May 4, 2025
Cincinnati Reds outfielder
Jake Fraley reached base three times in Saturday's 11-6 loss to the Nationals, going 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run, and two runs scored in the contest. It was some much-needed production after coming into the game 0-for-14 over his previous five starts (1-for-2 as a pinch hitter on Friday). The left-handed hitter is off to a slow start, hitting .216 and slugging .378, but has a strong 13:15 BB:K, which has helped him get on base, while also stealing three bases so far in 2025. The 29-year-old has stolen at least 20 bases in each of the last two seasons despite playing in no more than 116 games, so he could have some relevance in NL-only leagues, but low barrel and hard-hit rates will limit the home run potential.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 4, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder
Max Kepler went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks. The home run was his fifth of the year, with four of them coming in his last seven games (and three in his last four), and now riding a mini four-game hit streak. After spending his entire career in Minnesota, the 32-year-old is having somewhat of a renaissance in Philadelphia, as he's now on pace for more than 15 home runs, which would easily surpass the eight that he hit last season. The left-handed slugger owns an 11.9 percent barrel rate and 52.4 percent hard-hit rate, so expect the power output to continue. In a platoon role, the 6-foot-4 slugger may be a bit frustrating in season-long fantasy, but is a viable DFS play, especially while he's hitting so well.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 4, 2025
Chicago Cubs outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-4 with a three-run shot during their victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Crow-Armstrong went deep in the fourth inning off Milwaukee southpaw
Jose Quintana. His three-run shot scored catcher
Carson Kelly and second baseman
Nico Hoerner. Over his last 10 games, the former top prospect has begun to flash upside power as he has gone deep six times, tallied two doubles, and brought in 16 RBI. Before this power surge, Crow-Armstrong posted a .258/.310/.462 slash line over his first 24 games of the season. The 23-year-old has generated a solid .361 xwOBA and a .273 xBA, which suggests he should continue to enjoy a breakout season. He remains a must-start player on Sunday facing
Freddy Peralta.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 4, 2025
Washington Nationals infielder
Amed Rosario was busy at the plate on Saturday evening, going 3-for-6 with a double, a home run, and four RBI in their victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Rosario would hit an RBI double in the fourth inning, which scored
Jacob Young. Later in the sixth, Rosario would go deep for the second time this season, which scored Young once again and shortstop
CJ Abrams. Rosario has struggled to find consistent playing time through the opening month but has been productive when on the field. Through his first 19 games of the campaign, Rosario has posted a .276/.288/.488 slash line with four doubles, two round-trippers, and a stolen base. He has also generated a strong .327 xBA, which suggests he should continue to find success at the plate. On Sunday, he will look to stay hot at the plate, facing Cincinnati right-hander
Nick Martinez.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 4, 2025
Washington Nationals outfielder
James Wood went 4-for-6 with a double, two runs, and a stolen base during their victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Wood would hit his double in the third inning off Cincinnati southpaw
Nick Lodolo. This was Wood's second-straight game stealing at least one base. Over his last 12 games, the sophomore outfielder has posted an impressive .348/.464/.587 slash line with five doubles, two home runs, two stolen bases, and a 15:10 K:BB. Prior to this recent surge at the plate, the 22-year-old held a .232/.337/.524 line across his first 22 games of the season. Under the hood, Wood has generated a .392 xwOBA with a 52.3 percent hard-hit rate, which suggests he should continue to enjoy a breakout campaign. He remains a must-start option in all formats on Sunday when he faces Cincinnati right-hander
Nick Martinez.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 4, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman
Freddie Freeman went 3-for-5 with a home run and added four RBI during their demanding victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday evening. Freeman would hit an RBI single to left field, which brought home
Mookie Betts in the fourth inning. In the eighth, Freeman would cap off his evening with a three-run shot that scored
Shohei Ohtani and Betts for the second time. This impressive outing extended his hitting streak to eight games. During this stretch, Freeman has posted a stellar .483/.571/.793 slash line with three doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI. The 35-year-old has battled injuries this season, but when in the lineup, he has produced elite results. Through 22 total games, the reigning World Series MVP has posted a .338/.422/.662 slash line. He will look to stay hot on Sunday evening, facing
Bryce Elder.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 4, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter
Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a home run and a walk during their victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday evening. Ohtani would launch his eighth home run of the campaign in the third inning off Atlanta right-hander
Spencer Schwellenbach. The reigning NL MVP has begun to see his offensive production increase over the past week. In his last seven games, the 30-year-old has posted an impressive .407/.529/.889 slash line with three doubles, two triples, two long balls, and four stolen bases. Prior to this stretch, Ohtani held a .260/.355/.479 through his first 24 games of the season. Ohtani has generated an elite .451 xwOBA, which suggests he should continue to see his offensive production climb throughout the summer. He will look to continue this impressive stretch on Sunday against Atlanta right-hander
Bryce Elder.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 4, 2025
Atlanta Braves second baseman
