6 days agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher
Gerrit Cole (elbow) threw "about 36 pitches" in a bullpen session on Tuesday at the team's facility in Tampa, Florida. Manager Aaron Boone said Cole would next return to New York and characterized the outlook for Cole as "just onward and upward." That hopefully means Cole is close to facing live hitters in batting practice, considering he's now tossed several successful bullpen sessions. The 33-year-old six-time All-Star remains firmly on course to return to New York's rotation sometime in mid-June, assuming a minor-league rehab assignment begins in late May. Right-hander
Luis Gil has filled in admirably during Cole's absence for the Yankees, boasting a 2.51 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 48:26 K:BB across 43 innings (eight starts) in 2024, and he's gotten himself into must-roster fantasy territory ahead of Saturday's cushy assignment at home versus the last-place Chicago White Sox.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Greg Joyce - New York Post
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers closer
Evan Phillips (hamstring) is set to throw off a mound on Wednesday. Working his way back from a strained right hamstring, Phillips is ready for his first bullpen session since hitting the injured list and should be able to re-enter LA's bullpen in late May if all continues to go well in his recovery. In 14 appearances before going down, the 29-year-old right-hander was electric while yielding a lone run and striking out 17, walking four, and converting each of his eight save chances over 13 2/3 innings of work. Veteran
Daniel Hudson is likely the best bet for fantasy managers trying to pick up some saves in Phillips' stead, notching a 3.18 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a sparkling 19:1 K:BB with two saves over 17 innings for the Dodgers this year.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya - The Athletic
6 days agoSeattle Mariners designated hitter
Mitch Garver (undisclosed) has been scratched from Tuesday's lineup versus the visiting Kansas City Royals. There's no word yet from the M's on the status of Garver, who was initially batting third as the DH on Tuesday against the Royals. Consider him day-to-day until more information comes to light ahead of Wednesday's series finale.
Mitch Haniger is now functioning as the DH and batting sixth against right-hander
Michael Wacha, with
Sam Haggerty entering the lineup and parking in left field to hit ninth.
Ty France is set up as the biggest fantasy beneficiary of Garver's absence, as he's moved up to the third spot in the lineup and has gone 9-for-15 with five doubles and two RBI in 15 plate appearances against Wacha in his career.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Kramer - MLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Bobby Miller (shoulder) will throw two simulated innings at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said. While Miller's next step in his throwing program has not yet been determined as he recovers from inflammation in his right shoulder, it will either be a three-inning sim game or a minor-league rehab assignment. The 25-year-old flame-throwing right-hander remains on track to rejoin LA's rotation sometime in late May or early June, barring any setbacks. Former top prospect
Gavin Stone should get another couple of turns in the Dodgers' rotation until Miller is back in the fold, and he's worth streaming in all fantasy leagues with a solid 3.55 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts with three wins through 38 innings (seven starts) this season.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya - The Athletic
6 days agoTop Tampa Bay Rays prospect
Junior Caminero is playing second base on Tuesday night for Triple-A Durham. The 20-year-old Dominican can also play third base and shortstop, but the Rays could be planning ahead for Caminero to take over at the keystone this year with
Brandon Lowe (oblique) still not close to a return. He's currently hitting a strong .304/.379/.554 with a .933 OPS, six home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 23 games for the Bulls on the farm after missing two weeks early in the year with a quadriceps injury that he has since recovered from. Caminero made his big-league debut in 2023 and went 8-for-34 (.235) with a homer and seven RBI in just seven games. His power upside makes him worth stashing right now in deeper fantasy leagues, and he should resurface in the majors at some point in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
6 days agoNew York Mets right-hander
Adrian Houser warmed up in the ninth inning in Tuesday's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies when
Sean Reid-Foley got hit. As a result, Houser will not start in Philadelphia on Wednesday against the Phillies. The Mets currently don't have a starting pitcher listed for Wednesday's contest. The 31-year-old Houser has made six starts for the Mets this year but was recently demoted to a relief role out of the bullpen and currently carries a rough 7.63 ERA (5.29 FIP) and 1.83 WHIP with 22 walks and 16 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. Houser is going to need to display better command to have a shot at returning to New York's starting rotation and sticking around beyond just an emergency spot start. The Mets will likely roll with a bullpen game against Philly on Wednesday now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Daily News - Abbey Mastracco
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants outfielder/designated hitter
Jorge Soler (head, shoulder), who was hitting on the field on Tuesday for the first time since going on the injured list, fouled a ball off the top pipe of the batting cage that ricocheted and hit him in
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6 days agoChicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said that right-hander
Brad Keller will take right-hander
Michael Soroka's starting rotation spot moving forward. Keller will move into the back end of Chicago's starting rotation while Soroka moves to a long-relief role out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old Keller has appeared in four games (one start) for Chicago this year and has looked good, posting a 2.84 ERA (3.93 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with five walks and nine strikeouts in just 12 2/3 innings pitched. In his lone start of 2024 on May 3, Keller got over 100 pitches and has gone at least three innings in both of his relief outings since, so he's pretty well stretched out. Desperate deep-league streamers will probably want to avoid Keller in his second start of the year, which lines up for this Saturday against the New York Yankees.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
