5 days agoAtlanta Braves starting pitching prospect
Owen Murphy has been one of the best pitchers in all of the minor leagues this season, and he posted another dominant outing on Wednesday. Murphy tossed five innings of two-run ball with three hits, two walks, and struck out eight. This start brings the 20-year-old to a 1.82 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 49 punchouts across 34 ⅔ innings. Murphy has yet to allow more than two earned runs in his six starts this season and is making a case for a promotion to Double-A. Even though Murphy is still a couple of years away from his major league debut, dynasty managers should pay close attention to him as he is developing into an elite strikeout pitcher and could be promoted to Double-A fairly soon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoPittsburgh Pirates infielder
Nick Gonzales is expected to be recalled from the minors on Friday. The 24-year-old is hitting .358 with four home runs over 30 games in the minors this season. He played in 35 games with the Pirates last season, but will hopefully get a longer stint this time around. Fantasy managers might want to use a wait-and-see approach here, but Gonzalez has all the skills to be a reliable hitter at the highest level.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Destin
5 days agoColorado Rockies starting pitching prospect
Chase Dollander struck out 10 batters on Thursday and allowed just two runs across five innings in a no-decision. Dollander has been showcasing his elite strikeout potential all season, and Thursday was no different. On the season, the 22-year-old has 43 strikeouts in just 24 1/3 innings at Double-A. He has a 2.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and has offered only 10 free passes. Dollander is considered the second-best prospect in the Rockies pipeline and the 46th-best overall prospect on MLB Pipeline. The former ninth overall selection in the 2023 MLB draft is still several years away from his major-league debut but is worth monitoring in dynasty leagues, as he has the potential to develop into one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
5 days agoSan Francisco Giants shortstop
Nick Ahmed (wrist) was forced to exit early during Thursday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The veteran infielder left the game after an awkward swing early during the contest. The hope is that it's a minor injury and Ahmed won't require a trip to the injured list. If he misses time, former top prospect
Marco Luciano could be recalled to take his spot on the roster. Fantasy managers will need to stay tuned for another update on Ahmed.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Shayna Rubin
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers rookie outfielder
Jackson Chourio (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for the rookie outfielder. Chourio has looked better lately, going 6-for-19 over the last week. In his absence,
Christian Yelich,
Sal Frelick, and
Jake Bauers will cover the outfield during Thursday's game against Cardinals right-hander
Sonny Gray.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoColorado Rockies starting pitcher
Cal Quantrill put together a fairly strong outing during Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander allowed only one run over six innings of work during Thursday's victory. Quantrill also gave up five hits and walked three batters, but he was able to work around the traffic. This is now back-to-back quality outings for Quantrill as he lowers his ERA to 3.94 on the year. We'll see if he can keep the good times rolling against the San Diego Padres during his next start.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher
Pablo Lopez looked sharp on the mound during Thursday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The right-hander went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, and striking out 10 batters in the win. Lopez didn't walk anyone and threw over 60 of his pitches for strikes in this game. He'll take his 3.89 ERA into his next start against the New York Yankees. Despite a tough matchup, Lopez remains a must-start in fantasy formats.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoSeattle Mariners starting pitcher
Logan Gilbert came into Thursday's game with a stellar 1.69 ERA over 48 innings of work. That was quickly raised as the Minnesota Twins jumped on Gilbert for five runs in the first frame. It was an awful outing for Gilbert as nothing seemed to go his way. He finished his day after four innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits in the loss. This was a bad day for Gilbert, but he should bounce back against the Kansas City Royals in his next start.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoNew York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said relief pitcher
