5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers infielder
Max Muncy went 4-for-5 with three home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 11-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. The 33-year-old blasted a two-run shot off
Bryce Elder in the second inning for his first homer of the game. He took
Tyler Matzek deep in the seventh inning for his second homer. Muncy hit the trifecta, hitting a solo shot in the eighth inning off
Jackson Stephens. The three home runs in a single game was a career-high. The veteran slugger is now up to eight long balls on the season, slashing .262/.369/.551 with 22 RBI and 20 runs scored over 31 games. Muncy will look to build on Saturday's career performance in the series finale against the Braves and should be started in all league formats.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: MLB
5 days agoColorado Rockies shortstop
Ezequiel Tovar is on the bench for the first time this season on Sunday against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Tovar started the Rockies' first 33 games of the year and is currently hitting .258/.303/.379 with three home runs, seven doubles, 12 RBI, three stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 143 plate appearances to start his third season in the big leagues. The day off comes at a good time, as the free-swinging 22-year-old shortstop has struggled at the plate of late, going 5-for-39 (.128) with no homers, no RBI, two walks and 16 strikeouts in his last nine games since April 24. The Rockies have a scheduled off day on Monday, so Tovar will next play on Tuesday against the visiting San Francisco Giants.
Alan Trejo is at the 6 on Sunday and is hitting ninth against Pirates left-hander
Bailey Falter.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Denver Gazette - Luke Zahlmann
5 days agoLos Angeles Angels catcher
Logan O'Hoppe (hand) is not in the team's starting lineup on the road in Cleveland on Sunday against the Guardians. Unsurprisingly, O'Hoppe will begin the game on the bench after leaving Saturday's loss with a right-hand contusion.
Matt Thaiss will catch right-hander
Griffin Canning in the series finale and will bat sixth against Guardians right-hander
Carlos Carrasco. For now, fantasy managers will want to consider O'Hoppe day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The 24-year-old backstop is off to a decent start in 2024, hitting .260/.317/.396 with two homers and 11 RBI in 96 at-bats. Thaiss, a former first-rounder in 2016 out of Virginia, doesn't have a homer yet in 24 at-bats this year but isn't a bad low-cost DFS option at the position for Sunday's slate of games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Wenceel Perez (illness) was scratched from Sunday's lineup in the Bronx against the New York Yankees due to an illness. Rookie second baseman
Colt Keith will now enter the lineup at second base while batting seventh, with
Andy Ibanez at third base and leading off and
Matt Vierling in right field and in the two-hole versus Yankees left-hander
Nestor Cortes. Perez, who was slated to make his seventh straight start, should be considered day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. The 24-year-old has earned more playing time by hitting .302 (16-for-53) in the early going with three homers, eight RBI and two stolen bases for the Tigers. Ibanez and Vierling are both worth looking at as low-cost DFS sleepers at the top of Detroit's lineup.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Detroit News - Chris McCosky
5 days agoDepending on the results of Cleveland Guardians outfielder
Steven Kwan's (hamstring) MRI results on Sunday, first base prospect
Kyle Manzardo is an option to be promoted to the major-league roster. Manzardo, the club's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could be on the cusp of his first big-league call-up after hitting .303/.375/.642 with a 1.017 OPS, nine home runs, 20 RBI and 25 runs scored in his first 29 games this year on the farm at Triple-A Columbus. The 23-year-old left-handed slugger would most likely be an option for Cleveland at the designated hitter spot in the big leagues if he's called up and Kwan needs a stint on the injured list. Manzardo also impressed with his bat in spring training. His blend of power and on-base skills makes him attractive pickup in deep-mixed leagues with a potential call-up coming soon.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Zack Meisel
5 days agoCleveland Guardians outfield prospect
Chase DeLauter (foot) has a fracture in the fifth metatarsal bone of his left foot, the same one that he had surgery on last year and in college. He's scheduled to meet with the foot specialist that performed his surgery last year on Wednesday to determine the next step. The Guardians' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is now without a timetable to return to action at Double-A Akron, where he was hitting just .197 (12-for-61) with a homer, three RBI and a stolen base in his first 16 games this year. If the 22-year-old requires another surgery on the same foot, he'll most certainly miss extended time that will set back his development. The left-handed-hitting outfielder is still worth stashing in dynasty/keeper leagues, but he's unlikely to make his major-league debut until at least 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mandy Bell
5 days agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Steven Kwan (hamstring) is not in the team's starting lineup on Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels after being removed from Saturday's win with left-hamstring tightness. With Kwan out,
Will Brennan is starting in left field and is hitting fifth, while
Estevan Florial is serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff against Angels right-hander
Griffin Canning. It's just the second time all year that Kwan hasn't been in Cleveland's lineup. We should have a better idea of the 26-year-old's availability moving forward after he undergoes an MRI exam on Sunday. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Monday to see if he's back in there for the series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Kwan has been one of the best hitters in baseball this year with a .353/.407/.496 slash line and .903 OPS, so losing him for an extended period of time would be a big blow to the Guardians and fantasy managers.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo will retreat to the bench on Sunday in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers and left-hander
