5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies relief pitcher
Jose Alvarado picked up his eighth save of the season in Monday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Mets. Alvarado came in to pitch the bottom of the 10th inning up by one with an automatic runner on second and shut the door with a 1-2-3 outing. The 28-year-old has pitched well overall this season and has seen the majority of save opportunities for the Phillies, converting all of them with a 3.57 ERA, an 8.15 K/9 rate, and a 3.57 BB/9 rate. While other Phillies relievers offer fantasy value in deeper leagues and saves-plus-holds leagues, Alvarado is the pitcher to roster in conventional fantasy leagues at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Mets closer
Edwin Diaz was not sharp in Monday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Phillies. Diaz came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He allowed a leadoff solo home run, allowed a single and a walk, got the first out on a strikeout and the second out on a pop-out, allowed another walk, hit a batter to bring the tying run in, and ended the inning with a strikeout. The 30-year-old, who did not pitch last season due to injury, has not looked as sharp, converting five of seven save opportunities with a 3.24 ERA, a 13.50 K/9 rate, and a 3.24 BB/9 rate. However, he should be given a long leash with his history of excellence and fantasy managers should not panic at this time.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs starting pitcher
Shota Imanaga has done it again in Monday’s 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The lefty tossed five more shut-out innings against a powerful Braves lineup with eight strikeouts, seven hits allowed, and three walks. He did not factor into the decision. This would generally be a top stat line for any other starting pitcher this season, but not for Imanaga. It's only the third time he didn't make it past six innings in the young season and the first time he has walked three batters in a game. He wasn't as efficient with his pitch count, which is the reason for his shorter outing, but with no runs allowed, he lowered his earned run average to an absurd 0.96 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP. Although his insane run is impossible to sustain, you can feel great as a fantasy manager knowing his next matchup this weekend against a Pittsburgh Pirates lineup that is batting .220 against lefties on the season.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoDetroit Tigers relief pitcher
Jason Foley earned his 10th save of the season in Monday's 6-5 win over the Marlins. Foley came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with a strikeout. After starting the season as the team's closer, the Tigers have mixed up their bullpen usage over the past couple of weeks. However, Foley has been the team's best reliever, converting all but one save opportunity with a 2.20 ERA, an 8.27 K/9 rate, and a 3.86 BB/9 rate. He still seems like the pitcher to roster for fantasy purposes and may be able to earn the closer's role back if he can string together several solid performances.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Chicago Cubs are reportedly trading infielder Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for relief pitcher
Tyson Miller, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The 28-year-old Miller was designated for assignment and will join the Cubs in the bullpen. He put together strong numbers in limited action with the Mariners, compiling a 3.09 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 26.7% strikeout rate in 11 2/3 innings pitched. The 27-year-old Slaughter had slashed .297/.392/.486 with five home runs, 17 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 130 plate appearances with Triple-A Iowa. Neither player should be on the fantasy radar until their roles are established.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan - Twitter.com
5 days agoChicago Cubs first baseman prospect
Matt Mervis hit his eighth home run of the season and third in his past two games on Sunday for Triple-A Iowa. The 26-year-old is hitting .474 (9-for-19) in the last five games since being sent back to Triple-A. Unfortunately, the left-handed hitter hasn't hit well during his time with the big league club, going 15-for-90 (.167) in 2023 and 3-for-26 (.115) in 2024. With
Michael Busch excelling and blocking him at first base, Mervis was used as designated hitter while with the Cubs, but they decided to give
Miles Mastrobuoni a shot when they sent Mervis back down. Mastrobuoni hasn't seen any more success, hitting .150 over 20 at-bats. If Mervis can keep it up, it's probably not the last time we see him in Chicago this year.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoSeattle Mariners second baseman
Jorge Polanco (hamstring) exited Monday's game against the Royals in the fifth inning with right hamstring tightness, per the team's Twitter account. Polanco went 1-for-2 with a single, a walk, and a strikeout before being replaced in the field by
Luis Urias. Fantasy managers should look for further updates on Polanco's status once the game has ended. The 30-year-old has struggled with injuries throughout his career, so hopefully this one will not be serious.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Seattle Mariners Communications Department - Twitter.com
5 days agoDetroit Tigers first baseman
Spencer Torkelson swatted his first home run of the season on Mother's Day and followed up with his second dinger in Monday’s 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins. Despite the Tiger's winning record, it's been a tough go for the 24-year-old first basemen this season, sporting a .225 batting average with only two home runs and 16 RBI. With a career batting average of .222, don't expect too much improvement in that department during the season, but after slugging 31 homers in 2023, one can only hope the last two days mean he finally found his power stroke and can keep it up moving forward. Torkelson has a great outlook over the next two days, with southpaws
