5 days agoNew York Mets outfielder
Brandon Nimmo (illness) was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies due to a stomach bug. Fantasy managers should consider Nimmo to be day-to-day and check back on Friday to see if he's available to play in the series opener in Miami against the Marlins. With Nimmo out,
DJ Stewart is playing left field and is batting fifth, while outfielder Tyron Taylor is moving up to the leadoff spot with
Harrison Bader getting a day to rest. The move makes Taylor more attractive as a DFS sleeper play for Thursday's slate against Phillies right-hander
Taijuan Walker. Nimmo is hitting a disappointing .215/.361/.396 on the year with six home runs, 27 RBI and 21 runs scored in 149 at-bats, but his xwOBA of .422 means he's an excellent buy-low candidate who has been squaring balls up regularly without much to show for it so far in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Mike Puma
5 days agoChicago Cubs middle infielder
Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Hoerner will miss a third straight game after being scratched from Tuesday's contest versus the Atlanta Braves with left-hamstring tightness. The 27-year-old remains day-to-day, but if his absence extends into the weekend against Pittsburgh, the Cubbies may have to consider placing him on the injured list. It would be bad news for Chicago's middle infield, as
Dansby Swanson (knee) is already on the shelf with knee soreness.
Miles Mastrobuoni is making another start at the 6 on Thursday and is hitting eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander
Jared Jones. Both Mastrobuoni and
Nick Madrigal, who is playing second, are weak DFS plays as middle infielders.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder
Jonny DeLuca is out of the starting lineup again on Thursday against the Red Sox in Boston at Fenway Park.
Jose Siri is starting in center field again and is batting ninth against Red Sox right-hander
Cooper Criswell. DeLuca has now been on the bench in three of the last four games as the Rays mix Siri back into center field on a more regular basis. It hasn't helped that both
Josh Lowe and
Jonathan Aranda have returned to the Rays recently. The 25-year-old DeLuca recently started nine games in a row in Tampa's outfield and is hitting .281 (9-for-32) with a homer, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in just 12 games in 2024. DeLuca could get another shot if an injury opens up more playing time, but for now, he appears to be the odd man out.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics first baseman
Tyler Nevin and catcher
Shea Langeliers are both getting a day off on Thursday in Houston against the Astros.
Tyler Soderstrom will start at first base and bat cleanup,
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5 days agoOakland Athletics left-hander
Ken Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday in Los Angeles with Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Waldichuk will miss the rest of the 2024 season and probably won't be a candidate to return to games until around midseason in 2025. The 26-year-old southpaw was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his left elbow last October and underwent a minor surgery last year with hopes that he could avoid Tommy John surgery. That didn't end up being the case, so Waldichuk will be shut down for the foreseeable future. The former fifth-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2019 out of Saint Mary's has recorded a 5.28 ERA (5.10 FIP) and 1.49 WHIP with 81 walks and 165 strikeouts in 175 2/3 innings over 42 appearances (29 starts) in his two major-league seasons in Oakland.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles infield prospect
Coby Mayo (undisclosed), the team's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was removed from the game on Thursday with Triple-A Norfolk as a precaution after he collided with part of the third base dugout. It's unclear exactly what type of injury Mayo is dealing with, but it doesn't sound serious. Fantasy managers stashing Mayo in their leagues will want to check back for more information later on Thursday or on Friday. The 22-year-old former fourth-round selection by the O's in 2020 entered Thursday's game with a strong .282/.353/.594 slash line with a .947 OPS, 13 home runs, 37 RBI, three steals and 29 runs scored in 41 games for the Tides. Mayo has been pushing for his first big-league promotion, but this injury could set him back some. The stacked nature of Baltimore's big-league roster will make it hard for Mayo to carve out significant playing time if he does get the call at any point in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
5 days agoBoston Red Sox catcher
Connor Wong and outfielder
Tyler O'Neill will not be in the team's starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
Reese McGuire will catch
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5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies middle infielder
Bryson Stott and outfielder
Johan Rojas will both retreat to the bench on Thursday against the visiting New York Mets. With Stott out,
Whit Merrifield will make the start
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5 days agoThe New York Mets optioned left-hander
Joey Lucchesi to Triple-A Syracuse after Wednesday night's game and recalled left-hander
