5 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Jeffrey Springs (elbow) made his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, striking out three batters over two innings of work. Springs' velocity looks to be back to his 2023 levels, considering he generated eight whiffs on just 18 pitches on Wednesday. Still with a long way to go to build up his pitch count during his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Springs is likely to return to the Rays sometime in the middle of July. After yielding a lone run with a 24:4 K:BB over 16 innings in Tampa Bay's rotation last season, the 31-year-old left-hander has the upside to eventually be an upper-echelon starter for fantasy managers once he's fully built back up and could significantly help rosters down the stretch of the campaign.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Thomas Nestico
5 days agoCleveland Guardians starting pitcher
Ben Lively (undisclosed) is listed as the team's probable starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Lively was sent back to Cleveland after being pulled from his last outing due to general stiffness, but he's been given the green light to rejoin the club and is cleared to make his next scheduled appearance. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander is working to maintain a spot in the Guardians' rotation when
Gavin Williams (elbow) is presumably activated from the 60-day injured list later this month, producing a career-best 2.59 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 48 punchouts and 15 walks through 55 2/3 innings this year. Fantasy managers should feel pretty good about deploying Lively against a disappointing Jays lineup on Sunday.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Ben Nicholson-Smith - Sportsnet.ca
5 days agoSan Diego Padres outfielder
Jackson Merrill made history in Wednesday's win over the visiting Oakland Athletics, becoming the youngest player all-time to record two home runs in a game, with one of them being a walk-off blast. After Merrill connected with a solo homer to center field off Athletics left-hander
Hogan Harris to extend the Padres' lead to 2-0 in the fifth inning, he took shutdown closer
Mason Miller deep to right field to give San Diego a 5-4 win. The 21-year-old former top prospect has been a consistent fantasy asset as the Friars' everyday center fielder in 2024, and he's now batting .355 with the two big flies, four RBI, five runs scored, and two stolen bases over his last eight outings. Although his overall upside remains diminished while hitting in the lower part of the lineup, Merrill is still a strong source of batting average and steals.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: AJ Cassavell - MLB.com
5 days agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Michael King racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts in Wednesday's win over the visiting Oakland Athletics, but he didn't factor into the decision. It was a strong outing for King, who dominated Oakland and managed to throw five innings of two-run ball before departing. Across his past five appearances, the 29-year-old former New York Yankee is 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 34:8 K:BB. As long as he can stay healthy during his first season as a full-time starter, King should remain a higher-end mixed-league fantasy contributor for his ability to miss bats a high rate and keep the ball in the yard with regularity. He draws a difficult matchup against the first-place Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, but he's tough to consider sitting right now.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros outfielder
Yordan Alvarez stayed hot in Wednesday's loss to the hosting San Francisco Giants, clubbing his 14th home run of the season. Alvarez cut the Astros' deficit to 5-3 with a two-run homer off Giants right-hander
Logan Webb to left-center field in the sixth inning, continuing to put his early-season struggles in the rear-view mirror on Wednesday. Over his last 31 games, the 26-year-old superstar slugger is batting .347 with seven long balls, 17 RBI, and 20 runs scored for the Astros as Houston's everyday No. 3 hitter. The buy-low window in fantasy has been shut for a few weeks now, as Alvarez remains one of the premier four-category players in this talented lineup.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb logged another quality start in Wednesday's victory over the visiting Houston Astros, firing six solid innings with five strikeouts for his sixth win of the year. Webb is now up to 11 quality starts for the Giants in 2024, and he remains one of the safest bets in fantasy on a start-to-start basis for his ability to keep the ball on the ground at an elite level and limit the free passes despite a subpar strikeout rate. The 27-year-old right-hander might be on his way to Arlington for the first All-Star nod of his career later this summer, and he'll carry a steady 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 78:20 K:BB through 92 1/3 innings into his next scheduled start on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAn MRI exam on Kansas City Royals outfielder
Hunter Renfroe (foot) showed that he's not dealing with a fracture in his left big toe. Renfroe landed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday but will not need surgery and now will have a shorter timeline for a return. His injury is more in line with a bone bruise and stress reaction, which means he could still need more than the minimum 10 days to recover and rejoin the Royals. The 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger fouled two pitches off his toe in Monday's game. It remains to be seen if he'll be back with the team when he's eligible to come off the IL on June 21, but we'll keep tabs on his recovery. Renfroe can still provide some modest pop from the right side, but he's hit just .200 (34-for-170) on the season with 26 RBI and 22 runs scored in 56 games played for the Royals.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Kansas City Star - Jaylon T. Thompson
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will now pitch on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, with Thursday's pitching plan now to be determined. Instead of facing the Texas Rangers in the series finale on Thursday, Yamamoto will get the upstart Royals, who rank eighth in OPS (.725). The 25-year-old could use a little extra rest after he threw a season-high 106 pitches over seven brilliant scoreless innings his last time out against the New York Yankees last weekend. Although it's not the best matchup against KC this weekend, the Japanese hurler has been a must-start for fantasy lineups with the way he's been throwing the ball of late. And on the season, he's also been strong with a 6-2 record, 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 72 innings over 13 starts in his first year in the majors in the U.S.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Kirsten Watson
5 days agoSeattle Mariners closer
Andres Munoz (back) received an injection in his lower back to help get the soreness out of it. Munoz also had an MRI exam and a bone scan, and neither of them showed any major issues. Although the 25-year-old right-handed reliever has avoided the injured list, he's been battling back issues for a bit now and hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. He's also made just two appearances out of Seattle's bullpen so far this month. It's a good bet that we won't see him again until at least later this week so that he can have some extra time for his injection to work its magic. If more back tightness crops up, expect the M's to place Munoz on the injured list.
