6 days agoThe Baltimore Orioles are considering giving right-hander
Kyle Bradish an extra day before his next start this week. Thursday is Bradish's scheduled turn through the rotation, but he could be pushed back to Friday on the road in Tampa Bay to face the Rays. Left-handed pitching prospect
Cade Povich is on the team's taxi squad and could make his major-league debut in a start on Thursday in the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 27-year-old hasn't been dealing with any kind of injury, but it appears the team just wants to get him an extra day of rest after he allowed a season-high five earned runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings in his last start on June 1 versus the Rays. After getting a late start to the season due to an elbow injury, Bradish was solid in five May starts, allowing only five earned runs while walking 11 and fanning 34 in 25 2/3 frames.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Baltimore Banner - Danielle Allentuck
6 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies catcher
J.T. Realmuto is getting a breather on Wednesday versus the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and will start on the bench.
Garrett Stubbs will do the catching for right-hander
Aaron Nola and will bat eighth in the order against Brewers left-hander
Aaron Ashby. Realmuto will get a much-needed break after catching 10 innings in the second game of the series on Tuesday. The 33-year-old All-Star remains one of the better offensive backstops in baseball and is currently slashing .266/.310/.422 with seven home runs, eight doubles, a triple, 20 RBI and 28 runs scored in 49 games in 2024. Stubbs is a poor DFS choice as a sleeper at the position. He's gone 9-for-51 (.176) this year with no homers, three RBI and three steals. Stubbs has never faced Ashby in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoColorado Rockies first baseman/designated hitter
Kris Bryant (back) remains on the bench for the team's game on Wednesday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds. Bryant is dealing with a sore back and will now miss his third game in a row.
Elias Diaz is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup, which will allow
Jacob Stallings to do the catching while hitting sixth against Reds right-hander
Graham Ashcraft. Bryant has had an incredibly tough time staying on the field since joining the Rockies in 2022. On top of his recurring injuries this year, the 32-year-old former MVP and National League Rookie of the Year is hitting just .186 (16-for-86) with two home runs, 10 RBI and 31 strikeouts in 24 games for Colorado. It's become increasingly difficult to justify rostering him in mixed fantasy leagues at this point.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals left-hander
Steven Matz (back) will make a minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Thursday after what will b a month spent recovering from a lower-back injury. Matz is scheduled to throw two innings or 40 to 45 pitches. He was able to complete two high-intensity bullpen sessions while maintaining his velocity and recovering without soreness or weakness. If he increases his pitch counts by 15 each time out in the minors, it would put Matz ready to throw around 90 pitches by mid-June. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw is recovering from a protruding disc in his lower back. Before landing on the IL, he had gone 1-2 with a bloated 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings over his six starts. When he's able to return, Matz will be a low-upside, matchup-based streamer in deeper leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals shortstop
Masyn Winn (back) is getting a day off in the series finale on Wednesday against the hosting Houston Astros. Winn went 3-for-3, reached base four times and homered in Tuesday's loss to the Astros. He's been excellent so far in his first full season as St. Louis' starting shortstop. In four games so far in June, he's gone 5-for-15 with a homer, three RBI, one stolen base and four runs scored. The 22-year-old makes a ton of contact and should continue to be a great batting-average contributor for fantasy teams. He's currently batting .309/.359/.446 with an .805 OPS, three homers, 21 RBI, eight stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 175 at-bats in 2024. Winn has become a must-start in all fantasy leagues. Veteran
Brandon Crawford is at the 6 on Wednesday and is batting seventh against Astros right-hander
Ronel Blanco.
UPDATE: Manager Oliver Marmol confirmed that Winn has been dealing with ongoing back pain for several weeks.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 days agoHouston Astros right-hander
Jose Urquidy (elbow) will undergo season-ending elbow surgery on Wednesday, the team announced. The Astros didn't specify the exact nature of Urquidy's surgery, but he will not pitch again in 2024. The exact nature of the surgery and a projected timetable for the 29-year-old's return should be more clear after the procedure is completed. It's more bad news for Houston's rotation after it was announced on Tuesday that right-hander
Cristian Javier (elbow) is having Tommy John surgery on Thursday. Urquidy has already had TJ surgery once back in 2017, so the team could elect to have him undergo an internal-brace procedure, which should shorten his recovery timeline. Either way, fantasy managers won't have him for the rest of this year and probably for the first half of 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
6 days agoHouston Astros third baseman
Alex Bregman (hand) is at third base and is batting in the two-hole for the series finale on Wednesday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Miles Mikolas. Bregman had an injury scare in Tuesday's win over St. Louis when he was hit by a pitch on his left hand, but he stayed in for the entire game, and X-rays came back negative after the contest. The 30-year-old All-Star is on an absolute tear at the plate of late after starting the year off slow offensively. In his last eight games played, Bregman has torn the cover off the ball by going 12-for-31 (.387) with five home runs, a double, a triple, eight RBI and nine runs scored. Fantasy managers will obviously want to keep him locked in right now. Bregman has faced Mikolas only twice in his career and doesn't have a hit.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
6 days agoHouston Astros outfielder
Kyle Tucker (shin) remains out of the starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Tucker fouled a ball off of his right shin in Monday's win over the Cardinals and didn't play on Tuesday, so this will be his second straight game sitting out. The good news is the 27-year-old All-Star avoided a serious injury and remains day-to-day for now. The Astros have a scheduled off day on Thursday before heading to Anaheim to face the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, so fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Tucker is back in the fold. When active, Tucker is a must-start in fantasy as one of the most productive hitters in baseball.
