5 days agoOakland Athletics outfielder
Brent Rooker has been red-hot at the plate in May. Rooker is coming off winning the American League Player of the Week award and crushed a two-run home run on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners at an exit velocity of 113.4 mph, marking the hardest-hit ball of his career. He now has 10 home runs on the season after a two-hit day. In 10 games so far in May, Rooker has gone 17-for-38 (.447) with five home runs. He leads the majors with 14 RBI. "This is the maturation of Brent," manager Mark Kotsay said. "It's a follow-up of last year and the success he had. The at-bats he had off Castillo were great. He's seeing the ball really well and taking a great swing." Fantasy managers would be foolish to remove a hitter this hot from their starting lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
5 days agoOakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay revealed after Sunday's loss to the Seattle Mariners that left-hander
Alex Wood (shoulder) has been dealing with a shoulder issue for some time now, which appeared to worsen on Sunday. Wood's sinker averaged 88.6 mph, over two mph slower than his season average. He was pulled after just two innings in which the Mariners scored five runs and generated a ton of hard contact. Six of Seattle's 10 balls put in play against Wood registered an exit velocity of 100.2 mph or higher. Kotsay said the team will send Wood for further evaluations, and Wood is unsure if he will make his next scheduled start this weekend against the Kansas City Royals. If Wood were to miss time, the A's would likely turn to an in-house option with either
Kyle Muller or
Mitch Spence, both of whom are currently long relievers out of the bullpen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
5 days agoOakland Athletics second baseman
Zack Gelof (oblique) has joined the A's for their series in Houston against the Astros this week and could be activated for the series in Houston. Gelof could be activated from the 10-day injured list and return to the starting lineup for Tuesday's game, so fantasy managers should be ready to get Gelof back into their lineups in deeper leagues. The 24-year-old played in back-to-back minor-league rehab games for Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday and Sunday and apparently got the green light to return to the big leagues. When he's back, he should return to starting duties at the keystone for Oakland. A strained left oblique is what sent Gelof to the injured list. Fantasy managers that have Gelof rostered in deeper leagues will be hoping he can improve on his current .196/.260/.337 slash line through his first 92 at-bats in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
5 days agoThe Oakland Athletics placed right-hander
Paul Blackburn on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 11) on Monday with a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot and recalled left-hander
Easton Lucas from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. Blackburn will be in a walking boot for at least two weeks, so he's not going to be ready to return to the A's when he's eligible. Before injuring his foot, the 30-year-old Blackburn went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP with 13 walks and 36 strikeouts in 46 innings over his eight starts. With a career 6.9 K/9 in 399 big-league innings, Blackburn has a low fantasy ceiling when he's healthy, especially while pitching for the A's. His turn in the rotation, which comes up next on Thursday against the Houston Astros, could be taken by
Joey Estes.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoIt's "possible" that Baltimore Orioles right-hander
Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) returns from the injured list this weekend, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Pitcher
Cole Irvin is already scheduled to start on Wednesday, the first day that Rodriguez is eligible to return from the injured list, but the team's rotation after their scheduled off day on Thursday has yet to be announced. If the 24-year-old Rodriguez does return this weekend, his first start off the injured list would be a solid matchup against the Seattle Mariners. Rodriguez threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Sunday and didn't suffer any setbacks. He's been out since the start of May with right-shoulder inflammation, and it appears that the Orioles aren't going to send him on a minor-league rehab assignment before he returns. Rodriguez went 4-1 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with 37 K's in 34 innings over his first six starts of the year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Baltimore Sun - Matt Weyrich
5 days agoThe Baltimore Orioles reinstated outfielder
Austin Hays (calf) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and designated outfielder
Ryan McKenna for assignment in a corresponding move. Despite being activated from the IL, Hays was not included in the
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5 days agoSan Francisco Giants catcher
Patrick Bailey (illness) will meet with a team doctor later on Monday, and the Giants are trying to figure out if he's just dealing with a cold or if his illness is related to his recent concussion. Manager Bob Melvin said the team is going to be very careful with Bailey, who is out of the starting lineup again on Monday against the visiting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 24-year-old backstop as day-to-day and check back on Tuesday to see if he's back in the lineup.