Ryne Stanek has two saves and lefty
Tayler Saucedo has a save for the M's with Munoz currently sidelined.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Seattle Times - Ryan Divish
5 days agoAccording to Seattle Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, right-hander
Bryan Woo's (arm) MRI exam "was perfectly clean." Woo isn't dealing with any new damage in his right arm and will be reinserted into the starting rotation soon, potentially as early as next week. The Mariners scratched Woo from his scheduled start on Tuesday with some concerns about his arm, but his MRI exam has eased some concerns that the 24-year-old might have to return to the injured list for the second time this year. The former sixth-round pick in 2021 out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo got a late start to the 2024 regular season due to an injury but is a perfect 3-0 with a miniscule 1.07 ERA (2.37 FIP) and 0.53 WHIP with a 24:2 K:BB in 33 2/3 frames over his six starts. Woo's 20.2% strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired, but fantasy managers can't really complain given how well he's thrown otherwise so far this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Daniel Kramer
5 days agoNew York Mets right-hander
Kodai Senga (shoulder, triceps) threw his second bullpen session on Wednesday and will have two more bullpens, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. Senga said he expects to pitch this season, and his next step is facing batters again before embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. "He was smiling after he was done throwing," Mendoza said. "That's a good sign." The 31-year-old Japanese pitcher hasn't pitched all year for the Mets and was shut down in May due to tightness in his right triceps muscle. After he completes two more bullpens, Senga will be cleared to face live hitters. Given how long he's been out, fantasy managers should expect a lengthy rehab assignment when the time comes. Continue to stash Senga in all fantasy leagues, but his return will not come until some point in the second half of the season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon
5 days agoNew York Mets right-handed relief pitcher
Edwin Diaz (shoulder), who is set to return from the injured list on Thursday, will be the team's closer when he's back, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. Diaz was given a break from the closer's role in New York right before he was placed on the 15-day injured list in late May with a right-shoulder impingement. The hard-throwing reliever should have never been dumped by fantasy managers to begin with despite his struggles this year -- he has a 5.40 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, five saves, 30 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 innings pitched -- and hopefully he'll find a way to turn things around now that his right shoulder is feeling better. There's a chance that the Mets ease Diaz back into save opportunities upon his return, but fantasy managers will want to get him back into their lineups immediately on Thursday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Newsday - Tim Healey
5 days agoNew York Yankees right-hander
Gerrit Cole (elbow) will make his next minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, according to manager Aaron Boone. The skipper was then asked if he expects this to be Cole's final rehab start before returning from the 60-day injured list, and Boone said, "we'll see." Friday's outing will be his third rehab start. The 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young winner went 4 2/3 innings in his latest rehab start for Double-A Somerset on Sunday and threw 57 pitches. Cole continues to build up his right arm after being shut down with right-elbow issues in spring training, but fantasy managers should be getting excited about his impending return. When Cole makes his 2024 debut for the Bombers, he'll be a must-start in all fantasy lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NJ Advance Media - Max Goodman
5
days
agoDetroit
Tigers
right-hander
Jack
Flaherty
(back)
said
he's
feeling
better
after
receiving
an
injection
in
his
back
and
expects
to
make
his
next
start
on
Saturday
against
the
Houston
Astros
and
right-hander
Justin
Verlander.
Flaherty
will
throw
on
read more...
5 days agoWashington Nationals left-hander
MacKenzie Gore (finger) is dealing with a fingernail issue and will have his next start moved back to Friday for the series opener against the visiting division-rival Miami Marlins. Left-hander
Patrick Corbin will take the hill in Thursday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers in Motown. It's something to watch for Gore, but it's not enough for fantasy managers to consider benching the 25-year-old southpaw in what is another strong matchup against the Fish. The Marlins have the second-worst team OPS in baseball at .635, although they rank 24th in strikeouts. Gore allowed a season-high six earned runs to the Mets on June 3 but bounced back with five innings of two-run ball and seven K's against Atlanta his last time out. He has yet to face Miami in 2024 but should be started on Friday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
RADIO