6 days agoChicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said that right-hander
Michael Soroka is being removed from the starting rotation. But instead of being cut or demoted to the minors, Soroka will be moved to the bullpen. The 26-year-old has posted a 6.39 ERA (6.74 FIP) and 1.51 WHIP with 24 walks and 24 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings over nine starts. He currently leads the league in earned runs allowed (31) and home runs allowed (10), which shows even further how ineffective he had been before the demotion to a relief role. Soroka will be put into a long-relief role for the time being and will need to pitch much better than he has in order to be considered a rotation option for the Pale Hose later this season. Right-hander
Brad Keller is taking Soroka's rotation spot and will now become an option in AL-only leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Daryl Van Schouwen
6 days agoChicago White Sox catching prospect
Edgar Quero is beginning to break out of his early May slump with a three-game hit streak. Quero got off to a great start at Double-A this season with a .279/.363/.544 slash line and five long balls. However, during the early part of May, he got a bit cold at the plate with a .143/.182/.286 line. This stretch did not last long, though, as the 21-year-old has tallied a hit in three consecutive games and looks to be back on track. Quero has now logged 130 games at the Double-A level across the past two seasons and could earn a promotion to Triple-A fairly soon. MLB Pipeline ranks Quero as the ninth-best catching prospect in baseball and projects him to reach the major leagues in 2025.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Byron Buxton (knee) will test out his knee on Tuesday in front of the team, and if all goes well, he will play in some minor-league rehab games before returning to the Twins. Given the fact that Buxton has had surgery on his knee two different times, it makes sense for the Twins to test him on a minor-league assignment before activating him from the injured list. The 30-year-old has teased fantasy baseball managers with his power/speed combination for years but has coupled that with an inability to stay on the field because of injuries. Buxton was an All-Star in 2022 but has played in 100-plus games in a season just once since 2015 and doesn't run like he did earlier in his career. Until Buxton is able to get past his knee injury,
Willi Castro should continue to benefit from extra playing time in center field in Minnesota.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
6 days agoKansas City Royals third base prospect
Cayden Wallace has been settling in at Double-A and is making a case to be promoted to Triple-A. Through 28 games this season he boasts a .284/.368/.441 line with three home runs and three swiped bags. This is a significant improvement compared to his .236/.300/.362 line he posted in 33 games at the same level last season. With his recent success, the 22-year-old could make a case to be promoted to Triple-A soon, which could open the door for a late-season MLB debut. Currently ranked as the number two prospect in the Royals system, he should be left on the waiver wire in dynasty formats for now but could be worth stashing if he carries this momentum into Triple-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins third baseman
Royce Lewis (quadriceps) is doing some running on the field on Tuesday, and the Twins are ramping up his baserunning in what is described as a big week for his recovery. Lewis will do more aggressive change-of-direction stuff later this week, which will give us a better idea of a timeline for his minor-league rehab assignment. He still has a ways to go before we'll see him back in the big leagues, but it's nice to see that he's making progress for fantasy managers that have been stashing him since his injury. Lewis has been out since Opening Day on March 28, but his power/speed combination makes him a worthy stash in most fantasy formats. The Twins have plenty of options to play the hot corner until Lewis is able to return, but
Jose Miranda has been seeing most of the opportunities there of late.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
6 days agoOakland Athletics catcher prospect
Daniel Susac has been struggling at Double-A this season. After impressing in his limited taste of Double-A ball last season with a .280/.304/.360 he has posted a mere .224/.258/.271 line this season. In addition, this season, he holds a rough 3:31 BB:K ratio. The 23-year-old has performed well in every level of the minor leagues so this may only be a small roadblock in his development as he posted an impressive .303/.373/.437 line with seven long balls at High-A and a .298/.354/.404 line in Single-A. Susac is estimated to reach the major leagues next season, according to MLB Pipeline, and is a name to monitor in dynasty formats if he can get himself back on track.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants left-hander
Blake Snell (groin) will make another minor-league rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Sacramento, and as long as all goes well in that outing, the next step would be returning to a major-league mound. Snell is getting close to returning to the Giants' starting rotation after tweaking his groin. In his first rehab start for Single-A San Jose, Snell threw four perfect innings with seven strikeouts. If Snell's final rehab start is this Friday, he could be lined up to come off the injured list to make his next start on May 23 in a strong matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 31-year-old southpaw had a rude awakening with an 11.57 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings in his first three starts in 2024 after winning the National League Cy Young in 2023. Despite his rough start, Snell should be stashed in all fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Andrew Baggarly
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