6 days agoChicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz said that outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (hip) should be back soon, perhaps by mid-May. Until that day comes, the White Sox plan to have a platoon in center field between
Tommy Pham and
Rafael Ortega. Robert is rehabbing from a Grade 2 right hip-flexor strain and was given a timetable of six weeks when he was put on the injured list back on April 6. The oft-injured 26-year-old Cuban outfielder needs to remain stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues, though, after making the All-Star team in 2023 and clubbing a career-high 38 home runs, driving in 80 and stealing 20 bases in 145 games. Pham, 36, went 5-for-17 with two stolen bases for Triple-A Charlotte and is worthy of a waiver-wire pickup in deep-mixed leagues for his modest power and stolen base contributions.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: CHGO Sports - Vinnie Duber
6 days agoSan Diego Padres shortstop prospect
Leodalis De Vries tallied his first four professional RBI on Thursday. De Vries made his professional debut at Single-A earlier this week and has already begun to make headlines. The 17-year-old tallied two hits on Thursday, a single and a triple, which brought in four runs. Throughout his first three professional games, he has posted a .308/.357/.538 stat line with one stolen base and two extra-base hits. The number five overall prospect in the San Diego system is still several years away from reaching the major leagues but is a name worth monitoring in dynasty leagues as he has the potential to be a budding superstar in the future.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-hander
Walker Buehler (elbow) will make another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City next Tuesday. If all goes well, Buehler will then be activated to make his 2024 debut with the Dodgers. The 29-year-old hasn't pitched in a major-league game since 2022, but he got up to 86 pitches in 4 1/4 innings in his latest rehab start on Wednesday at Oklahoma City despite giving up five runs (three earned). His numbers on his rehab start have been nothing to write home about -- a 4.86 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 16 strikeouts and nine walks in 16 2/3 innings -- but the most important thing is that he's healthy. Buehler could have some ups and downs early on with LA, but if he can show any of his pre-injury form in 2024, he has the potential to be a huge fantasy asset down the stretch.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM
6 days agoLos Angeles Angels infielder
Brandon Drury (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander
Bailey Ober, serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth.
Miguel Sano is at third base for the Halos and is hitting cleanup. Drury didn't start at all during the recent three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles due to a knee injury but appeared on Wednesday late in the game and struck out in his only plate appearance. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will be hoping that Drury can show some signs of life at the plate this weekend, as he's started the 2024 season with a weak .194/.270/.269 slash line with a home run and four RBI in 74 plate appearances. He's never faced Ober in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Rhett Bollinger
6 days agoMilwaukee Brewers veteran left-hander
Wade Miley (elbow) needs Tommy John surgery and will spend the next 10 to 12 months rehabbing and then decide whether to continue his career. It's a tough break for the 37-year-old southpaw and the Brewers. Fantasy baseball managers that were stashing Miley in deeper leagues can now officially let go. "I've always said I want to go out on my own [terms]," Miley said. "I still feel like I've got more in the tank." While it sounds like the 14-year veteran wants to give it a shot to come back at some point in 2025, it's fair to wonder if he's already thrown his final pitch in the big leagues. Even if Miley rehabs for a comeback next season, he'll be off the radar in most fantasy formats. The former 43rd overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008 out of Southeastern Louisiana gave up five earned runs with four walks and two K's in his two starts in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
6 days agoCleveland Guardians second baseman
Andres Gimenez is not in the club's starting lineup on Friday for the start of a big series in Atlanta against the Braves. With Gimenez starting on the bench,
Gabriel Arias will start at the keystone and will hit seventh in the order against Braves left-hander
Chris Sale. Gimenez is hitting a modest .258 (24-for-93) on the year with no home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 24 games. The left-handed hitter is surprisingly hitting better against southpaws (.280) in 29 plate appearances than he is against righties (.250), but he'll still get the day off against the lefty Sale. Arias has gone 14-for-50 with a homer, eight RBI and two steals early on but is hitless in his two career at-bats versus Sale.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Jarred Kelenic is out of the starting lineup on Friday with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. Veteran
Adam Duvall will instead get the start in left field and will bat ninth against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen. Kelenic is hitting a strong .314 (16-for-51), although he has yet to clear the fences and has driven in only three runs in his first year in Atlanta. He's also only had one plate appearance against a southpaw this year, so fantasy managers should continue to expect him to sit regularly when Atlanta opposes a lefty. Duvall is a career .233 hitters against lefties in 921 plate appearances with 47 homers and 132 RBI. He has two home runs on the season but is a low-upside DFS play in the nine-hole against a pitcher he's never faced in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
6 days agoWashington Nationals manager Dave Martinez wants to ease catcher
Keibert Ruiz in now that he's returned from a bad case of influenza that caused him to lose 18-20 pounds. It will also give the skipper the opportunity to keep catcher
