggled to the tune of a .190/.220/.293 slash line through his first 29 games. He should be stashed in most leagues due to his power upside, but it is unclear what the Reds plan to do with their lineup once both he and
Noelvi Marte (suspension) return.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Charlie Goldsmith
5 days agoKansas City Royals shortstop
Bobby Witt Jr. continued to be a terror on the basepaths during Thursday's 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians. Witt went 1-for-4 at the plate with a walk and two more stolen bases. The electrifying 23-year-old is now up to 19 steals on the season to go along with a robust .317/.371/.560 slash line. He has also produced 11 homers, 46 RBI and 54 runs scored across 63 games. There is a case to be made that Witt is the most valuable fantasy asset in the league so far this season. Lock him into lineups for the rest of the year and throw away the key.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoToronto Blue Jays first baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk during Thursday's 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Guerrero continues to hit the ball hard as both hits carried an exit velocity over 103 MPH. The talented 25-year-old endured a cold start to the season, but he has really turned things on as of late. Guerrero is slashing .362/.444/.509 over his past 30 games with four homers, 19 RBI and a 17:17 BB:K. While he only has seven home runs on the season, he is batting .295 with 30 RBI, 28 runs scored and two stolen bases. He should continue to provide considerable value for fantasy managers for the remainder of the campaign.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles catcher
Adley Rutschman was 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI during Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The slugging backstop hit a solo shot in the sixth inning and followed that up with a two-run blast in the eighth. Rutschman is off to a blistering start in June with 10 hits in his first 25 at-bats. Overall, the 26-year-old is slashing .307/.345/.490 with 12 homers, 43 RBI, 34 runs scored and one stolen base. The former first overall pick in 2019 is one of the best fantasy catchers in the game. He can be started with confidence whenever he is in the lineup.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Jarred Kelenic (wrist) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Washington Nationals. Kelenic jammed his right wrist on Wednesday night as he attempted to make a diving catch. The 24-year-old received X-rays after the game and they thankfully came back negative, which means Kelenic should be back in the lineup sooner rather than later. Veteran outfielder
Brian Anderson draws into the lineup with Kelenic's absence. Anderson has not seen fantasy relevance since way back in 2019.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers left-hander
Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is scheduled to throw two innings in a simulated game at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. Kershaw is getting extremely close to beginning an official minor-league rehab assignment after tossing an inning of live batting practice last Saturday. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer is apparently "way ahead of schedule," according to manager Dave Roberts but is still likely "about six weeks" from being ready to make his 2024 debut for the Blue. Fantasy managers that have been holding Kershaw all year have to be getting excited, but don't expect him to be an option for your starting lineup until after the All-Star break. The 10-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner went 13-5 last year with a sharp 2.46 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 137 K's and 40 walks in his 24 starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: 570 LA Sports - David Vassegh
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Bobby Miller (shoulder) is scheduled to make another minor-league rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Miller experienced a drop in velocity in his last rehab outing last Saturday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, when he allowed four runs on five hits while walking one in 3 1/3 innings. The good news is the drop in velocity doesn't appear related to his shoulder injury, so he will continue rehabbing this weekend. The 25-year-old is likely going to need at least another rehab start following Friday's appearance, but once Miller is deemed ready, he will have a rotation spot waiting for him in LA. Given the team he pitches for and his high-end strikeout upside, Miller is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues while he's hurt.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: 570 LA Sports - David Vassegh
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals shortstop
Masyn Winn (back) is back at shortstop and in the leadoff spot for the Red Birds on Thursday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and right-hander
Cal Quantrill. Winn has been playing through a nagging back injury recently and was given Wednesday off after he had three hits, including his third home run of the year, on Tuesday in Houston against the Astros. The 22-year-old's back injury is worth watching as the season progresses, but for now, he's a must-start in all fantasy leagues as he continues a breakout first full season in the big leagues. Winn is returning to a .309/.359/.446 slash line with an .805 OPS, three homers, 21 RBI, eight stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 175 at-bats. Winn has never faced Quantrill in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs third baseman
Christopher Morel (foot) is back at third base and is batting cleanup for the Cubbies on Thursday versus the hosting Cincinnati Reds and right-hander
Hunter Greene. Morel was removed late in Wednesday' contest after fouling a ball off his left foot, but it was pretty clear after the game that the 24-year-old right-handed slugger wasn't dealing with a significant injury, and he didn't even require any X-rays. The streaky Morel is barely hitting over the Mendoza Line so far this year but does have 11 long balls, 37 RBI and six stolen bases in 61 games played. Since May 19, he's hitting .152 (7-for-46) with two homers, five RBI, 11 walks and 15 strikeouts in 15 games played. In nine career at-bats against Greene, Morel is hitting .222 with a .697 OPS.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Cubs
5 days agoThe Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-hander
Quinn Priester (lat) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 3) on Thursday with a right lat muscle injury and also moved pitcher
Ryan Borucki (wrist) to the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, left-hander
Justin Bruihl was called up from the minors. It remains to be seen if Priester will be able to come off the IL when he's eligible on June 18. Lat injuries can be pretty tricky for pitchers to recover from. The 24-year-old has been up and down in six starts so far in 2024, going 0-5 with a 4.83 ERA (5.70 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with a 20:10 K:BB in 31 2/3 innings pitched. In his last two starts against the Brewers and Blue Jays, Priester surrendered eight earned runs on 17 hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out eight in 10 2/3 frames. It's unclear who will take his place in the rotation in Pittsburgh.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Alex Stumpf
5 days agoThe Colorado Rockies officially placed infielder/outfielder
Kris Bryant (rib) and outfielder
Sean Bouchard (ankle) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday and recalled infielder/outfielders
Greg Jones and
Michael Toglia from Triple-A Albuquerque in corresponding moves. Bryant is dealing with a left-rib contusion, and Bouchard suffered a right-ankle sprain on Wednesday. Back soreness kept Bryant out the last three games, but he heads to the IL with a rib injury, and there's no timetable for the struggling slugger's return. The 32-year-old also missed a month in 2024 with a back/rib injury. Along with recurring injuries, Bryant hasn't been able to contribute much with his bat for fantasy managers. Toglia is starting in right field and batting ninth on Thursday for Colorado and could see decent playing time between outfield, first base and DH. Jones is the club's No. 22 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Rockies Club Information
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