6 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder/designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton is getting the day off on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Aaron Judge is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat third, while
Trent Grisham is starting in center field and hitting sixth against Rays right-hander
Zach Eflin. Stanton went 0-for-4 on Friday night and is now hitting .238 (15-for-63) in his first 16 games this year with five home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs scored, four walks and 21 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances. Judge is a must-start in regular fantasy leagues every day, but as a DFS play he's one to avoid on Saturday with a .111 average in nine career at-bats against Eflin. Grisham has hit .167 against Eflin in his six career at-bats. Judge has struggled to get going in 2024, hitting .189 with three home runs and 11 RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
6 days agoNew York Mets catcher
Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is getting an MRI exam on his injured left thumb, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. "I'm pretty concerned. I'm not going to lie," Mendoza said. Alvarez injured his left thumb while returning to second base in Friday night's win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and was pulled from the contest early. The 22-year-old will almost certainly not be in the starting lineup for Saturday's game, and fantasy managers should probably expect him to miss more time, potentially even landing on the injured list, depending on what the MRI exam shows.
Omar Narvaez is set for more playing time in the short term, while
Tomas Nido will likely be called up from Triple-A Syracuse if Alvarez lands on the IL.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Newsday - Tim Healey
6 days agoNew York Yankees pitching prospect
Trystan Vrieling threw seven ⅔ no-hit innings on Friday evening with six punchouts and two free passes. The former third-round pick has made his professional debut this spring and has thrown 18 ⅔ innings at Double-A to the tune of an incredible 0.48 ERA and 0.59 WHIP. Vrieling, who is the 23rd-ranked prospect in the New York system and a former third-round pick, is projected to make his major league debut in 2026. He is worth keeping tabs on in dynasty leagues, especially if this dominance continues at Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoWashington Nationals shortstop prospect
Brady House has yet to hit a roadblock in the minor leagues. The 11th overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft progressed through three levels of the minor leagues, Low-A, High-A, and Double-A last season, holding a solid .312/.365/.497 line. House has begun the season at Double-A and is picking up right where he left off, posting a .311/.404/.467 line. The 20-year-old has shown a strong eye at the plate and has drawn seven walks and only struck out eleven times. While House is projected to make his major league debut in 2025, at the rate he is going, do not be surprised if he is in the nation's capital this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles pitching prospect
Cade Povich threw 5 1/3 shutout innings with nine punchouts en route to his second victory of the season. Povich holds a cumulative 0.83 ERA and 0.74 WHIP across 21 2/3 innings with 33 total strikeouts. The southpaw is making significant strides at Triple-A this season compared to the high 5.36 ERA and 1.35 WHIP he held last season and is quickly approaching his major-league debut. Povich should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper leagues and is even worth looking into in deeper redraft formats, as he will have high strikeout upside when he receives his final promotion.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers pitching prospect
Dane Acker tossed 4 2/3 no-hit innings with seven punchouts on Friday evening. Acker allowed only two walks. This was his third start of the season, which continued a similar trend as he holds an incredible 0.68 ERA and 0.75 WHIP across 13 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old is sporting an excellent 18:5 K:BB ratio. The 27th-ranked prospect in the Texas system should be expected to debut in Triple-A soon and could very well push for a late-season promotion as the Rangers prepare for another deep playoff run. The former fourth-round pick is worth looking into if he's not rostered in your dynasty league.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Wenceel Perez went 3-for-5 with two singles and a triple in Friday's 5-4 win over the Twins. Perez also drove in two runs, scored twice, and stole a base. In a tie ballgame, the 24-year-old's last hit came in the ninth inning after the Twins intentionally walked the batter in front of him, and it drove in what would be the winning run. Perez has only played in seven MLB games, but is 5-for-16 (.313), including a double and a triple, along with two RBI, three runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases. He had 26 steals in the minors last season, so he does have some speed. If he keeps this up he'll certainly put himself on the fantasy radar.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals infield prospect
Thomas Saggese is swinging a hot bat to open the 2024 campaign. The 22-year-old is riding a solid .286/.349/.464 stat line with two home runs and 11 RBI. Saggese struggled in his first taste of Triple-A last season with a .207 AVG, so it is nice to see the 96th overall prospect begin to turn things around. The number four ranked prospect in the St. Louis pipeline is expected to make his major league debut later this summer and is worth stashing in keeper and dynasty leagues as he should find plenty of playing time in an infield utility role when given the call.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles catcher
