2 weeks agoAtlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Max Fried (finger) was solid on Thursday, limiting the Washington Nationals to one run on three hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out seven. Near the end of his start, he had some fluid build-up in his left index finger, which was drained after he was taken out. Fried also skipped his last start with a blister on his left hand, so the Braves will likely be cautious with the lefty heading into the playoffs. Fried said he feels confident he can manage the situation, so he could still make what would likely be his final start at some point next week. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the situation, as a decision will need to be made on whether to start Fried in the finals.--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Justin Toscano

2 weeks agoDetroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera was removed from Thursday's game in the sixth inning after fouling a pitch off his lower leg. There are no signs of a fracture and Cabrera will be re-evaluated after the game. Miggy is in the midst of his final season of baseball, one which will hopefully not end with this injury. It is very likely that even if Cabrera is injured, he will take an at-bat in the team's final game to get one last hoorah. Although he's slowed down the past few years, Miggy has had an inner-circle hall-of-fame caliber career.--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Adrian Garro

2 weeks agoThe Tampa Bay Rays are calling up top infield prospect Junior Caminero from Double-A Montgomery, according to sources. The 20-year-old will make the jump to the big leagues from Double-A, where he was hitting an impressive .309/.373/.548 with a .921 OPS, 20 home runs, 62 RBI, nine doubles, three triples, three stolen bases and 55 runs scored in 81 games. Between Montgomery and High-A Bowling Green, Caminero has 31 homers, 94 RBI, five stolen bases and 85 runs scored in 510 trips to the plate and 117 games. Caminero has elite bad speed and raw power for his age. It's unclear how much the Rays will play him down the stretch and into the postseason, but most of his playing time will likely come at shortstop with Wander Franco not expected back until sometime in 2024.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan

2 weeks agoMiami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara (forearm) looked good in his minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday, tossing four scoreless innings while giving up just one hit, walking none and striking out four. Alcantara is attempting to return to the Marlins after suffering a UCL sprain in his right arm. The Fish are hoping to get the 2022 National League Cy Young winner back in some capacity down the stretch as they push for the final wild-card spot in the NL. With only 10 days left in the regular season, though, Alcantara may not be able to return in a traditional starting role. He only threw 51 pitches during his rehab outing on Thursday.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com

2 weeks agoThe San Francisco Giants placed shortstop Paul DeJong on unconditional release waivers on Thursday and recalled infielders Marco Luciano and Tyler Fitzgerald from Triple-A Sacramento in corresponding moves. Brandon Crawford (hamstring) also went on the 10-day injured list and won't return this year, so expect Luciano and Fitzgerald to split time at the 6 for the Gigantes the rest of the way. The 30-year-old DeJong spent time with the Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays in 2023, but he wasn't good in any of those stops, hitting a combined .226 (74-for-328) with 14 home runs, 37 RBI, four steals and 41 runs scored in 112 games. In just 18 games in San Francisco, he went 9-for-49 (.184) with a homer, five RBI and two runs scored.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Chronicle - Susan Slusser

2 weeks agoThe San Francisco Giants placed shortstop Brandon Crawford (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a right-hamstring strain, ending his season. Crawford's injury came on Wednesday night. Not only will he miss the rest of the 2023 season, but Wednesday's contest could end up being his final game in San Francisco after 13 seasons with the organization. The Giants also released veteran Paul DeJong, so it will be Marco Luciano and Tyler Fitzgerald likely splitting duties at shortstop in the Bay Area the rest of the way. The 36-year-old Crawford showed he doesn't have a whole lot left in the tank this year, as he hit .197/.276/.319 with seven home runs, 11 doubles, a triple, 38 RBI, three stolen bases and 31 runs scored in 92 games. Crawford will be a free agent this winter.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Chronicle - Susan Slusser

2 weeks agoNew York Yankees outfielder Everson Pereira (hamstring) remains absent from Thursday's lineup for the series finale versus the Toronto Blue Jays. The 22-year-old hasn't been seen in the lineup since last Thursday's doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox due to a low-grade hamstring strain. Pereira sustained the injury during that series when he slipped on the wet dugout steps at Fenway Park. The No. 3 Yankees prospect is unfortunately losing out on some valuable opportunity in center field in wake of Jasson Dominguez's (elbow) UCL surgery. In the meantime, Estevan Florial patrols center and hits seventh against right-hander Jose Berrios on Thursday.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees Twitter

