5 days agoChicago Cubs third baseman
Christopher Morel (toe) is serving as the designated hitter on Tuesday and is batting cleanup against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander
Chris Sale.
Patrick Wisdom will play third base for the Cubbies. Morel has been beat up in the last few days with a toe injury and a sore knee, so it makes sense the Cubs are getting the 24-year-old right-handed slugger off his feet for this one. Morel fouled a ball off his left foot late in Monday's game against the Braves. He's never faced Sale in his career and is in for a tough matchup with Sale looking healthy and dominant so far in his first year in Atlanta in 2024. Morel has been better in May with a .244 average (10-for-41) with five home runs and 13 RBI. There's plenty of power here, but Morel is also prone to strikeouts, which Sale can deliver in spades when he's on.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAtlanta Braves third baseman
Austin Riley (side) is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. In his place yet again,
Zack Short will start at third and will hit ninth for the Braves against Cubs right-hander
Jameson Taillon. The 27-year-old will be missing his second straight game, but the good news is an MRI exam on Monday showed only inflammation in his side after he was forced from Sunday night's loss to the New York Mets early. The Braves will be off on Thursday, so Riley could be held out until Friday for the start of a series against the visiting San Diego Padres. When healthy and in the lineup, Riley is a must-start in all fantasy formats in the strong Braves' lineup. He should be considered day-to-day for now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoDetroit Tigers right-hander
Kenta Maeda (illness) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. It's good to see that Maeda is feeling better after he was placed on the 15-day injured list last Saturday due to a viral illness. The 36-year-old veteran might need to throw a few bullpen sessions before he's cleared for a short minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy baseball managers in mixed leagues can probably leave Maeda to the waiver wire, as he started the year 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA (6.53 FIP) and 1.40 WHIP with 10 walks and 23 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings over seven starts. Maeda typically doesn't overpower hitters but relies on pinpoint control. He has a career 26.4% strikeout rate and has little fantasy upside at this stage of his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Detroit News - Chris McCosky
5 days agoThe Detroit Tigers reinstated infielder
Gio Urshela (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned outfielder
Akil Baddoo to Triple-A Toledo after Monday night's game in a corresponding move. Urshela is starting at third base and batting sixth for the Tigers in his first game back on Tuesday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander
Ryan Weathers. Urshela has never faced Weathers in his career but was hitting .298/.310/.333 with no homers and six RBI in 57 at-bats before landing on the injured list on April 20 with a strained hamstring. The 32-year-old should return to see most of the playing time at third base in Detroit, making him useful in some deep-mixed leagues. Urshela went 5-for-8 with an RBI and two runs in three minor-league rehab games. He doesn't have a ton of power but makes plenty of contact.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tigers PR
5 days agoMiami Marlins third baseman
Jake Burger is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday to face the Tigers in Detroit.
Tristan Gray will get the start at the hot corner for the Fish while batting eighth against Tigers right-hander
Reese Olson. The 28-year-old Burger has gone just 2-for-29 since returning from the injured list, so he could use a day off. The recent cold stretch for Burger has dropped his season line to a dreadful .174/.215/.302 with three home runs, 15 RBI and nine runs scored. Gray, 28, was called up from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday and will be playing in just his fifth major-league game on Tuesday after debuting in two games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023. He was hitting .227 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI in 143 plate appearances in the minors this year before his call-up. Gray is going to be a utility infielder for Miami for however long he's on the big-league roster.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoWashington Nationals catcher
Keibert Ruiz isn't in the starting lineup on Tuesday for the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Washington will be starting
Riley Adams at catcher who will be batting seventh in replace of Ruiz. This season, Ruiz is slashing .145/.193/.410 with two home runs and four RBIs. In his last 15 games, Ruiz is slashing .102/.159/.153 with one run and one RBI as he has struggled to produce much offense this season. The 25-year-old is 28% owned in Yahoo fantasy leagues while is owned in 46% of ESPN's fantasy leagues. However, due to the lack of offense, Ruiz is producing right now, he isn't worth a fantasy look, especially with Adams stealing some starts from him.
--Cole SheltonSource: MLB
5 days agoWashington Nationals DH and outfielder
Jesse Winker (back) is not in the starting lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. In Winker's absence, the Nationals will be starting
Nick Senzel at DH while he hits sixth. Winker is dealing with a back injury and has struggled at the plate this season, as he's slashing .235/.350/.736 with four home runs and 18 RBI. But in the last 15 games, he's slashing .167/.274/.315 with two home runs and nine RBI. The 30-year-old is a boom-or-bust fantasy option, as he can hit home runs, but he does strike out a ton and has struggled to put the ball in play of late. Winker is currently just 18% rostered in Yahoo leagues and 13% rostered in ESPN fantasy leagues.
