5 days agoArizona Diamondbacks closer
Paul Sewald notched his first save of the season on Thursday, closing the door on the Cincinnati Reds in a 5-4 win. Sewald struck out a pair and didn't allow a baserunner in his inning of work. The 33-year-old veteran was making just his second appearance of the season after recovering from an oblique strain that put him out of action for all of April and the first week of May. After being used in a non-save situation in his first appearance on Tuesday, Sewald was put right back into the fire on Thursday and looked great, putting fantasy manager's worries at ease. He should continue to be the D-backs primary closer if he can stay healthy.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago White Sox relief pitcher
Michael Kopech picked up his fourth save of the season on Thursday, shutting down the Cleveland Guardians in a 3-2 win. Kopech got the final four outs of this one, allowing just a hit while striking out one. Although the White Sox aren't likely to get many save chances, it appears Kopech is the go-to guy when the opportunity arises. He now has four of the team's seven saves and has saves in back-to-back games as well. It might be time to consider picking him up in leagues where saves are sparse.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago White Sox starting pitcher
Erick Fedde had a solid outing against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, tossing six innings of shutout ball and earning the win in a 3-2 victory. Fedde allowed six hits while walking none and striking out three. Although the whiffs weren't there for the righty in this one, he was able to control his pitches much better than last outing, where he walked five. It was a step in the right direction for Fedde, but he will have to continue to have these strong performances to become a must-start fantasy option.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Brenton Doyle went 2-for-4 with a double and a homer on Thursday, helping the team pick up a 9-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Doyle added two runs scored and three RBI to round out his stat line. The 25-year-old got off to a hot start at the dish and was a popular waiver wire add in fantasy, but coming into this game since May 1, he was slashing a dismal .111/.143/.185 with just one extra-base hit. He still has solid season numbers, but he is much less appealing in fantasy outside of deeper leagues, especially since he has moved down in the Rockies lineup.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoKansas City Royals outfielder
Dairon Blanco showed up big on Thursday, leading his team to a 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Blanco went 3-for-3 with four runs scored, two RBI, a homer, and two stolen bases. It was a full stat line for Blanco, but unfortunately the 31-year-old hasn't done much to warrant being rostered in fantasy outside of this game. He will steal the occasional base, with 10 on the season, but he hardly starts games and is usually used as a late-game pinch-runner. He might see more at-bats now, but he shouldn't be rostered unless steals are at a premium.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder
Christian Yelich went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in a 7-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Yelich scored on a
Rhys Hoskins homer in the first inning and later tripled in
William Contreras. It was the lefty's second game back from a lower back strain that caused him to miss about a month of action and he looked much better in this game after an 0-for-5 in his first game back. Yelich and his fantasy owners are hoping he can pick right back up from where he was before his injury, as he was torching the ball with a .333/.407/.708 triple-slash line.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoMLB teams are already calling the Oakland Athletics with trade interest in flamethrowing closer
Mason Miller, and naturally, the A's are asking for a ton in return. No team has come close to meeting the A's price, according to a team source, and
read more...
5 days agoThe Los Angeles Angels placed infielder
Brandon Drury (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a left-hamstring strain. With infielder
Luis Rengifo (illness) also going on the 10-day IL and
Anthony Rendon (hamstring) out for the long term, the Angels infield depth has really been tested. The Halos acquired veteran infielder
Luis Guillorme from the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, and he immediately got the start at second base while hitting eighth in his Angels debut. With both Rengifo and Drury now out, Guillorme,
Cole Tucker and
Ehire Adrianza could see decent playing time to warrant a look in AL-only leagues. In addition to his hamstring injury, Drury was hitting a terrible .173/.230/.240 with a homer, six RBI and nine runs scored in his first 104 at-bats this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Angels PR
5 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge walloped his ninth home run of the year in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the visiting Houston Astros, leaving the yard for the second time in as many days and the third time in the past four outings. Judge's gargantuan 473-foot blast to center field made it a one-run ballgame in the eighth inning, but the Yankees ultimately couldn't rally against All-Star closer
Josh Hader. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar's bat has certainly woken up following a slow start to the campaign, now batting .372 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, and one stolen base over his last 12 games. Judge looks to keep his foot on the gas during a three-game set against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays beginning on Friday, but in 13 games against the Rays since 2023, he's hitting just .146 with two blasts and five RBI.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Los Angeles Angels placed infielder