Blake Sabol is doing the catching again on Monday and will hit seventh against Dodgers right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Bailey has been one of the Giants' better hitters this year, as he's currently slashing .280/.340/.451 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 82 at-bats. When he's healthy, he'll continue to see more of the starts at catcher over Sabol.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NBC Sports Bay Area - Alex Pavlovic
5 days agoThe San Francisco Giants placed outfielder
Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list on Monday with a left-shoulder dislocation and recalled catcher
Jakson Reetz from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. Lee dislocated his left shoulder when he crashed into the outfield wall in Sunday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds and will now miss at least the next 10 days. Given the severity of his injury, Lee should be expected to miss more than the 10 days on the IL. The 25-year-old Japanese outfielder has hit .262/.310/.331 with two home runs, eight RBI, two stolen bases and 15 runs scored in his first 145 major-league at-bats. So far, Lee has not been a great source of counting stats in fantasy leagues. In his absence, rookie
Luis Matos and
Tyler Fitzgerald are likely to platoon in center field, with Matos on the strong side while facing most right-handers.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Giants
5 days agoSan Diego Padres shortstop
Ha-Seong Kim (wrist) is back at shortstop and is hitting ninth for the Friars on Monday at Petco Park for the series opener against the visiting Colorado Rockies and right-hander
Dakota Hudson. Kim had to be removed from Sunday's win over the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers after he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist. Thankfully, the 28-year-old middle infielder's X-rays came back negative and now he's back in the starting lineup a day later. After a career year in 2023 in which he hit ..260/.351/.398 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI and 38 stolen bases in 152 games, he's disappointed so far with a .208/.316/.362 slash line with five home runs, 21 RBI and eight stolen bases in 43 games. Kim is an everyday player and remains fantasy relevant, mostly for his speed on the base paths, but hitting at the bottom of SD's batting order is bad for his upside.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTexas Rangers right-hander
Dane Dunning (shoulder) threw from 90 feet on flat ground on Monday in the outfield and said that he felt good while his arm is feeling stronger. Dunning is trying to work his way back to Texas' starting rotation after landing on the 15-day injured list with a right rotator-cuff strain. It remains to be seen if the 29-year-old will be ready to return from the injured list when he's eligible to come back on May 21. In his seven starts covering 37 1/3 innings so far this year, Dunning has gone 3-2 with a 4.10 ERA (4.88 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP with 17 walks and 43 strikeouts. He's tied for the fourth-highest hard-hit percentage in the league at 48.9 but also ranks 13th in the league with a 31 percent whiff rate.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Morning News - Shawn McFarland
5 days agoTexas Rangers right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi (groin) did some flat-ground throwing on Monday and could throw off a mound this weekend. It's good to see Eovaldi making some progress from his strained right groin, but fantasy baseball managers should not expect him to come off the injured list when he's first eligible on Saturday. Even if Eovaldi takes a bit longer to return from the injured list, he should be stashed in most fantasy baseball leagues. Before hitting the shelf, he was 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA (3.55 FIP) and 1.16 WHIP with 19 walks and 44 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings over his seven starts. The two-time All-Star will not be rushed back into the Rangers' starting rotation given his lengthy history of injuries in the big leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: RangersToday.com - Jeff Wilson
5 days agoTexas Rangers rookie outfielder
Wyatt Langford (hamstring) said he ran at 90 percent effort on Monday and didn't have any issues with his injured hamstring. In addition to running, Langford said he started swinging a bat last weekend. The 22-year-old will need to run at full speed to test out his right-hamstring injury before the Rangers consider reinstating him from the injured list. With Langford expected to be out for two to three weeks in total, it would be a pretty big surprise if the youngster isn't sent on a minor-league rehab assignment before he rejoins the big-league lineup. The fourth overall pick last year out of Florida has tremendous upside in 2024 and beyond but went 26-for-116 with a homer, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored in his first 31 games before landing on the IL. Because of his upside, Langford should remain stashed in all fantasy formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: RangersToday.com - Jeff Wilson
5 days agoTexas Rangers outfielder
Evan Carter (back) is undergoing an MRI exam on his back on Monday and is not in the team's starting lineup against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Carter has now missed the last four games due to a lower-back issues. Depending on the results of his MRI exam, the 21-year-old could be forced to go on the injured list. With Carter out of action yet again,
Ezequiel Duran is starting in left field and is batting eighth against Guardians right-hander
Tanner Bibee. Duran is hitting a strong .310 (22-for-71) on the year but doesn't have a homer and will be a low-upside DFS option out of the eight-hole on Monday. Carter, who won a World Series ring in his first year in the big leagues, has five home runs in 125 at-bats in his first full season, but he's also struggling to a .216/.303/.416 slash line.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: RangersToday.com - Jeff Wilson
5 days agoThe game between the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals has been postponed on Monday. The rain is not letting up, so the teams have decided to call it and make up the contest as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday. Right-handers
Chris Flexen and
Trevor Williams were the scheduled starters for this game. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly with this game being postponed.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Mark Zuckerman
5 days agoChicago Cubs relief pitcher
Adbert Alzolay (forearm) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday. The right-hander has struggled to open the season, so hopefully some time off will help him get back on track. Alzolay opened the season as the closer but quickly lost that job have blowing multiple save chances. In a corresponding move, right-hander
Jose Cuas has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Cuas figures to pitch in low leverage spots, so
Hector Neris should continue to be the primary closer.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Cubs
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