2 weeks agoNew York Mets outfielder DJ Stewart (wrist) is not seen in Thursday's lineup for the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies as a result of left wrist soreness. The 29-year-old, wearing an .899 OPS in 160 plate appearances this summer, also missed Wednesday's matchup with the ailment and needs at least another day to heal. Stewart should be considered day-to-day, and fantasy managers might want to start looking for another hot bat to ride in the home stretch with Stewart cooling down a bit lately. Jeff McNeil will park in right field and bat sixth against left-hander Ranger Suarez for this one.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo - MLB.com

2 weeks agoTampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (knee) was pulled from Thursday's game versus the Los Angeles Angels due to an apparent right knee injury. The 29-year-old left during the top of the ninth inning after fouling a ball off of his right knee earlier in the game. He went 0-for-2 with a walk before Curtis Mead replaced him defensively. Fantasy managers should deem Lowe day-to-day until we hear more, but it bodes well that he wasn't forced from the contest immediately. The Rays have a deep depth chart at the keystone, so Osleivis Basabe and Jonathan Aranda could also slide in if Lowe is not ready for Friday's series opener vs. the Toronto Blue Jays or beyond.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Marc Topkin

2 weeks agoPhiladelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez takes the bump for Thursday's start versus the New York Mets. 2023 has presented a rollercoaster ride for the 26-year-old, offering weak statistical returns in May and July with strong numbers in June, August, and September thus far. With a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain mixed in, Suarez owns a 2.86 ERA with 36 strikeouts in six starts (34.2 innings) since Aug. 1. The southpaw will look to continue these steady results against a Mets team he shows an equally impressive 2.96 ERA with 19 punchouts in 27.1 frames dating back to 2019. With the fantasy playoffs fully underway in most leagues, Suarez looks like a fine streaming option for those seeking a quality start on Thursday's shorter slate.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Statmuse

2 weeks agoToronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (knee) is out of Thursday's lineup for the series finale against the New York Yankees, but an MRI on his right knee returned negative for structural damage. The 24-year-old is being deemed day-to-day with inflammation, and it appears at this time that he can avoid a stint on the injured list. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief after Guerrero was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with this somewhat lingering knee issue. Spencer Horwitz is manning the cold corner and batting sixth on Thursday against right-hander Gerrit Cole in Guerrero's stead. Vlad Jr.'s next chance to return comes during Friday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Kaitlyn McGrath

2 weeks agoThe St. Louis Cardinals placed catcher Willson Contreras (wrist) on the 10-day injured list with left wrist tendinitis on Thursday, ending his season. The 31-year-old left Wednesday's game due to left wrist discomfort, and Thursday's MRI revealed the injury. Contreras put forth an awful start to his Cardinals tenure, but looked more like his All-Star self this summer by hitting .346 (63-for-182) with a 1.057 OPS in 56 games since June 25. The veteran backstop should remain one of the top 10 catchers drafted off fantasy boards next year. Andrew Knizner and Ivan Herrera will take St. Louis the rest of the way behind the plate.--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Katie Woo

2 weeks agoCleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan is back in the starting lineup Thursday night against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. Kwan didn't appear in the Guardians' 6-2 loss to the Royals on Wednesday afternoon but will return to the leadoff spot and man left field Thursday in Cleveland. One of the tougher outs in baseball, Kwan is hitting .270 on the season with five homers, 20 stolen bases, and a 9.7% BB% that nearly matches his tiny 10.2% K%. The 26-year-old has logged a two-hit game in three of his last four contests while he's collected two doubles, two runs, and four RBI in that time.--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 weeks agoAtlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is not in the club's starting lineup Thursday night against the Washington Nationals and right-hander Jake Irvin. The backstop went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in Wednesday night's extra-innings loss and will give way to Travis d'Arnaud behind the plate on Thursday in Washington. While his bat has been sensational from an overall standpoint in his first season in Atlanta, Murphy has limped to a .172 average with a .596 OPS since the All-Star break and has not hit a home run since Aug. 13. Nonetheless, he has still put forth a .260 average with 20 home runs and an .850 OPS across 103 appearances while giving the Braves elite defense behind the plate this season.--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com

2 weeks agoWashington Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin will be in search of a bounce-back effort on Thursday when he toes the rubber at home against the Atlanta Braves. The rookie right-hander surrendered four earned runs across just 4 2/3 innings his last time out against the Milwaukee Brewers while he walked five Brewers hitters in that outing. He had previously surrendered three earned runs or fewer in seven straight starts but the rough outing in Milwaukee saw his ERA rise to 4.34 on the season. Additionally, Irvin owns a 5.29 FIP, 5.02 SIERA, and a weak 9.2% K-BB% across his first 23 starts on the campaign, suggesting he has been worse than his surface ERA entails.--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com