5 days agoSan Diego Padres first baseman
Jake Cronenworth is out of the lineup on Saturday for the Padres tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With
James Paxton on the mound, and Cronenworth struggling deeply against lefties, the Padres will start
Luis Arraez at first base in his place. While Cronenworth has been excellent this season with an .841 OPS, that drops to just .437 when facing lefties. This decision would appear to simply be platoon-based and shouldn't raise any concerns with fantasy managers. Expect Cronenworth to be back in the lineup on Sunday when the Los Angeles Dodgers start right-hander
Walker Buehler.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: San Diego Padres
5 days agoCincinnati Reds starting pitcher
Nick Lodolo will look to bounce back after a rough outing vs Baltimore when he faces the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night. Lodolo has only had two real hiccups in his five starts this season with both of those hiccups (Philadelphia, Baltimore) being strong against lefties. The San Francisco Giants rank 18th against lefties with a 98 wRC+, just below league average. Lodolo should be able to perform a little stronger against San Francisco than those two. Fantasy managers should feel fine with him in their lineups on Saturday and DFS players should target the left-hander as well.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher
Cole Ragans will aim to notch his third straight quality start on Saturday when he takes the hill against the Los Angeles Angels. Ragans has been living up to the potential the Royals were looking for when they traded for him last season. The lefty ranks third in K/9 among American League starters who have thrown at least 20 innings with an 11.39 K/9 behind only
Garrett Crochet and
Jack Flaherty. The lefty should continue to dominate and may even have room for improvement as his 3.38 ERA and 2.35 FIP suggest he could be even better. Fantasy managers and DFS players will want to target the lefty Saturday against the struggling Los Angeles Angels, who are only hitting for a .217 BA over the last seven days.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles relief pitcher
Craig Kimbrel has been removed from his normal role as Orioles closer. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters Saturday that he talked with the 35-year-old Friday afternoon about the change in plans. Hyde said he intends to take it day-by-day and that he's not sure when Kimbrel will return back to the closer role, hinting that this move may be more temporary. "We need him to be Craig Kimbrel and we need him to be the lockdown guy he's been for his entire career," the Orioles manager stated. Kimbrel had failed to convert four of his last five save opportunities before the change on Friday night, when he threw a perfect seventh inning. Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on Kimbrel over the next couple weeks, but should be looking for other closers if Kimbrel was their starting closer.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Jake Rill
5 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Jasson Dominguez (elbow) is set to begin a rehab assignment in Single-A Tampa on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to manager Aaron Boone. Dominguez has been sidelined since September after having Tommy John surgery. Once he begins his rehab assignment, it will start a 20-day clock in which the Yankees have to decide to add him to the active roster or option him to the minor leagues. "Hopefully it is a tough decision at that point, because good things are happening here," Boone said on Saturday. The Yankees outfield trio of
Aaron Judge,
Juan Soto and
Alex Verdugo are all hitting for an OPS+ over 110, providing plenty of production and potentially plenty of time for Dominguez to get right before joining the active roster again. Fantasy managers will want to check in over the next few weeks to monitor Dominguez's progress through his rehab assignment.
--Kevin Larson - RotoBallerSource: Gary Phillips
5 days agoNew York Yankees utility infielder
DJ LeMahieu (foot) was seen hitting live pitching off
JT Brubaker. Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence in the 35-year-old's recovery process and said that he will hit live again on Tuesday. The veteran is beginning to ramp up his work and should be starting a rehab assignment fairly shortly. LeMahieu has yet to make his 2024 debut. He posted a .243/.327/.390 line with 15 long balls and two swiped bags last season. When he returns, LeMahieu should see the majority of starts at the hot corner, which will significantly lower
Oswaldo Cabrera's fantasy value. LeMahieu is worth holding onto in deeper formats and should be worth looking into in standard leagues when he is cleared to return.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Garry Phillips
5 days agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher
Cade Cavalli (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Thursday at the team's training facility in West Palm Beach. This was his longest session (45 pitches) since recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Nationals have not changed the original timeline for Cavalli to return in late June or July, but Manager Dave Martinez said that he "threw the ball well again" and that Cavalli is "well on his way." This is an excellent sign for fantasy managers in deeper leagues who may have the 25-year-old stashed on their injured reserve. Cavalli could become worth rostering in standard leagues if he performs well after he returns later in the summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Blanco
5 days agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher
