5 days agoChicago Cubs middle infielder
Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.
Miles Mastrobuoni will get another start at the 6 and will hit sixth, with
Nick Madrigal once again manning the keystone and hitting seventh against baseball's top prospect in right-hander
Paul Skenes.
Dansby Swanson (knee) is on the injured list with knee soreness, so Chicago's middle infield is thinned out at this time. The 27-year-old Hoerner is day-to-day with left-hamstring tightness but has now missed his fourth straight game. If he's unable to rejoin the Cubs' lineup this weekend, he could join Swanson on the IL. DFS gamers can probably find better options at shortstop and second base than Mastrobuoni and Madrigal, who are both light-hitting utility infielders.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs starting pitching prospect
Cade Horton was recently promoted to Triple-A Iowa but has struggled since his call-up. Through three starts with Triple-A, the 22-year-old has an 8.25 ERA and, 1.67 WHIP with a mediocre 9:14 BB:K ratio. However, Horton began the season with Double-A Tennessee and dominated with a 1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 2:18 BB:K ratio. Horton is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and the second-best prospect in the Cubs system, only behind
Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is already in the major leagues. Horton should be expected to contend for a position on the major league roster later in the summer but first, he has to work through these struggles at Triple-A. He should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper leagues and will be worth stashing in redraft formats later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoAfter riding the bench for the past nine games, Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman
Chris Taylor drew the start on Thursday versus the Cincinnati Reds. Taylor picked up a single in his four at-bats, but he has struggled mightily this season with five hits in 60 at-bats to go along with five RBI and a stolen base. The veteran has had a brutal start to his 2024 season and the Dodgers will have a tough decision to make ahead of Friday's contest versus the Arizona Diamondbacks with outfielder
Jason Heyward (back) expected to return. Taylor has helped fantasy managers in the past, but in 2024, the versatile Taylor can be left on the waiver wire in all formats.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoCincinnati Reds outfield prospect
Jay Allen II hit his seventh home run of the season in Thursday's victory. After getting a small taste of High-A ball last season, Allen has found his fitting at this level and has posted an excellent .322/.443/.621 line with seven swiped bags through 24 games. In 25 games at this level last summer, he struggled with a .154/.260/.220 slash line with just one home run. The 21-year-old is expected to reach the major leagues sometime in 2026 but is worth keeping an eye on in dynasty as he is showing a stellar combination of both power and speed.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Tyler Glasnow tossed five innings in Thursday's loss versus the Cincinnati Reds. Glasnow struggled in the first inning with
Will Benson hitting his sixth homer of the season to open up the frame and then
Tyler Stephenson hitting a RBI double later in the inning. Glasnow's final line was six hits, four runs, one walk with eight strikeouts. The four runs were the most the right-hander has allowed this season and managers shouldn't worry about him have a rough outing. Glasnow will look ahead to Tuesday's start against the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks where he can look to get back on track. He remains a must-start in all matchups.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Mets first baseman
Pete Alonso went 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a solo home run in Thursday's extra innings victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. Alonso's homer would come off
Taijuan Walker in the top of the first inning and was his 10th of the season. Alonso has shown his power this season with 23 RBI to go along with his 10 homers, but he hasn't helped managers in the batting average department at .226 on the season. The upcoming free-agent continues to supply managers with plenty of strong power numbers and even with a low batting average, he offers managers plenty of value. Alonso will look to keep the power stroke going on Friday versus
Jesus Luzardo to kick off a three-game series with the Miami Marlins on the road.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoArizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect
Jack Hurley went 3-for-5 at the plate on Thursday with a home run. Hurley got off a slow start at High-A through April but has put all those doubts to rest this month. Through the start of May, the 22-year-old has posted a .298/.370/.638 slash line compared to his .185/.264/.277 line through April. Thursday was Hurley's fifth multi-hit game of the month, and he has tallied all four of his long balls during this month. MLB Pipeline projects Hurley to reach the major leagues in 2026, but dynasty managers should continue to monitor him, as he could see time in Double-A later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoNew York Mets starting pitching prospect
