6 days agoPittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect
Paul Skenes proved he was human on Wednesday when he gave up his first run of the season. Last year's first overall tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and struck out seven. Skenes, 21, continues to be as advertised and now have a 0.53 ERA with 34 strikeouts in just 17 innings. The right-hander is one of the top prospects in the game and doesn't have much left to prove, but the Pirates are going to be extra cautious with their future ace before taking the training wheels off and promoting him to the big-league. Skenes is worth stashing ahead of time in most leagues.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
6 days agoHouston Astros outfield prospect
Joey Loperfido continued his dominant season for Triple-A Sugar Land by going 3-for-5 with three runs and two solo home runs on Wednesday. The homers were Nos. 11 and 12, and by doing so, Loperfido tied a Triple-A record with
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6 days agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher
Garrett Whitlock (oblique) still hasn't been cleared to throw off a mound yet. Although Whitlock played catch on Saturday, fantasy managers should not be expecting him to be activated from the 15-day injured list when first eligible on May 1 at the pace he's progressing through his throwing program. The 27-year-old right-hander left with a strained left oblique in April 16's start versus the visiting Cleveland Guardians, and his 1.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 17 strikeouts through 18 1/3 innings (four starts) for the BoSox make him a worthwhile stash in all mixed fantasy leagues. Boston will likely turn to a heavy dose of openers and long relievers until some of their arms return to their injury-depleted rotation. After throwing five scoreless innings in Wednesday's win over Cleveland, right-hander
Cooper Criswell might get himself into streaming conversations in the proper matchups.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher
Max Scherzer (back) made his first appearance of 2024 in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock, surrendering three runs on five hits (two home runs) with four punchouts. The long ball plagued Scherzer a year ago as well, serving up 28 homers over 27 starts, so fantasy managers hope he's getting those issues out of his system before he rejoins the major-league roster. With Scherzer's target being an early-May return to Texas' rotation after offseason back surgery, he appears likely to make at least two more rehab starts before becoming available to fantasy managers. Even so, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer has a chance to crush the late-round ADP he carried in the spring due to concerns he'd be out until midseason. Last season, Scherzer recorded a rock-solid 3.20 ERA (3.41 FIP), 0.95 WHIP, and 53:15 K:BB over 45 frames (eight starts) after joining the Rangers.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde says the team is discussing whether starting pitcher
John Means' (forearm) next start will come in Triple-A Norfolk or for the major-league club. The O's don't have a starter scheduled for Sunday's series finale versus the visiting Oakland Athletics, so there's a chance Means makes his 2024 regular-season debut in that one. While the 31-year-old left-hander struggled mightily with a 13.89 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, and 14:6 K:BB over 11 2/3 innings (five starts) during his minor-league rehab assignment, a matchup at home against the lowly A's would certainly put him on the streaming radar right off the bat in fantasy leagues. Means is on the mend from a strained left forearm, but if he needs one last rehab appearance, veteran right-hander
Albert Suarez has fired 11 1/3 scoreless frames with nine strikeouts in two starts for Baltimore and would get the ball on Sunday instead.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Andy Kostka - The Baltimore Banner
6 days agoChicago Cubs relief pitcher
Hector Neris got the call in Wednesday's save situation against the visiting Houston Astros, allowing a run but holding on to safeguard the 3-2 win. After Neris relieved setup man
Mark Leiter Jr.,
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6 days agoUpdating a previous report, Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that X-rays came back negative on right-hander
Alec Marsh (elbow, forearm) after he was forced to leave his start early on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays when he was hit by a comebacker on his right elbow/forearm in the fifth inning. Marsh was in a lot of pain initially, but the feeling came back in his arm quickly after he was pulled. "We feel like we got pretty lucky. Everything is good. X-rays are negative," Quatraro said. The 25-year-old could still be forced to miss his next scheduled start on Monday against these same Blue Jays, but it's obviously good news he avoided any kind of fracture in his arm. Before leaving on Wednesday, Marsh tossed 4 1/3 shutout innings with two hits allowed, two walks and only one strikeout to drop his season ERA to a strong 2.70.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Joel Goldberg
6 days agoKansas City Royals closer
James McArthur continued cementing his status atop the club's bullpen hierarchy in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, collecting his sixth save of the season after fanning two hitters in a clean ninth inning to preserve the victory. McArthur was summoned to sit down the lower part of Toronto's batting order and made the game a bit interesting by letting pinch-hitter
Justin Turner reach on a single to get the tying run aboard, but he prevented things from getting out of hand. The big 27-year-old right-hander is starting to leave veteran
William Smith in the dust when it comes to handling save opportunities for the Royals going forward, as he's now rattled off eight consecutive scoreless appearances while going 6-for-6 on save chances over his last 9 2/3 frames since April 5. There's no reason for McArthur to be on any fantasy waiver wires at this point.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher
Joe Ryan tossed a quality start in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over the division-rival Chicago White Sox, striking out eight hitters while giving up three runs on four hits (two home runs) and one walk for the win. After hurling two clean opening innings, Ryan yielded a couple of solo homers to the seventh and ninth batters in Chicago's lineup during the third before
