6 days agoIt was announced on Wednesday night that Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever
Robert Stephenson (elbow) would miss the rest of the 2024 season, and now we know why. The Angels revealed on Thursday that Stephenson will undergo elbow surgery, although the exact nature of the elbow surgery isn't known. If it's Tommy John surgery, the 31-year-old probably won't be able to return until next summer at some point. The Halos signed Stephenson in the offseason hoping that he could be a strong late-inning bridge to closer
Carlos Estevez, but instead, Stephenson wasn't able to appear in a single big-league game in 2024. The former 27th overall pick in 2011 by the Cincinnati Reds had one of the best cut fastballs in baseball in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports West - Erica Weston
6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates right-hander
Quinn Priester is expected to be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to make his first major-league start of the year on Friday against the Boston Red Sox, according to a source. The former 18th overall pick in 2019 out of high school struggled in his big-league debut last year by going 3-3 with a 7.74 ERA (6.74 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP with 27 walks and 36 strikeouts in 50 innings over 10 appearances (eight starts) for the Bucs. However, the 23-year-old was looking better with a 3.95 ERA, five walks and 20 K's in 13 2/3 innings in his first three starts for Indy this year. Priester could stick in Pittsburgh's starting rotation until left-hander
Marco Gonzales (forearm) is able to return, but at best, he'll be a shaky streaming option in deeper fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
6 days agoIt wasn't the major-league debut that Texas Rangers right-hander
Jack Leiter was hoping for on Thursday in Detroit against the Tigers. The former second overall pick in 2021 out of Vanderbilt only made it through 3 2/3 frames in his first big-league start, surrendering seven earned runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out three. This one start won't define Leiter's first year in the majors or his career, but he wasn't missing many bats and gave up a lot of hard contact on the day. It remains to be seen if Leiter will get another turn through Texas' rotation after the disappointing performance, but if he does, it should come next week against the Seattle Mariners in a good matchup.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoBoston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers' (knee) MRI exam showed only a bone bruise, and the Red Sox don't expect him to need a trip to the injured list. Devers was pulled from Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians early with left-knee discomfort and served as the club's designated hitter on Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts before being held out for the series finale on Thursday while he had an MRI exam. There's thankfully nothing structurally wrong with the 27-year-old's knee, but fantasy managers will need to check back on Friday to see if he's back in there for the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Devers has started slow in 2024 and is currently hitting just .188 (9-for-48) with two homers and five RBI.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MassLive.com - Christopher Smith
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays reliever
Colin Poche picked up his second save of the year in Thursday's 2-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels by tossing a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout. It wasn't perfect, though, as he did allow two hits. The 30-year-old got the save opportunity in the series finale after regular closer
Pete Fairbanks tossed 28 pitches in a save attempt on Wednesday. The left-handed Pache gave up four runs in his first three outings of the 2024 campaign, but since then he hasn't given up a run in five straight appearances out of Tampa's bullpen. As long as Fairbanks and
Jason Adam remain healthy, Poche isn't going to see very many save chances for the Rays.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoThe New York Yankees claimed outfielder
Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Yankees designated infielder
Kevin Smith for assignment. The Dodgers dumped Trammell off their 40-man roster earlier this week after going hitless with three strikeouts in six plate appearances with them over five games. The former 35th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 out of high school just has not been able to figure out major-league pitching in 121 games, batting .165 (51-for-310) with 15 home runs, 39 RBI and four stolen bases. For now, he'll ride the pine in the Bronx while providing outfield depth behind
Aaron Judge,
Juan Soto,
Giancarlo Stanton,
Alex Verdugo and
Trent Grisham.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Yankees PR Department
