5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Bryan Reynolds went 5-for-5 at the plate in Monday's victory with a home run and a double. Reynolds laced a double in the third inning to score
Andrew McCutchen and then hit a solo shot to pad the Pittsburgh lead in the ninth. This perfect outing brings Reynolds to a solid .256/.351/.427 slash line with five total long balls through 42 games this season. The 29-year-old is a consistent fantasy contributor, and his strong underlying metrics suggest he could be in store for another successful season. He currently has a .266 xBA and .458 xSLG, which are both above-average among qualified hitters. The former Vanderbilt Commodore should always remain in your fantasy lineup and be considered in DFS.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates backstop
Yasmani Grandal launched his second home run in just seven games with his new club on Monday. The 35-year-old looks to be settling in quite nicely in the Steel City with an impressive .545 SLG through his first week as a Pirate. Grandal was on the 15-day injured list to open the season with plantar fasciitis but is now looking like his past self. Grandal began splitting catching duties with
Joey Bart, but he has now started each of the past four games, suggesting he has a slight lead for the starting role. Grandal is worth adding in NL-only formats for the time being but could force his way into mixed leagues if his power surge continues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers first baseman/outfielder
Jake Bauers increased his hit streak to four games on Monday by knocking a single and a grand slam. On the season, the 28-year-old has a solid .244/.326/.476 line with four home runs, four stolen bases, and 21 RBI. Since the start of May, he has been riding an impressive .346/.500/.727 line with a strong 5:9 BB:K ratio. Bauers has only been in the lineup against right-handed pitchers so far this season which does hinder his fantasy value. Nonetheless, in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats, fantasy managers looking for a strong source of power should consider adding Bauers to their team.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher
Michael Lorenzen produced his best start of the year on Monday, going seven scoreless innings while allowing only one hit and four walks. The Rangers, unfortunately, couldn't provide Lorenzen with any offense, as he finished with a no-decision in the 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The performance lowered his ERA to 3.75 and WHIP to 1.22 on the season, but the four walks gave him 18 walks on the season in only 36 innings. The ERA and WHIP are on par with his career numbers of 4.10 and 1.32, but the walks are higher than normal, as he's averaging almost double the amount of walks per inning with 0.5 walks. The heavy load of walks doesn't bode well for his next outing when he faces a patient Philadelphia Phillies team that ranks fifth in the league in taking free passes.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfield prospect
Henry Davis has struggled since his demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis last week. The former Number one overall pick opened the year with the big-league club, but struggled with a .162 batting average and four RBI in 68 at-bats before veteran
Yasmani Grandal returned from the injured list and took away his job. Since being sent back down, Davis is 3-for-19 with two runs and two RBI. Davis was picked number one overall for a reason and still has a bright future ahead of him, but he will need to turn things around in Triple-A to get another chance with the big-league club. Although managers in redraft leagues should have already cut ties, Davis still has value in dynasty leagues.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
5 days agoBoston Red Sox corner infield prospect
Blaze Jordan (finger) has been placed on the 7-day injured list with a fractured finger and is expected to miss several weeks. The 20-year-old has slowly slid down the rankings of Red Sox prospects within his time in the organization, but he has still produced at a respectable level. In 99 at-bats this season, Jordan hit .283 with two homers and 16 RBI. Jordan should be able to return later this summer, but he can remain on the waiver wire in most formats moving forward.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Alex Speier
5 days agoThe San Francisco Giants have demoted pitching prospect
Mason Black back to Triple-A Sacramento. Black was having a strong season for Sacramento, but struggled in his brief time at the big-league level. In two starts for the Giants, Black allowed six runs and walked five batters in 8 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old remains one of the better pitching prospects in Triple-A and should receive another opportunity in the show at some point this season. He can safely be dropped in redraft leagues, but still holds value in dynasty leagues. Replacing Black on the Giants roster is pitcher
Nick Avila. Avila has struggled mightily this season and can be left on the waiver wire.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSeattle Mariners shortstop