Josh Walker from Syracuse in a corresponding move. In his spot start on Wednesday versus the division-rival, Lucchesi didn't fare well, allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings of work while walking four and striking out two to take the loss. The 30-year-old southpaw was making his season debut for the Mets, but now he'll head back to the minors to serve as starting pitching depth for the organization. Walker, 29, will give the Mets' bullpen a fresh arm. He made his big-league debut last year and had an 8.10 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in just 10 innings. So far in 2024, Walker has tossed three shutout innings in relief while walking one and striking out three for the Mets.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
5 days agoNew York Mets outfielder
Harrison Bader and catcher
Tomas Nido are both taking the day off on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Tyron Taylor is getting the start in center field and is batting fifth, while
Omar Narvaez is doing the catching and will hit ninth against Phillies right-hander
Taijuan Walker. So far this month, Bader is 8-for-34 (.235) with a double, no RBI, four walks and 11 strikeouts in 11 games to drop his season line to .265/.312/.316. The former third-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015 out of Florida has been pretty mediocre offensively to this point, but he's been known to go on streaks and could heat up at any moment for the Mets. Taylor has a hit and an RBI in three career at-bats against Walker and has gone 22-for-81 (.272) in the early going with two homers and three steals.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
5 days agoThe Los Angeles Angels reinstated infielder
Luis Rengifo (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned infielder
Niko Goodrum and right-hander
Davis Daniel to Triple-A Salt Lake after Wednesday night's game in a corresponding move. Rengifo missed over a week with a viral illness that caused painful blisters on his feet. Now that the 27-year-old is recovered, he should return to everyday duties at third base for the Halos, starting on Friday for their series opener against the Rangers in Texas. Rengifo is due some regression after starting the year with a .330/.378/.462 slash line with two home runs and nine stolen bases in 28 games, but the fact that he's going to play regularly makes him at least a middle-infield bench option in deep-mixed fantasy leagues. He's most useful for his speed in AL-only formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Angels PR
5 days agoThe Oakland Athletics acquired right-hander
Brandon Bielak from the Houston Astros on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations. The move comes after the Astros had designated Bielak for assignment. The 28-year-old will stay in the American League West and will take his 5.71 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 17 1/3 relief innings to the Bay Area. Bielak has spent all five of his big-league seasons with the Astros since debuting in the big leagues in 2020. Over that time, he's posted a 4.65 ERA (5.25 FIP), a 1.52 WHIP, one save, 85 walks and 155 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings over 70 appearances (21 starts). Bielak has some starting experience, but he's unlikely to be used as anything more than a spot starter with the A's when their rotation needs some help.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
5 days agoHouston Astros right-hander
Luis Garcia (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Wednesday as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery that he had in May of 2023. Garcia started throwing bullpens in April and is taking a slow progression to eventually go out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The expectation is that he will be able to rejoin Houston's starting rotation at some point in the middle of the season. The 27-year-old will mostly likely not be activated from the injured list until the second half of the season after the All-Star break in mid-July. When healthy, Garcia has been quite intriguing for fantasy managers because of his ability to create plenty of swings and misses. However, given his long layoff, you should temper expectations for him in 2024 as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTexas Rangers infield prospect
Echedry Vargas went 3-for-4 at the plate on Wednesday with his second home run of the season. Across his first extended look at Single-A, the 19-year-old has posted a .242/.290/.403 slash line with four stole bases. Vargas spent most of last season with the Rookie League and only played one game at Single-A, where he flashed his elite power and speed combination with 11 long balls, 17 swiped bags, and a .317/.388/.568 line. MLB Pipeline ranks Vargas as the 16th overall prospect in the Texas system and projects him to reach the major leagues in 2027. However, with how he is performing at Single-A, he could easily climb through the Texas system and develop into one of their top prospects. Dynasty fantasy managers should continue to monitor him to see if he can continue to showcase his power and speed combination.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros infielder
Zach Dezenzo (wrist), the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was limited in major-league camp during spring training with a wrist injury and remains on a slow rehab plan. Dezenzo appeared in 31 games last year at High-A Asheville and 63 games for Double-A Corpus Christi, where he hit .257 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI as a third baseman. The 24-year-old opened the year on Corpus Christi's seven-day injured list. Despite the power he displayed at Double-A last year, Dezenzo also struck out nearly 30 percent of the time. He has above-average raw power from the right side of the plate that could allow him to hit 30-plus home runs over a full season. Dezenzo's primary goal right now is just getting healthy, though.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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