Josiah Gray (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Friday afternoon. He threw his first session on Tuesday. On Friday, he increased his count to 35 pitches compared to his total of 30 earlier in the week. Gray is still just throwing fastballs, but this is a good sign in his recovery process. The 26-year-old threw just eight ⅓ innings before being placed on the injured list on April 6. Gray still has to begin throwing breaking balls in bullpen sessions before beginning a rehab assignment. There is still no official timetable in place, but with where he is in the recovery process, fantasy managers should not expect Gray back on the mound until June.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Blanco
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates third baseman
Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a back issue, per Kevin Gorman of Tribune-Review Sports. In a corresponding move, the Pirates promoted
Alika Williams from Triple-A. Hayes has posted a solid .240/.322/.318 line with only one long ball and a strong 16.1% K rate. However, Hayes has been in a bit of a slump since April 28 with a .121/.189/.152. Williams has appeared in 15 games this season and put up a modest .239/.271/.348 line. Williams may occasionally see starts at the hot corner in Hayes' absence, but a majority of the starts will go to
Jared Triolo, who enters Saturday with a .210 AVG.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Kevin Gorman
5 days agoWashington Nationals outfielder/designated hitter
Joey Gallo (shoulder) is feeling good in his rehab with Triple-A Rochester. Nationals skipper Davey Martinez provided an update on the slugger on Friday after Gallo enjoyed a big night at the plate on Thursday. "He hit a home run and a double. He's starting to swing the bat a little bit better," Martinez said. "They said he feels good. Just like everybody else, he's trying to get his timing back." It's been a tough start for Gallo to begin his Nationals tenure as he hit just .122 with three homers and a .597 OPS across 91 trips to the plate before he hit the injured list with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder on April 26.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Bobby Blanco -- masnsports.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Shane Baz (elbow) threw 59 pitches across 1 2/3 innings on Friday in a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Durham. Baz was expected to go a bit longer in this start but ran into some trouble. He allowed three earned runs, one hit, and five free passes. He struck out one. While this was not the performance Baz expected, he did add 20 pitches to his pitch count compared to his previous rehab outing of 39. The 24-year-old has not started a major-league game since July 10, 2022. Fantasy managers should expect Baz back on a major-league mound before the end of the month but should tamper their expectations, as the Rays will likely lean on the side of caution with their young, hard-throwing right-hander.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoNew York Mets catcher
Tomas Nido has been receiving the slight edge in starts behind the dish due to
Francisco Alvarez's thumb injury.
Omar Narvaez was expected to see the majority of opportunities, but that has yet to look to be the case. Nido has started every game from May 3 to May 10, and Nido may be running away with the starting role. One significant reason why is that Nido is a much better defender and is 3-15 when throwing out opposing runners, while Narvaez is 0-30. In the batter's box, Nido has a .211/.231/.316 with one long ball compared to Narvaez, who has a .186/.222/.233. Manager
Carlos Mendoza clearly values Nido's defense skill, and NL-only fantasy managers should monitor this situation as Nido could be worth adding if he becomes the primary backstop.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
5 days agoNew York Mets closer
Edwin Diaz will be used in three consecutive games at a time throughout the summer. As per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com,
Edwin Diaz will pitch in three consecutive games, much to Diaz's enjoyment. The star closer emphasized that daily usage helps him "feel ready without much warm-up time at all." It is very rare for a relief pitcher, even of Diaz's talents, to be utilized in three consecutive games. The 30-year-old missed the entirety of the 2023 season with a right patellar tear but has looked like his 2022 self this season with a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and an impressive 22 punchouts in just 14 ⅔ innings. Diaz remains a lineup lock and could very well finish as the number-one relief pitcher by the end of the summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
5 days agoNew York Mets outfielder
DJ Stewart was in danger of losing time due to the return of designated hitter
J.D. Martinez, but that may not seem to be the case. Even though Stewart has ceded primary designated hitter duties to Martinez, Stewart has seen starts in left and right field, which could still make him worth holding on to in NL-only formats. On the season, Stewart has posted a mediocre .185/.365/.415 line with four home runs. However, he has shown an excellent eye at the plate with a 20.0% walk rate, which is the best among qualified hitters. Manager
Carlos Mendoza values his patience at the plate and will continue to reward him with opportunities in the foreseeable future. Stewart should remain rostered in NL-only formats, especially points leagues or rotisserie leagues that score on-base percentage.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
5 days agoNew York Mets starting pitching prospect
Christian Scott made his major-league debut last week and does not have a hard innings limit for the remainder of the season. This is an excellent sign for fantasy managers who picked him up from the waiver wire,
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