Riley Adams' bat in the lineup on a regular basis after he posted a .793 OPS when he caught 11 of the last 13 games with Ruiz out. "We're definitely going to use him," Martinez said. "One, let him catch. And two, we can also DH Keibert like we've done in the past and let him continue to catch. He's done a great job. He's learned a lot over the years. He's really coming into his own. It's good to have him, to watch him play and to watch him get better every day he's out there." As long as the 27-year-old continues to play several times a week, he'll be valuable in two-catcher fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
6 days agoWashington Nationals third baseman
Nick Senzel (illness) remains under the weather on Friday against the Miami Marlins and is not in the starting lineup. Rookie
Trey Lipscomb will get the nod at the hot corner and will hit out of the eight-hole against Marlins right-hander
Anthony Maldonado, who will be making his major-league debut. Senzel was scratched from Thursday's lineup, so this will be his second straight missed game. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will want to check back on Saturday to see if Senzel is feeling well enough to play. The 28-year-old opened the year on the injured list and has only five hits (two home runs) in his first 25 at-bats with the Nationals. Lipscomb has gone 11-for-53 (.208) with a homer, four RBI and four steals in his first 16 big-league games this year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals shortstop
Masyn Winn is getting the day off on Friday versus the New York Mets on the road. It's a standard rest day for Winn after he started the previous nine games. He's off to a great start in 2024 with a .313/.385/.418 slash line with an .803 OPS, no home runs, three doubles, two triples, six RBI, four stolen bases and nine runs scored in his first 23 games in his first full season as the team's starting shortstop. Despite the strong start, he's barely hitting over .200 in his last nine contests, so the rest day is warranted. The 22-year-old should be back in there on Saturday. Veteran
Brandon Crawford is at the 6 and is batting eighth on Friday against Mets right-hander
Jose Butto. Crawford will be facing Butto for the first time in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Katie Woo
6 days agoBoston Red Sox first baseman
Triston Casas (rib) said he avoided a fracture in his left rib cage but instead suffered torn cartilage, which is an unusual injury without contact. Casas was told by a doctor that he "created my own car crash." He has a wide timetable for a return between three and nine weeks to start cardio activity/strengthening. Casas said he's very optimistic that he'll return this year, but fantasy managers could be waiting for a while to get the 24-year-old left-handed slugger back. The former 26th overall pick in 2018 is worth stashing in all fantasy formats, though, as he was already up to six home runs in his first 78 at-bats of 2024. For the foreseeable future,
Bobby Dalbec should continue to see most of the playing time at first base in Boston, with
Rob Refsnyder also potentially filling in.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Boston Globe - Alex Speier
6 days agoNew York Mets right-hander
Tylor Megill (shoulder) is scheduled to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday and throw two innings for High-A Brooklyn. Megill is getting close to returning to the big leagues while recovering from a right-shoulder strain that he suffered during his season debut on March 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 28-year-old will probably need more than one rehab start before the Mets activate him from the injured list. When fully healthy, Megill should have a spot in New York's starting rotation, making him worth a deep-league pickup for pitching depth. He ended up making 25 starts for the Mets in 2023 and held a 4.70 ERA (4.96 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with a career-high 105 strikeouts and 58 walks in 126 1/3 innings pitched.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
6 days agoNew York Mets right-hander
Kodai Senga (shoulder) threw an up-and-down bullpen session on Thursday and is scheduled to face hitters for the first time on Monday. Senga will be facing hitters for the first time since suffering a shoulder capsule strain in late February in spring training. It's good news for the 31-year-old, but he still has many boxes to check before he's able to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment. Because Senga is on the 60-day injured list, he won't be eligible to make his 2024 debut for the Mets until late May, if he's even ready by then. Fantasy baseball managers must continue to practice patience and keep him stashed in an IL spot after he posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 202 strikeouts and 77 walks in 166 1/3 innings over 29 starts in his first year in the majors in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
6 days agoNew York Yankees designated hitter
J.D. Martinez (back) is hitting fifth in his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Miles Mikolas. Martinez is getting a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the team late in March. The 36-year-old veteran then tweaked his back while playing in extended spring training, further delaying his debut. Martinez is back now, though, and will give first baseman
Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez hit a strong .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, and while he can still provide some decent pop in mixed fantasy leagues, nobody should be expecting him to be quite that good in New York. The Mets plan to ease Martinez back in, so don't be surprised to see him get frequent days of rest.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoThe Miami Marlins placed left-hander
Jesus Luzardo (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 23) on Friday with left-elbow tightness and recalled right-hander
Anthony Maldonado from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. The Marlins scratched Luzardo from his start on Friday against the Washington Nationals, and now he's going to miss at least the next two weeks. The 26-year-old southpaw first felt pain in his elbow while playing catch on Thursday but doesn't think he'll be out for too long. We should know more after the Marlins reveal the results of the tests on Luzardo's left arm. Maldonado is the team's No. 18 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he hasn't gone more than two innings in any of his minor-league appearances this year and is likely to be sent back to Jacksonville after his major-league debut on Friday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
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