5 days agoNew York Mets closer
Edwin Diaz will be used in three consecutive games at a time throughout the summer. As per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com,
Edwin Diaz will pitch in three consecutive games, much to Diaz's enjoyment. The star closer emphasized that daily usage helps him "feel ready without much warm-up time at all." It is very rare for a relief pitcher, even of Diaz's talents, to be utilized in three consecutive games. The 30-year-old missed the entirety of the 2023 season with a right patellar tear but has looked like his 2022 self this season with a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and an impressive 22 punchouts in just 14 ⅔ innings. Diaz remains a lineup lock and could very well finish as the number-one relief pitcher by the end of the summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
5 days agoNew York Mets outfielder
DJ Stewart was in danger of losing time due to the return of designated hitter
J.D. Martinez, but that may not seem to be the case. Even though Stewart has ceded primary designated hitter duties to Martinez, Stewart has seen starts in left and right field, which could still make him worth holding on to in NL-only formats. On the season, Stewart has posted a mediocre .185/.365/.415 line with four home runs. However, he has shown an excellent eye at the plate with a 20.0% walk rate, which is the best among qualified hitters. Manager
Carlos Mendoza values his patience at the plate and will continue to reward him with opportunities in the foreseeable future. Stewart should remain rostered in NL-only formats, especially points leagues or rotisserie leagues that score on-base percentage.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
5 days agoNew York Mets starting pitching prospect
Christian Scott made his major-league debut last week and does not have a hard innings limit for the remainder of the season. This is an excellent sign for fantasy managers who picked him up from the waiver wire,
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5 days agoBoston Red Sox backstop
Connor Wong is not in Saturday's lineup after starting the previous two games.
Reese McGuire will serve as the backstop for starting pitcher
Cooper Criswell. Wong has had a great start to the young season with a .360/.385/.581 line with five long balls through 25 games. Wong should be expected to return behind the dish on Sunday. McGuire enters Saturday with a solid .270/.361/.381 line with three swiped bags and two home runs. McGuire will be batting in the seven-hole against
Jake Irvin and could be a sneaky play in DFS, who enters Saturday's game with a 3.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Christopher Smith
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfielder
Cedric Mullins is not in Saturday's lineup after starting the last three games. As a result,
Colton Cowser will shift to center field which opens the door for
Heston Kjerstad to start in left field. Mullins has had a disappointing season with a .193/.246/.370 across 36 games and a rough .087/.125/.130 through the start of May. Kjerstad was promoted to the major league roster on April 22 but has not had stable playing time. However, with how Mullins is struggling at the plate, Kjerstad may be given more opportunities. Kjerstad is worth inserting in your DFS lineup as he will face
Ryne Nelson who enters Saturday's game with a 5.23 ERA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jacob Calvin Meyer
5 days agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder
Austin Slater (head) left Friday night's loss to the Cincinnati Reds with concussion-like symptoms, according to the team. Slater crashed into the center field wall while trying to make a catch in the first inning. The Giants placed outfielder/
Jorge Soler (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list before Friday's game, so if Slater's head injury is serious enough to send him to the shelf, too, the Giants outfield depth will be tested. Slater went hitless in his only at-bat as the Giants' leadoff hitter on Friday before being replaced by
Michael Conforto. If Slater requires a trip to the seven-day concussion injured list, it would open up more opportunities for
Heliot Ramos in San Fran's outfield. Slater, 31, only has 49 plate appearances this year and has recorded five hits (no homers) while walking eight times and striking out 12 times.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Maria I. Guardado
5 days agoSeattle Mariners right-hander
Bryan Woo (forearm) said he experienced some tightness in his right forearm in his season debut on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics due to the long layover between the fourth and fifth innings, but manager Scott Servais said he thinks Woo will be fine to make his next scheduled start. The 24-year-old was making his first start of 2024 after being activated from the 15-day injured list. Before departing as a precaution in the eventual 8-1 win over the A's, the second-year starter looked good, tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Woo gave up just one hit. He lines up to make his next start on Wednesday in a tough matchup against the upstart Kansas City Royals. Woo won't have a ton of fantasy upside as a streamer for that one, but he deserves to be considered as a back-end fantasy starter in deeper leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Daniel Kramer
5 days agoTexas Rangers right-hander
Max Scherzer (back, thumb) said that he was given a cortisone injection in his right thumb after undergoing additional tests on Wednesday. Scherzer is feeling better after the injection and apparently isn't dealing with any kind of ligament damage after he passes strength tests with his thumb. The 39-year-old three-time Cy Young winner's timetable has been pushed back due to this setback with his thumb, but the good news is that he was scheduled to play catch on Friday for the first time since reporting discomfort in his right thumb and forearm. The Rangers aren't going to rush Scherzer back, so fantasy managers might have to wait until early June now to get him back into their starting lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
5 days agoThe Philadelphia Phillies pinch hit for outfielder/designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber (back) in the ninth inning of their 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday because of a sore back. Schwarber said he felt his back tighten up on his last swing in the seventh inning. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI in the victory but said, "I'll probably take tomorrow off just to make sure we're good to go." The Phillies have yet to release their lineup for Saturday's game in Miami, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect Schwarber to be in it.