Tarik Skubal. With Rizzo on the bench,
Oswaldo Cabrera will start at first and hit ninth, with
Jon Berti manning the hot corner and hitting seventh in the batting order. This will be Rizzo's first off day of the year after starting all 35 games to begin the season. The 34-year-old veteran slugger has had a strong year to this point, batting .263 (35-for-133) with six home runs, 20 RBI and 16 runs scored in his first 146 plate appearances. However, he's hitting just .175 (7-for-40) with no homers and 10 strikeouts against southpaws, so it makes sense to give him his first day off of the year against a tough lefty on Sunday. Neither Berti nor Cabrera will be particularly attractive low-cost DFS sleepers against Skubal.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
5 days agoWashington Nationals outfielder
Jacob Young (back) is back in center field and is hitting in the leadoff spot for the Nats on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander
Alek Manoah, who is making his season debut in the big leagues. Young left Friday night's series opener against Toronto due to back spasms and was held out of Saturday's contest, but he's back in there and ready to go for Sunday's game. The 24-year-old has just two hits in 10 at-bats in his last four games played, but overall he's been dynamic in 25 games in just his second big-league season, slashing .311/.354/.378 with five doubles, no home runs, seven RBI, 12 stolen bases and 17 runs scored in 81 plate appearances. He has yet to homer in his first 58 MLB games, but his 25 steals have played well for fantasy managers. Get Young back into your lineups for the series finale.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
5 days agoOakland Athletics starting pitcher
Paul Blackburn went seven innings in Saturday's 20-4 victory, holding the Marlins to just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three on his way to earning his third win of the season. Blackburn began the season with three straight quality starts where he didn't allow a single run, then had a three-game rough patch before getting back on track Saturday. The 30-year-old now has a 3-1 record with a 3.00 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through seven starts. The righty's FIP, xFIP, and SIERA are all below 4.00 which suggests he's pitched as well as it seems, and with Oakland being more competitive than expected to this point, Blackburn could continue to be solid pitching depth for fantasy as long as he's selectively deployed. However, you'll need to look elsewhere for strikeouts with just 31 in 42 IP and a 12.7% K-BB%.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoOakland Athletics designated hitter
Brent Rooker homered twice in Saturday's 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins, going 3-for-4 with five RBI in the contest. Rooker also got on base once via the walk. The 29-year-old has some serious pop in his bat, blasting 30 home runs a season ago in just 137 games, and has eight through 22 games played this year while posting an elite 20.5% Barrel%. The former 35th overall draft pick is even hitting for average as of late, going 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, five runs scored, and four walks over his last seven games.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals third baseman
Nolan Arenado reached base five times in five plate appearances in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the White Sox. The veteran went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two singles, and two walks, raising his season slashline to .296/.362/.408. The 33-year-old is having a solid season overall, although somewhat underwhelming based on the Arenado we've grown accustomed to. The 8x All-Star has seen his home run, RBI, and run totals drop in consecutive years now. With a 1.9% Barrel% this season, a career-low by far, the home runs may come few and far between, just like this last one. Saturday's home run was Arenado's first since April 12. He should remain a solid fantasy contributor nonetheless, so you're still using him in season-long formats.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman earned his second win of the season in Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Nationals. The veteran went five-and-a-third innings, allowing no runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight. After a bumpy start to the season, this was Gausman's fourth straight start of allowing one earned run or less. The 33-year-old now sports a 3.78 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with a 16.0% K-BB%. The 2x All-Star's next start currently lines up next weekend at home against the Twins, the hottest team in baseball and winners of 12 straight.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher
Jameson Taillon picked up his third win of the season in Saturday's 6-5 victory over the Brewers. Taillon fired six innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. The 32-year-old has been superb since coming off the IL, posting a 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 5:16 BB:K over four starts. With a FIP of 3.53, SIERA of 4.30, and a career ERA of 3.93, it seems some regression may be in the offing, so deploy the veteran with caution. The former first-round draft pick's next start lines up with a fading Pirates team next Friday in Pittsburgh.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo hit his sixth home run of the season in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Tigers, a three-run shot off Detroit starter
Casey Mize. Rizzo also had a single, finishing the day 2-for-4 and bringing his batting average to .263. The 3x All-Star has collected at least one RBI in three straight games now, bringing his season total to 20, and has also scored 16 times. With a .338 wOBA and 122 wRC+, the veteran is having a solid season thus far. He'll have a difficult matchup in Sunday's series finale, facing off with LHP
Tarik Skubal, although Rizzo is 1-for-3 with a double and no strikeouts against the southpaw in his career.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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