Adley Rutschman went 3-for-5 with two singles and a grand slam home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Royals in Kansas City. The slam cut the Orioles' deficit to 6-4 in the seventh inning, but it would end up being the only runs the O's would push across the plate in the contest. It was just the second home run of the season for the backstop, but he's hitting a solid .297 on the season with 11 RBI and 13 runs scored. After being drafted as the top catcher off the board in fantasy leagues this year, the 26-year-old is nearly holding up his end of the bargain, ranking as the second-highest scoring catcher in Yahoo leagues behind only
William Contreras.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoColorado Rockies pitching prospect
Carson Palmquist threw six shutout innings on Friday. He allowed only four hits, one free pass, and struck out ten. The number 15 overall prospect in the Colorado system has been dominant to begin the season as he has yet to allow a run and holds a minuscule 0.94 WHIP across 16 innings at Double-A. This is a vast improvement compared to the 22 ⅓ innings he logged at Double-A last season, where he posted a 4.43 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Palmquist is a name worth monitoring in dynasty leagues and could make a push for a late-season promotion if he continues to dominate the minor leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Juan Soto went 1-for-4 with a three run home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rays. It was his only hit in the game, but sent the fans into a frenzy and gave the Yankees the cushion they needed after going up 2-1 earlier in the inning. It was also the 25-year-old's twelfth straight game getting on base at least once via hit or walk. The perennial All-Star is now slashing .347/.468/.600 with five home runs, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored, and a stolen base. He's also walking at an incredible rate, even for Soto's standards, with an 18:11 BB:K.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Travis d'Arnaud had a career night on Friday in an 8-3 win over the Rangers, going 3-for-4 with three home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored. The first two were solo shots, however, the third was a grand slam that broke a 3-3 tie. The veteran backstop didn't have a home run on the season before Friday's game. He hit a career-high 18 home runs in 2022, but just 11 last season. The Braves are hoping he can continue to produce while primary catcher
Sean Murphy is out with an injury and likely not back until sometime May. d'Arnaud now has a .245-3-10-8-0 line on the season and has five doubles in addition to his three home runs, so there is still pop in that 35-year-old bat.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoAtlanta Braves right-hander
Spencer Strider's (elbow) UCL ligament was compromised by the unavoidable development of a bone fragment. But instead of having Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career, Dr. Keith Meister fixed Strider's damaged UCL by inserting an internal brace last week. It could allow the Braves' hurler to pitch again early next season. The 25-year-old was the top-ranked fantasy starter coming into the 2024 season after leading all of baseball with 483 strikeouts from 2022-23. Strider was told he might have been pitching with the fragment in his ligament for at least a couple of years. He initially felt discomfort in his elbow in spring training before things deteriorated quickly early in the regular season. In single-year fantasy leagues, Strider can be dumped since he won't pitch again in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
6 days agoNew York Mets starting pitcher
Tylor Megill (shoulder) threw his first bullpen assignment on Friday. Megill is ramping up his throwing activity as he recuperates from a strained right shoulder that's held him to one start so far in the 2024 regular season, which came in New York's opening series of the campaign. The big 28-year-old right-hander is probably not going to be activated from the injured list before the end of April at this rate, but Megill could be an option for the Mets sometime in early May. With righty
Jose Butto beginning to emerge in the rotation, Megill could be facing a long-relief role upon his eventual return. Butto has yielded a lone run while fanning 15 hitters and walking four covering 12 innings (two starts) in Queens this year, but he's a dangerous fantasy bet in Saturday's scheduled start against a high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers offense at Chavez Ravine.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said before Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals that starting pitcher
John Means (forearm) still needs to get stretched out more in his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. Means' fourth rehab start on Wednesday compounded on his recent struggles, as he was blown up for five earned runs in one-third of an inning. He's now given up 15 runs (five homers) and five walks in 7 1/3 innings in the minors, so the O's likely want to see him sharpen things up before considering activating him from the injured list. The 30-year-old left-hander is working his way back from a strained left forearm and should still be able to rejoin Baltimore's rotation in late April or early May. After posting a 2.66 ERA (5.24 FIP) and 0.71 WHIP with 10 K's over 23 2/3 frames (four starts) late last season, Means is someone to consider stashing in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Jacob Calvin Meyer - The Baltimore Sun
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