Ryan Weathers (4.54 ERA) and
Trevor Rogers (6.57 ERA) toeing the rubber.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros third basemen
Alex Bregman torched Oakland A's pitching, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored. He started his big day with a solo home run in the fourth inning, another solo shot in the seventh, and then capped off his night with a two-run double as the Astros beat the A's 9-2. It's been an underwhelming start to the season, with his slash line at .218/.288/.327 and his demotion to the seventh spot in the batting order. Hopefully, Bregman will look to carry the momentum from Monday into the following three games against the A's pitching staff to finally get out of the early season funk he has been in.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Mets shortstop prospect
Luisangel Acuna went 2-for-5 with a walk, two runs scored, and two stolen bases on Sunday for Triple-A Syracuse. The pair of singles extended the 22-year-old's hit streak to nine games, although he isn't exactly knocking the cover off the ball during the streak with a .273 average and no home runs. The right-handed hitter has four doubles, three triples, and two home runs on the season, but even the last nine games could only bring his season batting average to .233. It's part of the reason that Acuna dropped 22 spots on MLB.com's most recently updated Top-100 prospects list, going from 58 to 80. The speed is still there though, totaling 13 stolen bases through 34 games.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoHouston Astros right-hander
Hunter Brown will start a game against the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada. The Astros are officially moving to a six-man starting rotation. Brown is most likely to start the series opener against Milwaukee on Friday, but fantasy managers in most leagues are going to want to avoid him after he has opened the 2024 season by going 0-4 with a 7.79 ERA (5.08 FIP) and 2.01 WHIP with 18 walks and 36 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings over eight appearances (seven starts). Brown looked better in a long-relief role over the weekend for the Astros, so hopefully he can carry that momentum over to his eighth start of the season. If Brown struggles again this weekend against the Brew Crew, he could find himself right back in the bullpen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
5 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies outfielder/designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber (back) will return to the starting lineup on Tuesday against the New York Met on the road at Citi Field, according to manager Rob Thomson. Schwarber was pulled late in Friday's win over the Miami Marlins with back soreness and was held out of the starting lineup on Monday for the third straight game, although he did come in to strike out as a pinch-hitter late in Monday's contest. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger's injury was never considered serious, but they wanted to hold him out for a few games as a precaution. After striking out in his pinch-hitting appearance on Monday, Schwarber is now hitting .216 on the year with a .718 OPS, nine home runs and 25 RBI in 40 games. He's leading baseball with 59 strikeouts and is going to be a drain on your team's batting average, but you can't argue with his elite power.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NBC Sports Philadelphia - Corey Seidman
5 days agoUpdating a previous report, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman
Rhys Hoskins (hamstring) said that he will undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday after leaving Monday's 8-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates with a hamstring injury. We'll have a better idea of how much time Hoskins might have to miss once his MRI results are known, but fantasy baseball managers should be preparing for a potential trip to the injured list. Before hitting the showers early on Monday, Hoskins singled in his only at-bat to raise his batting average to .233 with an .814 in his first year in Milwaukee. The former fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2014 out of Sacramento State has provided plenty of power (nine home runs) and run production (27 RBI) after missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL in his knee. Check back on Tuesday for Hoskins' MRI results.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Todd Rosiak
5 days agoChicago Cubs catching prospect
Moises Ballesteros has moved into MLB.com's most recently updated top-100 list. He is the Cubs' seventh-ranked prospect and is slashing .293/.371/.489 at Double-A Tennessee as a 20-year-old with four home runs, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored, and a solid 11:14 BB:K over 28 games. The left-handed hitter hit 10 home runs across two levels in 2022 as an 18-year-old and 14 home runs across two levels in 2023 as a 19-year-old, so he's showing some promising power. MLB.com projects his major-league debut won't come until 2026, but dynasty fantasy managers would be wise to keep tabs on the diminutive catcher.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that the team used relief pitcher
Jason Adam to close out the 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday because closer
Pete Fairbanks (finger) was unavailable due to a small cut on his right index finger. The hope is that Fairbanks will be good to go on Tuesday for the second game of the series in Boston. Adam came on and pitched a hitless and scoreless ninth inning on Monday with a walk and three strikeouts to pick up his third save of the year, but there's a good chance Fairbanks will be available for a save situation on Tuesday if it arises. The 30-year-old Fairbanks recently returned from the injured list due to a nerve issue in his right arm. It's been a tough start to the year for him after starting 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA, a 2.00 WHIP, three saves and 11 strikeouts in eight innings pitched.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
RADIO
