5 days agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (9-2) hurled seven one-run innings Monday night, allowing five hits with no walks and three strikeouts while picking up his ninth win of the season in a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Rodon has now recorded seven quality starts in a row dating back to May 8. Despite the drop in his strikeout rate, the southpaw has been brilliant this season with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Look for him to continue his dominant season in a classic rivalry matchup against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio was 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk during Monday's 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The 20-year-old smoked a Jose Berrios slurve over the left field wall for his seventh homer of the season. It has been a rocky rookie season for Chourio as the highlights have been coupled with prolonged slumps. He is slashing .220/.263/.363 with 22 RBI, 24 runs scored and seven stolen bases across 57 games. The Brewers continue to give him regular playing time which is the only reason to roster him in redraft leagues at this point. He is batting .300 with two homers in June, so maybe a hot streak is around the corner.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios allowed three runs on five hits across 5 2/3 innings during Monday's 3-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He struck out four batters and issued one walk. It was not the best performance from Berrios as he gave up two solo home runs and needed 105 pitches. The outing interrupted a stretch of five straight quality starts for the right-hander, although he has now surrendered a home run in eight of his past nine appearances. Berrios has still been a productive fantasy arm overall as he has posted a 2.93 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 64:22 K:BB across 86 innings in 2024. There may be some regression in store due to his limited strikeout capabilities and the propensity to give up homers. He is a mid-tier fantasy option against the Cleveland Guardians in his next projected start.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Kansas City Royals promoted Dan Altavilla from Triple-A on Monday. It was the first time he pitched in the majors since 2021 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery that season. The 31-year-old pitched an inning of relief in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees, facing three batters and not giving up a hit while striking out two. It was a welcome sight for the righty who was drafted in 2014, spent last season in Boston's minor league system, and made 24 appearances this season at Triple-A for the Royals. Over 27 1/3 IP, the former fifth-round draft pick posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and a 30:14 K:BB. As far as fantasy is concerned, he will only hold value in leagues where holds are counted.Source: ESPN
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames was 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI and a stolen base during Monday's 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first home run since May 29 for Adames and his first stolen base since May 17. Adames has been productive this season despite those two droughts as he is slashing .248/.328/.433 with 10 homers, 45 RBI, 34 runs and nine stolen bases. He continues to see everyday at-bats in the heart of the Brewers lineup. Adames is not necessarily a fantasy stalwart, but there are certainly worse options to have at shortstop.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers right-hander Colin Rea allowed one run on three hits across seven strong innings during Monday's 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. It was one of the best starts of the season for the 33-year-old and improved his record to 5-2. Despite the success, Rea looks like a prime regression candidate. His 3.31 ERA is a long way off from his 5.56 xERA and he only has a 15.8 K% across 70 2/3 innings. He is best suited to be a streaming option in most leagues as he heads into a matchup with the Cincinnati Reds on the weekend.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoMinnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis continued his power surge on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. He was 1-for-4 at the plate with a two-run home run and two runs scored in the 5-0 win. Lewis has now gone deep in three of the past six games since returning from a strained quadriceps muscle. There is no denying the power potential in the 25-year-old's bat, but staying healthy has eluded Lewis for the past few seasons. He is slashing .333/.375/.952 across seven games in 2024 and should be started with confidence while he has a clean bill of health.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoRintaro Sasaki, the top power-hitting prospect from Japan, will take part in the MLB Draft League as a member of the Trenton Thunder and make his debut on Tuesday. Sasaki set the Japanese high school record for most home runs in a career with 140 (previous record was 111) but chose to forego the NPB Draft, deciding to attend Stanford instead and, hopefully, taking a quicker path to the MLB. Had he gone to the NPB, he would have been under team control for nine years. The "Japanese Prince Fielder" is known to have a terrific eye as well, having collected twice as many walks than strikeouts during his high school career. Many players use the MLB Draft League to enhance their potential draft stock, so he'll look to put his power on display. If he lives up to the hype, the left-handed slugger could be a power-hitting star in the MLB, so dynasty managers would be wise to keep an eye on his performance, which will conclude in mid-July.Source: MLB.com - Michael Clair