--Cole SheltonSource: MLB
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates first baseman
Rowdy Tellez will not be in the lineup on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Manager Derek Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan that
Connor Joe will start at first base in place of Tellez. The manager points to
Joe Ross being a reverse-split right-hander as the reason for Tellez not starting on Tuesday. Tellez has struggled as of late as he's 0-for-17 with six strikeouts in the last seven games while in the last 15 games, he's slashing .158/.214/.237 with zero home runs. Joe, meanwhile, will be getting the start at first base despite being primarily an outfielder. Whether or not Tellez will remain on the bench after Tuesday is to be seen, but he's not putting up much offense so he isn't worth a fantasy look at this time.
--Cole SheltonSource: MLB
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays pitcher
Brendan McKay has suffered another arm injury, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. McKay was trying to get back to the MLB, but the right-hander has a flexor/pronator strain with an accompanying UCL sprain. The plan is for McKay to take five to six weeks off from throwing, with the goal of resuming full baseball activity in three months. McKay was drafted fourth overall in 2017 and was assigned to the minor leagues to hit and pitch. McKay made his MLB debut on June 29, 2019, as a pitcher and just two days later he made his MLB debut as a hitter. However, injuries have since been a problem as he had surgery in 2021 and then had Tommy John surgery in 2022.
--Cole SheltonSource: MLB
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals infield prospect
Michael Curialle launched three home runs and brought in seven runs in Sunday's victory. Curialle spent the previous two seasons entirely in Single-A with a combined .274/.385/.382 line with just two home runs. Through his first taste of High-A this season, the 22-year-old has posted a .280/.383/.480 line and has already surpassed his previous long ball count. In addition, he is showing a better eye at the plate this season with a 6:16 BB:K ratio compared to his hefty 51:108 BB:K ratio last season. Curialle remains several seasons away from the major leagues but could become a name to monitor if he can continue this success when he is promoted to Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoDetroit Tigers infield prospect
Hao-Yu Lee posted his first two-home run game of his career in Sunday's victory with five total RBI. In his first 28 games at Double-A, the 21-year-old has a .273/.357/.436 with three long balls and four swiped bags. Last season, Lee spent time in Single and High-A with a cumulative .273/.362/.399 line with six total home runs. Lee is considered the 13th overall prospect in the Tigers system on MLB Pipeline and is projected to make his major league debut in 2025. Dynasty managers should monitor Lee's power output as he approaches Triple-A, especially since he has never tallied more than ten home runs in a single minor league season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Dylan Lesko has been off to a slow start to the 2024 season and took a significant drop in the recent MLB Pipeline rankings. He entered the season as the number 49 prospect but now sits as the number 72 prospect. Through 19 innings at High-A this season, he holds a poor 9.00 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and an ugly 23:22 BB:K ratio. This is a big difference from his 22:52 BB:K ratio he held through 33 innings last season at Single and High-A. He was in contention to reach Double-A this season, but due to his recent struggles, he may have to wait till next season to get that opportunity. Dynasty managers should follow Lesko closely to see if he could turn things around.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoDetroit Tigers starting pitching prospect
Jackson Jobe is now ranked in the top 10 of all MLB prospects on MLB Pipeline in their recently updated rankings. Jobe was previously ranked as the 21st overall prospect. Through five starts at Double-A this season, the 21-year-old has a strong 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 24:10 K:BB ratio. Jobe spent the majority of last season with Single and High-A with a cumulative 2.81 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and near-perfect 84:6 K:BB ratio across 64 innings. Jobe should be promoted to Triple-A fairly soon, which could open the door for a late-season major league debut.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies first baseman
Bryce Harper (head) has been scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the New York Mets with a migraine headache. Fantasy baseball managers will need to quickly remove Harper from their lineups on Tuesday before the first game of the day starts. With Harper now out,
Alec Bohm will move across the diamond to first base and will hit cleanup, while
Whit Merrifield starts at third base and hits sixth against Mets right-hander
Jose Butto. Harper should be considered day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Wednesday to see if he's back in the lineup for the third game of the series against the division rivals. Harper is hitting .259 (36-for-139) on the year with nine home runs, 29 RBI, two steals and 23 runs scored and is a must-start in all fantasy leagues when he's active.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Mike Puma
5 days agoWashington Nationals outfielder
James Wood has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this season and is now ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline. Through 35 games at Triple-A this season, Wood has posted an incredible .346/.444/.581 slash line with seven long balls and nine stolen bases. The 21-year-old entered this season with major questions regarding his strikeout rate, as he posted a 124:39 K:BB last season at Double-A. However, he has put all of those doubts to rest so far this season with a significantly improved 32:25 K:BB. Wood has also been making headlines through the early part of May with an eye-catching .805 slugging percentage and five home runs. He should be considered a must-stash in all fantasy formats and could make an immediate impact at the major-league level when promoted.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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