5 days agoBaltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th inning to cap off a 4-for-5 day in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Westburg, whose batting average is now at .301, opened Saturday's scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the second, now has hits in five straight games and comes into Sunday's play with six homers and 26 RBI to go along with a .867 OPS. Saturday's game-winner was his second walk-off hit of the season for Westburg, who came into the season without ever recording one in his entire career. The 25-year-old is off to a solid start in 2024, slashing .301/.345/.522 with six home runs, 26 RBI, 20 runs, and five stolen bases across 36 games.--Brandon Williams - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
5 days agoNew York Mets rookie right-hander Christian Scott (0-1) was tagged with the loss in Saturday's 4-1 defeat to the Atlanta Braves. His eight strikeouts over six innings offered a positive in the rookie's second big league start and first start at Citi Field. Scott allowed three earned runs on six hits, including Orlando Arcia's two-run homer in the top of the third. The 24-year-old has struck out 14 batters and three walks in his first 12 2/3 innings and will go into his next start this Thursday at the Phillies with a solid 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Despite the tough matchup against the Phillies, fantasy managers can use Scott as a streamer in Week 8.--Brandon Williams - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics catcher
Shea Langeliers is on the bench Saturday night against the Seattle Mariners.
Kyle McCann will get the start behind the plate and bat in the sixth spot. Langeliers it hitting .212 with nine home runs, 24 RBI, and 16 runs so far this year. This appears to be just a maintenance day off for Langeliers, who is hitting .333 with three home runs and 11 RBI in May thus far. Look for him to be back in the lineup for the series finale with the Mariners on Sunday afternoon.
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: Oakland Athletics
5 days agoThe Detroit Tigers have announced that they will recall right-hander
Matt Manning to make a start on Monday against the Miami Marlins. Manning will take the spot of veteran
Kenta Maeda, who was placed on the IL with a viral illness. Manning has started three games this year for the Tigers, going 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. In a small sample size, Manning has 17 strikeouts in 17 innings and his 85.5 average exit velocity is in the 92nd percentile in MLB. It is unknown how long Maeda will be out with his illness, but Manning could make two or three starts in the interim.
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: Detroit Tigers
5 days agoRookie outfielder
Evan Carter is out of the Texas Rangers lineup on Saturday night against the Colorado Rockies. Carter will head to the bench, ceding left field to veteran
Travis Jankowski. Carter is hitting .216 with five home runs, two stolen bases, 15 RBI and 23 runs scored. This will be Carter's first day off in May, where he has struggled to a .206 batting average with no home runs, four RBI, and 13 strikeouts in his last 37 plate appearances. Expect the rookie to be back in the lineup for the series finale tomorrow,
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
5 days agoSan Diego Padres catcher
Luis Campusano will take a seat Saturday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kyle Higashioka will start behind the plate for the Friars and will catch knuckleballer
Matt Waldron. Campusano is hitting .283 with three home runs, 23 RBI and 17 runs scored. This looks to be a standard day off for Campusano in the second game of the series. Higashioka is hitting just .194 (6-for-31) on the year with a homer and two RBI and will be a catching option to avoid in DFS in the nine-hold for the Padres against Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander
James Paxton.
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: San Diego Padres
5 days agoThe New York Mets outfielder
Brandon Nimmo (intercostal) was removed from the Saturday afternoon tilt with the Atlanta Braves with intercostal irritation. Nimmo appeared to hurt his side on a check swing. Nimmo was able to complete the at-bat but left the game the next half-inning. The team is calling it an irritation, but it feels safe to assume he will have some testing on it this weekend. Nimmo was hitting .300 with two home runs and seven RBI in 37 May plate appearances. Should Nimmo miss time, reserve outfielders
Tyrone Taylor and
DJ Stewart should see more opportunities for at-bats.
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
5 days agoDetroit Tigers veteran
Kenta Maeda (illness) has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 8, with a viral infection, In a corresponding move, the Tigers recalled outfielder
Akil Baddoo from Triple-A Toledo. The veteran Maeda is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in seven starts covering 30 innings. He pitched on May 7 against the Cleveland Guardians with poor results, going only two innings and surrendering seven earned runs on five hits and three walks. Baddoo likely will be a reserve outfielder during his stay on the roster. It appears that the Tigers will recall right-hander
Matt Manning to take Maeda's upcoming Monday start against the Miami Marlins.
