6 days agoThe Minnesota Twins reinstated outfielder
Byron Buxton (knee) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned utility man
Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. It remains to be seen if Buxton will immediately return to the team's starting lineup on Saturday in Cleveland against the Guardians, but the Twins will be happy to have him back regardless. The 30-year-old oft-injured outfielder went on the shelf with right-knee inflammation in the same knee he's already had surgery on twice, and he went hitless in six at-bats on his two-game minor-league rehab assignment. Expect the Twins to ease Buxton back in at center field and potentially as the designated hitter. He was slashing .250/.300/.391 with a homer and 11 RBI in 92 at-bats before his injury.
Manuel Margot and
Willi Castro are likely to be the biggest losers in terms of playing time with Buxton back in the fold.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Minnesota Twins
6 days agoNew York Yankees right-hander
Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) could return to the team's bullpen during their series against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium from May 20-23, according to manager Aaron Boone. Kahnle pitched in his second minor-league rehab game for Double-A Somerset on Thursday, striking out the side for a second straight outing. He's made four rehab appearances overall after making two appearances for Single-A Tampa. The 34-year-old reliever is scheduled to pitch again for Somerset on Saturday, at which point he'll be re-evaluated. Right-shoulder inflammation ended Kahnle's 2023 early and delayed his winter throwing program until Dec. 12, so the Yankees have been slow-playing him. When healthy, Kahnle can be a key bullpen piece for the Yanks. In 42 relief appearances in 2023, he posted a 2.66 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, two saves, 19 walks and 48 K's in 40 2/3 frames.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees infielder
DJ LeMahieu (foot) restarted a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday and might be ready to return to the Yankees' lineup during their nine-game West Coast road trip from May 24-June 2 against the Padres, Angels and Giants, according to manager Aaron Boone. "I think it's possible at some point on the trip, but I don't expect the start of it, certainly," Boone said. LeMahieu was expected to lay three to five innings in the field and take a few at-bats in his first rehab game, then take a day off and play again on Sunday. He'll continue to ramp up over the next week. The 35-year-old hasn't played since fracturing his foot on March 16 and experienced more soreness in his foot in his first rehab game back on April 23. When he's officially cleared to make his 2024 debut, LeMahieu should be eased back in to regular duties at the hot corner in the Bronx.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants left-hander
Blake Snell (groin) looked to be in midseason form in his minor-league rehab start on Friday night with Triple-A Sacramento, as he struck out 10 batters over five no-hit innings. In his first rehab start with Single-A San Jose last week, the 31-year-old reigning National League Cy Young threw four perfect innings with seven strikeouts, so we think the Giants will feel comfortable activating Snell from the 15-day injured list to make his next outing in the big leagues. Snell signed with the Giants late and wasn't ready for the start of the 2024 season. And when he did debut, he didn't look good, posting an 11.57 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings over his three starts. Now that Snell appears to be fully healthy, he could quickly bounce back for fantasy managers if he keeps the walks to a minimum. Snell needs to be rostered in all leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Maria I. Guardado
6 days agoThe Baltimore Orioles reinstated right-hander
Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and designated right-hander
Mike Baumann for assignment in a corresponding move. Rodriguez will immediately re-enter the starting rotation to toe the rubber against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Saturday. The 24-year-old is back after going on the injured list on May 1 with right-shoulder inflammation. It wasn't a serious injury, though, and Rodriguez is returning to Baltimore's rotation without making a minor-league rehab start. That will make him a little more risky in fantasy lineups on Saturday, but he'll also be facing a Mariners offense that ranks 20th in baseball with a .675 OPS. Rodriguez could certainly be on a limited pitch count in his first start back. He'll be returning to a 4-1 record, 3.71 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 34 innings over his six starts in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baltimore Orioles
6 days agoToronto Blue Jays second baseman
Davis Schneider is starting at the keystone and hitting in the leadoff spot on Saturday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander
Zach Eflin. This will be the fourth time in the last seven games that Schneider has hit in the top spot for the Jays, with normal leadoff hitter
George Springer down in the six-hole. Between second base and a corner-outfield spot, Schneider has become a lineup regular for Toronto of late and is hitting .257 (9-for-35) with two homers, five RBI and two stolen bases in 11 games so far in May. Schneider has never faced Eflin in his career and is hitting .260/.370/.490 on the season with an .860 OPS, five long balls, 17 RBI and two steals in 100 at-bats. If Springer continues to struggle offensively, it looks like Schneider will benefit by hitting atop Toronto's batting order.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Alex Kirilloff hit his third home run of the season in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians. The solo shot was his only hit in the contest and he also walked once. After a strong start to the season, it seemed Kirilloff might finally live up to his first-round draft pick pedigree, however, since April 29 the left-handed hitter is 3-for-37 (.081) which has resulted in a drop in batting average from .266 to .207. His Contact% is not good at 69.9%, but he does have a decent Barrel% of 8.0% and HardHit% of 42.0%, so maybe there's a chance he can still salvage his season.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoHouston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena belted his fifth home run of the season on Friday in a 5-4 win over the Brewers. It was Pena's only hit of the ballgame, but it was a big one as it came off of Brewers starter