Trey Cabbage, who was called up from the minors on Tuesday, is in right field and is batting seventh for the Astros on Wednesday against Cardinals right-hander
Miles Mikolas in the series finale.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
6 days agoThe Boston Red Sox reinstated outfielder
Tyler O'Neill (knee) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and optioned catcher
Tyler Heineman to Triple-A Worcester to make room on the active roster. O'Neill will start in right field and bat fifth in his return versus the visiting Atlanta Braves and rookie right-hander
Spencer Schwellenbach. The 28-year-old outfielder spent the minimal time on the IL with right-knee inflammation. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his minor-league rehab game with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday while serving as the designated hitter. O'Neill has cooled off since a strong start in April and was hitless in 15 at-bats with 10 strikeouts in four games before landing on the injured list, so fantasy managers may want to wait a bit before throwing him back in their starting lineups. Overall, O'Neill is hitting .236 (35-for-148) with 11 homers and 17 RBI in his first year in Boston.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Red Sox
6 days agoAtlanta Braves catcher
Sean Murphy (elbow) is sitting out of Wednesday's matinee affair at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.
Travis d'Arnaud will do the catching and will bat sixth against Red Sox right-hander
Nick Pivetta. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised that Murphy is out after he left the game late in Tuesday's win when he was hit by a pitch on his right elbow. Thankfully, X-rays on the 29-year-old backstop came back negative, so he's considered day-to-day for now. There's a chance he could be back in action on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. Murphy has already missed substantial time this year due to an oblique strain and is hitting just .182 (4-for-22) with no homers, but he is Atlanta's primary catcher when healthy. d'Arnaud isn't a bad DFS option at the position and has a homer and three RBI in six career at-bats against Pivetta.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Atlanta Braves
6 days agoThe Philadelphia Phillies spent a third-round pick and $750,000 to land outfielder
Jordan Viars out of high school in 2021. He doesn't have the greatest bat skills, but he gets good strength behind his swings and can hit the ball hard. FanGraphs appropriately described Viars' impact on the ball as "thump" rather than "power." Regardless of what you call it, there's reason to be excited about his seven homers and .934 OPS in 2024. He's also an above-average defender who will get a chance to play right field long-term. Viars put on a show over the course of five games last week, going 9-for-18 with four homers, 11 RBI, one walk, and five strikeouts. This one-week outburst is a small sample size, but there's at least some optimism that Viars has found his groove and can be an impact hitter in the Phillies' system.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
6 days agoTexas Rangers starting pitching prospect Alejandro Rosario was a fifth-round pick out of Miami in 2023. He slid down draft boards due to concerns about his control, but that has not been an issue since he was drafted. In fact, he has an astounding 9.77 K/BB ratio and one of the lowest walk rates in the minors. The right-hander sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, and he complements his heater with an effective changeup that he commands well. Rosario, who hasn't allowed a run over his last 11 innings, put together a gem last Saturday. He went six innings in the win, allowing one hit, one hit batsman, and zero runs. Best of all, he struck out a whopping 11 batters. As it stands, Rosario is one of the most exciting young arms in the minors. Still in Single-A, Rosario could be years away from his MLB debut, but there's no denying the upside.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
6 days agoBoston Red Sox catcher
Kyle Teel was the best catching prospect in the 2023 draft and was ultimately selected No. 14 overall. He's already lived up to the hype throughout his first year of pro baseball, demonstrating impressive plate discipline, great bat-to-ball ability, decent power, and terrific skills behind the dish. Specifically, he frames pitches quite well and also has a strong arm. He has the potential to be an All-Star and could presumably give Boston the best catching tandem in baseball between himself and
Connor Wong. Teel has spent all of 2024 at Double-A, but he's coming off a big week that will surely push him closer to Triple-A. Over his last six games, he went 10-for-24 with three homers, 11 RBI, three walks, and five strikeouts. He also stole two bases. There's never a "sure thing" when talking about baseball prospects, but Teel is just about as close as you'll get.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
6 days agoSt. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect
Quinn Mathews was a fourth-round pick in 2023. Although he didn't make his pro debut until this April, he's already appeared in RotoBaller's Hot Prospects to Watch series three times, which is the highest mark among any player this season. The southpaw has a low-90s fastball and rounds out his repertoire with a curveball, slider, and changeup. Of those secondary options, the changeup is the best, though all three can be effective. Mathews flashed decent control in college and has racked up strikeouts so far this year, all while keeping his walk rate relatively low. Mathews' latest outing thrust him right back into the spotlight. He struck out six batters over six shutout innings, surrendering just two hits and plunking one batter. He's been one of the most overachieving pitching prospects this season and is destined for a promotion to Double-A sooner rather than later.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
6 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers shortstop prospect
Trey Sweeney is a 24-year-old who was acquired from the Yankees last winter in the Blue Crew's attempt to create 40-man roster space while bolstering their farm system. The former first-round pick is a reliable defender with a strong glove and a decent arm. However, he might not be rangy or athletic enough to play shortstop long-term, suggesting that a move to second or third base will be necessary. At the plate, he has great awareness, using his baseball IQ to draw walks and get the bat on the ball. He isn't viewed as a power hitter, but he gets on base. Although Sweeney isn't a major power threat, he certainly mashed the ball last week. In turn, this generated plenty of buzz about his future, which could include a promotion to the big league club sooner rather than later. Over his last six games, he went 11-for-28 with six homers, 14 RBI, two walks, and eight strikeouts. He also stole a base.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: FanGraphs
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