5 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher Chris Paddack was sharp during Monday's 5-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. He scattered six hits across 6 1/3 scoreless innings without issuing a walk. He also struck out six batters. It was a nice bounce-back performance for the 28-year-old after he was shelled for seven runs in his previous start. He now owns a 4.79 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 67:14 K:BB across 13 starts in 2024. Paddack is a fine streaming option in the right matchups, but he is prone to the occasional disastrous outing. That being said, he is a worthwhile streamer in his next projected start this weekend at home against the Oakland Athletics.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays starter Ryan Pepiot surrendered four runs on nine hits across six innings during Monday's 5-2 loss against the Baltimore Orioles. He did not issue a walk and struck out nine batters. The main damage against Pepiot was two solo home runs, but he continued to generate whiffs at a high rate. The 26-year-old's 4.17 ERA is a far cry from his 2.88 xERA, but his 1.01 WHIP and 68:16 K:BB help tell the full story. Pepiot has pitched quite well in 2024 and can be a useful fantasy asset for the rest of the season, although he has another tough matchup on deck against the Atlanta Braves this weekend.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes allowed two runs (none earned) on five hits across seven innings of work during Monday's 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Burnes struck out six batters while issuing one walk. It was the ninth straight quality start for Burnes and his seventh win of the season. The 29-year-old has posted a stingy 2.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 82:22 K:BB across 14 starts during his first season in Baltimore. He is lined up for a tough test against the Philadelphia Phillies in his next start, but there is no reason to doubt Burnes against any lineup at this point.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson was 3-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in Monday's 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 22-year-old took the first pitch of the game over the center field wall for his 21st home run of the season. Henderson is putting together a dynamic fantasy campaign in his sophomore year. He is slashing .274/.375/.599 with 46 RBI, 55 runs scored, eight stolen bases and a .974 OPS. Henderson can be started with confidence on a nightly basis.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics rookie shortstop Darell Hernaiz (ankle) is out of his walking boot and will begin a strength and fitness program this week. The next step in Hernaiz's rehab process will be to resume baseball activity, which the A's will determine at a later date. The A's moved the 22-year-old infielder to the 60-day injured list on May 15. Hernaiz is listed on MLB Pipeline as Oakland's No. 4 prospect, but a severe left ankle sprain has kept him sidelined since May 7. He's mostly a candidate to keep stashed in dynasty/keeper leagues, as it remains to be seen how much playing time he'll see in Oakland when he's healthy enough to return. Hernaiz received his first major-league promotion earlier this year and went 12-for-66 (.182) with no home runs, six RBI and a stolen base in his first 29 big-league contests before injuring his ankle.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn (foot) is out of his walking boot and is expected to begin a throwing program this week. However, there is no timetable for his return to the A's starting rotation at this time after he landed on the injured list with a right-foot stress reaction. Blackburn is making notable progress, but he still has a ways to go before being reinstated from the injured list, and he won't be an option for fantasy managers again until the second half of the season. The 30-year-old former first-rounder of the Chicago Cubs in 2012 will require at least a handful of minor-league rehab starts before the A's eventually return him to their rotation. Blackburn went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (4.19 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP with a 36:13 K:BB in 46 innings and eight starts for the A's before injuring his foot.Source: MLB.com
5 days agoOakland Athletics left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder) increased his throwing distance up to 90 feet during the week of June 3, but he experienced a setback and is currently shut down from throwing with no timetable to resume that program at this time. Wood was transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 9 and will not be able to make it back to the big leagues before the All-Star break in mid-July now. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw was initially placed on the 15-day injured list on May 13 with left rotator-cuff tendonitis. Wood hasn't been much of a fantasy option for a while, and that hasn't changed in 2024 in his first year in Oakland. Before being put on the IL, he had gone 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 1.78 WHIP with 33 strikeouts and 19 walks in 39 1/3 innings. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can continue to ignore Wood for now.Source: MLB.com