Freddy Peralta and put the Astros ahead 5-4, which would go on to be the final score. After a disappointing year in the power department where he tallied just 10 home runs, Pena's power stroke is back. So far on the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .326/.364/.459 with a .363 wOBA and 138 wRC+. The former third-round draft pick has also chipped in six stolen bases and is on pace to set a new career high.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays closer
Pete Fairbanks earned his fourth save of the season on Friday after tossing a scoreless ninth inning in a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays. Fairbanks needed just six pitches to dispatch of the heart of the Jays' order. Fantasy managers are surely delighted after the 30-year-old pitched the eighth inning Wednesday, recording a hold and losing out on a save opportunity in the ninth. There may still be some situational pitching going forward, however, where Fairbanks is used in higher-leverage situations and not necessarily the ninth inning. On the season, the righty has a 5.73 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and a 16.7% K-BB% to go along with his four saves.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Sean Murphy (oblique) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday, according to manager Brian Snitker. Murphy has been on the injured list since Opening Day when he suffered an oblique injury. The 29-year-old may require a little extra time to get back into game shape, but the Braves should have their primary backstop with the big-league club within the next couple weeks. Murphy was coming off an All-Star campaign in 2023, and with
Travis d'Arnaud suffering a head contusion Friday night, the Braves may need him back sooner rather than later, depending on the results of some additional evaluation of d'Arnaud on Saturday. In the meantime,
Chadwick Tromp may have to serve as Atlanta's primary backstop.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano - Atlanta Journal Constitution
6 days agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Travis d'Arnaud (head) took a foul ball off his face mask in the sixth inning of Friday's 3-1 loss to the Padres and reported feeling dizzy afterward. The 35-year-old was checked for a concussion and passed the initial tests, so for now, it is being labeled as a head contusion. He'll be reevaluated Saturday and then they'll determine next steps, but it sounds like he'll avoid a stint on the IL. The veteran was replaced in the game by backup catcher
Chadwick Tromp who could see additional action if d'Arnaud were to miss any time. The starting catcher to open the regular season,
Sean Murphy, is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment as well, so the Braves should be getting him back in the next couple weeks.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: David O'Brien - The Athletic
6 days agoAtlanta Braves starting pitching prospect
Ian Mejia tossed a seven-inning no-hitter on Friday with just two free passes. He struck out a season-high of 11 batters. This outstanding performance brings him to a clean 4-0 record with a 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a 54:17 K:BB through 42 2/3 innings. After allowing four earned runs in his first start of the season, Mejia has only allowed four total runs in his past 41 innings pitched. The former 11th-round selection has logged 121 innings at High-A to the tune of a 4.68 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, which has halted his progression through the Atlanta pipeline, but he is now showing strong development and looks to be back on track. Dynasty managers should expect the Braves to remain cautious with Mejia, but he is worth monitoring, as he could debut in Triple-A later this summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers infield prospect
Jace Jung launched his seventh home run of the season to power Triple-A Toledo to a victory on Friday. Across his first 38 games at Triple-A, the 23-year-old has posted an impressive .272/.383/.515 slash line. The former 12th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft has progressed through the Detroit system very quickly as he finished the 2022 season with High-A and was able to open this season with Triple-A. Jung is ranked as the 48th overall prospect and third-best prospect in the Tigers' system on MLB Pipeline. With how well Jung is performing against Triple-A pitching, he should push for a major league debut later this summer. He is worth stashing in AL-only formats for now and should already be rostered in all keeper and dynasty leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Dylan Beavers went 2-for-4 on Friday evening with his fourth home run of the season. Through 31 games with Double-A Bowie, the 22-year-old has posted an excellent .302/.406/.481 slash line with eight stolen bases. However, through a combined 65 games at Double-A, Beavers has a .313/.412/.479 slash line, suggesting that he is well adjusted to this level and could see time in Triple-A later this summer. Beavers is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Baltimore system and is expected to reach the major leagues sometime next season. The outfielder seems to be on track and should finish the season with Triple-A, which could open the door for an early-season major-league debut next year. Dynasty managers should consider stashing him if he carries this momentum into Triple-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoSan Francisco Giants first base prospect
Bryce Eldridge extended his hit streak to nine games with a two-hit performance, including a home run. Through his first extended look at Single-A ball, the former 16th overall pick has settled in quite nicely with a .253/.317/.452 slash line with four long balls. Since he began his incredible nine-game hit streak. The 19-year-old is riding a .368/.405/.605 line with two home runs. In this stretch, Eldridge has tallied multiple hits in four games and an extra-base hit in five of them. Eldridge is ranked as the number three prospect in the San Francisco system on MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the major leagues in 2026. Dynasty managers should watch Eldridge closely as he could reach High-A fairly soon, which can open the door for a late-season stint at Double-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
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