5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher
Sonny Gray tossed five shutout innings on Sunday Night Baseball and allowed just one hit and two free passes to lead St. Louis to a series sweep. He struck out eight. This dominant outing brings Gray to a stellar 2.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 67:12 K:BB ratio through his first nine starts with his new club. Gray's underlying metrics are quite strong, suggesting that the 34-year-old could be in for a nice summer. He currently holds a 34.1% hard-hit rate and 32.4% K rate, which place him in the top 79th percentile and 93rd percentile, respectively. Gray should continue to be started in all formats and will usually be a solid choice in DFS formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Yankees infielder
Jon Berti (calf) is expected to be out for an extended period of time according to New York Yankees Manager Aaron Boone. Berti exited Friday's game due to a lower leg injury that caused him to collapse in serious pain. He was unable to walk on it and had to be helped to the dugout. As a result,
Jahmai Jones will replace Berti as the utility man on the Yankees roster and will occasionally slot into the lineup. However, with the return of
DJ LeMahieu,
Oswaldo Cabrera may overtake that utility role fairly soon, making playing time hard for Jones to find. Nonetheless, Jones and Berti should be left on all waiver wires for the foreseeable future.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Yankees relief pitcher
Ian Hamilton (illness) is expected to be activated from the seven-day injured list before Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton has been sidelined since May 19 with an illness, and his symptoms lingered through the week, which resulted in him being placed on the injured list. The 28-year-old has performed well in an eighth-inning setup role, posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and tallying 19 punchouts across 22 ⅔ innings. The right-hander is worth adding in leagues that score holds, as he should return to his typical eighth-inning role when activated on Tuesday.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Jeffrey Springs (elbow) was removed from his second rehab start in the Rookie-Level Florida Complex League on May 25 after facing one batter with left shoulder tightness. However, Rays Manager Kevin Cash clarified that it was more of a "lat issue" and further explained that "We'll probably shut him down for a couple of days, get some heavy doses of treatment in, and we're pretty optimistic he'll get a ball back in his hand real soon." While this setback is not ideal, the southpaw could still be able to meet is projected June return date if this setback does not linger. Springs underwent Tommy John surgery last April and is nearing the end of his long recovery process. The 31-year-old should be expected to immediately rejoin the Tampa Bay rotation when activated and is worth stashing in an injured reserve spot on your roster.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Zach Eflin (back) was seen playing catch on May 26, per MLB.com. Eflin was placed on the injured list on May 20 due to experiencing discomfort on his start on May 18 in Toronto. The 30-year-old compared this injury to similar lower back tightness he dealt with last April that forced him to miss two weeks. Manager Kevin Cash said he expects his ace to return to the mound in "two to four weeks." While it is an excellent sign to see Eflin playing catch and not experiencing any setbacks, he might need to speed up his recovery to meet the projected return date slightly. Eflin looked quite strong in his Tampa Bay debut last summer with a 3.50 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 186:24 K:BB ratio. However, he did get off to a slow start this spring with a 4.12 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP. Nonetheless, he should remain stashed in all formats as he should return to his 2023 form after he recovers from this minor setback.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBoston Red Sox closer
Kenley Jansen shut the door on the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, earning his ninth save in a 2-1 win. Jansen made quick work of the Crew in the ninth inning, setting down all three batters he faced on just 10 pitches while striking out a pair. Although he's had some shaky outings, Jansen is now 9-for-10 in save opportunities and has a solid 3.06 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the season. The 36-year-old remains a viable fantasy option and should be rostered in any league where saves matter.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoCincinnati Reds closer
Alexis Diaz picked up his 10th save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Diaz was called upon for the second day in a row in the ninth and once again made quick work of the Dodgers. This time, he came in with a runner on second and struck out both batters he faced. While the 27-year-old fireballer had some struggles for the first half of May, he appears to have settled back in, allowing zero runs in his last four appearances while picking up three saves. He should remain a solid closing option for fantasy managers.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAtlanta Braves starting pitcher
Chris Sale was magnificent once again on Sunday, throwing seven innings of one-run ball in an 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sale allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out eight. The veteran lefty improved to 8-1, lowering his ERA to 2.12 and his WHIP to 0.85. Those are Cy Young caliber numbers, and the guy was being drafted outside of the top 100. At this point, it seems that the only thing that can hold him back from being an ace for the rest of the season is an injury.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb threw seven innings of one-run ball against the New York Mets on Sunday, coming away with a hard-luck no-decision in a 4-3 loss. Webb's only run allowed was unearned, and he left with a 3-1 lead that was blown in the ninth inning. He only gave up three hits and one walk while striking out a season-high eight. He has now allowed two or less earned runs in four straight starts while working at least six innings in each of them. This is the workhorse that fantasy managers expected when they drafted him with a top 50 pick.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Kyle Bradish dominated the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, throwing seven no-hit innings and picking up the win in a 4-1 victory. Bradish was firing on all cylinders in this one, striking out a season-high 11. He did walk four, but that can be looked past given the aforementioned zero hits allowed. He was pulled after the seventh, which makes sense given he was at 103 pitches and his season-high was only 90 before this game. For some reason, the righty isn't universally rostered right now, but he ought to be and likely will be after this start. Go get him if he is available.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Ian Happ went 2-for-3 with two big flies in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night. Happ collected all three of the Cubs RBI's on Sunday and almost single-handedly brought them back after they went down 4-0 early. The 29-year-old doubled his season total with his third and fourth homers, which goes to show how poorly his season has gone to this point. The sorely needed long balls don't mean Happ is for sure back, but it is a good sign and should be a reason for fantasy managers who haven't dropped him to hold on for at least another week.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals first baseman
Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with two homers on Sunday, leading the Cardinals to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. Goldy drove in all four of the Cards' runs with his pair of two-run shots. After a miserable start to his season, the veteran has quietly been turning things around recently, improving his average from .190 to .222 and his OPS from .530 to .643 over the past two weeks. After tonight's performance, Goldschmidt should probably be in most starting lineups next week. If he was dropped in any shallow leagues and is still sitting on waivers, be sure to grab him now.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAtlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) has officially been diagnosed with a complete ACL tear in his left knee. He is set to undergo surgery at some point in the future and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. It is a devastating blow for Acuna, the Braves, and fantasy managers alike as it marks the second time he has torn his ACL in the past four seasons. The 26-year-old was in the midst of an inconsistent season as he was slashing .250/.351/.365 with four home runs, 15 RBI and 16 stolen bases at the time of the injury. Nevertheless, he is still one of the brightest stars in all of baseball.
Jarred Kelenic and
Adam Duvall figure to see the bulk of the playing time that is now up for grabs.
--Raymond Harrison - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
5 days agoColorado Rockies relief pitcher
Tyler Kinley was tasked with holding a three-run lead versus the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. The right-hander threw a scoreless final frame to earn his second save of the season. He needed only nine pitches to retire the red-hot Phillies lineup. Kinley holds an ugly 7.59 ERA this season but he has looked much better in May. It's worth noting that
Jalen Beeks and
Justin Lawrence both pitched on Saturday. That being said, both pitchers were probably unavailable which is why Kinley got the save chance. He might be working his way into more save chances, but this situation is a mess right now.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Cristian Javier (forearm) was unable to throw his scheduled bullpen session on Sunday. This is an interesting development considering Javier is scheduled to start against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. For now, Javier is being considered as day-to-day due to forearm discomfort. The expectation is that the Astros will give an update on Javier's status prior to Monday's game. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Julia Morales
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