Braden Shewmake stole home in the fifth to tack on another score. The 27-year-old star right-hander is off to a fine start in the 2024 regular season, posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a spectacular 38:4 K:BB over 28 2/3 frames (five starts). Up next for Ryan is another scheduled appearance on Monday against the White Sox, who are now slashing an anemic .189/.263/.292 as a team with an MLB-low 53 runs scored through 24 outings.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Mets shortstop
Francisco Lindor put together his most productive outing of the season in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants, racking up four hits in five at-bats with two home runs. Although Lindor has been one of fantasy's biggest busts over the first month of action, he looked the part of an early-round fantasy pick on Wednesday. He homered to deep right center to score leadoff man
Brandon Nimmo in the third inning and get New York into the scoring column, later sinking the Giants with another two-run jack in the ninth to make it an 8-1 ballgame. The 30-year-old Silver Slugger is now slashing .206/.291/.361 with four taters, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and one stolen base through 110 plate appearances (24 games) ahead of a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals starting on Friday. Last season, Lindor hit .375 (9-for-24) with one homer, two doubles, five RBI, and two thefts in seven games against St. Louis.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers designated hitter
Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a big day at the dish in Wednesday's 11-3 rout of the Washington Nationals, going 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. Each of Ohtani's hits were doubles on Wednesday, with his final two two-baggers bringing
Mookie Betts around for some insurance scores late in the contest. After this three-hit attack, the 29-year-old two-time American League MVP raised his triple-slash line to .371/.433/.695 to go with six home runs, 16 RBI, an MLB-leading 14 doubles, 22 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 121 plate appearances (26 games) in the 2024 regular season. After Thursday's series finale in Washington, Ohtani faces off with the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game set starting on Friday. In 20 games versus the Jays since 2021, Ohtani is batting .319 (22-for-69) with seven blasts, five doubles, 18 RBI, and 16 runs scored.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoBaltimore Orioles shortstop
Gunnar Henderson stuffed the stat sheet in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels, going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and a stolen base. Henderson first homered to get the O's on the board in the third inning. After leading off the fifth with a double, he hit a two-run single in the sixth before stealing a base in the eighth to put the cherry on top of a wonderful day in Anaheim. The 22-year-old reigning American League Rookie of the Year might be getting even better in his third season, now slashing a robust .309/.373/.649 with eight round-trippers, 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, and five pilfers atop Baltimore's high-powered lineup. Henderson has a great chance to stay hot during a home series with the Oakland Athletics starting on Friday, as he's batting .371 (13-for-40) with two bombs, five doubles, five RBI, and 11 runs scored in nine career games against the A's.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoDetroit Tigers outfield prospect
Max Clark went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, two walks, and a run scored on Wednesday for Single-A Lakeland. Clark extended his hit streak to seven games, also collecting at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games, and reaching base via hit or walk in all but one of his 15 games. Not too shabby for a 19-year-old. He's now batting .304-1-13-9-4 to begin the year. Per MLB.com, Clark is Detroit's top prospect after being selected third overall in the 2023 draft, but his ETA to the majors isn't until 2026, so he's off the redraft radar for now. Dynasty managers should be keeping an eye on him though, as he's the No. 12 overall ranked prospect in all of baseball, and a debut in 2025 isn't out of the question.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
6 days agoLos Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout went deep for the second time in as many days in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles, homering to deep left in the sixth inning. Trout's solo shot got the Halos on the board, but their late comeback attempt fell just short. The 32-year-old perennial Silver Slugger is rewarding those who took the gamble on his discounted ADP during fantasy drafts, slashing a powerful .237/.321/.598 with an MLB-leading 10 big flies, 13 RBI, five stolen bases, and 16 runs scored in 97 at-bats (25 outings). If he stays healthy, Trout should have no problem returning early-round value the rest of the way no matter where he's placed in Anaheim's lineup. He'll get a day off before a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins begins on Friday, and Trout is batting .400 (8-for-20) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI, and six runs scored in six games versus the Twins since 2021.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge launched his fourth home run of the 2024 regular season in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the visiting Oakland Athletics, adding a single in the fourth inning. Judge's blast was a 394-foot shot to deep right center that scored fellow slugging superstar
Juan Soto, giving New York an early 2-0 advantage. The 31-year-old former American League MVP is still off to a sluggish start at the dish after being slowed by injury during spring training, slashing .191/.319/.383 with four homers, six doubles, 13 RBI, and one stolen base in 25 games. Following Thursday's series finale against Oakland, Judge will get the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game weekend set on the road starting on Friday. In six games versus the Brewers since 2022, Judge is batting .409 (9-for-22) with two long balls, four RBI, and six runs scored.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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