Luis Rengifo (illness) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, retroactive to May 6. Rengifo hasn't appeared since last Friday's win over the Cleveland Guardians due to a viral infection, and his absence leaves a considerable void in the Angels' infield. The versatile 27-year-old righty-hitter was slashing a strong .330/.378/.462 with two home runs, six doubles, 11 RBI, and a career-high nine stolen bases through just 91 at-bats (28 games) for the Halos in 2024. The club is hopeful it'll be a short stint for Rengifo. Veteran
Luis Guillorme was just acquired on Thursday and already made his way into Anaheim's patchwork lineup against the Kansas City Royals, but he carries little to no fantasy appeal despite an everyday role likely headed his way.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Angels Public Relations
5 days agoHouston Astros relief pitcher
Ryan Pressly (back) made his first appearance since last Friday in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the New York Yankees, giving up a home run and one walk with one strikeout while recording two outs. Making his first appearance in six days after experiencing soreness in his lower back, Pressly wasn't sharp in the eighth inning while throwing just 10 of his 22 pitches for strikes and serving up a monstrous home run to
Aaron Judge late on Wednesday. While the 35-year-old veteran reliever has taken a backseat to All-Star closer
Josh Hader in the saves department, he's not helping his cause with a poor 5.65 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 22:6 K:BB, and two blown saves over 14 1/3 innings out of Houston's bullpen this year. Even in fantasy leagues that count holds, Pressly is barely worth hanging onto right now.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros closer
Josh Hader secured Thursday's save, recording four outs with one strikeout for his fourth save of the season in the 4-3 win over the New York Yankees. Hader relieved
Ryan Pressly in the eighth inning and got lefty-hitter
Anthony Rizzo to pop out to end the frame.
Gleyber Torres lined a single to get the tying run aboard in the ninth, but Hader managed to sit down the next three hitters in order. It was awful start to the year for Hader in his Astros debut season, but he's gotten back on track with a 2.16 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while striking out 14, walking three, and converting each of his three save opportunities over his last seven appearances (8 1/3 innings). It looks like the 30-year-old three-time National League Reliever of the Year's buy-low window in fantasy has closed for the time being.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Chase DeLauter (foot) doesn't need surgery on his broken left foot, and the medical team is working through the next steps for him. DeLauter reported pain in his left foot on April 25, which is the same foot that he had surgically repaired last year, and the team announced on Sunday that a CT scan revealed a fracture in his fifth metatarsal bone. The 22-year-old former first-round pick is Cleveland's No. 1 prospect for 2024, per MLB Pipeline, and his indefinite absence could delay his major-league debut that wasn't likely to arrive until 2025 to begin with. It's a big hit to his fantasy stock for dynasty managers. DeLauter was already struggling with Double-A Akron this season, slashing .197/.296/.295 with one home run, three doubles, three RBI, and one stolen base over 71 plate appearances (16 games) after crushing four homers in 25 Cactus League at-bats with the Guardians in spring training.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Tom Withers - Associated Press
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder
Tommy Edman (wrist) is continuing tee work with increased intensity. After being transferred to the 60-day injured list on Sunday, Edman has still yet to fully go through baseball activities after undergoing wrist surgery in October. Although the speedy 29-year-old switch-hitter still has a chance to return in late May when first eligible for reinstatement, he still needs to go through what will likely be a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment after missing all of spring training. In the interim, top prospect
Masyn Winn is functioning as St. Louis' primary shortstop. Winn is slashing only .265/.333/.357 with seven extra-base hits, seven RBI, 10 runs scored, and five stolen bases through 98 at-bats (33 games) this season, however, and he isn't worth rostering in the majority of fantasy leagues at the moment.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Jones - Belleville News-Democrat
5 days agoChicago White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (hip) has resumed hitting after suffering a minor setback with his right hip flexor strain while rehabbing in Arizona. Manager Pedro Grifol says Robert is back up to running at 70 percent intensity, and the center fielder will continue to ramp up his activity. Robert is about a week away from taking the next step in his recovery, which could be a minor-league rehab assignment, and he'll play some backfield games before doing so. While the dynamic 26-year-old slugger could get into rehab games in mid-May, barring any setbacks, fantasy managers should be prepared to be without Robert until late May with the last-place ChiSox likely in no hurry to rush him back. Veteran
Tommy Pham is working as Chicago's primary center fielder and worth considering in AL-only leagues, slashing a serviceable .295/.326/.477 with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI, and four runs scored in 44 at-bats (11 games) this year.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: James Fegan
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