Ozzie Albies went 3-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base during their loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday evening. Albies would go deep in the fourth inning with a solo shot off Dodgers right-hander
Roki Sasaki. Over his last seven games, Albies has been productive at the plate, posting a .300/.323/.400 slash line. During this stretch, he has hit just one extra-base hit (a home run) but has swiped three bags. Through 32 games, Albies has posted a modest .248/.302/.395 slash line with five home runs and five stolen bases. Under the hood, the switch-hitting second baseman has generated a modest .290 xwOBA with a 5.5 percent barrel rate, which are both well below the average marks. He will look to stay hot on Sunday night against right-handed pitcher
Dustin May.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
May 3, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Aaron Nola allowed four hits and no runs over six innings pitched in his team's 7-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He walked one and struck out eight while picking up his first win of the season (1-5). Nola let up six hard-hit balls on Saturday, but he was able to keep the D-Backs off balance, allowing just one extra-base hit (double). The veteran right-hander has rebounded nicely over his last two starts after affording the Giants and Mets ten combined runs over the two starts prior. During the previous 13 innings, he's surrendered just seven hits and one earned run with a 14:2 K:BB ratio and back-to-back quality starts. He'll attempt to keep the good times rolling in his next appearance, which should come on the road against the Cleveland Guardians next weekend.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 3, 2025
Seattle Mariners shortstop
J.P. Crawford went 1-for-5 with a home run in his team's 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. Crawford's lone hit at the dish came in the top of the first inning to lead off the game, a 100.3 MPH blast he pulled to the corner of right field, but that wasn't the only hard-hit ball he'd register. The former first-round pick collected two more batted balls in excess of 97.8 MPH, though they ended in a lineout and groundout. He's been great from the leadoff spot for the Mariners, batting .287 (29-for-101) with a .410 OBP, three home runs, and 17 RBI to match his run total. The lefty has raised his walk rate to a robust 16.8% after sitting at 11.5% in 2024 and holds the highest xBA of his nine-year career (.271).
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 3, 2025
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher
Bailey Ober picked up his fourth win of the season in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The North Carolina native scattered seven hits (one double), allowing one earned run and striking out six while issuing one free pass. He fired 62 of 94 pitches for strikes, inducing 18 swings-and-misses for a strong 32% CSW% in the quality start. Ober mostly cruised through this one, running into trouble in the third inning when
Jarren Duran doubled and was driven in a batter later by
Rafael Devers after reaching third on a
Carlos Correa error. He'd recover, though, and let up just three singles thereafter. The 29-year-old has been fine thus far in 2025, and will carry a 3.72 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with a 4-1 record into his next start, which projects to come against the San Francisco Giants at home late next week.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 3, 2025
San Diego Padres third baseman
Manny Machado went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 32-year-old gave the Friars their first run of the game when he took Pirates pitcher
Bailey Falter deep in the top of the seventh inning, spoiling his bid at a win. It was a 391-foot solo shot that left the bat at 114.3 MPH, accounting for his third home run and hardest-hit ball of the year. He's up to a strong .280 average now, to go along with 20 runs scored and six stolen bases. Machado is on pace to easily surpass his 2024 steal total of 11, and has dropped his strikeout rate from last season, too -- all while garnering a hard-hit ball nearly 10% more often (57.9%). He's also underperforming his xBA by a good bit (.326).
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
May 3, 2025
San Francisco Giants third baseman
Matt Chapman came up clutch for his team during Saturday's game versus the Colorado Rockies. Chapman was quiet at the plate until he came up in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. The right-handed slugger blasted a 402-foot shot off righty
Jake Bird to give his team the lead. The veteran slugger has two homers and five RBI over his last two games. Chapman probably wishes that he could play the Rockies forever, but sadly that is over for now. He has an ugly slash line, but his seven homers and 21 RBI does make up for it.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 3, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Kevin Gausman had seemingly no issues on the mound during Saturday's start against the Cleveland Guardians. The right-hander gave up one hit and a walk, but was basically perfect outside of that. Gausman tossed six scoreless innings while striking out nine batters in what ended up being a no-decision. Well, Gausman certainly earned the win in this one, but sadly his bullpen blew it for him in the final innings. It is unfortunate for him, but fantasy managers will still take a strong outing by Gausman. He'll take a 3.83 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 37/12 K/BB ratio into his next start versus the Seattle Mariners.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
May 3, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Taijuan Walker is moving from the starting rotation into the bullpen, according to manager Rob Thompson. This was expected with left-hander
Ranger Suarez (back) returning from the injured list this weekend. Walker was the odd man out, but Thompson did say the Phillies could go to a six-man rotation at some point. In six starts, Walker posted a 2.54 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 22/13 K/BB ratio this season. The 32-year-old picked up a little stream on the waiver wire recently, but that will basically all be lost with the move to the bullpen.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Lachlahn March
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