Blade Tidwell had another strong outing on Thursday as he tossed six innings of one-run ball and allowed just four hits, one free pass, and struck out six. This was a great bounce-back performance for the 22-year-old, as he had a season-high five earned runs in his previous start. Removing that one outlier performance, Tidwell has a 1.27 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and a 42:11 K:BB through 35 1/3 innings. Tidwell is ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the New York system on MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the major leagues later this summer. All fantasy managers should monitor him, as he could be promoted to Triple-A fairly soon and is then just one step away from reaching the big leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher
Cooper Criswell struggled against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, on Thursday. Criswell only last 3 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, five runs (three earned), two walks and three strikeouts. It was the worst performance of the season for Criswell, and he still owns a solid 2.76 ERA with the rough performance. With starting pitcher
Garrett Whitlock (oblique) due back as early as next week, Criswell is likely to shift to a swingman role moving forward. Despite his good overall numbers, Criswell is unlikely to help much in the fantasy community and can be avoided in most formats.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Mets starting pitcher
Jose Quintana picked up a no-decision in Thursday's contest versus the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran lefty tossed 5 1/3 frames and allowed four hits, two runs, no walks and struck out four on the evening. Quintana is who he is at this point in his career and that is an innings eater. With an ugly 5.21 ERA over his first nine starts, the 35-year-old can be avoided in a tough matchup versus the Cleveland Guardians and should remain on the waiver wire in all formats moving forward.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoColorado Rockies outfield prospect
Robert Calaz has been off to a great start to the season in the Rookie League and is making a case for a promotion to Single-A. On Thursday, the 18-year-old went 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and a triple. This brings him to an incredible .406/.500/.875 slash line through nine games this season. Calaz has now tallied multiple hits in five games and has only gone hitless in two of them. He spent time in the Rookie League last season, logging 43 games with a .325/.423/.561 line. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the 11th overall prospect in the Rockies system but does not expect him to reach the major leagues for another several years. Calaz remains a name to monitor in dynasty leagues, as he could develop into one of Colorado's best young bats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Taijuan Walker (toe) left Wednesday's start after being hit by a liner on the foot, but he is feeling encouraged about making his next start. Matt Gelb of The Athletic has reported that Walker's toe is not broken. He also notes that it is no sure thing that Walker will make his next start, but the club will see how the right-hander is feeling on Friday. Walker got a late start to the season after dealing with shoulder pain and is 3-0 with a 4.91 ERA over his first four starts of the season. More should be known on his status on Friday, but it does not seem like a long-term injury. If Walker were to miss his next start,
Spencer Turnbull would likely draw the spot start.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Matt Gelb
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles infield prospect
Jackson Holliday tallied two hits and his fourth home run of the season on Thursday. This brings him to a solid .283/.438/.491 line with a stellar 29:26 BB:K ratio through 27 games at Triple-A. Holliday made his major league debut earlier this season but struggled through the small ten-game sample size. Since returning to the minor leagues, Holliday has not been as dominant as he was earlier in the season with a low .234/.395/.406 slash line, but hopefully, Thursday's performance can get him back on track. Holliday is considered the top prospect in all of baseball and should be expected to return to the major leagues very soon. The 20-year-old remains a great stash candidate in all formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays relief pitcher
Erasmo Ramirez relieved relief pitcher
Jason Adam with two outs in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season in Thursday's victory against the Boston Red Sox. Closer
Pete Fairbanks seemed to have the night off and Adam got himself in trouble with two runners on base when Ramirez entered the ballgame. Ramirez has allowed seven runs in the 13 innings he has thrown this year and can be avoided in all formats with Fairbanks and Adam in line to receive most of the Rays save chances moving forward.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder
Josh Lowe went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's victory versus the Boston Red Sox. The home run was the second of the season for Lowe. The outfielder began his season on the injured list with an oblique injury, but has hit .294 with a pair of homers and three RBI in his first 34 at-bats since being activated on May 6. Lowe has consistently hit second or third this season for the Rays and should have plenty of opportunities to put up power numbers. He also is capable of stealing bases with 32 in 2023. The 26-year-old offers help across the board and should be rostered in most formats moving forward.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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