Nick Burdi (hip) is expected to come off the injured list and rejoin the bullpen on Friday for the start of a series in Tampa against the Rays. Burdi was put on the injured list on April 19 with right-hip inflammation but is now ready to return to the Bronx. The 31-year-old struck out all three batters he faced in his only inning of work with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his line minor-league rehab outing. Burdi isn't really on the fantasy radar in a middle-relief role for the Yankees, but he's been lights-out so far, tossing 6 1/3 shutout innings with a win, five walks and eight strikeouts in seven appearances out of the bullpen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
5 days agoColorado Rockies left-hander
Kyle Freeland (elbow) felt good after playing catch on Thursday, according to manager Bud Black, and he will continue to build up his left arm with a throwing program. Freeland went on the 15-day injured list on April 19 (retroactive to April 16) for a left-elbow strain and is trying to work his way back to Colorado's starting rotation. There's no current timetable for the 30-year-old southpaw's return to the big leagues, but he's not going to be rushed and is going to have to pitch better to be considered by fantasy managers in most leagues. Before going on the shelf with his left-elbow injury, Freeland was not good at all, going 0-3 with a 13.21 ERA and 2.55 WHIP with eight walks and nine strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings over his four starts. With a career 4.53 ERA and 6.7 K/9, there's almost zero upside with Freeland.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: DNVR Sports - Patrick Lyons
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher
Willson Contreras (forearm) underwent successful surgery on Wednesday on his fractured left forearm and he's hoping to return by the All-Star break. Manager Oliver Marmol said that Contreras will likely be out for 10 weeks. The 31-year-old All-Star backstop was hit by a swing from New York Mets designated hitter
J.D. Martinez this week and will now likely miss the rest of the first half of the season. Because of the lack of depth at the catching position in fantasy, Contreras needs to be stashed for now in all formats. In his absence,
Ivan Herrera will be St. Louis' primary catcher, with prospect
Pedro Pages backing him up. Herrera currently is hitting .232/.276/.377 with three home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored in his first 69 at-bats in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Katie Woo
5 days agoMilwaukee Brewers pitching prospect
Robert Gasser is expected to be called up from Triple-A Nashville in order to make his first major-league start on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals in his MLB debut. The club's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline,
read more...
5 days agoSeattle Mariners right-hander
Bryan Woo (elbow) will come off the injured list to make his 2024 debut on Friday against the Oakland Athletics at home. While the A's offense has certainly heated up recently, it's still a plus matchup for Woo's first big-league start of the year. The 24-year-old has been on the injured list since the beginning of the year due to right-elbow inflammation. In his three minor-league rehab starts with Triple-A Tacoma, Woo threw 11 1/3 shutout innings with no walks and 17 strikeouts, so he appears to be in great form and will be in play as a deep-league streaming option right away in his first start back. With Woo returning to Seattle's rotation,
Emerson Hancock is expected to head back to the minors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Seattle Sports - Shannon Drayer
5 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals first baseman
Paul Goldschmidt remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Goldschmidt was scheduled to sit out Wednesday's series finale against the New York Mets on Wednesday before the game was rained out, so the Cardinals have just elected to give the struggling Goldy another day off.
Alec Burleson will once again start at first base and hit cleanup against Brewers right-hander
Tobias Myers. The 36-year-old right-handed slugger hasn't recorded a hit in his last six games to drop his season slash line to .195/.287/.263 with only two home runs and 11 RBI in 133 at-bats. Burleson has never faced Myers in his career but will be a tempting DFS play out of the cleanup spot as the Cardinals look to get their offense going. Goldy should be back in action on Friday in Milwaukee as he looks to break out of his season-long slump.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Cleveland Guardians acquired right-hander
Darren McCaughan from the Miami Marlins on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations. The move comes after the Marlins designated McCaughan for assignment after he allowed eight earned runs on nine hits (three home runs) while walking three and striking out only two in 4 2/3 innings against the Oakland Athletics in his lone appearance on Saturday. The 28-year-old will now give the Guardians both starting and relieving depth in the minors after they sent him to Triple-A Columbus. McCaughan has a 9.16 career ERA (8.65 FIP) and 1.82 WHIP with 10 walks and 14 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings over six appearances (one start) in his three years in the big leagues. He remains far off the fantasy radar.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: GuardsInsider
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