Felnin Celesten has been off to a hot start in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League to begin his professional career. The 18-year-old is currently hitting .423 with three doubles, a triple, two homers and eight RBI over his first 26 at-bats. Celesten was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2023 as one of the top international free agents, but missed making his debut last season due to suffering a Grade 2 hamstring injury. Celesten is a switch-hitter, but has more power from the right side. He also added around 10-to-15 pounds of muscle this summer and his hit tool should continue to mature as his body does. He is years away from a big-league debut, but dynasty managers should keep tabs on the young shortstop.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto got knocked around early for four runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched in Monday’s 6-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. He did not factor into the decision. The 25-year-old finished the night with six strikeouts and two walks before being chased with two runners on and two outs in the sixth inning. It was Yamamoto's worst start since Opening Day against the San Diego Padres, where he allowed five runs in one inning pitched. Most of the damage off Yamamoto was done early on a second-inning three-run home run by San Francisco Giants rookie
Luis Matos. On Sunday, Yamamoto will look to get back on track and take advantage of a young Cincinnati Reds team whose offense ranks sixth in the league in strikeouts.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Jordan Hicks continued his remarkable season, allowing only two runs in five innings while recording four strikeouts and zero walks on Monday. The right-hander picked up a no-decision in an extra-inning 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hicks hasn't allowed more than three runs in nine straight starts to begin the season. One has to wonder if the pitch-to-contact method is the reason for his breakout campaign. Where things sit on Monday, he's averaging only 0.81 strikeouts per inning. Last season, he averaged 1.25 strikeouts per inning. Fantasy managers will certainly take the hit in strikeouts for the 3-1 record, 2.44 ERA, and 1.15 WHIP. Hicks' next matchup will be against the Colorado Rockies.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder
Mookie Betts blasted his 50th career leadoff home run in Monday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the San Francisco Giants. Including the dinger, Betts finished the night 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored two runs. The RBI was his first recorded in over a week which is hardly something to worry about when his season stat line includes seven home runs and 28 RBI with a ridiculous .341 batting average. Betts will continue his MVP campaign against the Giants and Cincinnati Reds this week.
Logan Webb is on the mound Wednesday whom Betts has torched in his career with a .346 batting average and two home runs.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays starting pitcher
Zach Eflin was awarded a win in Monday’s 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox after allowing three runs in five innings of work with two strikeouts and no walks. Eflin left the game with a one-run lead, and luckily for fantasy managers, the Tampa Bay bullpen finished the contest with four shutout innings. It was Eflin's second game in a row that he hasn't been able to whiff more than three batters, but it's the third game in a row in which he didn't allow a walk. Taking the good with the bad, Eflin will carry his 3.91 ERA into his next matchup against a Toronto Blue Jays offense that roughed up Eflin for six runs, including three home runs, on Opening Day.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoBaltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Corbin Burnes threw six one-run innings while recording only two strikeouts and allowing two walks. He picked up a no-decision in the 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, as the only run support the Orioles could manage were a pair of solo shots off the bat of catcher
Adley Rutschman. He was pulled after six innings with only 85 pitches thrown, his lowest since his Opening Day gem against the Los Angeles Angels. Burnes' next matchup on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners should garner a higher strikeout total on Sunday as the Mariners hitters lead the league in that category this season.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoArizona Diamondbacks shortstop
Kevin Newman went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles, and two RBI in Monday night's walk-off win vs. the Cincinnati Reds. That makes it three games in a row that Newman has collected multiple hits; the two RBI have been his first since April 26. The right-handed hitting shortstop did have a poor .216 batting average on the season, but the four hits, one of them being the game-winning walk-off single, bumped that batting average to a more respectable .253. Despite the four-hit performance, Newman only has two home runs and 10 runs batted in on the season, batting out of the number nine spot in the Diamondbacks' batting order. This makes him someone you can avoid for your fantasy outside of deep-league formats team unless his hot streak proves to be sustainable.
--Joey Inglese - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot (leg) threw a 14-pitch bullpen session on Sunday, his first time throwing off a mound since he suffered a bruised lower left leg when he was hit by a comebacker during his start against the New York Mets on May 5. Manager Kevin Cash said Pepiot felt some soreness on Sunday but remains hopeful that he will return from the 15-day injured list when he's first eligible on May 21. Because he's not dealing with any sort of arm injury, the 26-year-old already confirmed that he's not going to need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he returns to Tampa's starting rotation. Pepiot should remain stashed in an IL spot in most fantasy leagues with his return just around the corner. He had gone 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 11 walks and 41 strikeouts in 36 2/3 frames over his first seven starts before landing on the shelf.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Associated Press
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