Kody Clemens pinch hit for Schwarber on Friday night and could get the starting nod on Saturday to give Schwarber a day to rest his back. Schwarber is still hitting only .217 (33-for-152), but he's added nine home runs and 25 RBI and will continue to be an elite source of power for fantasy managers as long as he stays healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Miami Marlins activated left-hander
Jesus Luzardo (elbow) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned right-hander
Eli Villalobos to Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. In his lone minor-league rehab start for Single-A Jupiter, Luzardo tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts on May 5. The Marlins will throw the 26-year-old southpaw right back into their starting rotation on Saturday to take on the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Most fantasy managers should be hesitant to do the same with Luzardo and throw him right back into their starting lineups, as the Phillies rank second in baseball with a .762 team OPS, behind only the Dodgers. Luzardo has opened the year 0-2 with a 6.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB in his 26 innings, too.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Miami Marlins
5 days agoThe Tampa Bay Rays reinstated relief pitcher
Pete Fairbanks (arm) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned right-hander
Edwin Uceta to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Fairbanks is ready to return to the big-league bullpen in Tampa after appearing in two minor-league rehab games for Durham. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a nerve issue in his right arm, which may have contributed to his rough start in 2024. In seven innings before landing on the injured list, he was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in eight appearances. Fairbanks also had three saves and should immediately take over as the team's closer now that he's back.
Jason Adam, who was serving as the Rays' closer with Fairbanks out, will go back to a high-leverage setup role in Tampa. Fairbanks should be rostered in all fantasy formats despite his bad start in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports Florida - Tricia Whitaker
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers right-hander
Freddy Peralta has been reinstated from his five-game suspension and is making the start on Saturday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Peralta was given a five-game suspension for throwing at Tampa Bay Rays outfielder
Jose Siri on April 30. The 27-year-old likely went through his in-between-starts routine this week after last starting on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, so he shouldn't have his workload limited in any way on Saturday in a good matchup against St. Louis. The Cardinals currently have the fourth-worst OPS (.631) in all of baseball. Only the offenses of the White Sox, Marlins and Pirates are worse. Peralta is 3-1 on the year with a 3.49 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 50 K's in 38 2/3 innings over his seven starts. Start him on Saturday against St. Louis.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoToronto Blue Jays outfielders
Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and
George Springer (illness) remain out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting Minnesota Twins for the second straight day as they remain under the weather.
Daulton Varsho is back in center field and is batting second, while
Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting eighth in the batting order against Twins rookie right-hander
Simeon Woods Richardson.
Davis Schneider is back in left field and in the leadoff spot for the Jays. Fantasy managers need to keep both Kiermaier and Springer benched for another day and check back to see if they're feeling good enough to play in the series finale on Sunday. Nobody in Toronto's lineup has faced Woods Richardson in their careers.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Toronto Blue Jays
5 days agoSan Diego Padres designated hitter
Luis Arraez went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI in Friday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers. While he had just one hit, it was a big one, as it came in the bottom of the ninth in a tie ball game and drove in the winning run. It was the perfect ending to his first home game as a Padre. The two-time batting champion is now hitting .311 on the season with a .358 OBP. He'll help fantasy managers in batting average and runs scored (27 runs scored in 2024), but doesn't hit for power and doesn't steal bases. Hopefully there will be more RBI opportunities in San Diego (only seven so far) than there were in Miami.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoSeattle Mariners second baseman
Josh Rojas went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 win over the Athletics. It was the 29-year-old's fifth multi-hit game in his last seven, going 13-for-30 (.433) during that stretch, including a double, a triple, and two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter is now slashing .351/.417/.526 on the season with a .413 wOBA and 175 wRC+. He may not hit for power but with the way he's hitting, walking (10.0%), and picking up a few stolen bases along the way, there should be plenty of run-scoring opportunities hitting leadoff. That is of course dependent on the rest of the Mariners lineup picking up the pace at the plate, as they lead the entire league in strikeouts as a team and they have the seventh-worst team batting average. Rojas could be a decent waiver add as he's eligible at both 2B and 3B for owners holding onto the likes of
Gleyber Torres and
Ke'Bryan Hayes.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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