6 days agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot shut down the Los Angeles Angels in Thursday's series finale to win his second game of the year. In his six innings of work, Pepiot allowed just one earned run on three hits while walking three and striking out seven to drop his season ERA to 4.37. The 26-year-old needed a good performance after he gave up five runs to the San Francisco Giants his last time on the bump. The lone run that Pepiot allowed on Thursday to the Angels came on a sacrifice fly in his sixth and final inning. He has walked eight and struck out 27 so far in his four starts while posting a 1.01 WHIP. Pepiot will now look for a second straight strong start his next outing in what has so far been an up-and-down year for the former Dodger.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout went hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, he still managed to do some damage on the basepaths with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases. Trout is already up to five stolen bases on the season, which ties the amount of steals he had in the previous three seasons combined. This was also his first multi-steal game since May of 2018. As long as he stays healthy, the three-time MVP could once again be a big threat in the stolen-base department for fantasy managers. In addition to his five stolen bases, Trout is now hitting .270 with a 1.019 OPS, a league-leading eight home runs, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored. The 32-year-old appears to be back after a frustrating injury-riddled season in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is not in the team's starting lineup for the start of a series on Thursday against the division-rival San Francisco Giants on the road. The 30-year-old will take a seat for a day of rest, with outfielder
Jake McCarthy playing left field and batting ninth and
Randal Grichuk in right field and hitting eighth versus Giants right-hander
Logan Webb. McCarthy is hitting .375 with an RBI in 16 career at-bats against Webb but will have limited DFS upside in the nine-hole. Meanwhile, Grichuk has one hit in his 10 career at-bats against Webb. Gurriel has five home runs and 20 RBI already this year in 18 games played, but he has just one hit (a homer) in his last 16 at-bats over four games, so he could use a little breather here.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoArizona Diamondbacks catcher
Gabriel Moreno (thumb) is back behind the plate and is batting sixth in the lineup on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants and right-hander
Logan Webb. Moreno injured his right thumb on a wild pitch on Monday against the Chicago Cubs and was scratched from the starting lineup on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The 24-year-old did appear as a defensive replacement late in Tuesday's extra-inning game, though. Moreno is still looking for his first home run of the year while going 11-for-46 (.239) in his first 16 games of the 2024 season. Webb isn't the greatest of matchups for those setting DFS lineups, but don't ignore the fact that Moreno is currently hitting .444 in nine career at-bats against Webb.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Christopher Morel struggled at the plate after a hitless game with two strikeouts Wednesday. Morel is now 5-for-37 in his last 10 games with one double, one homer, seven RBI, and 11 strikeouts. Like his outfield partner,
Ian Happ, he had a strong start to the season but has also hit a wall. He should be able to get back on track with favorable matchups in the upcoming series versus the Miami Marlins.
--Shaun Evans - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
6 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Ian Happ's hitting struggles continued Wednesday as he went hitless. Happ had five plate appearances with only one walk. This makes it six games out of his last 10 where he has not recorded a hit. After a solid start to the season, the Chicago Cubs outfielder has hit a wall. He is now batting .247 (18-for-73) on the season with 14 runs, 12 RBI, and one homer. Happ will have a favorable matchup on Thursday evening with left-hander
A.J. Puk on the mound for Miami.
--Shaun Evans - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Angels left-hander
Reid Detmers put forth another strong effort on Wednesday in a road start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Detmers worked 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and while he yielded seven hits, he also walked just one against four punchouts on the night. With the outing, the 24-year-old improved to a tidy 1.19 ERA and a massive 26.7% K-BB% across his first four starts of the season. Additionally, Detmers has grown his ground-ball rate to 43.8% on the season, a mark well above his 36.6% career mark, aiding him in not allowing a home run through his first 22 2/3 innings in the 2024 campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers outfielder
Parker Meadows slugged his first homer of the season on Wednesday in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Texas Rangers. It was a welcomed swing for the 24-year-old who has struggled mightily to begin the season. Following a big spring training, Meadows is now hitting just .077 (3-for-39) with a triple, a homer, and eight walks with a hefty 17 strikeouts across 47 trips to the plate. His excellent defense in center field has kept him in the lineup fairly regularly to begin the season but it's tough to see him sticking around in the big leagues if the bat can't turn around. He hit .232 with three homers and eight steals across 37 games in his MLB debut last season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets pitching prospect
Calvin Ziegler (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season and likely a good chunk of the 2025 campaign as well. A 2021 second-round pick, Ziegler made just one appearance in the 2023 season due to injury and has pitched all of 53 2/3 innings since making his professional debut in the 2022 season. The 21-year-old owns a 3.96 ERA with 86 strikeouts and 37 walks across those 53 2/3 frames, but injury woes have decimated his young professional career.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
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