--Mike Carter - RotoBallerSource: Detroit Tigers
5 days agoSan Diego Padres first baseman
Jake Cronenworth is out of the lineup on Saturday for the Padres tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With
James Paxton on the mound, and Cronenworth struggling deeply against lefties, the Padres will start
Luis Arraez at first base in his place. While Cronenworth has been excellent this season with an .841 OPS, that drops to just .437 when facing lefties. This decision would appear to simply be platoon-based and shouldn't raise any concerns with fantasy managers. Expect Cronenworth to be back in the lineup on Sunday when the Los Angeles Dodgers start right-hander
Walker Buehler.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: San Diego Padres
5 days agoCincinnati Reds starting pitcher
Nick Lodolo will look to bounce back after a rough outing vs Baltimore when he faces the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night. Lodolo has only had two real hiccups in his five starts this season with both of those hiccups (Philadelphia, Baltimore) being strong against lefties. The San Francisco Giants rank 18th against lefties with a 98 wRC+, just below league average. Lodolo should be able to perform a little stronger against San Francisco than those two. Fantasy managers should feel fine with him in their lineups on Saturday and DFS players should target the left-hander as well.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher
Cole Ragans will aim to notch his third straight quality start on Saturday when he takes the hill against the Los Angeles Angels. Ragans has been living up to the potential the Royals were looking for when they traded for him last season. The lefty ranks third in K/9 among American League starters who have thrown at least 20 innings with an 11.39 K/9 behind only
Garrett Crochet and
Jack Flaherty. The lefty should continue to dominate and may even have room for improvement as his 3.38 ERA and 2.35 FIP suggest he could be even better. Fantasy managers and DFS players will want to target the lefty Saturday against the struggling Los Angeles Angels, who are only hitting for a .217 BA over the last seven days.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles relief pitcher
Craig Kimbrel has been removed from his normal role as Orioles closer. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters Saturday that he talked with the 35-year-old Friday afternoon about the change in plans. Hyde said he intends to take it day-by-day and that he's not sure when Kimbrel will return back to the closer role, hinting that this move may be more temporary. "We need him to be Craig Kimbrel and we need him to be the lockdown guy he's been for his entire career," the Orioles manager stated. Kimbrel had failed to convert four of his last five save opportunities before the change on Friday night, when he threw a perfect seventh inning. Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on Kimbrel over the next couple weeks, but should be looking for other closers if Kimbrel was their starting closer.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Jake Rill
5 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Jasson Dominguez (elbow) is set to begin a rehab assignment in Single-A Tampa on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to manager Aaron Boone. Dominguez has been sidelined since September after having Tommy John surgery. Once he begins his rehab assignment, it will start a 20-day clock in which the Yankees have to decide to add him to the active roster or option him to the minor leagues. "Hopefully it is a tough decision at that point, because good things are happening here," Boone said on Saturday. The Yankees outfield trio of
Aaron Judge,
Juan Soto and
Alex Verdugo are all hitting for an OPS+ over 110, providing plenty of production and potentially plenty of time for Dominguez to get right before joining the active roster again. Fantasy managers will want to check in over the next few weeks to monitor Dominguez's progress through his rehab assignment.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Gary Phillips
5 days agoNew York Yankees utility infielder
DJ LeMahieu (foot) was seen hitting live pitching off
JT Brubaker. Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence in the 35-year-old's recovery process and said that he will hit live again on Tuesday. The veteran is beginning to ramp up his work and should be starting a rehab assignment fairly shortly. LeMahieu has yet to make his 2024 debut. He posted a .243/.327/.390 line with 15 long balls and two swiped bags last season. When he returns, LeMahieu should see the majority of starts at the hot corner, which will significantly lower
Oswaldo Cabrera's fantasy value. LeMahieu is worth holding onto in deeper formats and should be worth looking into in standard leagues when he is cleared to return.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Garry Phillips
5 days agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher
Cade Cavalli (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Thursday at the team's training facility in West Palm Beach. This was his longest session (45 pitches) since recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Nationals have not changed the original timeline for Cavalli to return in late June or July, but Manager Dave Martinez said that he "threw the ball well again" and that Cavalli is "well on his way." This is an excellent sign for fantasy managers in deeper leagues who may have the 25-year-old stashed on their injured reserve. Cavalli could become worth rostering in standard leagues if he performs well after he returns later in the summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Blanco
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